$400 monthly grocery budget for family of 4?

[crisi]

Breaking it down your budget is about $3.57 per person per day. So a little over $1.19 per meal per person. That seems very unrealistic over the long term especially for adults and growing children trying to eat healthy.

Good luck- I like Aldi for budget shopping!

My college student and their roommates are in an apartment this year and started their "leave the dorm proposal" with that sort of less than $4 a day per person budget, and I upped it and said you have to make it work with this budget. Which was more like six or seven. And if you can't do it for six or seven a day, you have to stay in the dorm.

Because it can be done, but you eat a lot of rice and beans, pasta, and oatmeal. Or if you are a college student, a lot of ramen and off brand mac n cheese. I know my kid and I know their roomies. They are going to want to cook meat almost every evening, they are going to want fresh fruit in the house, and they are going to need some junk food and chocolate.

(The roommate I suspected pulled together the budget is from the Midwest - the college is on the East Coast - and prices ARE different.)

 

[barkley]

there is a huge difference in grocery costs from region to region. another factor that comes into play are local and state taxes on groceries-in california we paid more for canned beverages because of the crv charge, and where i live now residents of the close by different state frequently cross the boarder into my state to avoid paying sales tax on ALL their grocery purchases (figure if a household spends $800 per month on groceries that sales tax adds another $48 to their monthly costs).

 

[barkley]

My college student and their roommates are in an apartment this year and started their "leave the dorm proposal" with that sort of less than $4 a day per person budget, and I upped it and said you have to make it work with this budget. Which was more like six or seven. And if you can't do it for six or seven a day, you have to stay in the dorm.

Because it can be done, but you eat a lot of rice and beans, pasta, and oatmeal. Or if you are a college student, a lot of ramen and off brand mac n cheese. I know my kid and I know their roomies. They are going to want to cook meat almost every evening, they are going to want fresh fruit in the house, and they are going to need some junk food and chocolate.

it was fascinating watching my oldest kid's eating habits change once she moved into her first college apartment and was responsible for her own shopping/cooking. initially it was all processed/heat and go foods but she quickly found that her budget didn't go very far on that route. over time she began learning more about cooking esp. after she discovered the joys of a crockpot. during her college years she became pretty adept at shopping sales and meal planning to save on costs. she recently had a reminder of how costly groceries are when her employer had to suspend their team member dining room due to the pandemic-she had been getting a free full meal and snacks/drinks during her shifts and didn't realize the dollar value not having to shop for those items resulted in. having to increase her grocery shopping to compensate for the loss of that employee benefit really impacted her budget.


p.s. i gotta say that christmas shopping became a bit more interesting when she started making her own meals. i know the non perishables that she enjoys but buys infrequently due to her budget so i keep an eye out for them on sale in the months leading up to christmas and she's been thrilled to find them as gifts under the tree.

 

[afan]

there is a huge difference in grocery costs from region to region. another factor that comes into play are local and state taxes on groceries-in california we paid more for canned beverages because of the crv charge, and where i live now residents of the close by different state frequently cross the boarder into my state to avoid paying sales tax on ALL their grocery purchases (figure if a household spends $800 per month on groceries that sales tax adds another $48 to their monthly costs).

And that again is regional. Non prepared food isn't taxed here or it'd probably change the way a ton of people shop and eat. Our tax is 10%. So on your 800 that would be 80. 48 would be so nice and probably not worth the drive across the border unless I was also saving on gas when I went.

 

[crisi]

it was fascinating watching my oldest kid's eating habits change once she moved into her first college apartment and was responsible for her own shopping/cooking. initially it was all processed/heat and go foods but she quickly found that her budget didn't go very far on that route. over time she began learning more about cooking esp. after she discovered the joys of a crockpot. during her college years she became pretty adept at shopping sales and meal planning to save on costs. she recently had a reminder of how costly groceries are when her employer had to suspend their team member dining room due to the pandemic-she had been getting a free full meal and snacks/drinks during her shifts and didn't realize the dollar value not having to shop for those items resulted in. having to increase her grocery shopping to compensate for the loss of that employee benefit really impacted her budget.


p.s. i gotta say that christmas shopping became a bit more interesting when she started making her own meals. i know the non perishables that she enjoys but buys infrequently due to her budget so i keep an eye out for them on sale in the months leading up to christmas and she's been thrilled to find them as gifts under the tree.

