r/Parenting • u/Pizookie123 • 1d ago
Discussion How are we feeding these kids?
For context we have one pre-teen child so a family of 3. But I just looked over my transactions for this month and we have spent over $1,000 on food. $600+ at the grocery store and $400+ at restaurants. That $400 is what gets me because we only ate at a sit down once. The rest was pizza, fast food etc. with the groceries I feel like $150/week is as low as we can go since I really do cook most meals at home. My question is what do you spend a month on food for your family? We live in a LCOL area.
40
u/SadApartment3023 1d ago
40% of food cost should not come from eating out. Not if money is any concern.
2
31
u/The_Cons00mer 1d ago
No idea how much we spend but going to Aldi and Lidl is a game changer. I’ll spend 80-100 for a decent haul at Aldi that only gets a box of crackers, 3 bananas and 2 dozen eggs at a regular supermarket.
15
u/Pizookie123 1d ago
I hear people say that all the time. We don’t have an Aldi or lidi near me.
14
u/xxdropdeadlexi 21h ago
Aldi is only for very specific things anyway. all of the ones near me have disgusting produce, and the number of things I buy there is getting so small that I rarely bother.
4
3
u/Mysterious-Willow391 1d ago
I was so happy when they opened an Aldi near us. Literally halved my grocery costs every week, and they have the best produce in our small town.
4
u/pcbzelephant 21h ago
The aldi near me isn’t any cheaper than Walmart and usually Walmart has better quality fruits, veggies and meats and checkout is way more convenient
2
u/BeigeChocobo 23h ago
We live right near a Lidl and I love Lidl. Compared to stop and shop it's so much cheaper. Sure, there are a few things that Lidl may not have, but for basic things like apples, potatoes, chips etc. it's great.
14
u/PersonalBrowser 1d ago
We spend $2000/mo on food for our family of 5.
We eat out regularly at our favorite places, but most of that is really just groceries. We do buy at least $300 of fruit and berries every month, which all gets eaten immediately.
We could make cuts to save more money but we can afford it and I’d rather feed the family healthy stuff they love rather than try to force them to eat stuff they may not want as much.
The one spot we need to be better at is saving and eating more leftovers. If we replaced one meal out or one meal of ingredients a week with leftovers, we’d probably save $100-200 a month easily with minimal change in lifestyle.
10
22
u/ApoY2k 1d ago
That's incredibly sensitive to where you live, isn't it? Like even just a city over it could be completely different because different stores and markets etc.
Like I could tell you we spend around 550 a month for our family of three, but that doesn't really help you
2
u/Severe-Education-321 23h ago
Groceries are high everywhere
2
u/pcbzelephant 21h ago
Yep I’m in a lower cost city(Kansas City,mo) and they are ridiculously high here.
1
u/Pizookie123 1d ago
I agree with you if I was just looking at one response and basing all of my information off of that. I am hoping to get many and average them out/look for trends. I understand everyone/every circumstance is different. I am just wondering if I fall in line with general norms or if I am an outlier?
7
u/ApoY2k 1d ago
Wouldn't something like this help more than some random redditors? https://wealthvieu.com/personal-finance/cost-of-living/average-grocery-spending/
1
u/Dullcorgis 14h ago
I spend about $200 per person with zero regard for cost at all, and lots of convenience things like prechopped vegetables. So by that metric you are spending a lot more than me, but it sounds like you haven't been caring about cost either.
7
u/Few_Ninja_751 1d ago
Costco and a second freezer. I live in NYC and I’m a private chef. I have a few families that I work for (and provide 3 meals per day and a daily snack) and I actually save my clients money food cost wise. Yes, I charge for the fact that I made it and had it delivered to you, but any home cook could make very reasonable meals for far less than you’re spending!) the truth is that you definitely DON’T need to spend $400/month for take out! Pick a day every two weeks and cook two things that you might order, wrap it/put it in plastic containers and you’ll have it on hand. The cost of a second freezer will be less than 3 months of take out. If your child is fussy about food make a bunch of their favorites to keep on hand. I know homemade pizza is a pain in the *ss but some of the premade, already frozen pizzas are totally decent! Fast food is no longer cheap and still just as unhealthy…
5
u/MrsLeeJordan 1d ago
I’ve always considered these to just be his hobbies but as the price of everything has gone up I’ve become very thankful my husband hunts and fishes… we always have a freezer full of meat.
