Weekly Amount Spent on Groceries?

[amydawnsmommy]

Dh, being dh, freaked out today when he saw the credit card bill. :
He estimates we spend $600-$700 per month (Canadian) on groceries and for some odd reason he thinks we should only be spending $100 per week!

I think he is totally wrong!! *sigh*
When I worked at IGA back in 1990 to 1992 the average family easily spent $150 - $200 and they were buying junk food like pop and chips. IGA did not sell health foods at that point. That was fifteen to seventeen years ago, I think likely around $200 per week, maybe $150 if you're lucky, would be fair.

How much do you spend each week on groceries?

I try to buy a variety of quality food each week (at reasonable prices) things like vegetables, fruit, milk, meat, cheese, eggs, breads, personal care items, etc.

[Boernemama]

We try to spend between $50-60/wk. I only get fruits and veggies that are on sale and come up with a couple of recipes per week that last for lunch and dinner. My DH and I are closing on a house next week and things are financially tight so we have had to cut back on a lot of things. I love to cook so being on a grocery budget is really hard because once I get to the store I start thinking of all of these recipes...but then have to stick with my grocery list.

[e.naomisandoval]

Probably more than most people but it's my long-term health insurance. I buy nearly all organic, a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and I have my groceries delivered from a local service so I probably am paying more than at Whole Foods but it's worth saving the stress of the shopping trip for me. it's about $800/month. Our medical expenses & insurance? $0.

[amydawnsmommy]

Originally Posted by Boernemama

We try to spend between $50-60/wk. I only get fruits and veggies that are on sale and come up with a couple of recipes per week that last for lunch and dinner. My DH and I are closing on a house next week and things are financially tight so we have had to cut back on a lot of things. I love to cook so being on a grocery budget is really hard because once I get to the store I start thinking of all of these recipes...but then have to stick with my grocery list.

How do you ever feed your family for $50-$60 per week?
Do you buy meat in that amount? Does your dh hunt or fish?

What kinds of things do you serve for meals? I'm curious.

[sanguine_speed]

As a fellow Canadian, I must say: remember, you can't compare US$ to Canadian AND you can't compare the price of food even after accounting for exchange. Food costs more up here in real terms.

[amydawnsmommy]

Originally Posted by EllenSandoval

Probably more than most people but it's my long-term health insurance. I buy nearly all organic, a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and I have my groceries delivered from a local service so I probably am paying more than at Whole Foods but it's worth saving the stress of the shopping trip for me. it's about $800/month.

Wow!!! I wish I could do that!!!

I have had to cut back on some of the organic things I have bought in the past due to the cost (financial and emotional) of buying them. Some of the things are Ezekiel bread ($5 per loaf) and Ezekiel cereal ($5 per box).

[amydawnsmommy]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

As a fellow Canadian, I must say: remember, you can't compare US$ to Canadian AND you can't compare the price of food even after accounting for exchange. Food costs more up here in real terms.

Good point!

I remember when Hope and I were visiting our friend in Austin, Texas I was surprised by how inexpensive the things were at the Whole Foods health food store! I could get Ezekiel bread there for $3! I really liked the Whole Foods store there.

[kathirynne]

Ezekiel Bread

INGREDIENTS
470 g wheat berries
180 g spelt flour
90 g barley
100 g millet
50 g dry green lentils
25 g dry great Northern beans
25 g dry kidney beans
25 g dried pinto beans
950 ml warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
235 ml honey
120 ml olive oil
14 g active dry yeast
35 g salt

DIRECTIONS
Measure the water, honey, olive oil, and yeast into a large bowl. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir all of the grains and beans together until well mixed. Grind in a flour mill. Add fresh milled flour and salt to the yeast mixture; stir until well mixed, about 10 minutes. The dough will be like that of a batter bread. Pour dough into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough has reached the top of the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown.


I haven't done the math, but I believe it's less than $5 per loaf.

[RiverSky]

$150 to $300 a week. Are you including paper products, cleaning supplies in your total? If so, tell your DH that he can't include that stuff in the total he expects.

You'll find a huge range of spending on food here. Some people remarkably spend about $150 a month on a family of 6, others spend closer to $1000 a month on a family of four (bashfully raises my hand) and we try to buy mostly organic, but not all, and we try not to buy junk food. I find junk food is cheaper than good wholesome and organic food.

