Reasonable monthly grocery budget in Midwestern city?

[y4m]

Trying to make a budget for the ILs...

Two adults basically never eating out, cooking/packing all meals...

Adult SIL lives at home but is on nutrisystem so I think that covers most of her food?

Nearly-Adult BIL will be going away to school in the fall, but home on breaks.

What do you think is a reasonable budget for them on average over the year (ie times when BIL is home as well as times when he's not)

Assume a reasonable spend, not bare-bones rice and beans, but also not convenience foods and alcohol.

I suspect this is their biggest area of overspending currently.

[y4m]

(Include anything you'd normally buy at a grocery store--paper towels, tp, etc)

[LoveTrains]

$400 a month. Maybe $350 or $300 if they shop sales and coupon.

[orval]

For food, I would think $600 is a reasonable amount. I spend about $400 for 2 adults and 1 kid but we eat out at least 2 times a week.
That does not include paper or cleaning products though - never get those at the grocery store. Maybe an extra $25 a month for those?

[thatgirl2478]

Ok - I'll play.

Our grocery budget for 2 adults & 2 kids (one is an infant though) is about $500 a month. However, we probably spend more than that...

We buy a fairly good amount of convenience food (steam in the bag veggies, chicken strips, fish sticks, fries, cereal, pasta/rice/potato sides, etc) and a good amount of fruit/veggies. DH takes his lunch daily and DD1 loves deli meat (turkey/roast beef/cheese) so we eat a lot of sandwiches. When we do eat meat, it's usually chicken/pork or ground beef.

We also budget $140/mo to eat out - but we don't eat at fancy places or even non fancy dinner places. We usually end up at Qdoba or the local diner.

[Deleted]

Including alcohol and toiletries I think $150-$175 per week would be reasonable for mostly 2 adults if they're not buying filet mignon and scallops every week. But admittedly I don't buy meat other than occasional chicken and fish, so I'm not sure how much things like ground beef, pork, steak, etc cost. But if they're conscious of the budget, I think that's a very reasonable amount.

[thatgirl2478]

Yeah - we never get paper products/laundry stuff at the grocery store either. We pick that up at Sams every 2-3 months... probably $30/mo if you include laundry with the TP/etc.

[Deleted]

We (just 2 adults) budget $500 for food in our Midwestern city. We usually hit it unless we go out to eat more often than normal that month.

[sfy]

I've never lived in the Midwest, but I'd guess that my MCOL city is comparable in terms of cost. Unless we're having a party, I don't buy alcohol with the exception of a random bottle of wine for cooking (certainly not more than one a month) and I don't buy convenience foods, except for pre-chopped veggies (not sure if that counts). For H and I, I usually don't exceed $150/week when we're eating most meals at home and that's mostly organic. Sometimes, I go over that, but when I do, it's because I bought all my favorites. I'd say $600 is a healthy budget, but $500 would be easily doable without feeling restricted.

[mich1]

Including or not including Nutrisystem?

Including it, I suspect close to $600. My dad's wife did this and I think she was spending around $300/mo on the foods from there.

[y4m]

Jul 19, 2015 12:29:05 GMT -5 mich1 said:

Including or not including Nutrisystem?

Including it, I suspect close to $600. My dad's wife did this and I think she was spending around $300/mo on the foods from there.

SIL is actually paying for the nutrisystem for both herself and MIL - so theoretically their food is already covered outside of this budget.

[kadams767]

We spend about $400/month on groceries for two adults. This is all meals except one dinner out per week and one lunch out each during the work week. It does include some beer and paper products, and a fair amount of organic/local foods. I don't really feel restricted at this amount at all, but we don't eat a lot of meat. Every week seems to include some random splurge, though. Like this week we spent $22 on random cheeses.

[cheezer]

I'd think they could do $400 - $450/month with meal planning.

When H and I were first married we did $300/month in an urban area. That was 9 years ago but due to not having a car and living downtown we didn't have the cheapest grocery store options someone with a car in the suburbs might have.

[aprilludgate]

We live in the Midwest. For two adults, we spend about $150 a week on food, a little alcohol, paper products, toiletries, etc. About every third week or so, we just spend $50-ish for fruits and veggies and use up the extra groceries from previous shopping trips.

I suck at meal planning, so I'm sure this could be lower with more effort.

