disgusted with the amount spent on food

[smiley]

I have been tracking our spending since our 1st paycheck in January (January 3rd).

In the past 20 days we have spent over $600 on food between groceries / lunches / dinners out etc. $30 a day on food is crazy for two people! We definitely need to be making a change with our eating habits. This also explains part of the reason why we are both gaining weight. We eat and buy way too much food!

[definitelyO]

it's easy to slip into - that's for sure. now that you know I'm sure you'll be more aware of it and make the change you need.

[Deleted]

One word for you. ALDI. Shop there for a month and you will cut that in less than half

[smiley]

We don't have an Aldi near us. The closest is over an hour away.

Now that we see the numbers we know where we need to make changes.

[phunluvin82]

When I first started tracking on mint, I COULD NOT BELIEVE how much we were spending on food...I think it's easy for food spending to get out of control if you aren't paying attention. More so than other budget categories, because it's a necessity. You need it to live so you don't always think about the spending as much as if it were clothes, or shoes, or something else that you could decide to completely abstain from if necessary.

At least that's my theory that makes me feel better, lol!

[noodleoo]

Jan 23, 2013 18:24:28 GMT -5 phunluvin82 said:

When I first started tracking on mint, I COULD NOT BELIEVE how much we were spending on food...I think it's easy for food spending to get out of control if you aren't paying attention. More so than other budget categories, because it's a necessity. You need it to live so you don't always think about the spending as much as if it were clothes, or shoes, or something else that you could decide to completely abstain from if necessary.

At least that's my theory that makes me feel better, lol!

Ditto. We spend an average of $700 a month on food/groceries.  It is a lot, takeout kills us. We cook about 4 days a week which I think is pretty good.  We tried to cut back, but we get busy and cooking is the first thing that drops. 

[hski2349]

I know a ton of people said this in the past. We found that if we could extra for dinner it makes it really easy to take for lunch the next day, and that saved a lot of money for us. We also do things like cooking pasta or rice, and then chicken, and we will also buy spinach. Then we can do different combinations of those things for lunches and for dinner. That way we are not doing the exact same thing for lunch and dinner each day.

[ellipses84]

We started tracking on mint at the beginning of last year and the amount we spent on groceries/target/Costco was horrifying, an average of 1000/mo in HCOL. We are desperately trying to cut back and have spent $700 so far this month, but I used a lot of coupons and we are stocked up with things to last us a while.

[smiley]

Jan 23, 2013 18:56:20 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

but I used a lot of coupons and we are stocked up with things to last us a while.

I use a lot of coupons too and tend to stock pile things even though we don't have the storage space for it. We have been good about eating the food before the expiration date but still with the grocery ads rotating every 6-8 weeks at Publix (the main store we shop at) this is not necessary. I noticed that I was buying things just because it had a coupon and made it cheap. It is all stuff we would use eventually but not a purchase we necessarily needed to make right now.

[mmmomof2]

I'm avoiding Whole Foods and trying to limit lunches out. It's so easy to take the kids out instead of making lunch at home but it's way healthier and cheaper to eat at home or pack a picnic.

[SJ]

I get it. We TRY for $800/month, and often go over.

[Deleted]

Holy moses, smiley! That is a lot...but like pp said, you caught it and now know to keep an eye on it. Lunches are my danger spot - we are pretty good about meal planning for dinners, even though I hate to cook, and we usually eat out once a week or get takeout one night, eat out once..but the lunches can be a total sneaky drain on the budget.

Wow at sarajoys number...that is a lot, too! But, I love to eat so I would spend more here if I wasnt careful....nom nom nom

[mellymel]

I hear you. We consistently spend an average of $600/month on groceries. This does not even include stock ups at Costco. And we do have to try to keep it at this number, it's not mindless overspending.

[mellymel]

I hear you. We consistently spend an average of $600/month on groceries. This does not even include stock ups at Costco. And we do have to try to keep it at this number, it's not mindless overspending.

[aspentosh]

Definitely been there. We routinely spend $800 a month for just us (and DD, who eats off our plates). It's amazing how much food adds up when you're not paying attention.

[cransplash]

I'm kind of a lurker, but I wanted to jump in on this post- DH and I live in LCOL/MCOL and we routinely spend $700/month on groceries/Target/Costco. I just checked, and we have spent $730 already. WTF. I did make a lot of freezer meals, so it will be lower in the next month or 2, but still. It makes me sick.

Like others have said- we want to try to stay $450-$500/month on groceries/Target/Costco (doesn't include eating out/take out). Stick to a budget, buy on sale (I look at weekly Kroger ads), and stick to it

[awkwardpenguin]

Well, if it makes you feel better Smiley, we're working on this too, but our "before" number tops yours by A LOT. It includes eating out, but holy hell.