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Grocerys a month



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twogees




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:33 am
What do you pay for groceries a month? I have been keeping track of all my grocery bills and seem to spend over $500 a month for 2 adults/1 baby (on formula thats taken care of on wic as well as starting baby food from them this week as well). What should I be spending a week for 2 adults? We mainly go shopping thursday nights and buy for the week but something is not adding up on how we can spend that money......would it be better for us to buy in bulk (family size chicken packs...)
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amother
Fuchsia


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:37 am
I spend approx $1200-1600 month for 2 adults and 1 toddler. Anon because I'm sure I'll get bashed for spending so much.
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:40 am
I think $500 a month is pretty decent. I pay for two adults who eat decent portions, a 5 year old and a one year old about 800-1000 a month. So 2x your amts for 2x your size.
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twogees




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:40 am
op here-Toddlers are different than a 7 month old I think.....buying food for a 2 yr is the same as you would for yourself on a smaller scale but the same all in all I think in my mind....
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SRS




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:43 am
The amount you should be spending should be within your budget . That varies from family to family and is highly dependent upon other goals such as savings. When we were only 2 adults and a toddler, we definitely could feed ourselves and buy diapers and toilet paper quite grandly on $300 a little more than half of what you are spending.

What you should do is lay out your sources of income (including WIC) and then make a list of all fixed costs (rent, telephone) and make sure to "pay yourself" with a fixed amount of savings for things you are working towards (money towards the next car you will need to buy). Then you should have an idea of how much you can put towards variable costs like food and determine what a reasonable amount is for your family taking into consideration your goals. Obviously you have to eat, so there is a fixed portion too. But when it is all laid out you can decide at what level you really want to eat at.
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amother
Cyan


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 12:07 pm
I spent about 500 a month on food. 2 adults, and a 3 yr old (the baby doesn't eat much yet). I also get WIC. I could probably cut it down 30-50 dollars if I had to.
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twogees




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 12:21 pm
OP Here- we spend $500+ in the cheapest grocery store. we also get 10% (as my husband is in chinuch) so we can easily spend more if we didnt get the 10% weekly....does anyone have any ideas what we cando to save?
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SRS




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 12:32 pm
twogees wrote:
OP Here- we spend $500+ in the cheapest grocery store. we also get 10% (as my husband is in chinuch) so we can easily spend more if we didnt get the 10% weekly....does anyone have any ideas what we cando to save?


Can't say I have been good about it since upping my working hours to full time and some more, but in the past I always planned meals around produce and other sales. So some weeks we are big on peppers and other weeks mushrooms and other weeks zucchini. Sometimes it is chicken and sometimes meatballs for Shabbos. If you are shopping in one place, you are spending more than you need to be, unless that place is a produce market with great prices all around.
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amother
Papaya


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 12:33 pm
Eggs baked in muffin tins with veggies/ lentils burgers/ lentil soup and rolls /vegetarian chili/ buffalo wings can all be healthy, cheap and easy suppers
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amother
Chartreuse


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 12:43 pm
I probably spend $2000/ monthly on groceries for our family of 5. This does not include eating out, which we rarely do. We do host shabbos meals and malave malka often though. But mainly we buy organic produce and meats which hike up prices.
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amother
Salmon


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 1:13 pm
I also spend $500-$600 a month for two adults and one baby with a 10% discount.
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yksraya




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 2:56 pm
I spend approx $1400-$1600 a month (excluding fish and meat as that we buy in butcher/fish store) in grocery (this includes plastic goods too. For 2 adults, my teen sis, and 4 kids. We have guests shabbos too so buy for them as well.
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amother
Gold


 

Post Mon, Nov 30 2015, 11:41 pm
Is this including disposables and cleaning stuff? Cuz then it makes sense I think

I think the best way to fig it out is by doing a master list type of all the things u buy/ have then u see where is the extra.
Either check ur receipts. Get a printout of ur monthly account. Or scan ur cabinets / fridge / freezer and write down everything u see (including stuff that's usually there after shopping)
Then u start noticing the extras and also get an idea of where ur money is going .

Buying in bulk for chicken makes it cheaper and easier. Repackage in smaller amounts before u freeze.

Also things to notice
Do u buy stuff from the deli/ ready made $$$? Sushi?
Dips and that sort are usually very pricey
Do u buy expensive meats?
Do u bake a lot with expensive stuff?
Do u buy marinades and dressings that are expensive?
Do u throw out a lot? Fruits and veggies that go bad. Milk or bread if u don't use a lot. Leftovers because it's hard to cut down recipes for two ppl?

Not saying u should stop doing these things but just saying what to look for.

It's really the extra 20 dollars or so each trip that add up
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lfab




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 01 2015, 11:39 am
When we were first married and it was just the 2 of us we spent about $400 per month on groceries (on average). But this was being really careful, never buying ready made food, no meat-only chicken and ground beef... But this was nearly 8 years ago and prices on many items have gone up a lot since then so about $500 for 2 adults sounds reasonable. You may be able to cut out some over the course of the month but it certainly doesn't sound outrageous.
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twogees




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 01 2015, 11:48 am
OP Here-So we made a typed up grocery list to see what we will absolutely need each week.....I hope we can cut back this way...I hope we can save money this way by only getting what we need
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shoshana2




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 01 2015, 8:14 pm
Just checked my grocery charges on my credit card bill. We are a family of 6 and my grocery bill is about 265 a week. That's about 1,060 a month.
I shop at Walmart, Shoprite, and 2 different Jewish supermarkets to get the best prices. I also plan my meals around what's on sale and buy sale items in bulk.

P.S. - I love to food shop- it's my hobby
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amother
Bronze


 

Post Tue, Dec 01 2015, 10:09 pm
Family with 2 adukts and a 3 and 4 year old.
I spend 220-250 a week. That does not include fish which I buy in bulk at a much cheaper price. And does not include my costco shopping...oil. honey. Etc

It foes include stuff for a weekly kiddush that I get reimbursed 60 for.
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SRS




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 02 2015, 9:17 am
After reading all of this, I'd say that whenever there is a help me I'm broke, it will be completely and totally justified to ask them to look at their grocery spending first.
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nursemomma




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 02 2015, 9:23 am
$500 sounds right about on target for a family of 3. Food is quite expensive nowadays. For my family of 3, I spend about $750/month, granted I buy lots of fruit veggies and dairy.
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