Grocery Budget?
(31 posts) (16 voices)-
I was just wondering if y'all could give me estimates...
Just curious.How many people are in your household?
What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
How much do you spend weekly on produce?
How much do you spend weekly on other food?
Where do you shop for groceries?
Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
Thanks in advance!
Posted 7 months ago # -
maba
MemberHow many people are in your household?
- 2 (1 primal, 1 non-primal)What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
- ~ $500 (I might be able to give you an accurate number at the end of the month as I've been trying keep track of this month's expenditure)How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
- ~$25-$30 - 4-5 lbsHow much do you spend weekly on dairy?
- <$10How much do you spend weekly on produce?
- $25How much do you spend weekly on other food?
- $25 -$30Where do you shop for groceries?
- Farmer's market
- Local Co-op
- Grocery store (for the non-primal in the household)
- Indian storeDo you buy organic/grass-finished?
- Whenever available/ possibleThe weekly amounts may not tally with the total, these are just guesstimates. But the total amount is about right.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Tarlach
MemberHow many people are in your household?
- 2 adults, 2 small kids (all paleo)What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
- $1000 I guess.How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
- $200 at a guess, say 35 lb?* We get excited about good cuts of meat and would rather good meat than some other luxuries ;)
How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
- $0How much do you spend weekly on produce?
- $20-30?How much do you spend weekly on other food?
- close to $0. I don't think we eat much that isn't meat or fresh produce?Where do you shop for groceries?
- Organic shop/local supermarketDo you buy organic/grass-finished?
- Yes. Always grass-finished beef.
We might drop the organic nuts and just get normal. They are twice the price, but they do taste a lot better...Posted 7 months ago # -
How many people are in your household?
2 (1 male non-primal, 1 female primal-ish)What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
$500+How much do you spend weekly on meat?
$25And how many pounds of meat does this include?
~22.5 lbsHow much do you spend weekly on dairy?
$20How much do you spend weekly on produce?
$20How much do you spend weekly on other food?
$45Where do you shop for groceries?
Trader Joe's
Whole Foods
Farmers' Market
(planning to join a produce CSA and a meet CSA)Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
Yes.Posted 7 months ago # -
P.S. Looking forward to everyone's answers! Already glad to have two to compare!
Posted 7 months ago # -
i had a mind to post a question like this myself. i think im on the cheap side of the spectrum
How many people are in your household?
2
What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
$250
How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
$25 - 5 pounds
How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
none
How much do you spend weekly on produce?
$25
How much do you spend weekly on other food?
$5
Where do you shop for groceries?
co-op, farmers market
Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
exclusivelyPosted 7 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberWhoa Sam you are cheap :)
How many people are in your household?
2
What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
about $600
How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
$80ish, 10-12 pounds
How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
$0
How much do you spend weekly on produce?
$25
How much do you spend weekly on other food?
me? none. Husband...probably $15-$20...
Where do you shop for groceries?
Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, Costco (nuts mostly), tiny bit at Kroger
Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
Whenever possible, ie: all chicken and pork, nearly all beef. Also wild fish.I get excited about good food too, I've virtually stopped buying clothes and other extras...I just want a good dinner, and I have clothes already! Except vibrams...we've bought 4 pairs in the last 2 months...
Posted 7 months ago # -
How many people are in your household?
Just myself.What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
I allow myself about $40 a week... so I guess I actually spend between $160-$200How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
I never really looked at it, and it's about to change since I'm buying a chest freezer and investing in quarters of beef and whole boar. A year's worth of meat should cost me about $400-$500.How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
None usually. At most, $3.00-$6.00 for cheese.How much do you spend weekly on produce?
Probably about $20 or so.How much do you spend weekly on other food?
Probably the other $10 or so.Where do you shop for groceries?
Wegman's, Farmer's Markets, local farmsDo you buy organic/grass-finished?
I have been more and more lately :)Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberHow many people are in your household? 2 + a primal eating 125 pound great dane. So... 3
What is your monthly grocery expenditure? Ugh, probably close to $600
How much do you spend weekly on meat? $50-75
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?) 5-6How much do you spend weekly on dairy? Maybe about $10
How much do you spend weekly on produce? $20-30
How much do you spend weekly on other food? $40-60
Where do you shop for groceries? Trader Joe's, the local "Shop N Save", where we rarely, um, "save"
Do you buy organic/grass-finished Food is expensive enough in Pittsburgh as is, organic and grass fed is twice as much. I want to, I just can't. Maybe Maba will chime in here as well, since I know she is local.
Posted 7 months ago # -
How many people are in your household? At the moment, we have 5, because my 23 yr.-old son is staying with us for a few weeks. He's moving out in two weeks and then we'll be back to 4.
What is your monthly grocery expenditure? I spend about $800 per month (includes non-food items, like trash bags, shampoo, etc.)
