We spend $1100-$1200 a month

[Ann.without.an.e]

on groceries.  There are six of us and three are teenagers.  To better define, I mean just food.  Not toilet paper, laundry soap, etc.  I have a completely separate category for those items.    Half of us are gluten free and all of us are dairy free.  We don't buy too many of the specialty items for this.  Almond milk is something we go through quite a bit of though.   I am pretty careful about what I spend.  I buy a good portion of what we eat at Costco, Sams, or Aldi.  Eating mainly chicken and fish, we don't eat steak or expensive cuts of meat.  I am a little picky about where my meat comes from but I don't buy organic unless it is on sale.  I will often buy the natural line of our local grocer for meat.  This came up in conversation the other day and someone seemed shocked that we spend that much.  Their reaction embarrassed me a little - they were appalled and asked what in the world we eat?  So please someone tell me what I am doing wrong?  I'm guessing it is just that we have 4 kids and a portion of our diet is specialized?  Almond milk is like double the price of cows milk, I think?  

[marbel]

I don't think that's out of line for a family of your size.  I can't find it right now, but there is a chart (USDA?) that shows typical costs of food.  When there are dietary restrictions, it's going to be higher.

 

My family spends a lot on food.  I don't discuss our grocery costs with anyone except in very general terms. 

[Janeway]

This does not sound like a lot to me. It seems on the low side I guess, to me anyway.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I don't think that's out of line for a family of your size.  I can't find it right now, but there is a chart (USDA?) that shows typical costs of food.  When there are dietary restrictions, it's going to be higher.

 

My family spends a lot on food.  I don't discuss our grocery costs with anyone except in very general terms. 

 

 

I don't normally discuss either and now that deal is sealed - if someone asks I'll just change the subject or say "a lot"  haha

[kewb]

Seems like a reasonable amount to me. If you wanted to cut costs you could look into buying almonds in bulk and making your own almond milk.

[Guest]

Well, that does seem high for someone who is doing the specific price-cutting things you are doing, BUT I do think a lot of people have no idea how much they themselves spend. People such as yourself, who are careful enough to actually separate food and non-food groceries (I also do this), seem rather rare. (Speaking anecdotally, however.) Also, if people don't actually record and categorize, their "guesses" about how much they spend are usually very low.

[TammyinTN]

I don't think your amounts are out of line with your family size and products.    It's way cheaper to buy junk than it is healthy food products or specialty items.

 

[Prairie~Phlox]

I personally would cut back on the almond milk consumption, we only use it in cooking and cereal, I do not just "drink" it for the sake.  We drink a lot of water.

 

I garden, can, freeze & dehydrate things, buy in bulk and bake from scratch, it really varies from location though how much groceries are. DH is lactose free and dd & I are GF.

[gypsymama]

I've seen many grocery cost threads on forums over the years and that seems very average if not low compared to most families if you ask me. Specialty foods raise the cost and healthier food tends to be more expensive than unhealthy food. I agree that people's "guesses" on what they spend are usually wrong. It's hard to guess if you don't actually track the spending. Also if people eat out then they aren't being honest unless they count that money into grocery costs but few people do. I've often heard "oh I only spend X on groceries" but they aren't adding in the other couple of hundred they spend a month on drive thrus and take out. We eat nearly all of our food at home so our grocery costs are going to be higher.

 

Almond milk is double the cost of cow's milk so that's a factor. Any gf or dairy free specialty items will be higher like gf flours, pasta, tofutti, daiya cheese, etc. All of that factors in. I do think most people that spend very little on groceries are likely buying the cheapest option also... not the most cost effective for what they need but the cheapest regardless of quality. That will change your costs drastically too.

[TravelingChris]

I don't know how the prices stack up in your area but in mine, fish is expensive.  FIsh costs more than beef or pork, like usually a lot more.

[JFSinIL]

Teens.  You have teens. :-)    I bet the folks commenting negatively on your grocery budget either do not have teens, or only have one or two petite female teens who do not eat much.

 

[Pawz4me]

That doesn't seem out of line to me.  Especially with three teenagers.

[wendy not in HI]

We spend more than you each month, though I don't separate out laundry/toothpaste/shampoo in my budget line (because I'm lazy.)  We also have 3 teens.  I haven't spent less than that, on a regular basis, in about 4 years.  I like the idea of $200 a week for groceries, but I can't stick to it for more than a couple weeks.  We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, and meat - I am low carb and basically cook around that for everyone (plenty of chicken, beef or fish with veggies and a bread or pasta side for the kids). We rarely eat out, and I pack lunches for 4 every day.  When I was spending less, we were eating more rice and beans and bread and pasta (and our kids were little). 

