I don’t mind spending a lot on food relative to some other people and relative to what we spend on other things. Healthy food is important; buying local foods, buying organic foods, buying fresh foods, buying grass-fed meat, etc.—all of those are important to me. And some dairy/wheat-filled-food/etc. analogs are also important to me, and they certainly tip my bill upward. Food is a source of both sustenance and joy, so it makes sense to me that it’s high on our list of financial priorities.
But I was amazed to find people on Gluten-Free Girl’s blog saying that they eat local/organic/grass-fed and spend far, far less on food than we do. And sometimes, I must say, I feel like we should be spending a bit less on food so that we have money for stuff like, well, helping stock the food pantry near us.
We limit our meat consumption as it is, but I’m looking at buying a quarter or half of a pastured cow, now, to cut some of our costs. The grass-fed meat from the farmer’s market here is muy expensive; it’s local, but I might order some online from elsewhere if it will save us a chunk of money. I’m wondering what else I should be doing that I’m not. And I’m going to dig out some grocery receipts to see where my money really is going. . . .
What do you spend on a week’s (or month’s) groceries? How much do you spend to eat out in a week? What kinds of meals do you have? What food restrictions are you dealing with? And how do you keep your costs down, if you’re good at doing so?
19 responses so far ↓
1 Aleata // Jan 28, 2010 at 7:59 am
We have been dealing with food allergies (severe) for the past 8 years. It has been very time consuming, but with a little research, and a lot of paitence we have come a long way. My daughter has severe allergies to…. dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts,and also suffers from various seasonal allergies. Just about 2 monts ago we realized that she and my husband are also allergic to wheat and gluten.
We also go organic, and local as much as possible. Ways I have learned to save in the grocery store is to make friends with the produce and meat managers. If you frequent the same store reguraly they will know your face. I always shop for whats on sale on meats for example, I stock up and freeze them, then plan the rest of my meals around what I have in the freezer. As for vegies, if they are not in season I buy frozen, there are lost of organic choices and they are cheap. Then we suppliment with lots of beans and rice.
As for eating out, thats simple we just dont, too many dietary restrictions, and worries of cross-contamination. Every meal is prepared fresh from scratch everyday.
Hope I didnt run on to long, but I just found your blog today and think its great.
2 Megan D // Jan 28, 2010 at 8:36 am
Well, what do you eat now? What are you buying now?
I don’t do as well as many people but I think I do ok.
Our family diet will be changing soon but it has been gluten, soy, citrus, peanut free. We just found out that daddy is allergic to eggs, dairy, and yeast so that adds a whole new element.
I buy in bulk through co-op orders whenever I can and shop from the bulk section of our grocery store when I can. I look for deals at the dented can place (ours has an abundance of organic foods for half off) and I shop at the cheapest grocery store in town even though it’s not conveniently located.
I happened to have recently added it all up during a discussion about thrifty meal planning. Here is what I wrote:
1 Mango (on sale and in season treat for dd)
5-6 bananas
3lb bag of apples, organic
1 very large head of romaine (priced per head not per lb otherwise it’s usually a better deal to get the bag of three hearts)
1 bunch of spinach
2 packages of mushrooms ($2 a box for portabellas which I use to replace meat)
1 very large onion
2lb bag baby carrots
5lbs organic potatoes
Hewbrew Nat’l hotdogs
1lb pork sausage with nothing added except seasonings
2lbs ground beef (when possible I buy the organic on the sale by date)
family size pack of hormone free chicken thighs
1lb of beans
1lb of rice
3 cans tomato sauce
rice pasta from the co-op order
baking soda and sea salt from co-op
2 boxes of cereal
sometimes hot cereal but it lasts a long time
rice cakes
1 loaf of bread
corn tortillas
butter
2lbs cheddar
parmesan
sour cream
half n half
yogurt
frozen burritos and breakfast sandwiches for dh’s work (he eats the same thing every day!)
meals:
salad with baked chicken
broccolli and cheese rice casserole
chili
tacos
pasta with meat and marinara
beans and rice
quesadillas and salads along with leftovers for lunch
ETA: We do not qualify for assistance anymore, 3 members of our family are gluten free, all others have various other allergies (lactose or soy mostly), I do put in orders for bulk bags of flour and other GF ingredients from the co-op once a month/as needed as well as other expensive organics which amounts to $30 a month. I shop at costco for a few items which are cheapest there which amounts to $40 per month. We spend about $80-100 twice a month at the grocery store for everything else and then about $15 per week on off weeks for fresh food. We have two adults, 7, 4, and 1 year old children.
