Do You Have a Grocery Budget?
I received this email from reader, Anna:
“I was just thinking it would be very interesting to hear from others on what their grocery budget is and the size of the family and how easy it is to stick to it.”
I think this is an interesting topic to discuss. Why? Well, first I think it’s very important to hear others grocery budgets and how every single one will most likely differ– which is a good thing. We all lead different lives and should have a grocery budget that fits our lifestyle…. NOT someone else’s.
I think sometimes we see how low others grocery budgets are and want to somehow be in their shoes… but by thinking that way you will easily be setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, be proud of yourself for every single dollar you’re able to save and be even prouder for trying to stick to a budget at all.
My hubby and I love the cash only approach to budgeting– meaning paying with cash as much as possible. We take out $75 every Sunday for groceries, personal care items, and anything else we made need during the week (excluding dining out, entertainment, and gas). This is the amount that works for us and I feel great about being able to stick to the $75 cash we take out every week. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve gone over budget on previous occasions. When this happens, though, we try and scrimp in other areas to get back on track.
Alright, so now it’s your turn…. do you have a weekly or monthly grocery budget? If so, please tell us about your budget and why it works for you. What items do you feel you spend too much on? What keeps you motivated to stick with a budget? Let us know!
forgot to say- we are a fam of 4.
before couponing i spent 588.00 a month groceries.. i started couponing in oct. but i was buying stuff put in christmas baskets and for cooking so i started couponing a little and got down to 466 a month and stayed at that for a couple of months built a great stock pile that i add to every week..i am now down to spending $30-60 a week for groceries, bathroom stuff, cleaning, dogs, (we have 3 and 2 litters right now) 2 kids with 1 in diapers..and games and toys..
i could never go back to shopping with out coupons
we are a family of 4
At the beginning of the month we set aside $200 for groceries. This includes drugstore expenses as well as an occasional lunch out after church. We have a family of three, myself, my husband and a 20 year old son. At the end of February and March I had money left over, $60 & $40 respectively. This money is then used in anyway we want. Sometimes for other bills and sometimes for special groceries that don’t seem to go on sale or have coupons. My husband loves to experiment with his cooking so odd items are bought with this extra money.
I try to only spend 100.00 a week and that is for a family of 5, including a teenager boy, 4 yr boy, 2 yr boy in diapers/pull-ups and hubby. This consist of food/cleaning products and anything else. (except for eating out and gas) I also try to buy birthday/christmas gifts with this $$ too. This week working on the easter baskets.
I have a family of 5 (three little kids – 1 in diapers and 1 in pull-ups at night) and tried to have a $50 a week budget because I saw so many blogs where that was everyones budget. While I could do it, I found that I wasn’t able to stockpile everything I wanted and still have all the fresh produce. So I changed to $75 a week and that is so much better for my family! Now I am able to stock up with the great sales and still have the fresh goodies. I don’t always have to spend the entire $75 and feel much better about being under the budget amount than over! It is so true that everyones familys are different and need different budgets!!
I wish I was as good as you!
Wow! I am thoroughly impressed with everyone and would really like to learn more about how people are able to do this! You all are my heros!!!
I’ve only been couponing for 1+ month. Before I was spending around $200/wk. Now my budget is $100/wk and I’ve been able to stick to it, which for me that’s great. We are a family of 5, 2 in diapers, and I would love to get that budget even lower.
Jamie,
As your stockpile grows over the next few months, you will be able to gradually lower your weekly budget. Those who are spending $50, $40, or $30 a week are able to do so because they “shop” their stockpile, not the store. My budget of $40 goes towards produce, milk, and items for my stockpile. Hope that helps!
Our grocery budget is for a family of 5 which includes a 2 1/2 year old, 14 and 15 year olds (they tend to eat alot). Anyway we budget $400 to $450 a month. This includes my couponing stock ups and incidentals. However we recently purchased a freezer to start stocking up on frozen goods and purchased a ton of meat from the butcher so I think our budget needs to be adjusted down. We usually stick to our budget within 10-20 dollars. I just started stockpiling and hope that in the next month or two I can be down to $300 a month or less.
