Organic Shoppers: What Is Your Monthly Grocery Bill?

[kellycbr]

We would like to try and save more money, and our food bill seems to be the biggest part of our monthly expenses. DH just read an article about a couple who spends around $200 a month to feed a family of 6! I spend closer to $1,200 a month on our family of 4.:confused:

 

I buy mostly organic, and that is part of the reason its high. The other reason is that I like to cook and seem hardwired to make everything from scratch. I thought that was supposed to save a bit of money, but our bill seems a bit high. Oh, and I do like to have a glass of wine with dinner - ka-Ching! Do these people eat Kraft Mac-n-Cheese for dinner every night? I must be missing something here: I just can't imagine their food is really all that good for them. I go to the produce department and look at the red bells. Organic or regular? $5.99 lb or $1.49 lb? Save money and put pesticides in my kids growing bodies? Pay for cancer treatment later? $5.99 is the better choice!! Hurray for Mom, she takes care of her family!(background cheering noise AAaaahhhh!). And so it goes on all my shopping decisions.

 

Then at the end of the month DH asks me again: Is there any way you can cut our food bill? I know I could cut wine and save money, but I'd rather find some other solutions!:D

 

What do you spend on your organic filled pantry? How do you save?

 

Kelly

Edited April 17, 2009 by kellycbr
Clarity

[Ibbygirl]

I confess that I don't buy everything organic, but I do try to buy as much organic food as I can. I shop around alot. I quit going to Whole Foods for personal reasons and I thought, "oh no, now what am I going to do?" I started googling health food stores in my area and found a couple places other than Whole Foods and I started looking at places online and I am saving alot of money on the same items that I was spending at Whole Foods. It took a little research and looking and it takes a little planning, but I am saving more and the quality of the foods is the same if not better. Especially when it comes to grains, nuts, seeds and stuff like that. I buy it online now and it is ALOT cheaper and actually fresher than what I was buying at Whole Foods. I hope this helps. :)

[kellycbr]

after I'm done Hsing! But what is your monthly bill? Am I out of the range of the average organic shopper?

[BikeBookBread]

We, too, aren't 100% organic shoppers -- I reserve most of my organic shopping for fresh goods because I too am a "must cook from scratch person!"

 

I have found that we spend a lot less though when we do go to the organic-type store, such as Whole Foods (I don't go there but a couple times a year) because I'm not tempted by all of the prepared foods!

 

Today I went to my "healthier food store", Sunflower Market (a small chain in here in Arizona, I think southern Utah and maybe up in Colorado). I bought 4 big bags of fruits, veggies, bulk dry goods (flour, popcorn kernels, etc.), a package of good kids' cereal, organic dairy items, and spent about $60. At the local Kroger-brand store (ours is Frys), I would have easily spent over $150 on that same trip -- because I'm much more tempted to get the other stuff like condiments, etc.

 

That being said, we are a family of 4 and probably spend close to $500 a month...

 

(Last fall, my husband and I held an experiment -- we gave ourselves $50 a week for groceries for a month. We DID IT! It was amazing. And we mostly shopped at Sunflower...I blogged about it here: http://bikebookandbread.blogspot.com/search/label/Experimental%20Eating

[Ibbygirl]

after I'm done Hsing! But what is your monthly bill? Am I out of the range of the average organic shopper?

 

 

Probably not for a family of 4. Organic food costs a fortune especially if you buy the free range meats and all that too. I found a mom and pop health food store that has prices way lower than Whole Foods and I've started going there. I found out from a friend of mine who eats the raw food diet that there are co-ops too that you can join and that will save you money too. I started buying organic oatmeal, rices etc online and save alot more money that way. We eat rice almost everyday in my house so that was a big one for us. Other than that, I guess it comes down to food choices and menu planning. What vegetables are going on your salad, if you make soups or stews or things that can be stretched out to make leftovers and what not. Foods that are in season will always be less expensive and fresher than foods that are having to be imported from somewhere else. Knowing what grows near your area and when will also help save some money. But comparing the prices of different veggies can help you save some green too (sorry for the horrible pun but I just couldn't resist it. ;) ) Ex. Broccolli and carrots in your stir fry instead of so many peppers or more expensive veggies. Then you can buy less of the expensive stuff and save that for your salads or what not. Just a few suggestions. I hope this is helpful. :)

[mamaof2andtwins]

I have blogged about this fairly extensively lately. I will give you a link in case you are interested.

