What exactly do you include in a "groceries" budget?

[madsommer]

I'm trying to rework our grocery budget...and then realized that while I spend about $400-450/month on groceries, included in that is also diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, misc. toiletry items as they pop up, etc. Do you budget out another amount for household items and misc items, or baby care? Or do you add it all in? Because then I realize that I'm not spending a whole lot on food, but when I add everything else in it adds up...

[Denvergirlie]

$350 a month covers everything... food, household needs (cleaning, toothpaste, etc), cat food, cat litter. Anything that is consumable, is lumped into the grocery budget.

We don't have dishwasher, just me, no diapers or wipes either, but this number also includes things like toilet paper, over the counter meds (advil, etc), anything that gets consumed thru daily life is covered by grocery budget.

[lovesdaffodils]

Mine is a groceries + household budget, too. I don't separate them because I usually buy them at the same stores anyway. So in my grocery budget is food, pet food, cleaning supplies, health & beauty stuff, toilet paper, etc.

[Pernillep]

We spend $400 on food, drink and pets and are trying to continuously lower that. I have a separate small budget for cleaning supplies and other household needs. This is mostly because we buy our cleaning supplies etc. from completely different places than the rest. It is just easier that way.

Special snacks and drinks like beer comes out of our entertainment budget as I am trying to cut down and this seems to work for us. If we buy too much crap we don't get to do anything fun.

[madsommer]

Ok. That's what I figured would make the most sense since I do buy all of those items at the same place anyway. I just wasn't sure. Thanks!

[madsommer]

I'm trying to constantly lower it too. I just can't figure out how 2 adults and 1 toddler cost so much. I know part of it is that I buy a lot of fresh fruits for my son, but that's really important to me so I try cut back else where - less meat, make most things from scratch, no snack items, etc...just can't seem to lower it. I'm thinking of switching to cash when I shop now...I always keep a running total of how much I'm spending anyway, but maybe by only taking 75$ with me it will force me to only spend that much.

[Purple Sage]

My grocery budget is only food, but I usually buy the household stuff at a different store.

[angelcollector1]

Groceries, household stuff- soaps, personal hygiene products, cat food and litter.

[Delicateflower]

it includes food and cleaning and some basic toiletries but not baby care stuff. We use a pack of disposables about every three months and I buy it at Target. If I buy shampoo or hair product at Target it comes out of the misc budget, too.

[SAHDS]

Unfortunately, we spend $800-1000/month on just food/drink.

[madsommer]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

If I buy shampoo or hair product at Target it comes out of the misc budget, too.

How much/what percentage do you set aside for "misc.", if you don't mind me asking?

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by lovesdaffodils

Mine is a groceries + household budget, too. I don't separate them because I usually buy them at the same stores anyway. So in my grocery budget is food, pet food, cleaning supplies, health & beauty stuff, toilet paper, etc.

Yeah that, minus the pet food. Dog and cat food comes from a animal feed store where we get gas and we pay that bill once a month, so the pet food gets added in with the gas budget.

[rebeccalynn]

We separate our out into Groceries (Food only) and Household (diapers, wipes, cleaning, personal care, paper products, etc.). I basically did this b/c I like to stockpile some food and misc. items when they are a great deal but I was having a hard time keeping a balance between not spending too much of the grocery money on household items and the reverse. It is easier for me to "know" how much food I need to buy in a month and how much extra I have to stockpile with and the same with household, I know if I need to buy toilet paper this month then I might not be able to buy an extra box of laundry detergent even though it is on sale.

[beansmama]

Food and Drink. Not alcohol though, that comes out of "entertainment".

I have a seperate budget for toiletries. I'm not sure why people include things like laundry soap in a grocery budget? But whatever...I dare to be different, lol :P

Oh yeah, I spend $260/mo on groceries and $30/mo on toiletries (shaving cream, soap, dish soap, laundry soap, tp, razors, etc).

[mtm]

My groceries covers groceries, laundry detergent, dish soap type stuff and shampoo, body wash, some junk food.

[Leta]

Ours is food, toiletries, pet supplies, first aid stuff, etc. We have managed to cut our toiletry budget to the bone, though- maybe $15 to $20 a month. A few of the seeds we buy also come out of the grocery budget. We also include minor durable goods in our grocery budget- stuff that we buy during the big once-a-month stock up. Last time it was lingerie bags and pet comb.

We do not include in our grocery budget online purchases (which includes some of my toiletry making supplies and makeup, as well as a lot of our seeds), restaurant meals, alcohol (we don't drink), gardening supplies (like our rain barrel or potato fork), or major durable goods (ie, vaccuum).

[Daisie125]

Ours is only food. Anything else comes out of "household" and "misc" depending on what it is.

[Norasmomma]

Ours is all one, food for us, dog and cat food and household supplies(pull-ups for DD at night, shampoo, dish soap, all that stuff). Currently I am spending a bit more because I am stocking up for when the baby comes-so diapers, baby supplies(all on sale and getting rebates too).

[madsommer]

Originally Posted by Daisie125

Ours is only food. Anything else comes out of "household" and "misc" depending on what it is.

How have you figured out how much to allow for household items? I think this is where things add up for me...

[lovesdaffodils]

Originally Posted by beansmama

I have a seperate budget for toiletries. I'm not sure why people include things like laundry soap in a grocery budget? But whatever...I dare to be different, lol :P

It's just easier for me to work with. I buy laundry detergent (or whatever) at the grocery store or HFS when I'm buying food too, so I just pay for it together and record it in the same line in the budget. It's also easy for me to just say we have $500 total to spend on all the stuff I need to buy for the month, rather than dividing how much would be for HBA or cleaning or food. I like broad budget categories in general though.