We are two adults and I average about $50 to $75 per week and we eat very well. Very little processed or pre-made items and plenty of fruits and veggies.

I shop the sales and stock up, so most of my meals are "shopped" from my freezer or the basement pantry. I impulse buy rarely but I will splurge on some thing. Leftovers are never tossed but will morph into another dinner or lunches.

If I had that much for meals, I would be thrilled.

Make him plan the list and shop. Then he'll know.

Food costs vary widely depending on your location. My food dollars buy far more here than my mother can get where she lives.

I don't really think you can compare costs unless you're in the same area.

I think a lot would depend on what they have for breakfast and lunch. I have fed 4 adults on less than $150 a week, but we don't often do cooked breakfasts or lunches. A typical breakfast would be cereal or oatmeal, a typical lunch might be chicken salad sandwiches from a roast chicken dinner the night before. I rarely make anything from a mix...way too expensive and not too tasty! Portion control is key as well as cheaper meats, such as ground beef. A pot of chili, for instance, can easily suffice for two meals since it freezes well. I also try to do double duty with my produce. I chop up a head of lettuce and a few tomatoes to go in a salad and set aside some for tacos the next night. Ask him to make up a menu for a week. I do find a menu plan works wonders for stretching your dollars.

i plan a menu and I go all over the place to find coupons to use. I go to one of the cheaper grocery stores in the area.. He is the impulse buyer ie he is the one that sneaks stuff into the buggy/cart

He strongly suggested that I take last week's grocery receipt and start a price book. He says that way we will know what things cost and we can figure out what things cost. So I did. Told him I am not buying anything off of last weeks list this week. He replied that I could do the same with this weeks reciept too. GGGGgggggrrrrrrr

We shop at 2 places, Costco for non-perishables , and local supermarkets for non-perishables.

Like a poster above, I eschew canned or frozen meals, vegs, fruits, The only canned veg I buy is tomato sauce.
Fresh food IS more expensive than canned/frozen.

So, our food bill for 2 runs about $100/wk.

Average cost of groceries

Here is a link that might be useful: average grocery costs

I agree with Mary. Let him plan the meals and shop. Or you make up the grocery list and let hi do the shopping. DH was shocked when he started picking up some items for me and realized the cost of food. The other day I asked him to buy a box of oatmeal. He came home with the tiny box because he couldn't bring himself to buy the large oneâ¦too much money. Now I have to bring it back and get the big one. LOL

Ya know it can be sneaky on costs. Going to a supermarket now means also buying paper towels, cough drops, magazines, etc. None are really groceries, but those are hidden in the cash register receipt. Unless you really go through your things, you might be including some of those extras.

I agree about regional. But I know when DH comes with me the bill is higher. Some might be impulse, something not on the list could be on sale etc.

There are many women who have blogs about saving at the supermarket, from coupons, knowing what's cheaper when and where etc.

You can probably trim your bill. I was never one to know prices and be a smart grocery shopper. But what I do is stay within a price range. So it evens out in the end.

Oh, yes to the above post.
My Amaretto flavored coffee creamer is about $1.00 higher in my Giant supermarket than it is in Wegman's or Walmart.
So, although Giant is less than a mile from home, I don't go there.

I spend about $200 a week for groceries. But that includes paper goods, cleaning supplies, pet food, etc. .I know I could spend less if I planned ahead better and used coupons. But I HATE coupons. I will check the bargain bin and in-store specials.

Oh, yes to the above post.
My Amaretto flavored coffee creamer is about $1.00 higher in my Giant supermarket than it is in Wegman's or Walmart.
So, although Giant is less than a mile from home, I don't go there.

Laura, do the other adults contribute or buy their own personal items and favorite foods? Just wondering.

$180 a week divides out to $15 per day per person. If you were to pare down the shopping list to exclude expensive impulse items and very costly snack food, I think that you could do it. "Some people " would have to change their ways, though! My husband is the WORST of all impulse buyers!!

