Comments on: Monthly Average Grocery Bill?

By: Beth Oleander

Beth Oleander — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:09:06 +0000

Whoohoo! I do believe I’ve found the answer after all these months of discussion, you just HAVE to check out this link

http://www.hobomountainpublishing.com

(just copy and paste it into your address bar). The information there is great and (on paper) I’ve already halved my living expenses. Check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think.

Blessings – Beth.

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:52:30 +0000

We average $700 a month for a family of 3, including a 2 year old in diapers. That includes all shared household items and all items for the baby. My husband thinks we need to cut back because this is greater than average. I think its reasonable because it represents 6% of our take home pay and we eat a lot of organic, and specialty meats and cheeses.

By: nigel

nigel — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:12:02 +0000

Just me and the cat. We get organic beef from the kids farm, pork and chicken from the store. Generic booze boxed wine for me and canned cat food supplement for cat. Multi grain and rye bread, butter, peanut butter, cheese, jam, milk, potatoes, carrots, onions, noodles, rice, oatmeal, barley, sugar, coffee, (sometimes a gift too) are in stock or on the list. Make soups and stews from the kids beef, cat eats ground beef from them.
After stopping cigarett smoking running $300. groceries includes soaps, paper stuff, kitty litter, bandaids, after shave, & hygene stuff.
Seperate Budget $30. a month for mickeyd’s etc. Fancy meals out once a month maybe.

By: Tally Expenses

Tally Expenses — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:31:44 +0000

Expenses in Tallahassee:
1900 SQFT house – Ave $330/mth for utilities.
Gas is $2.60/gallon
2 of us spend about $700/mth on food – groceries and eating out (at least once a week).

By: cbhawaii

cbhawaii — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:03:31 +0000

Considering a move to Tallahassee or Fort Collins for a family of two.

How much is your average grocery bill in Tallahassee Fl?

How much is your average grocery bill in Fort Collins?

Can you list costs related to:

electricity
groceries
gas
heating winter
cooling in summer

How much would cheap lunch during your work break cost?

How much would your average meal out cost low medium and high?

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:40:07 +0000

Wow…there is a lot of variance here but so interesting to read. Dot, I plan to look up the monthly needs food calculator too, to show my husband. I am an at-home mom, and I have a budget of $500 every two weeks to cover all groceries, cleaning items, toiletries, clothing, shoes, gas, insurance copays, field-trip fees, and anything else for myself or my two sons (ages 7 years and 20 months and both big eaters). I pack my 7 year-old’s lunch daily and cook almost every night. I do try to make well-rounded meals and purchase organic milk, and mostly shop at our local grocery store, Ukrop’s, and also Wally World for dog food and canned/dry foods. I live in the Richmond, Virginia area. Thanks for all the great information.

By: Lea

Lea — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:07:30 +0000

I wish people would mention where they live. I think that geography makes a huge diffence as some areas (especially the metropolitan region on the east coast) are just so much more expensive than other areas. Or at least that’s my impression. Is that right? And if so, how much of a difference do you think?

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:58:21 +0000

Jackie,
I applaud your ability to live on $150 a month. I thought you must surely mean $150 per week. Even shopping at Save-a-lot. My husband’s parents live with us, I raise around 75% of our vegetables in my garden. Anyway, the point is, including cleaning supplies, and going out to eat once a month, I still spend $100-$125 per week. I have chickens, so I don’t buy eggs. I can’t seem to cut any more than that for things we eat on a regular basis. I do like to eat for health and. I enjoy cooking as well.

By: jackie

jackie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:06:02 +0000

I shop at alid’s or sav-a-lot foods religiously.
We almost never eat out. Two of us (my husband and myself). We eat very well on $150 per month ( included tootpaste,toilet paper and laudry soap, shower soap,hand soap and all needed extras)
I go shopping every other Monday and refuse to go in between. It works well for us. I think some people just spend to spend. Have to look down and up when shopping that is where the specials are even at aldi’s. Coupons not needed at warehouse food stores. Aldi’s and sav-a-lot are not like Sam’s where you pay for membership and prices at much less

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:36:35 +0000

Thank you everyone for posting this information. It has been very helpful. We are a family five (kids are 16 year old boy, 10 year old girl and 8 year old girl excluding the one at college). We attempt to stay around $1,100/month and eat very well including going out probably 3 or 4 meals a week including weekends. We are not sale shoppers, coupon users or overly structured in our approach so I assume we were on the high end but some of these numbers seem unbelievably low. For example Shelly above mentioned $200-$300 including non-food items (sorry Shelly it is just an example, thank you for sharing). Based on 3 meals per day for 30 days this is between $2.22 and $3.33 cents per meal if nothing non-food were purchased.