How much do you spend weekly on meat? This week, I spent $40 (includes seafood)
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?) roughly 12. I already had a few items in my freezer, so I didn't buy a whole week's worth. I count by meals--5
How much do you spend weekly on dairy? Still buying dairy for the rest of the family, so $27. (includes cage-free omega 3 eggs)
How much do you spend weekly on produce? This week, $44. This is the area that's expanded the most since going primal.
How much do you spend weekly on other food? This week, $39 (cereal, olive oil, peanut butter, etc., for the rest of the family)
Where do you shop for groceries? My favorite is ShopRite, but I WISH we had a Wegman's. My husband has one up where he works, and he loves it so much he made me go up there one day for a day trip, LOL. It was pretty spectacular.
Do you buy organic/grass-finished? ShopRite has very little. This week I found Applegate Farms burgers in the frozen section, and I bought steaks imported from Australia which says free range, but I have no idea if they're grass-fed or not. They were on sale, woo hoo! I also now only buy chicken that says free-farmed, which I suppose is an improvement over Tyson/Perdue, neither of which I will ever buy again. It's all a work in progress, I'm making the best choices available to me, week by week.
Posted 7 months ago # -
How many people are in your household? 2 (1 primal, 1 primal-ish save for the occasional oatmeal or sandwich)
What is your monthly grocery expenditure? $375
How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?) $30-40 (depends on how nice of cuts I'm buying or if I'm buying in a lg. qty)How much do you spend weekly on dairy? $6 (butter and milk for the most part)
How much do you spend weekly on produce? $20
How much do you spend weekly on other food? $25ish
Where do you shop for groceries? Wegmans, the "Q" Mart, local markets/stands
Do you buy organic/grass-finished? When possible. If I had a larger freezer, I'd probably just buy a side of grass fed beef from Lancaster, PA this fall. I'm thinking this would be a good idea. So basically I need a deep freezer pronto.
Posted 7 months ago # -
chocolatechip69
MemberWe have 2 people living in our household one of whom is non-primal male.
I allow myself to spend $400 on groceries and I only go to the store twice a month. I do, however, stop at the Farmer's Market every Saturday for some fresh produce. In addition to $400 monthly budget we also bought a 1/4 of a cow and 1/2 of a pig that should last us about a year, and that was $700, so when you average it all out, it's about $450 a month on all the groceries.
By the way, I've seen some incredible numbers of lbs of meat consumed on a weekly basis. 35 lb a week? Really?Posted 7 months ago # -
This is really interesting stuff, and thanks to everyone who has shared (or is going to share).
I have no idea how our budget breaks down but will save receipts for a while and try to figure it out... currrently our monthly budget is $400 for two people but that includes household items as well (ziploc bags, foil, paper products, shampoo, toothpaste, etc).
We will also be moving in October and will need to "discover" new grocery stores and such... will have a TJ and WF available 45 minutes away for the first time in our lives too.
We want to get a chest freezer and buy a huge chunk of grass fed meat (a side of beef?) from someone semi-local, but I wasn't sure about the breakdown of pounds per person per week and how that would impact our grocery bill.
Keep the answers coming! I'll try to put in my answers as soon as I've saved up a few receipts.
Posted 7 months ago # -
maba
Member@PJAP, I buy from the Farmer's Market organized by Citiparks. I go to the one in South Side on Tuesday's. Here's a list of the location and days they are held, you might find something close to where you live. I pay about $4-5/lb for meat. I buy from an Amish Farmer of Miller Farms. His eggs are $4/doz.
http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/html/farmers_market.html
Posted 7 months ago # -
Jess
MemberYou guys only spend 30-40$ a week on veggies? Does that include fruit as well, or is that a rare purchase for many of you primals? How many veggies do you usually buy? My PT continues to stress at me, MORE VEGETABLES, even though I probably have about ten cups of salad a day (well, okay, on a good day.) I assumed that was sufficient...
How long does it take for veggies to spoil anyway? I only go to the store once a week..
Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberFNW I just ordered my side of grass fed beef today, I got to order all the cuts the way I want them and everything! The draw for me is that the meat is $3.25 per pound, which is so much less than if you buy it by the cut. Ground beef runs me $4.50/lb, flank steak $12/lb, and everything else around the same price as the flank steak. So at $3.25/lb I'll be saving a substantial amount of money on really good beef over the course of a year. Plus, the people raising these animals are only about 30 minutes from me, use sustainable and organic growing methods for their grass, and that is also really important to me. I'm thinking of doing a side of pork as well, since I've been buying a lot of sausage too. Although I do love lamb...goodness I'm going to need a second big freezer!
