Monthly Grocery Expenditure

[stevenr]

Thanks everybody for the detailed responses! So interesting to see everybody's spending patterns.

 

[Retire2023]

Averaging around $1,150 /mo for all food/dining/paper products/cleaning products etc. We host family usually once a month and get fresh sea scallops, as my 90 year old aunt loves them. Tomorrow night is a prime brisket we scored at Costco. We don't go out to eat at sit down places much anymore as we prefer our own cooking since we are retired and have the time to do it right. DH eats out at fast food places when he is shooting or instructing at the range, which is at least twice a week.

 

[tmm99]

Probably around $800USD/mo for two of us in Canada, not including eating out and takeout.

 

[brett]

Two of us.

Absolutely no idea whatsoever. We only keep track of monthly after tax spend on everything. Even that is simply a notional number for us vs a budget.

It is what it is. Even if we did know it would not impact our spend.

 

[Sunset]

Probably around $800USD/mo for two of us in Canada, not including eating out and takeout.

So that would be 4 L of milk and 5 lbs of chicken at Loblaws...

Seriously, every time I go to Canada, I find the grocery prices fairly shocking for milk and meat.

I live in a LCOL area, so milk is $2.50/gallon USD , and chicken is $1.99/LB USD for boneless skinless breast, and 69 cents/lb USD for chicken legs.

 

[FIREd]

I spend an average of $350 a month at the grocery store, by myself. It includes all the things I typically buy at the grocery store - food, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, paper products, etc… Alcohol is not included. I mostly shop in France but my partner lives in Switzerland and I sometimes shop there, where a whole chicken can set you back $35.

 

[tmm99]

So that would be 4 L of milk and 5 lbs of chicken at Loblaws...

Seriously, every time I go to Canada, I find the grocery prices fairly shocking for milk and meat.

I live in a LCOL area, so milk is $2.50/gallon USD , and chicken is $1.99/LB USD for boneless skinless breast, and 69 cents/lb USD for chicken legs.

You should go to LCBO and see their shocking prices of booze!

Beef is very expensive here IMO. Pork combo chops can get as low as $1.47/lbs (USD) and their pork tastes so much better (to me) than in the US.

 

[MarieIG]

I am curious what people on this site spend on groceries (food/beverages) each month. Our household of 2 spends approximately $540/month excluding household stuff like laundry detergent, paper products etc. I don't have a set budget, but I get the staples and the occasional splurgy item.

Also, when this topic comes up among friends and family, I find that the male partner is the one who typically does the shopping. I love to shop; my wife not so much!

How about you?

DH and DS do the food shopping.

I'm amazed at the lower figures here, wondering how!

We eat almost exclusively at home, averaging just under $1000/mo for 2. That includes alcohol, mostly organic veggies, and pasture raised meats. Health is #1 so we go for quality whenever possible.

When we do eat out it's while traveling, so that goes under our travel budget.

We go for organic vegetables, organic berries, pasture raised eggs/ meat, wild caught fish. I also recently switched to organic coffee. Our supplements are pricey.

The doggo gets a little kibble in the morning (just in case there is anything in there she needs) with her chicken broth, pasture raised eggs and supplements but her main meal is organic pasture raised meat, chicken (sometimes wild caught fish) with organic vegetables. She eats more grass-fed beef, pastured raised eggs and organic chicken that I do, although full disclosure, I go heavier on the collagen peptides than she does (as she tends to be very fussy about her vitamins/ supplements and I have to hide them in her food).

 

[aja8888]

The doggo gets a little kibble in the morning (just in case there is anything in there she needs) with her chicken broth, pasture raised eggs and supplements but her main meal is organic pasture raised meat, chicken (sometimes wild caught fish) with organic vegetables. She eats more grass-fed beef, pastured raised eggs and organic chicken that I do.

Hence, the old term, "Lucky dog!"

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

Chuck, if you have Winco nearby nobody can beat their prices and the quality is good. I have found Walmart to have crappy quality where I live. Our grocery prices have skyrocketed in the past two years like everything else in the West.

Exactly what I was thinking when I read Chuck's post. Winco is a great store if you have one around. I have one basically just down the street. Not only are the prices good they have the most interesting items.

