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While I shared this blog post about grocery budgeting originally several years ago, with grocery bills at an all time high I decided it's time to bring it back up again. Deciding how much you should spend on groceries even in 2023 can be soooo important as a penny pincher, and a huge key in changing your financial future.
I've updated this post for 2023, accounting for the 11.3% inflation from last January to this one.
I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again and again and again), there is NO AREA IN YOUR FAMILY'S FINANCES THAT YOU HAVE AS MUCH CONTROL OVER AS YOUR GROCERY BUDGET. Did you hear me??? (If not, please read it again. I promise, I'm right on this one!)
If you've got your PPP Money Planner, pull it out and open up to page 18. This is where you'll track your Grocery Budget Expenses for 2023!
We can't (easily) change how much we're going to spend on our house payment, electricity bill, phone bill or cable bill. Now, we can do smart things to make those bills smaller, but it's rare that you can slash them in half without some major work. However, every single time you walk into the grocery store you decide how much you're going to spend on your groceries. You can decide to check out the sales ads, clip a bunch of coupons, try shopping Aldi only if you have one nearby, or simply skip it all and spend too much.
It's entirely up to you.
One of the largest and most controllable expenses for many families is their grocery bill. Some families spend more than others, but no matter what your family size or income level chances are you have a grocery budget. Now, you might not know exactly what that number is exactly, but it's definitely there. I can not stress enough how much I want to encourage EVERYONE to start tracking their grocery budget.
So, how much should a family spend on groceries? That depends (a lot!) on you.
Way back in 2013 when I originally shared this post, our family of five was sticking to a budget of around a$ 85 a week (we'd done it for even less, but at that point as I'd worked more and my kids were growing, $85 was a reasonable amount that gave us room to donate as well.)
In 2015 we spent around $100 per week for our family of 5 as the kids were growing.
And now in 2023 (CRAZY!) with two adults and a sixteen year old at home, we spend somewhere between $120 and $175 a week on groceries. (Grocery prices have skyrocketed, and as our family's finances have changed we definitely splurge on more convenience foods than we once did!
- What is your current grocery budget (if you have one)? How much do you normally spend each week at the grocery store?
- How long have you been couponing (if you coupon)? Do you have a stockpile?
- How much time do you (realistically) have for clipping coupons and shopping the sales ads?
- What area of the country do you live in? Areas closer to cow farms tend to have cheaper dairy products. Places that are warmer will likely have better produce prices. And if you live out in the country, you'll likely spend more simply because there aren't as many grocers competing for your business (and logistically it's often harder to get food to more rural areas).
- Do you have a store in your area that has good produce prices? (For us, having an Aldi, Fresh Thyme or Sprouts as well as a Dollar General Market really help us trim some of the more expensive items in our budget ~ if that's not an option in your hometown your expenses will definitely go up.)
- Are there grocery stores in your area that have great coupon policies? Can you shop Amazon for items that you can't find good prices on in your area? (i.e. diapers, paper & cleaning products, and even some allergy free foods).
- Do you have children in diapers? Babies who drink formula? Do you have teenagers who can't seem to get enough food? 🙂 Those all add up!
- Do you special allergies or eat a special diet? Or do you try to primarily eat organic food? That will change your budget ~ read these suggestions for how to save on organics before you shop.
To tell you a set amount of what you should spend is hard as it varies so much by family, location, and where you're at in your life. But, I will say that determining what you want to spend each week is so important, and can really help you trim down what you spend at the grocery store. If you want to reach your goal of saving more, you really have to decide exactly what you want to spend, or you'll simply go over your budget each week without a plan.
Here are a few interesting calculators that you might enjoy (for fun!), to see how your family's grocery budget fits. I'll be honest, I think these are high, but that's coming from a passionate penny pincher! 😉
- Official USDA Food Plans Cost (this was just interesting to see to compare!)