We spent $25 on meat every month and about $20 on everything else every month!
i have been couponing for several months, and have a good bit stockpiled, but i tend to make several trips to the store during the week, afraid i am going to miss out on a sale. i like the idea of getting a certain amount on meat and then a certain amount for the groceries i buy with coupons. i am going to try that. i certainly buy alot with coupons for next to nothing, but i am not sure overall how much i am saving on actual groceries. we are a family of five, me, my hubby and two five year old girls, and for a short while out 28 year old son.
I am really bad with groceries… we are a family of 4 and the lowest I’ve ever gotten our grocery bill is $150/week. But reading all these posts have definitely inspired me, specially to use the only cash approach.
I too throw away a lot of coupons and I feel really bad about it. I only use certain brands and most of what we eat I make from scratch (even snacks) so I end up throwing away good coupons for cereal, Pillsbury products and a bunch of other packaged foods. I’ve always wondered if there was some way to donate them or do a coupon exchange program or something. Does anybody have any ideas?
There are some blogs that have the information to send coupons overseas to military families stationed over there. They are able to use manufacter coupons up to 6 months past the expiration date.
Some grocery stores have counters where you can leave coupons and take coupons.
What my neighbor and I just started doing is Monday we take all of our inserts and trade coupons. Our families have different needs so it works for us and then more coupons are getting used.
I would love information on donating coupons to military. Would you email me the link at ashleyflach@gmail.com ? I would really appreciate it. I didn’t find it when I googled for it.
I donate my expired coupons to military families overseas. It’s called the Overseas Coupon Program (ocp.htm)
i give the coupons i don’t use to our local library or thrift stores…they both have boxes that you can put them in and also help yourself to any if you want!! i really like this cause if i think of something i once had a coupon for but am out of them i often go check these places and most times find at least one…
I love this because we only have the commissary to shop since we are stationed in Germany. While I can buy my produce on the economy, I can’t buy my American items anywhere else. The coupon program works so well for me! Thanks for sending them!
Don’t feel bad about not using coupons or letting them expire! Many seasoned couponers will agree that they only use a fraction of the coupons they collect. Remember that using a coupon on a product you won’t use is wasting money, not saving money! Donating them is a wonderful idea.
As far as your spending goes, I would encourage you to try the stockpile method. It takes a little time and organization, but eventually you can plan most of your meals around what you have on hand. I too cook mostly from scratch, so I stock up when flour, canned tomatoes, and other staples are really inexpensive. What a difference it makes! Our weekly budget for our family of 5 is $40 a week, which is mostly for produce, milk and stockpile items.
We have a family of 5 and we spend about $600 a month on groceries. That includes all food, tolietries, baby items we need for the month. That is our budget, but many times with coupons I can get it under that. Any $ I save on coupons I transfer to the savings account after I shop.
For the two of us, we spend about $70 per week just on food (plus eating out about once a week). We eat very little processed food and probably about 80% organic, so our food budget is probably a little higher than some. I use coupons from the Whole Foods coupon book, and some coupons I find online or get directly from the companies. Pairing coupons with a sale, I can get some really good deals. We also like to shop at farmers markets, and freeze organic produce ourselves in the summer which helps save money too. We’ve cut down in other areas (like no cable tv) so we can spend more on good food.
We are a family of seven, I try to stay around 400 a month. For food and personal items,
We have a large stock pile of stuff so we dont have to buy much. And I have 3 in pampers, And I try to spend less then 50 a month on pampers. I use to spend over 800 on grocerys a month and nearly 100 on pampers. I love saving money!!!! Thanks Hip 2 save
wow that is wonderful!!!
We are a family of 8 and have a $450/month grocery only budget. I have another $40 in my budget for laundry items and toiletries. We have such a stock pile of toiletries that I now only buy things that cost just pennies or are completely free.
As for our grocery budget, I wish I could save more, but produce is so expensive. I live in an area that doesn’t get many coupons and that doesn’t have spectacular sales. I do try to buy markdowns when possible, especially with milk. I have learned that if I find a gallon of milk at my local grocery store that is 2-3 days away from the sell by date, the dairy manager will give it to me for 99 cents. We go through a LOT of milk in this house.
