How much do you spend on groceries?
By ivyoon
@ivyoon (673)
United States
October 22, 2008 8:14pm CST
I recently totaled up some receipts from the past month and was astonished to find that I spent about $400 on groceries!
This is for 5 people, though.
How much do you normally spend on groceries per month, and how many people does this feed for the month?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@emma412 (1156)
• United States
23 Oct 08
That is actually pretty cheap. My husband just got back from a seven month deployment. While he was gone I was spending about $200 a month, at most, for my daughter and I to eat. Now that my husband is back I am spending at least $500! He eats so much and we never have leftovers anymore.
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
That is quite a bit for three people, but it's good that nothing goes to waste.
That is one of my biggest pet peeves! We are always throwing out left overs that no one wants to finish. I try to put them out the next night or two with the other meals I cook and no one will eat them but me.
My brother's been staying with us recently and he will eat leftovers so that's been nice. I hate to see food going to waste knowing that I'm going to be spending money to buy more that might be going out in the trash.
1 person likes this
@emma412 (1156)
• United States
23 Oct 08
Really? Throwing out leftovers would really bother me too. When it was just my daughter and I, I would freeze our leftovers in one serving portions. That way they lasted longer. On the nights I didn't feel like cooking, I would just pull one of the frozen meals out of the freezer and defrost it to eat. It worked out nicely and I don't think I ever threw out food. Maybe you could try freezing your meals?
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
23 Oct 08
It's myself and my husband and two cats. I usually go to the store maybe three times a month now, and I think I roughly spend about three hundred dollars. I usually like to go to Costco's to load up on paper goods, but I haven't been able to get there lately. I walked through BJ's this past week end and noticed that their prices are much better. I bought a gallon of milk for $2.99, in the super market it costs $4.29, so I know I can get a better bargain shopping at BJ's, and they had cat food much much cheaper than the market, which would probably last them at least two months.
I really need to cut back.
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
Yes, I've had a lot of people tell me that shopping in bulk is cheaper.
Years ago I used to be a member of Sams Club but I haven't been to one of these types of stores in quite a long time. I should get a member to BJ's, I know we've got one somewhere close by.
Milk seems to be the thing we go thru fastest around here. My kids use it every morning for cereal and often drink it at night.
Bread is another one... it seems that we go through two loaves of bread in less than a week most of the time.
I'm always taking short trips to the store to pick up milk and bread.
@cjfoust (614)
• United States
23 Oct 08
I really don't think that's bad. I spend about $320 each month for two people! The grocery store is my weakness though. I don't spend crazy amounts of money on clothes or shoes, I spend it at the grocery store lol.
@leahsfrog (120)
• United States
23 Oct 08
I clip coupons, shop only sales and use rewards cards and still I spend between $1000-1200 a month on groceries. I live with my hubby, 6 kiddos(ages 11 yrs to 5 months) and my parents so it is a big household. We also have two dogs, lol, guess you could say we are glutons for punishment. It does not help that the baby has to have special formula because he is allergic to soy and cow's milk. My children are all huge, my 11 year old is 5'5 and 145 ponds and the baby is 23 pounds and 31 inches at 5 months. I guess I just have mutant children and they are always hungry.
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
WOW!!
You certainly have your hands full and more than a few mouths to feed, lol!
I've noticed that my son (who will be 11 in January and is almost as tall as me already) has been eating a lot more lately. I guess when they're growing they've got to eat as much as their body tells them they need.
I keep telling my hubby that I don't know what we're going to do when he is a teenager... he will need to get a job just to buy his own groceries!
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
That seems to be our average to, closer to $100 though.
I like to wait until we absolutely HAVE to go out to get groceries before we go though because I HATE grocery shopping.
I will get milk and bread in between and anything else we might run out of and need, but other than that I wait and then stock up so I don't have to go again for awhile, but on average it comes out to about $100 per week.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
23 Oct 08
That is what we spent also for a family of three. We usually try to stock up though but $400.00 sure doesn't go far for food these days.
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
LOL, I hate grocery shopping too, but it seems like since we moved I've been at the grocery store almost every other day! (We live right down the street from it, so I walk down quite a bit) but now that it's getting colder, I like to stock up so I don't have to go out too much.
@Simplyme31 (240)
• United States
23 Oct 08
We are a family of 6 one being an infant so for us we average really close to $500-$600 a month on groceries. But we try to take advantage of all the good deals as well as stalk up on coupons to help curb the cost.
@ivyoon (673)
• United States
23 Oct 08
Coupons are a good idea. I try to use them when I remember.
I need to keep them with me all the time though, because sometimes I'll be out doing something else and stop at the grocery store and don't have them with me.
I like to use the Buy one Get One offers to save too.
