"Introduction" and Grocery spending.

[coffee]

Hey everyone!
It has been many years without posting. But now that my husband's job was in jeopardy, we started watching our spending to learn where we could cut in case of a lay off and I remembered you guys.
We have aways been MM, our spending habits are good (but not the best). Our intention is not to inherit anything other than a good education so we live life comfortably, but responsibly (17% retirement, 529 for kids, Solid emergency fund of 10 months , and no debt other than mortgage, which we plan to have it paid off by the time our oldest child finish HS). 

We have always had a budget, but never actually recorded spending once done.
We take savings on day 1, and spend the rest.

But now, I went back using MINT and I was surprised at our actual spending. Most of the categories were lower than what I always budget. But for groceries, I have been budgeting $800, and OH MY, I just discovered we spent over $2k this past month!!!!!! It definitely went up due to be quarantined, but not too much since we mostly cook at home. 
$2,000!!!!!!!! That's more than our mortgage!!!!!!! I was SHOCKED!
I have to admit we never look at prices while grocery shopping and get whatever we want. It's definitely the category where we splurge, but still! How could I thought we were spending $800?
Just to add some more info, the $2k includes everything bought at the grocery store (except gifts, clothing or big purchases). 

Anyways. I definitely found the category where big cuts could be made =)

What's the category where you splurge the most? and what's your budget for grocery?

I have been enjoying reading you all!!! I forgot how fun it is to read this forum! =)

[Cappy]

Hello and Wow! I bet that was surprising. We are very frugal when it comes to food. Probably too frugal. We are a family of 4 (kids age 8 and 3) normally budget $400/month for groceries, $100 for eating out (work coffee/lunches), $80 for our elementary kid's school lunch & breakfast. The toddler eats at daycare. Now that we are all home we are budgeting $600 for groceries and $150 for a few curbside meals/month to break it up. I shop exclusively at Aldi which is how I'm able to do it so cheap without any meal planning, coupon clipping, etc. No idea if you have one near you but Aldi is a lifesaver. And the food is mostly (all?) free of artificial colors/dyes with relatively fresh fruits/veg.

[onomatopoeia]

May 26, 2020 11:57:48 GMT -5 coffee said:

Just to add some more info, the $2k includes everything bought at the grocery store (except gifts, clothing or big purchases). 

This category always gets me too so I'm interested to hear the advice you get.  

I did want to ask about what "everything" is.  For example, do you buy vitamins, diapers, beauty and hygiene products, laundry soap, paper towels, etc at the grocery store?  That can add quite a bit to your "grocery" budget that others may list under "household", "baby", "health", etc.  I mean, you're still spending the money, but I think it's important to categorize it properly if you're looking get a handle on your spending and to make cuts.

I've been trying to buy different (cheaper) cuts of meat, and less meat overall. Less snack food, and I avoid the soda/beverage aisles.  I also try to shop my pantry, and a few nights a week we'll have simple meals like grilled cheese and soup or omelettes.  I buy stuff in bulk where I can, get the store-brand stuff, and avoid impulse buys (that's my weak point). 

I hope your DH escapes a lay off!  

[mbcdefg]

Can you post a pic of your receipt or your shopping list?

At what store(s) do you do your grocery shopping? What other stores are in your area where you could shop instead?

[coffee]

May 26, 2020 12:21:23 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

May 26, 2020 11:57:48 GMT -5 coffee said:

Just to add some more info, the $2k includes everything bought at the grocery store (except gifts, clothing or big purchases). 

This category always gets me too so I'm interested to hear the advice you get.  

I did want to ask about what "everything" is.  For example, do you buy vitamins, diapers, beauty and hygiene products, laundry soap, paper towels, etc at the grocery store?  That can add quite a bit to your "grocery" budget that others may list under "household", "baby", "health", etc.  I mean, you're still spending the money, but I think it's important to categorize it properly if you're looking get a handle on your spending and to make cuts.

I've been trying to buy different (cheaper) cuts of meat, and less meat overall. Less snack food, and I avoid the soda/beverage aisles.  I also try to shop my pantry, and a few nights a week we'll have simple meals like grilled cheese and soup or omelettes.  I buy stuff in bulk where I can, get the store-brand stuff, and avoid impulse buys (that's my weak point). 