I moved them in (a cross country move into a first apartment during Covid into heavily quarantined Massachusetts - yea!) and went grocery shopping with them for the initial grocery trip (on my bank account, so I told them "stock up") and then spent a week living on their floor. Just in one week they went from "powdered lemonade, we don't want that, we want juice!" to "wow, look at how much cheaper powdered lemonade is!" And from "all meals revolve around meat" to "this bean dish looks really good." And they started by deciding each one gets one "convenience food" they can grab in the house - not always the more expensive versions I would buy, but something in the frozen waffles, hot pockets, microwave single serving mac n cheese - which did increase the budget, but is wise for college kids with busy schedules (although this year there is a lot of sitting in the apartment on laptops). And they started with the crockpot. I'm really glad that cereal companies decided that price gouging on cereal needed to stop - because I don't think any of them could break the cereal habit (and for a few years a decade or so ago, that was getting unsustainable for anyone who needed to budget).

 

[MrsPete]

I think you could get it down to 400 per month if you are diligent about meal planning based on grocery sales and introduce beans into your diet. Both canned beans and dried beans are inexpensive and a great protein source! There are many varieties and they are super versatile--can be used instead of meat in most casserole or one-pot type meals.

One thing I hear you saying is, Time and Money. When you save more of one, you spend more of the other.

Agree that beans are a healthy, inexpensive choice -- it's hard to beat Red Beans & Rice. But they are carb-heavy.

I have saved 25% per week shopping exclusively at Aldi now so I suggest giving them a try

Aldi has lots of good bargains (and a few rip-offs mixed in), but I don't think I could shop them exclusively.

if you are'nt 'married' to a particular brand of an item give the store brand a try. i grew up in a household where canned beans were always s&w, veggies green giant but once i tried the store brands i found i liked them better and the cost savings was great.

Yes, ignoring name brands is a great way to save -- most of the time. Occasionally sales make the difference, and occasionlly you find a weird item that defies "the rule". I can count on one hand the name brands I "must have".

1. You're shopping at lots of stores. How far apart are they? Does the savings outweigh how much you're wasting on gas?

Eh, I don't think this is a fair question. I shop at that many stores -- or more. But I don't shop them every week. For example, I love the Chinese grocery and The Chef Store, which are both an hour away. I shop them 2-3 times a year, and -- when I do -- I stock up heavily on the things I like.

I wish those were egg prices here. I love eggs but ours are 2.60 for a package of 18 Large store brand.

I bought a pack of 18 at Walmart this morning -- $1.18 .

I guess I never really thought about the price of eggs. We buy no more than a dozen a week, unless I make French Toast, when I use 6 eggs just for that, so I'll buy an 18 pack those weeks.

It makes sense not to put too much effort into things you don't buy often. Even if they're expensive, it's not a big deal. On the other hand, your "every week" items matter more.

it was fascinating watching my oldest kid's eating habits change once she moved into her first college apartment and was responsible for her own shopping/cooking. initially it was all processed/heat and go foods but she quickly found that her budget didn't go very far on that route. over time she began learning more about cooking esp. after she discovered the joys of a crockpot.

I remember my mom giving me a crock pot when I was in college. My first meal was Beef Stew, which I left to "simmer" while I went to work on a Saturday. When I came home, I opened the door to the stairwell and was hit with a delicious smell -- I ran up the steps saying, "Be my apartment, be my apartment." It was!

 

[RamblingMad]

Theme your meals. One super cheap thing to cook is rice and beans. Chili is also cheap to make. Look at what folks ate during the Great Depression to give you some ideas. Do one of those meals once or twice a week, and you’ll save a lot of money. When I got laid off from a job, I went on a rice and bean meal to encourage to find a new job. I found one that paid me even more in a month.

Another option is to go to Costco and buy in bulk food items that you eat a lot. We buy a lot of chicken from Costco. Produce is also good from there as well.

 

[kfortune]

Have you tried the envelope system or the Every Dollar app for budgeting?

 

[dina444444]

Seriously. No one in CA is getting eggs that cheap. I'm paying around $2-4 per dozen, depending on what is available.

Same. TJs is back down to $2.09 for regular cage free eggs, it got up to $2.99 at one point in the last 6 months. I did get 2 dozen eggs at vons a few weeks ago with a coupon at $0.99/dozen.

And to a comment a few pages ago, TJs is cheap imo when compared to shopping at our regular markets (Ralph’s, vons, even grocery outlet).

 

[DLgal]

Same. TJs is back down to $2.09 for regular cage free eggs, it got up to $2.99 at one point in the last 6 months. I did get 2 dozen eggs at vons a few weeks ago with a coupon at $0.99/dozen.

And to a comment a few pages ago, TJs is cheap imo when compared to shopping at our regular markets (Ralph’s, vons, even grocery outlet).

ITA that TJs is cheap! It's the cheapest for produce by far in my area (even beats Target).

However, I think TJs is only cheap in CA. When we lived in VA, things were much more pricey at TJs so I hardly ever went (not to mention the much smaller variety of freshly prepared foods, bakery and produce items). They had like one type of salsa compared to 6 or so here. Even the 2 Buck Chuck was $4.

I had a coupon for a free dozen eggs from Ralphs recently but they could NOT be "cage free." All they had was cage free, so the cashier honored the coupon anyway. The eggs retailed for $3.69.