 

Grocery shopping

 

In all the research I have done I feel that the most important organic items I buy are my meats, so I take my tax return and buy a half a hog and a quarter of a cow from my local organic farm. I get chickens from them when I can. For some reason they do not always have them available.

 

If I have to buy meat at the store, I don't always buy organic because it is just too much.

 

I think it is important to study up on the foods that you should by organically grown and the ones where it is not as necessary. There are several lists out there on the internet.

 

We also grow our own vegetables in the summer, and I shop at the farmer's market. Many local farmer's do grow with limited or no pesticides but aren't in a position to pay for the expense of becoming certified organic.

 

I do not think that the option is to buy Kraft Mac and Cheese. I think it is important to evaluate, and especially so if your husband is asking you to cut back the grocery bill.

 

BTW, we are a family of 6 with a $560 grocery budget. The bulk meat purchase is not included in my budget.

 

Jennie

[Bess]

I totally agree with you... how on earth do these people spend so little on groceries??? We only do organic milk and still our bill is probably around where yours is (maybe more), but we have a couple more people.

[TraceyS/FL]

I totally agree with you... how on earth do these people spend so little on groceries??? We only do organic milk and still our bill is probably around where yours is (maybe more), but we have a couple more people.

 

Probably because they have no choice to spend more.

 

Your grocery bill will stretch to fill the money available - there are a bunch of threads on here that pan this out too.

 

When you have $250 for the month, you figure out how to not spend more.

 

To the OP, perhaps setting a firmer budget - say in the next 4 weeks you won't go over $950 and have it in cash, and work with it that way. Then once you get down that low, then cut it again until it's where you want it to be.

 

Good luck!

[Firefly]

We eat almost exclusively organic (otherwise locally grown). In the winter, when I'm not growing my own veggies/fruit, the grocery bill's a little higher; but in general we are spending about $600 a month for a family of four. I could easily spend $800 (and sometimes do!) but I try to keep it closer to six. I make a lot of things from scratch, we have chickens for eggs, bees for honey, and I avoid boxed "organic"/"natural" snacks and foods. We also only eat meat (locally raised) only about once or twice a week. Meats and boxed food will really push up the grocery bill!

 

I think it also depends where in the country you are. Food prices are generally pretty high here. But we do have a lot of farms around to buy directly from and also plenty of farmer's markets--even in the winter.

 

HTH!

[kewb]

I spend about $1200 a month to feed our family of 4. Some months more and some less-depending on what I need. I do moslty organic and seasonal/locally grown. My downfall is cheese. We all love quality raw milk cheese. We buy very few pre-packaged snacks. If I do buy them it is because of a killer sale. The cost of living where I am is also very high and that does not help any of my bills.

[Blessedfamily]

We eat organic for a family of four for about $500. But... my kids are small. I hate to think what it will be when they get older and eat like teens (I guess).

[elise1mds]

I spend about $600/month to feed our family of four. We do eat mostly organic foods, though I admit I can't make myself pay the price for the meat yet, despite the fact that it should probably be a priority. I am hoping to find a good local butcher soon so that at least I'll be buying local instead of from the grocery store. We also buy very few packaged foods. I have a friend of mine who spends $300/month to feed her family of SEVEN. Now, mind you, her kids eat very little and are all under the age of 5 (she fosters two and has three of her own), but she coupons out the wazoo to get her costs down that low. Some months she spends even less. Her record is a month of spending less than $100 on groceries. She actually gives classes on how to coupon.

 

We do live in a low cost-of-living area, but my kids also eat like most kids do who are twice their age, so I'm not sure how this equates in the long run. Interesting thread...