I hope your DH escapes a lay off!  

Exactly this. All those categories we have them under "groceries". 

A couple years ago we got to the "comfortable" point where we didn't have to watch every single spending and still target our financial goals. We don't really spend much on any other areas. 
We have friends over almost every weekend, and enjoy that very much that it became our "splurge" area. Which we are fine with it. If husband is not laid off, of course. =)
 

[coffee]

May 26, 2020 12:40:07 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Can you post a pic of your receipt or your shopping list?

At what store(s) do you do your grocery shopping? What other stores are in your area where you could shop instead?

I don't have any at the moment, but I will post after my next trip. 
We do Walmart, Kroger, Majer and Sams =)

[coffee]

We do have an Aldi! I will have to try it!!!
edited: Sorry. I menat to respond to KellyK

[simpsongal]

I budget about $650/month but I do have big Costco shops ever 6-8 weeks, I'm sure if I amortize it would be around $800/mo.

It's granular but ditto the comment re: looking at receipts. There are places you can spend a lot on groceries (e.g., lots of fish/meat, organic food, some convenience foods). Other things can add up too - e.g., we buy paper towels like once/year. They're like gold to me and I prefer to use rags. I have a few meals on regular rotation that are inexpensive (e.g., whole wheat pasta, beans dishes).

[Cappy]

May 26, 2020 13:05:06 GMT -5 coffee said:

We do have an Aldi! I will have to try it!!!
edited: Sorry. I menat to respond to KellyK

The other big win for Aldi is the time savings. The stores are small and I've easily cut my shopping trip time in half. 

[coffee]

May 26, 2020 12:40:07 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Can you post a pic of your receipt or your shopping list?

At what store(s) do you do your grocery shopping? What other stores are in your area where you could shop instead?

I found one receipt from 2 days ago! =)

I guess it sounds dumb to think I was spending $800 when a single trip is $500. TBH I didn't pay attention to our spending if we ended up fine at the end of the month. And again, this is too much! I promise we don't spend a lot on shopping in general, just groceries. LOL I feel like I need to give you guys an explanation haha

Attachments:

[mbcdefg]

May 26, 2020 14:02:53 GMT -5 coffee said:

May 26, 2020 12:40:07 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Can you post a pic of your receipt or your shopping list?

At what store(s) do you do your grocery shopping? What other stores are in your area where you could shop instead?

I found one receipt from 2 days ago! =)

I guess it sounds dumb to think I was spending $800 when a single trip is $500. TBH I didn't pay attention to our spending if we ended up fine at the end of the month. And again, this is too much! I promise we don't spend a lot on shopping in general, just groceries. LOL I feel like I need to give you guys an explanation haha

Thanks for posting this!

Offhand, some ideas (that being said, no judgement, I get that convenience items are necessary, especially with kids and especially in a pandemic).

*Batch-cook soup and freeze it in individual or family portions. Same with chicken broth. Rather than buying individual vans.
* Is the “2lb Shred” item cheese? If so, buy blocks and shred at home.
* can you buy fewer snacks in bigger portions? Do you have the time/desire to make your own snack items?
* how long do these supplies last you? Do you exhaust the supplies before shopping again, or do you have some items left at the next shopping trip? Are you stocking up because of the pandemic, because you found good deals, because you’re concerned about needing an emergency supply because of job concerns? You don’t have to answer, of course, just throwing it out there.


ETA:

If possible I would buy enough to get you through a week or two (depending on how often you’re shopping nowadays), and build in a couple options for quick meals if your original plan falls through (tuna, pasta, breakfast for dinner), and just make do with what you have.

Cereal is often a snack for me. Try making pancakes from scratch rather than from a box mix. Meatless meals, or use cheaper cuts at least. I’ve been able to stretch our milk and juice, especially in the very beginning of the lockdown, by watering them down a bit - my DD is 3 and doesn’t notice.



I total my bill as I go shopping - I take a paper list, try not to deviate from it too much, and I add to the total with each item I put in the cart. I Round up to the nearest dollar and that usually accounts for taxes plus any miscalculations I make with the weight of fresh produce. Prioritize produce, dairy, meat, along with essential pantry items, and if my total is getting too high then I just skip over the convenience items and snacks.

