Frugal Village Forums banner

So you say you spend under $500 a mo on groceries?

22K views 161 replies 71 participants last post by  CPA-Kim 
#1 ·
But what are you actually buying and eating for that amount?


Alot of people say they spend waaaay less but what are they actually buying and eating? I always wonder that everytime I see a, "I spend $300 a month for the 8 of us" type posts. :scratch: And then people will also say, "I have a large garden", "I don't count my side of beef in that amount", "I don't count my CSA in my monthly amount", or "I eat alot out of my already stocked pantry", etc...


Not being snarky in any way to be clear! But sometimes I wonder if people are getting "competitive" with their numbers like a bunch of fishermen exclaiming how their 10 inch fish was actually 40 feet long? :laugh:
 
#2 ·
I never brag about what I spend or don't spend. I have a post ditching the grocery store. That will answer what I do.

We eat lots of organic, ( eg, organic oats, rice, wheat I grind, fruits when I can find in season). We do eat lots of veggies, fruits, grains, but do have organic beef and farm raised chicken, eggs organic milk.

We have some preservatives we can't eat due to allergies, etc so we cook fresh food from scratch. I do have a garden, freeze and can. I am buying food just like everyone else just taking my time and energy into preserving it for taste, no preservatives and money savings. In doing this I can afford to use the savings towards bulk, organic, and splurges. This doesn't work for everyone, as every family is different with different needs , budgets and time. I can't afford health wise not to do it this way so I make the time. Works for me. Most people complain or pass out when they see I usually spend less then them and eat better, but like I said works for us.

I count all purchases in my food budget which is one set amount per month. That beef, those veggies anything and everything I buy in bulk all get counted to give me a annual savings of thousands.
 
#3 ·
To clarify in case any questions I buy the beef, chicken eggs etc and don't raise my own :) Someday hopefully but not now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#4 ·
My situation is very complicated to figure out how much I spend a month on everything.

Some nights my boyfriend stays over a day or two and will bring stuff for himself or for all of us. Some nights I have only one of the kids because the other one is with my ex at a sport. We take turns with the kids' activities.

I do know that I can spend $200-$250 a month on groceries and feed 3-4 people healthy. It would definitely be easier if my schedule wasn't so crazy!

When I was married and a sahm, I was able to meal plan and did very well at the grocery store on very little.
 
#7 ·
I have a rather snarky acquaintance at work that when I told her I spend between $200-300 per month she said "are you kidding? What are you blowing it all on. I spend $60. per week for two of us."

I asked her what she spent it on. "Well, we eat a lot of cereal for dinner. Also, I buy frozen veggies and Morningstar Farms Chik'n Strips and do stir fry a lot."

Come to find out, later she confessed that she eats out like 8 meals per week that she didn't count.

Seriously? And you're playing holier-than-thou with me? I NEVER eat out, never stop at the convenience store and never buy anything at a vending machine. Pretty much every single thing I ingest ultimately came through my kitchen. So yes, I do spend $200-300 per month on my groceries. But I'm honest about it.

Lisa--what do you consider the "range" on this board?
 
#13 ·
I remember the $50 a month posts, and those always made me scratch my head - but that's a far cry from $500. I could easily stay under $500 without a garden or a cow or extreme couponing, and I'm in a high cost of living area. I've certainly gone way over that at times when I was disorganized (especially right after we moved), or entertaining, or barbequing a lot of steak, etc. but I could average around $400 if I needed to, without sacrificing anything except convenience and luxuries.

I have a rather snarky acquaintance at work that when I told her I spend between $200-300 per month she said "are you kidding? What are you blowing it all on. I spend $60. per week for two of us."
$60 a week = $260 a month. What was her point? She's spending as much as you are.
 
#8 ·
i'm single and i spend 400 a month for groceries, household supplies, and pet needs.
 
#9 ·
I gave up on the grocery game. I have seen postings where a family of 5 ate on 50.00 a month. A two liter of soda was included in that everyday.I guess it's like an imaginary friend. I can't see it, but if you say he's there.... well.... okay.I do the best I can, with what I have, within my circumstances and then I quit beating myself up over it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#10 ·
if you search for the thread of trying to make dinner for under 5$ that was for 2 people you can see what we eat at least for dinner. and we have 6.

