I have talked about my anal grocery shopping numerous times before especially in this post which forever doomed Kim to be lovingly known as the “Budget Nazi”. Back then we were spending $135 a month on one person’s meals. Granted we do budget for eating out approximately twice a month (usually limited to $50 for the two of us) but there have been times when we got by on less.
On CNN there is a video segment (above) that talks about one CNN reporter living on $176 for the month. He gave a quick rundown of how he ran the experiment including stating that he wasn’t taking food from friends, family, or utilizing freebie meals anywhere. He was living all within that budget. He went on to say just how difficult it was for him to do this and how he had to buy things on sale (gasp!) and buy “knock-off” items (oh no!) to stay within the budget. At the end of the segment he noted that a lot of people contacted CNN stating that people live on a lot less every month and that he should feel lucky he got that much. I agree. Fuck, we have jobs and pay our own way and yet we routinely spend less than what he did on groceries for a month and eat just fine.
So, being that CNN feels that $176 isn’t enough money for one person to eat for a month, I want to know how much all of you spend on groceries in a month. Do you feel that $176/month for one person is easy or difficult to meet? Do you even budget or pay attention to your grocery bills every month?
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March 2nd, 2009 at 8:37 am
My best educated guess is that we spend, for us and the newish baby, about $250/month on groceries. Suck on that CNN.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
I think it depends on how much time you’re willing to invest in shopping. If I spend the time to match coupons to the ads I spend significantly less than if I just “wing it” while shopping (selecting which brandsize/quantity while I’m shopping).
I think the outcome of this piece might vary according to sponsorship/advertising of the network. Anyone care to do a little digging and find out if CNN is related to any major food chains? I’m guessing a report that came back “It was easy to only spend $176 for groceries! I used coupons and sales and had money left over!” wouldn’t be very popular to any advertisers that have a stake in how much we spend at the grocery store.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:00 am
When averaged out over the course of a year, we’re somewhere in the $300-400 a month range for a family of five.
We enjoy most of our fruit, vegetables and coffee from the CSA (organic, direct from farm), and now our beef directly from a farm. We eat very well by most peoples’ standards.
The notion that you need to clip coupons, buy generics all the time and eat crappy foods to lower your grocery bill is laughable, in my opinion.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I figure that I (we) spend on average $400/month on groceries for three people.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Hard to say because we always have diapers and other crap in the bill. That and we both usually eat at the cafeteria at work on weekdays. I know that adds up, but I just don’t care or don’t want to think about it. I’m pretty frugal with just about everything else, but I am not at all when it comes to food. We don’t go to expensive resturants very often, but other than that we eat er up good. What else are you going to do with the money…put it into a house or a 401k??? ;) I say drink the wine (beer for me). Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Anyway….maybe about $120 a week at the grociery store for us and the little dude?
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 am
As a single guy I could easily spend less than $176 per month on groceries. I usually spend more because I enjoy good food and tend to splurge on food often. If push came to shove though, I could cut my spending to well under $176.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:20 am
I tend to splurge a bit on food and save on other items because I enjoy food so much, but $176 wouldn’t be a difficult budget to meet.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
i hate to say this, but i don’t know!! our larder is well stocked!! i make weekly or sometimes daily runs to cub or target wasteland, whoops, super target, stock up from sams, but i haven’t kept track!! shame on me i guess.
bb
March 4th, 2009 at 8:05 am
I’m following this discussion with a great deal of interest. I would really like to know what you folks are buying on your weekly/monthly trips to the market. Do you buy any prepared or packaged foods? Is all of your cooking done from scratch? What do you do for packed lunches? I spend on average of about $120 a week for two of us. That includes fresh organic produce, organic meats, some packaged and prepared items and any household items needed and pet food. Reading here it seem to me that I must be doing something wrong. :) I am really interested in hearing what others are actually purchasing and where all the greats deals are.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Tearitup,
Even though I’d love to do all organic it’s just not happening this year. We won’t be doing the CSA again this year due to budget cutbacks and ROI and due to cost in the grocery stores we won’t be doing that either.
