I am ready to get serious about how much I spend on groceries. I would like to know how much others spend so I can have a realisitc picture on what I could shoot for. Thanks.

By Kolbysmom on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:16 am:

We spend $90 a week. That's for 3,plus 1 baby. We spend $26 a week on formula and around $10 on diapers. The rest is food and paper/cleaning products.

By Colette on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:18 am:

I spend about $800 per month. Sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less.

By Tonya on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:22 am:

$400-$500 a month give or take a few. That is for a 32, 27, 7 and 1 yr old.

By Sunny on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:59 am:

For my family of 7, I average $200 -$225 a week. That includes non-food items like paper products, soaps and shampoo.
I can also easily spend $100 just for holiday meals or cook-outs, special occasions, etc.

By Karefl on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 11:34 am:

I spend an average of 150 every 2 weeks. That seems a bit low compared to most of the posts here. I'm VERY aware of coupons & store sales!!! I just LOVE when I can combine a store sale w/a coupon! I usually save at least $35 an order & shoot for $45-$50. It's also best to go ALONE! That way you can compare to make sure you're getting the best price!!! Sometimes the store brand is just as good & cheaper even w/a coupon or sale on the name brand! I shop for 5 : Myself, dH & three boys ages 12, 9, & 4. We don't drink soda, but I do buy snacks & we eat at home at least 10-12 of 14 days in a week. Happy Shopping

By Jann on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 11:43 am:

Karefl, my dh and I were just talking about coupon saving the other day. How do you save so much??? I religiously look at the coupons, but rarely is it stuff I use (we don't eat alot of packaged foods) or if it's TP or such, it's cheaper to buy the store brand or what's on special. Please give me your tips!!!!

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 12:19 pm:

Couponing can save you money if the coupon is for something you would buy anyway. If you buy a lot of store brand stuff you won't get as much out of coupons. That said, last week I bought 4 12-packs of Coke for $10 at Acme and because I have an Acme shopper card I immediately got the 5th 12-pack free AND a rebate coupon for $5 (which I will get in 2-3 months). Acme had a similar thing a couple of months ago and I just got my $5 rebate check on the other deal.

My mom couponed religiously. A lot of times she bought stuff she would not have otherwise bought, and sometimes I will use coupons for stuff I'd like to try out but don't want to pay full price - not really an economy, but at least not paying full price for something I don't know if I will like. I will use one of several different brands of bathroom tissue, so I watch for coupons and sales. My son watches for cat and dog food coupons for his menagerie. I will use only one name brand of dishwasher detergent, so I watch for coupons for that. I save diaper and babystuff coupons for families at my office with young children, and they are grateful.

I think it is an individual thing - if you buy store brand a lot, coupons won't do a lot for you If you buy fresh veggies, frozen food coupons won't help much; if you cook from scratch, coupons for microwave meals (my preference)won't help. But, look over the coupons in your newspaper carefully - I'll bet you'll find at least a couple a week you want to use.

It is important to check store sales. I use 3 different supermarkets, and sometimes one will be doing a big special on seafood; another on produce. When we were buying for 3 (mom, dad and me), mom would do a circuit, buying the sale stuff at each store if they had enough different items on sale. And you can stock up on things that won't spoil.

One thing to watch out for is the cost of snack foods and cereals. When my boys were young I was a fairly broke single parent. A lot of times our snack was popcorn. And I made a good investment in the popsicle forms so I could use Koolaid or juice in the freezer. I also used Koolaid (with a bit less sugar) instead of soda, and insisted on fruit instead of candy/cake stuff.

By Rayanne on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 12:41 pm:

I spend about $130 to $180 a week.
It all depends on what we need.

By Kaye on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 01:47 pm:

i spend 200 every two weeks for a family of 5. The key is to plan ahead and shop the sales. Like I would prefer to of had a roast this week, but they weren't on sale, but the briskets were. At HEB they do LOCO deals, so the brisket was 20 dollars, but for free you got barbeque sauce, potato salad, scallop potato mix, a bag of salad, a 12 pack of coke and a package of sausage. So I froze the sausage, that will be a meal later in the week, I froze half of the brisket and we will eat that in a couple of weeks.

By Crystal915 on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 02:25 pm:

Kaye, I miss HEB so much! I shop at the commissary, but the one here doesn't have very good coupons like Ft. Hood did, and there aren't any deals like HEB's!! I love when they have something in the basket I use, like kid's bodywash. I could buy the $4 body wash for 99 cents every couple months. We're just now using the last of a bottle of shampoo I bought there for 69 cents. LOVE IT!