It amounts to about $400 per month which is well below national average estimates.
3 Megan D // Jan 28, 2010 at 8:38 am
One more thing!
When we get a tax refund we buy a share in a CSA that lasts us all summer and our grocery bills go down and we eat a lot more veggies and less meat. The above is a winter shopping list.
4 julie // Jan 28, 2010 at 8:42 am
I think I spend about $50 on food, just for me, for the week. I eat mostly organic and local, and I shop at a very large, old, city run farmers market, which is about 40% cheaper than the more upscale markets. A person can buy industrial organic at Walmart, or they can shop their farmers markets and buy from local farmers, there’ll be a price difference. I save money by buying bulk, stuff is cheaper and I get a nickle or dime off for bringing my own jars/containers, and every other month, I use a 20% off coupon, and buy as much grocery as I can.
The price of lunch out is probably more than it costs to feed me at home for a day. I don’t mind spending money on ingredients, food and air is what goes into my body, and even expensive ingredients are cheap, as far as luxuries go.
I could grow more of my food, it’s fun, it probably costs as much as just buying the stuff, at least at my success level.
5 Cindy // Jan 28, 2010 at 9:22 am
I’ve been paying attention to our grocery bills also and have had the same thing in mind. We can’t eat gluten and also avoid MSG, HFCS, nitrates and nitrites. Plus I buy organic as much as I can.
My local grocery store offers local organic free range eggs that I buy so that tips the scales a little bit and the organic milk we go through is crazy.
I have a family of 4 and we spend about $100/week on grocery trips. This isn’t including the items I buy in bulk at Costco, including some meat, cheese, and fruit, or the local organic buffalo we purchase in quarters. I also join a CSA in the summer and have a small garden so those help with costs on fresh fruit and vegetables.
We rarely eat out, once maybe every month, and at a max spend about $40 but it’s at restaurants that offer GF options and local meat so I’m willing to pay a little extra. I think eating at home saves us a lot of money. Snacks seem to be the big cost at times but I don’t have an option when I need food for lunches.
6 Renai // Jan 28, 2010 at 10:04 am
I’d say we spend about $70-$100 a week to feed two of us- depending on how we’re eating. We definitely go over $100 easily if we eat out one or two nights.
We have a CSA box delivered every other week, and that usually covers us for produce, aside from salad greens. We don’t eat much meat, but when we do it’s from the farmers market- and is usually a splurge. After buying $15 worth of lamb chops last week and getting about 4 ounces of meat off of them, I think I’ll be sticking to ground meat from now on. I have the benefit of working for a seafood company, so we eat a lot of (free) seafood which makes a tremendous difference.
Most of our food comes from our CSA, my work, our neighborhood farmers market, Trader Joes, and a local chain of grocery stores who carry a lot of great bulk and local items. I definitely cook and eat differently on nights that my boyfriend has school or work. I’m happy eating a big bowl of oatmeal, while he likes a bit more balance and diversity.
I try to buy as much in bulk as I can, and avoid processed and pre-packaged foods. I always do a full walk through of the market before deciding who to buy from, and I make a point to use everything that we buy.
I actually feel like we still do spend quite a bit on food, even though we don’t eat much meat. It is the only area that we regularly splurge on, though, so I don’t mind it.
7 Carrie // Jan 28, 2010 at 11:10 am
This is such a loaded question Sally! Other than the fact that it depends on what our budget looks like that week… We spend a lot on groceries too because I generally buy high quality produce. We also limit meats and we have a local beef farm that had a $95 of a variety of cuts etc… we use that in about 3 months. I would imagine if we had a family it would not last as long. I buy nearly all my flours online or at a local asian grocery. I buy hemp milk by the case online, so I use it very sparingly and buy almond milk at the grocery store for drinking and using in a lot of recipes.