Any insight posters could provide on how this level of spending could be accomplished I would love to hear. I have to believe some of the variance on this site is attributed to degrees of accuracy in tracking cost more than actual cash spend differences.

By: brian

brian — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:10:06 +0000

I have read many of these post stating that, we have 5 family members and spend less then $400 a month on food and home supplies……There are on average 30 days in a month, you are telling me you only spend 13 dollars a day on food. That is breakfast , lunch, and dinner…..Well God bless everyone who is doing this. I am assuming you all weigh around 50 pounds and most of you are are not healthy. Who is on Govt. assistance? Who is using church donations for food? I live in Cape May NJ with my wife and dog, which is primarily a tourist town. The prices are much higher at our food stores then lets rural kentucky or out of the way Iowa. I am not writing this to be crass or beligerant, I just feel that not everyone is telling the truth. We only eat out a few times a month, and my wife is at the market at least 3 times a week. We spend on average 600-800 dollars a month on food and supplies. We shop at walmart, acme, and sometimes shoprite. Milk, eggs, bread, some chicken, veg’s, and club soda run us around 35-45 dollars each trip. You have to eat to stay healthy, so I will be more then happy to spend money on healthy food then lets say a name brand pair of shoes or some mall bought shirt and pants.

If someone that is is the same situation as me, wife and dog, can itemize their spending allocations, please post this info so I can follow your habits and budget.

God bless everyone at this site for posting your budget and spending habits, its a tough world out there these days and we all must help each other get this countries economy back on its feet.

By: Maya

Maya — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:45:21 +0000

Hi there,

We live in the DC area. We are a family of four -2 girls 16 months and 7 years old. On a monthly basis, we spend $800 on groceries..that is including diapers and cleaning products. We take our lunch to work every day and hardly eat out. Any suggestions on how to cut back would be great!

By: Dot

Dot — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:56:02 +0000

The guy who looked up the food stamp benefit amount was on the ball. We are a family of 5 –
2 adults, 18 yr old at home in college, 14 and 11. According to the Nat’l Center for Children in Poverty, basic monthly needs for food alone is $870. Maximum food stamp benefit is $793. I spend $1000 to $1200 a month at the grocery store which includes cleaning, paper products, etc. & 2 dogs & 2 cats. I would say we eat average. I buy far less snack & convenience food than anyone I know. I let them choose snacks for the weekend and the rest of the week is up to me. At least 4 to 5 of our dinners are well rounded meals. As far as school lunches our kids buy it at school and last year I figured out that it is about the same to buy or pack the lunch (unless of course you send peanut butter and jelly everyday). I can’t wait for my husband to come home so I can show him the monthly needs food calculator and food stamp benefit that I printed off the govt. websites on the internet. He thinks we should only be spending $100/wk for food/groceries/pet food/gas and school field trips, etc. Also, my kids rarely get sick enough to need to go to the Doctor maybe once every 1 1/2 to 2 years. It only costs me $10 to take them so I never hesitate if they do need a Dr. I have always thought it is because we eat proper–maybe not organic but proper well rounded meals.

I also question how the families claiming $200-$400 food bills are feeding their kids.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:40:27 +0000

My family consists of my husband, our 9 month old daughter and myself. We live in the suburbs of NYC, in New Jersey. Our average monthly grocery bill is about $500, including all household items (except diapers). I am a stay at home mom so I cook every night and I make homemade baby food, which saves a lot of money. We eat very little processed foods – just pasta, cereal, rice and bread. We also only eat out maybe once or twice a month, with a budget of $50 or less/month. Most of our shopping is done at Stop and Shop, because it is within walking distance, but we also shop at Trader Joe’s for things that are cheaper/better there, and at BJ’s Wholesale for things we can buy in bulk (i.e. frozen chicken breasts, cereal, canned tuna). The only beverage we buy besides milk for cereal is the Trader Joe’s $3 red wine, which we have one shared glass a night, totaling 5 bottles a month. Hope this helps someone out

