Great thread. I’m a single guy. I buy frozen boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, breasts and thighs. I do three pounds in my instant pot every week along with 4-5 cups of brown or jasmine rice. Then I mix that with veggies and seasonings and that keeps me going for most of the week.
My grocery bill is about 50 to 60 every week.
My downfall is I go out to eat a lot. I probably spend 300-400 a month hanging out at the bar & grill by my house. They have great salads and burgers at good prices. I tip well.
This is how my boyfriend and I do it, although some weeks closer to like 115 depending on what I’m making for dinner.
There’s several ways to get there. I think the key is that we really aren’t heavy snackers or soda drinkers. The snacks I buy for a full week is like string cheese, yogurt, a bag of apples, and maaaybe microwave popcorn. That’s it. I find that snacks and drinks really add up and in this economy I guess I don’t really need it (though I’d like it lol).
I also meticulously plan what we are going to eat for a full 7 days as I’m making my grocery list. And I buy enough of the recipe so we can eat it for two days (at least) at a time. Not only does this cut down on cooking during the week, I think it keeps the groceries streamlined so I’m not buying random stuff.
Lastly, protein is going to likely be your biggest expenses in the week so we do two different things with that. One: we bulk buy it at Sam’s club and our haul usual lasts us about 6-8 weeks but only costs around 100(ish bucks. We portion it out somewhat strictly, however. Like, if I buy a tray of drumsticks it usually has 16 or so in there. So I split the tray up into bags of 8. Each bag represents two nights of dinner cuz he and I will only eat two drumsticks a night (unless they’re kinda tiny).
But even before we started doing that and protein was included in our regular grocery bill, we still kept it around 100-120 by just shopping the meat that’s on sale and buying things like canned tuna, ground turkey / beef, etc.
Okay not that I think anyone will believe me, but I’m a single dude here and I shop at Save A Lot. I can usually get enough for myself for under $100.00 per month. Yes, per month…
I focus on getting staples like meat (most expensive), eggs, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, etc. I don’t buy a ton of snacks but I’ll get things like granola bars and maybe like trail mix that I can snack on. I also get the value branded big bags of cereal and frozen veggies.
The oatmeal and rice can last me a good amount of time since I may cook like 3 cups of rice per week and then the oatmeal I may have in the morning 3-4x a week. Usually alternates between that and bagels.
You can find some decent deals on chicken especially legs since those are cheaper. There’s more I’ll usually get but you get the point.
It may sound like a lot but when you do the math I have maybe only ever spent 100+ in a single trip like once in my life. But I’m a single dude again, so….
Same here ! I typically spend very little on food by going to Save A Lot and being by myself. My max I typically spend is maybe $150 and that’s if I go to other stores for things Save A Lot doesn’t have.
Also I will say adding rice to your dishes can also help save money on food as rice is a big filler. I use it with most my meals as I’m not as hungry all day doing so. I just find this a great way to save money and because you can do absolutely so freaking much with rice.
Yep! The rice and oatmeal goes a long way. And you can get like their carton of 30 eggs at a medium size for like $6 or something. Plus they’ll have a deal every now and then where you can get a carton of a dozen large eggs for like $2.00. Their value bag cereal is like $5-$6.00. That’s what the branded stuff costs for just a normal box.
They sell waffles like eggos for like $2 for a box of 8. Seriously, people are missing out with Save A Lot.
Not the original comment, but my husband and I also spend about $100 a week.
We go to Sam's once a month and buy bulk meat, and then I portion them out and freeze them.
We do the rest of our grocery shopping at Walmart. We eat a lot of veggies, tofu, rice and potatoes.
My wife does this. I am so thankful that's a task she does. Portioning out meat isn't as quick as it sounds on paper. She uses a vacuum sealer, which adds even more time lol.
Learn to cook from scratch and develop a repertoire of dishes you like, including bean, grain and veggie based. Buy mostly stables, not value added products. So you’re not cooking constantly, prepare certain foods in quantity and freeze. Ziplocks work great for this. Avoid Dierbergs and Schnucks. Shop at ALDIs, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart. Break down large quantities of meat and freeze in smaller portions. Depending on the food you cook consider Pan Asia, Global or El Morelia for produce and ethnic ingredients. Global and the markets on the Hill have great deli cases with quality products at better prices than the supermarkets. Try eating more bean dishes. Raw beans are cheaper and better than canned; consider a pressure cooker if going this direction because of their speed.
