What does the average four-person family spend on food in a month? In a year? How much does a two-person household spend on food? How much does your family spend? How much of this is for groceries? How much for dining out? Do you make an effort to control food spending, or do you simply buy what you feel like? Do you use coupons? Do you grow your own food? I’m not so much looking for advice, but gathering anecdotes. I’m curious about general habits.
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I am 25 years old and I spend about $365 per month on food. That’s both eating in and out. I also eat out at lunch every work day, spending between $7-$12 for lunch. It is nice to get out of the office and walk around and eat at different places.
My weekday dinners usually consist of fast meals or tv dinners, so that is where I try to cut back. Food is definitely my biggest expense, and don’t even get me started on the bars
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With two adults (one pregnant) & two toddlers in the inner Bay Area, we have recently been spending about $1000/month on all food, including some recent weekend trips out of town. I track expenses to the penny, so this is a pretty accurate estimate.
Quality food is a very high priority for us, and our toddlers eat 90%+ organic (and don’t eat meat), and they eat a shockingly large amount for their size (perhaps because of it’s good quality/taste?), mostly fruits, vegetables, & fresh bread. The total produce we buy is perhaps 70% local and 90% organic – mostly a local market, farmers markets, and CSA. Other than that we shop almost exclusively at Trader Joe’s & Costco (where we have noticed a significant increase in organic food offerings over the past year).
We cook together almost every night, and one adult buys lunch at work a few times a week (the other works from home). We eat out (or have delivered) one to two times a week (about 20-30 bucks each time – alas, no trendy restaurants with the kids). We do not grow any food ourselves. We also don’t spend much on sweets, soda, etc.
I feel (and our friends agree) that we eat very well and very healthy, and given the relatively high expense of living in the Bay Area I was pleasantly surprised to see that we are still within the (liberal/high) budget of the recent USDA charts. Interestingly, this is about 40-50% more than we spent when we had zero children in the same location (though it’s a difficult comparison due to other factors, such as there used to be reimbursed work travel/food expenses involved then, we buy more and higher quality produce now, etc.)
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Our food spending fluctuates between $400 and $500 per month for a family of 2 adults and one toddler. It includes dining out and anything we by at the grocery store in addition to food like beer, diapers, cleaning supplies and toiletries.
We only dine out 1 or 2 times per month and I cook as much as I can while working full time.
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My husband and I are mid 30′s. My husband is like a kid. Actually, he has been acting like a spoilt kid after getting married to me. Before getting married, he told me that he had $100/month food budget. After we got married though, it seems like his stomach has become a deepless sink. He eats wayyyyy too much. I guess, he is trying to eat my portion of the groceries as well. His micro-management is over the roof. On a typical Saturday, he’ll go to 6-7 different stores to get groceries cheaper. But I don’t think he is saving much, considering the time and gas he spends and frustration and hatred he causes. His time has no value. He will drive 10 miles to get tomatoes 10 cents cheaper. I am constantly struggling with him to share the food expenses half and half. But mostly, I end up paying 20% more than him, since he refuses to pay for vegetables. He is a quantity person, not quality.
Over the weekends, I am trying to find excuses to avoid his maniac grocery trips. Couple of times, I gave him my credit card instead of accompanying him. Guess what he bought with my money? Fresh figs! If he is by himself (i.e when was single, or using his credit card), he has no sense of eating healthy. He will try to get as much pasta and meat as he can for his money. He thinks that vegetables are very expensive and they don’t even make one’s stomach full. After all, vegetables turn to water once you digest them, says he! But if it is my money that is being spent, he spends like water.
Despite the fact that he is a coupon clipper and he follows all the weekly store ads, I don’t think we are saving a lot of money. Our grocery expenses are around $400/month for two and our dining out expenses are around $100/month. I believe that he eats 3/4 of the groceries.
Every now and then, he’ll ask me to dine out (on my expense of course) and after brainstorming hours to decide where to eat, we find ourselves in McDonalds or Burger King. Before getting married to him, I had only been to those fast food places 4-5 times in my lifetime. After moving in with him, I don’t remember how many times we frequented those places.
Whenever he gets a chance he negotiates the price. For example, when we go to Starbucks, he gets a tall coffee and asks for an extra cup. Then he pours some of the coffee into the small cup. This way he gets two cups of coffee, for the price of one. He has no shame. I don’t remember the number of times he embarrased me asking a waiter to bring extra bread, butter, extra this and extra that.
I guess if he wasn’t making his frenzy marathons to grocery stores every Saturday (starting 10:00 am – usually till 4:00 pm, his favorite passtime), our spendings would be $60 more.
He thinks that he is saving money. But in my eyes, he is a loser who wastes precious quality time on weekends running from one store to another. I am earning more than him and making around 6 figure salary. These days, all I am fantasizing is the day I am going to dumb him.