I purchase very little prepackaged meals. Kim likes to get tuna packs (tuna, mayo, relish, crackers, mint) and we usually throw a few frozen pizzas in the freezer when they’re on sale (when they are $3/ea or less). Aside from that I buy all my meat on sale and usually when it’s B1G1. Kim recently requested that we eat steak on semi-regular basis so I utilize Von Hanson’s frozen sirloin steak packages (8 to 10 steaks for $23).
Dog food is about $19/month for what Buddy has been happily eating for 4.5 years.
I buy vegetables at the grocery stores after checking what’s on sale through the circulars that I pickup ahead of time or via http://groceryguide.com We do a lot of frozen vegetables in the winter and to replace the missing CSA veggies from last summer, I am going to do my best to get out to the Farmer’s Market downtown and in AV to get some money into local produce without having to go through the middle man first.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Well, your spending money on high quality food, there is no way you can keep it under $176. That’s why most of us say it would be easy to do, but that we don’t actually keep under that amount. If you wanted to keep under the $176 budget, you have to go with processed and prepackaged foods.
I also think most of us are not including things like household items and pet food in our amounts. If I just include food I probably spend about $35-$40 per week on me alone. My box lunch is very minimal though, PB&J, a piece of fruit, and cottage cheese or yogurt. That keeps my cost low.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:34 am
We usually go every other week and drop anywhere from 40-75 dollars and maybe 80 every other month at sam’s club. so 120-200 a month for two of us?
We eat a LOT of chicken and have no pets. My husband eats two pbj’s, (no he’s not 7) an apple and baby carrots for lunch 4 days a week and goes out on Fridays. I don’t work, so I don’t eat out. And when I am working, I bring a homemade pasta salad, usually. School lunch is not for adults.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
My meals for work consist of:
Yogurt (bought on sale at Rainbow who usually has 10 for $4 or $5)
Cereal (I used to buy Kashi but it’s just too fucking expensive now)
Toast
Sandwich or leftovers
Salad
Pretzels
All pretty darn cheap.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Thanks you guys. That is the kind of info I was looking for. I haven’t been to Von Hansen’s in a long time. My perception is that they were expensive. I will need to revisit that. With the current economic situation and just in general really, I am looking for ways to cut back on the grocery budget. (As I’m sure a lot of people are.) It seems to me the best way to do that is going to be to buy produce from the farmers market when I can and use local vendors for things like meat, eggs, etc. I probably need to shop at more than one market too and I have been resistant to do that. I don’t like the idea of driving from market to market. We pack lunches everyday for work. Mine is about in line with yours Bill and the hubs has sandwiches. Groceries are just plain expensive. I am usually surprised by what I get for my money and not in a good way.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:36 am
While MSPD doesn’t believe you should have to clip coupons to save money on groceries, I 100% disagree. It not only helps you save money while you’re at the store, it helps you to plan out your meals (at least in general) in advance so that you’re not getting to the store and buying a bunch of extra shit you don’t need. While in theory it would be nice if I could get by with the same amount of food for two weeks if I didn’t clip coupons, it just wouldn’t happen–at least not at the level I’ve become accustomed to shopping at.
I had someone tell me that shopping no more than twice a month is the best way to go as you’re less likely to pick up the “little extras” that you’re very likely to do when you’re going much more frequently.
Good luck Tearitup.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Now I will admit that this takes some practice and cooking skills, but I run counter to the “you have to stick to a list” technique.
Bill, the way I avoid coupons is to simply buy what’s on sale at any given point in time. A lot of times, I go to the store and see pork chops on sale, 50% off. Most people married to lists and coupons would pass by if it’s not on their list. Me…I buy a couple packages and implement a meal plan around what’s cheap at the time or I shove them in the freezer. Not only do I not clip coupons, but I get dozens of items on sale that would never even have coupons.
Instead of limiting myself to the things that have coupons, I’m free to buy whatever is the best bargain at that moment. I know I can cook good meals using whatever I find.
**I’m not saying coupons are bad at all.** To ME, they are unnecessarily limiting and inconvenient but I admit, I care much more about food, shopping and cooking than most people.
But this is also why I argue that Byerly’s can be just as economical as any other place, if you know what you’re doing. Byerly’s always has things on sale, and often really good sales to boot. I know it’s not possible for everyone, but I always encourage people to look beyond the supposed “rules” if it works for them. There are a lot of different ways to save money.