I budget $800 for groceries and $400 for restaurant food. How it falls out I have no idea. I don't track it that closely. This is for 2 adults but includes a well stocked fridge, pantry, and freezer for the grandkids. A grandma has a responsibility to have snacks available.
During the summer we door dash a lot because no one wants to get out of the pool to go get something to eat and kids get hungry when they swim.

We have access to fresh produce from local farm stands-I'm not sure it's cheaper but the quality sure is better.
I get beef and chicken from a local butcher. Again the quality/taste is just so much better.

I don't drink so no alcohol in the budget but I have a separate budget for whole coffee beans that I order from a local coffee roaster. It's gone up from $50 to $75 a month. Approximately.

If I ever needed to I'm sure I could cut back a lot but I don't think I'm spending the money frivolously except maybe the door dash.

 

[jim584672]

Last 12 months average about $180 a month. Food only items.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

Wow. I am curious, do you people eat every day? haha.

We budget $1500/month for the two of us for groceries (this includes wine and paper products - anything we can buy at the grocery store), and we are right at this number for this year. Last year we were just under (about $1,450/month).

We eat out for breakfast a couple times per week and go out maybe 1 or 2 times per week on average, and we budget $1,000/month for that (last year was $1,250/month). If we take our kiddos out to eat with us, we always pay, but it's not like we're going to fancy steakhouses every week - it's usually Mexican food or some other inexpensive place. A couple times a year we'll go super fancy and spend $300 or more for the 2 of us, but normally it's in the $50-$100 range.

As far as food we cook at home, we definitely buy quality food, but it's not caviar and lobster. I could cut this in half but that would be a LOT of beans and rice, which ain't happening. An eye-opening thread.

 

[cyber888]

I budget around $600/month for DW and I for groceries. Two persons - no kids. This includes our 1x-2x a month visit to Costco.
Living in the South, so low cost area. Still lucky to be able to buy Rib-eye steak or T-Bone at our local Food Lion at $6.99-$7.99/lb. when there is a discount sale.
Cutting a lot of carb and sugar helped, since I've been on Keto diet. so no pastries and sweet stuff.

 

[aaronc879]

Wow. I am curious, do you people eat every day? haha.

We budget $1500/month for the two of us for groceries (this includes wine and paper products - anything we can buy at the grocery store), and we are right at this number for this year. Last year we were just under (about $1,450/month).

As far as food we cook at home, we definitely buy quality food, but it's not caviar and lobster. I could cut this in half but that would be a LOT of beans and rice, which ain't happening. An eye-opening thread.

Your food budget is more than I spend on everything in life most years. Yes I eat every day. I had oatmeal for $0.35 for breakfast, Progresso soup for lunch at $1.49. Dinner will be Spaghetti and Meatballs for $1.25. Add in 4 bottles of water for $0.50 and 2 snacks for under a $1 and I get a total of around $4.50 per day. I rounded up to $5 to get the $150/mo I reported. Sure I would like to eat more and better food but I don't have the money to do it and have it last indefinitely. More people eat like me than like you. Many people would love to be able to eat like me. I eat 4 or 5 times a day. Some people really do struggle to eat once or twice.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

It is not a competition, just curiosity I am sure on behalf of the OP. I certainly find the contrast interesting. We fall right in the middle, and I think we eat very well. Good (If not the best) cuts of meat, pork and chicken, fresh vegetables and fruits etc. We could cut back or spend more if we wished but choose not to. Prices also vary in different parts of the country. Another good metric would be what percentage of one's monthly income goes to food and other items one gets from grocery stories, paper, personal and cleaning products etc. In our case it is about 4% - 5% depending on the month.

One comment is that if we ate like Aaronc879 claims, assuming he/she is using packaged or canned soups and packaged meatballs and sauces, as to make one's own meatballs would defiantly cost a lot more, I would be dead by now as the amount of salt in those items are 8-10x my daily allowance as a result of my heart issues. I cannot remember the last time we had any soup that was not made from scratch by my DW.

 

[aja8888]

It is not a competition, just curiosity I am sure on behalf of the OP. I certainly find the contrast interesting. We fall right in the middle, and I think we eat very well. Good (If not the best) cuts of meat, pork and chicken, fresh vegetables and fruits etc. We could cut back or spend more if we wished but choose not to. Prices also vary in different parts of the country. Another good metric would be what percentage of one's monthly income goes to food and other items one gets from grocery stories, paper, personal and cleaning products etc. In our case it is about 4% - 5% depending on the month.

