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Frugal weekly grocery bill for 2 adults?

7K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  Trishagirl 
#1 ·
I spend about $80-90 dollars a week on groceries which I know is way too much for 2 people (that includes health and beauty, paper products, cat food and cleaning supplies)

What would be a reasonable weekly frugal grocery bill for 2 adults?

Thanks for any help :wave:
 
#2 ·
Here is what the USDA say current food cost are http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodNov2012.pdf

They have a thrift plan all the way to a liberal plan.

The actual cost depends on the age of two people and their genders

It does list a Two person family ages 19-50 as $86.60 a week for the thrift plan If the ages of thee two are 51-70 then it goes down to $81.90 for the thrift plan ans I beleve that total is just for food not paper products, cat food, cleaning supplies and health and beauty.
 
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#3 ·
I used to be able to feed us generously on $50 usd a week, but last time I tried it I could not stick to it. Prices are higher and my willpower is not good. $70-80 is about it right now.

If there was no money we absolutely could eat on $50 or less, but it would not be pleasant and may even mean compromising our healthy diet.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Thanks for the replies but yikes!

I thought I was being extravagant with my food budget at $100 a week but it seems I wasn't

it makes me a little sad-prices are so high and pay so low

seems if some one has a house with a mortgage or a small amount of savings they are being punished :(

dont mean to get political but how did doing the right thing (building a home and investing a little money and paying taxes) become being taken for a fool?

if one has nothing they are rewarded, if they have something, however small, they are punished.
 
#5 ·
if one has nothing they are rewarded, if they have something, however small, they are punished.

I think it's the demoncratic way. socialization. everyone is equal. take from the rich to give to the poor - but the middle class is considered the rich.
 
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#6 ·
We get by on about $100 every three weeks, however we do not buy paper products (exc. TP) or any pet food, also we eat very little meat and do not drink milk. Also, no soda, (two cans seltzer a week) very little junk food, and I do my own baking, so we do not buy bread or other baked goods.

there are 2 adults. It goes up if we are buying something expensive in bulk, like coffee or EVOO.
 
#8 ·
I go by the $1 per person per meal method and that is for food only. So breakfast might be 50-cents to 70-cents, lunch about $1 and dinner about $1.30 to $1.50. It helps to price your meals as you're making your menu plan. For instance, if you're going to buy hamburger at $2/lb and divide that among 4 servings, then you're spending 50-cents for the meat alone. Your vegetable needs to be about 40-cents a serving and your starch about 30 cents a serving.

I admit, that is a really, really frugal budget if everything comes from the grocery store. I tell people now that if they are spending $2 per meal, per person a day they are doing well.

$1 per meal, per person would be $3 per day per person
In a 4 person family, that would be $12 per day
For a week (7 days) they would be spending $84 for food only.

For non-food grocery items, a frugal budget would be anywhere from $1 to $5 per week per person. I recommend that people cut non-food grocery items FIRST. Food is important on so many levels but we can get by easier without paper plates, paper towels, expensive TP, name brand dish soap, etc.
 
#9 ·
It also depends on where you live, the types of foods you eat, and what you use for HBA. I used to be able to eat very frugally however now that I know I have a bunch of food allergies most of the inexpensive foods are off limits. So now my food budget is higher. I can save money by buying personal care items on really good sales, using vinegar and water for most of the cleaning, buy good quality cat food which also means using less each day, buying cat litter in bulk on sale, and using rags instead of paper towels.

I also have a pretty good stockpile of HBA which means I can wait for really good sales and a decent stockpile of food. If you haven't started a stockpile try to find space where you can store it even if it is under your bed. It may mean spending a little more at first but it will help you to save in the long run. Right now is the time of year to save on personal care items with sales and coupons. I have already priced the dollar store quantity for razors and will keep that in mind when razors go on sale at CVS or shoprite with coupons to get my stockpile up.
 
#10 ·
I am at $125 a week for 2. I also have my grandkids a couple times a week. We do not eat out very often and by that I mean a few times a year with the exception of vacation. So it ends up being $542 a month.
 
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#12 ·
We make a menu and buy off of that. Our food-only budget is about $100/wk for a family of 5. When you throw in HBA, we budget about another $120 or so a month because of diapers, cleaning, soap, etc. We have no pets, so that makes a bit of a difference too.

Try planning out meals and shop based on what you already have and what you need for the week/2 weeks. See if that makes a difference. Try different stores. See if you can shop for bulk products - shampoo, cleaning supplies, etc. once a month or so and plan on it being a larger budget. There are lots of ideas on here too.
 
#13 ·
I am going to get a small notebook, name it, food log for 2013.
Log in date, what store, how much for food, how much for HBA, how much for dog food. This would help with inventory also. For example, 12 cans of corn. Also what home canning gets done.
I am going to do mine hand written instead of online. I am always afraid of a computer crash.

It is hard to compare food budgets $ wise. Some people include HBA in with their food costs. Some are in areas with higher food costs. Some people eat out more, and maybe have a separate budget for that , maybe under entertainment or blow money. Some people do more scratch cooking. Some use coupons. Some use mulit stores to shop in. Lot of variables going on here.
 
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#14 ·
We eat out about 1x every 2 months and it is usually pizza-we are going to splurge on chinesefood for new year's eve-there isn't anything that great around but I am jonesing for some eggrolls :)

wonderful advice here=thanks!

I definitely think I can pare down, stocking up when there are sales is what I am going to start with and keeping a food log if I can motivate myself

thanks again :cap:
 
#15 ·
When my boys were little my food budget was only $50.00 a week for all 5 of us & I couponed & it really helped. We got a lot of food and just made it. Now it's just dh & I. I can be more liberal with my spending. $80 per wi give or take $.
 
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