I recently started the Cash Only approach. I am a sucker for deals, and I would go out and buy things…things that I didn’t necessarily need, or need to spend the money on. Now I take out $100 a week. This buys our groceries, toiletries, canned drinks (I’m a diet-coke-a-holic), diapers, etc. If I have a tab for this in my “store accordion”, then it gets taken out of the $100 (Drugstores, Grocery Stores, Target). If the money runs out, I don’t buy any more. If I have money leftover it gets put in savings. This works SO much better for us. I’m hoping to work it down less than that over time, but for now, I think $100 per week is great. Its still WAY less than I was spending before couponing!
I am a SAHM of 3( ages 7,5,and 2. ) and my husband is in the military, so keeping a budget is very important for us. I try to budget 250 including household supplies around the first of the month and another 240 on the 15th. with that I have managed to slash around 40 dollars each trip to the COMMISSARY.
My hubby and I have 7 kids 6 boys (that all tower over us at 6 ft on up) and one girl (don’t feel to bad for her she came 3rd in the line up and has held her own pretty darn well…hee hee hee). Their ages are 21. 20, 19, 18, 17, 15 , and 11 and they all still live at home. With the economy how it is I only have one working kid and I have 4 others looking daily. My budget before my hubby got laid off in Aug last year was non existent, we would spend EASILY $350.00 to $500.00 in food and such in a WEEK…uggg and I didn’t think couponing was for me. I couldn’t be bothered. Even after he was laid off and unemployment kicked in, I would still toss my coupon inserts and our budget had to go to $140.00 or less a week. That is the amount left over once we pay a bill with the other portion. My hubby started looking at the sale papers and we would plan a route to shopping. We stuck a cooler in our trunk and we would hit the stores. (Food 4 Less, Albertsons, Vons, Smart N Final, Wal Mart, then last Smiths) I still didn’t use coupons but managed to feed my family of 10 (my mom is disable and lives with us also) we were so proud of ourselves and all I could think of is the money I wasted for the last 3 years by not shopping ads. NOW, holy cow, armed with coupons I still spend about $140.00+ but I get wayyyy more stuff and I spend next to nothing on non edible things which means we get some fun stuff on occasion for the kids to snack on.
Your site has helped me to stay away from being on food stamps, which in the beginning of Feb we thought we would have to do. I am proud to say we are still self sufficient and haven’t used the state to help us in anyway.
ONE last thing the other thing that has truly helped is menu planning according to what is on sale. I never menu planned much and therefore was at the store everyday.
Sorry for writing a book. Have a great day
Susan
Susan,
My situation is a lot like yours, only our kids are still little. I too was spending way too much a week on food ($225/ week for the 5 of us), and realized we needed to cut back when my husband’s job became unstable. When he did finally get laid off, we had a nice stockpile to fall back on. I am proud to say that we too have never had to ask for assistance either from the government or family.
I try not to be too hard on myself for not doing this sooner, and I look back on those days as simply a different stage in my life. Currently, we spend $40 a week on food and personal care items. Now I just want to tell everyone I know about how much I’m saving!
Hi! I really am amazed at what you have been able to do without having food stamps assistance. I have become quite taken with couponing lately too, and am addicted!
I just wanted to let you know that I truly commend your efforts to stay off of public assistance, but as a state employee, you are the type of person that the assistance was created for. The money you are spending, however little, on groceries, is money you could be putting away for any other emergencies that may occur.
For what it’s worth, just thought I would add this…
I really am amazed at how little some people spend. We do have a $350 budget for our family of four including 2 teenagers. That includes food, personal care & household supplies. Obviously, based on what I see here I can probably get it lower but . . . the reality is I’m spending 50% less than I was a year ago and I’m tickled pink about that. In my heart I know I can’t get all caught up in what people are saving because then I feel guilty and I want to quit. I would like to get it a little lower and perhaps I will but I’ve only been couponing for 8 months and we’ve only lived on a budget since October. Yet since we’ve completed Dave Ramsey in December we are completely debt free (including our house which we paid off in November) so I can’t complain even though I lost my job last February. No unemployment eligibilty so we have lived on one income since then! I am blessed no matter how much I spend on my groceries!