One comment is that if we ate like Aaronc879 claims, assuming he/she is using packaged or canned soups and packaged meatballs and sauces, as to make one's own meatballs would defiantly cost a lot more, I would be dead by now as the amount of salt in those items are 8-10x my daily allowance as a result of my heart issues. I cannot remember the last time we had any soup that was not made from scratch by my DW.

I don't know if salt is a bad thing or not. Based on a few people I know, they salt potato chips and have no health problems and they are over 70. My DW almost died when her sodium level dropped dangerously low and her doc made her use more salt. Personally, I don't put salt on anything except on the outside of a beef brisket i am about to put on the smoker.

 

[Aerides]

I don't keep track, we just kind of spend what we need and let it go at that. I went thru my January credit card statement and show about $800 for grocery stores. That might include some pet food, wine, cleaning supplies, prescriptions, but not more than $100 of it.

Then Costco would be on top of that, but I don't get too many groceries there, and that's a different card so I can't bother to parse that. And of course the holidays mean I spend a few hundred extra in Nov/Dec.

I wouldn't include dining out in that expense category.

ETA: Two ppl, no kids, MCOL.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I don't know if salt is a bad thing or not. Based on a few people I know, they salt potato chips and have no health problems and they are over 70. My DW almost died when her sodium level dropped dangerously low and her doc made her use more salt. Personally, I don't put salt on anything except on the outside of a beef brisket i am about to put on the smoker.

Salt is only a problem for those with hypertension and heart disease. If you don't have either of these, you can continue to enjoy your salt.

 

[aaronc879]

I don't know if salt is a bad thing or not. Based on a few people I know, they salt potato chips and have no health problems and they are over 70. My DW almost died when her sodium level dropped dangerously low and her doc made her use more salt. Personally, I don't put salt on anything except on the outside of a beef brisket i am about to put on the smoker.

I don't do this and don't recommend it but my Grandmother put A LOT of salt on everything she ate for her whole life and lived to 88. She didn't need to go to a doctor a single time from her last kid at age 20 until she broke her hip at around age 80. My other Grandmother was advised to limit her salt at age 92 when she was diagnosed with heart issues. She decided she was ready to go and continued to use salt however she wanted and lived until 97. I'm not worried about salt.

 

[Lorenzo]

We like to joke that we eat only local, organic food or, as our grandparents called it, "food."

 

[Sunset]

You should go to LCBO and see their shocking prices of booze!

Beef is very expensive here IMO. Pork combo chops can get as low as $1.47/lbs (USD) and their pork tastes so much better (to me) than in the US.

+1
You are so correct.

Every time we go to Canada, I bring booze (1 Liter each) and because I'm so cheap I refuse to buy any more, most times if we run out.

As to the Pork, I agree, I was so surprised how pork in Canada tastes good, but often in the USA I find it tastes like garbage (literally). Sometimes in the USA I get a good piece, but I have cut down my pork buying in the USA due to the random garbage tasting times.

 

[gayl]

Generally $40 a week for groceries but I'm a solo, vegetarian in California so its inexpensive

 

[zippy2020]

Me and my spouse only. Groceries about $800-1K/month.

Dining out is my hobby, and we travel specifically to dine around the Northern CA region where we live. It's a major expenditure, probably $1500 to $3K, depending on how often we eat out and where we are.

On average we dine out 220+/yr (excluding the pandemic, LOL). When we travel, we're not gone long but dining out means there are 8-12 restaurants for each trip.

We have our favorite places, but are always interested in trying new places. So about 35-40% of total are 'first time try-out' for us.

 

[orbops]

My wife and I spend about $600/month for 2 people. We eat out once a week.

 

[BlueberryPie]

You don’t want to know. We don’t eat out at all unless traveling and prepare all our meals from scratch at home. We eat like kings at home - high quality great food is something we happily splurge on. In other words we don’t try to save money on groceries.

Same, rarely eat out and we cook for ourselves, don't know if it's "like kings". My budget app says we averaged $1300/mo last year and $1000 so far this year. We do have a grown up child living with us and he as been doing more of his own cooking lately because he has a different schedule.

The budget app goes by store, and we spend a lot at Costco, and it all goes towards groceries in the app even if we happened to pick up a pair of boots or some cookware. I'm not worried about keeping track precisely

We do account for alcoholic beverages separately, so wine and whiskey are not included. That our "like a king" part I guess.