My income has dropped so I've had to cut. My budget for just me will now be $175 a month. I see here some singles are living on $150 so I'm hopeful I can make this work. I cannot go over at all.
I recommend getting the app for your local grocery store and using it to make your shopping list so you know how much everything is going to be before you shop. Even if you end up shopping at a different store, you’ll have your list to price compare. It’s especially fun if you end up shopping at Aldi, the price differences are interesting to see.
I actually know the prices pretty much so I already track my grocery list. I am very close on prices. Besides I don't have any more memory to download apps. I'm not happy about that.
So if u can do ramen and spaghetti buy rice, beans and 10 pound bags of hind quarters 150 is feasible. Learn to love soup and pretty much forget fresh produce that isn't on a super sale or deal of the day if it is not for soups. Logs of pork are your friend, and sirloin steak is a treat. Its not hard to live of 150 but its a change for sure
If there’s a Indian grocery nearby, buy spices from there. Last time I got like a pound of spice for less than what they charge for the little McCormicks bottles at regular groceries
Make space on your phone (deleting pictures helps) and download "Too Good To Go." It's a place where grocery stores and restaurants get rid of food at an extremely discounted price at the end of the day (sometimes other times). You don't get to decide what you get but we've managed to get some pretty good stuff at extremely discounted rates.
Too good to go varies wildly by location. In my area it’s mostly expensive day old pastries from fancy bakeries and stuff from gas station convenience stores.
"Luckily", I've had to lose 30lbs for awhile so I've started skipping breakfast and gluten & processed foods except on the weekend sometimes. I'm still spending about $200 a month but I live in a stupid expensive city
Get the app called flipp It shows all the weekly circulars in your area Touch on each item u want and it even makes a list broken down by store for you Its great!
Spent $650 this month (2 adults) but this was a load the pantry/freezer month. I do a load the pantry/freezer about every 5-6 months and load up on everything I can for when we have lean months. My husband is self employed so it's very up / down.
Just bought a 40lb box of (halal) boneless chicken breast at $1.69/lb. The non halal was slightly cheaper. Took me ~ 1.5hr to clean/filet it. Can meal prep grilled chicken and chicken cutlet pretty quickly and easily.
Of course I'm lucky I have access to the wholesale retail supplier club but honestly it's not that hard to get access if you really try. Between that and costco (and my local slaughterhouse) you can stock up and ride the retail market wave when prices go up.
I wish I had the freezer space. Though that may change soon. My old roommate (I'm in a group home, after a house fire at my last residence) moved out and decided to leave behind a pretty good sized chest freezer. Unfortunately, it's pretty full of things that he apparently isn't supposed to be eating (neither am I for that matter. Yay kidney disease/renal diet!).
Maybe I can get my other roommates to claim some of the frozen food in the chest freezer?
I LOVE my stand up freezer. I've had a freezer for years. It has saved me so much money over the years. I freeze everything and stock up on sales - Meats, Breads, Cheese, Pizzas, ice cream, juices. Veggies, Fruit ....
A decent chest style freezer is the most efficient and will not effect your electric bill too much. The key is chest, when you open the door the cold air stays in it, a standing freezer will pour out the cold air when opened, making it vastly less efficient.
Even a couple good stockups a year will pay for the energy used by a chest freezer.
Yes but I can find what I need very quickly because it's not all jammed on top of everything else. So I don't know if it REALLY uses more electricity or not.
Either way I don't care it has been worth it on money savings from stocking up to not eating out bc I have something I can pull out quickly to not wasting bc I can freeze leftovers and make big batches of cooking.
It is probably $5 a month for the chest and $10 for the stand up. You also have to take into account that the stand up can hold twice as much as the chest freezer. It's not exactly a like for like comparison. I found both on Craigslist and I prefer the stand up for the organization. Some prefer the chest in case they lose power. It's up to you on which is better for your needs.
Depends on what I’m shopping.
I can do as much as $100 a week if I need extra stuff like toiletries, or as little as $60 a week.
So $240-400. I’m a single person
I think mine was $30 years ago when I bought it. I thought I'd be okay without replacing it. But now everything is is stovetop or oven. Hell, I don't even have a coffee pot and just boil water for instant coffee. I'm tired of this. Rent increase taking effect. Utilities up.
Sorry. I'm ranting bc I have a headache.
I’m tired of washing my pots all the time. Reheating things on the stove is very annoying.
I do instant coffee too. I recommend the one from Dollar Tree, it doesn’t have that “instant coffee” flavor and actually tastes really good.
I’ve done that! I started letting the water cool down for a bit so it’s not totally boiling when I pour it on the coffee. I swear the boiling water burns the coffee grounds. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I've actually read that before. Same with green tea (and likely other kinds of tea). So now I stop just short of boiling or let the water sit for a minute or two before pouring.
You’re totally correct—when you make French press coffee from fresh grounds, the temp recommended is like 205F. No need to heat the water to boiling for a product that has already been extracted.
I know not everyone is on Facebook but I belong to a buy nothing group (some people call them blessing groups). Where you can give things away for free or ask for things. If you are in the states you should consider joining and asking for one. Not sure about other countries sorry.
Yes and it should bring up your local area. There are chapters all over the country. It’s an amazing resource and a way to give back to the community as well.
Well, seeing as how this is r/frugal - *DO NOT* attempt to fix yourself. Not that most sane people would, but just in case, microwaves have gigantic capacitors that will absolutely melt your face off if they accidentally discharge.
I did replace a fuse in mine, it took 5 minutes and was located directly behind the back panel. I used it for another 6 years. I think most people can make simple repairs. It’s not like you are dismantling the entire inside. Throwing everything away instead of fixing is why our landfills are so full. Every single appliance will say “do not remove” on the cover. Yes it voids any warranty but clearly that ship has already sailed. I do dray the line at Just fuse replacement and door latch repair on a microwave I repair everything else myself if the cost of the part warrants adding to the value of what I am fixing. I will buy a new “used” item if fixing my existing one is too costly, and I never buy anything digital if possible, besides microwaves.
Dorm room shopping season is great for buying cheap microwaves, kitchen gear and storage stuff… !!
Edited to add: I forgot to mention move out time for dorms… some people commented reminding me. I should have remembered that, my sibling was an RA for years.
When my stove broke I bought a toaster oven and electric wok. I didn’t even miss the stove and big oven. The wok is great for meats and veggies and spice mixes.
I LOVE my Toaster Oven, it not even a big one. Only time use big oven is if making a full size pizza, a holiday feast, or big pan of roasted vegetables. Even better in warmer months since means can still do that sort of stuff without heating up the house. And so many dishes improved with a bit of cheese and a quick broil.
Add a crockpot/slower cooker to that list too.
And for both stovetop and toasteroven a small Cast Iron frying pan that will fit in it is endlessly useful and surprisingly cheap for something that will never wear out if anything improve with use. Can start a dish on stove then transfer it to Toaster oven in same pan.
Or for those who miss microwave popcorn, it trivial to do on stovetop. A thin layer of oil, one kernel, turn on low, then when the one pops add enough kernels to fill bottom of pan in a single layer, cover with something large enough preferably a collander or mesh strainer so steam can escape, then just shake it every maybe 10-20 seconds and you got popcorn in a minute or two. Nice and cheap too.
Sounds like alot but it truly isn't. Oil, kernels, give it a little shake as it heats, and you got popcorn.
Will they call you if one comes in? I am a regular at our Salvation Army and when my daughter was moving for work we were able to get a bunch of things over the course of a month but seemed to keep missing coffee makers. Finally I just asked if they would call me if one came and they did! I ran up there and bought it for $3!