[wildrice]

Well, just on that one receipt I see over $125 spent on meat, looks like specifically red meat. It's hard to tell what a lot of that other stuff is. So, if you are looking to cut back on spending, I'd try to limit the amount of meat you are consuming. Was that for hosting people? If so, can I come over? That's very generous if you are inviting people over and feeding them ribs and steak, but that adds up really quick. Those are both splurge items in my household and are purchased very infrequently.

Is this for just a week's worth of groceries or how long do you expect these to last?

How many people are in your household? To some extent, I think groceries are just expensive. We probably average $500-600 at the grocery store per month, and it's just 2 of us. If you're feeding 4+ people I could easily see it tipping into your budget range, especially if you do buy splurgy items like that meat on a regular basis.

[flygirl]

I think the first thing you need to do is find out where the cheapest place is for items you buy regularly. For instance, you have a lot of meat at Walmart, and I’m guessing that Sam’s is slightly cheaper. Another example, since I like Welch’s juice myself-it’s definitely cheaper at club stores than regular stores. I go thru a bottle a week roughly and it’s a bigger size at Costco and $1 cheaper. One dollar might not seem like much, but it adds up. Start looking at the cost per unit or pound too and take the better option. Aldi is definitely cheaper for fruits and veggies if you have a good one by you.
I’m not criticizing as I tend to buy what we want at the grocery store, but I do take a mental note in my head of roughly what the total is. If I was at $500 for one trip, I might pass out We mostly shop at Costco, Aldi and Trader Joe’s...I only go to a traditional store for something specific.

[mmmomof2]

In non-pandemic times I go to the grocery store twice a week (once at either Sprouts or Kroger and then once at Trader Joes) and Costco twice a month. And a CSA once a month. When I put my receipts into Quicken (similar to Mint) I separate out all non-food purchases so my grocery total is only food and alcohol.

Our average for the year is around $1,100 a month for a family of 4 in a HCOL area. I think that's slightly higher this year due to prices being higher and being home more. Last year we averaged $1,000 a month.

[sadlebred]

How many people are you buying for? That's a lot for 3 but maybe not for a family of 7.

[melmel48]

I just wanted to say hello! I am spending a lot more on groceries for myself as well for a few reasons. 1. Snacks! Oh, the snacks I have been purchasing.. YIKES! and 2. Some of my usual brands are not available at the grocery store and so I am purchasing what is available at the time. I am trying to go every two weeks and I could go to multiple stores to shop sales, but we are just starting to open here in MA so I am trying to do my part and stay out of stores if I can.

Food and gas are usually my biggest expenses. Gas not so much during the quarantine, although it has gone up as I have started seeing a guy who lives an hour away round trip. 

I will keep my fingers crossed you can avoid a lay off!

[dcn]

Just at a quick glance theres a lot of meat on your receipt. We cut way back and eat more plant based protein and that helps.

For reference, we are a family of 4 and spend around $800 a month on groceries. Does not include alcohol but does include some household stuff like toilet paper or dishwasher soap etc.

Prices have increased since covid, and I’ve definitely been buying more “snack” and “treat” foods for the kids, I’ve probably spent an extra $100 - $150 each month.

Our farmers market has been doing a weekly subscription box too which has been great. A csa or similar May help. I always do better when I actually meal plan too based on what I have in the pantry or freezer.

[onomatopoeia]

May 26, 2020 14:22:11 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Well, just on that one receipt I see over $125 spent on meat, looks like specifically red meat. It's hard to tell what a lot of that other stuff is. So, if you are looking to cut back on spending, I'd try to limit the amount of meat you are consuming. Was that for hosting people? If so, can I come over? That's very generous if you are inviting people over and feeding them ribs and steak, but that adds up really quick. Those are both splurge items in my household and are purchased very infrequently.

Is this for just a week's worth of groceries or how long do you expect these to last?

How many people are in your household? To some extent, I think groceries are just expensive. We probably average $500-600 at the grocery store per month, and it's just 2 of us. If you're feeding 4+ people I could easily see it tipping into your budget range, especially if you do buy splurgy items like that meat on a regular basis.