The last two days, I fed my family of five nutritious, whole-foods centric dinners for a COMBINED $20 by centering around a Byerly’s rotisserie chicken that was on sale. (This includes saving the carcass and boiling down to stock). Each meal took no more than 10 minutes from start to plate and included dairy, fruit/vegetables (multiple servings), whole grains and protein.
On a similar note, a few weeks back we bought a 1/4 cow…over 100 pounds of beef for less than $2.00 per pound. Even for just the ground beef and roasts, that’s a significant monthly savings.
As others have mentioned, I didn’t factor in dog food — we buy one of those 50 lb. bags a month I think. I don’t really pay attention to that.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:26 am
A lot of times, I go to the store and see pork chops on sale, 50% off. Most people married to lists and coupons would pass by if it’s not on their list.
You miss my point entirely. My list is created by what’s on sale. I know before I walk into any given store what’s on sale by picking up their circular or utilizing the Internet’s vast store of that information. So unless that particular meat item is on some hidden sale, I’m going to know about it.
a few weeks back we bought a 1/4 cow
If I had the space for that (we won’t until we move out of our current digs in 5+ years if/when the market recovers) we would do the same.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
I have been using coupons for stuff that I would normally be purchasing anyway. I have also used a few of the in-store coupons at Cub. I don’t mind using coupons if it makes sense with what I need/want to buy. I will keep checking this post to see what strategies others have come up with as well. Thanks for the timely content Bill.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
“My list is created by what’s on sale. I know before I walk into any given store what’s on sale by picking up their circular or utilizing the Internet’s vast store of that information.”
I guess if you have that kind of time, that’s probably a great solution. I don’t. But I don’t disagree that it’s a good tactic for people.
How about if I restate my position to be more accurate: The idea that one has to sacrifice time, quality and health (as most mainstream media and popular opinion would suggest) to eat on the cheap isn’t true for everyone.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I guess the 30 to 45 mins I spend planning my grocery shopping every two weeks is worth saving 150 to 200 dollars. YMMV.
March 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
I wish I had 30-45 minutes free to DO the shopping! ;-)
March 4th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Grocery posts are a popular topic around here.
I plan my weekly menu based on what we have in the freezer, and supplement with diffferent things. Since I’m the pickiest eater ever, it’s usually vegetarian or chicken. Which is cheap. We basically stock up on chicken and keep going.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
dm, unless something crazy happens, it’ll be my last one for a while–I promise.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Combining sales with coupons can get you products for free or near free. If you happen to have a store coupon (issued by Cub, for instance) and you also have a manufacturer’s coupon you can use both legally.
For example, I love those Laughing Cow cheese wedges but they are kind of spendy. Recently Cub had them on sale for one price and also offered a store coupon making them 2/$5. On the display there were manufacturer’s couons for $.55 off one so I grabbed 2 coupons and paid $3.90 for 2 or $1.95 each…still not cheap but it is something that we’ve worked into the grocery list because I’m picky and a pain in the ass.
I get almost all of my cleaning and health & beauty supplies at Walgreens and CVS using their sales/promotions combined with manufacturer’s coupons. If I can get it cheaper somewhere else, I will, but I pay very little out of pocket for cleaning and health & beauty supplies.
March 10th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I’m with MSPD. Buy what’s on sales, cook everything from scratch, skip the processed stuff – that’s my strategy. We have a big freezer, so that helps for stocking up on sale items.
We go to different stores, depending upon the ad specials. We hit Trader Joe’s about once a month, combining that trip with other errands/entertainment in the city.
Byerly’s does have some good deals…
Bill, the Kashi is pricey these days. Try making some homemade granola – really really yummy.
March 10th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I stopped by Cub on Sat to pick up a couple things we were short on at home. It was not a planned trip, more of a honey do chore on the way home from a movie. I picked up the Cub add at the door and pulled two coupons out of it for things I was there to get. Does not always happen that way, but this time it did.
One pound of Grapes free. Buy 1/2 pound of turkey, get 1/2 pound free. Overall my bill was $28 before coupons, $21 dollars after the coupons. I saved 7 bucks for approx 2 minutes of work.
