How much do you spend??

[janie1234]

Since we're talking money here. Can I ask how much everyone spends a month on food? My food bill has hit an all time high. It seems like I'm being punished for having a family and eating healthy. I spend a ton of money on produce and I always buy organic beef, chicken, and milk products. I'd say my food bill for a family of 4 runs about $650.

 

[Fembot40]

For our Family of four, we spend between $800 to $860 a month. We only eat out on Saturday and DH brown bags it everyday. We're spending about $150 more a month than we did last year at this time. School hot lunches just went up this year too, so now it costs $50 a month for one child, which is probably cost effective if you break down what it would cost for brown bagging it.

Oh, and I rarely buy brand name unless it is a super deal. Forget buying organic, I'd go broke!

 

[EricaH]

We're a family of six and spend over $1,000/month on groceries, but that includes things like laundry detergent, cat food, cleaning supplies, paper goods, etc. I have three teenage boys who are bottomless pits. I shop carefully and try to plan meals around what is on sale and stock up on sale items. I don't buy organic and we don't eat out except for having pizza once a week. All of the kids and my DH pack lunches.

Erica

 

[fargomom]

For our family of four we spend about $500 a month, and that's just on groceries. (not counting trip to Sams club for diapers, laundry detergent, toiletries, etc, etc, etc, etc ... haha)

It's my DH and myself ... plus our DD who is 4 and DS who is 15 months. So we don't go through too much food, compared to some people with older children. I usually buy chicken breasts, some ground turkey breast, pork chops and sometimes ground beef for our meat. I would LOVE to buy salmon filets every week, but, boo hoo, not in the budget.

I've also found if I watch how much packaged and boxed food items I buy, it really helps keep the grocery bill down. Those $4.00 boxes of Cheez-its really add up when you get them and 10 other items from the snack aisle. haha.

 

[DeanaMax]

Family of 2 + 2 dogs.. about $4-500 per month.

 

[horseshowmom]

We're a family of 7 (5 teenagers ages 15-19). If I break down the food plan cost for the one at college plus add the extra groceries we supplement her with I'd guess we're at well over $1200 a month. And honestly that doesn't take into account all the days the older kids buy lunch at school or stop on their way home from work/school to pick up a snack or all the days we just skip lunch to save money. That has to add over $200 each month.
I go over our budget every month and try to figure out where to save...the latest has been dropping our home phone, raising insurance deductibles, and even cancelling STS.
Coupons are so hard to find and eating healthy is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much more expensive than buying crap. When's the last time you saw a *buy one get one free* on fruit, veggies, meat or dairy (other than ice cream!)?
Although I feel badly others are also struggling, it is a relief to not feel so alone!

 

[horseshowmom]

Happy dance after a depressing post!
that post put me at Catheite!!!!
only took 9 years!

 

[janie1234]

Oh my gosh! I thought $600 was a lot. I have a 7 year old boy who eats like his 48 year old dad. It's probably all the energy he has. He's as skinny as a rail but eats like there is no tomorrow. I know I'd save more money if I just cut down on the produce and organic brand things but man there is so much flippin cancer going around in my family it freaks me out as to all the pesticides and things we put in our bodies. We hardly if ever eat out. I brown bag it for the kids all the time. I can't even tell you guys how many dishes I make out of chicken breasts and ground beef. Right now I've been spending mucho $$ on berries and everyone (except for me) eats cereal for breakfast every morning except for Sundays (I make pancakes ) Trust me that's a whole lota organic milk at $6 a gallon.

 

[LaughingWater]

I agree ~ less nutrient-dense food is much cheaper than healthy, fresh food.

Our family of 4 ~ one teen, one 9 y/o ~ plus 1 dog was at $800 a month. We've cut it down to $600 to $650, basing my weekly menu on sale items and having soup, sandwich, and breakfast-for-dinner nights (when I make scrambled eggs or cheese omelets). I also keep an eye out for when milk is on sale at other stores (we go through 3 gallons per week).

I'm baking more too.

 

[MCunningham]

I'm right there with you all!! We spend about $800 a month for just the two of us (although that does include laundry detergent, dish detergent, personal care items, etc). I'm constantly looking for ways to cut down, but I don't want to buy junk either, and vegetables and fruits have gone up dramatically in the last year... apples for $3.75/lb!?!?

I even joined BJs and Costco today to try to cut down on some expenses because it cost me $100 to get just a 1/4-cart of groceries at my local store on Thursday, and I hardly bought anything. (Lasagna, bananas, cat litter, salad... nothing extravagant!)

MC

 

[EricaH]

I know I'd save more money if I just cut down on the produce and organic brand things but man there is so much flippin cancer going around in my family it freaks me out as to all the pesticides and things we put in our bodies. .

This scares me a lot, too. I can't afford to buy organic and my kids eat a ton of produce and drink a lot of milk(we go through 5-6 gallons/week). I worry about the toxins they may be consuming while eating their healthy fruits, veggies and dairy.

