Grocery Bill Woes?!
Yet the healthier we eat, it seems the higher our grocery bill gets. We are a family of four, ranging in age from 8 to 41, and in a month (not including any dining out), we average about $1500. I feel it's rather high. (For comparison purposes, when we ate more meat and processed foods and less veggies, we averaged about $900 a month.)
1. What would you say, on average, you spend on groceries a month?
2. How many people are in your household?
3. If you feel you spend less on food than most, what is it you do to cut corners and yet still eat healthy?
Thanks! :)
Answers: My husband and kids and I are leaning toward flexitarianism (mostly plants and grains, a very little meat).
Yet the healthier we eat, it seems the higher our grocery bill gets. We are a family of four, ranging in age from 8 to 41, and in a month (not including any dining out), we average about $1500. I feel it's rather high. (For comparison purposes, when we ate more meat and processed foods and less veggies, we averaged about $900 a month.)
1. What would you say, on average, you spend on groceries a month?
2. How many people are in your household?
3. If you feel you spend less on food than most, what is it you do to cut corners and yet still eat healthy?
Thanks! :)
If you are getting into this, it will take a little time to get balanced...especially if you are making that many lunches. I am alone with my husband and we are both vegan.
I found that having staples in our diet to be a huge help, but not everyone likes the same foods and with kids it can be harder.
I found that making stuff like rice or quinoa (a full protein grain and really yummy) is a great side dish and inexpensive. I shop in china town, the local farmers market for my veggies...I save lots of money there.
We eat inexpensive high energy breakfasts, cereal with raisins and dried apricots.
For lunches, we eat leftovers, veggies, fruit and sandwiches or soups.
I make all my own cookies and desserts...it's cheaper and I know it's healthier. I make my own trail mix by buying bulk dried fruit and nuts.
For dinners, we have tofu and veggies, curries, casseroles. Pretty much always with a salad.
You can shake N bake strips of tofu and bake or fry them like chicken fingers....you can buy pita bread and have everyone dress their own pizza.
I always keep certain foods around, like chick peas, we make lots of hummus and use it as dip, or throw them into stir fries. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for salad dressings. veggies for stir fries. Frozen pita bread for pizzas.
$1500 seems like an awful lot of money for food. I find that having sides like potatoes or brown rice to be good cheap sides.
If you are in a big enough city, you should shop around, go to Asian and Indian markets, farmers markets.
Good luck, I know how much work it is trying to get your family to eat healthy, my mom tried to do with with 4 kids and we all complained incessantly :)
1) A month I think we spend no more than $400 probably even less.
2) 5
3) We don't really eat that healthy I admit. But we don't buy loads of junk. We use alot of coupons and purchase things that are on sale. I know people who eat only organic food and stuff like that and they spend a hell of alot on groceries. The price of food is insane!! And it's just going higher and higher unfortunately.
Hi there! That's how I usually eat, as too much meat doesn't make me feel too well. I must be an OTC carrier or something LOL, I don't like too much protein.
Generally, I find that there's no better place to go than the Indian grocery store near where I live. The lady there is always super nice and helpful, and I've been going there for years. They even helped us learn more about foods from South India, where my stepfather's family is originally from (he was raised on Sicilian foods mostly, his mother.) Either way, it's much cheaper and delicious, and even the prepackaged foods are very healthy. I'm a big fan of MTR's Andhra Veg Pulao (a rice mixture from Andhra Pradesh) and things like uttappam, idli, dosa, sambar & other delicious items. These are all really healthy and meat free.
I live with my parents 18-56 age range. We go every week to buy grocerys. We are very particular about what we eat, but we get the cheapest version too. Meat consist of mainly hamberger because its just so high. Our bill is about 150 or so a week and even then we run out somtimes. It seems walmart is the chepest on everything except meat. Its so bad we can hardly afford to eat.
If your still eating meats it's okay to have lean meats such as Chicken and Fish. this cold reduce the Bill. I don't have a Family any where as large as yours it's just me and my girl and we spend maybe 75 a week. As far as still eating healthy Buy in Bulk. Don't get the pre made Salads stuff or the Pre Cut stuff. Like Carrots get the one's you have to peel your selves. May cut costs a little.
I spend about 200-300dollars a month.
I am single and I eat mostly processed foods, fresh vegies are not only to expensive but I really don't like them that much any how.
I am single so that would be 200$ min per person, or in other words min 2400$ a year on food.
Just think if oil prices keep going up and the dollar keeps getting weaker that food bill will keep going up, as the cost of transportation goes up.
yes healthier eating is more expensive,so many people don't realize that that is why many poor people that aren't hired into jobs in order to get more exercise and earn more money for a healthier diet are fat and that is why people are warning others to not have children.
And to answer your question, we spend quite a bit on groceries. We buy meats, Chicken, beef and pork.
1. Monthly - 850.00 would be a good guess
2. 2 sometimes 3 (daughter visits)
3. read below!