 

In my area, it seems that those spending much less have little kids, or eat out a lot (and conveniently forget that when discussing a grocery budget), or are really focused on being frugal.   

Edited June 1, 2016 by wendy not in HI

[teachermom2834]

I have family of six with three teen boys. Yours seems similar to mine and we don't have restrictions and we only shop Aldi. I think you are doing fine.

 

Most people I know eat out several times a week at sit down places and drive thru many days. Those people tend to be in denial about the costs.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

That doesn't seem terrible to me. We're a family of 6. No teenagers yet but my kids eat a ton (enough that other people bring it up at social events :-P), and my DH is a weight lifter so he eats a lot too. We don't have any dietary restrictions but we eat primarily Whole foods. I don't buy any processed foods and we make nearly everything from scratch. I rarely buy organic, although I'd love to, because it's simply not in the budget. I spend $800 a month (we use the envelope system so I know that's accurate). It's an extremely tight budget. I'm sure I could easily spend $1100 if I had it to spend.

[Sherry in OH]

Gluten free and dairy substitutes add to the expenses.  If you eat most or all meals at home that also adds to the figure.  People who routinely eat out rarely consider the costs of those meals when determining how much they spend on food.  But, really the issue is that you have THREE teens.

[umsami]

I actually think you're doing very well for your dietary restrictions and family make-up.  (USDA allows $360/month each for teen boys on the liberal food plan (which I'm assuming would be comparable to the dietary restrictions you have.)  Even the moderate cost is $312/month per teen boy.

Edited June 1, 2016 by umsami

[scbusf]

I spend $600 a month for a family of 5, but only I am Gluten-free.  Dairy-free and GF definitely adds a lot. Also, teenagers? I am frightened for when my kids are teenagers - they already eat a lot!!!!

[Ann.without.an.e]

I don't know how the prices stack up in your area but in mine, fish is expensive.  FIsh costs more than beef or pork, like usually a lot more.

 

 

Frozen, Wild caught salmon is 3.99 a pound at Aldi and Tilapia is cheaper.  We don't eat the expensive fish.

[LLMom]

I think it depends where you live too. It seems a bit high to me, but we don't have a special diet and live in a very low cost of living area.

[pinkmint]

It is not shocking at all. It's a pretty expected figure.

People are coy about how much they spend on groceries for some reason. A lot of people probably don't keep track of their spending either and guessing is usually way off. 

Let's not shame each other and let's try to be realistic. $1200 a month for 6 people is $6.50 per person per day, and about $1 per meal per person (ETA: correction, it's actually $2 per person per meal per day... I did the math before I had my coffee. Still impressive though)! That's amazing, in a good way, if you ask me.

Who are these people spending so little acting like it's so easy?

Edited June 1, 2016 by pinkmint

[Zinnia]

We spend $800 a month with no restrictions and no teenagers.  I think your numbers are pretty standard.  And I do a lot of the same cost cutting things that you do.  

 

Fifteen years ago, I could feed us for $200 a month.  But the family kept growing, groceries got more expensive, and it became very, very difficult to keep it at a super-blog sort of level.  This level gives me some space to think about things other than groceries, and for that, I'm very thankful.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Zinnia

[pinkmint]

And yes, Google "usda grocery spending 2016".

 

It's a pdf. It shows what the expected grocery spending is for family sizes and budgets. Your spending is good to normal.

[freesia]

I think that's fine. We spend about that much-4 kids, 2 teens, 1 tween boy, 1 7yo. Dh has to eat mostly organic b/c of allergies. I have to eat mostly low carb. I know there are areas we could tighten up, but that would cut out all treats and fruit and veg variety and what's the point unless we need to cut costs? It would particularly impact dh. His diet would be dull indeed unless we pay for him to have something "fun" once in a while. That seems "mean" (in the financial and character senses).

 

I'm with the folks who think that the person who was shocked does not have the same family composition, eating restrictions that you do.