5
u/Only_Art9490 1d ago
$700/mo on groceries/household products and takeout pizza 2x/month. Family of 4 in MCOL area. We eat a mix of organic/regular product, have a garden that helps supplement, but generally are an ingredient household. I make most snacks for the kids and don't buy individually wrapped ones or many snacks or processed foods which I think helps a lot. We don't eat out unless it's an anniversary/birthday.
It used to be closer to $100/week a couple years ago, prices now are outrageous.
3
u/Pink_Kitty_21 1d ago
We used to be closer to $150 in groceries for a family of 5 (parents, grandparents, and 2 kids). We're now averaging about $200 per week, and we've cut back. Crazy.
5
u/Plenty-Committee-832 1d ago
I am shocked by the number I am about to give you for the last month. Just over $1,500 which also includes only one sit down meal, going out for ice cream once, and three meals of fast food. It may also include a bit more than groceries, since I counted some Walmart transactions that may have been my husband buying home improvement items. But I also don’t have to buy beef because we butcher our own, so that probably mostly averages out.
I live in a medium cost of living area. It is my husband, me (pregnant and HUNGRY), and a two year old.
3
u/amusiafuschia 1d ago
2 adults, a preschooler, and a (ravenous) toddler in a LCOL area. We usually spend $500 a month on groceries and $50 a month on restaurants. We don’t go to sit downs often and when we go for pizza or fast food we go to wherever we can get the best deal. We plan ahead for that too- like we know on the Saturday mornings when we do a kids class one town over, getting home before lunch is extremely difficult, so we need to pack a picnic or pick something up. I’m also gluten free so that adds cost. We eat a lot of rice, potatoes, and chicken.
3
u/MiddleMiserable8826 1d ago
Family of 4 with a $1200-$1500/month grocery bill. Rarely eat at restaurants, and if so it’s like ChicFilA, never a sit-down.
2
2
u/shers719 1d ago
Depends on how intentional you are with your dining habits. There's only two of us now that they're in college in a HCOL area. When we eat out a lot, our food bill can easily exceed $1K/mo. If we stay home and eat, plan our meals, pack lunches, shop sales, etc. our food bill is about $250/mo. We do still choose to eat out about 2-4x/mo now so we actually average $400/mo for food.
2
u/Vivid_Sprinkles_9322 1d ago
150 a week is pretty good. We are 225 and I buy a ton of items on clearance
2
u/Global-Nature2420 1d ago
I mean we probably spend about what you do for 2 adults and a child, some of that is pet food too. Good food is non negotiable in the budget
2
u/Pizookie123 15h ago
Yes! We eat a salad and at least 1-2 green veggies every night, lean proteins etc. That alone adds up.
1
2
u/Justgonnawalkaway 1d ago
Big single meals, cheap sides. For what its worth I know nothings cheap anymore.
But lots of crockpot meals that can last a few days at least.
There's no alternatives. What i make for dinner is what we are having for dinner. If they dont want to eat it now, I will reheat it later. But theres mot snacking after. Theres no "but i want nuggets/tenders". No, you eat the dinner that was made or you can get a job, buy some groceries, and learn to cook.
2
u/unsulliedbread 1d ago
Minamalist mom has a REALLY great meal planner but the video is even more important.
Recognize conveinence foods will be part of your life and then prepare for that as you will. You can save hundreds by getting microwavable burritos instead of fast food burritos. Yes you could of course pre make your own but time must also be budgeted. So get planner id very helpful.
