Approx. how much do you spend on groceries for one person? page 4

[audfish7]

I have a family of 2.5 (Me, hubby, and an 18 month old). Before going primal I used to spend $50-$70 per week at my weekly shopping trip with a monthly shopping trip for meat at around $70. $310 per month. Now, my shopping trip is at LEAST $130 per week plus the monthly meat trip = $590. HOWEVER, I recently found I could make my own coconut milk, coconut water, and coconut flour buy buying 3 coconuts per week. This is a weekly savings of around $20. It doesn't seem like much, but over a year that will save a bunch. I also heard you can buy the coconut dried by the gallon online and still make your coconut milk and flour with it. = $510 per month.

[audfish7]

I'm too broke for organic right now, and tend to shop at the local ethnic mart and grocery store (HEB.) The meximart keeps me in supply of cheap meat, peppers, onions, and hardy veggies, HEB keeps me in cheap supply of other veggies and fruits as well as dairy and specialty items I use, as well as Geek's breads.

!!! I totally forgot out about our Mexican grocery! I don't know what it is about their store, but their meat and produce is super cheap. Their convienience foods are super expensive though, but I don't buy those any more. GOING to Vallarta this weekend!

[Twibble]

I should hit the Meximart tomorrow and just go wander around and see what I can find.

[naiadknight]

Make sure it's the one over here. The one there is comparably priced to HEB, as opposed to the cheapness found at El Rancho.

[Sandra in BC]

700-800/mo (including weekly organic produce box) for 4 people (2 adults + 2 hungry boys). Plus a side of beef every 6 months which runs about $900. We eat out maybe once/ month. I need to figure out what to cut out of the budget because this is double what we were spending 6 months ago on SAD. It is starting to catch up with us!

I would cut the organic produce box, and shop for as much local, in-season produce as you can find, and no sweat the rest. IMO, "100 mile" is more important than "organic." I was doing the box for a while, and while we enjoyed the variety and adventure of something different every week, and supporting a local entrepreneur, it seemed counterintuitive to be sourcing food globally, especially when other countries have different criteria for what constitutes "organic".

Shocking what real food costs, isn't it, compared to fake manufactured food. Real food is important to us, so its not a budget area with much wiggle room. I stock the freezer and pantry when there are sales, and work hard at not wasting food.

Ways I spend less than The Joneses':
- cut my family's hair myself
- color my own hair
- shop thrift & consignment for pretty much everything except socks, underwear and shoes.
- our cars are 10 and 13yo and paid for and we'll drive them till they die.
- driving/camping vacations, nothing exotic
- self employed, no commuting or childcare costs
- clip coupons & combine with sales, esp for non-food items
- rarely go to movies
- school carpool
- limit kids' sports & activities
- 'basic' cable package
- eat out rarely, and when we do, we drink water
- buy grassfed meat by the 1/4 or 1/2, instead of individual cuts
- line dry my laundry sometimes
- no central air
- no credit card debt
- grow some of my own veggies

[cavebabymama]

I've spent anywhere from $15-$40 a day per person on groceries, depending upon how much meat Mr. Grok was consuming at the time.

[Metric]

Wuuuut how do y'all do that?
Either I just eat more than 3x as much as everyone, or europe is 10x as exspensive, or I'm doing something wrong
I have a job, I get paid minimum wage but I work a lot of hours, and literally all my money is gone for the gym and food

We buy cheaper cuts, such as pork belly and tougher roasts that need to be slow cooked. These more often than not cost less than buying more expensive cuts such as steaks.

[unsuperb]

I would cut the organic produce box, and shop for as much local, in-season produce as you can find, and no sweat the rest. IMO, "100 mile" is more important than "organic." I was doing the box for a while, and while we enjoyed the variety and adventure of something different every week, and supporting a local entrepreneur, it seemed counterintuitive to be sourcing food globally, especially when other countries have different criteria for what constitutes "organic".

? I assume that they are referring to a CSA produce box, though I could be wrong. It's typically a cheaper way to obtain large quantities of locally grown produce (if you have the people to eat it)

[Leida]

About 250$ a month pp without counting the grass-fed beef, pasture pork & free-run chickens we buy in bulk that will probably add another $100 a months pp to the total.

[Lawyerchick12]

!!! I totally forgot out about our Mexican grocery! I don't know what it is about their store, but their meat and produce is super cheap. Their convienience foods are super expensive though, but I don't buy those any more. GOING to Vallarta this weekend!

Same here!! Except its my Chinese Grocery!!! The prices of their meat and fresh seafood FREAK me out! Why is it so cheap? Even for the fish that is literally caught alive and chopped up in front of you, I just.do.not.get.it. Someone who knows why care to explain???