Food budget monthly

[coffeelover]

I know these types of polls are done here and there, although its been awhile since I've seen one.

I'm in the greater then 800 category. However we are working on our food budget and are changing it to 700 starting in January. Its currently at 800 for a family of 6. Two members of my family are only here part-time and one has to eat gluten free. This doesn't really change my budget much for gluten free foods. Its much easier and cheaper now to cook gluten free then it was 4 years ago.
My food budget also includes dog and cat food, nighttime diapers for the 2 year old, wipes, and all cleaning supplies.

[Vanguards and Lentils]

This is where my diligent Mint usage finally comes in handy! YTD, my average monthly food spending has been $302 ($181 for eating out, $121 for groceries). The actual number is slightly lower since over the past year, I've amassed a post-apocalyptic amount of non perishable foods in my pantry, and over $200 in various restaurant gift cards.

I usually eat one meal out per day. Since I'm a full time PhD student I try to keep it cheap and convenient. Given my much lower grocery number, I'm sure I could significantly reduce my bill if I didn't eat out at all, but I'm unwilling to spend the extra time needed in meal prep. Plus, it can be a nice way to socialize given the isolated nature of my work.

[lbmustache]

When I was living by myself my monthly grocery bill was less than $150, maybe another $50 for the occasional lunch out etc.

[HappierAtHome]

Might be more meaningful to ask people what their monthly grocery bill per person is?

[lunahsol]

I voted 100-200.  That is for one person, vegan, mostly organic & some fancy stuff; but very little processed food and very little eating out.

[HPstache]

I think a better way to ask would be what is your food budget per person. That way you can get a better idea independent of how many mouths are being fed.  But for sake of the poll I answered $400-500 as we budget $450/no for my family of 2

[Zikoris]

We spend between $230 and $240 for two people, including cleaning stuff and toilet paper. It's a big mix of frugal (sacks of rice and chickpeas) and expensive fancy-pants (imported vegan specialty stuff). Leaning more toward frugal, luckily.

[dude]

Mine is WAY too much to two people -- $700+, largely because I buy organic veggies, grass-fed, free-range meats, pastured eggs & butter and other shit like that, even though I've seen no scientific evidence that it's better for me.  Partly I do it for ethical reasons (factory/feedlot cattle/chickens, etc., just saddens the hell out of me, and I just cannot yet bring myself to stop eating meat). But in the end, I guess I'm just hedging my bets, and since I can afford it and saving for FIRE, I don't have much incentive to change.

[use2betrix]

Mine has been around $700/mo on average for two people. I eat a LOT and healthy food at that. We don't do organic/grass fed because it'd make our bill grow even more. I may start cutting back on my food intake and taking a different direction with fitness. However then I'd like to replace my food with more grass fed/organic to hopefully keep in the $120/wk range.

Our goal in 2016 is to get it down closer to $500/mo. Last week was our first "trial" run where we really went through and picked meals with less ingredients and for the week it was $120, so that was good.

FYI this is only grocery, we spend another $100/mo or so at restaurants. It's something we enjoy together and go to a nice meal maybe once every other weekend.

Some months I spend a bit more out to eat when my boss is in town. I'm a contractor and he is not, so I make a very large chunk more than him. We usually alternate paying for lunch, we go once or twice a month.

[coffeelover]

Might be more meaningful to ask people what their monthly grocery bill per person is?

Here you have a valid point. I was originally trying to set up the poll by numbers and family members.
It proved to be to difficult to do on a Sunday night.

I took the easy way out and just hoped that people would comment on their family situation.

[coffeelover]

I think a better way to ask would be what is your food budget per person. That way you can get a better idea independent of how many mouths are being fed.  But for sake of the poll I answered $400-500 as we budget $450/no for my family of 2

Thanks for you input and yes I agree. I was trying to take the easy route with the poll.

I was facepunched for spending 800 a month on 6 people. I see you spend upwards of 500 a month. What type of food are you buying for 2 people? Does this include eating out a lot etc?