[HappyGrace]

About $900/mo here, but I am very careful-cook almost all from scratch. I have some things I just can't buy organically due to expense-we use a ton of blueberries in our green smoothies each week, but it's a way to get massive amounts of (organic) kale and spinach in my kids so I don't worry about it. I try to plug my ears and go "la la la" and not think about the pesticides! Also thick skin things like pineapple and bananas I don't buy organic.

 

We go light on meats too, mostly plant based meals and when I cook meat (about 3-4x/wk) it is as a "condiment"-like two bnless/skinless ckn breasts cut up in a stir fry, or a little bit of ckn in our soup. My kids are 9 and 6-not big eaters at meals but like lots of snacks through the day so I make mostly homemade stuff for that (muffins, etc.) I make my own yogurt and bread and so on, so that's a savings.

 

Also (no tomatoes plz!) I do get what I can at Walmart. There are no Trader Joe's, etc., in our area, so it's either the (expensive) grocery stores or small natural food stores. Walmart has lots of organic stuff (dry goods)- I also get some prepackaged produce there like baby carrots, celery-I will not touch their unpackaged produce!

 

We get meat from a local farm that is all-natural (not certified organic). We also get our maple syrup, honey, eggs, and raw milk locally. I don't buy much processed but will occasionally get the organic "tuna helper." I don't buy much seafood because it's so pricey.

 

I don't use coupons because none of what I buy has coupons available-mostly produce and fresh ingredients. We have not been sick in a year, and not to the doctor in more than that, so I consider the way we eat to be an investment!

[kellycbr]

I think the suggestion about not buying the organic snacks would help. I've been using a lot lately. The regular stuff always has high fructose corn syrup or a long list of chemicals I'd rather not experiment with. I can only buy organic chicken and beef. Somehow my stomach just turns thinking about buying the regular stuff and all the antibiotics they're given. We live in an area that is considered "resort" so the stores have priced everything higher, and the nearest TJ's is an hour and a half away. What on-line sources have you found to be a cheap alternative to the box store?

[Laura Corin]

I pay about USD900 for four of us for a month. I buy organic whenever it is available, but if I really want a veg that's not organic, I will get it. I buy very little that's processed.

 

One thing that help us to save: drumsticks and thighs are usually cheaper than breast meat, so I watch out for those. I also look out for specials and buy extra cheap meat to freeze if I have storage space. We don't eat vast quantities of meat: often it's just flavouring in a largely veggie dish.

 

Laura

[happygrrl]

We buy 100% organic, except for locally grown fruit and local cheese. We spend $700/mo for family of 5, with many guests. I grow lettuce and tomatoes, buy in-season fruits and veggies, only eat meat 2-3 times a week (and then only what is less than $5/lb) buy very few snacks/prepared foods, buy only moderately expensive wine and drink less of it, and shop at Costco every month. Costco rocks! I have been easy going with the budget, and fully expect to bring it to $500/moth with some effort. (I think we are going to try to do the bulk meat thing)

 

(BTW we don't drink milk, so that makes a big difference)

[LaxMom]

We eat nearly 100% organic, though we are still looking for a good, local source for grass-finished organic beef. (When you know the farmer, the certification becomes less important) I cook almost entirely from scratch. In fact, I can't think of anything I don't cook from scratch, except the occasional box of organic mac & cheese for lunch.

 

Anyway, it varies slightly from month to month, but it looks something like this, broken down by vendor:

 

$ 250 - pantry items, paper goods, some frozen produce in the winter, personal care, etc.

 

$ 60 - cheese and eggs

$ 65 - fresh produce (this is our $428 annual share in our CSA, then about $20 a week during the growing season, when I buy extra and put it up)

$ 32 - milk (2 gal/week raw, organic)

$ 80 - meat

 

So that's roughly $500 for a family of five.