Our annual gross income is around 200K. I am not saying that we should spend money carelessly on food shopping. But food expenses make only 3% of our annual gross income and the money that (he thinks) he is saving is not even 0.5% a year.
I have been briefing him on countless occasions, suggesting that if he spent his time on developing his skills rather than running from one store to another on Saturdays, he can get a promotion at work or find an even better paying job. But his thick head just doesn’t get it.
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My wife and I subsist off of a $70/week food budget. We buy all organic fresh fruits and vegetables and generally do not eat out very often (maybe twice a month). The only difference with many of the people replying here is that we are both vegan.
Cereal, fresh fruit, or oatmeal for breakfast with organic, fair trade coffee brewed at home; a wrap with fresh vegetables/rice/beans/tempeh/wheat gluten, fresh fruit/homemade snack/baked good/olives for lunch; any dish we feel like making for dinner with a premium cocktail or beer (at home of course).
We eat very well, always have plenty of food for the amount of money we spend, and spend more time together in the evenings cooking dinner together. I could probably cut the budget in half by not buying organic produce or premium liquors/beers or foregoing the fresh fruits and vegetables for frozen or canned options — but why bother? We’ve never felt healthier or had more energy with our current food habits and we really enjoy cooking. I see a lot of the people I work with spending $10-$12/day on lunches filled with processed foods filled with refined sugar, hydrogenated fats, and artificial chemicals that are just helping to make them fat, sick, and tired. I don’t want to get on a lecture about meat eating, but if you look at the food pyramid meat takes up such a small portion of what we need in a day yet I see people eating almost exclusively meat for most (if not all) of their meals. If you are going to spend money on meats you can spend more money on the better cut, but eat reasonable portions! How many people actually have a portion of meat the size of a deck of playing cards? We’re only suggested to eat about two of those a day — that or beans/legumes/nuts. Whereas whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and dairy (or dairy-subs) are supposed to make up 7/8 of the food we consume in a day.
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For the last 2 years, my husband and I spend $150 a month on groceries and toiletries. We spend $50/m on eating out. That is after we reduced our expenses from $400/m.
We live in LA, which is good and bad. We have a HUGE variety of stores to choose from but the prices tend to be high. We do not use coupons unless it is for hair color, deoderant…I make a menu for the week based on what I have. That allows me to buy sale items without having to worry if it fits into my meal plan.
We throw very little away. All produce is consumed or cooked and frozen by midweek. We do not buy much that is processed and packaged, canned veggies and such occassionally. I am a pretty good cook but I am not afraid to experiment or to fail. If it doesn’t come out right, I name it something else:)
We eat very well, a lot of veggies, some meat, some starches ( whole grains), a lot of home made yogurt. Just not a lot of crap. I try to buy local but am not too concerned about the organic issue except in apples and strawberries.
I think anyone can do this but it does take a little fore thought and effort. Too bad more people don’t, it is more healthy for the body and the wallet.
P.S. we earn well over $100,000 a year. This choice allows us to save quite a bit and to spend money on experiences, trips…
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I think most people here have underestimated their spending. I am a single medical student and I am meticulous about many things. One of them is my bills. I keep an envelope for every month where I put my receipts for food. If I spend cash and have no receipts or leave a cash tip I note it and leave it in the envelope — leaving no penny unaccounted for. Today is July 31 and I have spent $467.87 this month on everything from alcoholic drinks to chewing gum, coffee, specialty butcher items and kitchen stock items like olive oil. If you budget separately for drinks and gum, that’s fine, but you should account for it somehow and I find it best to put it in with food — otherwise it’s lost. I looked up the government’s take on human consumption and it seems I fall well within their survey of about $15 per day. I find it unbelievable that some of you posters here, couples even, spend 300 a month on food. I cook most of my own meals and do it in bulk so that I get several meals out of it — still I spend a lot. Granted, I live in Manhattan, but I still find ways to be frugal. Even if you were to eat PB&J and drink water every day, three meals per day, it would cost you $180 per month for one person — that’s $4 for peanut butter, $4 for jelly, and $4 for bread (all this being the good brands) getting about 6 sandwiches out of this at best. 90 meals a month divided by 6 meals equals 15 $12 purchases of PB&J which is 180 X 2 people equals $360.
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When i was in my apartment i was 19 years old (currently 20), i was making $10 an hour full time hours. And had my car/insurance/apartment plus utilities. I was making it alright money. Around $1200 a month
. Eh
(all USD) On a months average i spent around $140-$180, i ate out maybe twice a month spending about $40. I lived off mac n cheese, top roman, cereal, milk, hamburger helper, and i bought apples and bannas. I am a marine so i shopped on base for most stuff, not always cheaper i noticed. But i usually bought my fruits at safeway. I will admit i was hungry alot, but i didnt have much money left over a month, usually around $200.