Normally we buy the early sunday eddition of the paper, grab the coupons and go through them Sunday morning over coffee. Our normal savings on a $200 to $250 shopping trip is 15 to 25%. I would say total time spent on it is 10 minutes per week, and total cost is a Sunday paper each week. We have a cool little coupon organizer, and as we go through the store, the coupons come out of the organizer and go in one of our pockets. At the register, there is no holdup at all. The coupons in the pocket match the items in the cart.
It makes no difference to me if other people use Coupons or not, but I would say we save $60 to $100 per month this way, and the only real change to our habits was flipping through the coupons instead of the funny pages on Sunday Morning.
April 10th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
We live on $150. for groceries, HBA, cat food, for kitty, over the counter meds a month. We stockpile when items are on sale using coupons at the same time to get food Free or for pennies. We eat a variety of meats- not just chicken and ground meat. I stocked on ham steaks when they were Free with Target coupons. I just brought them home and froze them. her is the picture and how I did it on my blog:
http://frugalmakescents.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-target-run-and-walgreens.html
April 11th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
This thread is making me strongly consider using coupons going forward. I’ve seldom done it in the past, because I didn’t think it was worth the effort, but it looks like I was wrong. Plus it could get me to try some things I otherwise might not.
April 11th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Store coupons can be valuable – for produce, meat, and dairy. National coupons are usually for Processed Garbage.
It strikes me that dollars spent on groceries are not a true picture of the food dollar unless the money spent on takeout and restaurant meals is considered.
We eat breakfast from home every day (including a fresh fruit smoothie), take our lunches, and only occasionally eat out (since the kid went to college $$$) . So we naturally spend more on groceries. Like MSPD, we eat very well.
Here’s a question – who likes to cook and what do you cook?
April 26th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Strange. I’m the opposite of everyone on this board. Most of the time I don’t use coupons or the circulars, because what’s typically on sale in my area is the stuff I don’t eat anyway (red meat, milk, packaged stuff, and varieties of fruit that I mostly detest). One thing that I have found pretty helpful is to go to Big Lots and other closeout stores for great deals on canned goods and spices, but I make sure that the items I’m purchasing are items that I use often.
My budget is $150 a month, and I stick to it with pretty good success. I am single with one cat (whose dry food and litter I buy in bulk at Costco), and I can’t remember the last time I ate out.
I do mostly “from scratch” cooking. I generally makes large pots of soups and freeze them into serving-size portions, especially in the winter. Veggie burgers are as pre-packaged as it gets. And I would say that I don’t consume much meat anyway, and instead do more poultry, eggs, frozen fish, canned kipper (great omega-3 rich snack!), and try tofu and bean dishes about twice a week. Frozen veggies keep longer, but if you need to purchase fresh, by all means, purchase some of those Green Bags to preserve them longer in your fridge.
But this is the stuff that I like to eat anyway. I don’t feel deprived not having red meat or lots of cheese on hand. I think I eat pretty well.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but in summer try those “pick your own” deals at local farms. That is perhaps the most economical way to get your hands on fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, peas, squash, etc. (And it’s a fun day trip for the kids, too!) Freezing and canning your vegetables will give you a stock that might last you through the winter months when they’re not available in season–it just takes some time.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:50 am
I have no idea how. I spend that much just in organic meat and fish. Usually it is these two that blow up my budget. I come out of our local butcher with stuff for maybe 2 weeks with a bill of about 80$. We eat well. We’re just two but I’m pregnant.
I also buy organic milk, cheese, eggs, yogurts, produce, anything animal or vegetable is organic. Organic is very expensive but I refuse to buy animal and produce from Wallmart, sorry.
Anything non eatable, Wallmart is definitely the way to go.
I could not possibly live with yogurt and baby carrots at lunch every single day. I also do not eat meat every single day, I just don’t understand how is possible to have these budgets without sacrificing your health.
I will look into the buying directly from a farm option as a poster noted.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I spend about $50/two weeks on organic/free range meat and eggs. If you buy in larger quantities you’ll save even more. Know your farmer and see what it can do for you.
As far as “sacrificing my health,” for the price we pay–everyone lives in a different area and has a different standard of what “organic” means (and no, certified organics aren’t the only organic standards which you should support) but we get by just fine on our budget and still eat VERY healthy.