[coffeelover]

Mine is WAY too much to two people -- $700+, largely because I buy organic veggies, grass-fed, free-range meats, pastured eggs & butter and other shit like that, even though I've seen no scientific evidence that it's better for me.  Partly I do it for ethical reasons (factory/feedlot cattle/chickens, etc., just saddens the hell out of me, and I just cannot yet bring myself to stop eating meat). But in the end, I guess I'm just hedging my bets, and since I can afford it and saving for FIRE, I don't have much incentive to change.

I hate that myself and my family contribute to the abuse of animals. I have a husband who wants meat, just with no bones in it. I have a child who has celiac's disease. Overall its hard to feed everyone on a budget and give people the food they like that is  also healthy and will not be wasted.
I want organic everything as well. I don't want to be feeding my children all of these chemicals, but I can't afford it in reality. I also would rather buy from a farmer that allows free range of their animals, instead of keeping the cows/chickens/hens/pigs locked up in tiny cells all day and night. I've seen the videos and it makes me so sad that I eat these animals. Yet I can't stop eating meat either..

[tarheeldan]

$160/mo in NH for one person, lots of fruit and nuts.

[honeybbq]

Mine is WAY too much to two people -- $700+, largely because I buy organic veggies, grass-fed, free-range meats, pastured eggs & butter and other shit like that, even though I've seen no scientific evidence that it's better for me.  Partly I do it for ethical reasons (factory/feedlot cattle/chickens, etc., just saddens the hell out of me, and I just cannot yet bring myself to stop eating meat). But in the end, I guess I'm just hedging my bets, and since I can afford it and saving for FIRE, I don't have much incentive to change.

Same, though we don't eat much meat. But add in some beer and wine, and I'm over $700 for our family. Easily.

[TheAnonOne]

Mine is WAY too much to two people -- $700+, largely because I buy organic veggies, grass-fed, free-range meats, pastured eggs & butter and other shit like that, even though I've seen no scientific evidence that it's better for me.  Partly I do it for ethical reasons (factory/feedlot cattle/chickens, etc., just saddens the hell out of me, and I just cannot yet bring myself to stop eating meat). But in the end, I guess I'm just hedging my bets, and since I can afford it and saving for FIRE, I don't have much incentive to change.

Same, though we don't eat much meat. But add in some beer and wine, and I'm over $700 for our family. Easily.

Same...

For a family of 2 we eat way to much. Mostly because we try to eat healthy when we eat out, and we eat out too much.

My excuse for it has always been the amount of overtime I put in, working 50-55 hour weeks, trying to fit in gym time, doesn't get me home until 7PM. Sometimes, it's just easier to grab a salad at a local eatery.

[TrMama]

We're up to $700 for a family of 4. Grocery costs are higher here than in the US, and my 7 yo can't have dairy or soy. This means our buying patterns include lots of cheap unprocessed things, plus a few super spendy items.

I think $800 for a family of 6 is perfectly reasonable.

[mm1970]

Last year: $875 for a family of four
This year: probably closer to $475

[Helvegen]

$550 as of late for a family of three, but my freezer is complaining that this is too much. It seems I have gotten too good at making 3-4 day meals this month and eating less than expected. I'll be looking at a pantry/freezer challenge next month.

Ideally, I shouldn't be spending more than $450.

[protostache]

Way too much.

For 2015 we averaged $110/person/week. Of that, $65 was groceries (which includes household items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies) and $45 was eating out or ordering in.

[Travis]

$400 a month average for two adults and a child. Holiday months it goes well over, and we spent a month traveling where we were being fed by family.

[Kitsune]

500-600CAD, so 350-430USD, at current exchange rates. We're a family of 3 (2 adults and a toddler), plus cat, and we enjoy making relatively elaborate food and cocktails and throwing dinner parties, which we manage on that budget.

We're in Quebec, so a few things in our budget are higher than in the US (a gallon of milk cannot be sold for under 6.40$ and toddlers go through a gallon in like 3 days, and a bottle of booze - the cheap swill vodka, mind, not good booze - can't be found for under 22$, with cheap iffy wine starting at 8-9$ per bottle). However, because we shop sales, have a freezer, and make most things from scratch, we usually come in on or under budget.

[farmerj]

$800 - $1200 per month for a family of 7, so $120 - $170 per head. About $100/month of that is restaurants, and some percentage is BJs/Costco non-grocery items (clothing, tools, etc). Room for improvement.