Personally I don't do this but have seen it done and was amazed. Although it does not seem conducive to a vegetarian lifestyle, I saw the kid in front of me at the grocery store unload his full cart, and it was full, then dropped a fist full of coupons on the belt and the checker rang up his groceries, he owed $0.64 - yes sixty four cents!!! I was in shock, I mentioned it to him, but he was very shy and didn't want to talk...But I saw with my own eyes how he shopped with coupons and saved all that money, he must have had $85 worth of groceries in his cart. Amazing... My second
idea I had is grow your own vegetables. They are so much tastier (and we do do this) and they are organic. No pesticides, you know what its growing in. I love being able to tend to the vegetables and watch them grow. I go out daily and water them and I miss it when I don't have a garden. It's good for the family and its wonderful to share your harvest and give some away when you have too much. Good luck!
Also, here in Northern Arizona its still freezing but its getting closer to planting time. I am just amending my soil now getting ready for the garden. I have a 25x25 area for my garden and fill it every season. I can't wait (as if you couldn't tell!) but what I wanted to add is that if you don't have the ability to plant in ground, you can plant most veggies in containers and they do just fine on a balcony if your in an apartment. Put them on the front step, back deck wherever you have sunlight. The deeper the pot, the bigger the plants. Some apartment dwellers also have a community garden area depending on where you live, you might find one you didn't know about.
We spend aroud $400 a month on food.
There are two of us. We eat healthy, we shop at the local vegetable market & meat market.
1. Coupons
2. Sales
3. Gardening
4. Eat appropriate portions.
5. Don't let food go to waste.
6. Get creative with leftovers.
7. Don't eat out but once a month.
8. Reduce sugar and use protein as the basis of creating meals and snacks that satisfy hunger and not stimulate it.
9. Use your freezer wisely. You can vacuum seal up veggies for stirfrys etc.
10. Generic labeled foods are not bad. Pick wisely.
11. Look around at local options.
12. Somethings bought in bulk will save you money.
13. Drink more water and less beverages like juice and soda.
14. Does your grocery give money back if you use your own eco-friendly reusable bags?
15. Do you have a market that you like that you walk to? Save gas money and use towards your grocery bill or better yet get with moms you know and car pool.
These are just a few ideas. :)
seems to me that now eating healthyer ie free range organic etc is considered the way to go. The price goes up due to demand and to be honest its all a big con .I grow my own friut and veg without much land. Just invest in a few containers soil etc and away you go Its certainly cheaper and tastes that much better GOOD LUCK
The reason you spend more is that you are either shopping at health-food stores like Whole Foods, or you are buying convience foods and meat alternatives. For new veg*s they often try to mimic their current diet of meat, which, can be expensive because fake meats are convience foods, mostly sold in the freezer isle. Since meat is usually the most expensive thing at grocery stores, you actually should be saving money unless you purchase convience foods.
Another point to make, if you are buying organic, or cholesterol free, or meat free, you are saving money in the long run, reguardless of your grocery bill. There is no price for good health of your family.
* this is kind of off topic but grocery prices in general have increased recently by as much as 20%!!!
At $375 a person, that seems a bit high, yes. My fiance and I spend about $500 to $600 a month total, and we eat out at least four times a month.
1. $300 to $400 a month on groceries
2. 2
3. I don't buy the healthy stuff from major grocery stores. For instance, my parents always buy their rice from Asian groceries. The food is much cheaper. I've found that health food stores and grocery stores drastically mark up their "healthy" foods.
I highly recommend going to the ethnic groceries for your rice and such. It's way cheaper.
My boyfriend and I spend around $400 per month. $200 or so of that is specialty processed foods specific to his culture that my boyfriend likes to have (fish tofu blocks, eels, canned abalone, shark's fin soup, etcetera). A good 40 is beer or diet soda.
I definitely feel I eat less on food than most people. The vast majority of our grocery bill is on veg and fruits - I'd say 2/3 of it.
- I shop at the cheapest grocery in town and look for what's on sale.
- Most meals include a large portion of cheap 'staples' - dried peas/lentils/chickpeas/beans, carrots (5 lbs is a dollar here), potatoes, sweet potato, rice, or onions - for instance, I make a vegetarian shepherd's pie that uses lentils, carrots, onions, mushroom, gravy, and potatoes; or I'll make a curry from tons of sweet potatoes and veg, and serve it with lots of brown rice.
- We make a lot of noodle soups or pasta-based dinners.
- Whatever fish is on sale is the one we eat that week.
- Make stew-type meals, like paella, curries, or bean chilis, where the meat is stretched out.
- Stretch ground meats with texturized veg protein (I buy it at the bulk store on student discount day).
- Avoid pre-prepped vegetables like salad mixes, stir fry or pasta mixes in bags - just make your own.
- Make everything you can yourself, and avoid ingredients you can only use in one meal - think about the multiple ways you can use cheap ingredients. For instance, with oatmeal, I make breakfast muffins, oatmeal cereal, and granola bars each week.
- Buy extra old or old cheese for cooking; it tastes stronger so you have to use less.
PLAN YOUR MEALS. This is the most important one. Sure, you'll probably not stick to every meal on your plan, but if you plan beforehand, you'll avoid impulse purchases and you'll be able to centre your purchases around cheaper staples.