I don't think that keeping to a strict weekly budget is the way to go, however. Working with a monthly budget is much smarter. We shop at Costco once a month for meat and items that can be purchased in bulk. If you stay away from their very pricey (but yummy) frozen stuff, you will fill your cart with foods that you will be eating all month and more. We get as much produce as we know we will eat before it goes bad.

Save on the canned things, lunch meat, bread, condiments, frozen veggies, meats that you will divide up and rewrap, etc. We'll spend $300 on one trip to Costco, but most of it will last more than a month. Just keep your blinders on, lol.

You'll be shopping for the other foods that comprise meals, like noodles, rice, dairy, produce.

Ask for some help planning meals so that you shop with a list in your hand. Avoid foods that have become super expensive.....bacon is one of those foods in my location. Eat more chikin, lol! Do you know how to spatchcock a whole chicken? Easy and fast so we only purchase whole chickens at Costco....we eat a lot of it!

Tell Tony that you need extra for the non food items. Everybody in your family needs personal items for health and hygiene. Perhaps some can be found at the dollar stores!

I've rambled on, sorry. But I love challenges like this!

I think you need a monthly budget; other family members need to know that you'll be shopping on a budget and that if they miss their favorite snacks....they're on their own. And Tony needs to know that food prices vary a lot over a month. Doing a weekly cost list seems punative, but I can see that it might be useful if he compiled it for you!

Keep us informed, Laura....we can be your support system! I know that it can be done, but you'll have to have cooperation and commitment from each member of the family.

IMO you need to know your *annual* costs for everything in your budget to average out the variables like bulk purchases and seasonal costs. Knowing what I spent for a month in November doesn't take into account that I bought a year's supply of toilet paper then or supplies for Thanksgiving dinner -- or that we all had the flu and ate only Jello for a week.

I just added up grocery store totals as they appear on my credit card statements for January - March. (I charge *everything*.) It's $215/week. We are two adults who rarely eat 'out'. DH is retired, so this is three meals a day plus 'teatime' for two trim adults.

These are the *totals* spent at four different grocery chains, plus Costco. I don't think there are any clothes, etc. in there, but there are paper goods, soaps, *wine* and other non-food items. We were on Maui two-thirds of that time, where almost everything runs 15 - 20% higher than at our home near Chicago.

In my annual budget I allow for "Groceries" at $9000/year -- around $185/week. That's more normal for us. (It is also less than we two pretty *healthy* Seniors have to spend on medical and dental costs. Ugh!)

We do a Sam's run every Saturday also. On this weeks list I have about 5-6 things that are not on sale in their weekly ad. I am buying a lot of BOGO items. This doesn't include paper goods. I haven't bought paper goods in about 6 months. Doesn't include personal items. The kids buy their own. I offer coupons to the kids for their personal items and they know that Walmart is the cheapest to get them at & they use the coupons I give them. Same goes for Tony and myself our toiletries are all bought at Walmart with coupons.

I have never budgeted my grocery shopping. My DH can probably tell you what we have spent on groceries from the day we got married~~he loves to keep a ledger of all expenses and can tell you when and where we ate on vacations;) Makes me nuts, but he has never said anything to me about spending~~I am thrifty and just buy what is needed and a few extras.

When our son moved out and it was just the 2 of us our grocery bill went way down~~boys eat so much, they graze all day.

I would guess that I spend $120-130 a week for us. My DH does a CostCo run once a month, I do not know how much he spends there. I do not like fussing about money. Maybe that is why he says nothing to me, I was a single parent for 12 years with one child did quite well on my own and do not need/want a man fussing with me about $$. I know what we have money wise and I know what I can spend~~

I shop Costco every two weeks, we average $150. I spend another $150 between Safeway and Walmart for everything.
So with a family of 4 now, $185 would be enough a week..including dog food and all toiletries and paper goods. But we likely spend about $225. ;)

Couldn't tell you - probably about $30.00.

