Domain: tiger-web1.srvr.media3.us . | Money Talk
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Posted on 3/16/22 at 7:44 pm
Posted by FlexDawg
Member since Jan 2018
14486 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 7:44 pm
(no message)
This post was edited on 11/17/22 at 7:12 pm
Posted by lynxcat
Member since Jan 2008
25067 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 7:49 pm to
A ton. Is the part of the monthly budget that makes me cringe. Work from home the last couple years drove a major shift to groceries. Going out to eat is an easy form of entertainment (especially when a lot of other entertainment wasn’t open). I think my wife and I are north of $2K a month for groceries + restaurants.

Our typical restaurant is like $100/night…we don’t drink much so thankfully those aren’t $200+
This post was edited on 3/16/22 at 8:01 pm
Posted by Devenbaker
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2007
294 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 7:59 pm to
$1400 for family of 3 is high. What stores do you shop at (Whole Foods vs Albertsons)? Do you buy your proteins on sale? Maybe do some meal planning around the proteins on sale that week?

You can still eat healthy and meet your caloric goals for under $1400 with a small amount of planning.
Posted by TigerintheNO
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2004
44345 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:01 pm to
quote:

My wife, myself and my 2.5 year old are consuming about $1400 in groceries per month. There has to be a way to cut that down.


Watch how you approach you wife about this. The 1st time I did, the following day when I asked what's for dinner, she replied- reservations.
Posted by HailToTheChiz
Back in Auburn
Member since Aug 2010
53940 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:01 pm to
Too fricking much. I feel like it's 300 every trip to the store
Posted by bayoudude
Member since Dec 2007
25858 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:05 pm to
5 people probably $1200 depending what we decide to cook week to week. Can’t get out of the store for less than 150
Posted by Mup
New Orleans
Member since Mar 2015
42 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:15 pm to
Watch your local grocery store's weekly specials and plan meals around those. Also check out other grocery stores specials around you. Usually the specials are from Wednesday to Tuesday but some weekend sales are dropped in. I’ll go out of my way for some of the protein specials.

I started doing this a few years ago and it’s kinda been a bit of a sport for me. There’s so much more that I really love that I normally would have never tried and I’ve leveled up and expanded my cooking game. Have some fun with it.
Posted by Xanthus
Member since Dec 2021
273 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:19 pm to
About $300 - one person. Includes cleaning supplies and non-food household things. Son spends about $200. Daughter spends about $400.
This post was edited on 3/17/22 at 8:55 am
Posted by FlexDawg
Member since Jan 2018
14486 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:43 pm to
quote:

$1400 for family of 3 is high. What stores do you shop at (Whole Foods vs Albertsons)? Do you buy your proteins on sale?


Kroger mainly and sams club. I eat 96%+ beef, 99% lean chicken. I eat 98% ground Turkey every day for lunch.
Posted by FlexDawg
Member since Jan 2018
14486 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:44 pm to
quote:

$1400 for family of 3 is high.


Oh, and my wife is a coupon freak.
Posted by Upperdecker
St. George, LA
Member since Nov 2014
32854 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:51 pm to
Even buying organic or higher end meats and produce, you shouldn’t be spending $1400 a month. That’s $350 per week

7 days in a week x 3 meals per day x 3 people = 63 meals per week

$350 / 63 = $5.55 per meal per person, which is insanely expensive

Are you lumping other stuff in here? Is groceries = Walmart or Target and includes non food items? Are y’all wasting a ton of food? Is everything you “cook” like pre made frozen meals that cost more? Are you buying a lot of alcohol?
Posted by Niner
Member since Apr 2019
2033 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:57 pm to
$1,400 - $1,500 a month with four kids under 8. We have some legitimate dietary restrictions that require more expensive foods (not necessarily even healthier ). If we didn't have to get some special food, we could cut that to probably $1,200 - $1,300.

Live in NC, by the way. I'd be curious how much it varies state-to-state.

Also - our grocery bill was about $1,100 - $1,250 before the recent inflation.
Posted by FlexDawg
Member since Jan 2018
14486 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 8:58 pm to
quote:

Are you lumping other stuff in here? Is groceries = Walmart or Target and includes non food items? Are y’all wasting a ton of food? Is everything you “cook” like pre made frozen meals that cost more? Are you buying a lot of alcohol?


Just Kroger and Sams. I’m including paper towels, toilet paper, cleaner, bottled water, paper plates, dog pee pads, baby wipes, diapers, etc. I count my calories before every meal, so I have to eat every single thing of my portion. My son wastes food because sometimes he’s not hungry or is picky. My wife may waste some, but not a lot. No one meal preps.
Posted by Larry Gooseman
Houston
Member since Mar 2014
2764 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 9:00 pm to
Man this thread making me feel better about $1,200/mo for family of 4. HEB and Kroger in Houston.