I'd be happy if we spent just $600-700 a month on food, actually, though I am trying to see if we can sometimes make it less than that.

[Marlet]

As vegetarians we do $100-$150 every TWO weeks. Thats buying mostly organic as well.

[onlyzombiecat]

We spend about $75 (US) a week including meat, non-food items and pet food.

We buy store brands where we can. I do meal planning and stick to my grocery list. I try to use what we already have and not buy things we don't need.

[Benji'sMom]

You mentioned personal care items and I agree with the pp that if that's included your DH needs to add to his budget. I had to google the exchange rate but we spend more than the equivalent of 100 Canadian dollars on food each week. That's just food, not any other items. I do a main shopping trip for our week long menu, and spend less than $100 US. But then throughout the week we make small tripes for more fruits, bread, or milk, as we run out, so it ends up being about $100 US each week total.

Another thing, how is this estimate being done by your DH? Are you keeping reciepts? Actually keeping our reciepts for a couple of months was key for us to really find out how much we spent on food vs. other little things we might pick up at the store. This would also help your DH see how much food items actually cost, so he'll stop underestimating the normal cost of food.

[newcastlemama]

$200 a week I have a dh that eats enough for 2 adults (tall, high metabolism and a contractor) me (preg with multiple food allergies) and ds (can't have cow milk, only goats at 12 a gallon)

I make almost everything at home and eating well is very important to us. ( BTW--Ezequiel bread is only 2.19 a loaf at trader joe's, but I am not sure if there are any in Canda

Maybe you should take dh on a shopping trip so he can see how fast it all adds up!

[Poddi]

I spend $125 - $150 (Canadian) per week on groceries. About 50% are organic. That's for 5 people. I think I've been doing pretty well. I don't buy generic brand or clip coupons. I just try to use up everything instead of wasting them. I know my parents spend $100 US per week for just the two of them, and food is super cheap in their city. About 1/3 of the stuff they buy go bad before they get to eat them. Among those that got cooked, about 1/3 don't get eaten either.

[scrapadoozer]

$85 a week including toiletries/household supplies for a family of three. DH and I are both big eaters and dd is no slouch herself. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, healthy meat etc. I compare prices, bulk shop, buy things on sale/clearance.

[nina_yyc]

Don't ask this question on MDC, ask others in your community!!! Take it from a fellow Canadian, you're just going to get depressed reading about American food prices.

We spend $400/month on groceries - so about $100/week, which sounds super-spendy by MDC standards...but it's not. We don't eat much meat, I cook from scratch, and we're big fans of the bulk bin. I asked around our local AP parenting group - basically the MDC demographic - and it turns out that $400/month is reasonably frugal for Calgary. Most people in my group said $500-$600/month.

ETA: If your DH doesn't like the price, maybe he should do the shopping and the meal planning...to the same high standards I'm sure you're up to.

[serenetabbie]

We live in PA and spend about $250 to $300 a month on groceries including pet food and everything else. It's usually closer to $250 because I am super cheap.
It does not include our dinner out once a month of $25 to $30 (not much of a choice here for take away, it's chinese or pizza ).

I know when we went to Canada things were way more expensive, so I do not think your figures are high. Encourage your DH to try to help you find places that might be less $$, or other ways to cut back on groceries.

[Sharlla]

About $200/month. Some weeks its more than $50 some weeks less, just depends if I have to buy coffee etc or just food.

[krisnic]

I'm one of the odd ones. I just went grocery shopping on Tuesday and spent 107.00 after coupons. That will last us about a month. But...there are only two of us and we don't eat a lot - I'm trying to lose weight and he's just weird. . And I use tons of coupons. We will probably have to go back for dog food and milk, but that's it and that won't be for another two weeks at the earliest.

[swimswamswum]

We spend about $50-70 at the co-op and $30 or so at the Asian market and regular grocery.

I think we spend between $350 and 400/month. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the season. That's for two people. We try very hard to eat local first. We also probably eat 50-60% organic. We could spend less, but we have the money and I like supporting our co-op and local farmers whose practices I agree with.