Lakewood area grocery budget for family of 7 ages 15-8

amother

Gold

Fri, Jul 01 2022, 8:16 pm

I have a smaller family so my numbers won’t help you but I do think people underestimate how much cheaper thing are not in a Heimish grocery-

Eg- we use lots of cereal, oatmeal, snack bags and I save a lot by ordering those on target or with Shipt. I don’t do any extra shopping trips like also etc cuz I work and have babies and it’s too hard. But ordering is a no hassle way if you price things and know what to buy where.

Oatmeal/cereal is around 5$ in the grocery and 2. Something in target. Strawberries are 7$ sometimes and I just bought for 1.99 in target.

If someone doesn’t eat OU it’s harder but I feel like buying diapers and detergent in a grocery is like buying bananas in a gas stations. It’s very overpriced…

amother

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 9:59 am

ok so this post is about 1/2 a year old. January my groceries (which again is ALL INCLUSIVE and tracks every single food item and non food but kitchen item such as bags, reynolds wrap, coffee etc) were $2,800! My kids are teens, they want meat on shabbos, not just fish and soup and challa like in the good old days. I don't want to say no to them but that means saying no to my future self by not saving. What's the answer?

amother

Pewter

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 10:21 am

I'm OOT but I think things even out. Kosher items are more expensive, but regular items are less (or at least used to be).
We're a family of 7 and I'd guess we spend about the same as you.
I do a weekly menu plan, shop with a list and try to do Walmart and one other store that sells kosher meat/chicken/dairy items a week. The prices are insane, and I would guess my spending has almost doubled since this time last year.

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 10:22 am

amother Magenta wrote:

Its sucha funny thing that people see ice cream as a huge luxury.
It costs like $8 for a big tub that lasts almost a month and makes my day easier and happier.

Like whats the point in life if I can't even eat a cone of ice cream once a week lol.

I have 11 people in my house.
We need more than one tub per sitting to feed us all and not feel skimpy.

So yes. Ice cream is a luxury.
We buy for birthdays and yom tov ( which means it is not that rare - refer to number of people in house Bh.).

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 10:29 am

amother Jade wrote:

Family of 9- seven kids up to age 18- we spend about $300 a week in the grocery and another 3-400 on household products so closer to 15 a month.
Shopping with a list is what keeps our budget down and shopping once a week only. I do buy lots to make my life easier like prechecked lettuce, and thinks to make my day that much more delicious like icecream Smile

Please tell us how you feed so many big kids for so little. You say you shop with a list. Ltoeles harabom please share.

amother

Denim

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 10:55 am

amother OP wrote:

I think you need to start ordering non-perishables online from non-Jewish stores, like others have suggested, if you truly want to decrease your grocery expenses. If you keep shopping in one Jewish store, realize it's a luxury that you will pay for accordingly.

Eventually I would recommend that you also buy produce/non-specifically kosher items at a non-Jewish store in person, but I don't think you're ready for that right now. Given that it's been 6 months and you don't seem to have changed anything yet...

amother

Mint

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 11:15 am

Can someone post examples of what is cheaper that you can order online at target?
for example, I can get snack bags for school at the jewish stores for like 33 cents (potato chips)
I didn't find that on the target website...
(I already order diapers, wipes, toiletries from target and I do find it cheaper..)

amother

Yolk

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 11:41 am

amother OP wrote:

I hv about the same, just youngest is 3.
I spend abt 2500 on just groceries not including tissues & toiletries.

I used to spend more. I stopped shopping in gourmet glatt. Their sales are great but their regular prices are not especially if you buy a lot of meat and chicken. And vegetables.

Evergreen has cheaper reg prices & meat, & seasons has GREAT chicken/meat prices.
For some reason when I shop in those two stores my bills at the end of each week are a good $200 less. I don't know if it's just because the aisles in Gourmet Glatt make me spend more? I spent a month shopping around in all different stores and I compared bill totals (not price per item).