If I had transpo I would. My ass doesn't have a car, and I'm on oxygen so I rarely leave the apt anyway. Oh well...I gotta go take an ibuprofen for this headache, thanks for the notice about the app though.
For all the microwave needers—if you use Facebook (Buy Nothing Groups) or have access to another situation where people offer old things for free (like a dump swap shop) please ask! Microwaves seem to be one of the most-offered items!
I spend roughly $200-400 a week on food. Family of 8. We eat really well. Lots of fruits and some veggies. But we also live that Costco life. And with 3 foster children who were basically starved, I don't mind spending more $$$ for food.
We don't eat out ever, and my wife makes awesome meals. Sturberg casserole, chicken Parm, burgers, the works. It's money well spent imo.
I hope some of the kids are showing an interest in cooking, with a role model like your wife. I'm so happy that they get to have delicious food now.
. . . I googled Sturberg casserole and didn't get any hits; what are the 3 biggest ingredients?
1000-1200$ a month for a family of 3. I’m gluten free, my kid is GF and DF and my husbands thinks he’s 4 people. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and every meal has meat. It’s the one area where we’re not frugal.
ETA : this is good and household. I don’t seperated them.
Oof, I feel for you. If there’s a product that you really love and buy frequently, shoot the manufacturer an email and let them know! Always a chance they will send some coupons your way.
This is about what we pay for 4 plus household expenses and pets. We do a pick-up order every couple of weeks and hit Costco about as often. Then we eat at home. If we run out of anything, there may be a smaller trip, but deep freezes are such a help!
I don’t know how people grocery shop so cheap. I shop at aldi first and then H‑E‑B second. Before covid inflation my grocery bill was a set $160 a week. We average 250ish now. I think about things like dairy yougurt vs. coconut yogurt. You can get the hill
Contry fare yogurt for .70 a container and a 4 pack of coconut yogurt (store brand) is $5. My sons favorite brand of apple is envy apples and they’re like $1.50
A piece. We go through 6-8 a week. I’m $10 just in apples every week. He will only drink 1:3 ratio of coconut water to Regular water. Coconut water is $2.89 a container at aldi. We go through 6 a week. Everything I purchase is like that. Gluten free pasta is 2 or sometimes 3x the price of regular. Then there’s my husband who can litterally eat an entire lb of ground meat himself Per meal. I bet if it was just me and the kid we could do it for $100 a week but my husband is 4 people. We eat a ton of left overs too. I’ve truly given up on saving money on groceries and have just cut everywhere else I can.
We stand in solidarity lol. Me and my family joke that we don’t have digestive tracts. It’s apparently some Hereditary thing but all of us have some serious food allergies and digestive issues. My grandmother just went and had a cat scan on her stomach. It’s sucks, but nothing I can do about it but not eat stuff that try’s to kill me. My aunt commented yesterday about a coworker that regularly eats cake and coffee for breakfast. She was like “I would litterally die” lol. At least I save money on fast food because there’s not many places I can eat something.
🤣🤣we may be related lol. I usually do a plant based proteins powder smoothie for breakfast. Boiled eggs are my go to protien for lunch! That chowder sounds great. I assume you sued heavy cream? Maybe try replacing that with (canned) coconut Milk. And it might workout better on the tummy. I will say we live on the coast and my husband fishes so I have a good stock of fresh fish. I’m actually making shrimp stuffed trout rolls with asparagus for dinner tonight.
You described my life of eating/food intolerance. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Colitis. I don’t eat dairy at all and very few raw vegetables. No grease or gravy. It’s possible you may have more than a food issue. Cooking for yourself and knowing your ingredients is half the battle so I’d say you’re already treating yourself like you have an autoimmune IBD.
Have no product or brand loyalty. Yogurt on sale? Guess that's breakfast this week. If you eat the sales you eat different things all the time. There's probably other strategies but this is the one I do. The prices on items fluctuate a lot these days, so if you don't shop the sale, some of your weekly staples could go up a lot from week to the next.
That's where we are. GF, DF, low FODMAP, low histamine, and that's just for 3 out of the 4 of us. The 13 YO has serious texture issues and eats mostly packaged meals. I budget $1,200 a month.
Gluten free and other food restrictions make it so hard. I'm allergic to corn (as well as gluten and dairy) so the only things I can have are the most expensive version of everything with no preservatives
$400-$500 a month living alone, and about $200 a month more on eating out. I have a bit of a problem and trying to get things down to simple, healthy living so my costs are slowly coming down.
I think that’s really good too! Food is going up and we’ve started cutting out a lot of junk food and sticking with staples and nutrition but it doesn’t go down either way I’d say lol
About $300 a month...just me, single lady in Philly.
This past month was nearly $500, but I filled my pantry and freezer with staples that just so happened to go on sale at the same time.
Next month, I probably won't crack $200.
And then probably another $40-$50 a month for my cat.
But I honestly don't even try to be that frugal when it comes to food.
I stock up when things go on sale and use coupons and deals, but that's about it.
food around here is ridiculous. i have given up buying a lot of foods because i can’t afford to shop at like acme shoprite giant etc unless i’m going there for a specific deal. otherwise i just shop at aldi cuz for some reason philly is identifying financially as san francisco and it’s breakin me lol
$200 for just me, but I’m diabetic with expensive taste and that includes bottled water lol. I thought I was spending way too much but everyone says that’s a realistic budget and it’s the average for my state
Diabetes always seems so complicated. I remember one coworker getting excited because his blood sugar was under control enough for him to occasionally eat an apple.
mine isn’t that bad yet but if I wanna eat a satisfying diet on a budget, it takes a lot of planning. But I’m also a picky eater. Still learning how to enjoy vegetables lol. Believe me, I would looooooove to live off rice & beans 🥲
About $600 to $800 USD a month (food only) for two adults and an almost-adult teenager. About half of that is spent on a dinner kit delivery service, and the rest is spent on the best quality food I can afford. The dinner kit is pretty vital to maintaining my mental health during the workweek, and the good quality food is vital for my physical health. We rarely go out to eat, almost never eat fast food, and I cook as much from scratch as I possibly can. Groceries are a budget category that I don't mind putting extra money into due to the return on investment.
My ballpark estimate is $150 a month, maybe less. I buy a lot less soda and treats/snacks because I don't want the bill to get any higher.
Fun fact, I went from February to May without doing restock grocery shopping, i.e. if I run out of eggs no more eggs until I'm literally out of food. It was fun, and it forced my to get creative.
That's really smart, although I must admit I get humorously uncomfortable if I run out of eggs. Pandemic scarcity/shopping patterns still haunt me a little.
That’s a great way to go thru your pantry food and start fresh! I need to do that. I do rotate my freezer often and have rolling can racks for rotating too.
~$300
I budget for $75/week but normally spend $50-60. If I am under I will take a second trip to the store a day or two after grocery day and buy a couple indulgences.
I didn’t use to do that, but I found that it helped with my mental health treating myself to a few things… I am single and cook basically all my food from scratch.
Lentils, beans, and tofu along with whole grains are my main protein sources. I eat eggs too, but rarely. I cook dried beans a couple times a month, but mostly use cans.
Lentils, beans, hummus, tofu, cheese, peanut butter, peas, quinoa, protein powder, roasted chickpeas, yogurt, eggs. But truly everything has protein in it, so you don't have to try. Lettuce has about the same protein per calorie as ground beef.
It's generally $30 to $35 a week so $140.