- Spend Smart Eat Smart (I thought this one was pretty close? A little higher than what our family truly needs to spend, but not way off ~ see what you think!)
- Clark Howard's Grocery Budget Calculator
Or you can look at this “Thrifty Family Food Plan” put out by the US Department of Agriculture to get a quick idea of your monthly/yearly food budget.
Keep in mind – these calculators aren't taking into account specialty diets, formula, organic, etc – so it's just a basis on which to gauge your spending.
So why should everyone track their grocery budget?
Since grocery spending is one of the EASIEST to allow to get out of control but also the easiest one to reign in. If you have no idea how much you're spending and don't have a plan in place, it's so easy to overspend when you are at the grocery store.
However, with a few simple steps you can easily change your grocery bill, reclaiming hundreds if not thousands of dollars every single year.
Convinced yet that it's worth tracking your grocery budget expenses? Keep reading!
Tracking your grocery budget is so easy to do, and you'll wonder why you have not been doing this all along. First you want to grab a notebook, piece of paper, open up a spreadsheet, OR use the Grocery Budget Tracker already prepared just for this found in our Money Planner over HERE on page 18.
Next, create a heading for each month with 3 subheadings underneath each month called day, store, and amount. You will want to have a few blank rows for each month. Once you have your tracker created, just be sure to write in the amount you spent along with the other details every time you purchase groceries that month.
That's it! Easy peasy!
After 2-3 months of this you will easily be able to see your grocery spending at a glance. You will know exactly how much you are spending on groceries so that you can budget accordingly or cut some expenses if needed.
What if you find that you are spending too much on your grocery budget each month?
Remember what I said earlier about groceries being the single easiest budget category you can cut? That is so true! You can save money on groceries by doing a few simple things. Here are some examples:
- Opt for store brand items
- Choose items on sale vs. items that are full price
- Plan your menus each week
- Use coupons
- Try shopping Aldi for a week if you have one nearby (don't miss this post on how shopping Aldi can drastically change your budget)
- Find more tips on how to change your budget over HERE at our Ultimate Guide to Your Grocery Budget too
Looking for a little encouragement to spend a little less at the grocery store today? Here are a few posts to help get you started:
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New to budgeting and don't know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:
- Don't Sacrifice What You Really Want For What You Want Right Now
- Budget Check Up Week One: Have You Determined Your 2013 Grocery Budget
- Are you on an all cash budget?
- New to couponing? Here's where to start.
- How Does Your Grocery Budget Look?
- Extreme Coupon Fraud: What You See On TV Isn't Always Real
- Are You Spending Within Your Budget?
- Save the Way You Can Save: Penny Pinching Is Not A Competition
- Are You Satisfied With Your Penny Pinching?
- You Do Have Time To Coupon (But You Don't Have To Do Everything. . .)
- Are Coupons For Everyone?
- How to Save on Organics
We are a family of 7, 2 adults and 5 kids (13-3). We buy bulk meat when available to us, but checking with local farmers and developing a relationship with them can be a blessing as they may have produce or meat they may have to let go of or discount. You can take it home and preserve bulk produce as well in season or grow it yourself. Our local farm has blessed our family with organic food and saves us money in the winter when my husband’s hours are cut back. We shop Aldi for lunchmeat and cheeses, as well as pizza for quick meals so we don’t eat out (They are surprisingly good and fills my family up)! We get meat when it is on sale to restock our freezer from Kroger. Before I shop, I make a 2 week menu and flesh out the shopping list between my stores and shop all in one day as much as possible. I try for Friday to do my Kroger shopping as it has 2-4X the fuel points from my purchases, then I hit Aldi, and then our local farm CSA for produce. I save time by writing my list in order that I find things in the store. We are growing our own herbs and some veg to supplement our CSA and grow it to become a replacement for bulk veg canning. We shop digital deals and plan our menu around sales. Including all paper products, hygeine, all of it, we send about $150/week or $300/ pay. We do save a bit in gas this way too though. My husband carpools to work with a friend and his friend gives him some gas money, which also cuts down on costs for both families, which is a blessing.
