How do you keep your food budget low?

I think it's difficult to compare exact budgets across boarders.
According to consumer affairs, an average single female under 45 spends 141€ per month on food here in Finland (a single male spends 127). Today, that's just over 200$.

I'd love to use coupons but there aren't any around here, not for groceries you need regularly.

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Avistew wrote:

I know lots of people say to use coupons... I'm going to sound stupid, but where do you find them? I don't have any coupons.

When I lived in French, the couponds would be on the back of receits (so the more you buy the more coupons you get) but they were always for brand names that cost more on sale than what I used.

I am living in Canada now, if that's a factor. I remember I spent a lot less on food when I was in New York for two weeks, it did seem cheaper than it is here (plus, when we ate out we always split an order because the share was always huge).

But... Since last time I posted I haven't been to the store at all. So it's possible my food expenses are lower than I first imagined. I moved here only a couple of months ago, maybe it was the time it took to get the staples, and now that I have them I'll spend much less?
Only time will tell I guess.

Most people in the states get the coupons from newspapers or from the store circular that you can usually find as soon as you go into the store. It is usually a 3-10 page booklet that has what is on sale and coupons for the week at the store.

Back when we were still in San Francisco, we shopped primarily at the ethnic food markets in Chinatown. A 50lb sack of rice for $25 might last 3 months. Fresh in-season vegetables -- usually $1-$2 per day. Then augmented with some chicken or fish -- $1/lb for chicken packs, $3/lb for live fish (talapia), $5/lb for salmon, $7/lb for live shrimp. We usually avoided red meat -- once in a blue moon, we'd buy steak when it was on sale a regular supermarkets. Our average grocery bill was about $125 per adult per month but we definitely could have gone much lower ($75-$100 per person) by eating chicken more often.

Now this food budget is for an Asian diet in San Francisco where there is access to a ton of ethnic food markets, farmers markets, farms close by in the south bay and central valley, seafood from the Pacific and the delta rivers. I've been in the desert areas of Texas before and the groceries in supermarkets are all wilted so I suspect it would be much more expensive to eat right there.

Of course, now that I am overseas in China, my food budget could even be lower. I went out a few days ago and bought live fish, fresh mushrooms & beans from street vendors -- home cooked dinner for 3+ people was $1.55.

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coupons can be found online also for many major chains, including ones in Canada. I did a google search for coupons Canada and http://www.frugalshopper.ca/ this came up as well as other links.

But also check the stores, many will have circulars as someone already mentioned.

Ethnic markets are often great places to find cheap produce, meat, and rice. Smile

Food is one area where I don't really try to save money, mostly because I follow a "paleo" style diet, meaning I eat mainly fish, meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts; I don't eat any processed food, which is usually cheaper. I buy my eggs, nuts, meat and fish and Whole Foods, because at the moment I'm trying to stick to grass-fed,no hormones, cage-free, etc. etc. So that definitely adds up; probably $300 a month. I buy produce at a local stand, which sells everything dirt cheap (some of it is not as pretty as grocery produce, but it tastes great!). They have a mix of organic and non-. I buy bags and bags of produce but only spend about $50/month there. With some incidentals on top, I probably spend $375-400 a month. I always eat breakfast at home, and bring my lunch to work every day. Dinners are a mix. I eat out at least twice a week, so the $400 does not include those meals.

I know I spend a lot on food but since I am sticking to a somewhat restrictive diet (no dairy, grains, sugar, soy, peanuts, potatoes, beans...) it is worth it to me to really love the food I AM eating. Plus my health has benefited in so many ways, I'm probably going to be saving lots of money on medications. Smile

If I had a family, or had to take a big income hit, I'd rethink this part of my budget. But for now it's something I'm willing to spend money on. Though, to be honest, reading this post has made me think "hey, if I cut it down by $50, that could go into my vacation fund..."

