Questions on food budgets

[nobodyspecial]

How much do you spend on food per month and for how many people?

Has your bill gone up much in the past year?

Have you changed your buying habits?

Do you use coupons?

How much do you spend per month eating out?

Do you grow your own food?

[Raven]

1. Trying to stay under $150 for me and the 2 dogs and 1 cat. I have

changed my buying habits because I realized that I wasted a lot of food, I cut coupons, I seldom eat out and I grow my own veggies. I loved walking right through the produce section without stopping all summer!

PS: Sometimes coupons can be a trap because they tempt you to buy something you don't need or more of something you do need.

[Retrograde]

2. You need to add another question

"Where do you live?" since food prices can vary greatly throughout the country.

I'm in a high cost of living area, but we do have good produce. I'm not sure how much I spend for food - does wine count? - but it seems stable. However, I've stopped buying almost all prepared and packaged foods. I don't use coupons (since they're mostly for brand-name packaged stuff anyway), try to grow some vegetables when the weather cooperates. We go out for lunch once or twice a week, usually $10 per person.

[Denninmi]

3. Around $300 a month.

3 adults and a 70 lb dog that eats as much as 2 of the adults do.

Staples/basics have certainly gone up, meat, flour, sugar, toilet paper, that sort of thing.

Not really changed, because we've always been really careful, frugal shoppers. I have been stocking up on non-perishables when I find a really good buy, though. For example, one local store recently had bonus sized Ajax dish soap for 89 cents net price for a 40 ounce bottle -- I bought 22 bottles. Something I would have done before, just doing it more-so now if its a really good buy.

Coupons, always have. But coupons aren't as good as they used to be, fewer of them and they expire quickly now.

Eating out -- NADA. We eat out maybe once or twice a year, and perhaps once a month, on average, will pick up something quick and cheap on the way home if we don't have time to cook, usually Chinese.

Grow my own. Absolutely, and lots of it. Big garden, fruit trees, bees, chickens, etc. Very rewarding and emotionally satisfying as well.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. we have five plus the dog and the cat in our home

we try to limit our total 'eating budget' (includes eating out) to $1200/month. it isn't always easy to stay there as we do most of our eating at home and prepare almost everything from fresh (little prepared foods or canned) but we have done pretty well.

our budget has not changed but we consistently get closer to that number. we have been buying more generics when we do have canned or prepared foods. coupons abound and we do wait for sales on meat. we grow a little food, mainly tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas and we just got our fall crops ready like broccoli and cauliflower.

sP

[closeupready]

5. Rough estimate: $400 per month.

Yes, that has gone way up.

I haven't changed my buying habits much except I buy more at Costco now.

I don't really use coupons, as I don't each much prepared/processed food.

Not much one to eat out - I would guess $100/month.

I do not grow my own food. I think even if I had a garden, I wouldn't have time to tend the plants, though it SOUNDS like fun.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. 5 people, $150 a week

and we eat GOOD. Occasionally we order Chinese if Gram insists, otherwise we don't eat out at all.

Total has actually been dropping but that's because I've finally trained Dad to QUIT BUYING STUFF! lol

1 shopping trip per week, at the local employee owned Winco. I have a list in hand, and menu in head and I don't buy anything not on the list unless it's a really good buy. No coupons usually, most of the stuff we buy is raw or bulk.. not many coupons out there for that stuff.

I have time to cook from scratch, so I've stopped buying things in boxes. The garden sucks this year because of the short, cold season, but we've had peas and beans in abundance. fall garden will go in soon.. root crops and greens mostly.

[nobodyspecial]

7. You are an amazing shopper!

What are some of your biggest secrets? Do you eat meat?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. We eat too much meat!

the 'boys' are 20 and 21.. and still have the appetites of teenagers, and high on the protein.

So I do things like roasting a 20lb ($20) turkey every few weeks. That's two full dinners, plus sandwich meat for a week or so. the carcass gets boiled down, add the bits leftover and some vegies and noodles for another meal.

save bits of meat leftovers in the freezer, from roasts, pork chops, chicken.. throw it all together with spices and simmer for a few hours on the stove- taco night is always a hit.