So i spent around $2340 a year. Almost two months of pay checks for me. And there was sometimes where i had to bum some food of the parents cause i didnt have much money, ex: i got a speeding ticket and had to pay it
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Never once did i even think to look at coupons, but i did by alot of store brand goods for like condiments(however you spell it). And i never grew my own food.
I admit i was hungry alot, but i drank alot of water to help. But i never felt week at work or too tired. I got my nutrients, but i came from parents house eating whenever i want to that. So it was different.
But i think this is cool to know others but there are so many factors. ex: weight, eating habits, how active you are, age, how you feel (depression, lonely eaters). But you can still get a general idea from this thread. So thanks. It would be awesome if someone took the time to average this all out
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We spend at least $200 a week on food – between 2 and 300 dollars. We are a family of 4 – 2 small kids and my husband and I. This is way more than most people, but we consider it an investment for future generations. We buy all organic food and strive to buy as much food that is locally and sustainably produced as possible. 50% of our food comes from a local health food store and 50% comes from a food co-op that connects us with local producers. We are able to afford this by giving up certain things – all our clothes come from the thrift store, we don’t have cell phones, our mortgage is only about $750, we never eat out, we never buy things like new furniture… We gradually got to this place, and there were times when I doubted the wisdom of it, but now I feel very good about it. Between clothes and consumer goods (very often produced in cruel and environmentally destructive ways) and food, I would choose to put resources in food every time – we literally become the food that we eat. The consumer goods don’t literally make up our bodies. And ethically speaking, my conscience is (more) clear. We have to develop a new mind-set about food – the idea that food should be cheap is perverse. We should value food, as well as the land, people, and animals who produce it.
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Single person, living in the city (no space for a garden, sadly).
I spend about $250 on groceries (incl household supplies) and $50 dining out (mostly breakfast at my work cafeteria).
I don’t coupon clip, b/c there is almost never anything that I was planning on buying. I buy generic & what’s on sale.
I cook almost all my meals, and bring lunch to work. I love cooking (love!) and like experimenting with new things (which sometimes drives up the bill a bit).
I’m trying to bring it down a little … that just seems too high for one person, but I haven’t had much success yet.
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I track my spending with MS Money so the numbers are fairly accurate. I didn’t track cash transactions but 95% of my purchases are debit card. I took the year to date and prorated it to a per month expenses. My wife and I spend $772/month on groceries (includes cleaners etc…). We spend $706/month eating out.
I thought we were high but didn’t realize by how much until I read the comments of others.
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I am having success after taking the time to plan supper menus and corresponding grocery lists for 3 weeks, along with breakfast ideas and using the left overs for weekend lunches. I go through my inventory and coupons first before shopping, following the grocery lists, and have been successful staying within my $150 weekly budget.
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I have recently started tracking my food spending habits as I live in NYC and eat out a lot at shop at great markets. I have spent $800 in the past 29 days on food!!!! Just for myself!!!!
Fortunately, I have really low rent, but according to the past month, my eating costs as much as my living!
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These are the two best ways to reduce your grocery bill you will ever read. One because they are so easy,two because they are so effective.First,because meat is the most expensive single item for most families,we will start there. Whether or not you are aware of it,the butchers are the highest paid hourly help in a grocery store. This is logical because butchering is a complicated skill requiring extensive training.Much of this goes back to the time when butcher actually broke-down halves and quarters of beef,lamb,and pork,and split and quartered dozens of chickens each day.This is seldom done anymore as most meat comes partially divided from the slaughter house.However,the pay scale still remains high based on long gone practice. Thank you Mr. Union rep.The fact is,you can eliminate the cost of the butcher by doing most of what he does,and it’s easy.Lets take a look. Feel like some beef stew tonight,or maybe a hearty beef soup. Well you can pay $3.99 a lb. for cut up beef soup/stew meat,or you can buy that London broil shoulder that’s on sale for $1.79 and cut it into stew beef yourself. Two pound savings $4.40. But it did take you 5 minutes to cut. That’s an average savings of about $50. an hour. Would you work for $50 an hour. If not forget it. Next we have chicken breast,skinless,boneless. Beautiful for a nice chicken piccata.And only ….$4.49 a lb.!!! Yikes!!But wait. Here’s whole chicken breast on sale at only $1.49. With a little bit of practice you ll be able to remove the skin(more pulling than cutting) like a world class butcher.The filleting will require a little more practice,but after a few attempts you’ll quickly figure it out.Will there be some waste?Absolutely.But at a savings of $ 3.00 a pound you can afford an awfull lot of wast and still come out ahead. *NOTE Do not throw those bones and chicken pieces away! Two/three hours in a stock pot with water and an onion,couple of stalks of celery,carrot,few cloves of garlic,S&P,spices will yield a chicken stock your grandma would be proud to call her own. And the family will think you’re a genius.Hint,don’t use the skin.Tastes good but you know ….arteries. By now you get the idea.Pork loin,into pork chops,shoulder chops become stir fry,and so forth. OK. Whew!! That went longer then I thought. Next,,short and sweet. Most grocery stores run most items on a six week sale cycle. That means your favorite brand of tuna,coffee,baked beans will sale every six weeks. About.It’s your job to manage your pantry so you always have a six week supply of those things you buy regularly. Ig. If a can of coffee(I almost said pound,HA!)last you two weeks always have a three can back up. Once you set up that six week reserve you should not have to do it again.And you really do not want to pay $5.99 for a can that will be on sale in a few days for $3.79. If need be,be flexible. Yes you like Clinton’s beans but if you’re out and Regan’s beans are on sale,well…Plus you might find out you really like Regan’s better.There is a great deal of savings with this very simple effort. If you favorite brand of olives is on sale at 40 % off do not be tempted to pass because you still have a can left. Buy now!! It won’t go bad.Takes a little discipline but you’ll be happy you did when you recognize the savings.