[Bartstache]

We are in the 800 group for four also.  Not making excuses because i enjoy the way we live and eat but feeding two teens (15 and 16) adds up. 
That money does include household supplies too. 

[Liggy]

$300 for 2 of us, my fiancée is a good cook and we eat very healthily

[big_slacker]

$800 for a family of 4 here. Started at $1k before finding this site. That includes household supplies.

[Cranky]

We run right around $500/month for 3 adults. That includes our CSA (year round) but not cat food or wine (and I rarely buy cleaning supplies beyond vinegar, dish detergent, and bleach).

I think it's a lot, but we eat really well and I like to cook. We eat out maybe once or twice/month, usually because we're travelling someplace or my dh has a business related dinner.

I have about 20 years of grocery store records in a notebook, too.

[soccerluvof4]

we spend closer to 700$ a month for a family of 6 thanks to Aldis and if I am doing the shopping. The DW has a tendency to spend more. I like to buy necessities then meats etc..on sale and plan meals from there. She likes to meal plan first then buy but to me that costs more. In either case I am comfortable in that range as we eat well and with two of the 4 being teenagers with friends over a lot doing pretty well. That also includes all paper products, hygiene products etc..

[justajane]

Around $600 for a family of five. We also spend around $150 a month on eating out, which is not included in the first number. I classify that more as entertainment.

[Daisy]

Single. Eat organic fruits, veggies, yogurt, eggs  Eat meat/fish at most once a day but don't get organic. Take lunch to work. I ordered really good salmon from Alaska. I eat pretty well.

I spent about $250/month in 2014 and brought it down to $220/month in 2015. This includes all food, beer, wine, and any food for entertaining. I want to bring it down to $200/month in 2016. It may not be too hard since my freezer is jam packed right now from 2015 food.

I spent about $70/month on average going out to eat....mostly for socializing purposes. I stopped ordering alcohol with meals out for the most part.

A lot of my food shopping was done at Whole Foods. I suppose I could save more going elsewhere, but I buy mostly unprocessed stuff there like fruits and veggies and I think the prices aren't outrageous on those things. But I had bought a lot of gift cards there earlier in the year to meet a minimum spend for a new credit card/reward.

This doesn't include money I spent on food while vacationing or work trips which was around 5 to 6 weeks of the year.

[aFrugalFather]

Our family of five has been doing well shifting from restaurants to groceries, but we still succumb to the occasional fun night out.  Seem to be averaging on the higher end of this survey, it is definitely our major expense outside of the mortgage, but we have fun with it and it is a small percentage of our take home. 

[pumpkinlantern]

~$150 for a single person.  I don't have a car and live downtown so I'm forced to shop at the expensive downtown stores (supplemented by ~2 Costco trips/year), but I do make most things from scratch.  I do eat lots of meat (lamb, chicken, beef) and seafood (fish, lobster), so that increases the cost considerably.

[Cassie]

Between $300-400 for 2 people. This does not include eating out or the dog food.  It does include the booze. We eat well and eat steak at least 1x/week.

[lampstache]

Between $500-600 per month. Family of 4: 2 adults, 1 toddler, and 3 month old. This does include dog food (2 Boston Terriers), household supplies, diapers, and formula. Live in Minnesota.

[sisto]

I've been struggling with this one. Mint says the average is $900/mo for 2 people. I'd love to find ways to cut this, but we eat organic, Non GMO, and also grass fed and no hormones and I live in CA. I also know that it isn't really that high since I don't split out my Costco bill so ALL Costco shows as groceries. We also buy stuff at Costco for other family member which really messes up my budget. When I can I split out some stuff and hide the income from the budget too, but it's a pain. Meanwhile, I just find places to cut back and continue to stash.

[mm1970]

I've been struggling with this one. Mint says the average is $900/mo for 2 people. I'd love to find ways to cut this, but we eat organic, Non GMO, and also grass fed and no hormones and I live in CA. I also know that it isn't really that high since I don't split out my Costco bill so ALL Costco shows as groceries. We also buy stuff at Costco for other family member which really messes up my budget. When I can I split out some stuff and hide the income from the budget too, but it's a pain. Meanwhile, I just find places to cut back and continue to stash.

given those constraints, it's not bad for CA.  My neighbors do the same and are about 2x that for their family of 4.