IMO if you have a garden raise your own food in any way you need to count what it costs to raise those things ( seeds - feed for animals - etc into the equation or you arent being totally honest with yourself.

if you are a super couponer then you need to count what you pay out extra for those extra coupons if you print them out you need to figure in a monthly figure for ink and paper.

as far as soda as part of someones meal - or processed foods
there is always going to be something that someone does differently - IE i have seen people freak out about buying only organic who i later in another post i see may also smoke or drink . two things that IMO are bad for you ( the drinking it depends which study yo read and how much ) and neither are a need .

for everything one person can point at and say hmm there is something that person can point back at them and say hmmm.

so unless someone is saying i cant afford my mortgage but drink alcohol smoke- drink soda etc i dont say hmmmm unless they ask my opinion .
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#11 ·
BTW there are alot of ways to end up with free soda if you coupon ... we really dont drink it much so i dont- but i know they are out there .
 
#12 ·
Pop here is around a dollar a two liter. So about thirty dollars a month.Leaving 20 dollars for monthly groceries for a family of five.Maybe they have a months worth of soda paid for in coupons. Maybe she lied. Who knows?I never could figure it out, but if families are getting fed for 50 bucks a month .......sweet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#14 ·
Well I used to but I have no idea now. We eat out and spend $500 a month on groceries and have a decent stockpile.
If you spend that on groceries to me you must
not eat much processed food unless it's couponed for
-eat dry beans,rice,go meatless at least 1 day a week,live in a cheaper area like we do,make casseroles,not eat hunks of meat.
Use bread and noodles and clearance a lot.

For instance bread at the bread store is .59 unless it the special and it .49. Tortillas there are $1.79/10 pk.. a tub of choc. donuts $1.89, and h.dog and hamb also .59. Also senior days.
They are aunt millies and get jewish rye,indian grain,chinese rolls,etc. So a cart full there cost $13. the same as about 5-6 loaves at the store. So huge saving if you freeze

Loaf of H.M. french toast w/ $1.69 doz. eggs=$2.28 plus jelly.syrup go for 4 people easily

Spaghetti
Sauce w/ meat sauce and noodles (Aldis) $2.29ish

tuna casserole
pea soup
rice w/ mushroom soup
all around the same cost.

Search the bakery for deals-freeze
go to the mark off counters
discount meats-freeze

Drink water and milk sometimes. Forget the pop.
Broccoli soup-$1.89 aldis,1 C. milk,8oz cheese $1.67,maybe mushrooms 4.50/4 people.

You gotta cook,plan, and grab stuff while its on sale,eat whats on sale. It can be done.
 
#15 ·
mw--hers was for 2 people. I'm one.

But, if I include what Lady Kemma does (pets and hh supplies as well) I'm also probably closer to $400. But a little bit under.

I just wish I could get it lower. But I really can't coupon bc my diet is so weird there aren't a lot of coupons available to me.

I want it lower bc it's the one thing I've got left that I can cut--if I'm smart. I'd just like to figure out a way to do so.

But, I don't see the point in doing stuff that's inconvenient and time consuming just for a few pennies. Like homemade laundry soap, for instance. I don't have a family of 8. I only do about 3 loads per week and I use an inexpensive brand and only about 30% of what the manufacturer recommends. I don't see the point in making a vat of laundry soap that will take me an a year or more to use and then try and store it (and not spill it) in a laundry closet! To me, I'm just not willing to go there for laundry soap.

So maybe I've already hit rock bottom with my food/household/pet spending...
 
#17 ·
But what are you actually buying and eating for that amount?
I buy fresh vegetables, a meat when it is on sale, a few canned or dry items for the pantry and whatever other household goods we need like toilet paper or laundry soap. I stock up on select items when there is a sale. Last week I bought 7 lbs of ground veal. This week it was hot dogs. We will actually eat from the freezer, pork ribs, chicken, kielbasa, and meatballs that I made last month.

I average my weekly totals, so it may have been $49 last week, and $75 this week and next week it will be $65 and I say I spend about $60 a week.

My meals consist of a vegetable, a small starch, and a protein item. I do meatless, or low-meat once a week or so. This week it will be minestrone soup.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#29 ·
I forgot to mention that we do eat out at least twice a month (a standing social engagement with friends) and DH buys lunch at least once a week. I do not count this as "grocery" money, it's from the entertainment budget. But most nights it is home cooking for us and leftovers for lunch.

I also have a garden but I don't think I get all that much from it. I might get $3 worth of chard, $2 in lettuce or $2 in tomatoes from it in any given week, depending on the season. I think we got a total of about 10# of potatoes last year (I can buy for 99c at the grocery) and about 12 heads of garlic (about $3) at the end of the year. Some years I get a couple jars of pickles or salsa at the end of the season. I'm more interested in freshness and availability -- walking out my back door-- than in saving money here. And of course, 7 months out of the year we get nothing from it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#18 ·
I know I'm not buying and eating for the amount that we spend at the grocery store.