LOVE IT! Congratulations on the Dave Ramsey plan! That is HUGE!!!!!! We are still on step 2 🙂 WOW! I am so impressed!
Wow Barb, congratulations! how long did it take you to pay off all your debt? We have just started the whole Dave Ramsey thing and while not sticking to everything he says we are planning to be debtfree including our house we bought last year, in 2018.
Honestly we only had a little debt, about $3,000, but what was huge for me was the fact that we got rid of annuity that we were using for our son’s college. After having the annuity for more than15 years and with the flucuation of the market we only made about $9,000. It was a real eye opener. We decided to close the annuity, pay off our house and still have more than $20,000 to put into his college fund. The thing I learned most with Dave Ramsey was to think differently about money and credit and debt. This is the first year of my 22 year marriage that we paid cash for everything for Christmas, while we anxiously waited for our tax returns to come and pay off the debt. Also, after saving for six months I was able to pay cash for a new refrigerator (with all the things I wanted). Both of these are huge for me and is a real testiment that Dave’s ideas are working in our family’s lives. We are still struggling living within a budget but only because of what we think we can and cannot live without. The other thing that couponing and the Ramsey course has done for me is to allow me to give more and spend less, or as Dave says, live like no one else so we can LIVE like no one else. As I said before, I am blessed beyond measure!
Congrats on paying everything off! We completed the Dave Ramsey course about 2 yrs ago and it was very eye opening for us. 🙂 We are down to just our house payment and started our 1st budget. I am also amazed and inspired by how low everyone’s budgets are!!
Dave Ramsey has majorly helped us too…seriously, i wouldn’t want to know where we would be if we hadn’t taken it a year ago…we have pretty much made a vow not to spend another penny on a loan/interest and pay off what we do owe and then save up to buy our own house…i think i would be awesome to cash off a house!! wow, congrats on being debt-free…it must be a wonderful feeling!!
We also took his course a few years back. He really is an amazing guy..he helped us so much. In fact, I should go through the book again, as it has been awhile. I have just recently been excited about couponing since this wonderful blog!!
We normally have a budget of $400 a month for my family of 3 (4 as of monday) that includes all groceries, clothing, little things we need, toiletries, and cleaning stuff. However, I almost always have money left over and use it to pay off debts. I am a huge fan of Dave Ramsey and any other teachers for living life in financial freedom!
Well I guess that I am a little different than most I own 2 bizs and the money that is make from my trucking comp goes to the bills and stuff like that. The other biz that is me making cro stuff for people all goes to groceries, personal care items, and anything else we made need during the week and if I don’t make enough than I have to realy work my but off to sell more. but I don’t go spend crazy eather I try and keep as much money in my acct as I can so there is money to spend.
I’m a widowed single mother of one teenager and our monthly grocery et al budget is around $85.00 to $95.00 per month. Gas for the car is the biggest expense. Purchasing phone minutes is a big expense and laundry is another big expense (we use a laundromat $2.25 per load if washer & dryer are both working okay 😉 ) Our favorite monthly splurge is a fountain diet soda! We are such addicts 😀 If we have extra money then salad/fresh veggies/ fresh fruit is what we typically go for. I usually just use the debit card and keep a very very close eye on spending writing down every subtraction. And what motivates me to keep on budget? Not bouncing a debit charge and getting a $35.00 penalty! lol 😀 I like knowing how much I have to spend – I feel more in control and on top of things when I know how much I’ve spent or have in the bank. It focuses me on what is necessary and what is not.
I just wanted to add that I to usually use my ATM card – not cash. Cash seems to go a lot faster for me than my card – vending machines, cafe at work, etc. However, with my ATM card I put every receipt in my checkbook so when I get home I can rebudget.
I agree, cash gets used for the little things that I don’t really think about the cost of and it gets used up so quickly. With the debit/ATM card I’m way more aware of my spending.