Wow, you are a rockstar! Thanks so much for your tips. 🙂
When you refer to “Groceries” and the “Grocery Budget”, are you referring Only to Food & Drink items that we consume, or are you including medications, diapers, feminine products, toiletries, body cleaning products and home/car cleaning supplies in your Groceries category?
Groceries are killing us right now! I have a Gluten and soy free teen girl, a starving teenage boy and a high maintenance diet special needs 8 year old besides my husband and I. I have been buying more from Aldi and trying to hit the sales at Kroger & Meijer. Costco had pork shoulder for $6 off last week so I picked one up. It is very time consuming to compare all the prices and sales, I did cut back on my Thrive market box because I found the same products for less when I had groceries shipped from Kroger.
I appreciate all your help here with organic and specialty products that are more expensive.
According to that chart, I should be spending over $1800 a month on groceries (family of nine)! That is absolutely insane and way, way, WAY more than I actually spend! I budget between $400-500 each month, but that only includes actual groceries. I have a separate budget for diapers and household items. I spend probably $25-50 on those items depending on the month. We have gluten, dairy, egg, synthetic dye, and processed sugar allergies so we eat a lot of rice, meat, legumes, veggies, and fruits. I make almost all meals from scratch and stock up on staples when I find a good deal.
I need your secrets .. I do a lot of those things and for my family of 5 I can’t make it each month with less than 600. I shop Aldi / Costco and stock up when things are on sale as well..
It sounds like you are doing a great job making the changes you need to! Depending on the size of a family and the appetites sometimes it is harder to get it really low. We are definitely cheering you on! 🙂
I’ve tried using coupons in the past but I ended up spending more because I was buying things we don’t use that much. And I can get the store brands cheaper. If I’m doing something wrong I’d love to know. Also, I have adhd and I get very overwhelmed trying to coupon. If there is an easy way I’d love to know. Honestly, I’d pay someone to coupon for me if it’s worth it. I try to keep things simple for that reason. If you have any suggestions I’m all ears!
I definitely don’t buy things I don’t use unless it’s cheap enough that I can donate to a local cause! Now that everything is going digital, most stores have you going through their app. 🙂
Hi my budget has changed probably about like $500 a month on groceries and paper Central I had my sister and her husband and her two kids me and my husband together for a couple of months and then they left we started spending like $70 a week the lowest was 65 and that’s why I get things on sale but I like to buy the good stuff the last and at the same time save to I don’t like to wast food we don’t go out to eat unless we are traveling to see are kids I have all your recipes almost and I like to cook through those cuz it saves you time and money but I don’t know how to do coupons I would like to learn but I have no one to show me or tell me how to do them if you know how could you please text me and let me know how to save coupons for all these all these is a good store but sometimes their prices are high then a stater Brothers or grocery outlet where I live at or Walmart sometimes I’m just trying to get everything everything back to order I do love all of your suggestions that you give us and your videos you have a lovely day hope I get a reply back thank you Lori
We are a family of 8, two teen boys and twin toddlers in diapers! I include diaper in our grocery budget, I buy a big Costco box every two weeks . I’m budgeting about $200/ week including paper products, but I think we’re coming in a little under. However I haven’t tracked it closely yet, and I’m excited to get started. We don’t have an Aldi’s, however we do have a grocery outlet. I usually shop Walmart, Costco, Fred Meyer and Safeway ads. I try to only go once a week, and we usually purchase a quarter beef in the fall from a local farmer. I don’t coupon, but I’m open to suggestions! I don’t have a ton of time as I homeschool fun time 4 different grades. We are trying to pay off our house in the next few years.
Sounds to me like you are doing quite well!!!