This is a great point. We like to entertain and although it's usually very casual last minute get-togethers, a BBQ can quickly add up.  Especially if you're buying quality meats, ready-made pasta salad, etc.  DH was really guilty of this - he'd invite the ball team over and then go buy fancy steak tips at the independent butcher shop down the street for $13 a pound. WTF DH. Now it's more like burgers and dogs, and maybe some marinated chicken breast I got for $1.99 a pound. Surprise surprise, nobody complains lol. 

And totally agree on grocery prices are just really expensive and are getting more so. 

[imojoebunny]

How many people are in your family and how long does this last? I don't see any one thing that is egregious, but that seems like a lot of food. In normal times, I spend around $800, which doesn't include eating out, usually once a week for the whole family, and lunches for DH at his office cafeteria. I don't know what we are spending now because my DH goes to the grocery. I know he spends more, because he is not used to quantities, so will buy way to much of something, and not enough of another, and buys brands and items I would never buy, as well as, stuff for lunch, which is mostly not in my normal budget for DH and DD, since they eat at school/work.

[gt7301b]

Our grocery spending has increased about 50% since COVID started. It is largely due to me not planning my meals around sales or making multiple grocery trips in a week. Additionally, we have been doing a lot of grocery delivery and I have been tipping significantly on the orders.

I don't have a ton of advice for shopping during Covid other than I try and make meals where meat is only a small portion of the meal. For example tonight we are having breakfast sandwiches for dinner and each bagel will have ~ two pieces of bacon on them. When I make pasta I have started cuting the meat in the sauce in half and nobody seems to notice.

[coffee]

Thanks so much you all! It’s nice and fun reading all the responses! Great ideas!!!!

We are a family of 5. We have definitely spent more due to being quarantined, getting more snacks, alcohol, food and such. Husband LOVES to (fancy) cook, and since he is working from home (4 days a week) and have an extra non-working day, we have had LOTS of barbecues and eaten fancy lately.
We usually host a lot too, but not lately due to Covid-19. When we host we do a mix of fancy, and burgers/hot-dogs.

All that food I would say is the MAIN food for 2 weeks. During these times we are going to the grocery store every 10 days. Next trip will probably be more household items, vitamins and fresh food, but it will still be another $400-$500 (next trip will include the liquor store too, which I also include as groceries LOL).

We know how to limit, and we have even been on a beens and rice diet before when working our way up. That wouldn't be problem. We are "smart" about BASIC finances. With this, I mean, we don't want to get rich, but we want to maintain a lifestyle long term. So we will never live behond our means. If husband is laid off, we cancel ALL our extra services, extra expenses and go straight on a beens and rice diet the next day. No questions ask.
I’m lucky that DH and I have always been on the same page regarding finances. We know our goals and reality.

I might do another thread regarding our budget in the coming days to keep you all entertained i might get new ideas from you all, just as today and Aldi! I will give it a try for sure on my next shopping trip!

[madringal]

My normal pre COVID budget is $1200 for my family of 5 in a MCOL. Now it is closer to $1500 - which is more then my mortgage.

I don't mind spending on groceries bc we hardly eat out at all. When we are all going to work/school we each take a lunch each day. I don't many hardly any convenience foods and we consume A LOT of fruits and veggies. My kids are all very active and I need lots of good foods on hand for them to grab. We also go through about a gallon of milk a day. I make dinner every night, and my family is great about eating leftovers. I have always aimed at having my groceries be about 12% of out take home pay and and right now its about 14.

[wildrice]

Do you feel like you're pretty well stocked up? If you spent 2k last month, was a lot of that getting pantry items and stuff to have on hand that you haven't consumed yet? I spent a LOT in March for that reason, but way less in April because I already had a ton of stuff. So far this month my grocery spending has been about average.

If you are spending $500 every 2 weeks going forward, I honestly wouldn't stress about it much if you can afford it. That seems more than reasonable for 5 people IMO. I mean, it's outrageous, but I think groceries have gotten expensive so I've tried to let go of the expectation that I'm going to eat the way I want to and only spend a small amount each month. It's just not realistic.