We're a family of four--mom & dad and two boys, ages 9 and 5. We spend about $500 a month on food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, cat food & litter, etc. I try and balance frugality with having high quality and nutritious food for ourselves and the boys. We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables--we are part of a CSA and that's $30 a week for local, organic produce. Worth every penny. I don't buy much in the way of processed foods and snacks and we don't eat beef or pork or other red meats.
I know how to cook and do a lot of planning so that there is little waste.

There's a balance between more expensive dinners and frugal ones. We love wild salmon, for example and have it a couple times a month, even though it isn't cheap although you'd think since we live in the Seattle area it would be. We like good cheeses and nice breads, and I do splurge on those.

But on the frugal side, I make a big pot of soup or chili (things like lentil, split pea, minestrone, chicken noodle, etc) most weeks in the fall and winter. Soup, good bread, and salad is a favorite meal, especially for my 9 year old son, the soup boy. We have pasta once a week, and often some kind of soft tacos/burrito/quesadilla with leftover chicken, rice and beans. I make pizza from scratch (easy and cheap), and stock up on whole chickens, etc. when they are cheap.

A lot of parents with young kids fall into the trap of buying packaged snacks, juice boxes and drinks, frozen chicken nuggets, etc. (stuff I call kid food) for their kids, but none of it is healthy and to me it is better for kids healthwise and for your budget to learn to eat the whole, good foods.

My wife and I spend about $300 a month on groceries plus another $200 on eating out. That is total, not per person. And we are not exactly trying to keep that low. I realize this is more than some of teh unbelievably low amounts stated here but I am confident we could easily get that $300 down to $150 and entirely eliminate the eating out part.

You can save probably at least 50% by doing 2 things:

1. Never buy name brands
2. Buy your groceries at Walmart.

There really is no reason to buy name brands. You are just paying for a lot of marketing. Most store brands are made in the same factories as the name brands and are just put in different packaging.

Two more things that will help:

3. Buy most of your food in the produce section. About the only thing you need from the aisles is rice, beans, lentils, etc. and maybe a few spices.
4. Never buy packaged meals. Make rice pilaf instead of Rice-a-Roni. You'll save a ton of money and eliminate a lot of salt.

The last two will keep you healthier as well as saving you money.

I spend in the region of £30-£40 a week on groceries (the equivalent of about $200-$250 a month). I don't eat brilliantly. I live on my own, and at the moment I spend for sure:
600g speciality cheese ~ £4.50
1/2 french stick ~ £0.40
bag apples or bananas (about 7) ~ £1.25
12 flapjacks / cereal bars ~ £4
5 500 ml bottles diet pepsi ~ £5
1 bottle concentrated fruit drink ~ £1
special offers for dinner <£2 per meal

Dinners are often pizza, soup, couscous, rice, ready meals - anything that takes less than a couple of minutes to prepare and is below £2. I take advantage of buy one get one free, etc. I also get a few extra things - snacks and so on, which vary from week to week.

I only eat 2 meals a day, so that's part of the reason. I also currently have low standards for food - I just can't be bothered to cook for myself, and processed food is cheap and filling. I also mostly eat vegetarian, not deliberately, just how it tends to work out.

One of the keys to really spending less on groceries is to be boring and predictable. If you eat the same cheaper basic foods day after day then you can save by buying in bulk. For example my fruit choices are not exciting unless they are for treats - apples, bananas and oranges tend to be the cheapest fruits over here. I live in a predominantly Pakistani and Bangladeshi area, if I want something cool, the local corner shop sells loads of stuff (like dragon fruit) more cheaply than the supermarket.

Otherwise, I think it's taking advantage of offers and knowing what's a reasonable price. I started spending less on food when I instituted a per meal limit, I enjoy the challenge in the supermarket and am paying less for the same (low) quality of food.

I forgot that from time to time I go to Lidl - which is the local discount store - following the same principle. Sometimes that works well, sometimes not.

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Oh, but you don't have to be boring and predictable. You can use different spices and sauces and a wide range of different fresh vegetables to create amazing variety. I

And if you buy what is fresh and available it will be cheaper and healthier too.