I live in the Bay Area of California. We are a family of 4, with a 19 year old daughter and a 13 year old son. We are also a low carb/Keto family. We primarily shop at Costco and USChefs (a wholesale restaurant supply place). We spend about 1000/month and do not eat out unless it is a birthday meal (usually sushi). Given that coupons do not exist for meat,dairy and non carb foods, I’m not sure how else to cut spending. Would love to hear any tips that low carb/keto families have used.
We are a gluten, dairy, egg, and nightshade free family due to severe allergies. It makes things so much more expensive, as we have to buy certain brands and can’t eat all the cheap foods like potatoes and many off-brand items that are contaminated with our allergens. We also live in a MCOL/HCOL area and are unable to grow our own foods. We mostly eat meat, rice, beans, fruits, and vegetables with a treat thrown in here and there, and we are a family of five. I count all toiletries and paper goods into our grocery budget, and we are at right around $900/month. I only shop the sales and know what the “best” price I can get on an item is, but it still costs so much. I am a stay at home mom, but I am soon going to have to go back to work just to afford the basics. We rarely eat out, budget like crazy, and live a simple lifestyle with few indulgences.
We are a family of 4, 2 kids 4&8, in rural Indiana. We spend around $125-145 a week. We butcher our own hog and cow, and we have a garden (I can/freeze what I am able) but I do still buy A LOT of chicken. We do not have “snacks” in the house (think chips, crackers, cereal etc…). Most of our budget is produce and dairy, and produce prices have GONE UP!! I am happy with our budget with the way the economy is now.
We are a family of 5. Our budget is $400 a month. We have a small garden but hopefully will have bigger this year. I buy as much as possible from ALDI’s as well as a local discount grocery store. I try to only shop once every 2 weeks because the more I shop, the more I buy. I cook A LOT and try to make homemade as much as possible (salad dressings, etc.) We are hoping to get our own chickens and a cow in the near future.
We are a family of five in NY with 3 active teenagers who eat all of their meals at home. I am spending 300-350/week. I am
Impressed with everyone’s budgets. I can’t seem to get mine below 300/week!
Hi Becky! I’m betting living in NY makes a HUGE difference (I”m shocked at how prices vary by area!) As long as you’re menu planning based on your grocery store sales ad and not having much food waste that may be realistic for you. I just hate wasting money on food (so many other things I’d rather have!) so I’m always looking to spend less if I can!
Does this include eating out? We are a family of 3 and set 500 a month but that includes eating out…
I spend about $300 every two weeks on groceries for our family of 6. We are about to buy a house and I am hoping to get that down even more by planting a garden and having chickens. If anyone really wants to know how I do that: I shop primarily at Aldi and Walmart and I make a lot of things from scratch. While I do by some convenience foods like chicken nuggets, if my husband wants it he buys it.
Family of 6, 2 of them in diapers we spend 300 to 350 a month for everything. Food, diapers, dog food, soaps. I have a pretty huge stockpile and we are looking for more ways to cut.
Groceries can be pretty cheap in my area with milk at 1.99 eggs usually under a dollar.
Can I ask what state you all live in to do your shopping list so cheap. I live in Perth WA.
Wow! I am definitely on the high end! I budget $250 a week for 3 of us. Includes all school lunches for my son. I try to buy mostly organic for him and I have to be gluten and dairy free. I know this high food budget is making things tight, but I just don’t know how to make it work on less without resorting to RMen noodles all week. Does anyone know of any sites or posts which give examples of how to get through a weeks meals on say $100 or something like this? I meal plan and do grocery lists, but rarely find coupons for anything we buy.
75$ feeds a family of 4 in the Chicago suburbs. A local market provides inexpensive produce (only what’s on sale/clearance and esp things that can be frozen and used later) otherwise jewel works just fine and only by what’s on sale and definitely hit up clearance section. Watch process per lb or oz just because the price is less doesn’t mean it’s the best option.
Oh and my daughter 13 is vegan so we also buy dairy free products. Holy cow that’s expensive!