And Jess, I doubt your PT believes what you eat, you should not need to eat more vegetables if your calories are at a good level and you're already getting 7-10 servings of vegetables every day. Do they want you to turn orange from all the betacarotine or what? Most veggies will last a week or longer (mine last all the way up to 3 weeks sometimes) if stored properly. They just need to be in a low humidity portion of your fridge (or out on the counter for onions/tomatoes/garlic) and will last REALLY long if they're sealed in a ziploc bag or green produce bag. I rarely throw out veggies, and I don't always use them the same week I get them. I've barely bought any fruit in the last month, just frozen berries, and my veggie budget has been lower because the farmer's market has good prices right now. Even for college kids, farmer's markets are a great place to get good produce at good prices.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I cook mostly zero carb for myself, very low carb primal for one person and low carb primal for one more (who then proceeds to eat non-primal things anyway...sigh, I'm working on her). I found the less I spent on anything that wasn't meat, the easier it was to afford enough meat :)
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hannahc, I am so jealous of your inexpensive great meat!!! I emailed a couple places but the only one that's gotten back to me (a bison ranch) no longer does bulk discounts due to high demand... hoping to find a great place w/great prices. $3.25 a pound is amazing!!!
I'm definitely looking forward to the farmers' markets (I hear they're numerous and GREAT in Lemoore and area). It would be a bonus if those prices are low too!
Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberFNW have you checked eatwild.com for your next home? Cali right? If you go to "Shop for Local Grassfed Meat, Eggs & Dairy" at the very top left, then click on California on the map, then click on "California Eatwild Map" you'll see everything close to your new area! If I'm wrong on the state you still get the idea :) That's how I found the family I bought from. And no joke $3.25 is a good deal, that's with processing and delivery and everything. Less expensive than any of the other ranchers near me!
Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc, thanks. I did take a look at it already... there's nothing right nearby where I'm going to live, but I emailed a few places about their prices, and only the bison ranch has gotten back to me.
Isn't eatwild also supposed to show farmers' markets and stuff too? I couldn't find where that is...
Posted 6 months ago # -
oh i think i found it.
Also, check out this farm's prices: http://www.fouchfarms.com/Grass_Fed_Beef.html
They're further away but if we get half a cow it'll last us a long time, and we won't have to go up there very often...Edited to add:
Dang... they're sold out through 2009.Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberMan, that would have been amazing! And you know their prices are going to go up next year if they completely sold out this year. That's my main concern with local meat providers as more people start to care...
Here's another website, local harvest. http://www.localharvest.org/
I've found some different places on that listing than eatwild, and they search farmer's markets as well!
Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc, they told me they'd put me on their mailing list so I'll know when they're taking orders in January, but that the beef won't be ready/available until like June of 2010... still though, I'm planning on jumping on that deal, given the chance!
Posted 6 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberOh I put in my official order on Monday, I'll get my beef at the end of October. I CAN'T WAIT!!! It was fun researching all the different parts of the cow, deciding what cuts I wanted, etc. Totally jump on that right away, I'm sure there's more demand in CA than here in OH.
Posted 6 months ago # -
How many people are in your household? There are 4 people in my house: fully-Primal me; semi-primal hubby & two semi-primal kids plus 2 semi-Primal doggies (they do get some kibbles). The kids are wicked carnivores and often eat more meat than the adults!
What is your monthly grocery expenditure? We spend a lot on groceries. It's our #2 expenditure after housing. Monthly, I think we up to about $600. And, yes, I will fully admit I'm a food snob and would give up all kinds of stuff to keep eating this way. ;)
How much do you spend weekly on meat? Probably about $60 - $75 a week between meat CSA, fish & lunchmeats.
How much do you spend weekly on dairy? Maybe $40. The kids eat a lot of yogurt and raw milk.
How much do you spend weekly on produce? CSA + additional vegg = $40
How much do you spend weekly on other food? About $40
Where do you shop for groceries?
We try to stay wicked local: Farmstand, CSA's, local milk man & local farmer for the raw milk. Be we also do Trader Joes for general groceries and a little Whole Foods for the weekly fish (usually what's on sale).Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
Yes - from the Meat CSA lady. We found her through our local organic farming association. Awesome place to meet farmers & learn a ton of stuff. Only weird thing is that we get a lot of "intersting" cuts of meat. I get this rather than a side or quarter of beef due to the variety. On the whole, I'm spending about the same on meat montly as people I know who get a side/quarter of beef because they then have to go & buy additional meats, like chicken.Posted 6 months ago # -
AlainaOfArc
MemberHow many people are in your household?
2, both not primal.What is your monthly grocery expenditure?
We budget $80/wk for anything we purchase at the grocery store or for food. This includes toiletries, dining out, and entertaining.How much do you spend weekly on meat?
(And how many pounds of meat does this include?)
On a heavier meat week, we probably spend about $20. This gives us 2 large sirloin steaks, and 2 large chicken breasts (or 4 chicken legs) - conventionally farmed. Not sure the weight. (If I had to guess our average weekly spending, I'd say around $12)How much do you spend weekly on dairy?
We buy one carton of milk and a tub of yogurt every other week, so I guess that averages to about $5/wk.How much do you spend weekly on produce?
It depends on the week, but I would say it averages around $35.How much do you spend weekly on other food?
Around $10 - $20.Where do you shop for groceries?
Discount grocery store, natural foods store, bulk store, deli.Do you buy organic/grass-finished?
No.Posted 6 months ago #
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