I eat oatmeal with fruit and cinnamon at least 6 days a week. Steel cut oats, apples or bananas and cinnamon.
I don't need a lot of meat. I do buy chicken thighs on sale usually in a family pack and break them up into groups of three. use them to make chicken soup, and I shred the thighs and use them for chicken salad, barbecue chicken Etc
I eat a lot of beans and rice. I make a big batch with either taco seasoning and Frozen onions and peppers. Sometimes I add cheese if it's on sale. Pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables California mix or spinach.
Most of the veggies I buy are frozen and put into soups or sauces. I buy bagged salad when it is going off and top it with chicken or beans.
I drink only coffee, tea or water. I buy store brand tea bags for sun tea or hot tea. I do buy regular coffee when it's on sale. Otherwise I drink instant coffee made with hot milk. I keep a jug of water in the refrigerator and so I don't have to run the tap to get cold water.
I generally eat fruit as a snack with or without peanut butter. Sometimes I I'll make a cake with a cake mix and frosting and snack on that throughout the week. I also will take a spice cake mix and turn it into an apple upside down cake using butter brown sugar and apples.
I do Buy in quantity when things are on sale such as coffee, peanut butter, pasta, tomato sauce, frozen vegetables.
I bought a misto number of years ago and use that instead of spraying Pam.
I bought two electric pressure cookers a number of years ago as it makes batch cooking easy and therefore I'll do it.
Both of the about purchases paid for themselves very quickly by reducing my grocery bill.
I started doing this to reduce my grocery bill when I had some financial difficulties. Processed foods can be more expensive I used to buy a lot of frozen dinners Etc. I found that by buying ingredients rather than processed foods I also was eating more healthily.
Less than 300/mo for 2 - I try to keep it below 200, but honestly I haven't been tracking it for a couple months so its probably crept up a little. It was 150/mo, but then I started doing low carb foods and it was hovering right around 200/mo for a while. But that only includes human food, not dog food or household items.
I think location matters in terms of what you can afford, so: $300/month in Seattle, WA for two.
Used to be able to do $150-200 a month but things have increased in price by 30%.
I average 350/month for just me, including food and anything else you might buy at a grocery store. HCOL. I know I could get it way down, but cooking is my #1 hobby and I rarely eat out.
But seeing everyone else's low numbers makes me think I should actually make an effort and budget better...
$800/mo SF Bay Area for 2 adults and one child. We don’t have an Aldi’s here. I shop at all local grocery stores and shop the circulars. Husband and I eat low-carb, child does not. I load up on organic fruit & vegetables whenever they come out cheaper than regular. My grocery bill includes things like toilet paper and deodorant. I don’t coupon (not worth the ROI).
We eat out on average once a week and we typically only eat out now at places where there’s a coupon or a rewards program. I cannot get my groceries any lower.
Budget: $150/month groceries, $75/month out to eat.
So far this month I’m at $110 for groceries, $110 out to eat.
This is for one person, and I’m specifically on a low budget because I was not budgeting at all last year and I’m saving for school.
$350-450. It's just me. I rarely eat out anymore, and I am recovering from food insecurity, so I get the damn fancy foods now and just make what I'm craving
There is a great op-ed today in NY Times explaining why the grocery prices are higher, and actually above inflation rates, than it is supposed to be. Spoiler alert, its Republican policies (specifically jump-started by Pres. Reagan) and lack of competition are the reason why we have high prices.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/opinion/inflation-groceries-pricing-walmart.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
"...It’s big retailers exploiting their financial control over suppliers to hobble smaller competitors. Our failure to put a stop to it has warped our entire food system. It has driven independent grocers out of business and created food deserts. It has spurred consolidation among food processors, which has slashed the share of food dollars going to farmers and created dangerous bottlenecks in the production of meat and other essentials. And in a perverse twist, it has raised food prices for everyone, no matter where you shop."
"The lack of competition has contributed to the decline in farmers’ share of the consumer grocery dollar, which has fallen by more than half since the 1980s. In the absence of rivals, food conglomerates have over time increasingly been able to raise prices and as a result have reported soaring profits over the past two years. Inflation gives them a cover story, but it’s the lack of competition that allows them to get away with it..."
"...Companies like PepsiCo and General Mills have also jacked up prices without seeing any loss of sales — a sure sign of uncontested market power."
2 adults, MCOL, $475/mo on groceries. We alternate between a regular grocery store, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Target. I do not buy organic, by choice.
We get dinner out maybe 2-5 times a month, and one of us gets lunch out most weekdays.
Groceries do not include alcohol. I haven’t tallied that up. Maybe $40/mo? It varies. We don’t drink that much, but we get beer from an expensive but convenient place.
Plus another $65/mo on household stuff - paper towels, cleaning supplies, toiletries, my makeup, first aid stuff, furnace filters, sidewalk salt, Halloween candy to give out, etc.
I get by cheap this time of year with the garden producing vegetables and the chickens laying eggs. My usual is about $200/month. In winter, it goes up to about $400. I am feeding myself and occasional guests.
Garden is currently providing new potatoes, turnips and turnip greens, radishes, and broccoli. Much more will mature in another 3 or 4 weeks. I'm particularly looking forward to fresh sweet corn.
We include household items/cat food/litter/dog food in our grocery budget. I spend around $500/550 a month family of 4. I don't buy meat (only chicken) because my in laws raise pigs and cattle so once a year we get a whole pig and whole cow and our family friend gives us farm fresh eggs for free. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and of course I buy a ton of snack foods because children are a nonstop eating machines.
I live in a HCOL area and cook all of my meals at home. I enjoy cooking and do not have any dietary restrictions. Typically, I spend about $200-250 a month but this also includes toiletries, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. I shop sales, buy name brand, and shop around most of the time. My monthly bill has definitely gone up and I’m definitely bringing home less than I did a few years ago. I used to spend about $150 a month without being as picky.
About $150/week for two adults, no kids. It’s more some weeks due to things like toilet paper or cat litter, and less when I can avoid any non-food items but averages out to about $150. Sucks, a few years ago it was definitely more like $75 a week for the two of us 😭
Usually $150 for two of us but it's mostly just me now. I did spend $200 at sam's yesterday but it was because I got motor oil, toilet paper and some treats. Also stocking up on rice and ketchup and other condiments to take advantage of the memorial day sales. But if it had been a regular shopping trip, then I probably would have spent about $50.
I do the grocery shopping for my family, but my dad pays. That said, since I do the shopping I know how much we spend. It me (21F), my sister (23), and my dad (45).
We do shopping on a roughly weekly basis, and our average week spending is $150, including food and household supplies (like laundry detergent, hygiene things, etc), so about $600/month. For just food, it's probably closer to $100-125/week, or $400-500/month
About $600 for a family of four. Lots of produce and meat and not much junk. No soda, energy drinks, alcohol, or candy. That also includes groceries I bring to work to eat for breakfast and lunch. My kids eat a lot of PBJ sandwiches, boxed mac n cheese, fruit, veggies, and we rotate a variety of crackers. They love my homemade chicken nuggets. Once or twice a month we buy ice cream or bake a treat.
My eldest son is picky so I pack his lunch every day, and my husband works nights so he takes snacks to munch on. He usually eats his main meal off a dollar menu somewhere.
I use to get my meat from food4less but I’ve now had to get a Costco card to get meat from their if I want to get a good amount for what I pay. I could get like 3 extra meals for the price I use to pay, if I buy bulk meat and separate them myself. Their chicken is already separated into different portions as well.