[whitestavern]

I budget for $900 for a family of four, 2 adults, 2 teens. I never hit it. That includes all grocery items (cleaning products, paper goods, etc but not dog food) The lowest I get is about $1100. High is almost $1400. I make almost all meals using whole foods. I always buy organic apples, otherwise I'll purchase organic only when it's on sale and priced similar to conventional produce. We buy grass fed organic beef locally by the quarter cow once per year, which comes out to about $11 a week. I also buy organic chicken but we only eat it at most 2x a week. We do 2-3 vegetarian meals each week. We have chickens for fresh eggs and I have an extensive herb garden. I wish I could bring my costs down $100-$200 a month. Food takes a big chunk of our budget :(

[lynn]

That's average. I spend a bit more than that for 4 (1teenage boy) for everything plus 1 cat.

[BlsdMama]

This. It also really depends on location.

 

My groceries rival our mortgage WITH insurance and property taxes.

 

I don't think your amounts are out of line with your family size and products. It's way cheaper to buy junk than it is healthy food products or specialty items.

[SparklyUnicorn]

three teenagers

 

nuff said

 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

OP- I think your grocery budget is perfectly reasonable. I have a feeling there are a lot of people who don't really know how much they spend on groceries and the number in their head does not reflect their actual spending. 

[marbel]

And some people consider grocery cost comparisons a competitive sport. 

 

There are too many variables:  family size, cost of living, food restrictions/requirements, food preferences.   

[bolt.]

I think your friend has no idea what she spends on groceries -- and that, even absent 3 teenagers and specialty diets -- she probably spends at least two thirds of that, and possibly closer to your total.

 

People who track spending less carefully usually just wonder why life is so expensive without knowing exactly where the money goes.

 

However, if you want to make a change, I wonder if you might re-think the role of almond milk in your groceries. Almond milk basically the goodness of almonds suspended in water -- but almonds are cheaper to eat than drink, and water is almost a no-cost beverage without them. A lot of families are using non-dairy milks as beverages out of habit -- that if you can't drink milk, you should drink something that looks like milk as a replacement. It takes a moment's thought to recognize that as an expensive and unnecessary beverage option. (Now, some things actually need or want a creamy milk-like element, like coffee: I get that, but just it needn't be an everyday beverage.)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't track my spending, and I would probably be surprised by what I spend.  LOL  I don't wanna know! 

 

I feel like I'm constantly going to the grocery store.

 

A big one for me was the grocery club places.  We don't have Costco here, but for a year I tried BJs and another year Sam's Club.  I found I just spent a lot more money.  I couldn't get out of there without plunking down $150 and I didn't have what I needed for the week.  Just really a lot of it was extras. 

[lmrich]

I think that is fine escpecially for how much it looks like you are cooking and eating at home.

[SparklyUnicorn]

And some people consider grocery cost comparisons a competitive sport. 

 

There are too many variables:  family size, cost of living, food restrictions/requirements, food preferences.   

 

Yeah it's quite comical to watch some of these people.  LOL  I ended up behind a couple of hardcore couponers once.  They tend to go at less busy times because it can be quite a production.  I mean sure they got a ton of stuff for little money when all was said and done, but I could not be bothered to buy a lifetime supply of Ziploc bags in one go. 

[FlyingMOm]

I spend around $1100 a month for the six of us- my kids are only 12yo, 11yo, 8yo and 6yo- so that seems VERY reasonable to me when you take into account 3 teenagers!

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh another thing is if they are eating out more than you are.  Or if either of them are buying lunch out for work.  Or coffee.  To me that counts towards the cost of food.  I can buy 3 weeks worth of coffee for home for the same price as going to a fancy coffee place for three trips. 

 

And if you want to spend $5000 on food a month because you like $21 a pound cheese that's your dang business. 

[Hilltopmom]

I don't track my spending, and I would probably be surprised by what I spend. LOL I don't wanna know!

 

I feel like I'm constantly going to the grocery store.

 

A big one for me was the grocery club places. We don't have Costco here, but for a year I tried BJs and another year Sam's Club. I found I just spent a lot more money. I couldn't get out of there without plunking down $150 and I didn't have what I needed for the week. Just really a lot of it was extras.

This is a big one for us, I've found! We used to only cook from scratch,me verything from several different CSAs or farmers, etc. Now I am too busy for all of that & just hit Sams club each week. I spend more than I used to. Of course, I do have teens now too.

We really needs to go back to cooking from scratch! And I want to try Aldi. But needing to go to more than one store per week can't happen for me & I've heard they are often out of stuff?!

