Janie Grace Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I am finally tracking my spending instead if just "trying to spend as little as possible." I'm at $610. 2 adults, 5 kids aged toddler to preteen. Main dishes are covered for the month, but I'll need to go back for some milk, eggs, produce, snacks. What do you think? Figure includes toiletries and cleaning stuff and general household needs (like pencils, toothbrushes, etc). The number looks high to me but that might be because I am used to having my head in the sand. :blushing: Shopped at a food overstock/damaged outlet place, plus Walmart, plus a Farmers' Market, plus a couple of stops at a "regular" grocery since the big run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think it depends on where you live, how much packaged/prepared/ready-to-cook food you buy, and whether you buy organic/natural foods. When I track my spending, with grocieries, household cleaners, misc. household supplies factored in, I spend about $300/month for 2 adults and 2 children (SW Ohio). ETA: your and my spending is pretty close per person, if yours was capped at $610. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think it sounds fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 No, I don't buy processed stuff. Meat, cheese, produce, whole wheat bread, brown rice, eggs, sour cream... that kind of thing. The closest we get to processed would be snacks like granola bars and graham crackers. It actually doesn't include diapers b/c I am faithful to the Target generic brand... but everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 It depends on where you live I guess but that is all i can spend for the month for 2 adults and 7 dc. My budget includes food, toiletries, cleaning and bread store. There just is no more money to spend so I don't have a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delighted3 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Sounds very reasonable to me. I spend at least that on just food for 3 adults, 4 children ages 8-14 and that doesn't include toiletries. Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think food has gotten very expensive. I used to manage on much less, but not lately. I've noticed! I'm really trying to be careful (generics, some veggie entrees, no frou-frou stuff) and I am always amazed at check-out. :( At least gas is coming down. A little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Medium sized eggs went up this week from 1.99 a dozen to 2.29. Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Medium sized eggs went up this week from 1.99 a dozen to 2.29. Yikes! :svengo: I haven't looked at the price of eggs lately. Eek! I think our budget for 2 adults, 3 kids, is around $600 per month, but I think we are spending more than that. I've recently started trying to use coupons, so hopefully that will help at least a little on some things like toiletries and paper products. We don't use much that coupons apply to but I'm trying. Do you have an Aldi near you? I have heard lots of good things about them, and was just told today by another friend that their produce was really nice and much less expensive than other places, even WalMart. Do you have a farmer's market? This is the season to get fresh produce and it's usually less expensive there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Our grocery budget (including paper/plastic and toiletries) is $550 a month for 6 people. I write every trip's total down and keep track. Dh makes a few random trips to the store for things he wants and probably spends about $50 a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think food has gotten very expensive. I used to manage on much less, but not lately. I'm finding that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think food has gotten very expensive. I used to manage on much less, but not lately. :iagree::iagree: I feel all shaken out at the checkout counter....everythingbis just so darn expensive. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMere Academy Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 We've definitely been spending a lot more with groceries too and our habits haven't changed. Dh only eats one meal a day at home too. We have 4 kids, both my girls don't eat meat so we try to keep fresh fruits and veggies in the house always, but try to buy only that which is on sale or cheap. I've gone from about $180 - 210 a week to $250 - 280 a week now. It's really hurting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I used to buy canned veggies all the time--mostly corn, green beans and peas. I'd get them when a particular grocery store had them on sale for 20 or 25 cents. I think that was about half off at the time. Now, a can of veggies on sale is about 50 cents. So I switched to frozen veggies a few years ago. There's no way I could afford to get the same quantity of canned veggies now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 That doesn't seem like a lot to me for seven people. We are a family of four and I expect to spend about $200/week on food and toiletries. Food is really going up. I noticed that butter where I shop went from 1.99 to 2.69 within a couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Food is really going up. I noticed that butter where I shop went from 1.99 to 2.69 within a couple of weeks. Really? I just bought butter on sale for 4.69. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 That sounds exactly like mine (maybe even a bit lower) and I also have 2 adults and 5 kids, preschool to 14. We are in an expensive area...I'm not sure where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Really? I just bought butter on sale for 4.69. Hmmm... Butter's about the same price here. Its a 2 cup block, though, not a 'stick'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Really? I just bought butter on sale for 4.69. Hmmm... Wow! For four sticks of butter? That seems very high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 It depends on how much you have to spend! If your budget allows for $800/mo and those are the things you like to buy, then you will be ok. However, we have $600 in our budget for the month and that is what I spend MAX. I try to get a bit lower. This includes cleaning supplies, dog food, paper goods and toiletries. We buy based on the fliers (sales/loss leaders) Coupon for some things to stockpile Buy produce at the co-op Costco dog food I am hoping prices don't go up too high. I really don't want to up the budget. We have changed our habits some. We rarely buy salmon anymore and I rarely get avacados and more expensive fruit like mangos. So far I haven't had to cut cereal, but if I do, I will. We can eat homemade muffins, oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc....for b-fast. