what is your grocery/household monthly budget??

[ctmom]

we have been struggling for a few months trying to stick to a "household budget" but I'm really starting to think we are fooling ourselves with our goal of only spending $800 a month. We try to spend this money on groceries, birthday/new baby etc gifts, dr visits, gas and dh thinks this should/can also include the occassional new clothes, shoes, toy. I'm the one in charge of this cash account and I really do feel that I've cut all corners but still come up short at the end of every month. We hardly ever go out for a meal, I never go shopping "for a little something for me", it has been months since I got a haircut and now that Christmas and both dd's b-days are coming up at wits end...Did we just totally underestimate the cost of living for a family of 4? I feel like the only dh & I argue about is money and I HATE IT!!! I'm a sahm and need help!!!

[daisymommy]

Let me start by saying we are a family of three (so far ;)).
I've been looking for ways to cut back on my grocery bill, beacsue lately I've been spending $120-$150 a week on just food. UGH.

I get $300 per week out of "our" paycheck (DH is the bread-winner, and I'm a SAHM). This $300 covers everything for the house and family EXCEPT DH's expenses such as his gas, lunch, and dry cleaning. So, that $300 includes:
-groceries
-gas
-toiletries and household goods like trash bags, etc.
-gifts
-clothes for the family
-extras

I am always feeling like I'm living paycheck to paycheck. So I can only imagine that you are feeling this way too!

[bostonsmama]

I emailed you my reply.

Larissa

[daniele_ut]

Wowza, we must be living like paupers, since I take $300 out of each paycheck (every TWO weeks) to pay for the same stuff for a family of 3 with a DH who eats far more than he should. I've been feeling guilty about spending too much and trying to find ways to cut the fat out!

$300 covers 2 weeks of:
Groceries - $120
Dining out - $40
Clothing - $25 (we try to be very conservative)
Household items - $25
Gifts - $25
Misc. - $25
Gas - $50

I'm missing $15 here and I can't remember what for right now! When I work some overtime, we'll take the extra money and put it toward the clothing budget sometimes.

[jesseandgrace]

I don't know if anyone can remember where to find this, but awhile back, maybe a year ago, someone posted an entire budget, household management list. It was pages long, and it included shopping lists, how to stock up and save, when to buy what, etc. It was very impressive if someone can find a link to it. I think it would help anyone save money and time. It included weekly menu stuff too.

[MelissaTC]

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=33713&mesg_id=33713&listing_type=search

Is this what you were referring to? I have it bookmarked. :)

[firsttimemommy]

I've been thinking a lot about budget amounts lately too. We budget approximately $1600 per month for the following (family of FOUR):

food/household supplies (this is probably $600-700 of it)

diapers (two in diapers right now) ($60-75 per month)

dr visits and prescrip (when needed) (my co pay is $45 per child so one visit for two kids sets me back $90 - and this is usually every month guaranteed in the winter months) :(

clothing for whole family (probably $75-100 a month on avg)

dance class tuition for DD ($40 per month)

gas (Me-SUV, DH-small car-this is at least $250-300 of the budget)

eating out (I budget $15-20/wk for all of us - we don't eat out at restaurants on the weekends or at night)

playdates for two kids (one every other week - zoo, gyms, etc)

MISC stuff: you know,the things that aren't monthly regulars - something comes up every month! i.e. car registration renewal tags, DH's boat or fishing supplies before a fishing trip, small (very small) vacations, car washes (usually 2x/mo at $6 a pop -I do the interior myself) and lots of others I can't think of right now! LOL Prob $300-ish of the budget is MISC.

Sadly, I have a lot of trouble staying within budget each month (but I try very hard) I could probably cut back on food (I buy too many "snack" or "convenience" type stuff at the groc store), dance class tuition (but DD loves dance class) and maybe on clothing (especially for the kids) but there isn't a whole lot of wiggle room unless I want to be absolutely miserable. I actually used to budget $2100 for all this.

I think being a SAHM is harder in some ways b/c we are bored sometimes (not bored as in "have nothing to do", but bored in "I dont want to clean house AGAIN today" or "If I don't get out of the house I will scream!"!!!) and what do we do? SHOP! SPEND MONEY!

Plus in Texas you don't go outside for at least 4 months of the year (or risk heat stroke) LOL So you go to the mall! LOL

I'm feeling a little spendy compared to you guys - I need to learn to do better!!!!

Ronda
Proud Mommy to 2 adorable munchkins - 1/03 and 4/04

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes........that way you are a mile away and you have their shoes."

[wagner36]

Honestly, that seems incredibly low to me, but a lot of that depends on where you live. We're in Chicago, and our monthly average for groceries alone is right around $800. Weekly, we spend about $75-100 at Trader Joe's and $25 at a local produce market or the farmer's market (or in the winter $60 at Whole Foods for the same/similar items). We go to a local meat market 2-3x a month for maybe $25/a visit? We also do a big Whole Foods trip about 1x/month or every six weeks that is around $200-250, and then sometimes a big Costco or Dominicks (normal grocery store) for about $150 (paper towels, TP, diapers, DH's gum, DS's chicken nuggets) every other month or so.