Aldi may help but I honestly don't know that their prices are drastically different than what you'd find at Walmart (but admittedly it's been like 10 years since I grocery shopped at Walmart). I would definitely look into joining Costco or Sams (Costco is better IMO) for larger meat and other stock up type purchases. I do think it will save you money. I sometimes buy meat at Aldi, but the majority comes from Costco.

[mommin]

We are a family of 6 with a giant teeange boy that eats everything in sight. DH was laid off in October and was the only income. Out of necessity I have become very good at saving money at the grocery store. The biggest changes I have made that have had the biggest impact are:

1) Menu plan. I cook Sunday-Thursday, Friday is pizza or other take out, Saturday is leftovers or Y.O.Y.O. (you're on your own). I try to take a freezer/panty inventory once a month or so to help gauge what I have and go from there. I will write out dinner items for 2-3 weeks and figure out what things I can reuse so I have less waste. If two separate meals need potatoes I can save by getting a 5lb. bag or use 1/2 of a bell pepper in two different meals. I can use allrecipes.com to find a recipe that uses the chicken in the freezer and the parmesan cheese that will go bad soon. I buy regular breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, eggs, english muffins, fruit, etc.) andn misc. lunch items and everyone can have whatever they want for those meals.

2) Go shopping less often. If I'm at the store I always through a few extra things in the cart. I might only spend $20 or $30 each time on extra items but that is a lot less if I am only going once or twice a month instead of once or twice a week. I do have to stop in periodically for fresh produce or a missing item but when I do that I never grab a cart. I bring a reusable bag and carry my items in that. It helps stop me from idly throwing things in the cart.

#) Pay with cash. I will never part with $200, $300, or $500 in cash easily but I can swipe a card and not pay attention at all. It keeps me accountable. There have been times when I've spent more than I had in cash so I would put the difference on the debit card but it is usually a small amount and makes me extra aware the next time I go.

[rooster222]

We spend about $1200/month, family of 4 with 2 teens. We don't eat meat or dairy so produce is probably the most expensive category. Our budget includes household items, vitamins and alcohol. We eat a lot of lentils and beans which are inexpensive. Nuts, on the other hand, can be pricey so I don't buy as many as we'd probably like.

[awkwardpenguin]

We previously spent $700 a month for two adults and two kids, but it's been closer to $1000 since we're all eating at home more now and prices have gone up some. I am not super frugal and generally buy what I want. Groceries is only food though - I break out alcohol and household supplies separately. We spend another $100/month on alcohol and $120/month on paper goods/toiletries/light bulbs type of stuff.

I looked at your receipt, and you're buying entirely different things than we do at the store, and it seems like a lot of food too. That much beef would keep us stocked for 6+ months. We're not big meat eaters - of the seven dinners planned this week, I have two chicken meals planned (one uses the leftover chicken from the other meal), pepperoni pizza, and four veggie meals. We buy mostly produce, grains, beans, and dairy products. I buy chicken and beef on sale and freeze them to use as needed. We buy frozen pizza some weeks, but that is one of the only prepared foods we use. I make stuff like chicken nuggets myself, as it gives me more control over what is in them and I usually add vegetables to the meat to get more veggies into the kids.

I think the biggest things that have reduced our grocery spending are meal planning and being super diligent about food waste. We used to throw out a ton of food, and meal planning and planning how to use leftovers have helped a ton with that. For example, if I buy zucchini to make muffins but it only calls for half a cup, I'll also plan to use the rest as a side dish later in the week. Almost every week we have rice bowls to use up leftover meat and vegetables - I just add an appropriate sauce on top to match whatever I have put in the bowls.

With regard to meat consumption, in general we eat small portions of meat, and often the meat is only part of the main course. So I'll make a dish that is lentils and chicken, or where a small amount of meat accompanies a lot of vegetables.

For recipes, Budget Bytes is a fabulous resource. In addition to being budget conscious, the recipes are just really solid. I've rarely had a flop from that site.

Re: Aldi, I don't know if it would save you much money because they carry a limited selection, but their prices can't be beat. I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi, and over time I've just adapted to what they have and don't have, and add items to my list for the week we go to the "regular" grocery store throughout the month.