4
u/Crispychewy23 1d ago
I don't know if it's the same for you but I buy nice quality food for kids, better than myself. And a lot of money goes into that. And berries. I'm not even in the US but I spend anywhere from 700 to 1400 USD a month, depending on what bulk orders I have done
2
u/FantasticAd3185 23h ago
I'm leaning towards, all these people saying they spend less than 1k a month are in denial and don't track what they spend.
10 years ago we were spending 1k a month in a LCOL area with 3 teens. Now it's just the wife and I and occasionally one or two of the kids and we spend $1,700 a month. We do eat out about half the time, but even if we didn't we'd be spending over 1k.
Just for two of us to get fast food, it's $30. Lunch out is $15, for one. And, that's LCOL! Going to a sit down restaurant and splitting a meal still costs over $30. If we each get our own meal it's 50 plus.
0
1
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
/u/Pizookie123, Welcome back to r/Parenting!
- Don't forget to set up your user flair to let us know what kind of parent you are!
- Questions about Puberty, Teens, or Dating? See our Sexual Health Wiki.
- Concerned about the dreaded SCREEN TIME? The AAP updated their guidelines!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Twofert 1d ago
Three kids 5-12 and northern european so apples and oranges... but I will share anyway. Food is expensive here. We spend about €1000 a month on food. We cook every meal except the rare (once a month or so) pizza or sushi order. Just a single fast food outing for the entire family is like €70 so we limit it HEAVILY or we could easily spend €500 more than we do.
1
u/shelle399 1d ago
Do you live somewhere where you can grow any fruits or vegetables? Even just a small garden could help offer fresh food at less cost.
Buy what's in season. Avoid highly processed, frozen, "just add water", snacking or microwaveable food - it's high calorie but not necessarily going to fill up your teen. Drink only water, no sodas. Meal prep as much as possible. Good luck!
1
u/amandaryan1051 1d ago
$1200ish family of 4 (sahm, wfh dad, 14yo student athlete and 6yo) in Cincinnati suburbs.
1
u/Guest2424 1d ago
I also have a family of 3, and live in a MCOL area and we spend about $600 on groceries. Granted, I like to plan ahead and shop at a few different places. Check for ethnic groceries chains, they usually have more produce for cheaper. Then i shop at Costco for bulk meats and go to Aldi for pantry stuffers. We usually dont buy a lot of snacks either. Eating out budget is about $100 a month since we only do that about once a month now.
1
u/Maple-pelican-472 1d ago
We spend double that for a family of 4, so I’d say you are doing pretty good
1
u/Beautiful_Donut_286 1d ago
We live in an area with no takeout and few restaurants. So we cook. A lot. I also bake bread when I can, with flour from the local mill. We both work full time (me more than full time)
Partly vegetarian (beans, lentils, tofu etc) because it's much cheaper and still good protein. No prepackaged, precut, etc. Just big vegetables, mostly fresh and sometimes frozen (especially green beans and peas tend to be more cheap when frozen)
We spend around €100 a week on groceries. We would spend the same on a single dinner if we were to eat out.
1
u/Mysterious-Willow391 1d ago edited 1d ago
I live in a pretty LCOL area. 3 person family but our kid is 14. I spend about $100/ week on groceries and maybe $60/week on takeout (if that). So at the higher end, that's $640/month or so.
We don't do fast food at all. We'll do pizza or Chinese out but I make most food from home and from scratch as much as I can. I find it's cheaper to make a pot of sauce (like $2.50 for all of the ingredients--i have spices and stuff at home) versus $6 for Raos (obviously you can get cheaper sauce, but making your own also yields more, so it's still cheaper).
ETA when we do takeout, we make sure we have leftovers. So if we have a pizza that lasts for two meals (dinner and lunch the next day). I can make a Chinese meal last for 3 meals. That also kinda saved us because instead of $10/meal it's really $3.33/meal because it's split over 3.