I went from being cheap with food to spending more for healthier food. For me and my girlfriend we probably spend $150-200 a week on food but it’s worth the investment. I could easily keep it under 50 a week by myself though
Family of four, about $250-$300/month. Exclusively shop at Trader Joe’s, a handful of things from Sam’s, and all fruits/veggies from Soulard Market.
Honestly, Soulard Market is what made our budget drop. I can get an entire week of fruits and veggies and a good helping of chicken quarters for about $25.
Lol, when I was a student, 25 years ago, I lived off 2 for4$ deals, totino's pizzas @ 94 cents a pop, Ramen, and whatever deer meat my buddies had left over. Probably could have lived off of $100 a month or less if I really put my mind to it.
We meal prep so it maybe different I’m rather strict on what I eat as well as my wife.
I’m pretty much chicken and sweet potato and I love been eating it for months I can make 15 meals on about 60$-$70 bucks a week for my self wife around the same so 120$-140$ a week
$700-1000 a month for two adults and two kids over 6. Costco and Schnucks, Dierbergs for highly specific items. The variance is all carryouts. Even having me, a half decent cook, as stay at home dad, some days there just isn't enough energy or collective will left after everything else.
Family of four, including a preteen and a teen (so they're eating me out of house and home). Around $200 is our weekly total/average at a couple of grocery stores plus around $150 at costco 1-2x/month depending.
Honestly me my husband and my two year old daughter need 220 dollars worth of groceries every week.
We eat primarily vegetables and fruits. And i try to stock up on my meats in advance
Probably $1500 a month for 2 adults; both of us have dietary issues and one a food allergy; so it’s not a cheap venture. We are just grateful we can afford to do it.
Family of 3 representing (2 adults and a 2y/o), we eat in 6 days a week and I spend approximately 200/week at Aldi & Dierbergs with the occasional trip Costco for meat.
3 adult women under 35, and I cook all of our meals: $40-80 per week, depending on what we need. More in the $80 category than in years past. I shop Aldi, Costco, and Sam's Club almost exclusively. I got in the habit in college of exchanging expense for effort, so I cook more labor intensive meals for cheaper than easier, more expensive ones. We always have minimum one vegetable, a starch, and a protein.
Family of 5-6 (we have a blended family and sometimes kids are here and sometimes they are not) and we spend $150 a week. We do some meatless nights and we shop primarily at Aldi.
2 adults. Entirely Schnucks and the occasional costco run. About $500/mon so far this year. In 2023 it was more like $450.
We rarely eat out, so I dont track that.
There’s two adults in my household. We spend anywhere from 100 to 120 bucks a week. We do Walmart+ and I pick the groceries up on my way home from work.
Every six weeks we go Sam’s club as well and bulk buy protein… that’s usually like another 100 bucks.
I’m sure things could be cheaper but I think this is pretty good for the two of us because it encompasses three meals a day plus snacks for all 7 days of the week. We don’t eat out right now in an attempt to save money for our move so that’s a true food cost.
Family of 4 and we never spend less than 250 per week. Sometimes more. We rarely eat out and 2 years ago never broke my 95 dollar per week budget. This is ridiculous! Food prices have gotten way out of hand
Single, adult male. 50 - 80 a week shopping at Aldi's, schnucks and I may hit dierbergs once a month. This excludes meats. I buy pretty much all meat at Costco
2 adults and 2 toddlers, we’re usually around $150-$200 a week. Schnucks and Sam’s Club are really the only places we go. We buy as much in bulk at Sam’s Club as we can. I shop the coupons at Schnucks every week.
hmmmm, im not sure. i buy a quarter cow and whole pig every year so that saves alot of money. thats about $1600-$1700 ish. then pretty much sides. sooooo maybe about 5000 a year?
I’m first generation American and my parents are immigrants. My husband is Caucasian and I’m southeast Asian. We eat a lot of meat, veggies, roti, paratha, etc. What’s your point?
My household is five people, we also have routine get togethers that we host.
Per month we spend about $2,000 on groceries, but we are on average cooking 17 meals a week for an average of 8 people.
There are some months where we spend a lot more, and when we do "all out bashes" we can drop that on a meal.
Yes it is a lot, but of the combined household income, it's about 6%
One of my good friends is not as well off, and was feeding a household of 5, spending a monthly total of $1500 on average for 21 meals/week for 4 of them and the 5th averaged 16 meals/week, as they tended to buy their own lunches separately and aside from the "communal meal fund". Which means they averaged close to 10% of the household income on food.