By: Donna

Donna — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:27:48 +0000

I posted several months ago that my husband and I spend around $400 a month on food. Now, however, my disable in-laws also live with us, both are diabetic and disabled and now we spend around $500 a month. I would like to know some of the savings tips from people on responding here. I grow my own vegetables, and I have laying hens that provide the eggs. We shop at Sam’s club for bulk items like tp, paper towels, big bags of Splenda, Coffee, etc. We do buy things like sugar free ice cream, and lower salt potato chips and real butter. I think the prices are best at Wal-Mart supercenter. We live in Michigan, one place you can only save on sales items is Family Fare, which is our closest store, I have to travel 25 miles to Wal-Mart.
I also use coupons and stock up on some sales things. I can use any advice on how to save on food. Thanks

By: Beth Oleander

Beth Oleander — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:15:36 +0000

I did a little research, and the median grocery bill for a family of four is $10,800 a year. The average, or actual grocery bill is $12,000, or $1,000 a month, so most of us are doing fairly well.

Another interesting fact I found is that grocery prices doubled from January 2008 – January 2009. Wow!

By: shelly

shelly — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:18:59 +0000

After hearing that my friend can’t seem to spend less than $400 a month on groceries for just her and her husband, I got to thinking about how much I spend on Our family of three. Me, my husband, and our four year old son. I think on average our bill including non-food items is only between $200 and $300 a month. I don’t plan our meals around the sale papers, as she does,I go to the store once a month and stock up on the good deals, then cook dinner according to what we have. When shampoo is super cheap I buy a couple bottles, we have a lot of produce stands in our area and I try to buy from them- it’s way cheaper. My friend on the other hand spends at least $400 a month on food- usually more, and that’s with eating mac and cheese several times a month. I wonder if religiously shopping only the ads is what is causing her to overspend? Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean there isn’t a cheaper alternative I guess.

By: Beth Oleander

Beth Oleander — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:00:05 +0000

My goodness, there’s a plethora of good information here, thanks for sharing. Here’s my two cent’s worth:

DH and I live in the (R-E-M-O-T-E) mountains of Western Canada and when our youngest child (a daughter) left for college we found our grocery bill immediately halved. (I think the shampoo and conditioner alone could have funded a small country, LOL!)

Teenage predilections aside, we shop for our staples on an annual basis (and buy in bulk) because of our remote location, and spend around $5,000 annually, so that’s around $400 a month and includes, food, vitamins/supplements, cleaning products, and clothing.

We have very cold, seven-month long winters and I do buy (instead of making) our winter coats sometimes, but always when they’re on sale for at least fifty percent off – and usually seventy-five percent off – and the same goes for shoes that I can’t make, e.g. galoshes. (I can make our own indoor moccasins and outdoor sheepskin mukluks.) I wouldn’t dream of shopping in season!

I should mention that twelve years ago, when we lived nearer civilization and temptation was closer by, we still had two children at home and spent $250 a week on groceries and grocery store items, which I suppose would easily cost twice as much now. However, that was before we realized we were working about twenty hours a week purely for the government (taxes). There’s poverty and then there’s poverty! We found a way to live and work more closely with the land and DH never works more than twenty hours a week now.

Still, we’d like to get our grocery bill down to half what it is now. I think we may be being a little too good to ourselves….

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:35:21 +0000

It’s interesting to see the variation in prices here.

I’m American, and my Turkish hubby and I live in Istanbul, a city of 16 million people. (I moved here last year from my 10 acre farm in Missouri!)

Companies here supply catered lunches to their employees, so my husband’s lunch is free every day. We drink only tea or tap water and eat very simple stuff (i.e. baked chicken legs and a salad).

Nevertheless, we average $350/month on groceries: cleaning supplies, cereal, milk, fresh fruits, veggies, bread, and meat.

In addition, we average another $225/month on eating out at local Turkish kebab restaurants.

I don’t know how other people here do it, because I’ve read that the average Turkish family income is half what we spend on groceries alone. (And our rent is another $700/month for a tiny 450 ft2 apt). We can just barely afford it, but have nothing left over for fun or travel outside Istanbul.