 

Now, that may vary a bit. If there is a good sale on something through our buying club, I may order an entire case, which may affect my total that month, if I'm also out of a lot of staples. We go fruit picking in season and put that up, etc. (I count those as field trip expenses more than "grocery" though. :001_smile:)

 

And keep in mind that I do make everything from scratch - beans are soaked and crock-potted, tortillas are hand rolled (or pressed, for corn), breads and rolls are made and eaten or frozen, depending on my schedule. I cook breakfast nearly every day. Meat is a condiment most of the time, and we eat left overs, either for lunch the next day, or reincarnated as another meal, i.e. leftover pork chops and the veggies served with them will be fried rice later in the week. We eat a varied menu from a number of different cuisines, so it's rarely boring for the cook or the eaters.

 

Last thing: two of my five are 4, so it is entirely reasonable that this number will go up.

[sands31210]

Does Costco have a large organic selection?

[Storm Bay]

We spend more like $800 and I cook from scratch. I do as much organic as I can, but we can't afford it all (nor can we get it all organic). I buy grains, flours and beans in bulk, which saves a great deal. I've cut back on meat/poultry/fish. We also now have a pair of small veggie gardens. Sprouting is a great way to get fresh, organic veggies at a far lower cost. Sprouting grains is expensive, but seeds not. It's costly to buy the seeds, but for what you get it's far cheaper per pound due to the enormous increase in volume, particularly in the smaller sprouting seeds such as broccoli & clover. You can also sprout and eat buckwheat greens, but that involves soil (the way we learned) and takes longer. We haven't tried sprouting beans yet, nor have we been faithful lately, but will again next fall.

 

You can also grow herbs indoors, and we have some organic peas growing in our house right now. Not enough to feed the family as it was experimental, but next winter I plan to have 3 large pots of peas going (smaller kind) to feed the three who can eat peas a couple of times a week(I'm now allergic to them).

[happygrrl]

Does Costco have a large organic selection?

 

 

I buy: Beef, chicken, butter, milk, soymilk, ricemilk, bread, sugar, chips, salsa, salad greens and fresh veggies, soups and annie's mac-n-cheese (on occasion), tortilas, eggs, spices, rice, veg broths and canned beans (usually make my own but good to have on hand), juice, tomato sauce and paste, cleaners and detergent.... i know there is more but that is all i can think of now. All organic, and half the price of my cheapest local source!

[Maria/ME]

This has been quite helpful to me, also. However, it would be interesting to know what part of the country everyone is from!

 

We live in ME and we try to buy organic as often as possible. We always buy organic eggs. We have very little meat in the house, when we do it's organic. We buy or make our own almond milk as we don't do dairy all that much. We try to stay local, but that's not always possible. I don't have the larger Whole Food type stores available to me w/in any sane distance. I also buy all natural detergents/soaps etc. I don't buy a lot of prepackaged. I try very hard to buy fruits/veg's in the winter too. We have not had our own garden in the past couple years, however this year we will have our own garden so hopefully the cost will be defrayed to some degree. That having been said. For a family of 3 (dd11) we spend approx. 600.00 per month. That is if I am very good about menus!

 

I'm starting to keep a closer watch on how we spend and why we spend. For a while I was experimenting with different brands and recipes and that cost us more. As we narrow down our new way of eating (i.e. Healthier) we are figuring more out and I"ve seen our grocery bill drop a bit, but not as much as we'd like.

[PCA]

We are all organic, a family of 6 and spend about $600-$700 per month.

 

I think the key is to make every thing from scratch. I grind our own wheat and make all our breads and pizza. We get our milk and eggs from a local farm. And the rest we get at the organic grocery store.

 

We also rarely eat out, so that saves money. The money that most families spend to eat out we put back into our grocery budget.

[sands31210]

Thanks. I might have to check into Costco for organics to save money.

[happygrrl]

Thanks. I might have to check into Costco for organics to save money.

 

You should be able to go in and take a tour, just to see if your local store has what you would buy. I spend the extra $$ to get the 'executive' membership that returns 2% of my purchases back to me. I buy enough that the return covers the extra cost *plus* much of my initial membership fee. It radically reduced my food bill, and that takes into account that the nearest Costco is TWO HOURS AWAY!!! :auto:

[mcconnellboys]

I shop in bulk during sales and then only buy what I have to when it's not on sale. I spend about $560 a month on our mostly organic supplies and groceries for a family of four.