Generally on an average trip to the grocery store in this region, if I go to the upper class pricey (best produce) place I can easily spend $150 a week for two people. If I go to lower priced store (with a bit less quality produce) I can spend from $80-$100 per week. I generally shop at those two stores and occasionally during the week if I’m short on something I can run to the Piggly Wiggly, but I can’t count on them for really high quality stuff.
As far as going out to eat. We are really trying to limit this. I would say we probably spend at least $20 eating out and if we’re not being as careful it could be $40-$80. But generally weeks where we are so busy that we eat out more, I don’t go grocery shopping so it tends to even out.
Hopefully this wasn’t too much TMI!
I also buy Angel food every other month usually. They actually have a really great produce box which I love and I like to have the allergen free meat box as a last minute meal if we ever need one!
8 Kristen // Jan 28, 2010 at 11:19 am
We spend a lot on groceries, too, even though we go to trader joe’s for most of it (and they are pretty inexpensive). Things add up because, like you, we have food allergies in the house AND a baby that needs easy-to-nibble things like crackers and cereal….so that’s where I end up spending my $$ even with the coupons we receive from our local health food store.
We save more money in the spring/summer when we can hit the farmer’s market, but…until then.
We do eat meat. Organic, which is more $$, too.
Let me know if you purchase your beef online and where you do. I’d love to do the same since my husband wasn’t able to get a deer this year.
9 Shirley // Jan 28, 2010 at 1:04 pm
As of the new year we’ve budgeted $250/week for groceries for our family of four (the kids are 8 and 9). This includes non-food grocery items, but it is mostly food.
Our 9yo is GFCF and we cook/eat almost exclusively GFCF. (8yo likes cheese for his grilled cheese sandwiches and to top his pizza.)
We have gone over, but not by much, every week so far…
10 Shannon // Jan 28, 2010 at 6:33 pm
We are a family of 4 with two small children - 3 & 1. We spend less than the $18/week and eat almost entirely local & organic. Our milk is raw @ $7/gallon. Our meats are all pastured. We take an expensive cod liver oil supplement. But like I said over at GFG - I make everything from scratch. I also don’t have to fight all of the food allergies that you do.
11 Shannon // Jan 28, 2010 at 6:58 pm
woops… that should read $18/day.
12 Amy // Jan 28, 2010 at 9:23 pm
My son is allergic to food coloring and most of the lettered additives (BHT, TBHQ, MSG), and he and I are both gluten intolerant. We spend about $400/month for a family of four, actually LESS than we used to spend before going GF because we used to buy more processed foods and eat out more often. Right now, we eat out on Sundays at Taco Del Mar - so $16 a week in eating out expenses.
I bought 1/4 of a cow locally a few months ago and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made. If you know the farmer and you have the freezer space, I’d highly recommend going bulk like that. I’ll be gardening in the spring and summer which will reduce produce expenses.
13 Laura // Jan 30, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Hi Sally!
I have been really concerned about how much I spend grocery-shopping as well. It’s been interesting to compare grocery costs as I’ve gone through raw (most expensive) to macrobiotic to basic vegan. I am noticed that my bills are leveling out to about $50 a week at Whole Foods, and that includes things like shampoo, oils, and maybe something that’s not totally necessary (like hemp seeds, or freshly ground almond butter). That’s winter, though.
In the summer, when I can shop at the farmers’ market, I spend about $20-25 on produce a week. Then, I can buy grains and beans at WF… or, even better, since I’m not eating much grain anymore, I stock up on beans at the local Mexican produce market. I think I spent about $20 on beans, avocadoes, and yuca, and that should last me for a few weeks.
So, I am hoping that I can keep my weekly food budget around $50. I would say that I eat out about once, maybe twice a week, usually about $10 a pop, maybe less.
Summer is definitely cheaper here. Winter is more expensive.
Oh, and all of that is just for me — vegan, sugar free, gluten-free, alcohol-free.
I dream of having a garden and living in a more temperate climate….