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:27:48 +0000

I live in Bloomington, MN, which is a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I spend about $150-$200 a month on groceries just for myself. I am a very small person so I don’t have the same caloric needs as a 200 lb. male, or a fat person. This bill can include household items like tp, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, ziplocks, dish soap, etc. I use vinegar and baking soda for most household cleaning. I do the majority of my shopping at Rainbow, which is a discounted chain belonging to Roundy’s. I shop a little bit at Trader Joe’s as well. When I buy produce, I will buy organic if it is on the “dirty dozen list,” that is, the most pesticide-laden, i.e. strawberries.
However, my boyfriend spends about $550 a month on his groceries just for himself, and he also shops at Rainbow. He is also about twice my size, and he likes to buy expensive nonessentials like ice cream, chips, cookies, chocolates, microwave dinners, and fancy cheeses every week. Sometimes he buys $3-$7 wine at Trader Joe’s. He spends more at Trader Joe’s than I do. We have separate households.
Neither of these dollar amounts includes restaurant dining.

By: Madison

Madison — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:37:21 +0000

Family of 4, me, hubby, 12 year old daughter & 6 year old son. Spend approx $800 a month on groceries. This does not include any alcohol which is probably another $150 a month. Live in south PA. I do buy alot of ‘quick’ foods, but do cook on average 3-4 times a week. Fast-food maybe once a week which averages another $20 per week.

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:42:02 +0000

I forgot to add, we are trying to live a life with less chemicals (I am very worried about the high rate of breast cancer here, in the bay area) so we buy non perfume shampoo, detergent is free of perfum and colorants, lotion and all the stuff we use for personal cleaning and household cleaners, we buy organic, natural or whatever you want to call them, free of cancerigens, well, that adds up a lot to the grocery bill every 2 or 3 months.
It is very hard to try to be healthy without spending lots of money.

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:33:44 +0000

SFCO Bay Area CA. Family of 3 (couple and little boy). Monthly spending for groceries (including soap, detergent, toilet paper, etc) more than $500. We shop at Foodmax, Target and Walmart. Sometimes at Trader Joe’s for organic and healthy food. We don’t go to restaurants, we pack “brown bag” for work and school, buy generic brands. Sometimes we go to Grocery Outlet to look for good deals, or Dollar stores. We also go to Costco a few times a year.I am always looking for ways to save because the situation is very very difficult and I am worry everyday. Afraid of getting ill, unemployed, etc. We will start again looking for second hand clothes and keep looking in the cleareance racks.

By: Suzanne L.

Suzanne L. — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:59:03 +0000

This blog is fantastic. For years I’ve been looking for a way to get a handle on how our grocery spending compares to other families. We live in Minneapolis, MN and we spend approximately $800-1,000 on food monthly. Our household includes my husband and I, our college aged daughter and 2 teenage sons with lots-o-friends!! This summer I haven’t been able to keep food in the house. The boys and their friends inhale it as fast as I buy it. I try to buy organic meats and some organic veges whenever possible, but the cost is killing me.

By: Holly M

Holly M — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:35:30 +0000

We are a family of two (me and my husband) and on average we spend about $250-$300 per month on food. We live in Redding, CA where its not too expensive. This includes cleaning supplies and toiletries. We hardly eat out, maybe once or twice a month and have a budget of $50 per month to eat out. I shop at Winco and Trader Joes (where my hubby works) so we usually have a mix of good quality organic food and cheap generic brands. It really helps to plan out all of your meals so you know exactly what you need to buy.

By: Stacy R.

Stacy R. — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:14:33 +0000

I spent for a family of 2 around $500.00-$600.00 a month for groceries which includes breakfasts, lunches for work, and dinners along w/ snacks. Everything has gone up so much, the money blows away so fast my husband and I need extra jobs. It is horrible. Everyone is barely making it in life.