[audette]

These posts always make me so sad...

How the hell do people pay only $350-$400/month on food and still eat well and enjoy what they eat?!

I mean, I spent almost $80 on produce yesterday... It'll last most of the week. Most. Not all. And that's just produce. And not at an expensive store. (Midwest, yes)

[LoveTrains]

Jul 19, 2015 15:13:26 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Jul 19, 2015 10:31:10 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

$400 a month. Maybe $350 or $300 if they shop sales and coupon.

This. We spend $375-400 per month in HCOL. We prob eat out 2 meals per week (not included). This does not include alcohol (which comes put of our fun money).

I find this is the one category we consistently underspend on compared to MM (in contrast to fun money, which we spend waaaaaaay more). I always feel all :-# When people say they get $100-200 in fun money per month. Id never survive. 

Have you been shopping at MB? I went to the one in Attleboro today and got sooooo many groceries for $86. Except my sausages said sell by July 17 so I will toss those.

[kadams767]

Jul 19, 2015 20:58:31 GMT -5 audette said:

These posts always make me so sad...

How the hell do people pay only $350-$400/month on food and still eat well and enjoy what they eat?!

I mean, I spent almost $80 on produce yesterday... It'll last most of the week. Most. Not all. And that's just produce. And not at an expensive store. (Midwest, yes)

Are you buying seasonal produce? I'm not being snarky, but I eat a largely vegetarian diet and I am not sure DH and I could finish $80 worth of produce in a week given the seasonal availability right now. But the only non-local things I got this week were avocados, bananas, asparagus and mushrooms, which totaled only about $9. Everything else was farmers market and I spent under $30 there.

[sunshinedaydreams]

For the two of us, in MCOL Midwest, we spend about $450/mo in groceries only. We eat in nearly every night and take lunches every day. I make a conscious effort to buy sale and/or store brands for most things, but don't use coupons unless they're on my Kroger app and I can easily load them to my card.

We do get 1/3 cow from my grandpa each year, so we don't buy very much meat at the store. When we do, it's somewhat expensive from the local butcher, and that's included in our $450.

[audette]

Jul 19, 2015 21:46:10 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Jul 19, 2015 20:58:31 GMT -5 audette said:

These posts always make me so sad...

How the hell do people pay only $350-$400/month on food and still eat well and enjoy what they eat?!

I mean, I spent almost $80 on produce yesterday... It'll last most of the week. Most. Not all. And that's just produce. And not at an expensive store. (Midwest, yes)

Are you buying seasonal produce? I'm not being snarky, but I eat a largely vegetarian diet and I am not sure DH and I could finish $80 worth of produce in a week given the seasonal availability right now. But the only non-local things I got this week were avocados, bananas, asparagus and mushrooms, which totaled only about $9. Everything else was farmers market and I spent under $30 there.

I'll admit, some of it was shoulder season... And, I overestimated the amount spent on produce vs. non-produce.  It's only about $60, but it's not all the produce we will eat this week. The list of produce acquire yesterday:

watermelon (whole, seedless)

blueberries

raspberries

kale & spinach salad mix

bell peppers (not green)

cherries

cucumbers

strawberries

tomatoes

and a veggie tray for a potluck for $10

Most of this was conventional produce, not organic.  Some of this could be found at a local farmers market (that is decent, but _very_ limited hours that are inconvenient to me).  It couldn't be found at a lower price, though.

Yeah, I could probably save money by not buying the berries.  I know I pay a bit of a premium to get them.  But, they are healthier than chocolate, and not something I want to skimp on if I'm trying to watch what I eat.

There are only two of us.  And, DH eats out for lunch most days (it's a battle I've decided isn't worth winning).  We are DINKs, and have a budget surplus, so our priority is on eating healthy foods and not on saving a buck on groceries.  But, man, I'd get depressed if I thought that I couldn't eat fresh fruit and veggies just to save money...

[AAM2012]

Jul 19, 2015 23:20:19 GMT -5 audette said:

Jul 19, 2015 21:46:10 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Are you buying seasonal produce? I'm not being snarky, but I eat a largely vegetarian diet and I am not sure DH and I could finish $80 worth of produce in a week given the seasonal availability right now. But the only non-local things I got this week were avocados, bananas, asparagus and mushrooms, which totaled only about $9. Everything else was farmers market and I spent under $30 there.

