Money Matters
catsareniice1
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Grocery Shopping
I spend anywhere from $135-$200 every 10-11 days on grocery shopping. These totals include: paper towels, shampoo, soap and other miscellaneous items when needed. This is based on two people. Does that seem high?
I only buy what is on sale and use coupons if I have them.
Fruits, veggies and all the basics seem to just add up. Is it just me spending this much?
I remember being able to do full shopping for about 80-100 bucks. I am now lucky if my total is under $135!
Re: Grocery Shopping
On the low end, that's about $95 a week, which is probably about average depending on where you live. The high end is about $140/week, which seems pretty high unless you're buying lots of organic items and/or live near a city.
We average $80-100 a week, depending on if my husband is with me or not (he tends to buy prepared foods/soda).
I'm surprised that fruits and veggies seem to add so much to your bill. We find that meats and prepared foods are our highest cost items. I try to buy the miscellaneous items at Target, I find they are cheaper there than at the grocery store.
What helps me to keep costs down is to go online and take a look at the weekly flyer before I go into the store. I write down meals that I can plan around the weekly specials and try to buy those things. We also freeze a good deal of meat, since that is a high cost item for us. We do not have a lot of freezer space, so I have to do the best I can, but I always buy extra when it's on sale. I also stock up on prepared foods and sodas when they're on sale, and refuse to buy off sale.
I do find that the sales rotate. For example, 80/20 ground beef always goes on sale every three weeks or so for $1.99/lb, so I'll buy 6 lbs when it does. DH will go into the store with me and think that $2.99/lb is a great deal, and I have to explain to him that next week, it'll be $1 cheaper per pound. Yes, I really am too cheap to pay $2.99/lb! The same thing happens with a lot of other staple items: chicken breasts, bread, bacon, butter, pasta sauce, pasta, canned tomatoes, canned beans, cheese, yogurt (at least one brand is always on sale), frozen vegetables, etc. Just be careful when you buy!
ETA: FWIW, I do not clip or use coupons. I just buy what's on sale. I find that even with a coupon, the store brand is usually always cheaper than name brand.
Well, the figures I gave for your shopping were based on 10-day trips. I just divided by 10 and multiplied by 7 to get a weekly figure.
ie: 135/10=13.5*7=94.5 and 200/10=20*7=140
ETA: If you're really stretching it to 11 days per trip, it's $85-$127/week.
You are a very smart shopper then. Seems like the little I buy adds up so much! Are you including things like soap, detergent, paper towels, garbage bags, etc. in your total? Just wondering...
Including everything, not just food, we spend about $200 a week, $800 per month
This includes cleaning, paper, hair products, and most of DS shoes and clothes
That number includes cat litter, paper towels, household cleaners, etc. However, it does not include razors or cat food, we buy those things online because they're far cheaper.
My husband and I only go "big" shopping every other week and usually spend $80-$100 every two weeks. We also do a "small" shopping which consists of perishables. That bill is usually $20-$30.
So on average we spend $100 every 10 days for the two of us.
We are usually around $80/week for the two of us. I plan like you do and only buy what is on sale and use coupons if I have them.
I do not typically purchase shampoo, etc., during regular grocery trips. I try to buy these items at a deep-discount store (I am not picky on what brand I use at all).
I will stock up on meats, etc., when they are on sale. We just got a good deal on a chest freezer, so I am slowly acquiring bulk in items to fill that up.
Some weeks, if we don't need a lot, I have been as low as $35 for both of us.
We really try not to eat out and use our groceries. Food is just too expensive to throw away, so we eat a lot of leftovers, too.
Its just the two of us, and we spend around $400 per month. And that does include paper products, cleaning supplies.
I try to buy things that are on sale and use coupons when I do have them. And it helps to keep the cost down when I do the shopping instead of my DH. He just buys what looks good to him. No matter the cost. But he's learning, slowly.
Wow, to me that seems high. We have 2 adults and a toddler, and we spend an average of $200/month at the grocery store this year, and we buy a LOT of fruit. We do grow a few things in our own garden (tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, carrots--but that's only in the summer, since we live in the north) and share with other people who have gardens (we have a friend that has so many raspberry bushes, he begs us to pick them--and keep them ourselves). We haven't had to buy much meat lately, because we live on a farm and share 1/4 cut of beef with other family members, so that's in our deep freezer.
We also go to Sam's Club for our basic toiletries (shampoo, soap, TP, etc.), and it seems like we only have to buy these items once every 6 months to 2 years (depending on the product). We almost always go to the grocery store on double coupon days, so know your store's rules (ours is 5 coupons up to $1 each, so max of $10 off; you can use more coupons than that but they won't be doubled). I try to only buy things off the list I make, on which I write the prices (to make sure I'm buying the right item) and mark if I have a coupon for it. We also buy generic if we can and we know when items are at their lowest, just because we've been shopping long enough that we know the sale prices. I haven't figured out the rotation yet.
I've found that coupons do not have to be for the exact product like it says. It just has to be that brand, and it will still scan through. For example, it doesn't have to be General Mill's Honey Nut Cheerios like the coupon says; you could buy General Mill's regular Cheerios or Corn Chex and it'll still work.
The prices could be higher where you live, but I can't imagine it would be that much higher. Then again, I don't generally go grocery shopping outside my town, so I can't say for sure.
Well, part of it is that prices just seem to keep going up. But, I try to not buy those miscellaneous items at a grocery store. They are always more expensive than what you will pay elsewhere. Target, Amazon with their recurring delivery program, a wholesale club. All of those are more cost effective typically.
What part of the country are you? Are you in a HCOL area? What are your options for stores for groceries? I feel fortunate that there are several discount grocery store chains near me, but some of them don't have great produce selections. But, IMO, there's no point in buying icky produce, so it's worth paying a little more for fresher options that will last longer.
Also, this time of year, do you have any Farmer's Markets near you? While they can be more expensive per unit sometimes, they will also more commonly offer you a better price on the remaining produce toward the end of their day. Also, the produce often lasts me longer as it is fresher and has travelled less.
I'm on the East Coast. One gallon of milk alone is $3.69!
I live on the East Coast and spend $60-$75/week on groceries and $25-$50/month on HBC products.
I always meal plan based on what's on sale. Otherwise I buy store brands. I always pick up meat when it's on sale and has the sell by today manager's coupon, then stick it in the freezer. Any other coupons I only use if I'm going to buy that item/amount anyways. If I can buy a mix or make it from scratch, I'll do that over buying it premade.
As far as HBC items I buy store brand if I can, otherwise I just purchase the least expensive version of what I need. And I never buy them from the grocery store.