I don’t know if you’d qualify but I would definately recommend over-draft protection… Not that you should be spending more than you have but it is the worst to have to pay $35 per over-draft… Use to happen to DBF ALL the time since his employer would constantly mess up his paycheck amount… or not pay at all…. oh, and he works for one of the biggest cereal companies in the US… and they pull this crud with him… makes me furious!
Seriously.. over-draft protection!!
You know I insisted on my son getting the overdraft protection savings account with his checking account but I have never gotten that for myself – I really should get it. $35.00 is really ALOT of money – and I always think how much food/toiletries/entertainment I could buy with $35.00 or how much being charged $35.00 could really hurt my finances. Sorry about your DBF’s paycheck troubles – Oh man that sucks! You just never know what lies ahead sometimes – protecting yourself is great advice. TY
We are a family of 4 with one in diapers, and I babysit one day a week. I also think it is important to state that I am a stay-at-home mom, so we probably go through more groceries than a family with two working parents. We budget $125 a week. We currently follow Dave Ramsey, so we too pay cash for everything. Every pay day we get enough cash for everything.
I feel encouraged by the fact that so many of you know what you’re spending AND have a budget. I didn’t think this many people budgeted!! Great job ladies!!
We are a family of 5; 3, 2, 0 and for groceries ALONE (no diapers/t.p. etc…) only food, we budget 145 every 2 weeks so 290/month. We stay in that because of our virtual envelope. When its empty you stop. Right now, we are down to 2 cups of milk until tonight at midnight ; ) (1st and 17th is our refill envelope days)!! I have a great miscellaneous stockpile thanks to hip2save!!!! My grocery bill is getting better, but could still stand some workin on!!
We are a family of 4 – two girls both under 4. We used to spend about $150-$175 a week on groceries… now spending $115 a week. I have been couponing since Nov. and slowly learning how to stock up. I am hoping to cut that grocery bill to $100 or less a week. We buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies and a sucker for steaks from the fresh market! =) I am really proud of how much we are now saving vs. 6 months ago, but still hoping to shop a little smarter in the very near future. Thanks Collin for all you do! **I am going to put my new coupon binder together** =)
I have a family of 3 plus 1 rather large dog. I have a $100 a month budget for all food and household items. I started really keeping track this year and have been able to stick to it. I do some mysterty shopping as well which reimburses a certain amount for food items which helps me stay under my goal. The toughest area I have is fresh produce, and dog food.
You can check out my progress here.
https://cblanchard76.blogspot.com/search/label/2010%20Budget
After starting my frugal lifestyle, I have been able to cut out food budget in half (THANK YOU COLLIN!!). Currently, we spend about $500/month for our family. We eat a lot of fresh produce and meats and do not eat much processed foods. During the summer, I can my own tomatoes, green beans and more. My monthly budget also includes any household goods, gifts to be given and additional dinner guests (we love having friends and family over). We are huge proponents of debt free living (yeah for Dave Ramsey!) and put $500 in an envelope at the beginning of each month. Any money left over is forwarded to the next month for bargains or gifts that I might want to stock up on.
I have never given myself a set budget but I try and limit our spending on groceries, cleaning supplies, personal care items and such to about $50 a month. It is only my husband and I with our two big dogs. I have been couponing for about a year so I have a GREAT stockpile. If I spend more than $10 at a store I am devastated. My husband calls it “coupon angry.” We occassionally go over our budget but its rare, but if figure its Ok since I go under budget other months. When meat isn’t on sale I stock up at Sam’s club, usually at the end of the month depending on the budget. We also are VERY lucky to live by a farmers market where I score super cheap produce ALL the time! By saving all the money on groceries and supplies we have A LOT more expendable income and we go out to eat more often as well ,but only if I have a coupon!!
Family of 3 and our budget is $100/week. Which includes toiletries, diapers, and all our household items… gifts… pretty much everything. $100/week is pretty generous so we almost never go over budget. This allows me to buy and stock up when things are on sale. Stocking up is a budget buster for us at less then $100/week.