[2Birds1Stone]

$250 on groceries for two people in NY.
Another $150-200 a month for groupon, happy hours, lunch with coworkers for two people.

So about $400-450/month all in I would say.

[Rural]

We run $350-400 for two adults, two Great Danes, three cats and household supplies. Dont generally split it out.


We also tend to spend $50-75 a month eating out.

[Nudelkopf]

$200 for one adult.

This includes stuff like shampoo, deoderant, sunscreen, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, pads/tampons, etc.

[arpies]

Including eating out, household supplies and booze, I'm at $300 for a single male in the semi-remote north.

[sisto]

I've been struggling with this one. Mint says the average is $900/mo for 2 people. I'd love to find ways to cut this, but we eat organic, Non GMO, and also grass fed and no hormones and I live in CA. I also know that it isn't really that high since I don't split out my Costco bill so ALL Costco shows as groceries. We also buy stuff at Costco for other family member which really messes up my budget. When I can I split out some stuff and hide the income from the budget too, but it's a pain. Meanwhile, I just find places to cut back and continue to stash.

given those constraints, it's not bad for CA.  My neighbors do the same and are about 2x that for their family of 4.

Thanks mm1970, It just feels high to me especially since I see such low numbers on here. I should also mention that it includes food for 2 dogs which I left out in the previous comment.

[MisterTwoForty]

Not sure what mine is currently - but 2016 is the year of more strict budgeting.

I am going for a monthly budget of $300 for grocery store and eating out (family of 2).  Should be do-able.

Our #'s are a bit hard to calculate because I am a hunter and some of our meat is provided from hunting (venison, rabbit, birds, etc) so I have some extra costs that go into that.  Also, we purchased a 1/4 beef with some family last year and are still eating on that.  So, our grocery bills are low but once my beef wears thin it will go up again.  For now, $300 is more than enough.

[Teacherstache]

Ours is $550 per month for 4 people. My husband, myself, and two teens. This includes all groceries, all household supplies, all eating out (usually pizza carry-out 2-4 times per month), and school lunch costs for the teens. I'm pretty happy with this number. I could go lower if needed, as this includes plenty of "splurge-y" items like free range eggs, bakery treats, etc.

[ETBen]

$450 per month for 3 people, including restaurants 

[Workingmomsaves]

We spend 250/month on groceries and 160/month eating out.  I have gotten a bit lazy the last 6 weeks or so as I have been interviewing/job hunting and it has taken a lot of time.  We have a family of 4 includes 2 children.  I don't count dog food but that runs 45/50 per month for our lab.  Cost does include toiletries and household supplies.

[pharmmm]

$800/month for 2 people. Not even healthy stuff, and way too many restaurants/fast food. I can rationalize it all I'd like, but it needs to change.

[dontwannaworkforever]

$400 a month. Its more like $500 from the amount of going out and snacks.

Food...is expensive but it doesn't have to be. Just good foods are addictive lol.

[rockstache]

I voted 200-300 for two people but that does not include toiletries or cleaning supplies or alcohol. Just groceries and restaurant budget.

[jms493]

Food only - $600 (NY)

Family of 4  (well one is breast fed)

[coffeelover]

Ours is $550 per month for 4 people. My husband, myself, and two teens. This includes all groceries, all household supplies, all eating out (usually pizza carry-out 2-4 times per month), and school lunch costs for the teens. I'm pretty happy with this number. I could go lower if needed, as this includes plenty of "splurge-y" items like free range eggs, bakery treats, etc.

I think this number is great for your family type. 2 teenagers are expensive to feed, I know I have 3 of them. 1 moved out not to long ago though.
we do carryout as well in our 800 budget, that is probably why its considered higher. If we didn't eat out at all it would probably be 700 a month for our family of 6, 2 teenagers which are here part-time and a dog and cat.

[themagicman]

$200 a month for two people. Just groceries and out to eat. Cleaning and household items are a separate category.