This is encouraging! I'm working on this myself.
Family of 4. I aim to eat "grain free" but make starchy side dishes for the rest of the family, so think lots of meat/vegetable/rice meals.
August Groceries (including husband's beer) - $686
August Eating Out - $242
Total food: $928
Hey, it's a start! I'm getting more savy about food waste and shopping the pantry. I want to tighten this up for September!
It's frustrating because cooking and planning falls 100% on me. My husband LOVES to go out to eat and treat himself to something salty/fatty/horrible. It's one of his special joys in life. If I haven't cooked or feel really fed up with stretching the leftover pork loin for one more meal, he's crouched and waiting to suggest a restaurant with the kids echoing him with, "YES! PLEASE MOM!"
Now that it's cool enough, I plan to bulk cook some staples (chili, baked chicken, vegie lasagna) and jam them in my freezer for those busy days when I'm sorely tempted to give in and go out.
I'm guilty of grocery shopping and making Healthy! Choices! while sneering at the bag of chicken nuggets. Then, when we're tired and no one wants to prepare the healthy food, I buy those same chicken nuggets for the kids at 4x's the cost at a fast food place. So I'm working on getting real with myself! Sure, I *intended* to make healthy baked chicken nuggets dredged in almond meal, but odds are I'm not going to have time for that. So maybe having a backup bag of chicken nuggets in the freezer ready to go is a good plan. Or, sacrifice a Saturday and fill the freezer with my own chicken nuggets.
Like I said, I'm still figuring this out!