What exactly do you include in a "groceries" budget? - Page 2

[MtBikeLover]

Our food budget is only food and unfortunately, that runs $1,000 a month. I have a budget line for household expenses which covers paper products, cleaning products, etc. I budget $200 a month, but many times we don't spend it all. I try to stock up on that stuff as much as possible when there are deals.

[TiredX2]

Our grocery budget is for groceries (food & drink prepared and/or eaten at home). We also have a household budget & a dining budget.

[cristeen]

Our grocery budget is just food/groceries.

We have a separate Target budget which covers household goods like TP, and BS and vinegar both come out of yet a third budget because they're purchased in bulk. Pet food/supplies have their own budget, even if I sometimes buy them from WF or TJs.

[bright-midnight]

Our grocery budget consists of food, drinks (like milk, lemonade, tea bags), toiletries, pet supplies and food, and other household items. We normally spend about $1200 a month on everything listed above.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by SAHDS

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

same here. I don't really budget the other stuff into grocery money b/c I buy very specific products for things like shampoo/soaps/dish-washing detergent and often order them online every couple months. So, it's budgeted separately. Or we make a trip to Target specifically for those items. My Albertsons does sell brands like Ecover and Seventh generation, so I do buy them there if we are out, but it's not really figured into grocery money.

What I am now trying to account for when thinking about how much we spend on groceries is eating out (which includes DH and the kids' lunches).

[katheek77]

We do all our cleaning supplies, paper products, soaps/detergents, etc. in groceries.

When DD was still on supp. formula, that had its own category, as did diapers and wipes when she used them. Mostly because I got those three at a completely different area of town.

[madsommer]

Thanks everyone. It seems to vary from person to person depending on circumstance I guess. I think I'm the kind of person who needs absolutely, so maybe I'll start separating mine out...

[kay4]

$500 a month includes everything, toiletries, cat food, etc

[maryjane]

Food and household items are lumped together. It makes tracking spending (we use the envelope system) much simpler. Basically everything I buy at Costco, the grocery store, CVS, Walgreens, Target or the pet store gets pulled from one envelope. I do separate out office supplies that I pick up occasionally at Costco or prescription medications from the drug store. Our total budget is $650, which seems to be a lot higher than most people around here. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, but budgeting less than that never seems to cut it.

[onlyzombiecat]

I include food and non-food items in the grocery budget. We buy them at the same store on the same trip usually. I don't want to go through the receipt and figure out what goes in what category. We shop every two weeks so the list is long.