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewish Mama of 4 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Wow that seems low to us :) We spend at least $950 per month, this includes everything - pet care (2 dogs & 1 cat), toiletries, & food. Our problem is that I have to make different meals for different people. I am vegetarian along with 2 of my children and my husband and two other children eat meat. Maybe I need to start looking for more sales, but with twin 2 year olds I just don't have time to shop around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I think food has gotten very expensive. I used to manage on much less, but not lately. yeah, I know, I've seen the same.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Butter isn't that bad here. For the regular stuff it's a little over $2 a pound. For the extra special organic cultured butter it is $3.99 a pound. 3.99 on sale here. Organic? Fuggedaboutit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 The cost of everything has gone up. And we have less money than ever. And my husband keeps asking me "how could you spend so much?!" :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I think I spend a bit more, but I'm unsure since my food and other stuff (paper junk, some clothing items, etc...) get rolled into my weekly Walmart bill. But I think your amount sounds better than average for that many people (I have the same amount of people, 2 adults, 5 kids ages 6-17). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 The cost of everything has gone up. And we have less money than ever. And my husband keeps asking me "how could you spend so much?!" :banghead: I know what you mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If you have that kind of money to spend, then okay. We didn't after I stopped working and it was a challenge to cut back and stay within our budget at first. If you can afford what you are doing then don't sweat it. If you are looking for ways to cut back there are a whole lot of threads on that here. Butter? Do they still sell that stuff? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 (edited) Yep, I'm trying to spend MAX of $250 for groceries for the month and it hurts. alot. (2 adults, 3 HUNGRY boys, 1 dog with wierd diet allergies) I tend to menu plan for a month (printed out as many frugal recipes that I can find). Out of that budget, I try to spend $175 max, then get cash for the remainder. That goes towards fresh milk, eggs, bread, and any fruits and veggies we can afford throughout the month. When the cash is gone, we don't buy more, unless it's an emergency or something. My recipes-- I aim to spend $5 or less for a dinner meal. (some come out a bit more, some bit less, it seems to work out if I make it a goal though) lunch is usually leftovers, sandwiches or bean and cheese tortillas, or soup (cheap). Breakfast is oatmeal or eggs, or coffee cake stuff... No sodas-- I make koolaid, copycat gatorade, tea, water, milk, watered down juice. I shop at aldi's for as much as possible, then krogers or walmart sales for the rest. Going to try a produce co-op for the first time next week. Will see if it's a better deal than shopping sales, I'm nervous about it. (will I be wasting my money? eeek!) My boys eat ALOT. It's amazing how much they eat! And they're super skinny-- nobody believes me on how much they eat until they can see it for themselves. LOL Edited June 19, 2011 by joyfulheart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Heaven Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 (edited) A large families group I am on is talking about grocery prices. The women are posting a per person per day cost breakdown. Kind of an interesting way to do it. We spend $3.50 per person per day. We spend about $650/month for 7 people for food, toiletries, cleaning products, household stuff (lightbulbs, batteries, etc.) That breaks down to $3.50 per person per day, which is pretty inexpensive. But, we live in a pretty inexpensive area of the U.S. and I can shop at the base commissary. We also do very, very few convenience foods and have no one in diapers. It does include an organic half a beef bought once a year and a half-dozen or so organic whole chickens. Lisaj Edited June 19, 2011 by 74Heaven edited to say we have 2 adults, 3 teens, 2 elem. age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recovering Sociopath Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I think food really is getting more expensive, like Wendy said. I used to be able to shop for the four (now five) of us on $75 a week at the grocery + $100 a month at Costco (we barely eat any meat and do a LOT of rice & beans). No way is that happening now! I'm just thankful the hubs has been getting a lot of extra consulting jobs on the side. Otherwise I don't know what we'd be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 There is no "normal" grocery spending budget. Prices vary so much depending on what part of the country/world you live in. So, for what it's worth, we live in Oklahoma and have a budget of $200 per week for all groceries, paper products, household cleaners/shampoo etc. There are 8 of us (2 adults, 2 teens, 3 "kids", and 1 toddler). It's not easy, but on a normal month, I will usually be able to have some $$ left over (savings for buying in bulk when things go on sale). However, this month we had 1 week where we were only able to pull $20 out for groceries/houshold things. Thank goodness I had the $$ saved from last month to fall back on and food in the freezer. Right now I am trying to find ways to cut our budget so I can save more $$ for buying in bulk. I am also getting into the couponing thing just a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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