I’m doing something wrong!!! We spend $87/week on groceries for just my husband and I! We don’t have an Aldi nearby 🙁 How can I cut this down? Compared to other commenters this seems really excessive.
Looking at all of these posts… I spend a lot more money for our family of 5! We spend about $200 per week, including household items and 1 dog. I look for sales, plan meals according to what is on sale, shop Target, Walmart for their foods that are cheaper than the local grocery stores. I am slowly getting away from prepackaged foods, and making more from fresh foods. My kids are eating a ton more fruits (working on the vegetables…), and we all are eating better. My husband eats cold lunch during the week; and we go out to eat about once a month (usually breakfast or lunch). My husband is eating gluten free, and seafood/fish and chicken. (I tell him he has caviar taste; but gives me a pb&j budget) I have a teenager that has a hollow leg, and keeps growing like a weed! I hope by reading sites about how to save money, I’ll get my grocery bill lowered!
You can do it Christine! It’s hard, but shopping the sales ads can save you SO MUCH – it’s so worth it! Good luck as you get started – you really can do this if you just determine to stick with it. 🙂 Good luck!
I spend $150-200 a month for a family of 4. Wee have a backyard garden in which we grow enough potatoes and onions to put in storage for the year and I can green beans, pickles, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce. I freeze apples, pears, sweet corn, berries, zucchini and squash all from our garden. It’s our hobby in the summer and brings our family together. I also watch for sales on produce like baby carrots for $0.39/lb I stock up and blanch and freeze them, to buy them frozen is $1.29/lb. I do the same for broccoli & cauliflower. You get more florets instead of stems that way too. My husband and I hunt whitetail deer and use the venison throughout the year it is a good source of lean protein . We also have free range chickens we get get eggs and meat from. It was back to the basics for us when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and trying to eliminate processed foods and preservatives, it has served our family well.
Please say if you are eating organic.
What do you consider the grocery bill? Just food? Or cleaning supplies, detergent, light builds…stuff that we buy at the store I lump together.
I have a family of 4: husband, 1st grade son, pre school daughter and my pregnant self. We eat 4 to 5 times a day and try and eat as healthy as we can. With that said i spend $500 to $600 on groceries a month. Im new to couponing and add matching so im hoping i can continue to eat as healthy and cut that a bit. Although i know when my son gets older he will eat even more which is very scary since he already doesnt stop!
Whoa. The first calculator said that my family of five should be spending $192 a week, or eight hundred a month. That's more than my rent. We spend $150-200 every two weeks.
We spend $125 a week for our family of 5. You're really good
Ronni Guglielmo Walsh I like that..I've liked her page but haven't been on in a while so I will surely check it out now. Enjoy your summer!
Amy Ellen yes, I have recently found a farmers market and I am happy with the stuff. Look at livingrichwithcoupons.com read her link for beginners and then the catalina info – you will see I am talking about. I don't give you a cat until I get one back – I play with them – rolling them means you get a cat – it says off your next shopping trip which does not mean you have to go home and come back other day.. to me it means put up the stick and do another transaction. If you have multiple coupons you take the cat you earned from the first tranasaction and use it along with coupons to purchase the second trans of same items – you keep doing this until you run out of coupons! you cna only use 4 like ones but you can go to different register or different shop rite and do more or come back the next day. plus it is 4 like coupons per transaction – howvever they will argue that point. I just go to self check out and do it 4 more times if I have 8 coupons! I don't empty the shelves – but I do try to maximize my visit. Most cats say you have to spend X to get one – but what most don;t know is that is calculated on shelf price not sale price. the manf. price. this makes a big difference b/c it usually means you don't have to buy as much to get the cat. If I am not rolling my deal, I use the cats to get my organic stuff.
