USDA Cost of Food List - Page 3

[Attached2Elijah]

We're a family of 6 almost every night... and we're not even close to the "thrifty" family of 4.... I think we're about $200-$300 BELOW that. I do almost everything from scratch and grow/preserve a ton of stuff... plus we get all of our milk products and eggs from my sisters chickens and goats I don't even know what I would do with $579 a month, lol.

[deditus]

We're liberal! Doesn't surprise me, though, as we are gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free, all of our meat is pastured & organic, and most produce and dry goods are organic. That amount actually does include all of our personal care products, too as they are very minor expenses. We use family cloth, no-poo, I use a menstrual cup, I clean with baking soda and vinegar, etc, so the cost for that portion is pretty small. I think condoms and toothpaste are probably the most expensive, lol!

[Usually Curious]

We're right at thrifty for a family of 8 - $250/week. I really have a hard time believing how much my grocery budget dropped when dd got married and she and her fiance stopped eating here every night!

Oh, and that includes toiletries/misc. so we're probably under $20-$30/week.

[ameliabedelia]

We're under the thrifty plan by around 200/month. However, I think a lot of the reason is because of my 2 yo. They allot 98.30/month for a 2-yo and I just don't think he eats that much. Probably a big reason is that he is still breastfeeding and so doesn't drink "other milks" or juices. My 5-yo and 8-yo don't drink milk or juice either.

Also, when people combine their shopping/cooking etc. their total cost overall is less than if they are doing everything separately. I don't think it is accurate to say that a child spends this much and an adult spends this much, so if they are together they spend the total. There is some savings in sharing food. We spent a couple of years with my dh being gone all week and only coming home on weekends. He worked on an island and rented a house there during the week. During that time our family food expenses were astronomical. It cost a lot more for his food that was bought and prepared separately from the rest of the family then it did when everything is all together. Once he left that job and we were all eating together again our grocery bill dropped a lot.

[JudiAU]

Actually, this made me feel much better about we spend. Now I just have to start consuming my twenty pounds of fruit and vegetables a week. Seriously!

[Llyra]

I think we spend a little more than the low-cost. It's hard to figure, for us, since I pay my CSA dues annually, and because we grow a fair bit of our own produce, too. Plus, my "food" costs aren't separated out from stuff like cat food, cat litter, and laundry detergent.

We're also in one of the highest COL areas in the US. So I'm sure that has something to do with it. I don't buy packaged or processed food, but I do buy organic fresh fruit in the winter, and I pay a premium price locally for ethical animal products.

[UberMama]

Holy cow. How in the world are we BELOW thrifty (or right at it maybe)? I am SHOCKED. Absolutely shocked. And here I am, stressing to the max, over how to further lower our grocery (food) bill. :/

[A&A]

I'm about in the "moderate" column.

Good to know!