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For 2009 I spent $2.81 per day on food so I guess that comes to a bit under $90 per month. I live by myself. I do not use coupons for food shopping. The $2.81 figure does include dining out a couple of times a month but those are always events where I have a coupon for buy-one-get-one-free. For the most part restaurants serve meals which are 2 servings so I bring a doggy bag home. I do NOT do junk food EVER. Chipotle is NOT junk food. I am a very good cook. I do not buy processed foods. For health reasons I do not eat red meat or chicken (except at Chipotle) and consume no juice or carbonated beverages. Just watch the movie “Food, Inc” and you will have an immediate conversion. I eat lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts, beans, fish. In the spring/summer I use the farmers’ market. In the city where I live we actually have a small farm which employs young people right in the heart of the city so I am happy to support it. I also do not use bottled water – biggest ripoff ever.
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Realllly old post, but I’ve just come acros it and its facinating to see what people spend. We have 4 people in the house (myself, spouse, 5 and 1 year old) and we average $100 per week including eating out. I’l love to see how some families spend so little!
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My wife and I spend around $700/month on food for the 2 of us.
The cost of living in our city is relatively low. We buy lots of organic fruits and veggies which are a little pricey in the midwest. We are careful about the ingredients in processed foods we buy. We eat high quality turkey, chicken, and steak. We don’t typically use coupons. We spend about $400 on groceries. We cook dinner for friends once a week or so. We also eat out once a week at sit-down restaurants ($200/month). I go out with coworkers 1-2 times a week for lunch at local establishments.
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I can’t believe how little people spend on their groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies!!!
We are a family of 5 kids ages- 2, 4, and 14. Our budget for food, toiletries, cleaning supplies (includes dog food for a large dog, and diapers) is 1,050.
It’s usually hard to stay in this budget but sometimes it’s because I sometimes buy a picture frame or a shirt and just kept in the the same budget. We also spend another $250 on average a month on dining out, coffees, occasional fast food, and sometimes my husband buys lunch. We cook 5 nights a week and eat a lot of fairly healthy food.
We live in the suburbs of Chicago. I use coupons often but not to the point that it saves a ton. I also shop sales a lot, like switching brands of bread, cheese etc. based on what’s on sale. I do most of my shopping at Super Target or Meijers. We do keep track of every penny on a spreadsheet and have categories like food/ supplies, entertainment, gas, etc.
I wish I could find a way to spend less but it barely seems feasible.
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I too am a little late on this post, but amazed at how little people spend on food!!! We are a family of four (two adults, a preschooler and a toddler) and we spend well over $1,200/month in food…. And I’m not including diapers, dog food, and eating out… That’s another $6-700… We do eat mostly organic, buy mostly what’s on sale in the organics section, we eat home cooked meals, NEVER McDonalds or other junk… Occasionally indulge in ‘treats’: Kashi’s bars, popcorn, pretzels, homemade cookies and pies. We eat A LOT of vegetables: don’t have enough room in the fridge and cupboards so have to make two shopping trips… We are NOT vegetarian and buy about $120 worth of meat, eggs, milk and cheese each week (all organic, or at least hormone and drug free). we rarely buy canned, sometimes frozen, but fresh for the most part. We feel it is important to respect our bodies and what we put in them. We especially want to teach our children to eat right and how that’s going to help them in the future. it was really educational to read others’ posts. Thank you!