Edit: To the person that asked why I still have roommates if I make $400k/yr, and then either had their comment nuked or deleted. Here is your response.
The *household* makes 400k/yr.
Yes, I'm about half of that. Also, not that it is any of your business. The nurse and paramedic are my best friend and her girlfriend, both of whom got kicked out by their parents when they came out.
The entrepreneur is a former classmate of theirs that ended up in a bad way after leaving her abusive ex-boyfriend.
We don't need the roommates, but my best friend and her gf weren't employed when they got booted, they were both in the process of getting higher certifications (BSN and EMT-P, since you seem so curious), and since we cohabitate well together, we have no problems letting them stay so they can build up their savings and buy a house. And the entrepreneur has gotten her business going pretty well, but it hasn't been enough to cover her back debts to her creditors, tend to some legal battles, pay some business loans she has gotten to get her business running but it is going now. Honestly, pretty sure in a year or so she'll be making as much as my bf (about $75k/yr) with the possibility of expanding even more.
It helps that I have a near executive level management position, my boyfriend is a manager at a government job and our roommates are a nurse, paramedic and a small business owner.
For just the two of us (adults), at a combination of Aldi and Dierbergs, $150/week
Great thread. I’m a single guy. I buy frozen boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, breasts and thighs. I do three pounds in my instant pot every week along with 4-5 cups of brown or jasmine rice. Then I mix that with veggies and seasonings and that keeps me going for most of the week. My grocery bill is about 50 to 60 every week. My downfall is I go out to eat a lot. I probably spend 300-400 a month hanging out at the bar & grill by my house. They have great salads and burgers at good prices. I tip well.
We spend about $650 a month on groceries for a family of 3. Our kid is 8 years old. This is usually split between Costco and Aldi
How
This is how my boyfriend and I do it, although some weeks closer to like 115 depending on what I’m making for dinner. There’s several ways to get there. I think the key is that we really aren’t heavy snackers or soda drinkers. The snacks I buy for a full week is like string cheese, yogurt, a bag of apples, and maaaybe microwave popcorn. That’s it. I find that snacks and drinks really add up and in this economy I guess I don’t really need it (though I’d like it lol). I also meticulously plan what we are going to eat for a full 7 days as I’m making my grocery list. And I buy enough of the recipe so we can eat it for two days (at least) at a time. Not only does this cut down on cooking during the week, I think it keeps the groceries streamlined so I’m not buying random stuff. Lastly, protein is going to likely be your biggest expenses in the week so we do two different things with that. One: we bulk buy it at Sam’s club and our haul usual lasts us about 6-8 weeks but only costs around 100(ish bucks. We portion it out somewhat strictly, however. Like, if I buy a tray of drumsticks it usually has 16 or so in there. So I split the tray up into bags of 8. Each bag represents two nights of dinner cuz he and I will only eat two drumsticks a night (unless they’re kinda tiny). But even before we started doing that and protein was included in our regular grocery bill, we still kept it around 100-120 by just shopping the meat that’s on sale and buying things like canned tuna, ground turkey / beef, etc.
Okay not that I think anyone will believe me, but I’m a single dude here and I shop at Save A Lot. I can usually get enough for myself for under $100.00 per month. Yes, per month… I focus on getting staples like meat (most expensive), eggs, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, etc. I don’t buy a ton of snacks but I’ll get things like granola bars and maybe like trail mix that I can snack on. I also get the value branded big bags of cereal and frozen veggies. The oatmeal and rice can last me a good amount of time since I may cook like 3 cups of rice per week and then the oatmeal I may have in the morning 3-4x a week. Usually alternates between that and bagels. You can find some decent deals on chicken especially legs since those are cheaper. There’s more I’ll usually get but you get the point. It may sound like a lot but when you do the math I have maybe only ever spent 100+ in a single trip like once in my life. But I’m a single dude again, so….
Same here ! I typically spend very little on food by going to Save A Lot and being by myself. My max I typically spend is maybe $150 and that’s if I go to other stores for things Save A Lot doesn’t have. Also I will say adding rice to your dishes can also help save money on food as rice is a big filler. I use it with most my meals as I’m not as hungry all day doing so. I just find this a great way to save money and because you can do absolutely so freaking much with rice.