14 KB // Jan 30, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Mr. B and I spend from 40-65 dollars depending on the week. We have a Costco membership and buy our spinach for green smoothies there as well as our coffee, of which we drink a great deal. We also save a lot on quinoa, frozen fruit, etc. In a given week we buy:
Several pounds of bananas
5 lb spinach
Romaine
Kale
Dried beans
3 lb. Onions
2 lb Potatoes
4 lbs apples
Almond milk (trying to wean myself off soy)
Milk (for Mr. B)
Small amount of meat
Peanut butter
Whole grain bread
Cottage cheese
Seasonal veg
Coffee
We do green smoothies for breakfast [make night before and store in mason jars in fridge to take to work], and I usually have a second smoothie or pb&j for lunch, and he has hummus and cucumbers for lunch a lot. On Sundays, I try to roast a pan of veggies for salads, sandwiches, or grain stir-ins, and make a couple soups (usually one potato, one bean). He’s a big meat eater, so he grills something for us once a week. We’re both trying to drop some weight and rein in our spending, but I find myself still wasting some food — but we’re working on it. I also vacillate between organic and not, but I’m hoping that my garden will be good enough this year that it will be less of an issue, and that my CSA at $15 a week will come through with flying colors.
15 Eileen Loughman // Feb 2, 2010 at 2:46 pm
I read Gluten-free Girl and the Chef as well. I did a little research for our state and found that for a family of 3 the budget is $530 a month. I may add we have a lot more than that budget for food and yet we go over by hundreds of dollars. Now that isn’t just food, that includes all items purchased at any food store.
I managed to buy a weeks worth of dinners for $105. I was oh so proud of myself. However this is day three and not one of those meals has been cooked. We went to friends and ended up picking up roasted chicken due to time constraints yesterday. Darn it! Will keep trying.
Good luck on your budgeting.
16 Amy Jo // Feb 9, 2010 at 11:13 am
Sally, hello! I found my way here from JD’s (we are friends & near neighbors) site. We also eat mostly organic and buy locally, and try to grow, glean, trade, and put by as much as we can. We buy few, if any, processed food. In late fall I discovered that I can order groceries online from my favorite local grocer, New Seasons. I place an order the night before and my husband picks it up on his way home from work the next day. Their personal shoppers do an excellent job with produce and are great about calling and making suggestions for substitutions if need be. We are buying the same foods we bought before, with no more than 15 minutes of our time spent doing so. That alone is worth the 4.95 fee since we have both work and care for our young son. The best thing though, which I found quite shocking, is that we consistently spend 25 percent less on groceries per week than we do if we shop ourselves. Those little “impulse” items–the yummy looking cheese, etc.–add up quickly for us. We now spend, on average, $90 per week for mostly organic food.
17 Elizabeth // Feb 23, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Hi Sally,
Well I know i won’t win a prize for the cheapest food bill. LOL There are 2 of us. We have a very strict diet. I spend about 1,000 a month for us. That is all our foods. Snacks and Meals. We never eat out . Not one morsel because of our health condition.I don’t mind spending money on good food.
So don’t feel bad.
Hugs,
Elizabeth
18 Tania // Mar 3, 2010 at 5:38 pm
I just found your blog. How wonderful it is! I am only GF, but here are a few strategies I use to keep my food spending in line (nothing earth shaking, but figured I’d share) :
- set separate weekly budgets for eating in and going out, so things don’t blur
- make a list of “absolutely” purchases for the week ie. those things you really need around -excluding produce. Buy them first.
- Plan and buy your produce next : I do this because it always adds up to more than what I anticipate.
- See what money you have left over and figure out which “rotating items” you can buy. For me these are usually types of protein and things to add interest and flavor: meat, fish, yogurt, then olives, roasted beets (they’re cheap here in Paris!), nuts, cheese, dried fruit, etc.
- The only other thing is that I don’t drink any sort of milk - just found it’s not something I really require - so that’s one thing I don’t have to budget for or worry about wasting. I know for some people it can get pricey.
When I do go over budget, but it’s usually because I didn’t plan well enough or stick to my plan.
Btw I can’t seem to find out on the site, but how did you discover your allergies and intolerances? Was it medical diagnosis, self diagnosis, some combination?
Thanks!!
19 sally // Mar 3, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Hi, Tania. You can read my diagnosis story here: http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=321
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