What is your grocery budget and what do you buy (beer, organic)

[rainroosty]

Originally Posted by sherrenee

This may have been done before.

I usually set up a weekly budget (monthly doesn't seem to work as well for us due to the fact that my husband travels 99.9% of the time). Some weeks I have a small budget ($25-$30) and some weeks my budget is a little higher. I like to stay under $50 a week on average for the whole month.

Anyway last night I went grocery shopping and spent $72.45 I was actually able to buy enough stuff that I shouldn't have to go shopping next week.

Here is a general list of what I got...
6 bags of the Steam Fresh vegetables
Turkey Smoked Sausage
Pork Tenderloin
1 pound of ground beef
Bag of frozen Chicken breast
Meat Loaf seasoning
Milk
Eggs
Pizza Crust
Fresh Mozzarella (fresh as in not shredded)
Tapioca Pudding
6 Yogurts
Egg Noodles
2 loafs of bread
Rice Pilaf
Yellow Rice
2 Cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
2 Canned Pineapple
1 can Mandarin Oranges
Box of sweet in low packets
Cake mix
Grapes
Cucumber
Banana's
Nectarine's
Apples
6 Broccoli heads
Red Onion
Sunflower Seeds
5 pound bag of potatoes

Just wait 'til you go to make that pizza.......I hope you have the sauce in stock at home!

[jtur88]

Around $80 a month.
Virtually nothing that is premade, but I do buy a loaf of two of bread a month, tortillas, and generic breakfast cereal, and a few condiments like mayo and mustard. Mostly fresh veggies, but I might open a can a couple times a month. Never any mixes, and I have no microwave.
Meat: Chicken leg quarters (59/pound), organ meats average a dollar pound, canned mackerel, rack of lamb when I find it cheap, or a small pork roast, and some bacon and pork sausage. About 2 oz of meat per meal., cooked in as a condiment. Dozen eggs every few weeks.
Lots of dried beans. Rice and potatoes and dumplings and cornmeal, occasionally pasta and couscous.
I bake my own cookies and biscuits.
A gallon of milk a month, never any drinks, just water.

I walk to the store, so everything I eat is carried a half hour walk. Great incentive to not eat a lot. When I'm almost out of things, I write it on the list, when I need 10-15 pounds of stuff, I go get it.

[Snort]

Pop Tarts, wine.....I can't remember what else.

[Mattie]

During the summer months when my sons are home from school, our grocery bills easily hit $250.00 a week. They don't like sweets, but I had to constantly replenish milk, bread, cheese, yogurt,eggs, cold cuts and drinks.

I hope to see that go down to about $60.00/week now that it's just my spouse and I.

[gentlearts]

I usually go every two weeks, but buy one or two things more a couple of times a week. We probably average $100 a week.
I typically go to the meat counter and get what is a good value that week. Yesterday, I got a corned beef, and boneless chicken breasts. I already have hamburger, pork chops, and a couple of steaks in the freezer.
Then I shop for compatible produce, frozen or fresh vegetables, and canned goods. We very seldom use any converience foods. We hardly ever drink soda, and use very little dairy.

[ylisa7]

I don't have a budget. I usually spend between $80-$100.00 a week including paper goods, cleaning goods, and dog food. The summer months my bill goes down because I eat mostly from my garden.

I buy these things every week:
Milk
Bread
Eggs
O.J.
Bacon
Fruit
Veggies
Yogurt and/or cottage cheese


On top of that I stock up on sale meats and sale items. I buy shrimp and condiments about once a month.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Around $80 a month.
Virtually nothing that is premade, but I do buy a loaf of two of bread a month, tortillas, and generic breakfast cereal, and a few condiments like mayo and mustard. Mostly fresh veggies, but I might open a can a couple times a month. Never any mixes, and I have no microwave.
Meat: Chicken leg quarters (59/pound), organ meats average a dollar pound, canned mackerel, rack of lamb when I find it cheap, or a small pork roast, and some bacon and pork sausage. About 2 oz of meat per meal., cooked in as a condiment. Dozen eggs every few weeks.
Lots of dried beans. Rice and potatoes and dumplings and cornmeal, occasionally pasta and couscous.
I bake my own cookies and biscuits.
A gallon of milk a month, never any drinks, just water.

I walk to the store, so everything I eat is carried a half hour walk. Great incentive to not eat a lot. When I'm almost out of things, I write it on the list, when I need 10-15 pounds of stuff, I go get it.

you only spend $80 a month on food? How many are in your family cause I find that almost impossible to believe. Do you eat any fresh produce other than potaotes?

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by rainroosty

Just wait 'til you go to make that pizza.......I hope you have the sauce in stock at home!

Never heard of a white pizza?

[Caligula1]

Well...way more then we need to, someone in the house likes bakery goods and it's not me

I like to try new things and ideas I get here or online and Grandma likes to have extra's on hand because you never know when someone will come by for dinner..(old school)
So I always cook more then I need to.. Yes there is a shamefull amount of waste sometimes.

I dont like buying Deli meats, she does, it's out biggest waste item.

So i'd have to say 100 dollars a week for two and sometimes 3 people.

[NY Annie]

My budget is for $250 a month. That includes pet food, cleaning, laundry, and a once a month party for about 20-25. In the summer, it's twice a month.

Around here milk is $4.50/gal - I generally go through two gallons in a month unless I get it free and then it's one a week so I bake or make cream sauces for meals and I usually donate a gallon. I'm an expert couponer (NOT an extreme couponer). I use coupons ethically and on the correct products/sizes. Just this past week, I got 20 deodorants for sales tax for my husband. So he's good for the year with a few extras to donate.

Since I only buy what's on sale, there is no example shopping list. Sometimes I go to more than one market in a week, generally spending a max of $20 per trip, mostly for fresh produce. I stock up on whatever meat is on sale, sometimes buying 3-4 boneless pork roasts at a time which I then package for our needs (roasts and chops). Of course, a full size freezer is a necessity. Veggies I either get really inexpensive already frozen (steamers) or I buy fresh and freeze myself.

In addition to a full size freezer, a top of the line food saver is absolutely necessary. But both will pay for themselves within a year or less.

While we are a family of 2, I help out a low-income family of 6 with donations weekly - cereal (brand name), hba, cleaning supplies, baking ingredients, etc.