There are 4 of us: me and the hubby, and our 2 kids – ages 9 and 11. We have a budget of $100 a week which includes all my Rite Aid/Target shopping too. I am usually spending $50 for groceries a week. The extra is 1 or 2 trips to Sam’s Club during the month. 😀
I a SAHM of 5. My husband takes care of the bills (gas, electric, etc.) and my budget takes care of whatever other needs we have (groceries, birthdays, etc.). My budget is $550 a month. It’s hard to say what is groceries because each month I plan where it needs to go. Some months i stock up on groceries, other months we have a lot of birthdays. I love having my own budget and sticking to it. It feels empowering. Also, because we have always tried to be thrifty, when my husband had his hours cut back my kids didn’t even notice our economic change. Thanks to those all those who are trying. It keeps me motivated!
We currently are on a $40 a week budget for groceries and health and beauty items. It’s a little tight but it’s just for me and my husband. Some weeks I just don’t shop at all and the others I stockpile the good deals. Sticking to a budget helps so much because you realize you just can’t do every deal.
There is some awesome advice and idea’s on here- great topic! We are a family of 6; 3 boys 13, 6, and 5 and 1 girl 19 months- I am a stay at home mom and although living a nice lifestyle we struggled from month to month to pay the bills with nothing left over.
Last Aug I began couponing and sale shopping and although I still don’t keep a budget- I am not having any problem paying the bills, however we do still have some debt and after reading these post I am so inspired to take my budgeting to the next level- well, that would be do have a budget 🙂 We do live in a some what remote area and grocery prices are higher with only a fraction of the coupons the rest of the country gets but I can still see a big difference and will make strides to improve on that even more. THANKS!!!
It’s just me and my husband. We budget $300 per month for groceries and personal care items. We didn’t used to have a budget until my husband recently lost his job. We have been doing really great at sticking to the budget, so I’m really proud of us. I feel like we have to spend more as two people than we would if we were a larger family. It’s a waste to buy items in bulk or in large quantities because a) either we don’t have the space for them or b) they go to waste/go bad because we’re only two people. And obviously it’s more expensive to buy in smaller quantities. The other thing is that we try to eat healthy – healthier foods always cost more. I feel like we could save a lot if we gave up our eating healthy philosophies, but at this time, I’d rather spend a little more and save a little on my waistline.
Wow.. I’m amazed by some of your budgets! I started keeping track in January and plan on incrementally reducing my budget over the course of the year. I started at $450 for January and hope to be spending $325 or less/month by December. I have about $20 left in my budget for March as of today, and should be about on target. It’s just my husband and me (I do not include our cats in the budget, as they get expensive food that I’ve never seen discounted– it’s Innova if anyone has suggestions! ha!), and my budget includes all groceries, toiletries, gifts, and donation items. Thanks for sharing all!
We used to have our 3 cats and our dog on Innova….a trip to the tack store for pet food would cost us around $110-$200. We noticed our one cat having digestion problems- and decided to gradually switch their food- after numerous brands/months we finally found luck with Iams Healthy Naturals…no more digestion issues and a 1/3 of the cost. Innova is top rated food, but I felt like I needed 3 full-time jobs to cover the cost of pet food. 🙂
My budget has just jumped since I decided to eat healthier and cut out refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and most processed foods. I was holding steady at about $40 a week for our family of 4, but we generally don’t eat meat so it was easy to get by with less money. Last week since starting the healthier food I spent about $120 bucks for the week! Argh!
Hi, I’m a SAHM of a family of 4 (kids 5 and 2). WIth moving back to Florida last summer and my husband taking some serious pay cuts so he could move here to get his ministerial credentials, it’s been reall really tight money wise. So I started couponing about 3 months ago (i started actually gathering coupons though about 6 months ago). This has helped soo much! We’re spending about $50 bucks a week on groceries and getting SO much more stuff then what we were getting going to Walmart every week. I can’ even stand to go in that store anymore!
I’m about to start the Dave Ramsey money makeover (once my mother will give me back my copy!) to try to get even more in control and get a real budget going. Thank you so much Collin for your site. It’s helped us make it when I thought we were abot to go under!
I used to buy everything at Wal-mart too. I thought buying generic there was the best I could do to save. Since I’ve been couponing and using a price book, I hardly ever step foot in Wal-Mart anymore! Our Wal-mart is always so crowded and filthy, so it is nice to shop other stores now.
