How much do you spend on groceries a week?

jba

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 7:39 pm

I feel like I am spending too much but can't figure out what to cut out. Maybe it's the same all around. How much do you spend and how many people do you feed? Also, big or small shabbatot?

Mitzvahmom

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 7:44 pm

For me it depends on if I have time to go to NY.

If I go to Ny I can easily spend $300, but it's food that lasts for a REALLY long time and it's much cheaper there so I get more.

But I can easily spend $100+ per week for me and three kids.. Mostly because u never knwo what the kids will eat..

baseballmom

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 8:00 pm

We spend about $175, but that also includes our meat, paper goods, diapers etc - we are a family of 5

chocolate moose

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 8:13 pm

I don't buy every single thing we need each week, and we shop a variety of places, too.

amother

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 8:43 pm

We are 5 and we spend about $200 counting veggies and chicken and fish sometimes gets up to $250.
Our average Shabbos would be 3-4 guests each meal sometimes we make big ones.

amother

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 9:01 pm

I spend at least 300 for a family of two. How do you guys spend so little, do you not give chicken and meat for supper?

Mitzvahmom

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 9:10 pm

alot of pasta.... fruits veggies...

cannot afford much, learn to cut down...

cindy324

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 9:27 pm

$200 -$300/ week including shabbos odds and ends. We're a family of 5 and yes I make chicken or meat or fish for supper during the week.

Last amother, how do you spend so much for a family of 2??

bashinda

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 9:52 pm

It's around 200 at the moment. I also go to different places to shop so it's a little difficult to give an exact number but that's about right. We're ka"h a family of 6 B"H.

I've noticed that as the family has grown (although really it's one child eating food along with us) that I'm not necessarily having as much fleish in the week. I have more pareve and dairy. I cut corners here and there like I make my own pizza in my milchig oven instead of buying at the store and I find that I often have stuff stored away and it doesn't necessarily need to be fleish. Shabbos of course is a different story.

Meema2Kids

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 10:28 pm

We spend $550 - $600 per month (most in the first week when we stock up for the month).

We eat chicken once during the week, the rest is dairy/pareve.

We rarely eat red meat, actually I guess ground beef a few times a month.

I try to stay away from cheese too.

poelmamosh

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 10:40 pm

more or less $100 a week, excluding Shabbos, but including a weekly dinner party (shiur) for up to 10 (we're 3 consumers). When I make Shabbos it's easily another 200 for almost a dozen ppl. ver little meat/chicken or dairy for dinner (maybe a frozen slice of pizza in a crunch Wink

) but lots of fish and whole grain.

JMto2

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 10:54 pm

What I do is I make menus for two weeks in a row of what I will be making for supper and I base my grocery list on that this way I do not buy extras and waste my money I buy chicken by te case because its cheaper and I look around for sale items. I spend an average of 100-125 a week for a family of 4

mirisimma

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 11:16 pm

100-150 for family of 3, including everything.
I buy meat/chicken by case and everything I can in bulk (I LOVE COSCO!!) I clean my own cutlets and our meat is either ground or stew. I dont feel like were cutting corners, but always being conservative. I'm frustrated our expenses are even so high, its bc our neigborhood has limited availability and HIGh prices. almost double normal prices on some things.

I find that my biggest expnses are frozen veggies, challa and rolls, and desserts. (diapers are cheap at COSCO!!! Smile

try to use real dishes when possible. but very often plastic...

mirisimma

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 11:20 pm

jba, whats your normal shopping trip look like, maybe if we knew what youre buying we can give you tips on what to cut.

my only general advice is: buy bulk, shop cosco and Kmart target etc, generic brands when possible, buy cases of mesat chicken and freeze, bake at home when possible. turkey is cheap. someone else posted similar question and there was thread with great money saving advice a few months ago

miriam

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 11:33 pm

mirisimma wrote:

I find that my biggest expnses are frozen veggies, challa and rolls, and desserts. (diapers are cheap at COSCO!!! Smile

try to use real dishes when possible. but very often plastic...

Sounds like you are doing great. Have you tried making bread yourself? It's so easy. Currently, I make bread with the kitchenaid. Then I bake it in the oven.

amother

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 11:35 pm

When I said a family of two, I meant two kids. I only make fleishigs for supper and usually meat two days a week and chicken three days a week. I also like to have a complete suppers, so I will have fresh veggies and we eat a lot of fruit. Also, once in a while I will make a roast for supper. Also, I generally don't skimp on my kids, like my two year old eats her own rib steak. I usually make that every other week or sometimes once a week depending on my husband's mood.

mirisimma

Mon, Apr 23 2007, 11:47 pm

so that makes sense. I think nice cuts of meat, especially if purchased one tray at a time, add up to alot. but you get what you paid for. yumm Smile

I try to bake... my cooking is good. my desserts are better. my challa is simply... not meant to be. tried every recipe in the world. tried every advice. bread machine, by hand. fresh yeast. nothing. nada. Hashem wants me to support the local bakery and who am I to argue