I'll admit, some of it was shoulder season... And, I overestimated the amount spent on produce vs. non-produce.  It's only about $60, but it's not all the produce we will eat this week. The list of produce acquire yesterday:

watermelon (whole, seedless)

blueberries

raspberries

kale & spinach salad mix

bell peppers (not green)

cherries

cucumbers

strawberries

tomatoes

and a veggie tray for a potluck for $10

Most of this was conventional produce, not organic.  Some of this could be found at a local farmers market (that is decent, but _very_ limited hours that are inconvenient to me).  It couldn't be found at a lower price, though.

Yeah, I could probably save money by not buying the berries.  I know I pay a bit of a premium to get them.  But, they are healthier than chocolate, and not something I want to skimp on if I'm trying to watch what I eat.

There are only two of us.  And, DH eats out for lunch most days (it's a battle I've decided isn't worth winning).  We are DINKs, and have a budget surplus, so our priority is on eating healthy foods and not on saving a buck on groceries.  But, man, I'd get depressed if I thought that I couldn't eat fresh fruit and veggies just to save money...

We've switched to frozen berries since fresh is out of season and expensive. But we use them for smoothies so it makes sense to us.

But I totally hear you...we have a $700-$800 food budget and I would love to know what people in this thread are buying.

[Deleted]

I think $500 is a good middle ground. If they pack lunches and meal plan it would still allow them some convenience and specialty foods and even some non sale items. I'd say they could get by on $400 or even $350, but I think that takes a bit more planning and strategy.

This probably really comes down to how their lifestyle.if they consume a lot of meat, soda, packaged snacks, or use a lot of stuff like paper towels and paper plates and cleaning supplies, it can add up much faster.

[kadams767]

Jul 19, 2015 23:20:19 GMT -5 audette said:

Jul 19, 2015 21:46:10 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Are you buying seasonal produce? I'm not being snarky, but I eat a largely vegetarian diet and I am not sure DH and I could finish $80 worth of produce in a week given the seasonal availability right now. But the only non-local things I got this week were avocados, bananas, asparagus and mushrooms, which totaled only about $9. Everything else was farmers market and I spent under $30 there.

I'll admit, some of it was shoulder season... And, I overestimated the amount spent on produce vs. non-produce.  It's only about $60, but it's not all the produce we will eat this week. The list of produce acquire yesterday:

watermelon (whole, seedless)

blueberries

raspberries

kale & spinach salad mix

bell peppers (not green)

cherries

cucumbers

strawberries

tomatoes

and a veggie tray for a potluck for $10

Most of this was conventional produce, not organic.  Some of this could be found at a local farmers market (that is decent, but _very_ limited hours that are inconvenient to me).  It couldn't be found at a lower price, though.

Yeah, I could probably save money by not buying the berries.  I know I pay a bit of a premium to get them.  But, they are healthier than chocolate, and not something I want to skimp on if I'm trying to watch what I eat.

There are only two of us.  And, DH eats out for lunch most days (it's a battle I've decided isn't worth winning).  We are DINKs, and have a budget surplus, so our priority is on eating healthy foods and not on saving a buck on groceries.  But, man, I'd get depressed if I thought that I couldn't eat fresh fruit and veggies just to save money...

It sounds like things might just be more expensive near you than near me, at least right now. I actually got a lot of the same things you did, but was able to get most of it locally grown from my farmers market. Cherries, Blueberries and raspberries are actually in season here right now, so I got pints of blueberries for $3.50 and pints of raspberries for $4, each, and a quart of cherries for $6. I didn't see kale or spinach at the farmers market, I think those are both out here for now until it cools down a little. Leaf lettuce for salads was about $2 for a bunch, though, cucumbers and zucchini are cheap (2 or 3 for $1) so I ended up with 2 cucumbers, 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash). Peppers are not quite in here yet, I got 3 small green ones for $1 each, but no one had red, yellow or purple yet, and then I got a few tomatoes for $3.50.

Whole watermelons at Wegmans are $5 currently.

I'm impressed you guys go through so much produce! Is there a good CSA option near you? You sound like a good candidate for a box.

[Deleted]

Jul 19, 2015 20:58:31 GMT -5 audette said:

These posts always make me so sad...

How the hell do people pay only $350-$400/month on food and still eat well and enjoy what they eat?!