Ronni Guglielmo Walsh I have heard about taking the money out of the kids names..I will do that for sure. Now you've perked my interest on the rolling cats? Meaning if they expire? Interested. I wish my picky-poos would brach out a little lol. They love fresh fruit and veggies and I will be doing the gardening thing too. We repurposed the swing set into the coop and I REALLY wanted to do a compost for this summer however it sounds like it takes three plus months to get it really going. All those chicken poops needs to go somewhere 😉 We're definitely lucky in jersey to have such GREAT farmers markets, cheaper than the grocery store and some local markets (not a lot) have organic..win win
Amy Ellen – i am in Central NJ – E. Brunswick. there is def. a trick to FAFSA – just like the coupons and most people fill out the forms and don't know how to set themselves up. If I did it without the knowledge I had – I would have gotten nothing. Take all $ out of child's name – if you have a 529 transfer it to another child or yourself. then when the child graduates transfer it back in their name and pay off the loans. there are more ticks these are just a few. yes tossing cats is bad! LOL most people have no idea why they got them and don't know how to roll them or use them effectively. Food is hard – esp. when the kids are teens and they all like different stuff. So hard to stay healthy and keep it low priced – you can't eat cheap food and expect to be eating properly. Yet it is hard to spend so much on food that is good. I find if I save on the other stuff, I have the money to afford the better food. It boils down to what works for your family. I like to play the game of how much money I am not giving you – yet still getting what I want and need!
Ronni Guglielmo Walsh thank you thank you for the advice..everything helps right? I've tried fafsa for myself and got nada, but hoping maybe something for eldest, we'll see. He wants to go to full sail university and it's a bit pricey. I told him he would have to take out some student loans..he didn't really care for that idea, lol. Wish we had the room for a cow, since milk is so dang expensive. Where in jersey are you? We're in lacey, south of toms river/seaside. I always love to hear when others save on medical/dental. Super couponers look away; I used to throw out the catalina because I had no idea what it was for. I know, bad bad. Now I separate my coups into ones that are over a dollar for walmart and under for shop rite because they will double under a dollar. I still feel like I spend WAY too much on food. I see some on here say they spend $40/week. Wondering what you all eat? We don't eat out (fancy or ff) and still after the $150/week I find myself headed back for something mid week.
I love the chicken/egg idea! I want to do a garden – that is next on my list. I have a free room in my house, for the past 2 yrs. I have not pd for or pd. very little for toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies by rolling my extra care bucks and working my coupons with catalina's. I have 2 out of braces, 1 in and 1 that will need them. I pd, in full for the fist 3 and got a significant discount – was totally worth it. I have been with my dentist for over 20 yrs he does all dental and braces for my family. Given such I negotiated my 4th child – he will collect what insurance gives him and charge me 1/2 the going rate! i also can supply some good college advise – how to set yourself up to be FAFSA proof to increase your chances of getting some – stuff the guidance counselor does not tell you b/c he does not know and stuff you financial adviser either does not know or won't share with you if they can't make a profit. pM me on FB if you want to chat – I don't sell anything – just passing on some good info that was given to me and worked. Good luck with those chickens!!!
For sure Ronni, we are a family of five and I can't get away with less than $150/week. We're in NJ too. I try to buy snacks every other week in bulk at costco, which sometimes works but with ravenous teens they deplete quickly, lol. We actually just started back yard chickens. They won't lay for a while but looking forward to that. I would definitely say I'm upwards of $800/month on food. I use coups where I can and hit up cvs for rewards (when I can, like on Tide). I have two in braces and one going to college next year. Side note; if anyone has a child going into braces, see if they will deduct a certain % for paying in full. We did and between the two we saved almost $800.
This was very timely, we have been working on a projected budget for when our families blend, and the calculator gives me some idea of what we might need to spend on groceries. I'm going from having a family of 5, to a family of 11, so it's something we definitely need to know. We are both couponers who have fallen off the wagon in the last year, but we plan to get back to it…big time!
With a family of 11 that will definitely change your budget Nan – glad it helped (I love that you were both couponers – it’ll be fun to see how you do!)
