food prices at the supermarket? (Atlanta, Decatur: how much, to buy, live in)

[Leopoldstadt]

We´ll move to Atlanta from Europe in summer and don´t know what a supermarket purchase costs for a week (two persons).
We eat much vegetables and fruits, less meat and prefere home-style cooking.
Pleeeeaaaase help us!!!

[BobKovacs]

Compared to some areas of the US, Atlanta's not exactly a bargain on groceries, but I can't say how it compares to Europe. I know for a family of 4, we generally spend around $150-200 on groceries every week, depending on how much we plan to eat out that week. That figure includes a decent amount of fruits and vegetables, as well as meats. I'd say you're probably looking at $75-100/week for the two of you- especially if you're big into produce and plan to pack lunches during the week.

[Mattie]

I think food prices in Atlanta are good, compared to the Northeast, and Florida, where we have also lived. There is competition here, so you can shop around for the best deals. I have 3 teenagers, and we spend about $250/week on food.

[noah]

There are two of us and we probably average $50 - $75/wk. Being from the northwest I find that food prices are great here, especially if you shop places like the international markets and Aldi's.

[graywolf73]

Also, a good tip is to buy a lot of the "buy one get one free" deals when grocers have them. Publix has them every week and I'll stock up on them when I can.

[atlantagreg30127]

One word: Costco.

If you "buy in bulk" (ah, the American way), you can save $$ at that place on food.

[go falcons]

All of the above are great suggestions.
I have relatives that live in Europe when they come to visit they always comment on two things:
1) How inexpensive food is here to buy in grocery stores compared to where they live.
2) How big our portion sizes are when being served in a resturant in comparison to thier resturants.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by Leopoldstadt

We´ll move to Atlanta from Europe in summer and don´t know what a supermarket purchase costs for a week (two persons).
We eat much vegetables and fruits, less meat and prefere home-style cooking.
Pleeeeaaaase help us!!!

I think the one thing you need to be concerned with, however, is the lack of certain "purity" laws that I know they have in Europe for foods, etc. Here in the US, while things are inspected to be safe to eat, much of the reduction in costs of some things goes into using inferior substitutes that can alter the taste of things. For example, rather than sugar, many companies use high fructose corn syrup. Instead of feeding our cattle and animals grass products, corn feed is used, which changes the taste of meat and also requires the need of using drugs and antibiotics on animals to treat them.

[vsmoove]

Atlanta has high grocery prices in my opinion but nothing compares to Europe... you'll be fine.

[Hotlantan]

Make sure to check out local farmer's markets to get the freshest produce at the best price. A great year-round one, the Dekalb Farmers Market, is a big complex located in Decatur, just a few minutes east of downtown Atlanta. They have all kinds of fresh produce as well as meats, seafood, baked goods, and other perishables, in addition to lots of reasonably priced prepackaged international food products (sauces, pickled vegetables, salad dressing, etc). You will be glad you stopped by!