3.5 and 2yo kids.
Posted by TigerTatorTots
The Safeshore
Member since Jul 2009
82094 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 10:57 pm to
quote:

My wife, myself and my 2.5 year old are consuming about $1400 in groceries per month.
JFC what in the hell are y’all buying? I think the only way I could seriously spend that much is if I was getting high end steaks and exotic fish every week.

Prior to inflation we were $300-$400 for my wife and 2.5 yr old. Now I bought a side of beef that will last us a year so no more protein in the weekly trip and we are ~$300 with inflated prices. Prior to the side of beef, our weekly meals would be dictated by whichever protein was on sale and if nothing was on sale, we’d do chicken thighs.
Posted by LSUGUMBO
Shreveport, LA
Member since Sep 2005
9569 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 11:06 pm to
I’ve spent a little over $3000 in Sam’s Club and grocery stores since 1/1/2022. That includes beer, wine, liquor, all groceries, and a few prescriptions. I’ve been trying to shop sales more often, and I’m definitely not afraid of the half off meat bin for red meat, as long as the color’s still ok. That’s for a family of 4, including 1 teen and 1 preteen.
Posted by armsdealer
Member since Feb 2016
12281 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 11:14 pm to
We probably spend about the same per month for 4 but that includes things like TP, Paper towels, etc. and other crap the wife picks up from Sam's or Costco. I don't break it all out because honestly we save so much by only eating out occasionally. Hell, I had a craving for Popeyes a couple weeks ago and it was $50+ for 2 adults, a 14 year old and a 7 year old, and the food sucked.
Posted by LSUShock
Kansas
Member since Jun 2014
5624 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 11:19 pm to
Family of 4. We're probably close to $1k/month, granted my estimate includes households and other necessities. We tried a cash based budget at one point and I'd put $300 per paycheck into an envelope for groceries and other household items to last 14 days. We always had one extra trip that went on a card.

I used to monitor this heavily, but have quite worrying so much about it. Just not worth it. We're not eating ramen and PB&J to try and make it work. My grocery expense is the one outflow I'm not too worried about. That and a well timed family dinner that I don't have to prep for or clean up after I'm happy to foot the bill for.
This post was edited on 3/16/22 at 11:23 pm
Posted by BottomlandBrew
Member since Aug 2010
29388 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 11:43 pm to
Family of four with two toddlers still in diapers We're right around a grand a month, shite pants included. I'm counting everything we buy at Publix/Kroger/Target, including TP, hygiene stuff, ziplocks etc. We all take lunches to work/daycare, too. We don't eat out a lot.

This post was edited on 3/16/22 at 11:45 pm
Posted by TDsngumbo
Member since Oct 2011
49543 posts
Posted on 3/16/22 at 11:54 pm to
I have to say I am fricking floored at yall’s grocery bills. I had no idea people pay that much each month on groceries! I pay $600 a month MAX on groceries for my family of four, a cat, and a dog. It’s usually closer to $500 a month though with maybe another $150 a month in eating out on top of that. We don’t eat out often and cook most of our meals. We eat a lot of unprocessed foods. This amount also includes all our stuff - cleaning supplies and other household items.

Our weekly menu is usually as follows:

1. Tacos with hard and soft shells, corn, chips and salsa with bean dip
2. White beans and rice
3. Baked chicken with a side of either corn or peas and garlic pasta
4. Chicken fajitas with corn and leftover chips, salsa/bean dip
5. Spaghetti using a jazzed up spaghetti sauce from the store and pre-made 100% angus beef meatballs with garlic bread
6. I usually cook a big dish on weekends - gumbo/jambalaya/beef stew or anything else that’ll last 2-3 days. We then use the leftovers throughout the following week while only cooking one or two things.

Life is busy and we have two young kids to get ready for bed, no need to make things any busier than they need to be in the evenings. Say what you want but you can jazz up the hell outta some Monjunis or Uncle Vinny’s spaghetti sauce (or whatever else you can find on the shelf) using added olive oil, Italian seasoning, and a shite ton of Parmesan cheese. Just add it all to the blender and mix it for about 15 seconds. Brown those meatballs in a skillet with olive oil then add some of the grease to the sauce and you’d swear you just took a trip to any given piazza in Italy. Ok, maybe not but it’s fricking good.
This post was edited on 3/17/22 at 12:06 am
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