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i am a degenerate animal and i eat out for every meal. I haven’t cooked anything for years. I spend well over $600 a month just on food for myself, probably way more. I feel i need to change my habits
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As an unmarried 21-year-old student in her final year of university in London I spend roughly £27.50 a week on food. I pack a lunchbox everyday and intend to do so once I start my job in September 2010. I cook at home about 95% of the time for dinner and if I’m eating out it’s usually for an occasion. I came to uni unable to cook and forced myself to learn as I am used to eating meals made from scratch and therefore have very fussy tastes.
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We (me, husband and 3 yr old daughter) are on a tight budget this year as hubby is studying and I’m not allowed to work on my visa. We have $70 per week for food, toiletries, diapers and household things and we work on the cash-in-an-envelope system, so I know it’s accurate – when the cash is gone, it’s gone! We don’t buy processed food, but lots of fruit and veggies. We eat meat of some description every evening. We have a $40/month entertainment budget which covers very occasional meals out. We do get WIC benefits, which equates to about $40 over the month. I shop at CVS and Walgreens each week, normally getting some things free and often being paid to take things (when they offer it free *and* you have a coupon!), so those purchases pay for other things. I never pay for toothpaste! I don’t use coupons very much for food because I’ve found I spend more when I do!
I write a menu each week based on what we have in the house and what’s on sale, then a shopping list. Then I estimate prices and then start crossing out items on our list that we can’t afford and put them on a list for next week. I normally shop at 4 different stores plus the drugstores. This is a long process (especially the CVS and Walgreens planning), but as I’m not working I feel like at least this way I can help us keep our costs down. And I know this is just for a year. Once we have a salary coming in again, we’ll be able to ease up just a little!
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When I really tallied what we spent, it was aroudn $400 at the grocery and $300-$400 at restaurants! This is for 2 adults
Obviously, the first thing I did was get us to stop eating out. So that made a big impact.
Then I started paying attention to the sales and stockpiling. These days we spend $200 to $400 a month, including trips to restaurants. The one exception to this is vacations, it’s hard when you’re not home for 2 weeks to stick to these numbers!
JudiD
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I live in Seattle, WA. I am single, 28 year old, female who mostly bring my lunch to work. Sometimes I feed my boyfriend (maybe once a week). I tracked my food spending for the past month. This budget includes household items but I can’t remember buying much of that this month. (March 7-April 7th)
Food: $165.27 grocery/household
Snacks: $ 18.89 IE: Starbux
Eating out: $50.86 5X this month
Alcohol: $56.49 I had no idea
Total: $291.51
Lately I have been frustrated where my money has been going. I am going to try to take my food budget down to $250 max or lower if I can.
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We are a family of six. our kids range in age from 12-6.
-I do NOT clip coupons.
-We rarely eat out.
-We do NOT eat red meat.
-I do NOT grow my own food.
-90% of meals are made from scratch.
-Dinners are made in bulk and frozen for another day.
-We do NOT buy pre-packaged snacks. We make our own.
-I plan a menu bi-monthly and we stick to a list.
-I am NOT on a budget.
-I do enjoy cooking and baking.
AND WE ONLY SPEND $375/US A MONTH ON GROCERIES!!! (BTW- this includes toilet paper, soap and ect. Oh and this is accurate. I pull my grocery money out every paycheck in cash.)
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Melissa,
Would you be willing to share a typical week’s meals? I am in a rut with our meals and would love some lower cost meal ideas.
Thanks
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Hi there,
here are the numbers for the average month of 2009 for me alone (exchange rate 1,22):
Food and Household Shopping 176,25 EUR/215,03 USD
Eating Out 16,25 EUR/ 19,83 USD
Beverages at home 7,50 EUR/ 9,15 USD
Meals at work 88,75 EUR/108,28 USD
TOTAL: 288,75 EUR / 352,28 USD
I don’t smoke, I rarely drink soda, I drink less than 1l liquor or other alcoholic beverages per year, I visit fast food joints less than 4 times a year, but I like Asian take out.
I have to add, that I live in the 5th largest city of my country and when visiting my parents, Mom insists on giving me homemade jelly, juice or veggies from her garden (1-2 a month). Foods that I like to spend on are 100% fruit juice, a broad variety of teas and dairy. I like my daily yoghurt and meals at work include 2 fish dishes a week.
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Carolyn,
First let me start by saying that I don’t buy the name brand foods (unless on sale). You would be amazed how much money you can save!
Next only pick recipies that have ingredients that you can buy affordably and easily. If you have never heard of it before, then its probibly expensive to buy. Also the fewer ingredients in a recipe the cheeper it will be to make usually.