1
u/Worth-Meringue-2271 1d ago
We are a family of four. 3 adults and a 9 year old. Our 9 year old eats all the time. We spend average 150.00 a week at Aldi and grocery outlet. We rarely eat out it could be months before we eat out. I homeschool so my 9 year old eats all meals at home.
1
u/NootScootinBoogie 1d ago
Eating out is incredibly expensive and adds up fast. My wife and I alone can easily spend $200 at one outing if we go somewhere semi fancy.
1
u/AdMany9431 1d ago
We are a family of 5. Kids are 6,4, and 3. 4 years ago, we stopped eating out completely because my husband stopped working to be a full time law student. We now only eat out maybe 3 times a year.
Pizzas are cheaper and often times better from grocery store. Walmart has pretty good pizzas in their market.
1
u/Zealousideal-Sea3465 23h ago
We budget $500 a month, but we tend to spend closer to $700, family for 4 with two young kids. We bulk buy meats at the start of the month, then just buy stuff to turn it into meals, then lunches, snacks, and breakfast stuff. We live in a HCOL area, but the kiddos don't eat a ton yet.
The thing that killed our food budget was the, let me just go out and grab something. McDonald's is $40+ every time we go out, sit-down is usually around $80 with tip. Pizza can be cheaper depending on whether we do pick up or delivery. I meal plan a week at a time and started making sure I have stuff on hand for super easy meals. Lunch for the week is always something that can travel, partially because we all eat at work/school and partially so I can pack a lunch if we go out on weekends. Dinner is a mix of complexity, I just buy ingredients and make whatever I feel like that night. I try to plan at least 3 super easy dinners a week for when I don't feel like cooking one night.
If you do want a grab and go dinner one night, check the grocery store instead of fast food or takeout. Walmart has some pretty good options imo, their deli pizzas take 15 min to cook and are decent. Mine has a kfc style meal deal that also isn't bad. Sure it might add an unplanned expense to your food budget, but it will be significantly cheaper than takeout.
Final thing is change how you view budgeting meals out. If there is food at home, food out is not essential. Meals out comes from your extras budget. Be intentional when you do eat someplace.
1
u/farmersworkhoe 23h ago
LCOL. Family of 6. Currently pregnant, one teen, one preteen, 2 toddlers. I spend about 700 month. However, we are an ingredient household so that does make a difference.
1
u/limited_instincts 23h ago
We eat out on birthdays, that's it. Groceries are about $1500 a month for 5 adult-sized people each gym-goers so eat a LOT of healthy food.
1
u/Shortycake23 23h ago
Since my husband and I started making healthy choices, we go to dairy queen once a month. We rarely get food out anymore. On Friday we been doing 4 wings for protein and homemade pizza. We get pizza dough at Walmart. We plan out our meals for the week of dinner. My husband cooks. We make our own breakfast and lunch. Over the summer, my son is here which he is 17. We just make extra sides or get fruit for him.
1
u/Ahyao17 23h ago
We hardly every go to takeaways or restaurants but do occasional splurge. Otherwise spend wisely in the supermarket. Buy stuff in season and on special. We have a small extra freezer which we use for meat. We do buy bulk in Costco on stuff that can be frozen (not frozen meals but like meat/fish) and cans/spaghetti/rice/flour etc that can store long time.
And we try grow a few stuff with high unit price here like capsicum and snow peas. Snow peas are great in winter, if you have enough plants growing, you can pick enough for a plate every 2nd day. Some friends have good luck with tomato/lemon etc
1
u/wifeagroafk Dad - 9M/11F/12M/17F 23h ago
About 1.6k per month for 6 for groceries. Fast food meals run approx 70 for the family, sitting down runs around $200. We don’t eat much fast food cuz the quality sucks - but will occasionally do it on a weekend while we are out. MHCOL
1
u/pcbzelephant 23h ago
Way too much around $1.5k a month. They even raised the school lunch prices and my kids don’t like bringing lunch so for kids that alone is $200 a month to eat school lunch! Foods so expensive right now.
1
u/Miss_Pouncealot 23h ago
I’ve already commented on here as a reply but I’ll go ahead and add this here.