By Karefl on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 02:44 pm:

I agree, you DO have to be careful w/coupons! Don't be tempted to buy something that you wouldn't otherwise. If I can get the store brand cheaper do that! By ALL means!!! I shop at Publix here & they (at least mine) will let me multi-coupon. For instance if I have several coupons w/different codes on them I can use multiple coupons for the SAME item! Like if I have 2 from different weeks on cereal for $1 off 3 I can use both & get $2 off. I would probably still ONLY use that combo if the cereal is BOGO! LOL I also think that its a MUST to sit down & make a list before you go if you're serious about saving! Remember DON'T take the kids! They'll cost you extra every time! LOL

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 02:48 pm:

We spend at least $200 a week, often $250 (for a family of 4), and that's not including cleaning products, laundry or dishwasher detergent, paper products, toothpaste, etc. or pet food. Jen is on a very restricted diet, and we also eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegies, and only lean meat, so we spend more. Wish I could save with coupons, but very few items we use ever have coupons.

By Pamt on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 03:04 pm:

$80-100/week for me, DH, and 11 and 8 y/o DSs. That does include toiletries, pet food (2 cats and a dog), and cleaning supplies. We buy no sodas, very few processed snacks, lots of meat, spices, fruits, and veggies and I cook almost every meal from scratch. I also do not buy any convenience foods like frozen dinner or lunch-sized items (like chips, cookies, lunchables). I don't do coupons b/c they are usually for junk or things we don't eat anyway. I also don't have time or the gas money to run from store to store to get the best deals. However, Wal-Mart will match any other stores prices. You just have to do your homework first. Like Ginny mentioned, our snack is popcorn a lot. I also make popsicles from Kool-Aid and homemade cookies once a week. We typically drink water or tea.

I used to shop every 2 weeks like Kaye and then I would spend $150/2 weeks with a quick trip in between for milk and fresh veggies of about $10. I need to get back in that habit.

One more thing...I plan out my menu for a week and write down ingredients from that list. If it's not on my list, I don't buy it.

By Missmudd on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 03:36 pm:

$700-800 per month, me and dh, a 16, 11, 8 and 4 yo. This includes cleaning supplies and cat food for 4 cats and food for the dog. I have gone as lean as $600 a month and really should get back to doing that but I have been guilty of waiting til the last minute to figure out what is for dinner too often lately. Also our food prices have been going up.

By Cybermommyx4 on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 04:09 pm:

Around $200 per week for a family of 6 (no more diapers, thank God!)....we eat a lot of lean meat, dairy products, and fresh produce as well. I shop the sales, use coupons, and also get a discount (DS works where I shop)....Groceries are EXPENSIVE. Our food bill is the highest of all our household bills, including mortgage!

By Tink on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 04:27 pm:

We are a family of five (8, 6, and 4yo) and I shop every two weeks with a quick trip in the middle of that for fresh produce or emergency items. My dh is a grocery manager so he brings home milk or fresh bread if we run low. I spend about $160 every two weeks with $25 going to that little run. That includes cleaning supplies, most personal hygeine items, and pet food.I cook at least 6 nights a week and we do eat a lot of fruits and veggies but I do pick up snacks for the kids' school lunches all the time. I plan our meals for the two weeks most of the time and stick to that with my list but my dh is a VERY picky eater and doesn't eat dinner with us. He will often come home from work and make an entirely different meal for himself. That's what leads to those emergency trips! I'm not sure I've ever used a coupon except for diapers or formula when I still had babies. My dh's store will beat anyone else's advertised price so it isn't worthwhile for me to drive all over town, looking for the best deal. I rarely shop with the kids since I always end up waaaay over budget when I do!

By Paulas on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 04:45 pm:

Good question. I really don't keep track but I should. Maybe in August I will sit down and keep track.

Two years ago, I did the once-a-month cooking thing and that really helped. This year I am back to working full-time with a one hour commute each way so I will probably get back to doing that. DH and I will sit down in August and make a list of things we like to eat and can be frozen. Then we will spend a weekend day cooking and freezing. It says money, time and the frustration at the end of the day trying to figure out what to eat.

For the Canadian moms out there: There is a site called "Save.ca" You can go there, click on your province and then choose the coupons that you would use. Then the coupons are mailed to you.

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 06:41 pm:

I spend about $130/week for 2 adults and a 1yr. old. I don't use coupons at all, but do get generic brand whenever possible and when I already know we like it. I spend the most on meat because I buy the expensive extra lean stuff. That doesn't include dog food or my mid week extras like milk, bread, or incidental. Dog food is about $20/mth. avg. and I bet I spend an extra $50/mth on my mid-week stuff and incidentals.

By Debbie on Thursday, July 7, 2005 - 09:28 am:

I spend about $150-175 a week for a family of 4, this includes everything(paper products, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc). I have noticed that this summer both of my boys have had increased appetites. They seem to be eating everything in sight. I have been making an extra trip midweek for more milk, fruit, veggies and bread.

By My2cuties on Thursday, July 7, 2005 - 10:53 am:

We spend about 150$ a week. that would be for a family of 4 since Lauren doesn't cost anything right now (we are still working our way through the pile of diapers from the shower!) No coupons but we do go through milk aweful, so we have to go back 2 times mid-week and get a few more gallons...so mid-week ~ 20$ *Only food and paper products.