How much do you spend on food a week? - Page 2

[MamaArmadillo]

We are a family of three (myself, my partner, and our two year old). We USED to spend between 400 - 500 dollars a month on groceries (including toiletries, etc.), not including on what we spent on going out to eat. Now, we're down to 300.00 or LESS per month.

[Abraisme]

Our family eats at least $500 a month on produce alone! I couldn't imagine the cuts I would have to make to keep my whole budget $500.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by meemee 

if you buy quality stuff i cant see how you can spend less than 300 a week. 

for a family of 3 adults (might as well call dd an adult where food is concerned) spending 400 - 500 a month is  nothing. plus i get a CSA box every week. that is not factored into the $$$s we spend on items. 

OP i am not sure what you are wanting. i think for your family 300 a week is reasonable. i am not sure how you can reduce that without compromising the kinds of food you buy. 

are you looking for ways to reduce spending  or do you just want to check what others spend on food. 

food is a big part of our budget second to rent. i grew up that way too. we always ate well and healthy and quality. 5 - 15% seems a ridiculous amount to me. 

i can easily walk into TJs and spend 200 without a qualm. and now that dd has allergies i can spend even more. 

We definitely can on $200/week or less, but I'm guessing food prices are lower here.  If I bought whatever I wanted to eat all the time, I could easily spend $300 a week -- in fact, that would be fun!

[Mirzam]

To be honest, I am not sure, but it has to be well over $500 a week for a family of 4 - two adults, two teens - (although it is currently 5 people because I am taking care of my 22 yo DD who has a badly broken ankle and is recovering from surgery) and a raw fed 200 lb dog. We drink raw milk, grass-fed meats, and all organic fruits and veggies and local products where possible. I would love to get it down (a lot) because it is excessively high given our income. However, DH and I will not compromised on food quality, so it means other things like vacations, new furniture, electronics etc get sacrificed.

[FLmomof1/1ontheway]

Thanks for all the replies! I see the range varies greatly and it depends on where you live, what you buy, and how many people are in you household. It is very personal. Some of you mamas do an amazing job keeping costs low!! I try- maybe not as much as I could but as much as possible for me. My shopping lists are usually spread out to four different places. That is a ton of running around with 3 little kids. I buy conventional produce that is not on the dirty dozen at the produce stand. I buy some of my organic produce/fruits at a whole sale club. I also get cage free chicken from the whole sale club. I'm stuck buying meats at Whole Foods because I don't have the space to buy a whole cow and store it to save some bucks. I buy a lot of frozen organic veggies and fruits, they are much cheaper that way. I do shop sales.

My kids are so picky! They will tell me something is wrong with their hamburger if it's not grass-fed meat. They also say the same thing if the veggies are not organic. Luckily our budget falls below the recommended %'s in every other category, so if we spend 30%+ on food so be it.