 

[dina444444]

ITA that TJs is cheap! It's the cheapest for produce by far in my area (even beats Target).

However, I think TJs is only cheap in CA. When we lived in VA, things were much more pricey at TJs so I hardly ever went (not to mention the much smaller variety of freshly prepared foods, bakery and produce items). They had like one type of salsa compared to 6 or so here. Even the 2 Buck Chuck was $4.

I had a coupon for a free dozen eggs from Ralphs recently but they could NOT be "cage free." All they had was cage free, so the cashier honored the coupon anyway. The eggs retailed for $3.69.

I don’t think you can get non cage free eggs in CA anymore or at least not in LA. I know TJs phased them out about 18 months ago.
That might be the case with TJs, I know it was more expensive when I lived in NYC 9 years ago, but everything was more expensive.

 

[DLgal]

I don’t think you can get non cage free eggs in CA anymore or at least not in LA. I know TJs phased them out about 18 months ago.
That might be the case with TJs, I know it was more expensive when I lived in NYC 9 years ago, but everything was more expensive.

Yeah, I read something about an animal welfare law that has affected the price of eggs here. Maybe they can't sell non cage-free eggs in CA?

 

[dina444444]

Yeah, I read something about an animal welfare law that has affected the price of eggs here. Maybe they can't sell non cage-free eggs in CA?

I looked it up, we passed a prop in 2018 (prop 12) that requires all eggs sold in the state to be cage free by 2022 among some other food selling changes.

 

[starry_solo]

I looked it up, we passed a prop in 2018 (prop 12) that requires all eggs sold in the state to be cage free by 2022 among some other food selling changes.

OK because most of the eggs we buy at Vons, Albertson's, and maybe Trader Joe's doesn't say "cage free" on it. I guess we ought to be prepared for even pricier cage free eggs!

 

[ten6mom]

I don't have any tips, but I am laughing over here at the different milk consumptions.

When my 16 yo son is home with me (I split 50/50 with his dad), he and I together easily go through a gallon a day.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm all over the quoted egg prices here I actually try to buy either organic free range or local farm eggs which run from 2.50-4.50 per dozen. I buy 2-4 dozen each week. (during the height of our spring lockdown I bought 'regular' eggs when I found them at those same prices) I think 'regular' egg prices around here run about 1.50-2.50 a dozen...
Milk...we usually buy alternative milk like oat milk or the like which is about $4 a 1/2 gallon,and I get one per week.
regular milk is about $3 a gallon,I think. It really does make a difference where you live,what budget you can make work.
It all boils down to knowing what you eat,and keeping records and lists.

 

[hsmamato2]

Theme your meals. One super cheap thing to cook is rice and beans. Chili is also cheap to make. Look at what folks ate during the Great Depression to give you some ideas. Do one of those meals once or twice a week, and you’ll save a lot of money. When I got laid off from a job, I went on a rice and bean meal to encourage to find a new job. I found one that paid me even more in a month.

Another option is to go to Costco and buy in bulk food items that you eat a lot. We buy a lot of chicken from Costco. Produce is also good from there as well.

see I must be the only one who doesn;t think Costco has good meat prices.... they're so expensive! I do better at my local grocery store pricewise.

 

[RamblingMad]

see I must be the only one who doesn;t think Costco has good meat prices.... they're so expensive! I do better at my local grocery store pricewise.

The quality of the packaged chicken is so much better at Costco. Far less fat.

 

[afan]

The quality of the packaged chicken is so much better at Costco. Far less fat.

And we don't agree with that. The chicken at our Costco looks awful compared to what we can get at the grocery store. It's all about the stores you have. We do buy ground beef at Costco though, works out better for us.

But I also think all chicken is worse now than it used to be. You have to trim way more fat and the gross stuff off than before. Or it's a difference in the brand I was buying in NC vs what we get here in WA, but even my mom who's always lived here thinks it's gotten worse.

 

[robinb]

But I also think all chicken is worse now than it used to be. You have to trim way more fat and the gross stuff off than before. Or it's a difference in the brand I was buying in NC vs what we get here in WA, but even my mom who's always lived here thinks it's gotten worse.

Hmmm ... I buy almost all my chicken (breasts only) at Costco and then freeze those little packages. I almost never have to trim them. Maybe the thighs are different?

BTW, I thought about this thread when I spent $225 at Costco yesterday .

ETA: I also buy my cage free/organic eggs from Costco because I prefer the taste. I bought a pair of stakable plastic egg containers on Amazon to hold them in the fridge since the Costco container is so big. I *think* they are about $5-$6 for 2 dozen, which is actually a bargain for cage free and organic eggs. However ... if I were on a strict budget I wouldn't hesitate to buy cheaper commercial eggs.