Isn't that strange - when I was buying lots of meat we were spending $350.00 a week on groceries would you believe it? But then we caut down and started buying more beans and more vegies. I find this heaps cheaper - but I buy from whole sale markets not super markets. I buy bulk flour and bulk beans etc.
I make soups, I use potatoes and onions. We have baked potatoes with fillings - vegies and cheese and beans. I make a vegetarian roast which is basically as many vegies including corn and roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding (pancake batter cooked in the oven with )gravey. I find I cut out the $10 for a chicken. We eat fish which is good and eat things like fish patties. We make lentil patties and chickpea patties. We have omlettes as well. Now my bill is about $250 aweek and that includes baby milk formula.
there are 5 in the household
We dont eat meat and we eat more grains and beans and casseroles and salads.
We eat home made pizza and some pasta dishes.Since I have been planning meals its been much easier. I have an idea of we are going to eat and this cuts down the bills and I shop around specials - whatever is on special is what we eat for dinner and lunches. I buy discounted things and freeze them like bread and rolls and send the kids off to school with a wrapped frozen cheese roll which will defrost at lunch time and gives them a fresh cheese roll. I amke huge pots of soup that people can snack on as well.
1. We spend about $300 a month
2. There are two of us.
3. We make a lot of food in big quantities and freeze it. I make soup and triple the recipe, and then freeze it in 2 sizes, large for a meal for both of us, or small for individual lunches. I also make a huge batch of tofu burgers and freeze them for lunches. Buying from bulk food stores can also help. Dried legumes are much cheaper than canned.
We don't eat any meat though - but we do eat simulated "meat" products. It probably evens out price-wise.
1) Around $100 - $150/wk. ($400 - $600/mo.)
2) 2
3) I buy organic as much as possible - milk, eggs, meats, etc. I don't use meat as the base of my meals anymore, rather as just a small part. I spend the bulk of my food budget in the produce section. Try to buy things in season as much as possible, and look for sales. Even if it means going to a couple of different stores. I do some shopping at Whole Foods, but most at Stop & Shop. They have a lot of healthy stuff now in their own brand (Nature's Promise) and it's good and relatively inexpensive. Also, look for some things at warehouse clubs. I know I can find Annie's organic mac & cheese at Costco now, as well as organic ground beef and many other options. A friend and I also take turns bringing brown bag lunches to work for both of us - saves a bit.
A way that I conserve my vegetable leftovers is when you're refridgerator starts to fill up with plastic containers filled with baked potatos from last nights dinner, half an onion, carrots, cellery, and red peppers. Take one can of chicken stock (low sodium if you can find it) chop everything up, saute in olive oil with salt and pepper, then add to the broth. (If you want a little tastier flavor, add italian sausage--get the kind that isnot pre-sliced, it is cheaper)
there! you have a soup made with leftovers that makes a GREAT leftover. You can freeze it, re-heat it.
I always look in the newspaper for sales. In the Fred meyer section, i'll clip coupons. In the walmart section, i'll clip coupons. From all different kinds of stores, i'll clip coupons.
The, I'll go on a big grocery shopping trip once a month with all those coupons--and save a lot.
1. I spend about $100 on food per week. That would be at least $400 a month.
2. There's only one person, me.
3. I spend less on food because most foods don't taste good to me. It's just fuel, and as long as I can tolerate the taste, and the food provides required nutrients, I'll buy it.
I do try to buy non-transfat, organic food, but as I've stated above, taste is not that important.
It's just me, I only buy organic and I spend roughly three hundred or so a month. That covers all my food except the one night a week I eat out.
One of the biggest money savers is taking the time to plan out my meals for the week before I go shopping. I make a list, organized by aisle and only buy what's on the list. My sister adopted this same method after living with me and she swears it saves her money too.
1) I spend about $50 a month on groceries
2) I only have to buy for myself
3) To save money I stay away from product that are not on sale. I rarely buy meat substitutes as they are overpriced and not particularly healthy anyway. When things are on sale for a good price I buy in bulk(several packages) to last me until they are on sale again. I only buy for myself, so buying 10 cases of soda(when they go on sale for $2 a case), last me all year, the same with buying 8 boxes of cereal.
The only food I buy weekly are fruits(in season) and veggies(which are not that much $ anyway). This week I purchased broccoli, carrots(3lbs), 5 jars of pasta sauce, 5 cans of soup, 2 cans of black beans, grapes(3lbs), mushrooms, 3 bottles of soy sauce, etc and only spent $25. Everything I bought was on sale and a great price. Smart shopping is the key to saving money, there is no need to shop at Costco/B.J's to buy in bulk and save. Combining coupons and sales is a great way to save a buck.
You may want to check out the site http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ , it is very interesting. I used the low cost trial to get the hang of it and then did it on my own after. There is also http://www.couponmom.com/ that is basically the same idea, but free.
We spend about $1100 a month on groceries - but I buy various veggies when they are on sale. Local grocery stores here do this 10 for $10 deal quite often - often on fruits and veggies - so I buy them then.
Right now, there are three of us - but that's providing lunches for everyone as well. We go up a few hundred when eldest is home.
Did you see the report about Whole Foods meats? You need to look inot those recalls.