MIL always gawks at me when I tell her how much I spend on the four of us. Then she realizes that it's just her and FIL now and prices these days are much more for a growing family of four then back in the 70s-90s.

I will spend between $125-$170 a week and then if I need anything, I go on Thursdays and pick up odds and ends. Usually, those odds and ends are bread, milk and eggs. We had been spending $20 a week on stockpile items and it really helped this week with DH being sick the last four days and me starting to get whatever's been floating around.

I tried Kraft's 1 bag, five meals deal and it was actually more than what I was spending to make seven meals. So today when I went to the store, I decided to use some of the stockpiled meat in my menu and make things like lasanga, meatloaf, salisbury steaks, etc. But I also know I'll probably need one trip on Thursday for bread and whatnot.

So while we may spend $125-$175 on things a week, I'm either adding to or eating from the stockpile or am buying things like cold medication, health and beauty items, toilet paper, laundry needs, storage bags, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
G
#19 ·
There was a really interesting thread on GRS about this with about 200 responses. I'll admit we average $300 a month for groceries but also probably $200 a month eating out. Some people include cleaning supplies and pet food. Some don't. I admit I also take a lot of the extreme number with a grain of salt because they probably have very different eating habits than us.
 
#21 ·
Interesting question. I think there are just so many variables even when someone says I feed my family for such and such amount. As others said some may include pet food...but then how many pets...1, 2, 5? Some may say a family of 8...but what ages? Teens generally will eat more than say a 2 or 5 year old. Also factor in that what a 2 or 5 year old eats a teen might not and visa versa. Some may be vegetarian verses us carnivores. Some cook from scratch verses those who buy package foods. I don't worry over if they can do it or not but love reading tips on how they are saving. If I can use it I might try it if not its not hurting me in the least. As long as its legal its not hurting me in the least.

For my family I am feeding 4 adults, 1 big old mutt of a dog, 8 cats (rescued from wild mother cats) and 4 wild ones that live in the woods behind our house...and an opossum named Handsome Stranger that wonders onto the patio to eat the cats food at night. Oh and we can now add a female beta fish that I want to call Suchi...teehee. Dh bought her Saturday.
 
#22 ·
We spend right at 400.00 a month for three adults and one teenager, plus two dogs and two cats. We don't eat out, or get take out, because most fast food tastes like crap compared to what we fix. This includes all pet food and paper goods and cleaning products. We coupon, only buy on sale and buy in bulk. This also includes stockpiling. In the summer, we grow tomatoes, peppers, onions and whatever veggies we can fit into containers and our backyard space. We don't eat huge amounts of meat or buy expensive cuts. We do, however, eat well. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish and lean pork or beef. I cook from scratch most days. I see people that complain that their food bill is high, but when they list what is bought, a large percentage is spent on expensive cuts of meat or items with sugar in them and sometimes family members are way--overweight. If you eat double servings, you are doubling your food costs. If anybody here is hungrier that what is fixed, they get nutritious snacks. Fruit or air popped popcorn or carrots and celery with lowfat dip or a salad or some other nutritious snack.The plus side is , if you eat right , you rarely get sick. Out of the 400.00, I manage to save what we will need for bread or milk,if we run out. I do bake bread when I have time. None of this is to boast, but just to let you know, it can be done. Buy wholesome food, not junk. We also use vinegar, bleach and less expensive things for cleaning. The money we save goes directly into a savings account for my son's education(college) and for any dental expenses or emergencies. We sleep well and don't worry about the future. When I was younger, I used to buy junk and fast food, was never this healthy. I prefer having the extra money to a Big Mac or cookies.
 
#23 ·
~I averaged $300 a month in 2011 to feed my family. I would say my family of 5 has the appetite equivalent of a group with 1 man and 3 girl teenagers. I posted a lot of menus of the meals we ate in the 2011 menu planning challenge. That amount includes all the food we eat at home and my little vegetable garden. I'm not a couponer.
If we eat out(once a month or so)it comes out of the vacation fund. It's always a "treat". We've never spent more than $40 a month on that though. I have a lot of picky eaters so it's better to just eat at home. I cook nearly everything from scratch for health and frugal reasons.
I spend an additional $30 a month on home, health and beauty aids but I keep those purchases in a separate category.
I saw an article a few years ago about a lady who bragged up and down about spending $300 a month to feed her family(6 I think). I was intrigued so I wanted to see if we were doing similar things. Turns out, in the fine print, that she actually spent $3000 of tax return money to buy a stockpile and then used $300 a month to get perishables. Oh boy. This kind of math is why our country is in trouble. A large purchase like that needs to be averaged into the month by month expense to get actual spending. In this lady's case, averaging her large expenditure into her maintenance amount nearly doubles her supposed monthly food expense. I don't think she set out to lie, but the writer covering her story apparently didn't think $550 a month for 6 people sounded frugal enough.~
 