I still will likely do sams for produce as we eat a ton of it & never waste anything from the big bags there.

I gave up on gardening & canning;)

[jjeepa]

I budget for $900 for a family of four, 2 adults, 2 teens. I never hit it. That includes all grocery items (cleaning products, paper goods, etc but not dog food) The lowest I get is about $1100. High is almost $1400. I make almost all meals using whole foods. I always buy organic apples, otherwise I'll purchase organic only when it's on sale and priced similar to conventional produce. We buy grass fed organic beef locally by the quarter cow once per year, which comes out to about $11 a week. I also buy organic chicken but we only eat it at most 2x a week. We do 2-3 vegetarian meals each week. We have chickens for fresh eggs and I have an extensive herb garden. I wish I could bring my costs down $100-$200 a month. Food takes a big chunk of our budget :(

 

This pretty much sums up our family and our grocery bills.  I try to keep it around $1000 a month, but with buying almost all grass fed beef, organic chicken and veggies, and a few specialized things for my very restricted diet (due to health issues), it's almost impossible not to go over $1000.  When the kids were little,  it was cheaper by about $250 a month.  

 

OP, I think you're doing great!

 

[zoobie]

I would bet the friend has no idea what she actually spends, doesn't buy the type/quality food that you do, doesn't have three teenagers, and/or eats out more often.

 

If you're not wasting food and you can afford it, there's no reason to feel anything negative about feeding your family.

[Annie G]

I'm another who bets your friend doesn't know the real amount of money she spends to feed her family.  If they eat out a good bit, she might not spend a whole lot at the grocery store, so she probably doesn't even add in how much she spends eating out. She might only remember her weekly shopping trips, not the ones she does in between where she picks up milk, bread, forgotten items, etc. (this can REALLY add up when impulse buying plays a role), or she might have some kids who simply don't eat much.  My two adult kids who live with us eat a like little kids...even as teens they didn't eat much.  A hungry, growing teen can easily consume twice what a typical adult does. 

 

Sorry your friend was acting like a jerk...it's annoying when friends do that.  

[Kalypso]

It seems reasonable to me. We are spending $1200-$1500 with 8 of us. I'm always trying to figure out how to do better, but it seems impossible. I'm not feeding a houseful of little kids anymore.

[gypsymama]

happysmileylady has some good suggestions if you're looking to cut costs. All those little bits left over I save in the fridge at least once a week (depending on how quickly it accumulates) we have "momables" as my kids call them. I take all the little bits and bobs and divide them up then add something for substance so they may have two spoonfuls of corn each, 1/2 muffin, 5 green beans, and 1/3 of an apple then I add some slices of deli meat and some cheese cubes. It works. We use up every little bit of food, gives variety, and the kids love it. They like seeing the weird combinations we get each time.

 

If you eat bean meals, don't buy canned. I save 75% of the cost by cooking and freezing our own beans. You can get the equivalent of 4 cans of beans from 1 lb of dry beans once cooked. This means I get 4 cans worth for $1.25 total instead of $1.25 each!

 

Almond milk - I buy other milk types also depending on what is on sale. It can also be made at home. Rice milk works well for cooking and can be made very cheaply at home. I made changes to our eating habits when we went dairy free. We use little milk because I only use it to cook with or for cereal/adding to oatmeal. I look for vegan recipes and we eat a lot less cereal so it isn't much. 

 

Fish or any kind of "cuts" of meat are going to be more expensive than meals with meat in them. If I feed my family of 6 chicken breasts for dinner we need at least 6 but if I wanted shredded chicken in chicken tortilla soup for us I can get enough off of 2-3 chicken breasts kwim? We rarely eat meals that have "cuts" of meat served for this reason.

[Scarlett]

Makes me feel a little better about how I struggle to keep mine at 800 with only one teen. ( that does include paper goods and dog food). I plan to add $200 to my budget when dss15 moves in with us.

[gypsymama]

I'm another who bets your friend doesn't know the real amount of money she spends to feed her family.  If they eat out a good bit, she might not spend a whole lot at the grocery store, so she probably doesn't even add in how much she spends eating out. She might only remember her weekly shopping trips, not the ones she does in between where she picks up milk, bread, forgotten items, etc. (this can REALLY add up when impulse buying plays a role), or she might have some kids who simply don't eat much.  My two adult kids who live with us eat a like little kids...even as teens they didn't eat much.  A hungry, growing teen can easily consume twice what a typical adult does. 