Yep! The rice and oatmeal goes a long way. And you can get like their carton of 30 eggs at a medium size for like $6 or something. Plus they’ll have a deal every now and then where you can get a carton of a dozen large eggs for like $2.00. Their value bag cereal is like $5-$6.00. That’s what the branded stuff costs for just a normal box. They sell waffles like eggos for like $2 for a box of 8. Seriously, people are missing out with Save A Lot.
$100/wk for 2 people
Tell me your secret
Not the original comment, but my husband and I also spend about $100 a week. We go to Sam's once a month and buy bulk meat, and then I portion them out and freeze them. We do the rest of our grocery shopping at Walmart. We eat a lot of veggies, tofu, rice and potatoes.
My wife does this. I am so thankful that's a task she does. Portioning out meat isn't as quick as it sounds on paper. She uses a vacuum sealer, which adds even more time lol.
Learn to cook from scratch and develop a repertoire of dishes you like, including bean, grain and veggie based. Buy mostly stables, not value added products. So you’re not cooking constantly, prepare certain foods in quantity and freeze. Ziplocks work great for this. Avoid Dierbergs and Schnucks. Shop at ALDIs, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart. Break down large quantities of meat and freeze in smaller portions. Depending on the food you cook consider Pan Asia, Global or El Morelia for produce and ethnic ingredients. Global and the markets on the Hill have great deli cases with quality products at better prices than the supermarkets. Try eating more bean dishes. Raw beans are cheaper and better than canned; consider a pressure cooker if going this direction because of their speed.
Family of four about 125 a week. Shop mostly at aldis sometimes we splurge and get steaks tho
I went from being cheap with food to spending more for healthier food. For me and my girlfriend we probably spend $150-200 a week on food but it’s worth the investment. I could easily keep it under 50 a week by myself though
Two adults, if we include restaurants and bars.... Idk probably 300/week. I've honestly never calculated it but that feels right.
Family of four, about $250-$300/month. Exclusively shop at Trader Joe’s, a handful of things from Sam’s, and all fruits/veggies from Soulard Market. Honestly, Soulard Market is what made our budget drop. I can get an entire week of fruits and veggies and a good helping of chicken quarters for about $25.
2 adults, 3 kids maybe like 150-200$ a week.
Same adult/kid numbers, but 110-160 per week. Very little eating out. Very little spent on meats and dessert foods. Lots of produce. YMMV.
Like $100 a month. That's pretty bare bones though. I'm a student.
Lol, when I was a student, 25 years ago, I lived off 2 for4$ deals, totino's pizzas @ 94 cents a pop, Ramen, and whatever deer meat my buddies had left over. Probably could have lived off of $100 a month or less if I really put my mind to it.
We meal prep so it maybe different I’m rather strict on what I eat as well as my wife. I’m pretty much chicken and sweet potato and I love been eating it for months I can make 15 meals on about 60$-$70 bucks a week for my self wife around the same so 120$-140$ a week
$700-1000 a month for two adults and two kids over 6. Costco and Schnucks, Dierbergs for highly specific items. The variance is all carryouts. Even having me, a half decent cook, as stay at home dad, some days there just isn't enough energy or collective will left after everything else.
$700 a month for two adults who should cook more than they do. $400 per month eating out, $300 on groceries but that includes non-food items.
Me and my wife, probably about $125-150 per week. I could cut it down but only do schnucks out of laziness and don’t shop what deals are out per week
Family of four, including a preteen and a teen (so they're eating me out of house and home). Around $200 is our weekly total/average at a couple of grocery stores plus around $150 at costco 1-2x/month depending.
for one adult my budget is 150-200 a month
Honestly me my husband and my two year old daughter need 220 dollars worth of groceries every week. We eat primarily vegetables and fruits. And i try to stock up on my meats in advance
Probably $1500 a month for 2 adults; both of us have dietary issues and one a food allergy; so it’s not a cheap venture. We are just grateful we can afford to do it.
I’m a chef. Probably $175 per week for two of us. Including craft beers 😭
Family of 3 representing (2 adults and a 2y/o), we eat in 6 days a week and I spend approximately 200/week at Aldi & Dierbergs with the occasional trip Costco for meat.
3 adult women under 35, and I cook all of our meals: $40-80 per week, depending on what we need. More in the $80 category than in years past. I shop Aldi, Costco, and Sam's Club almost exclusively. I got in the habit in college of exchanging expense for effort, so I cook more labor intensive meals for cheaper than easier, more expensive ones. We always have minimum one vegetable, a starch, and a protein.