I have a family of 6 (one child is in college though). I use coupons and it can cut your spending. however, I could never get away with $85 a wk in NJ. It also depends on how and what you eat. I use organic milk as well as other organic products. Fruits and veggies are expensive. Healthy snacks are also expensive and come in smaller packages. We don't drink soda- we drink water and unsweetened ice tea. We buy one snack and it has to last a week for packed lunches – I was buying several different ones and they would go state before everyone got through them. I spend $600-$800 a month on groceries. We pack lunches everyday so this includes lunch foods. I have found many ways to cut and save but food in general is expensive – healthy foods even more so – and all packages are shrinking.
We are a family of three. We spend $50/week. Additionally, I save $50/mo to buy bulk items at our case lot sale in the fall.
Our budget every 2 weeks for a family of 6 is $500. We have 2 boys age 12 and 2 teenage girls.
I have a household of 6, soon to be 7. We spend about $400/monthly.
I budget $300 per month for my family of 3 (with another one on the way), this includes my husband being extremely lactose intolerant and stockpiling diapers and wipes NOW while I have the time to bargain shop before baby number two arrives in June 🙂
Oh My! Thank you for sharing this! The linkhttp://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/01/calculator-food-spending-budget-frugal really opened my eyes! Oh my word! I am spending waaaay to much and I thought I was a thrifty shopper. Obviously not. Couponing for 2014 is my goal.
You can do it Melodie – just knowing how much you’re spending makes all the difference!
I coupon but I’m not good at the budget part. Helllpppp…..please
We are a family of two and two (70-80lb) fur babies. I would say we spend $70-80 a week on groceries, pet care products (not including vet visits/medicine), non grocery, and workout supplements. We eat healthy food, don’t drink soda, etc. Our dogs go through a lot of grain free food. I normally skip grocery shopping one week out of six to eat up what’s in the house. I also do a pantry challenge once every six months where the grocery budget it $100(not including dog food) for 4 weeks.
This is gluten and dairy free, grass fed meat, almost all non-gmo.
I need some help 🙂 I’ve been spending about $150/week on groceries & paper products for just my husband and myself. We’re in Texas so I don’t think food is necessarily more expensive here. I meal plan and create shopping lists, so we’re using most of what I’m buying, but I feel like there has got to be a way to cook “cleaner” (ie less processed foods) and save money. I’m cooking from scratch every breakfast & evening meal – lunches are sandwiches and side salads for me and frozen lunches or leftovers for my husband. (He won’t eat sandwiches). I want to drastically cut our budget – like down to $50/week as we’re starting FPU next week but not sure where to find cheap & healthy recipes 🙂
Any input would be MUCH appreciated!
Do you have an Aldi nearby Jessica? I think they are one of the easiest ways to save on fresh fruits and veggies, and you don’t even have to worry about coupons there. Also, if the produce at your Aldi isn’t that great, many Walmart stores will price match, which helps so much! (See more on that here – https://passionatepennypincher.com/2013/05/my-walmart-price-matching-trip-spent-6-93-for-16-63-in-fresh-produce/ )
Then, religiously shop the sales ads at your local store. I (think?) HEB is in Texas as well as Kroger, so you should be able to find some good deals at those stores! Then, commit to really (really!) menu planning using only what’s on sale at the stores. I really think you can do it – you’ll have to stick with it (and it won’t be easy!), but I bet you can get down to that $50 goal!
Here are HEB matchups –
https://passionatepennypincher.com/coupon-matchups/heb-coupon-matchups/
We don’t have an Aldi, but we do have HEB, Walmart, and Market Basket. There’s a Kroger about 30 minutes away. I think I can do it, it’s just figuring out the “how”! 🙂 I use recipes from your blog, do you know anywhere else I can find frugal recipes?