As to the cost per person per day that someone spoke of ... 4 persons for 7 days equals 28 person-days, and when I divided $180 by 28 it didn't come to $15.00 per person per day ... is it my decrepitude catching up to me?

ole joyfuelled ... with some help from (cheap) groceries, pretty well daily (and garden produce, in season ... and later, via freezing)

I forgot the $3 day for our Westie's canned dog food -- the only food he can tolerate. I knew we 'did a good thing' when we rescued this puppy mill pup. I didn't know how 'good' it was going to be for our vet or the makers of prescription dog food for 14 years.

Wal-Mart is NOT the cheapest place for me to buy some things. I do better at Target and Kmart for many items, but then I do check other places, even Cost Plus can be cheaper. I don't eat out much any more either. But that is me. It also depends on the day of the week and the time of month. The first week is usually the highest.

2 adults, $50 a week. I rarely use coupons because I don't buy ready-made foods. I do buy canned tomatos, tomato sauce, Pepperidge Farm bread(.99cents a loaf) & dry pasta.

Safeway has $5 off $20, Just -For-U internet coupons about twice a month. I load DH's card & mine.

Purina One dry cat food has a $5 off coupon(I puchased more coupons on Ebay after I used the 1 I got in the mail).

My meal choices may be different than yours. For dinner last night we had pork roast w/ potatos/carrots/onions, with sour cream coffee cake for dessert. Tonight the roast is diced and made into green chili smothered over nachos.

I make 60 breakfast burritos at a time & freeze them for Dh's breakfast(or sausage-egg-a-muffins or croissant sandwiches). He puts one in the microwave every morning as he's leaving for work. I don't eat a big breakfast, I drink a Large Pero drink w/ hazelnut creamer & stevia, tastes to me like a Starbucks & toast w/ real butter. :0)

My style is VERY casual cooking.

Boy did we blow it yesterday!! Between Winn Dixie and Sam's Club we spent $400.00. But Tony was right there with me and approved of everything put in the buggy. I grossly underestimated the cost at Winn Dixie.by $75,00 and Tony bought some extra things at Sam's went $40.00 over there. I did stock up on lunch things though. I have 4 things of lunch meat in the freezer, a loaf of bread, tortillas to make quesadillas. for breakfast. Bought 6 boxes of cereal. All the cereal was BOGO, It was the roast that hurt me the most, it was $15.96, but I got 2 for that price, and they are boneless bottom round roasts.

Hopefully next week we will just have to buy a few things, like cokes, maybe some pork chops and produce. I don't buy hardly any processed food.

I don't keep track of my grocery expenses either (my bad,I guess). I DO pay attention to weekly fliers and buy those items in bulk such as chicken, pork loins, and ground beef and portion for our family and freeze. I generally only purchase fruits and veg that are in season. Packaged goods (crackers, cookies,cereal and rice mixes) tend to be pricey- try the generic and see if you like them.My more question for the OP, when you stated that you have 4 adults, does that mean 2 parents and 2 growing boys? 2 grandparents? They consume very different amounts.

In addition to looking at the costs, look at what you are buying, and how much may be excess volume, or just not good for you. Do you throw out a lot of food? Do you eat too much, or too much unhealthy 'food'? What part of your grocery bill goes for snacks?

I don't enter the grocery aisle with the flavored water, just-plain-water, carbonated water, sugar-water. Instead, we drink our delicious tap water -- and iced tea in summer.

I don't go down the aisle with the salt-laden and fried grain mush products (AKA chips and crackers). We have two favorite crackers that we buy in bulk at Costco; they are packaged in smaller sleeves so they don't get stale before we eat them.

I never visit the deli counter, and I don't buy pre-packaged sliced meats or cheese unless it is cheaper per pound than a hunk of ham or cheese. (So...NEVER!)

DH came home with a package of sliced ham last week that he said was 'cheaper' . Yes, the *package* was cheaper -- because it was only six ounces. (Would you pay $8/lb. for boiled ham if you knew you'd eat -- or could freeze -- a larger amount that's $5/lb., and better quality?)