I only get paid once a month on the 10th of the month (odd, I know) and DH is a SAHD, so we budget monthly. I don't know the exact number since I'm at work now, but I suspect that groceries are about 1/3 of our monthly spending money (not including bills or any recurring costs). If there's a larger expense in a given month (like the repair for our rearview mirror ($200) or a big birthday/baby gift (like for a close relative or friend), they are a separate line item on the budget for that month. I hate going over the magic number, so I line item things outside of it.

[kijip]

Maybe you are being unrealistic for how/where you live. 4 people is a lot of people to feed and clothe! However, I am sure that you could make some changes that would be empowering. I find just knowing where the money goes (even if it is a lot)is a great feeling! I think the trouble here may be having one budget for too many different things. I sort of keep a seperate budget for food, another for gas, another for treats (eating out or whatever), another for medical and another for Toby etc. Are these inflexible? NO. The amounts vary and things get shifted around. I would see if breaking this down helps you. It was only by isolating gas for example that I realized how much it was getting to be (I was living in a dreamland where my car only cost $15 to fill up...wait that was only a couple of years ago!). And only by isolating it was I able to say, umm, I don't want to spend as much on gas so I need to do these specific things to drive less. Our household/cash type budget is less than yours but we are only 3 people and I am working to become a dyed in the wool pennypincher!

[kimbe]

Thank you so much for posting that thread! It is amazing and it is just what I have been looking for. As a new SAHM, I was starting to become overwhelmed --- Amy's list puts everything in its place! Awesome! I bookmarked it!

[jesseandgrace]

That is definitely it, and I think maybe she had another list too??? I bumped it up so people that might not read this could see it.

[firsttimemommy]

I do the same thing - seperating it out....

I have a spreadsheet that has "TOTAL:$1600" at the top, then seperate columns for "Food" "Clothing" "Gas" "Eating Out" and "Other" and rough $ estimates for each category that of course, add up to $1600. And then I write down EVERY expense in the proper category each month. I could probably break the "other" category down further, but b/c the items in this vary from month to month, it is easier to just lump them all together.

I also line item out really rare things like a big repair or big gift, etc too :) I hate it when things like that absorb a huge portion of my standard/regular budget money.

I am so glad to see others doing a lot of the same thing. I also read Amy's post (awesome) and am going to work on my food budgeting/planning. I bet I could save 20% easy by being more prepared. I used to be alot like her, but after kids I feel so rushed and overwhemled all the time I am lucky to GET to the store! LOL! But her post has motivated me! I'm excited!

Thanks for bringing this thread/topic up!


Ronda
Proud Mommy to 2 adorable munchkins - 1/03 and 4/04

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes........that way you are a mile away and you have their shoes."

[LD92599]

Here's a sample of the line items in our budget; i find it easier to line item everything. Misc ends up being computer stuff, target shopping, etc.

Mortgage/Taxes
Car Insurance
Water
Car Payment
Gas & Electric
Gas & Tolls
Phone, TV, Internet
House Insurance
Cell Phone(s)
Health Ins Premiums
Medical/CoPays/Scripts/Contacts
Life Insurance
Lawn Care/Fertilizer
Food & Groceries
Household/Misc
Newspaper
Car Repairs
Vacation/Travel/Entertainment
Gifts
Baby Needs (toys. clothes, pull ups, books)
Clothing (DH, myself)
Meals Out
Home Improvements
Day Care
IRA Payments/Stock Purchases
Savings

Laura
mom to William

LKibala at optonline dot net

[img]http://lilypie.com/baby3/030305/1/2/0/-5/.png

[ctmom]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! First, I think after reading other posts I need to break down the budget better. We live in
Fairfield County, Connecticut and it is NOT cheap to live here. We have rental income and dh & I thought we could use that for our monthly household budget plus dd preschool tuition, and use his salary for bills (mortgage, phone, cable, oil, car payment etc) and savings, but I really do think we have underestimated, even if we are being frugal, how much we need on a monthly basis. We hoped this $800 could include basically ALL PURCHASES for the month, grocery store/Target/Walmart/Costco, gas, eating out/take out, small gifts, clothes/shoes for all four of us, EVERYTHING!! It is a good thing our second was also a girl and she gets all of dd#1 hand me downs, the only new stuff she gets is when I want them to wear matching outfits! I know when I start to break down the spending better I will see areas for improvement, but at the same time I think I'm beating myself up and trying to attain an unrealistic goal. I'm considering getting a job, a few nights a week, at a local boutique for a number of reasons 1.to make money, 2.to get a discount, 3.get out of the house! As a pp said, being a sahm is sometimes harder on the wallet because I feel everytime we leave the house, I'm going to spend money. Thank you again for all your ideas!!