I soooooooooo agree. We always shopped at walmart – now I (yes now I just go so my hubby doesn’t fill the cart 😉 shop at the one main grocery store but will stop at 2 other grocery stores for great deals on my 2 times a month shopping trips.
I haven’t been doing this long, but I have always loved saving money. I would spend $400 every 2 weeks on my family 5, last week I only spent $160 and was so excited. I’m still working on my stockpile. But it’s an addiction I want to spend more money just to see how much I can save. I’m thinking I need to go to the cash only system. Keep up all the good work!!!
I’m loving these posts–what positivity and support! Congratulations everyone, I think we are all working hard and seeing results.
I work part time from home in a fairly stressful job that I started late last year, am a full-time mother as well, am pregnant (with an insatiable appetite), and have a family of 3 with one in diapers. Our budget is $240/month, so roughly $60/week. The past three months we’ve gone approx. $90/month over! I like to coupon and hit the sales, and I was making almost everything from scratch–plus, we eat about 90% organic. But with the job I’m finding that the level of couponing I once accomplished isn’t within reach any more. By the evenings, I’m so tired I can’t cook or shop. I was discouraged at first, but had to realize that at this season in my life, my priorities are my health and my family. Earlier today I made the decision to quit the stressful job, take the income hit, and try to get a life back!
Good luck! I think you’re so right to put your family and health first!
Before couponing, I spent $100-$150 a week on groceries/household items/personal care items. I used to buy all my personal care and household items at Walmart. NOW, I spend about $20 a week total. It’s just my husband and I. We are vegetarians, so we buy lots of produce, but no meat, and I think we are able to have a smaller budget than most due to not buying meat.
It’s only me and my husband right now and a pet cat in our house. We generally try to budget between $40 to $60 for two weeks worth of food, so our monthly budget is usually around $100-$120. Couponing and shopping the sales has made it possible for us to spend very little on groceries and health products. We can now buy two weeks worth of food and stock up on extra food for only $40, it’s amazing and I’m telling all my friends about using coupons and how to save money on groceries now! 🙂
Before couponing we were spending about $650 a month for a family of three (me, hubby, and 5 year old). Since I started couponing in Feb, ( and since I have really stopped shopping at Costco!!) I am spending about $375-400. In addition to that we used to eat out alot. We were spending $200-300 a month on restaurants and fast food. Once I build my stockpile, I hope it will be less and we will stop eating out. So that will save us another couple of hundred dollars. We are blessed in that we are a two income family and are able to save my entire income plus some of my husbands so i dont want to kill myself trying to get it lower. I am super excited just to be shaving $250 off my grocery budget now. Once I get better at meal planning and preperation, I hope to only spend about $300-$350 on groceries, personal care, etc and eating out combined. And I am switching to the cash system. Currently we use one credit card to put all groceries on each month. It starts with a $0 balance and we pay it off so it was a good way to track every single purchase, but after reading all your comments, I think I can do better if I only use cash.
I’m a family of 5, and I spend roughly $530 a month for just groceries. But I’ve been trying different ways to bring that amount down. I spend actually..very little on other items such as shampoo, soap..toothpaste etc. simply because you help me out soooo much with coupons and deals! And I thank you! 🙂
But my new idea is to match food coupons with items I have in the house already to prepare a weeks worth of dinners for my family. For instance..if I already have chicken in the house..and have a coupon for cheese, taco sauce, tortillas..well, we’re getting tacos for cheap! So I just go around the kitchen looking at what I got, and what I need and if I have a coupons to complete my meal. I find it pretty easy because I know what I’m cooking every night for a week, and theres no running to the store or going crazy in the kitchen. If my plan works lol I should save a lot more money and less stress.
My goal is to only need $75 a week in groceries.
Before couponing I spent about $800/month. After few month of couponing, I spent $400. This year I have a new goal to only spend $280 a month including organic milk, organic eggs, household items and all baby items. We have 4 in our family, one is in diaper. Take a look at my blog @ http://www.callingallsupersavers.com
Any advice on buyings meats and produce and dairy? Those are the killers on the monthly budget!