By: Lea

Lea — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:45:25 +0000

I live in Bucks Co, PA, with my husband and we spend around $700 per month in food, including groceries, alcoholic beverages, and eating out occassionally (does not include cleaning and household items or food for our dog). We eat at least 3 meals per day and we bring lunch to work most days. My husband is vegetarian so we eat a lot of high quality fruits and vegetables and some expensive meat substitution/soy products (because I need something in there other than just plain veggies). I’m lacose intolerant so milk and other dairy products are expensive and eating ready-prepared meals from the store doesn’t work because of the ingredients. In addition, I’m trying to cut down on gluten/wheat, which is going to be even more expensive. Having food allergies or a need for a special diet does cost a lot more. On the one hand, it feels unfair when I look at our bills, but on the other hand, I know that we are eating food that is really good for us. When I was a poor graduate student I used to spend no more than $40 per week on food, but the food I ate wasn’t as nutritious as it should have been. I do want to cut down on our bills (I already use coupons as much as I can) and I guess planning every meal better and sticking to the list would help control the grocery shopping. : )

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:26:42 +0000

Oh, and to add we are in north TX

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:21:49 +0000

WOW!!! You guys must not eat alot. Just my wife and I we spend $120-150 every week. Then again, we eat EVERY 2-3 hours. Breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner, snack. We can’t start our day without breakfast. NO WAY. 10 gallons of water a week, 3-4 18 count cartons of eggs, 2 gallons of milk, and lots of fresh fruits, and vegies. That’s with most of our food being generic. Do we eat too much? We aren’t anywere’s near being overweight nor underweight.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:30:36 +0000

Great set of responses – so many good ones that I feel the need to add mine. I found this site because I’ve been trying to figure out what we should be spending. Right now 2 of us are spending over $1000/mo including household supplies, almost all organic, with whole foods shopping about 50% of the time. I think our costs are outrageous and am trying to determine what a more realistic figure is.

By: Cecile

Cecile — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:56:57 +0000

Well, I guess my husband and I are either very lucky or just very stupid. We don’t have a monthly food budget. We go to the market when we run out of or are in the mood for something (once or twice a week, maybe $20-40 each time. Both of us work full time, have a 19 month old and pregnant with the second one. Since going to work full-time I’ve not had the time or inclination for home food prep, so we do eat out 3-4 times per week, usually around $20-30 each bill. Maybe it we lived in a more rural area, we’d be forced into cooking at home, but life in so.cal. is just way too convenient. My mom is very nice and brings us home-cooked food about once a week. I guess when the situation necessitates it, we will be forced to evaluate and clamp down on food-related spending. There are other things I’ve learned to live without since getting married and acquiring a mortgage: manicures, pedicures, massage, facials, clothes and shoes, driving and travel.

By: bonnie oneill

bonnie oneill — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:27:03 +0000

We live in CT – definitely not a ‘low expense’ state……..

By: bonnie oneill

bonnie oneill — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:26:14 +0000

I spend about $850 per month on groceries for 2 adults and 1 14 year old boy, and also includes pet food for 2 cats and one large dog, plus cleaning supplies and general toiletries. With a mortgage of $2900 (incl tax ind ins) this is pretty scary – especially given that we have to increase contribs to retirement and college due to the stock market tanking. but I can’t figure out where to cut unless we stop eating fresh fruits and veggies……..

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:21:30 +0000

nassau county new york, 2 adults 9 yearold & 6 year old. Just checked online banking debited $795 for first 15 days in june. The month of may spent $1220. I’ve got to do something. Mortgage $1150, taxes $900 month, home ins $91, car ins $197, fuel $250, cable phone internet $120, gas & electric budget $364, cell phones $100 month food $1200. Total $ 4372. Thats not including small car payment, small boat payment and associated expenses which lead to the BEER expense plus entertainment for the kids and the take out food at least 2 times a week. And now the govt , federal state and local have all increased taxes on all of us. I stimulate the economy to the tune of over $6500.00 each month and dont know how much longer I can keep it up.As soon as I’m able to retire I’m leaving the socialist state of zoo york.Wish I could leave sooner but I’m stuck for now. God bless all.

By: JRC

JRC — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:17:11 +0000

tdstr is the only one who comes close to our budget. Family of 3 adults in North Jersey grocery bill averages $950/mo another $20 wine and beer. Grocery includes non-food household stuff like paper goods, cleaning stuff etc. On top of that take in quick service, pizza, Chinese, etc another $150./mo Fine dining out once a week (we consider entertainment or occasion like a birthday or Mother’s Day) averages $55./Wk All food is about 23% of our total budget. I guess we eat too much. But this is America, you don’t have to be hungry to eat.

