How much do you spend on groceries per month?

[jyllebean]

Just curious. I think we do pretty well. We don't eat out much though (1-2x per month), so we spend more on groceries and not much on dining. And I'm talking groceries, not diapers, household stuff, etc.
We have 4 people (2 adults and 2 kids) and consistently have been spending about $400-450.

You?

[DietCokeLover]

There are 4 of us, and I budget $400 per month. But, that includes anything I could buy at somewhere like a walmart - food, diapers, cleaning stuff, etc. We eat out about 4 times per month but that is a separate budget amount.

[KrisM]

Here's a pretty good thread about this: http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=357994&highlight=groceries.

I spend around $300-$400 a month for the 5 of us.

[happymomma]

OMG, our budget used to be about $450 - $500 a month for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids under 7). But last month, I checked my budget. It was a whopping $750. I believe this is due to the fact that we changed to organic and local produce. I don't know what else we could do to decrease the amount we are spending on grocery. But honestly, I think it will be worth the money.

ETA: We rarely buy "junk" or processed food. I buy a lot of fruits and vegetables. In addition, it's also the organic meats that are costing a lot more than my usual. My kids favorite dessert is fruit salad after their meals. I usually whip up 3 fruits on a little plate for them.

[daisymommy]

But honestly, I think it will be worth the money.

:yeahthat:

Think of how much you'll be saving in doctors bills and medicine :)

[randomkid]

Groceries only - around $400/month for 3 adults (I'm counting an 18yo as an adult) and one child. We also rarely eat out. I use a lot of coupons and bargain shop whenever I can. I saved $20 yesterday using coupons! I only buy what we need and try to limit junk. I have been buying gas cards at the grocery store, though. About once a month or so, our grocery store has a coupon for $10 off a $50 gas card with grocery purchase. $10 worth of free gas? Yep, I'm getting the card!

[amandabea]

Wow, I'm totatlly impressed by what the OP and PPs are able to do for your bigger families. My DH does most of the shopping and budgeting, so this is my estimate for our family of three based on the receipts. We're spending about $800/mo (ugh) on all groceries - this includes food, toiletries and most. household items. We make one trip to the grocery store and one to Whole Foods each week. I know we could save much more by being better shoppers/consumers, but it is so difficult to convince my DH that I have given up. On top of this huge expenditure we also eat out more than the average family. I just came up with the monthly estimate, but I'm too embarrassed to type it out. My DH and I have considerably different viewpoints on money - ugh.

[HIU8]

Our monthly bill is between $600-$700. We live in an expensive area. I do all my shopping at Target/walmart, the grocery store (I shop at a regular grocery store and get a couple items at WF for DD) and Costco (Costco is a once every 6 weeks thing though). $150/week for groceries and I feel like I've done well (and we buy almost all items on sale and with coupons). this is for a family of 4. However, We eat out maybe once a month and DD, DS and DH take lunch every day. Plus, my father comes over for dinner about 5 nights a week (I feel like that extra adult adds about $35-$50/week to my bill).

[egoldber]

I don't even know any more because our shopping is so fragmented!

We spent about $350 on beef in December and haven't bought beef since then!

I spent $100 at TJ 2 weeks ago on perishables and organic chicken. But yesterday I only spent $60 at TJ on perishables for the week. We also go to Costco about every 6-8 weeks and spend about $200, but that includes a lot of household supplies, not just food. And there are few odds and ends I can only get at Safeway, Wegmans, Whole Foods, etc. So my estimate is we spend on average $500-$600 a month for a family of 4, amortizing things like the beef and the Costco runs into the monthly cost.

But I think that's OK for food that is mostly organic and includes lunches. We eat in almost every meal except for lunch on Sunday (we have a bagel tradition after older DD's swim lesson) and dinner on Friday or Saturday night. During the week, I pack lunches for me 5 days a week, 4 days a week for older DD and 3 days a week for younger DD. I really have no idea what DH eats for lunch. He does eat lunch out and about when running into the city, meeting clients in the city, etc. Lunch is a big part of his business model LOL!

[MamaSnoo]

There are 3 of us, but we often have GPs visiting, so that takes us up to 5. I spend about $600/mo. That includes a moderate amount of organic and/or local stuff, but we do not buy as much of that as some do.

We do buy a lot of produce and higher quality meats. That also runs up our tab.

I do not do much shopping in Sams or Costco because the bulk purchases lead to waste in my (smaller) household. However, we could probably save money if we did that.

I think the cost of food has gone up a lot in the past few years. About 5 years ago, we spent about $200-250 per month for the 2 of us (pre-DD).

[HIU8]

I know what you mean. Pre DS (about 7 years ago) our weekly groceries were $320/month ($80/week just at the grocery store) and we ate out 2x a week.

[hanaum02]

We spend $600-700/month including paper towels, shampoo, etc for 2 adults and 2 kids. This includes lunch for my husband and I (but not the kids since daycare feeds them). We also go out to dinner about 1x/week.

Michelle
DS 9/04
DD 10/07