I mean, I spent almost $80 on produce yesterday... It'll last most of the week. Most. Not all. And that's just produce. And not at an expensive store. (Midwest, yes)

I think it's because I don't mind (and my boyfriend when we're in the same state) eating 1 or 2 meals per week without getting bored of it. I might buy 1 meal at the cafeteria for lunch ($5), but most of the week I bring left overs.

This week I made 2 meals....marinated chicken with sweet potatoes, zucchini, squash and haricots. And salmon, kale and spinach salad with cucumbers and carrots. I eat eggs with spinach every morning for breakfast, sometimes with cheese. My snacks are grapes, strawberries, apples and apple sauce, plaintain chips and almonds. I bought all of that at Trader Joes on Fri and it was $65.

I think I eat fairly healthy and have gotten better about actually cooking instead of just eating veggie burgers and salad for dinner. I think the main thing that keep my cost low is that I don't buy much processed food, drinks, or bread products.

[kadams767]

Jul 19, 2015 23:57:28 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Jul 19, 2015 23:20:19 GMT -5 audette said:

I'll admit, some of it was shoulder season... And, I overestimated the amount spent on produce vs. non-produce.  It's only about $60, but it's not all the produce we will eat this week. The list of produce acquire yesterday:

watermelon (whole, seedless)

blueberries

raspberries

kale & spinach salad mix

bell peppers (not green)

cherries

cucumbers

strawberries

tomatoes

and a veggie tray for a potluck for $10

Most of this was conventional produce, not organic.  Some of this could be found at a local farmers market (that is decent, but _very_ limited hours that are inconvenient to me).  It couldn't be found at a lower price, though.

Yeah, I could probably save money by not buying the berries.  I know I pay a bit of a premium to get them.  But, they are healthier than chocolate, and not something I want to skimp on if I'm trying to watch what I eat.

There are only two of us.  And, DH eats out for lunch most days (it's a battle I've decided isn't worth winning).  We are DINKs, and have a budget surplus, so our priority is on eating healthy foods and not on saving a buck on groceries.  But, man, I'd get depressed if I thought that I couldn't eat fresh fruit and veggies just to save money...

We've switched to frozen berries since fresh is out of season and expensive. But we use them for smoothies so it makes sense to us.

But I totally hear you...we have a $700-$800 food budget and I would love to know what people in this thread are buying.

I'll bite.  I spent $110 this week and had a few things left from earlier trips this month.  My planned dinners this week are:

1. shrimp fra diavolo with fettuccine, side of grilled asparagus
2. grilled chicken salads
3. soft tacos made with grilled chicken and veggies, sides of black beans and rice
4.  BBQ glazed grilled tofu and veggies
5.  veggie burgers, grilled sweet potatoes,
6.  cheese, fruit and baguette
7.  go out/takeout

Lunches are usually leftovers or sandwiches.  Breakfasts are a combination of cereal, oatmeal, eggs, fruit and yogurt. 

[audette]

So, our "meal plan" is something like this:

Sunday: marinated, broiled chicken (cooked in substantial quantity, so we have leftover protein), pasta salad, veggies and dip
Monday: leftover chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli
Tuesday: beef roast with onions, sweet potatoes, something with zucchini
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: leftovers, or I might go pick up some salmon to grill
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: probably eating out, it's a festival day here

Much of the produce is used for breakfasts and lunches (mine). So, fruit and yogurt and cereal for breakfast, and salad or raw veggies with leftover proteinfor my lunch. If DH takes lunch, it's usually leftovers.

Desserts/snacks are usually fruit or cheese and crackers.

[Deleted]

We spent around $100 this week.

I'd say we save the most money by buying everything in season or on sale. Out of season produce is easily 2-3x more expensive. That's adds up when you're buying a lot of it. We don't mind eating the same vegetables multiple times per week, cooked a million ways, or the same fruit every morning. We we do but local meat, so it's not cheap, but it goes pretty far because we usually split a larger chicken breast and bulk up a lot of dishes with veggies as opposed to meat. We use cottage cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt, and protein powder to supplement protein. Not to be cheap, just a personal preference.

[Deleted]

I could do $350.

$500 would be shopping some sales and genetics but getting pretty much any normal good desired. More if they eat organic or a lot of fish/seafood.