#24 ·
I never could understand the I feed 6 people for 60 a week type posts I spend alot on groceries each month for dh ds me and 2 dogs. But we eat home every day and that includes everything it is close to 600.00 a month and I use coupons and shop sales But what can I say Im Italian and we have a saying to eat good is to live good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
#25 ·
Glad to read this. When my kids were little and my husband was making a lot less money or weekly shopping trips were around $75 with heavy coupons. We ate more healthy foods than not, but it did include some processed foods more out of necessity (cheap). I just started analyzing our budget again and gasped when I saw we spent $700 in groceries (including HBA) in January including some coupons. We eat more healthily now so I'm sure that is some of it. Prices have gone up and I'm sure that is some of it. BUT the big thing is that our family has changed. We now have 2 teens and 2 big kids plus 2 adults. They eat more. No one is piggish, but they just require more. Our lifestyle is much busier than it was with little kids too. In any case, I think seeing what others spend on groceries can be enlightening, but often it is comparing apples to oranges. My consistencies throughout the years has been buying items at their best possible price and using some coupons. I know I would be spending a whole lot more if I didn't do that. And yes, we do eat out some too.
 
#26 ·
I'm almost embarrassed to disclose my grocery budget per month. We get paid every two weeks, and I get $600 that has to stretch for food, otc meds, h&b aids, dog food, school lunches, etc, for two adults, three teens, one ten year old boy, and two college students(weekends), and any other family gatherings that might pop up-we have ten kids, four married or with a SO(he's moved out)..I never know exactly how many I'll need to feed on a given day. It has been somewhat easier to guess now that the two college students are living on campus, but they need a Come to Jesus about letting me know if they'll be home on weekends, and for which meals. One of my daughters is in forensics, drama, and a show choir, which translates to occassional extra food money needed when there's an event away from school during a meal time. Since she never knows where the group will land for lunch, I can't just send her with $5 for the dollar menu somewhere.

Oh, and with the drama thing..Production week, the parents of the kids in a production are expected to provide meals for everyone all week...that means, somebody coordinates and calls for volunteers to provide food..might be a big pan of lasagna or sloppy joes, or brownies etc..which also eats into the grocery budget. Why we can't just take our own kid a lunch box supper is beyond me; we have all semester to plan it out..

Anyway, I take a lot of those '$60 per week' posts with a grain of salt. We all different variables and I try to just look for ideas I can use to work on my own situation.
 
#27 ·
I work of averages as that encompasses the ups and downs of month to month and includes things I stash in the pantry or freezer.

Last years average was $457 a month for groceries. This included the price of our food and about a 10% sales tax on said food.

I don't believe in competition except with one's self. So I never saw the "I spend $X " as a competition nor did I think anyone was judging my spending as I was not judging anyone elses.

That said, I do understand the curiosity to want to peek into others cupboards, grocery cart, and grocery bag. One of my favorite blogger lets us see into her bags weekly. Here are her menu plan/shopping trip peek archives Menu Plans Here is her home page The Frugal Girl ? cheerfully living on less

Now for a peek into by cupboards.

My month average covers about 95% of all food that this family of four eats ( 2 adults 1 teenage boy and one preteen girl). It also includes all food prepared for guests (family and friends that eat a meal or snacks in our home) It also includes meals, snacks, and treats taken from the home to those who are sick or had a death in the family, or birthday treats to school, food taken to pot lucks dinners, boxes and cans of food given to the food bank or other feeding hungry resources. It also includes all food used for non food purposes like sugar scrubs, or my homemade cleaning supplies.

Want to know if a bottle of water bought while waiting at the pharmacy counts in that average? Yes it sure does. Or a quick stop off at the grocery store just for a candy bar? Sure, it counts that too. The 5% not counted is restaurant meals and the small amount of deer meat my mom shares with us from her annual deer.

What do we eat? we buy and eat from the four food groups so meat, eggs, peanut butter, dairy, veggies, fruit, grains ( whole wheat bread, rice pasta). We also buy some convenience foods, processed food, condiments, and some junk food too.

We are a family that likes to cook together, try new recipes, and foods and loves to sit down to eat a good meal together.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PurpleSnowflake
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top