I’m wondering…what’s the median monthly grocery bill for anyone living in North America
? I guess the expense will vary, depending on where you live.
I’m a single guy, and I have noticed I spent almost $200 each month on grocery in the past two years (ie, after I graduated from university). In contrast, I spent around $150 each month when I was in university (years 2003 to 2007). My grocery bills consist of dining-outs and expenses from anything that I buy at grocery stores; ie, foods, personal hygiene stuff, household cleaning
stuff, etc.
Do I spend too much?!?! ò.ó Is there any way to cut down the grocery bill further
?
If I alone spend about $200 each month on grocery, how much do a couple spend
? Or, a family of 3, 4, 5, 6
? Here is an updated statistics for grocery bills across Canada.
My partner doesn’t believe what I spend on groceries, and I consider myself frugal! Average is between $210 – $240 per week for two adults and two children in Northern BC Canada. That is with no treats, pop, junk food or extras. That is just plain healthy food! That also does not include pet food, paper products or cleaning supplies as I buy those in bulk elsewhere. So that is an average of $60 per person per week, or just over $1,000 per month.
hi there! I am happy to read this. I think most people have NO clue how much money they spend on groceries. I want to know what someone (i live in QC) who spends 100 bucks a month on groceries, EATS. in this town, 60 dollars last me about 3 days. i am very tiny and don’t eat much. i don’t eat any junk food. i eat real food, i.e. pork chops and potatoes, stir fries, grilled vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, salads with tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese, beef and broccoli with rice noodles, pasta casseroles, etc etc etc. this is normal food. eating on less than 100 dollars per week is not possible in this town. so i am happy to read the posts by the folks who like me, also spend 1,000 per month on food.
Hi to you all.. just reading all the other posts, wondering where my family stands in regards to grocery expenses.
Because we do not have a lot of money, about 4000 amonth to live off, I have found that I am very much limitied what is left over, after paying bills and rent and other needed expenses, I have $800 left for food, as well as diapers. So I guess that is not too bad for 2 adults, and 4 kids. ( well the little one is only 1 month old, so he doesn’t count yet;) We also can do this because we get our meat from people who raise the meat, so we buy it it bulk, such as half a pig, and 1/4 of beef, which helps our monthly bill.
I was reading with interest what folks are spending on grocery, and I live alone, on a fixed income and $200.00 a month if that includes
personal care and cleaning supplies
is what I estimate I spend
This is good info and I often wonder what’s right. We are family, with small 2 kids. My best guestimate is we spend close to
$1000
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Single and I spend about 700$ a month in Bethesda MD.
I’ve been tracking all my monthly expenses for years. We are two adults, two dogs, no kids.
We definately spent too much
Monthly averages for 2009:
- Bills (mortgage, houseinsurance, phone, cable, internet, water, electricity, bankfees): $1800
- Groceries, Pet Food, Alcohol: $930
- Restaurant, Takeouts and bars: $180
- Car, carinsurance, gas, repairs, bus: $700
- Cash: $600
$200/month sounds very reasonable to me
I traack my groceries monthly on a chart. Im not the best at being frugal but try. We spend. for 2 adults a 8 year old and 3 year old $800 monthly including diapers and personal hygene. It seems to be a comfortable amount.
Thank you! I was wondering what I was doing wrong? I have cut back drastically, rarely eat out, make almost everything from scratch including kids lunch box snacks, shop sales, buy in bulk, and still spend around $800 per month for one adult, 3 kids. I must have spent much more before.
I challenge anyone to track their food bill for 1 month. I guarantee you will be surprised. We spend anywhere from $1,400 to $1,600 per month for a family of 5, and thats doing the Costco runs. When people say they spend under a grand for a family, I suspect that they haven’t actually tracked it in their financial software. Do the math, feel the pain!
Monty – you are bang on. I track my monthly bill religiously and can’t believe we spend $1200 per month for 2 kids (8 mo and 4 yr old) and 2 adults. And I am always on the lookout for deals on groceries.
Monty, I have been tracking all expenses for 10 years, every little grocery bill, even those under $10. We’re a family of 6, including four kids ages 5-17 and a Great Dane. I do Costco twice a month and buy produce and dairy once a week at the local IGA. I keep our bill under $1000. This includes detergent, napkins, paper towels, things like ziplock bags and aluminium foil. I used to think I wasn’t doing too well and could bring it down lower but now I see we’re doing all right so feel a bit better. I’ve seen posts from people who have 7 kids and spend 800$ – HOW??
I absolutely agree with Monty. For a family of 5 including Costco runs we end up spending $1500 per month. I do wish some of these sights would be a bit more helpful in cost cutting measures for the average family. (Esp if you have teenagers)!
Monty! I totally agree. I am so relieved to read this. I also think people are fooling themselves. I read all kinds of articles werhe people say they spend 100 dollars a week on food for a family. I dream of visiting them and seeing what they eat. Even if you ate only rice and beans (which would leave you with scurvey and several other health issues) it would be difficult. In this town anyways. I mean seriously, kids need yogurt cheese and milk and oranges. I don’t eat caviar for breakfast and haven’t had even a tbone steak in months. I have been tracking my food expenses dilligently for years and the costs have skyrocketed in recent months.
How do you manage to spend that little for 4 people? I myself spend $200 per month, and I buy stuff when they’re cheap. Time to diet. LOL
We spend about $400 each month for myself, hubby, and 2 kids. We like to buy things in bulk when they’re at discount.