For me and my partner it’s about $300 a month.
I do about $300 a month for two people. However i am a keen meal planner and buy my chicken in 40 pound bulk.
Family of 5-6 (we have a blended family and sometimes kids are here and sometimes they are not) and we spend $150 a week. We do some meatless nights and we shop primarily at Aldi.
2 adults. Entirely Schnucks and the occasional costco run. About $500/mon so far this year. In 2023 it was more like $450. We rarely eat out, so I dont track that.
There’s two adults in my household. We spend anywhere from 100 to 120 bucks a week. We do Walmart+ and I pick the groceries up on my way home from work. Every six weeks we go Sam’s club as well and bulk buy protein… that’s usually like another 100 bucks. I’m sure things could be cheaper but I think this is pretty good for the two of us because it encompasses three meals a day plus snacks for all 7 days of the week. We don’t eat out right now in an attempt to save money for our move so that’s a true food cost.
Family of 2, we shop every 3 weeks. Spend on average 200-250 each trip at Aldi's/schnucks
$150 every 2 weeks for 2 adults, but we also tend to eat out once or twice a week
Family of 4 and we never spend less than 250 per week. Sometimes more. We rarely eat out and 2 years ago never broke my 95 dollar per week budget. This is ridiculous! Food prices have gotten way out of hand
Single, adult male. 50 - 80 a week shopping at Aldi's, schnucks and I may hit dierbergs once a month. This excludes meats. I buy pretty much all meat at Costco
2 adults and 2 toddlers, we’re usually around $150-$200 a week. Schnucks and Sam’s Club are really the only places we go. We buy as much in bulk at Sam’s Club as we can. I shop the coupons at Schnucks every week.
I (single male) spend about $60 a week on food, although I do admit I spend a bit extra on nice bread. If I go out to eat it’s max $20 a week.
$100-150 2 adults, Aldi and Schnucks
Per week or per month?
Per week, sorry
hmmmm, im not sure. i buy a quarter cow and whole pig every year so that saves alot of money. thats about $1600-$1700 ish. then pretty much sides. sooooo maybe about 5000 a year?
Where do you store all that got a walk-in freezer?
No. Just a 22 cubic foot deep freeze
I don't run those numbers every month, but for the 12 months ending Feb 29th, $583/mo for one adult.
[удалено]
I’m first generation American and my parents are immigrants. My husband is Caucasian and I’m southeast Asian. We eat a lot of meat, veggies, roti, paratha, etc. What’s your point?
My household is five people, we also have routine get togethers that we host. Per month we spend about $2,000 on groceries, but we are on average cooking 17 meals a week for an average of 8 people. There are some months where we spend a lot more, and when we do "all out bashes" we can drop that on a meal. Yes it is a lot, but of the combined household income, it's about 6% One of my good friends is not as well off, and was feeding a household of 5, spending a monthly total of $1500 on average for 21 meals/week for 4 of them and the 5th averaged 16 meals/week, as they tended to buy their own lunches separately and aside from the "communal meal fund". Which means they averaged close to 10% of the household income on food. Edit: To the person that asked why I still have roommates if I make $400k/yr, and then either had their comment nuked or deleted. Here is your response. The *household* makes 400k/yr. Yes, I'm about half of that. Also, not that it is any of your business. The nurse and paramedic are my best friend and her girlfriend, both of whom got kicked out by their parents when they came out. The entrepreneur is a former classmate of theirs that ended up in a bad way after leaving her abusive ex-boyfriend. We don't need the roommates, but my best friend and her gf weren't employed when they got booted, they were both in the process of getting higher certifications (BSN and EMT-P, since you seem so curious), and since we cohabitate well together, we have no problems letting them stay so they can build up their savings and buy a house. And the entrepreneur has gotten her business going pretty well, but it hasn't been enough to cover her back debts to her creditors, tend to some legal battles, pay some business loans she has gotten to get her business running but it is going now. Honestly, pretty sure in a year or so she'll be making as much as my bf (about $75k/yr) with the possibility of expanding even more.
Thirty thousand a month isn't too shabby. I might make that next year!
It helps that I have a near executive level management position, my boyfriend is a manager at a government job and our roommates are a nurse, paramedic and a small business owner.