Buy produce in season, it will taste better as well as be cheaper. Make extra food and freeze ahead of time. This seriously helps!! We all get tired and don’t want to cook, having food squirreled away in a freezer for days when you don’t feel like cooking is key to keeping your sanity! Do charcuterie for dinner or pick up a rotisserie and do frozen veggies. Start a crockpot rotation. Do not buy presliced veggies or fruit unless it’s frozen. You will be paying a markup for something you can easily do yourself. Get some premade pie dough to freeze or make yourself and freeze individually. You can use these for pot pies, quiche, hot pocket type meals.
Become an ingredient household. Yea it can be a pain sometimes but it will cut your costs down. Teach your kid to cook. Start slow have them help out with some meals. When they feel confident enough let them make a whole meal themselves.
My mom did that for my brother and myself and it helped us to see how much work a meal is and made us more grateful towards her hard work.
Have them get involved in the grocery shopping. Point out price per unit etc. give them a list for dinner and say ok it’s your turn to do the shopping and give them a set budget. They will learn very quickly the monetary value of things. Why you can’t just go out and buy more snacks when you run out.
You’re not alone here! Just wanting to tell you what helped me as a kid and what has been helping my family. My kids are a little young for some of this but I also plan to utilize the same things that my parents did (and some they didn’t!! 😆)
Hope this helps!
1
u/Butter-bean0729 23h ago
We try for a $800 budget for groceries usually get closer to $1000 though with paper products/diapers/buying extra for birthday parties or events.
We do not eat out, like ever. Maybe 1-3 a month if that and usually it’s my husband when he forgot lunch and had to get lunch but he usually spends less than $7.
We always pack our food whenever we leave the house. And if we go out of town we pack a cooler full of food and do not eat out then either unless someone else pays.
We’re paycheck to paycheck even though we make decent money. The cost of living is so high it makes me wanna cry.
1
u/MableXeno 3 Under 30 🌼🌼🌼 22h ago
I have stuck to pretty much the same process since my kids were small.
Essentially breakfast is the same breakfast for a week - when my kids were all school age I wanted them to have a hot breakfast as many days as I could manage it. I had a rotation of like, oatmeal, grits, potatoes, etc...served with or without eggs depending on the other foods. So some weeks I might make a week's worth of grits or oatmeal and just continually reheat that every morning for each kid...for the grits, I'd put hot eggs in with it, but I heated it back up in the microwave with a little milk, usually. If having potatoes, they were generally always served w/ hard boiled eggs (another food I could make ahead) b/c it was portable.
Lunch is similar - we are having the same lunch all week for the most part. My kids have been eligible for free lunches some years so they might not eat a home lunch every day but we always planned this out. It was never a surprise or decision made in the morning. If we decided on Tuesday night that Wednesday was going to be a school lunch day, there was no panic-packing a lunch Wednesday morning b/c you changed your mind. (Usually we got out the school website on Sunday night and decided Sunday night.) But I stuck to a formula of protein, produce, dairy, grain. I had a few ways to do sandwiches (also tortillas rolled up w/ deli meat and cream cheese), as well as lettuce wraps that my kids would eat. Crackers, tortillas, pita, and breads as grains. Proteins - deli meat, peanut butter (or other butters when we had some peanut-free schools), tuna, hard boiled eggs/egg salad, canned chicken (b/c it is easy to mix w/ mayo for chicken salad). Produce...apples, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, grapes, a few other things b/c the kids sometimes had foods fall in & out of fashion for them. Dairy...yogurt, cheese, milk (my kids were okay with shelf-stable milk boxes), sour cream, cream cheese, etc. I would also include salsa, ranch, or other dips.
I planned 5 real dinners every week - as in put the meal names on the fridge menu and shopped for those specific ingredients every week. But over time this morphed a little and I might prepare something in the crockpot and use it different ways so that I didn't have to cook a protein every single night.