Watch for markdowns. Our milk is often marked down and then I have coupons to use on top of that. Produce is marked down daily at many stores and available for purchase around 8-9 am. Just ask your store. Meat is the hardest at times. Watch the sales, stock up and keep for later, and plan your menu around what is on sale!
Get a deep freeze for meat. This will pay for itself within a year. When ground beef and pork are less than $2/lb and chicken less than $1/lb, I typically buy 2-4 months worth.
When milk goes on sale, I buy 1 weeks worth on the first day of the sale, then 2 weeks worth on the last day of the sale. Other things like cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese can have really long expiration dates, so buy as much as you can use when the prices are rock bottom.
When onions and green pepper are inexpensive, I chop, measure into ziplocks, and freeze them. They are then ready to be used in recipes. Carrots, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes can all be cooked ahead and kept frozen until you are ready to re-heat them.
I like many am a family of 5. Three kiddos I call my pygmies (8,6,&2) plus 2 dogs, and a fish if you want to count him 😉 I have a weekly budget of $230 but only $100 of that is set aside for groceries. The rest goes into gas, after-school activities, stocking up for xmas, therapies, and all the other little tidbits that go alone with raising 3 busy & happy kiddos. Before starting couponing almost exactly a year ago I was spending triple that. It did take a few month to come down to what I have now and I am still learning new things everyday. I am so glad I had great teaches in the way of the coupon 🙂
About a year ago, I was spending close to $300 about every two weeks on groceries. Since following some of the frugal blogs out there and learning about coupons and budgets(!) and sale matching, our grocery budget is $100.00 a week for our family of five.
I buy almost exclusively natural and organic and whole foods & grocery items. So, this budget works for us. I have gone over a bit from time to time but I try to make up for the difference the following week when that happens so we stay on track.
I also have another $100-$150 that I spend each month through a natural foods co-op.
Seeing it in writing, makes me wonder if I can’t make that other $100.00 a week even less? Because when I think $400-$550 a month for groceries, I feel like if I worked harder I could bring that number down even more. But we don’t have anyone who doubles coupons in my area, some don’t even accept printables, and we don’t have very good competitive pricing here so the food costs more than many other areas of the country.
I started a monthly grocery Tally on my site in February. We also spend $75 wk and that works for our family. I wouldn’t say it’s easy to stick to that budget, but with planning, cooking from scratch (sometimes), and coupons it works for us.
I have a family of 7 going on eight. Three boys 11,11, 2, and two girls 9, 5, and a baby on the way. We have a budget of $500.00 a month for groceries, laundry, diapers, toiletries and personal care. I have been using coupons for almost a year and a half. It is my stay at home mom job and I love doing both, being a mom and saving money with coupons.
THERE ARE FIVE PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY AND I SPEND TWO HUNDRED A MONTH. THAT IS WITH ALL MY MEAT. I DON’T BUY JUNK FOOD AND I MAKE ONE TRIP TO THE GROCERY STORE EACH MONTH. YES I HAVE TO GO BACK FOR MILK BUT I KEEP THAT MONEY HELD OUT. IT IS MUCH EASIER FOR ME TO ONLY GO ONCE.
We’re a family of 7: Three adult/teenage boys 16,19,22, a 10 year old daughter, my mother, husband, and myself. We started couponing a year and a half ago. Last year my budget was $100 a week. This was while I was building my stockpile. This included all of our groceries, laundry, personal, softner salt, etc. We were so blessed that in addition we were able to make so many gift bags and goodie bags for our family and friends and to be able to donate items to many projects. This year my goal was to be able to drop it to $75.00 and to include our school lunches in this amount. I wish there was a magic solution for the softner salt. With all the showers and laundry we average 2 bags a week. Any time that my husband ever comments about my couponing I just joke and tell him I can stop any time he’d like me to. He laughs and says, “No, that’s OK!” He really does appreciate all the time it takes, how much money we’ve saved, and how much it has blessed our family and friends.
For our family of five we stick to $75 a week for groceries. I often blog about my meal plan and grocery list and how we eat under $75 so you can see it at https://www.trenchesofmommyhood.blogspot.com