I won't buy pork products at our local Jewel because they only sell Hormel -- all injected, to make it 'tender'. Yuck.

My pay grade isn't high enough to keep me from buying in bulk and spending time freezing two-person portions of chops, chicken parts, muffins, whatever.

I used to buy, cook and serve way too much meat. We are not (and do not want to be) still 'growing', nor do we do manual labor. Eight ounces of beef is twice what we need per serving. Same with sweets. DH and I had 'middle aged spread' until we readjusted portions -- and I started skipping those aisles with the poison food and drink. We still have *some* sweets -- in small amounts. We eat less sugar, salt, high-fat and cured meat, and bakery products.

Can you circle all the non-essentials in your store tallies and consider where to start your family's 'weaning'? You might eliminate some things, or just limit the amounts.

The 4 adults are DS(age 21) DD(age 19) DH & myself. I oh and DD's boyfriend that eats with us most nights. I do stock up on sale items. I have enough meat to do the meals for next week. No I don't throw out much food. Take last nigh for example there were 5 of us so I cooked 5 chicken breasts, We ate everything I had cooked so no leftovers. I would say that probably 1/4 of our grocery bill goes for snacks. But most of them go into lunch boxes(2 right now & hopefully 3 soon). I don't do the deli counter either, unless they have a very good sale. I guess we eat a lot of unhealthy food like chips & cokes(this means all carbonated drinks, not just coke-cola) We buy water at Sam's.

I know we need to cut back on non essentials but my family would protest too much.

I spend about $175/200 but that is for closer to 2 weeks and includes everything ..paper goods etc..I usually have to pick up a few items to finish out the 2 weeks, but I think I am a savvy shopper and food just doesn't go to waste in my kitchen. There are no leftovers never get thrown away and always come back in some other form..DH doesn't always even know he is wafting leftovers.

Is there a problem with your tap water? If you put a pitcher of it in the fridge to chill, would you drink it instead of pop?

Do you open a container of chips and eat out of the container? Could you take out a *portion*, then re-shelve the container before you eat any? You'll eat fewer things that are not out in plain sight or that require some effort to reach. Do you eat *only* in the kitchen or dining area?

Yup, change is hard! Could you save *towards some goal*? Write down the cost of stuff you didn't buy on a shopping trip and put the money in a clear glass piggy bank -- in the kitchen!

Why aren't adult children contributing to the budget?
If DH had to "approve" every item in my buggy, he'd be doing the shopping! LOL

It's kind of amusing to see what some allow in their home and what others think is "not okay".

I make a lot from scratch, but I also buy things that I could and often do make, if time is short.

So our food shopping does fluctuate.

We spent $165 at Costco Sat, however that included 2 mo of dog food at $31. That is for 2 weeks.

Laura, I think menu planning helps a lot. You are already doing that. So it's more of the fact that your house hold consumes more in a day..I find our grocery bill increases in the summer or on breaks from school due to the fact that most of us are home all day and the food is readily available.

As one of my Mother's Day presents my DS did an inventory of what we had in the big freezer. Then I checked the list for next week and we have everything we need meat wise and some of the produce and side dishes and I have hardly anything to left to buy.

rhizo reminded me. The one who wanted the bill trimmed was always the one causing it to skyrocket. Leave him home. KIDDING!

Ok, so I'd do it differently. I would keep two month's (that's eight or nine weeks) worth of receipts before finding an average. Most of the things in our house rotate. One month we need them, the next we don't.

If you really want to get down to brass tacks, and you have always bought groceries with a bank card, check the statments over a year's period and average them. You could do that without even leaving the comfort of your home.

And add whatever percent you think is right for inflation for this year's bill. It usually isn't a lot. I might up it 1 or 2%.

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The bigger problem comes when someone lives there this year that didn't last year. If it was two adults and now it's three, I'd find that same average from the last year. Then, I'd divide it by two. Then multiply it by three for the total. For each person you add it is going to cost more. Seems like you have an addition to your household is why I am telling you this.