Next, pick meals that freeze well. Potatoes, pasta, rice and such don’t freeze as well. However you could under-cook your pasta and that tends to work better.Pasta sauce will freeze very well and then you would just have to make the pasta.
Just by doubling up on your meals and then freezing them not only saves time but will save me on average $180 a month, sometimes more. Last night we had Peach Chicken that I already had placed ready to go in my freezer. I write the baking directions down on each meal. Then I steemed carrots and made a salad.
Other meals we have are:
Spaghetti (homemade or store bought sauce)with garlic bread ( I buy a loaf of sliced french bread for $1.50 and then seperate them into 3 meals adding the butter, garlic and spices before freezing)then a salad.
Tacos using ground turkey. cheese, sour cream tomatoes and ect. We use store bought tortillas or shells. We may make our own black beans sometimes too.
Any chicken (drumsticks or boneless) we buy in bulk and then seperate into freezer bags with its marinate. You can also do this with pork chops (just remember to remove the bone first before freezing) we will serve these with a veggie and salad.
Some great make double and then freeze meals are:
lasagna
soups (minus the potatoes and rice)
casseroles
sauces to go on pasta or rice
chicken, turkey or pork meals (freeze as you marinate)
There are many more!!
I also make my own Bisquick and have a bisquick cookbook that I make stuff out of. Also I have a Cooking With Four Ingredients cookbook that has some very cheep but yummy recipies in it.
Last but not least I make my own granola bars and I make jello and pudding and then seperate them into 1/2 cup servings in re-useable containers. When the kids make their lunch for school they just pull one out from the fridge. I also make muffins of all kinds in mini muffin tins and then seperate them into baggies in sets of two. these make great snacks or school lunches. Snacks such as Rice Krispy Treats or cookies can be done the same way. Cookies recipies should always be doubled or tripled and then seperated and frozen for next time. Dont forget to label the bags!
All these ideas are not only money-savers but they are healthy! You know what is in the food your family is eating!!
Hope this helps!
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i know this post is 4 years old, but people are still commenting.
household of 3, which includes an 8mo old. i am a crazy coupon lady. our grocery bill is no more than 150$ a month, including formula and baby food. Our going out bill is about 100$ (20$/wk). we’re working on trimming the going out bill by about half, but we’re really bad about packing our lunches for work.
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Family of 4. I spend about 250/ week at grocery store. We eat out twice a week and probably spend about 350/ week. So a grand total of $600/week—–$2400 a month. Yikes!!! We live in La Jolla, Ca, I am sure things are more expensive here too.
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I was just thinking of this and that is why I came to this website. I am surprised at the differences between how much some of us spend!
I am 20 years old and in University, and believe I spend around $5.50-$6.50 per day on food (meaning around $175 per month, sometimes more). Although I grew up both eating out frequently and cooking frequently, I don’t eat out much anymore. I cook most of my own food, although I actually think that is more expensive in some cases (but I just prefer home cooking), and buy most everything on sale (hardly ever use coupons).
I eat healthy food, and am the last person you will ever see eating from the Costco and Sam’s Club cafeteria things *yuck*.
Although I am paying my way through Uni, I refuse to live off Ramen noodle packs.
Also, I live in California and frankly…I honestly haven’t noticed the recession too much (except house prices dropped a few hundred thousand and tuition was raised). I’m sure this applies to other posters as well…but if we lived in more devastated areas maybe we would feel the need to cut food costs even if we didn’t have to? Just a thought.
But yea…I’m only 100 pounds, so I really can’t imagine what some people are buying to make their list so much cheaper. White bread, jiffy’s peanut butter, naval oranges?
>__> My mom used to spend around $1000 per month on both of us…and we are tiny ppl. Then again, I would buy $3.00 6 oz things of yogurt and eat like 5 per day haha…and only drank Horizon or Organic Cream on top milk. Geeze…I was spoiled. *-* But yea, if I have kids one day (when I’m rich), and they wanted healthy (but expensive) food…of course I would get it for them
My bill would probably be more tho since Im into caviar and stuff which my moms allergic too and well my awesome mom is unfortunately a single mom =(
Oh yea, and I spend around $25.00 eating out per month. That includes Starbucks frappuccinos, sandwiches, and cheap eat-outs like Pho
But yea…if you have kids, pls dont be so cheap unless you really have to. <> The other day I saw this little kid in the grocery store showing his father a box of organic macaroni and cheese or something, and was like “I really want this
” and the father was like, “Its too expensive…Im not getting you that!” I was just like in shock he was so cheap. Kids are only kids once…its not like he was asking for an iphone >:( <>
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oh yea, i live in the silicon valley btw. i dont like it here tho…i wanna live back by the ocean again XD
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I’m a mid-20′s female living in downtown Denver, and I spend about $300-500/month on food.