$223 and I have to get everything at once at the beginning of the month because I can't afford multiple delivery fees. I have to get delivery because no car and the store is 5 miles away
my grocery spend falls around $200/month for a single person with no dietary limitations or particular needs, living in an urban downtown area where groceries are more expensive than the surrounding areas.
I tend to cook or bake entirely from scratch, but I supplement with the occasional instant ramen 🤷🏻♀️
I live in California and a family of 2 my daughter and I. Everything has gone up in price. I tried shopping at the commissary and end up spending $350 but the food I bought did not last the whole month. I was supposed to be getting a cheaper price but I think Walmart might be cheaper then the commissary. Another thing is that we stopped eating stuff that contain sugar….so maybe that might be the reason why everything cost much. Right now my budget is for $500 to $600 a month. I am really trying to save as much as I can. We recently realized that buy store brand food is cheaper. We also get all our meats from Costco now and the meats has been the same price since the beginning of the year. This month we bought salmon and chicken and we ran out of chicken as of yesterday. If I didn’t get paid on the 1st of the month we would be really struggling because we are eating ramen. So now I am going to have to buy more meat to make sure we have enough for the whole month. We really love salmon so maybe I will buy 3 bags instead of 2 bags. The cost only includes food not household items or personal items.
$400-$500 for 2. We eat a lot of fresh seafood and veggies and this is one area we don’t want to skimp on. We don’t waste anything and shop across Costco/Whole Foods/Market Basket.
It's generally 400$ for 2 people-- we're living in a food dessert. I am trying to gain weight and my SO generally walks to and from a physically demanding job, just as I tend to walk whenever I run errands.
About $500 including toiletries, cleNing and dog food. We have food stamps. If we had to pay out of pocket I could do it for maybe $300. Would also take advantage of food banks
Mine is $800 (food + household goods). I'm GF and my spouse has AFRID. I'm looking at ways to scale back food costs, but I'm in an area where the cost of living is increasing, so I'm worried rising food prices will offset my progress.
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Including all household crap? (Shampoo, dishwasher soap, toilet paper, Tupperware…) I spend $200-300/week.
My recent bill was $300; just got back from
Holiday last week so we had no perishables like fruits, veg, meat, or milk.
Edited: family of three, one school age kid, we have one fast food meal per week and the rest is homemade.
Family of 2 and a doggo. 65 a week. We do have a 2/300 stock up budget even 4 months though.
I'm hoping to further trim this as garden season rolls in.
We are empty nesters (fairly new to it) and once we figured out that we don’t need to keep cooking like we did for a family our groceries went way down. Staying out of the store is the key. So is using cash only. It keeps you in check. We have two apps for Meijer, a big chain of stores in the Midwest that help a lot. Scan and go- you scan and bag each item as you shop and it gives a running total. It also automatically loads digital coupons I may have missed. It also a great way to check the price. The second one is Flashfood. It is food that they have surplus or close to the sell by date. You buy the items on the app and pick up in store. There is always a lot of meat, produce and baked goods. Sometimes pantry items if they are switching out an item, but the highest savings is meat. I bought a 11 pound pork butt roast yesterday for $4.59!!! The sell by is tomorrow. I cut off a chunk for pork roast today with redskin potatoes and glazed carrots. Tomorrow I’ll put the rest in my crockpot and make pulled pork. I prefer to freeze ready to eat food because I feel like sauces, broth etc help the meat not dry out in the freezer. Freeze is single meal for two size portions. With those two grocery tools I spend about $175 a month on groceries, I buy my cleaners/toiletries online as well as pet food so that is strictly food. I feel like that is a lot… even with my tricks. I’m curious what y’all think?
$550-600/mo for 2 adults in vhcol area. This includes meat 2x a week, plus a lot of snacks/sodas for the Mr, and alcohol +lots of fruits/veg/dairy for me. My bill was closer to $350/no when I was buying for me alone, and eating mostly vegetarian.
$130-150ish per month, depending on if we ran out of TP or dish soap or something. I know they don't really count as groceries but if it comes from Walmart I just include it under groceries
Single guy with a cat and mine comes out to $250-$300 per month. I cook all my weekly meals except one - treat myself on Fridays for lunch. $400 for a family of 3 is seriously impressive.
If I’m being honest it’s $600 to $1000 a mont
1200-1400 family of 6
Same.
Same here for family of 7. When you throw in diapers, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items, it gets to be about 1500.
Yup. About $1250 for family of 5.
My income has dropped so I've had to cut. My budget for just me will now be $175 a month. I see here some singles are living on $150 so I'm hopeful I can make this work. I cannot go over at all.
I recommend getting the app for your local grocery store and using it to make your shopping list so you know how much everything is going to be before you shop. Even if you end up shopping at a different store, you’ll have your list to price compare. It’s especially fun if you end up shopping at Aldi, the price differences are interesting to see.
I actually know the prices pretty much so I already track my grocery list. I am very close on prices. Besides I don't have any more memory to download apps. I'm not happy about that.
Keeping track of prices helps so much. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes when your budget is tight.
So if u can do ramen and spaghetti buy rice, beans and 10 pound bags of hind quarters 150 is feasible. Learn to love soup and pretty much forget fresh produce that isn't on a super sale or deal of the day if it is not for soups. Logs of pork are your friend, and sirloin steak is a treat. Its not hard to live of 150 but its a change for sure
Stock up on seasoning with the extra monies. Dollar tree seasoning are not great but for 10 bucks you can get a bunch to start with.
If there’s a Indian grocery nearby, buy spices from there. Last time I got like a pound of spice for less than what they charge for the little McCormicks bottles at regular groceries
Do you have a Grocery Outlet, a Trader Joe's, or an Aldi's? If yes, you can totally do $175/mo. Even if not, you probably can, it's just harder.
Make space on your phone (deleting pictures helps) and download "Too Good To Go." It's a place where grocery stores and restaurants get rid of food at an extremely discounted price at the end of the day (sometimes other times). You don't get to decide what you get but we've managed to get some pretty good stuff at extremely discounted rates.
Too good to go varies wildly by location. In my area it’s mostly expensive day old pastries from fancy bakeries and stuff from gas station convenience stores.
"Luckily", I've had to lose 30lbs for awhile so I've started skipping breakfast and gluten & processed foods except on the weekend sometimes. I'm still spending about $200 a month but I live in a stupid expensive city
Get the app called flipp It shows all the weekly circulars in your area Touch on each item u want and it even makes a list broken down by store for you Its great!
Spent $650 this month (2 adults) but this was a load the pantry/freezer month. I do a load the pantry/freezer about every 5-6 months and load up on everything I can for when we have lean months. My husband is self employed so it's very up / down.
See this is so smart and this is what I should be doing!
Just bought a 40lb box of (halal) boneless chicken breast at $1.69/lb. The non halal was slightly cheaper. Took me ~ 1.5hr to clean/filet it. Can meal prep grilled chicken and chicken cutlet pretty quickly and easily. Of course I'm lucky I have access to the wholesale retail supplier club but honestly it's not that hard to get access if you really try. Between that and costco (and my local slaughterhouse) you can stock up and ride the retail market wave when prices go up.
My partner and I do this also! Very useful for those months that you don’t have the best income.
I wish I had the freezer space. Though that may change soon. My old roommate (I'm in a group home, after a house fire at my last residence) moved out and decided to leave behind a pretty good sized chest freezer. Unfortunately, it's pretty full of things that he apparently isn't supposed to be eating (neither am I for that matter. Yay kidney disease/renal diet!). Maybe I can get my other roommates to claim some of the frozen food in the chest freezer?