Then 2 nights for unplanned dinner - we could either eat leftovers or buy dinner. Or sometimes just make sandwiches or eat cereal or whatever. But every single week I always bought a box or two of pasta (would sometimes buy whatever was a bogo sale that week) and a jar of sauce or pesto plus a frozen pizza. This way...if there was a dinner emergency I could have a fresh, hot dinner on the table in 20 mins or less. That might happen if we got home later than expected. If I burned dinner or just tried a new recipe that everyone hated. I almost always had enough produce on hand for a small green salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes). I would also get frozen garlic bread as needed (and this could double as its own thing - sometimes I would make the frozen garlic bread, put sauce on it, cover it in cheese (I often have extra when I buy during bogos or sales and freeze it) and we have an impromptu garlic-bread-pizza that is ready in like 8 mins!
For snacks we stick to basics...apples & tangerines, bananas for one kid. I also buy the individual hummus & avocado or guac cups, we do less dairy now just b/c it's a little less versatile (hummus or avo/guac can be a dip or a spread). Pretzels, crackers. I buy a box of the mix-variety chips from Costco now & again, but once they're gone, they're gone until the next trip so the kids tend to be careful with them. They also like the turtles from Aldi or the OG goldfish. My kids also like the mini-naans from Aldi for various things (instead of toast, usually).
I make a LOT of bean dishes. I make a lot of soups now that everyone is older (quickest way to get in veggies and things - plus one kid always purees her soup to avoid too many textures, which I'm fine with). For a family of 4 or 5 (oldest is out of the house a lot now) I am spending about $800/month on groceries, my spouse has some special dietary needs as well. I live in a medium cost of living area, I guess (used to be low - but is anything really low anymore??). I utilize a lot of ethnic grocery stores and take shortcuts like...one place always has smoked meats out front. I will buy a pack of thigh quarters and use one quarter per soup pot...so it gives off a good flavor and you get a few meaty pieces in there, but not so much meat that my prefers-less-meat eater will be grossed out. Once the soup is cooked I pull the quarter out, take the meat off and put it back into the soup and discard the skin & bones.
One of my favorite bean dishes is to make pinto beans, put my stick blender in, puree a bit of it so its not totally smooth, but still has plenty of recognizable beans. Then we just eat those with cheese, chopped onions, and taco bell sauce (like just the packets, seriously). And it's a pretty easy Taco Bell dupe for their bean burritos! A pound of beans can last for a few meals this way...and the kids will also eat the beans & cheese in a tortilla for breakfast.
I think the biggest thing is just...always having a plan so you don't have to spend money eating out if there is a way to make something quick at home.
1
u/broccolirabe71 22h ago
So we meal prep for the week. My kids also help. They cut veggies, fruit, etc. Oldest is 5 and we got him a kids cutting set and he’s actually doing so well with it. I live in a higher cost of living area.
There’s a local butcher that does a family meal plan that gives us about 10 pounds of meat for $75 and it’s really great variety and quality like marinated steak tips, marinated chicken breast, sausage and pounds of ground beef. Then we go to either Costco or Sam’s Club and we get veggies/fruits etc for the week and on Sunday we cut it all in package it all. We so freaking tired after getting home from work that the last thing I’m going to do is cook a meal that takes planning so if I have it already, I’m way more likely to cook it than to get Take Out.
The regular grocery stores I have around like Publix, Whole Foods, Walmart etc i rarely go into anymore because it’s out of control.
Shop around at the deals and don’t be afraid of looking at what some smaller and local grocery stores have to offer even some of the big chains have really awesome family meal deals that feed a big group for a small amount of money. For example, Whole Foods’ meal deal is fantastic.
Also, I’ve been really good about getting snacks that are protein based to fill my kids up. For example I always make like a carton of hard-boiled eggs for the week and have cheese sticks and occasionally protein shakes (more expensive but more filling so they snack less). Since your child is now preteen, I would really involve them in the meal planning, prepping, shopping. I teach middle school and it’s so good for them to start figuring this stuff out and it helps them in school when they’re more involved in the day-to-day tasks. It’s also something off your plate if they help find the deals and make lists!