I spend about $25-50/week at the grocery, and always get the same staples: eggs, fruit, lettuce, yogurt, meal replacement bars ($1 each), some frozen fish for dinners in, whatever veggies are on sale, a loaf of bread…
I don’t do Starbucks every morning, and when I eat out for lunch about once a week, I try to spend about $3-5 (Subway, soups, etc.) rather than $10 (typical for downtown.)
Where I DO spend my money is socializing – I love going out, but we try to hit happy hours, or do rounds of appetizers rather than full entrees.
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Single young professional – ha! returning to graduate work eventually – in Charlottesville. My food/toiletries budget is $100/mo, with about $160/mo “fun money” that includes (but is not limited to) eating out. I don’t tend to spend it all on eating out… probably the total I spend on groceries/toiletries and eating out would be a generous $175/mo. just because I *finally can* worry a little less about money. (Poor college student days of yore will return I’m sure.)
I think the best thing for my budget is to BUY FRESH FOOD (because then I’m fuller from the variety of nutrients/needs met) and PLAN MY MEALS (loosely, that is; I’m an expert at throwing ingredients together to conjure a meal).
Stocking up is something I don’t really do, and I don’t really use coupons because most of my weekly food is either sale-item staples (pasta, rice, beans) or fresh produce. I do splurge on milk (from a local farmer), and the milkman lets me also take eggs for free, too.
To the dis-believers, you’d never realize how far a pot of soup or casserole liberally spiked with vegetables will take your food budget. I was surprised, too!
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actually i live alone, and i spend around 40-50$ on food per month
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I’m a single college student and moved into an apt where I started buying groceries/cooking for myself Aug ’10.
I track all my expenses and my monthly average for groceries and eating out from Aug10-Dec10 was $163.83. If I take out December (I was home on winter break for most of it) my monthly average is $187.14. Before I started paying for groceries my monthly average was closer to $55/mo, mostly eating out.
I’m working on controlling my spending by eating on campus less (packing lunch, eating breakfast at home, etc). I don’t buy in bulk because I walk to the grocery store and can’t carry much back, nor can I finish large packages before they spoil. I review my store’s weekly ads and load digital coupons to my shopper card before shopping, and I don’t buy things that I know go on sale pretty often. I’m considering growing my own herbs on my little balcony but have yet to start.
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My wife and I spent a very accurate average of $88/month on groceries and $583/month eating out.
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I am in my mid-20s, college graduate, living in the midwest. I spend $80/month on food. I don’t like sweet stuff (desserts, sodas, ice cream), don’t smoke, drink once a week @ happy hour, and I don’t like to snack. I do splurge on my cars – I like to drive very nice cars. But I pay for them in cash – no monthly payments. I earn a very decent salary. I save 80% of my take-home pay in the form of 401(k), IRA, or my TDAmeritrade account. $600 a month goes to charity.
Breakfast: oatmeal with frozen fruit
Lunch: leftovers from previous night’s dinner
Dinner: 1/3 pasta/grain, 1/3 fresh veg/fruit, 1/3 meat
Really not sure how some of you are spending close to (or over) $1,000 for food on just yourself. Time to evaluate your 2nd grade lesson: distinction between needs and wants.
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Single 30 year old here.
I have been spending an average of $400/month for the past 2 years. This includes everything from groceries to eating out and cleaning supplies. The numbers are precise, as I track everything using Mint.com (I don’t carry cash).
I buy meat at whole foods, and go to TJ’s for everything else. I eat meat almost everyday! Don’t eat fast food (except Chipotle!), drink soda or smoke. I do drink socially.
I have no idea how some of you spend as little as 200/month for a family of 4
Each of my home cooked meals costs me at least 6 bucks!
Also in the past 2 years, I have transitioned from graduate school (living on a 1300/month assistantship) to a professional job paying many times that. Surprisingly, my monthly food/eating out expenses haven’t changed.
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My hubby and I spend an average of 1,200 per month on food. I just averaged the last three months. Seems like a very high number vs. what I’m reading here.
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Over the last year, my husband and I spent avg. 1,500 a month on groceries and eating out. This probably does include household cleaning supplies and pet food, but nevertheless I have been pretty upset that it is so high. So, last month we spent 800 total on food. Better. If we can do 800 a month for a while, we will have nearly halved our food bill and save 10k over the course of a year. And I’m certain there’s room for improvement in the 800, but I want to take it slow at first to stave off a revolt.
Also, we’re moving to a neighborhood with an Aldi and I plan on using that for most of our grocery shopping.
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Me and my husband (early 20s) spend $400 a month on groceries and eating out. We live in Minneapolis, MN. We usually try to eat at home and go out as a treat. We tend to eat out 1-3 meals a week for our sanity.