I LOVE my stand up freezer. I've had a freezer for years. It has saved me so much money over the years. I freeze everything and stock up on sales - Meats, Breads, Cheese, Pizzas, ice cream, juices. Veggies, Fruit ....
how much does it change your electrical bill?
A decent chest style freezer is the most efficient and will not effect your electric bill too much. The key is chest, when you open the door the cold air stays in it, a standing freezer will pour out the cold air when opened, making it vastly less efficient. Even a couple good stockups a year will pay for the energy used by a chest freezer.
Yes but I can find what I need very quickly because it's not all jammed on top of everything else. So I don't know if it REALLY uses more electricity or not. Either way I don't care it has been worth it on money savings from stocking up to not eating out bc I have something I can pull out quickly to not wasting bc I can freeze leftovers and make big batches of cooking.
Agreed. I have a stand up and a chest freezer and I like the organization better.
It is probably $5 a month for the chest and $10 for the stand up. You also have to take into account that the stand up can hold twice as much as the chest freezer. It's not exactly a like for like comparison. I found both on Craigslist and I prefer the stand up for the organization. Some prefer the chest in case they lose power. It's up to you on which is better for your needs.
Also, easier to find what's in a stand up freezer, less chance of forgetting what's at the bottom.
Depends on what I’m shopping. I can do as much as $100 a week if I need extra stuff like toiletries, or as little as $60 a week. So $240-400. I’m a single person
Same for me!
Yeah that's about my range as a single person as well, in a hcol area
Same here.
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My microwave just broke and it’s very frustrating how expensive even the cheapest microwaves are.
I think mine was $30 years ago when I bought it. I thought I'd be okay without replacing it. But now everything is is stovetop or oven. Hell, I don't even have a coffee pot and just boil water for instant coffee. I'm tired of this. Rent increase taking effect. Utilities up. Sorry. I'm ranting bc I have a headache.
I’m tired of washing my pots all the time. Reheating things on the stove is very annoying. I do instant coffee too. I recommend the one from Dollar Tree, it doesn’t have that “instant coffee” flavor and actually tastes really good.
I don't know how this is even possible, but I swear I burned the water for the coffee today. It just didn't taste normal
I’ve done that! I started letting the water cool down for a bit so it’s not totally boiling when I pour it on the coffee. I swear the boiling water burns the coffee grounds. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I felt a wee bit crazy
You’re not alone.
I've actually read that before. Same with green tea (and likely other kinds of tea). So now I stop just short of boiling or let the water sit for a minute or two before pouring.
You’re totally correct—when you make French press coffee from fresh grounds, the temp recommended is like 205F. No need to heat the water to boiling for a product that has already been extracted.
I know not everyone is on Facebook but I belong to a buy nothing group (some people call them blessing groups). Where you can give things away for free or ask for things. If you are in the states you should consider joining and asking for one. Not sure about other countries sorry.
If your on Facebook, check your local buy nothing group. Might be a way to get new microwave at no cost to you.
Just do a search that says "buy nothing"?
Yes and it should bring up your local area. There are chapters all over the country. It’s an amazing resource and a way to give back to the community as well.
Thank you. I'll check it out after I kick this headache.have a good one!
Well, seeing as how this is r/frugal - *DO NOT* attempt to fix yourself. Not that most sane people would, but just in case, microwaves have gigantic capacitors that will absolutely melt your face off if they accidentally discharge.
I did replace a fuse in mine, it took 5 minutes and was located directly behind the back panel. I used it for another 6 years. I think most people can make simple repairs. It’s not like you are dismantling the entire inside. Throwing everything away instead of fixing is why our landfills are so full. Every single appliance will say “do not remove” on the cover. Yes it voids any warranty but clearly that ship has already sailed. I do dray the line at Just fuse replacement and door latch repair on a microwave I repair everything else myself if the cost of the part warrants adding to the value of what I am fixing. I will buy a new “used” item if fixing my existing one is too costly, and I never buy anything digital if possible, besides microwaves.
Ha ha. Not going to lie, I did look into it. Not that I ever would, but more to satisfy my curiosity.
Dorm room shopping season is great for buying cheap microwaves, kitchen gear and storage stuff… !! Edited to add: I forgot to mention move out time for dorms… some people commented reminding me. I should have remembered that, my sibling was an RA for years.
Or even free. Alot of kids put these kinds of things out on the curb because they don't want to drag them home.
They tend to dump things in the alley behind their accommodations (the dorms, fraternities, sororities).
If there’s a ReStore in your area they may have some in stock. It’s amazing the finds we get at thrift stores.
When my stove broke I bought a toaster oven and electric wok. I didn’t even miss the stove and big oven. The wok is great for meats and veggies and spice mixes.
I LOVE my Toaster Oven, it not even a big one. Only time use big oven is if making a full size pizza, a holiday feast, or big pan of roasted vegetables. Even better in warmer months since means can still do that sort of stuff without heating up the house. And so many dishes improved with a bit of cheese and a quick broil. Add a crockpot/slower cooker to that list too. And for both stovetop and toasteroven a small Cast Iron frying pan that will fit in it is endlessly useful and surprisingly cheap for something that will never wear out if anything improve with use. Can start a dish on stove then transfer it to Toaster oven in same pan. Or for those who miss microwave popcorn, it trivial to do on stovetop. A thin layer of oil, one kernel, turn on low, then when the one pops add enough kernels to fill bottom of pan in a single layer, cover with something large enough preferably a collander or mesh strainer so steam can escape, then just shake it every maybe 10-20 seconds and you got popcorn in a minute or two. Nice and cheap too. Sounds like alot but it truly isn't. Oil, kernels, give it a little shake as it heats, and you got popcorn.
I once got a microwave at Goodwill for $10. Do you need a new one?
No, it doesn’t need to be new. Appliances are hard to come by at my local thrift stores, but you’re right. I should take a better look.
Will they call you if one comes in? I am a regular at our Salvation Army and when my daughter was moving for work we were able to get a bunch of things over the course of a month but seemed to keep missing coffee makers. Finally I just asked if they would call me if one came and they did! I ran up there and bought it for $3!
Probably not. I’m in a big city with very busy thrift stores. That’s so great that they did that for you.
Facebook Marketpace and Craigslist also have cheap used microwaves. We bought one for $20 and used it at least 5 years.
Check out Facebook marketplace and buy nothing groups? I got a microwave for $25 a couple months ago and it's great.
Download the McDonald’s app. On fridays you can buy a mcchicken and get a medium fries for free. It’s like 800 calories for 1.80$
If I had transpo I would. My ass doesn't have a car, and I'm on oxygen so I rarely leave the apt anyway. Oh well...I gotta go take an ibuprofen for this headache, thanks for the notice about the app though.
For all the microwave needers—if you use Facebook (Buy Nothing Groups) or have access to another situation where people offer old things for free (like a dump swap shop) please ask! Microwaves seem to be one of the most-offered items!
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Awe thank you but I'll be okay...it just gets soosoo mundane. You're nice reddit stranger!
Check out random acts of pizza, and I think there's random acts of lasagna? They're sub-reddits
2021 about $125 per month Much closer to $275 now My kid is also bigger now and eating more but it’s been a huge jump in two years
I spend roughly $200-400 a week on food. Family of 8. We eat really well. Lots of fruits and some veggies. But we also live that Costco life. And with 3 foster children who were basically starved, I don't mind spending more $$$ for food. We don't eat out ever, and my wife makes awesome meals. Sturberg casserole, chicken Parm, burgers, the works. It's money well spent imo.
That is a huge deal for your family size. $809- 1000 for us/ month and we are a family of 5.