I love my breadmachine! whole-wheat, oat and flax bread for less than a dollar a loaf

I've got a pot of split pea and ham soup on the stove (made with a leftover ham bone and turkey stock) that cost me about $3. Half will go in the freezer for another full meal (add cornbread and fresh corn for about $2 more)

Planning out meals and ways to use the leftovers has seemed to save me the most, along with having the time to cook from scratch, which I've never had before :)

[Abq_Sarah]

8. 2 adults + 3 dogs = $500

The dogs alone are about $150 per month.

We eat low carb so it's mostly meat (lots of hamburger/whole chickens and pork), full fat dairy, non starchy veggies and berries if I can get them on sale. Prices have really shot up over the last year.

[Cairycat]

9. Probably $450 a month for 2 adults and 2 teen boys

Yes, it seems like every week another necessity has gone up, and bills are higher the last couple years.

I've never used coupons much - usually less processed food and store brands are a better deal.

We try to keep the eating out money very minimal, but do go to restaurants if we're out of town.

My biggest help in holding expenses down is to plan meals. My biggest challenge with that is planning easy yet economical meals for when I realistically know I won't feel like cooking.

[bhikkhu]

11. Two adults, 2 teen girls - $140 per month or less

Usually the sunday grocery bill is about $110, but then there's always a few things I pick up during the week on top of that.

For a very long time it was about $100-120 a week, but its crept up over the past couple of years, There has certainly been some "substitution" as well, switching to less expensive things. We go to a local store with good prices, and we don't buy expensive meats or wine or anything fancy. I try to get basic ingredients to cook basic healthy meals, which saves some money as well.

I haven't ever used coupons, and we don't eat out at all - once you get used to good food and good cooking, its very hard to enjoy the cheaper restaurants and fast food.

We usually have a big garden and fresh veggies, but this year winter dragged on, and spring was so cold we never got started...plans for "bigger and better" next year though.

[nobodyspecial]

13. I'm confused

You have $140 per month in your post subject and then you put $110 a week.

For fast food, I think you have to eat it enough for the addiction cravings to set in. Other than Subway or Panera, I don't think I've eaten fast food in nearly a decade. It tastes gross and way too salty to me.

[bhikkhu]

14. Sorry - $140 a week - my mistake

...there would be a local rebellion if I tried to squeeze it much tighter than that.

Subway is about the only place I like to eat out too (no Panera here), though that's only if we have to, maybe once a month in summer if we're out and very hungry.

[nobodyspecial]

15. For me, it's like a blue moon

I'm very poor. I hear what some people spend on eating out at one meal and that's more than I spend in a month.

[MissB]

12. $450 for four people

It's hard to answer some of your questions because we are transitioning from eating animal products. I still spend about the same but I buy more fresh veggies and fruit.

I cook a lot from scratch, not many prepackaged stuff. I rarely use coupons because they tend to be for stuff we don't eat or use. I buy lots of bulk from the regular grocery store.

I set aside $50 a week for eating out/entertainment. So we might order out for Chinese food, or we might go to a movie. With four people, that means one or the other, though we don't always eat out or go to a movie.

We also take lunches and eat breakfasts at home.

The prices of staples has gone up, but we have also dropped some staples from our budget. I also keep a pantry that could feed us for two months.

[RebelOne]

16. I spend about $300 a month for me and 2 dogs.

Yes, my bill has gone up a bit in the past year.

I did not change my buying habits. I am a vegetarian and like to eat organic foods and frozen vegetarian entrees, which are more expensive. But I do buy ground turkey for my dogs.

I use coupons for the items that I buy frequently.

Don't eat out and don't ever get fast food.

No, I do not grow any food, as I do not have a green thumb. I can't even keep a house plant alive.

[Shagbark Hickory]

17. ~$400/1*. Yes. Yeah- in 2008. No. Avg ~$30. No. *Not incl dog food N/T