We shop at Whole foods when we can and don’t usually use coupons but will sometimes. We also buy fresh from the farmers market when we can. I’m not sure how some people on here can be spending over 1K for 2 people… a penny saved is a penny earned! We still get to eat pretty much anything we want.. you just have to make sacrifices on the days in between. 
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I spend about 1,200 dollars a month on groceries, and that’s only me. But I always buy in bulk because I voulunteer at a homeless shelter and I often donate at least 700 dollars as I am a generous person. You guys may be wondering if I am crazy. But I asure you, that I am not crazy, but rather extremely wealthy. I’m what you poor people might call “Rich”.
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We have a family of three, eat all natural, organic foods. We live in a small town and have a large garden and farmers market. We do not cut coupons, we eat out very little, but our grocery bill runs almost $650 per month.
My husband says it is worth every penny, we eat healthy and well…and we do not buy in bulk unless it is grass fed beef, then we buy a freezer full.
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There are 2.5 of us to feed. Myself, my son who is a 15 year old in training for long distance running (he runs about 40 miles a week) and my boyfriend who is with us on weekends and a meal or two during the week. As you can imagine my son eats A LOT, and requires a lot of food.
I buy a lot of local food, we’re in a CSA for vegetables, we do grow some fruit ourselves (Fruit trees and berry bushes) I also buy grass fed beef in bulk and I choose organic if its not too expensive in the store. We have an outrageous food bill, I have to admit it. I spend about $500-$550 at the grocery store (including toiletries and asundries) and the CSA costs about $50 a month on average (and soo worth it) We eat out 1-2 a week, usually on weekends and it costs about $200 a month do do this. We waste very little food, if any gets wasted its from the CSA being particularly generous one week. I work at home and cook a lot. During the school year, my son eats at school and its been a little issue because he chooses to eat off the a la carte menu instead of taking the standard lunch. He is resistant to taking a lunch. We’ve been spending like $80-100 a month on his school lunch. I’ve been working on his school lunch food choices, and pretty much figure to worry about quality of his meals over the quantity. (IE, I’ld rather pay for english muffin and peanut butter over pop tarts) We eat very well, very healthy and eat a lot of produce. (We actually eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables!)
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When I lived with my boyfriend, we spent an average of $284 on groceries (and very little on eating out.) Now I live alone and have been spending an average of $185, which I’d like to get down to about $150. I absolutely cannot resist stocking up when I’m near a Trader Joe’s, though, so my pantry is well-stocked! And because I did a no groceries challenge in the month of June, I felt even more justified stocking up in May and July. I probably spend no more than $50-100/month eating out, but I do get free meals on occasion, due to being a grad student.
I signed up for a $400 CSA this summer as a gift for my now ex-boyfriend, so I suppose if you figured that in, my average would be more like $242… except that (1) we haven’t gotten all the vegetables yet, and (2) had it not been a gift, we’d have split the cost. We still divide all the vegetables each week, like an amicably divorced couple.
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I spend about $60 a week on food, dog & cat food, and personal items. Right now there are 3 of us at my house (always seems to change from month to month) but I use coupons and stock up when there are sales and coupon matchups.
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My family (wife, husband, two kids 2&3 years old)
-very few coupons
-eat out on weekends mostly
-use coupons to eat out
-wife doesnt work (makes food at home for 3 meals plus snacks on most days)
We track every dollar
2011 monthly averages:
Food In (groceries, food only) $502
Food Out dinner $211
Food Out Lunch $157
Food Out Weekends $259
Boozing $128
Hygiene (diapers, soap, deodorant)$118
Home cleaning supplies $15
Entertainment (sporting events, movies) $45
Maybe we are just gluttons……..I thought we were doing better. I do have to travel for my job, and we usually travel as a family, so we eat out during those times.
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My husband and I, living in the midwest, spend about $ 250 a month on groceries, including tolietries,catfood,ect. We shop our local Food for Less store,buy sale items and stock up.
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I’ve recently started budgeting my money. I live in an apartment of 5, but I’m a college student, paying for myself. I’ve allotted myself 170 dollars a month for budget, so that’s about 120 dollars for groceries, 20 dollars to eat out, and 10 dollars as just-in-case money, and 20 dollars for spending as I may. It seems to be working out pretty well, as I’ve been able to pay basic apartment costs with this as well (not rent, but I’ve managed PG&E and basic amenities (cost split with my roommates).
I call this the envelope plan. I place the money separately in envelopes, pack away my debit card, and only pay in cash to help me track exactly how much of my budget I have left for the month.
So again (1 person/ month budget):
Grocery Food: $120
Eating Out: $20
Just-In-Case: $10
Spending: $20
Total: $170/ Mo
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