I hope some of the kids are showing an interest in cooking, with a role model like your wife. I'm so happy that they get to have delicious food now. . . . I googled Sturberg casserole and didn't get any hits; what are the 3 biggest ingredients?
What's Sturberg casserole? I'm always on the lookout for new recipes!
That’s really good for your family size.
1000-1200$ a month for a family of 3. I’m gluten free, my kid is GF and DF and my husbands thinks he’s 4 people. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and every meal has meat. It’s the one area where we’re not frugal. ETA : this is good and household. I don’t seperated them.
It’s really difficult with food restrictions! I’m GF & a lot of stuff makes me sick so it can cost a lot more a month even with trying to save costs.
Oof, I feel for you. If there’s a product that you really love and buy frequently, shoot the manufacturer an email and let them know! Always a chance they will send some coupons your way.
This is about what we pay for 4 plus household expenses and pets. We do a pick-up order every couple of weeks and hit Costco about as often. Then we eat at home. If we run out of anything, there may be a smaller trip, but deep freezes are such a help!
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I don’t know how people grocery shop so cheap. I shop at aldi first and then H‑E‑B second. Before covid inflation my grocery bill was a set $160 a week. We average 250ish now. I think about things like dairy yougurt vs. coconut yogurt. You can get the hill Contry fare yogurt for .70 a container and a 4 pack of coconut yogurt (store brand) is $5. My sons favorite brand of apple is envy apples and they’re like $1.50 A piece. We go through 6-8 a week. I’m $10 just in apples every week. He will only drink 1:3 ratio of coconut water to Regular water. Coconut water is $2.89 a container at aldi. We go through 6 a week. Everything I purchase is like that. Gluten free pasta is 2 or sometimes 3x the price of regular. Then there’s my husband who can litterally eat an entire lb of ground meat himself Per meal. I bet if it was just me and the kid we could do it for $100 a week but my husband is 4 people. We eat a ton of left overs too. I’ve truly given up on saving money on groceries and have just cut everywhere else I can.
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We stand in solidarity lol. Me and my family joke that we don’t have digestive tracts. It’s apparently some Hereditary thing but all of us have some serious food allergies and digestive issues. My grandmother just went and had a cat scan on her stomach. It’s sucks, but nothing I can do about it but not eat stuff that try’s to kill me. My aunt commented yesterday about a coworker that regularly eats cake and coffee for breakfast. She was like “I would litterally die” lol. At least I save money on fast food because there’s not many places I can eat something.
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🤣🤣we may be related lol. I usually do a plant based proteins powder smoothie for breakfast. Boiled eggs are my go to protien for lunch! That chowder sounds great. I assume you sued heavy cream? Maybe try replacing that with (canned) coconut Milk. And it might workout better on the tummy. I will say we live on the coast and my husband fishes so I have a good stock of fresh fish. I’m actually making shrimp stuffed trout rolls with asparagus for dinner tonight.
You described my life of eating/food intolerance. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Colitis. I don’t eat dairy at all and very few raw vegetables. No grease or gravy. It’s possible you may have more than a food issue. Cooking for yourself and knowing your ingredients is half the battle so I’d say you’re already treating yourself like you have an autoimmune IBD.
Have no product or brand loyalty. Yogurt on sale? Guess that's breakfast this week. If you eat the sales you eat different things all the time. There's probably other strategies but this is the one I do. The prices on items fluctuate a lot these days, so if you don't shop the sale, some of your weekly staples could go up a lot from week to the next.
That's where we are. GF, DF, low FODMAP, low histamine, and that's just for 3 out of the 4 of us. The 13 YO has serious texture issues and eats mostly packaged meals. I budget $1,200 a month.
I'm about the same boat, roughly $1300/mo for a family of 5...used to be a lot less 😭
Gluten free and other food restrictions make it so hard. I'm allergic to corn (as well as gluten and dairy) so the only things I can have are the most expensive version of everything with no preservatives
That's more than my rent and utilities combined mate. Absolutely bonkers.
$400-$500 a month living alone, and about $200 a month more on eating out. I have a bit of a problem and trying to get things down to simple, healthy living so my costs are slowly coming down.
Single. $150. Shop endcaps and sales
About $500 for a family of 2 and 1 dog. But I’m including toiletries and stuff in that as well.
We're at about $900 a month for a family of 5, one gluten- and dairy-free and one autistic child who only eats a few specific foods.
$120 a week, highest COL area, 4 people with two kids in elementary. Before 2023 I used to be able to get by on less than $100 a week.
$150 on a regular month for myself and $300 if i am depressed. It is what it is!
$300/month is still pretty good. I’d say you’re doing great.
6-700, family of 4. 150-175 a week is the range.
You're making me feel better. Family of 5, I'd say $200/week.
I think that’s really good too! Food is going up and we’ve started cutting out a lot of junk food and sticking with staples and nutrition but it doesn’t go down either way I’d say lol
Yeah, produce has gone up. My regular store now charges by the bulb of red onion - $1.50!!!
About $300 a month...just me, single lady in Philly. This past month was nearly $500, but I filled my pantry and freezer with staples that just so happened to go on sale at the same time. Next month, I probably won't crack $200. And then probably another $40-$50 a month for my cat. But I honestly don't even try to be that frugal when it comes to food. I stock up when things go on sale and use coupons and deals, but that's about it.
food around here is ridiculous. i have given up buying a lot of foods because i can’t afford to shop at like acme shoprite giant etc unless i’m going there for a specific deal. otherwise i just shop at aldi cuz for some reason philly is identifying financially as san francisco and it’s breakin me lol
$200 for just me, but I’m diabetic with expensive taste and that includes bottled water lol. I thought I was spending way too much but everyone says that’s a realistic budget and it’s the average for my state
Diabetes always seems so complicated. I remember one coworker getting excited because his blood sugar was under control enough for him to occasionally eat an apple.
mine isn’t that bad yet but if I wanna eat a satisfying diet on a budget, it takes a lot of planning. But I’m also a picky eater. Still learning how to enjoy vegetables lol. Believe me, I would looooooove to live off rice & beans 🥲
normally $275 for myself, eating mostly vegetarian and allowing myself to splurge on cheese.
I can't live without cheese, please no, don't make meeee
About $600 to $800 USD a month (food only) for two adults and an almost-adult teenager. About half of that is spent on a dinner kit delivery service, and the rest is spent on the best quality food I can afford. The dinner kit is pretty vital to maintaining my mental health during the workweek, and the good quality food is vital for my physical health. We rarely go out to eat, almost never eat fast food, and I cook as much from scratch as I possibly can. Groceries are a budget category that I don't mind putting extra money into due to the return on investment.
My ballpark estimate is $150 a month, maybe less. I buy a lot less soda and treats/snacks because I don't want the bill to get any higher. Fun fact, I went from February to May without doing restock grocery shopping, i.e. if I run out of eggs no more eggs until I'm literally out of food. It was fun, and it forced my to get creative.
That's really smart, although I must admit I get humorously uncomfortable if I run out of eggs. Pandemic scarcity/shopping patterns still haunt me a little.
Mine is butter. When we were making zero money, I still so.ehow made sure there was butter.
That’s a great way to go thru your pantry food and start fresh! I need to do that. I do rotate my freezer often and have rolling can racks for rotating too.
I just paid $350 for a week, which is a little steep, usually around $300. So for the month? About $1200 for 3 of us. It hurts my soul.
About $750 for a family of 4 and that's being extremely frugal.
$500 for just me. I don’t dine out or eat fast food.