By: James

James — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:52:53 +0000

I am single and eat everything fresh, local if possible, and organic or near organic. Sometimes I do eat wild caught sushi at our neighborhood grocery store. I cook all of my own meals and sometimes entertain. I spent $800 on groceries this month. That includes local beer. I do think this is cheaper than eating out since I can’t eat a non-fastfood lunch near work for under $15.00. A Healthy Supper usually comes to about $20. $35 a day would not even cover breakfast, snacks, or alchohol. I think in the old days peolpe used to spend 30% of their income on food since it is so important. I save on my house, which is the cheapest smallest townhome I could find, and my car is 9 years old, paid for in cash and I take the bus to work. I try to do things for fun that are free like nature photography and volunteer work. I rarely buy things new and try to buy everything used.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:45:24 +0000

My family of 3 spends about $150 per month now that my husband has been laid off. I used to spend about $500 to $600 a month which included toiletries, cat food, cleaning supplies, and an occassional bottle of wine or pack of beer.
Like a previous poster – we are eating a LOT of pasta because it’s so cheap. Almost everything I guy now is no longer name brand, and most of it is on sale or manager’s mark-downs.
Not fun – but necessary during these hard financial times.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:39:03 +0000

When my husband was getting paid at work, we were spending about $400 to $450 per month on groceries, which included cleaning supplies and anything else normally purchased at the grocery store. This also includes my coupon savings of about $25 every week.
Now that my husband has not been paid in 5 months, we are now spending about $120 per month.
Eating a lot of pasta and mark-down items.

By: Will

Will — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:58:02 +0000

How can you budget with someone in the household who has an obesity problem? There are 3 adults. The one male cant stop eating. I bought once $200.00 worth of groceries that didnt last for 3 days. Its breaking me and the only solution is to stop buying groceries altogether. The refrigerater is bare!
Breakfast its Mc Donalds…thats about 11 dollars for the 3 of us. Lunch its Subway or alike. Average price is $13.00. Dinner might be Home town buffet or maybe delivery from pizza hut. The average price usually $20.00 to $30.00 or so.So, $300 a week on food. Not sure if I am saving, but at least I have more control of my money.

By: LIz

LIz — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:30:37 +0000

My husband, me and my three year old spend around 400$ a month on groceries and any other extras bought monthly. I cook about 5 nights a week, and we dont eat to much frozen food. I will say for all those who quote that whole wheat and organic is more expensive, yes sometimes, but not really. We eat only whole wheat bread, pasta, everything. As far as organic goes, it is a big rip off. There are hardly any regulations on it, and what exactly does chemical free mean when we are all made of entirely chemicals. If you really want to be healthier buy from local farmers, that helps the local economy, and the extra presertives needed in storing and shiping.

By: tedstr

tedstr — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:42:38 +0000

Well after reading most of this I guess we need to make some changes.

We are a family of three with one teenager and one dog. We live in an expensive town with median family income $170,000 in suburban Washington, DC. Our budget for just trips to the grocery store(which includes wine, cleaning supplies) is $900/mo. We don’t eat meat at every meal but perhaps 4 out of 7 days. We buy mostly brand names and only go to costco about 4 times a year to stock up of basics.

Pet food is about another $100/mo, and we eat out or take out another $500 per month. This does not include my lunch at work.

By: Kath

Kath — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:36:47 +0000

It’s crazy that this blog has been going on for so long! I just got my credit card bill today. The biggest expense is groceries! My husband and I were trying to figure out what’s normal. We spent $550 this month at Shop-Rite. It’s the two of us, our three year old son, and six month old daughter. I was hoping as she ages, we’ll lose the expense of formula and special baby foods. After reading this blog, looks like I should just accept the $550 and be grateful.

For anyone still using this site for cost comparisons… We live in NJ. I used to go all over the place – Costco, Wal-Mart – to try and buy in bulk and save money. It just doesn’t make sense, though, to drive all over the place. I check the circulars for the grocery store. When they have meat on sale, it’s better than the bulk stores. Wal-Mart raised their prices, and ours doesn’t carry (much) food, so I’d have to go to Shop-Rite anyway. Plus, going to one store with two kids is WAY easier than driving all over!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:25:12 +0000

My grocries alone run between 500-700 month. I have a family of four and we eat three meals a day at home. Most of my shopping is done at Costco with a list once a month. I visit the local Winco once a week to purchace sale items and none bulk stuff.