[waverly]

Our food bill is typically high but that also includes eating out. If we aren’t eating out except takeout during this time it is much lower.

We break out personal items drugstore type stuff etc from the food bill to give us a better idea of categories.

Otherwise we stick to mostly easy recipes not tons of ingredients. Delivery helps too to keep impulse purchases down.

[meltoine]

I spend $1200ish for 2 adults and three kids (9, 6, 4). I spend about $400/month at Costco on meat, bread, milk, eggs, butter, other dairy, coffee, dog food, nuts, beans, pasta, etc. Then about $150 every 2 weeks at the regular grocery store for produce and miscellaneous small stuff.

I still use The Fresh 20 for dinner planning. It was all the rage on here years ago and it's just a way of life for me now. I also have a two-week scheduled menu for breakfasts and lunches, mainly because it keeps my kids from whining about what's I make, and it keeps me from defaulting to eggs and toast every morning. But the side effect is that we waste less and spend less on novelty stuff.

I also don't buy a lot of extra stuff. We rarely have chips (we make popcorn in the popcorn maker frequently instead). I don't buy any soda or juice unless we're having a party or playdate. Same goes for breakfast cereal (it's like $5/box!) and most/all prepared foods. We pretty much make everything from scratch. I SAH so I have time for that (and we've lived on one income for our entire marriage, so we're used to scrimping, though we're more comfortable now). I recognize most people don't have the time/inclination to do that and prefer to spend a little more so they don't have to. Totally legitimate choice.

[ellipses84]

$500 every 2 weeks doesn’t seem crazy to me, but your budget last month was twice that. You should pull all your receipts and add them up into categories to see what the highest amounts are. Also pinpoint the things over $20, things over $10, things over $5, things over $3. Do you need all of those things at that price point, or is there a cheaper way to get them, ie. Wait for a sale or go somewhere else? Things like meat, alcohol and vitamins are expensive and add up fast. Some non-necessities, like chips or soda, I skip if they aren’t on sale. I think I’m saving way more money buying hard liquor in bulk and mixing my own quarantine cocktails rather than buying premixed cans.

We try to do one large trip a month to stock up on food for about $300 and then spend at least $100 every week on fresh staples and supplemental items at other stores. Add on household goods and pharmacy items and our grocery costs get pretty high for a family of 4 in HCOL. For us, Costco is the cheapest place to go, but we can’t get everything we need there so we rotate a few other stores in. I use Siri to keep an ongoing grocery list on my phone and text it to DH when he does the shopping. He does most of the cooking and I haven’t been able to get him to meal plan but we have a steady rotation of his favorite things to cook. The kids and I don’t eat much meat and if we do it’s chicken or ground turkey, so he only makes himself a more expensive meat once a week (he’s a total Midwest meat and potatoes guy). If he would meal plan, I think we’d save a lot more money. We eat a lot of fresh fruit so that’s a big budget item, and Costco is the cheapest because we can get 4x as much for the same price as the grocery store and we use it all. We still do some convenience things like pre-shredded cheese.

One way I’ve saved a lot of money is buying some regular snacks, especially kids stuff, pretzels, lunch snacks, etc., on subscribe and save on Amazon. I price check it before I set it up, do enough cheap things for the better discount, and rotate out what we have monthly or set it to bi-monthly. During quarantine I stopped most of it because we aren’t using those items as much at home. It’s definitely a convenience and the items may not be necessities, but when we were busy with work/school I’d buy the stuff not on sale, and buy other things on impulse on the same trip.

[mich1]

I can tell you that our biggest expense pre COVID was eating out. We probably ate out 3-4x/week but it would not surprise me if it amounted to over $600/mo - most of these were weekly social obligations we had. This money has now been incorporated into my grocery store runs, and it has jumped my grocery budget from about $400/mo to around $700/mo. Our take out the last 2 months has run us about $100/mo. So we are now spending $800 to feed our faces rather than $1000.

There are 2 of us, and we eat well. We have been eating differently as I have gotten much more creative with my cooking as I am bored of all my old standards and am looking for new things to make. As a result, I have probably spent over $100 in new spices alone.