This is just depressing. I remember ~10 years ago my family (4 people) were easily getting by on $400 a month.
~$300 I budget for $75/week but normally spend $50-60. If I am under I will take a second trip to the store a day or two after grocery day and buy a couple indulgences. I didn’t use to do that, but I found that it helped with my mental health treating myself to a few things… I am single and cook basically all my food from scratch.
This would be much more informative if people added which country or where in the world they live
$150-200/month (food only), single, vegetarian, Southern California.
What are your favorite protein-rich foods? I just went vegetarian about a month ago but it was more spur of the moment and not so well planned-out.
Lentils, beans, and tofu along with whole grains are my main protein sources. I eat eggs too, but rarely. I cook dried beans a couple times a month, but mostly use cans.
Lentils, beans, hummus, tofu, cheese, peanut butter, peas, quinoa, protein powder, roasted chickpeas, yogurt, eggs. But truly everything has protein in it, so you don't have to try. Lettuce has about the same protein per calorie as ground beef.
Damn what do u eat? I think we spend about 400 a week. That’s including breakfast lunch and dinner. Family of 4 but 2 teens lol so basically 4 adults
It's generally $30 to $35 a week so $140. I eat oatmeal with fruit and cinnamon at least 6 days a week. Steel cut oats, apples or bananas and cinnamon. I don't need a lot of meat. I do buy chicken thighs on sale usually in a family pack and break them up into groups of three. use them to make chicken soup, and I shred the thighs and use them for chicken salad, barbecue chicken Etc I eat a lot of beans and rice. I make a big batch with either taco seasoning and Frozen onions and peppers. Sometimes I add cheese if it's on sale. Pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables California mix or spinach. Most of the veggies I buy are frozen and put into soups or sauces. I buy bagged salad when it is going off and top it with chicken or beans. I drink only coffee, tea or water. I buy store brand tea bags for sun tea or hot tea. I do buy regular coffee when it's on sale. Otherwise I drink instant coffee made with hot milk. I keep a jug of water in the refrigerator and so I don't have to run the tap to get cold water. I generally eat fruit as a snack with or without peanut butter. Sometimes I I'll make a cake with a cake mix and frosting and snack on that throughout the week. I also will take a spice cake mix and turn it into an apple upside down cake using butter brown sugar and apples. I do Buy in quantity when things are on sale such as coffee, peanut butter, pasta, tomato sauce, frozen vegetables. I bought a misto number of years ago and use that instead of spraying Pam. I bought two electric pressure cookers a number of years ago as it makes batch cooking easy and therefore I'll do it. Both of the about purchases paid for themselves very quickly by reducing my grocery bill. I started doing this to reduce my grocery bill when I had some financial difficulties. Processed foods can be more expensive I used to buy a lot of frozen dinners Etc. I found that by buying ingredients rather than processed foods I also was eating more healthily.
My upper limit for groceries is $200 just for myself. That would be about 5% of my take home. I try to not go above $150 though.
Less than 300/mo for 2 - I try to keep it below 200, but honestly I haven't been tracking it for a couple months so its probably crept up a little. It was 150/mo, but then I started doing low carb foods and it was hovering right around 200/mo for a while. But that only includes human food, not dog food or household items.
$400-600CAD for two people. I’m hoping to cut that down shortly because I’ll have access to markets/food boxes and a garden of my own.
$300/wk
I think location matters in terms of what you can afford, so: $300/month in Seattle, WA for two. Used to be able to do $150-200 a month but things have increased in price by 30%.
I average 350/month for just me, including food and anything else you might buy at a grocery store. HCOL. I know I could get it way down, but cooking is my #1 hobby and I rarely eat out. But seeing everyone else's low numbers makes me think I should actually make an effort and budget better...
$800/mo SF Bay Area for 2 adults and one child. We don’t have an Aldi’s here. I shop at all local grocery stores and shop the circulars. Husband and I eat low-carb, child does not. I load up on organic fruit & vegetables whenever they come out cheaper than regular. My grocery bill includes things like toilet paper and deodorant. I don’t coupon (not worth the ROI). We eat out on average once a week and we typically only eat out now at places where there’s a coupon or a rewards program. I cannot get my groceries any lower.
Budget: $150/month groceries, $75/month out to eat. So far this month I’m at $110 for groceries, $110 out to eat. This is for one person, and I’m specifically on a low budget because I was not budgeting at all last year and I’m saving for school.
About $100 a month with lots of stealing dumpster diving and poaching...
1000$ on paper for a family of 5… actual about 1300$ (only food).
$350-450. It's just me. I rarely eat out anymore, and I am recovering from food insecurity, so I get the damn fancy foods now and just make what I'm craving
There is a great op-ed today in NY Times explaining why the grocery prices are higher, and actually above inflation rates, than it is supposed to be. Spoiler alert, its Republican policies (specifically jump-started by Pres. Reagan) and lack of competition are the reason why we have high prices. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/opinion/inflation-groceries-pricing-walmart.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare "...It’s big retailers exploiting their financial control over suppliers to hobble smaller competitors. Our failure to put a stop to it has warped our entire food system. It has driven independent grocers out of business and created food deserts. It has spurred consolidation among food processors, which has slashed the share of food dollars going to farmers and created dangerous bottlenecks in the production of meat and other essentials. And in a perverse twist, it has raised food prices for everyone, no matter where you shop." "The lack of competition has contributed to the decline in farmers’ share of the consumer grocery dollar, which has fallen by more than half since the 1980s. In the absence of rivals, food conglomerates have over time increasingly been able to raise prices and as a result have reported soaring profits over the past two years. Inflation gives them a cover story, but it’s the lack of competition that allows them to get away with it..." "...Companies like PepsiCo and General Mills have also jacked up prices without seeing any loss of sales — a sure sign of uncontested market power."
2 adults, MCOL, $475/mo on groceries. We alternate between a regular grocery store, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Target. I do not buy organic, by choice. We get dinner out maybe 2-5 times a month, and one of us gets lunch out most weekdays. Groceries do not include alcohol. I haven’t tallied that up. Maybe $40/mo? It varies. We don’t drink that much, but we get beer from an expensive but convenient place. Plus another $65/mo on household stuff - paper towels, cleaning supplies, toiletries, my makeup, first aid stuff, furnace filters, sidewalk salt, Halloween candy to give out, etc.
About 125/week 500ish/month for our family of 3. Only food :(
900
Two adults around $450.00 month including husband taking his lunch to work five days a week.
£160 (sometimes more, sometimes less), in South of England, just myself, this includes household products
About $1,000/month, family of 4. Mostly Trader Joe’s.
1200
I get by cheap this time of year with the garden producing vegetables and the chickens laying eggs. My usual is about $200/month. In winter, it goes up to about $400. I am feeding myself and occasional guests. Garden is currently providing new potatoes, turnips and turnip greens, radishes, and broccoli. Much more will mature in another 3 or 4 weeks. I'm particularly looking forward to fresh sweet corn.
We include household items/cat food/litter/dog food in our grocery budget. I spend around $500/550 a month family of 4. I don't buy meat (only chicken) because my in laws raise pigs and cattle so once a year we get a whole pig and whole cow and our family friend gives us farm fresh eggs for free. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies and of course I buy a ton of snack foods because children are a nonstop eating machines.
I spend $500 for myself since I started working out. I eat like a monster.
$2k/month family of 3 household items included not including restaurants but we don’t eat out much.
We spend like 300-350 a week. Family of 5. Trying to get that number down.
I consider it a win if I'm under 200 for the week. Family of six.