When I look at your food budget I see that about half of it is spent on cheese, cereal bars and soda. There is nothing wrong with that if that is what you like. But replacing the ceral bars with bulk whole grain mix, the pepsi with water, and stretching the cheese out would save an enormous amount per year.

You can steam or stirfry almost any vegetable and have it over rice, couscous, bulgar, or even potatoes in just a couple of minutes. Throw some varied spices into teh mix and you can have different food every day for a fortnight without getting bored. Splurge for a steak, salmon fillet, or pizza once a week and you will not feel deprived.

For forumites in the USA, I used to subscribe to The Grocery Game (http://www.thegrocerygame.com/). It saved me a lot of money on my groceries because it would take the hassle out of synching up coupons and sale items. It would also alert you to sale items that were at a basement price (and stock-up worthy) versus something that was only slightly on sale (and, therefore, waiting for a better sale was the best option).

I canceled my subscription because I decided to change my eating habits quite a bit. But for chain grocery stores, it really was a great program and I recouped my small subscription fee easily.

Avistvew, I'm in your boat as well. Went and reviewed our spending; In 2008 spent an average of $710 month on groceries, and $192 a month restaurant/eating/drinking out. So far for 2009 spending average of $730 a month at the grocery store, and $276 eating out so we are getting WORSE. We are a 4 person family with a dog, cat (and fish : )).

My husband is the one who does the grocery shopping and pretty much all the cooking. We do have some disagreements about this and I offer suggestions to save money (which are usually not taken). But at the same time he is doing the heavy lifting so I cut him a break. I know if (and when I was living alone I could live on a fraction of this.

If you are wondering how we spend more than the average family on food, we do all the things we are NOT supposed to do: buy at Whole foods (especially milk, meat), buy prepackaged good (Zataran's yellow rice anyone?), drink wine and beer and enjoy gourmet foods, buy name brand foods, no couponing or going to multiple places or price comparing. It's also a case of values. My husband highly values eating well, and would rather cut down almost anywhere else than have me mess with the food budget.

Thanks to those who helped about coupons.
The fliers (circulars?) we do get have the sales prices but no coupons, but I'll check in the stores themselves, and the website that was given. I don't have a printer but I'll try and find a way Razz

To Partgypsy and everyone else,

There is nothing wrong with spending a little more for things you enjoy - but I don't think that enjoying gourmet foods has to mean you spend a lot more. If you buy beluga caviar, yes you will spend more. But most of wha is prepared as gourmet food in restaurants is NOT expensive. It is the same old food you get at the diner but prepared with less grease and more creativity. We happen to enjoy tapenade for example. A tiny jar of mediocre stuff might be $3. I can make a quart of the stuff for that much by buying the ingredients and tossing them in teh food processor myself. And fancy toast points? Try some cheap bread left in the sun for a couple of hours. Toss a can on garbanzo beans in the food processor with garlic and olive oil and you have hummus, dust it with paprika and add a mint leaf and it's go for $10 in a restaurant. And I can make a dinner that I paid $24.95 for in a restaurant for under $5 at home. People spend more that that for a greasy, salt burger!

Gourmet food no more requires expensive ingredients than a beautiful painting requires expensive paints. The key is creativity and that costs nothing.

And grow your own herbs! Nothing beats fresh herbs to make an everyday dish gourmet flavor but you'll go broke buying them in the store.

	DoingHomework wrote:
	Toss a can on garbanzo beans in the food processor with garlic and olive oil and you have hummus, dust it with paprika and add a mint leaf and it's go for $10 in a restaurant.

I've never tried making hummus with garbanzo beans (I always use chickpeas) that sounds interesting! Thanks for the suggestion.
I avoid canned beans though, I prefer buying them dry and soaking them. I can be cheaper (although sometimes it's about the same price) I find it tastes better and there is nothing added to it (there tends to be lots of salt in the cans).
You do need to soak them, but if you do it before going to bed they're ready when you need to cook them.