I have 365.00 for the month and try to spend 75.00 per week. I do coupon and any money left over at the end of the month from groceries goes towards Christmas gift. This year I saved enough to buy Christmas gift and go to Disney. Next year, 2014, I am going to set some goals and try to save more. I have a family of 6 and one grandson. We don’t do a lot of presents because the kids are 16, 20, 21, and 25 so I did more stocking stuffers. To keep track of how much I saved and spent, I downloaded a savings caluator from http://www.couponcloset.com It was great to see which store I save the most and what my monthly savings was. Check it out.
I spend about 125/wk for my family of 6. We are gluten-free and my youngest and I are lactose free too.
We were feeding 5- but my oldest just got married, so we won't be feeding her & her honey (as much!) – so hoping this drops quite a bit.
estimated $240.92 per week for your household
estimated $1,043.91 per month for your household
That was my guess and it's about what I use…
and I DO use coupons occasionally and try to look at sales, but I don't always have a paper before I go shop. I do home daycare, so I have a lot of us to feed usually, so I included some of those children in this number and made them eat away for 11 meals (nights and weekends) so while I always feel like I spend more than those around me, I am also making food more than others too. This number includes everything I buy at the store, paper products, laundry detergent, pet food…
Nikki, I too have a daycare and spend about that per week, feeding the extra 6 kids a day (5), plus our family of their and multiple pets, and paper and personal products, home products but I’m still going to try to cut the bill down but 3-5 gallons of milk a week and fresh fruits and veggies are hard to reduce. I am going to try a different grocery store, who doubles coupons up to $1, and stop in an Aldi’ s and some new store in our area called valueland. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!
We shop every two weeks with a budget of $40. I get $10-20 for couponing on off weeks depending on the paycheck and sales. Were a family of four with two in diapers. 🙂
On the high end our budget (absolute max) for a family of 6 is $150/week including household items.
We spend about $30/week, counting paper goods for our family of three. But my budget gets a huge boost thanks to a trade arrangement I have with a local organic farm. I get a full share of fruit, veggies and a dozen eggs each week (saves me $45).
We are a family of 3 as well and spend $75 a week and we go to Aldi’ and Wal Mart. My son eats us out of house and home, and I use leftovers too. I don’t use coupons becausse Aldi’s is so low. I make my own laundry detergent as well so big savings there too. How would you find an organic farm in our area?
Ummmm… our budget (and usually used) is $600-$650 every two weeks. I NEED COUPONS HERE!!!
I get so frustrated when I can not print coupons from my IPad
I had a question Laurie. In your grocery budget do you include all of the laundry/cleaning supplies also since they are at the grocery store or do you only count edible groceries? I think you have already answered this, I just can’t remember.
Hi Jennifer! I do include those in my budget ~ the only thing I sometimes don’t include is if I get a good deal on toilet paper at Amazon (maybe 2x per year I’ll order it for around $20?) Hope that helps!
Just to clarify again, your weekly budget of $85 includes everything (personal care, laundry, household, pets, and groceries)? I’m at about $125 week but want to shave more off. We have A LOT of pets though and I use coupons where I can. We were spending twice that before I found you. 🙂
Same here! We only have cable bc of the sports (you know how Derek is)! Kids don’t even watch cable tv. As for our grocery budget, (during the Summer) it’s about $100. Once school starts, it’ll decrease to about $50-$75. During the Summer, we’re constantly feeding our kids’ friends!
It does seem like we’re going through groceries like crazy around here this summer ~ glad we’re not the only ones! And yes. . . cable for sports is a necessity around here too, Alice . . . 😉
Now Laurie…there is a way to cut the cable bill!
Cancel it…house is so much quieter 🙂
Agreed Jim! We went without it forever (I think the first 11 years of our marriage….) until we moved to Alabama which is SEC country and just about did my husband in. Now we pay for cable just so he can watch ESPN (ugh!!!) 🙂
My hubby would hit the roof missing his Phillies games and me missing Judge Judy and Suze Orman. However is it worth paying $121 for 3 shows, computer access and phone. Yes!