By: Stephanie A.

Stephanie A. — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:18:46 +0000

My 20 year old college son just asked me if $100 a week is too much for one person for groceries. I said I thought so.

But I got to thinking about it and decided to search the web for the topic. Notice that this blog was started in 2006. In that almost 3 years, food prices have SOARED through the roof! Right before our very eyes in the past year.

So, while I think $100 is too much for one person per week, I have a house of me and 2 college boys living at home while attending the local community colleges in Denver here and I am spending more on food than I did when their dad and I were still married 2 years ago and there were 4 of us to feed then. So, I still don’t have the exact answer I need. My mind can’t wrap around the fact of inflation………frustrating!!

By: August

August — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:41:50 +0000

I am surprised this blog has gone on so long. I came searching because my check-out clerk seemed surprised that I spend $200 / week. Based on what I see, I am not doing too bad.

I am a family of 3, in Colorado. Two adults, one 18 year old, 2 dogs and a cat. About $800 / month includes all food, toiletries, dog food, etc.. If my weekly grocery bill is less than $200, I usually end up going back for something during the week. We eat in (pizza, subs, mcdonalds,etc) or eat out at least twice per week. (not included in grocery bill)

We buy many fresh items and I pack lunch to work every day. (I budget another $40 a month for going out to lunch occasionally).
My budget includes: $200 /week groceries; $60 / week gas (I commute 50 miles one way); $10/week for other food (7/11, mcdonalds, water, sodas, etc..); $200 / month eating out.
Then there is the standard mortgage, phone, car payments, and the like of course.

By: Stephani

Stephani — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:49:59 +0000

I am averaging between $700 to $900 a month at the grocery store. That is for two adults, a nine-year old and a five-year old. We also have two cats and a dog (although we buy the $50 bag of dog food at the pet store). Our grocery bill also includes all paper, cleaning products, pull-ups for our youngest.

Both of our boys bring brown-bagged lunches to school and my husband comes home for lunch almost every day. On average, I would say we eat out about three to four times a month.

I also have am six months pregnant (which causes more treats to fall into the cart than usual) and I am on a gluten-free diet, which means purchasing more expensive wheat-free products.

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:02:31 +0000

Understanding that some of the most expensive items are produce products I would suggest to anyone who enjoys tomatoes or blueberries regularly to grow them yourself. Even if you don’t have much space, tomatoes will grow in pots on a patio. There are also patio blueberry bushes available at Gurneys.com or similar food growing websites. You will notice they taste much better, and you know where they came from. If you have any space for things like a few laying hens, they are very easy to care for (I have 12) and fresh eggs are the best!! Just wash them first in a quart of water with about 3 Tbsp. of white vinegar and refrigerate. It doesnt’ cost much to feed the chickens and you will probably enjoy them. You can get portable chicken coops for your back yard. Check into some of these do-it-yourself things if you have the room. Look at a website called Motherearthnews.com for more ideas on how grow it yourself and save. That’s Mother Earth News, they also have a magazine.

By: Michael - Orange County, CA

Michael - Orange County, CA — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:30:53 +0000

Family of 4-5 (2 adults, 2 teenagers) during 8 mos. of year and 5 when daughter is home from college. Ave./Yr.= 4.3 eating adults. We spend $1,500/mo. for all items in a grocery store/drugstore/Costco.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:41:55 +0000

We are a family of 5 living in Fairfield County, Ohio. We have 3 boys ages 11, 10, and 8. We average $800 per month and it’s just getting higher due to the boys as they approach teenage years. I shop Aldi, Wal Mart, and Meijer for the loss leaders. I do buy organic vegetables and cook from scratch a lot. I notice that similar families our size with growing boys also spend at least as much on food, so I don’t feel as bad for the high numbers now. Those who say they can live on $200-$300 per month are usually childless or have at most 1-2 small children.

By: anne

anne — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:57:54 +0000

We are a family of 3, one teen-aged son and one big dog, living way upstate in NY where prices are higher than down south. 1,000 per month on groceries also includes toiletries and other walmart items. I definitely cook more than most people I know but we buy whatever we want. I was spending much more than that at a high-end supermarket, and still trying to get costs down. Now I suppose I should figure out my wine budget…