Erica

 

[zoesmom]

2 people, 1 dog and 1 cate $150.00 max

 

[Carol_is_fit]

We spend $300 a week on food, etc. for three people, including Nicole's school lunches. This also includes things like cat food and litter, shampoo, laundry soap, etc. I buy my whole foods and veggies so I can stay on my eating plan, and I will admit it costs more to buy healthy food, but I was spending about $40 to $50 a week at work buying cafeteria food, so it evens out. Groceries are taxed here, so that ups the bill by 10%. We shop in bulk when we can, but we can't buy everything that way.

Carol

 

[MAYNARDSMOM]

I'd say my food bill for a family of 4 runs about $650.

Well I hope my post makes you feel better. I spend easily $960 month for family of 4. Granted I also am buying food for my daycare children.

I will say we planted a garden this summer & that has really cut down on produce through the summer months. I am not one to can though so soon I will be buying produce at the grocery again.

I have never been one to mind grocery shopping I actually enjoy it. Lately though it stresses me out.

 

[RapidBreath]

it does cost more for organic

But, I know that we make a healthy lunch for my mother out of inexpensive veggies and a smidge of chicken broth. I dice up zucchini, green cabbage, and what ever left over chicken we have. I add salt, salt substitute (potassium) and little pepper. It all goes in a plastic box. Microwaved. And its soup. Very healthy. She also has one orange. Breakfast is a bit of avocado, a hardboiled egg, whole wheat bread and 1 ounce cream cheese.

I do a good portion of the grocery shopping and for a week its one cabbage, 6 zucchini, 1 box of organic lo-sodium chicken broth, foster farms chicken breasts, 1 loaf of bread, 1 brick of cream cheese, and 6 oranges. The veggies are about 3 dollars. The broth is 3.5 dollars. Over all I don't think its the veggies that up the cost. Dinner is more expensive cause both of us eat. I cook vegetables and some protein. Usually chicken or beef. She likes cauliflower best. And its easy.

 

[Travisli]

Family of 4. One teenage-boy-bottomless-pit included. We speend about $700 - $800 a month for groceries. On top of that I put $50 a month on each of my kids lunch cards -- my youngest son will take his lunch a couple times a week but my high schooler buys his lunch every day - I've figured it out and he's eating a better/healthier variety of food for less than what it would cost me to pack a similar lunch from home. I pack my food every day and my husband takes clients out to lunch 2 or 3 times a week and on days he doesn't I pack his lunch as well.

Every month I try to figure out how to make it less but it's really hard - especially if you want to eat healthier. The main course of most of my meals is chicken - once a month I'll cook a turkey breast and maybe twice a month we'll buy flank steak - but generally it's all about chicken.

We usually have soup one night a week -- when the weather is colder we can have it more often than that.

 

[1gruntgal]

I can't even tell you guys how many dishes I make out of chicken breasts and ground beef.

Do share! I am another one who is looking to cut costs on our grocery bill. I think I spend about $175/week for a family of 4. Gals on another board I belong to rave about something called "The Grocery Game." I tried checking out the site & I don't know if it will work for me, but I am keeping it in the back of my mind. It matches up the weekly ad flyers w/coupons cut from the paper. I know that there are also loads of coupon websites out there too. I need to start checking that stuff out. My biggest gripe is, how much is it going to cost me in gas $$ to drive around to all these places to get the deals when I can get most everything at my super Walmart?

 

[Havingfun]

food costs

Hi all,

I complain almost weekly to DH about the cost of food. He finally realized what I was saying when he went to Blooms and spent $90 and basically had a bag of food when he got home. Then he went to buy blueberries just this week and experienced the "same price, smaller container" ploy that is now used. I spend around $1000 per month for 4 and that includes soap and other miscellaneous items I purchase at Costco. We eat some sort of vegetarian pizza usually once a week, and some sort of chili or bean soup with minimal meat, plus mostly chicken and ground beef. I do buy an occasional port shoulder and make bbq. I only buy seasonal veggies and fruits. I do a lot with beans and luckily my two kids 19 and 21 love them. I was eating more fish, but it is so expensive that I've cut back on that too. It really makes it difficult to eat healthy.

Tracy

 

[nancy324]

Let's just say if I didn't have to buy food and grocery items I'd be a multi-millionaire by now. Organic produce, tuna and salmon from Alaska, healthy take-out. I think our annual food expenditures exceed our mortgage and apartment maintenance expenditures.

 

[spyrosmom]

I go to the store every payday (2 weeks) and spend $200-$250. It used to Never, Ever top $200, but been almost hitting the $250 mark about every time now. That's for me, DH, DS - 7yrs old, 1 cat, and 1 dog. This also includes paper supplies, cleaning ,toiletries, animal food. Normally we also have to make another stop during the week for bread/milk/fresh fruit. DH and I both take lunches to work, but eat out for lunch maybe once a week. DS depends on whats for lunch at school - lunches at school are $1. They were $.85 last year. I agree with every one else though, the good stuff is never cheap and never on sale. I can easily drop $40 just on fruit for the week, but I can "buy one get one free"
on hotdogs and buns and feed my fam for the whole 2 weeks on the same $40!!! Grrrrr.

Nan