Eta: I happen to not be careful with what I buy because bh I don't need to. But it bothered me that I would pay so much extra in one store and my bill kept going up and up by way higher than inflation over the year in 2021-2022. So this is my shopping bill without trying to be careful about what exactly is on my list although I will compare prices between brands on brands that don't make a difference to me.

Reality

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 11:42 am

amother OP wrote:

Please serve a main course on shabbos. Doesn't have to be meat, chicken is just fine. Yes, teens are a lot hungrier than little kids. Saving money has it's place but not here. Please choose a main course on shabbos over your future savings account.

amother

Buttercup

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 11:48 am

amother Mint wrote:

Ketchup, soy sauce, pasta, sugar, flour, tomato sauce and paste are things that come to mind. If you do drive up, water bottles, vegetables and fruit, soda, Snapple.

Aldi is cheaper than target btw.

amother

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 11:51 am

Reality wrote:

Ty I kinda want to hear this. But my inner miser is getting frustrated.

amother

DarkViolet

Sun, Feb 19 2023, 3:04 pm

I shop at gourmet glatt it's not the cheapest place on produce. I tried at Aldi twice and the produce was moldy or awful so I never went back. Ive started checking lettuce on my own and cut my grocery bill by $40 a week. Everybody wants salads... we are 7 ppl no babies or toddlers and our costs are similar to yours op.

amother

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 8:46 am

Hi guys -op again. I am doing my budget for this past month. Yikes! The number is more like 3k!
All the kids were home for the weeks between school and camp and there was tons of extra shopping for that and the erev tisha beav/nachamu food etc. to make my life a bit easier.

I need to be more careful! Can anyone relate to the sticker shock?

amother

NeonOrange

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 8:56 am

amother Jade wrote:

Yes I budget and keep track of all my spendings. The numbers are accurate and account for the higher costs we are now paying.
I will say that I have had friends with smaller families who also dont host as much and they were in disbelief when I told them my numbers. One of them did try to implement. What they found was that by stopping to go to the grocery store without a shopping list and by going less frequently they cut their budget to less than half of what it was before. (To begin with they were paying way more than me and now they are way less which makes sense based on their family size.)

This is a good idea. Worked well for me.

amother

Cyan

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 8:58 am

amother Jade wrote:

I hate to sound harsh, but I think what you meant to say is that's how my numbers are different than yours. Every person considers grocery store items something different though I will clarify I include food, vegetables, fruits, meats and chicken, baby products- including diapers, cleaning supplies, magazines, and disposables. I dont buy them all in the grocery though they are all counted within that same budget.

If you are giving an average based on a full year then yes by me excluding Yomim Tovim it will make it harder for our numbers to match. Considering that higher prices are recent though I dont think any of us know honestly what that will cost.

I'm not trying to say I'm the best or most amazing at not spending money. Until we set up a budget and went over it with someone I didnt realize we were spending less than average. I'm just saying there may be a way to try that you haven't up until now.

To the OP the one question I still haven't gotten an answer about is have you tried shopping only based on a list and going just once a week?

I go with a list, yes. But let’s say I forget to put eggs on the list, which according to you means I don’t buy it. That doesn’t mean I don’t need eggs. And if I see something I’ll need next week but buy it now, not from my list-then I won’t need to buy it in next week’s budget.
And if I didn’t buy enough food for my family because I made my list based on what I want to spend, then they’d be hungry.
So although I use lists, I don’t see how it’s the be-all and end-all to reduce costs.

amother

Cognac

Sun, Aug 06 2023, 9:14 am

We’re family of 6 so it’s a little less but yes, everything went up a lot recently.
I would estimate were spending around $2000 but it’s so hard to figure out because I usually shop in a few different stores. I do one large grocery order a week and then a few smaller trips to the store.
Also, it’s hard to know exactly how much we are using each week because sometimes I buy extra. For example, if I’m treating my child to a bagel sandwich at the bagel store, I will probably buy 8 bagels to take home and keep in freezer. Or if I’m buying orange juice and cereal in Walmart I’m not only buying 1 container of juice and 1 box of cereal. Since I’m there already I want to stock up. Which would bring me grocery bill higher that week when I stock up.