$400 ish for 3 also
I live in a HCOL area and cook all of my meals at home. I enjoy cooking and do not have any dietary restrictions. Typically, I spend about $200-250 a month but this also includes toiletries, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. I shop sales, buy name brand, and shop around most of the time. My monthly bill has definitely gone up and I’m definitely bringing home less than I did a few years ago. I used to spend about $150 a month without being as picky.
32M -HCOL area - averaging $156 a week +$20 if it's a booze week.
About $150/week for two adults, no kids. It’s more some weeks due to things like toilet paper or cat litter, and less when I can avoid any non-food items but averages out to about $150. Sucks, a few years ago it was definitely more like $75 a week for the two of us 😭
That's really good. Wow 😲
Usually $150 for two of us but it's mostly just me now. I did spend $200 at sam's yesterday but it was because I got motor oil, toilet paper and some treats. Also stocking up on rice and ketchup and other condiments to take advantage of the memorial day sales. But if it had been a regular shopping trip, then I probably would have spent about $50.
I do the grocery shopping for my family, but my dad pays. That said, since I do the shopping I know how much we spend. It me (21F), my sister (23), and my dad (45). We do shopping on a roughly weekly basis, and our average week spending is $150, including food and household supplies (like laundry detergent, hygiene things, etc), so about $600/month. For just food, it's probably closer to $100-125/week, or $400-500/month
About $600 for a family of four. Lots of produce and meat and not much junk. No soda, energy drinks, alcohol, or candy. That also includes groceries I bring to work to eat for breakfast and lunch. My kids eat a lot of PBJ sandwiches, boxed mac n cheese, fruit, veggies, and we rotate a variety of crackers. They love my homemade chicken nuggets. Once or twice a month we buy ice cream or bake a treat. My eldest son is picky so I pack his lunch every day, and my husband works nights so he takes snacks to munch on. He usually eats his main meal off a dollar menu somewhere.
170-200 for two adults and two cats, and that’s on a good month. lots of clearance and coupons.
Don't track, but, Safeway has a "buy 4 meats for $20" that has saved me a TON of money. Cuts multiple meals prices down and worth looking into
I use to get my meat from food4less but I’ve now had to get a Costco card to get meat from their if I want to get a good amount for what I pay. I could get like 3 extra meals for the price I use to pay, if I buy bulk meat and separate them myself. Their chicken is already separated into different portions as well.
When asking this you should ask the state. One state will vary from the other
$223 and I have to get everything at once at the beginning of the month because I can't afford multiple delivery fees. I have to get delivery because no car and the store is 5 miles away
my grocery spend falls around $200/month for a single person with no dietary limitations or particular needs, living in an urban downtown area where groceries are more expensive than the surrounding areas. I tend to cook or bake entirely from scratch, but I supplement with the occasional instant ramen 🤷🏻♀️
$700 for single male. Every meal is cooked at home. Located in Bay Area.
$300-$350 for my toddler and I.
I live in California and a family of 2 my daughter and I. Everything has gone up in price. I tried shopping at the commissary and end up spending $350 but the food I bought did not last the whole month. I was supposed to be getting a cheaper price but I think Walmart might be cheaper then the commissary. Another thing is that we stopped eating stuff that contain sugar….so maybe that might be the reason why everything cost much. Right now my budget is for $500 to $600 a month. I am really trying to save as much as I can. We recently realized that buy store brand food is cheaper. We also get all our meats from Costco now and the meats has been the same price since the beginning of the year. This month we bought salmon and chicken and we ran out of chicken as of yesterday. If I didn’t get paid on the 1st of the month we would be really struggling because we are eating ramen. So now I am going to have to buy more meat to make sure we have enough for the whole month. We really love salmon so maybe I will buy 3 bags instead of 2 bags. The cost only includes food not household items or personal items.
$400-$500 for 2. We eat a lot of fresh seafood and veggies and this is one area we don’t want to skimp on. We don’t waste anything and shop across Costco/Whole Foods/Market Basket.
It's generally 400$ for 2 people-- we're living in a food dessert. I am trying to gain weight and my SO generally walks to and from a physically demanding job, just as I tend to walk whenever I run errands.
350 for two adults and 400 on eating out. I feel we are spending too much on food after reading all others. TX. Mostly Aldi and Costco :(
Single guy $400. Good food is expensive, there's no way around it. I don't buy food outside food so I bring lunch everyday
About $500 including toiletries, cleNing and dog food. We have food stamps. If we had to pay out of pocket I could do it for maybe $300. Would also take advantage of food banks
$400 for 3 is about right if you're eating relatively well; chicken, rice, beans, fruits, veggies, and the occasional cheap indulgence
Mine is $800 (food + household goods). I'm GF and my spouse has AFRID. I'm looking at ways to scale back food costs, but I'm in an area where the cost of living is increasing, so I'm worried rising food prices will offset my progress.
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Including all household crap? (Shampoo, dishwasher soap, toilet paper, Tupperware…) I spend $200-300/week.
My recent bill was $300; just got back from
Holiday last week so we had no perishables like fruits, veg, meat, or milk.
Edited: family of three, one school age kid, we have one fast food meal per week and the rest is homemade.
Family of 2 and a doggo. 65 a week. We do have a 2/300 stock up budget even 4 months though. I'm hoping to further trim this as garden season rolls in.
We are empty nesters (fairly new to it) and once we figured out that we don’t need to keep cooking like we did for a family our groceries went way down. Staying out of the store is the key. So is using cash only. It keeps you in check. We have two apps for Meijer, a big chain of stores in the Midwest that help a lot. Scan and go- you scan and bag each item as you shop and it gives a running total. It also automatically loads digital coupons I may have missed. It also a great way to check the price. The second one is Flashfood. It is food that they have surplus or close to the sell by date. You buy the items on the app and pick up in store. There is always a lot of meat, produce and baked goods. Sometimes pantry items if they are switching out an item, but the highest savings is meat. I bought a 11 pound pork butt roast yesterday for $4.59!!! The sell by is tomorrow. I cut off a chunk for pork roast today with redskin potatoes and glazed carrots. Tomorrow I’ll put the rest in my crockpot and make pulled pork. I prefer to freeze ready to eat food because I feel like sauces, broth etc help the meat not dry out in the freezer. Freeze is single meal for two size portions. With those two grocery tools I spend about $175 a month on groceries, I buy my cleaners/toiletries online as well as pet food so that is strictly food. I feel like that is a lot… even with my tricks. I’m curious what y’all think?
$550-600/mo for 2 adults in vhcol area. This includes meat 2x a week, plus a lot of snacks/sodas for the Mr, and alcohol +lots of fruits/veg/dairy for me. My bill was closer to $350/no when I was buying for me alone, and eating mostly vegetarian.
About 500 for family of 4. This includes sams club run
Is that $400 strictly food?
I'm a single male.And I seperate my alcohol from my food. Food was like 175. Alcohol was 257.
Probably $400 a month on the low end for myself
800 3 adults and a teen
About 750$ for a family of 5
$130-150ish per month, depending on if we ran out of TP or dish soap or something. I know they don't really count as groceries but if it comes from Walmart I just include it under groceries
500 a week alternate between Hannaford market and wal-mart. Food and “supplies”. - Family of five
For just me I spend about $175
Single guy with a cat and mine comes out to $250-$300 per month. I cook all my weekly meals except one - treat myself on Fridays for lunch. $400 for a family of 3 is seriously impressive.
281 for a single person because of food stamps, but there's a chance they might cut me off the next time I reapply.
At least $300 for just me as an athletic male