 

Sorry your friend was acting like a jerk...it's annoying when friends do that.  

 

Those random grocery store runs are killer on a budget!

 

The appetite thing factors in big time. Everyone eats differently regardless of age. My sister eats more than I do by a good bit sometimes double what I eat when you factor in portion sizes and seconds, etc. My 4 yr old is ravenous and almost always eats more than my pre-teen. Totally variable. Honestly if you have a family of 6 with 3 teens you have to consider you have a family nearly all adult appetites there. That's going to be expensive! I think you're doing exceptionally well considering. I'm impressed!

[Spryte]

I think that's reasonable.

 

I know a family of 7 with younger kids than yours - 1st thru 6th grade - and they spend at least $1500 month. They make most food from scratch, and eat healthy, but no expensive substitutes for anything. It's only going to go up when the kids are teens. :)

[Lang Syne Boardie]

We're a family of identical size and ages, and also have special diets (including gluten and dairy free). I spend about the same as you, maybe a little less b/c lately I do count the toiletries and cleaners in with the grocery budget. We never eat out, don't buy organic except for apples, and don't eat expensive meat. We eat fruit and vegetables in season.

 

I've sliced it ten ways to Sunday, and no matter whether we're eating more beans or more veg or less meat or more eggs, I cannot get that bill down. It's not going to happen. Once you add the gluten-free angle, even if you do as I do and rarely buy GF flour-based foods (but rather emphasize naturally GF foods), it's just so much more expensive.

 

I don't even think my boys are tremendous big eaters. My brothers were, as teens, so I know what that looks like. My husband and sons are slim and athletic, yet moderate eaters. (Except for one son who is 6'5', 190 pounds of muscle, and a black belt in TKD -- he can't help it. He eats more than anyone else here. But he never eats junk food, so I can't imagine that he doesn't just need it!) We don't buy soda, chips, cookies, etc. and the boys don't snack between meals. Much. LOL

 

This is just our reality. And you know what else is true? It's not what food should cost. If we could afford the kind of foods we should all be eating -- grassfed, free range, humane, organic animal products, and local, organic veg, for example -- our bills would quadruple. This "lower" cost is what we pay for feedlot meat and commodity products, and fruits and vegetables trucked across state lines. I miss buying farm meat and eggs and honey, but I just can't do it right now. When it's just DH and me again, or when at least two of these boys move out, I will go back to doing that because I think it's right, and even (according to my ethics) necessary if a person can afford it. If a person can't afford it, my policy is to feed the family first.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I think that is fine escpecially for how much it looks like you are cooking and eating at home.

We only eat out about 1-2 times a month.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Y'all are right, said friend hasn't a clue what she actually spends. I texted her today and probed. I just had to really. I told her I want to get my grocery bill down like she does and I asked her how she shops. She puts $150 a week in an envelope. Ok great. What about your prime stuff? She is always telling me how much she saves by using subscribe and save, right? Her response? Oh yea, I never thought to count that (Bwahaha) and the order she makes with the co-op? Yes, that doesn't count in her budget either.

She's living on a different budgeting planet than I live on. Bless!

[Guest]

How much your food costs is heavily dependent on where you live, too. I know everyone knows that, but it gets lost in these conversations. We spend HALF of what we spend out here, eatting identical food (i never have the urge to get creative with cooking, i assure you) from the same places, when we go "back home."

 

So when ppl say oh thats weird we spend 400 to feed a family of 9 or whatever....in addition WHAT they buy, wherenin the world they buy it makes a huge difference.

[LucyStoner]

$1200 is $6.66 per person per day. Your figure is not high. At all. It's fairly modest for the amount of of people and 3 teens.

I buy in bulk, cook from scratch, meal plan, buy and trade with friends with hobby farms, primarily eat meat as a garnish/on the side but also have many vegetarian or vegan meals.  We do not have a magically low grocery budget as a result.  Food costs money.  I find that it takes ~$5-7 per person per day to be budget minded and to eat the minimum way we want to. I could *easily* spend $1200 per month just on my family of 4+ 2 extra kids here a lot. I don't, because we are on a tight budget.

People who claim they spend <$2 a day per person strain the bounds of believably. I don't think people are lying so much as most people are terrible estimators or they omit the costs of huge sources of foods or other budget areas they are paying out for food.
 

Edited June 2, 2016 by LucyStoner