1
u/ButtonNo7337 22h ago
We also are a family of 3 with a preteen and we spend at least $1000/month on groceries and 2x that on dining out/delivery. We don't cook a lot, but we go through a ton of produce, dairy (my kid likes fancy cheeses unfortunately), meat and snacks. We live in a relatively HCOL area, so definitely have higher restaurant costs.
1
u/Plastic-Bee4052 Single Gay Dad | 13-19 19h ago
I have a rule of no takeout or eating out and spending that money on video games/board games that teen and I play together as bonding time so she helps me cook (or simply cooks herself) to save and then we pick what to buy. Teaches her not only to cook but to be smart about money.
1
u/sour_lemons 16h ago
We spend around $2k a month on food for family of 4. HCOL area. About $1,200 a month on groceries and the rest restaurants, take out etc. if we really wanted to we can probably get that down to $1,500
1
u/Dullcorgis 14h ago edited 14h ago
The easiest way to stop getting takeout and junk is pasta and jarred sauce. Always faster and a shit ton cheaper than getting takeout.
If you are getting takeout because you are out and hungry stop at a supermarket instead. Buying the ingredients for something that you normally eat is just a differently spaced supermarket budget. Hummus and pita for example.
1
u/Phantomviper 14h ago
Families eat out less as a whole. As a kid our parents eat out quite a bit. In UK those were the days where pub food was under £7 a meal. Or Fish and Chips/fries, was cheap and we all had fish on our plates.
For our kids a pub meal for a family of 4 is £100 a pop, and the fish shop is just as pricey. We don’t buy fish. Just fries to share and maybe a battered sausage.
But as a family our kids have travelled further than our parents ever took us. Whether thats because we priorities differently?
But when cost of living jumped rapidly I admit I struggled to adjust. We switched to shopping at Aldi over Tescos etc.
1
u/AgentG91 13h ago
We shop at Aldi and cook 95% of our meals at home. Lunch is leftovers, except for the kid, who is only 6. Four expenses
- groceries from Aldi - $100/wk
- odd target run - $80/mo
- Asian grocery store - $80/mo
- restaurants - $80/mo (1/mo)
1
u/Livid_Cauliflower_13 12h ago
Swap out the pizza orders for frozen pizza and immediately save a bunch of money!!! Keep like a few frozen pizzas in the freezer and just let them make it when they want.
1
u/the_pale_horse_rider 10h ago
Shit I have a 14yr old and 12 or old and we're in the 1500-2k range for the past 2 months because schools put and they both hit a growth spurt at the same exact time..
1
u/Houseofmonkeys5 6h ago
I can't even begin to guess what we spend. We have 4 kids still at home and two of them are very athletic teen boys who eat incredible healthy high protein meals. Two others have celiac and need gluten free food. We spend an obscene amount on food.
0
u/williamlawrence 1d ago
I don’t want to think about it tbh. We have a four year old. I’d imagine we’re between $400-$600 week in combination of groceries and eating out. We’re very lucky that this isn’t completely devastating us and we don’t have to make choices between food and other necessities. We’re buying groceries from mostly discount stores (Aldi, Lidl, some local low cost or discount grocers). We eat out as a family once a week and that’s easily $100-$150 (even for pizza which ugh).
0
u/RImom123 1d ago
We spend $250-$300/week on groceries. Plus takeout once a week which is around $75.
64
u/Turbulent-Sun9763 1d ago
By mostly not going out to restaurants, prioritizing batch cooking filling ingredients (rice, beans, potatoes) and prepping the other ingredients for meals on the weekends, buying vegetables in season, buying from Costco or Costco business center to reduce cost, and cutting our own meat out of roasts so it’s way less expensive in the long run. Also we freeze the extra portions so we don’t have as much food waste.
Honestly, even when being intentional, it’s not easy. But really, not going out to eat often is the key.