# Groceries?



## christinad (Apr 30, 2013)

Just wondering what would be considered a frugal cost for groceries. My cost was $260 for one person. Is that high?

Christina


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

That has to be per month, right?


----------



## christinad (Apr 30, 2013)

That's right.


----------



## 6811 (Jan 1, 2013)

My cost this month is $560 for two (and the occasional drop in of married kids). While I double up on sale items in an attempt to be somewhat frugal, I pretty much buy what I want and don't worry too much about cost.


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Food is an area where I don't particularly attempt to be frugal (I get a lot of enjoyment out of food!). That said, most of our meals are a mix of high-end and deep discount. 

Whether $260 is "a lot" will depend on what fraction of your total food costs that represents. If it includes all meals and you eat most/all meals at home, that seems pretty good. If it includes all meals but you eat lunch out every day, plus drinks 2x per week and pizza night, you could probably cut back...or perhaps you are somewhere in between!


----------



## NorthKC (Apr 1, 2013)

You will notice your groceries to vary quite a bit if you buy meat. Personally, I pay $100-150/mth but I brown-bag all the time and plan out my meals. It might bump up to $200 to stock up on fresh veggies/fruit to save for the winter which balances out.


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

MoneyGal said:


> Food is an area where I don't particularly attempt to be frugal (I get a lot of enjoyment out of food!). That said, most of our meals are a mix of high-end and deep discount.
> 
> Whether $260 is "a lot" will depend on what fraction of your total food costs that represents. If it includes all meals and you eat most/all meals at home, that seems pretty good. If it includes all meals but you eat lunch out every day, plus drinks 2x per week and pizza night, you could probably cut back...or perhaps you are somewhere in between!


I agree. Food quality and nutrition isn't a something I like to scrimp on. I blame cheese.


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I belong to a cheese CSA. That means I helped a small artisanal cheese facility get started. I gave them a lot of money in exchange for a lot of cheese over time. It's a return on investment measured in cheese! http://www.monfortedairy.com/


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

MoneyGal said:


> I belong to a cheese CSA. That means I helped a small artisanal cheese facility get started. I gave them a lot of money in exchange for a lot of cheese over time. It's a return on investment measured in cheese! http://www.monfortedairy.com/


That's great!


----------



## Itchy54 (Feb 12, 2012)

Recent severe food allergies have changed my eating/cost drastically. No wheat, gluten, limited eggs, no grains ( this in an effort to deal with autoimmune disorders). Right now I am almost paleo, with the exception of dairy (did someone say cheese ). I eat a lot of almond products, almond butter, almond flour/meal, almond milk, and just almonds. That gets pricey but costco and bulk sales help. Meat, veggies, fruit and healthy fat is about all I buy ( ok, and cheese). With the local university meat store and an eagle bargain eye we do ok and budget $100/week, but I sometimes go over that ( darn that cheese).
That $100 is for two adults. We drink only water and hubby snacks on popcorn, and popcorn popped with coconut oil is divine! ( I sneak a bit sometimes)
Good news, since the grains have been eliminated my hashimotos thyroid antibodies have plummeted! The next blood work will let me know if this is really working. Sadly just eliminating gluten did not help.

Good healthy food is essential to a good healthy life, I too will not skimp.


----------



## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

We spend $320/month on average for 2 people. Don't eat out a lot, and brown bag it.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Is coconut oil just palm oil or is it something else entirely?


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Something else entirely. Palm oil is from West African palm trees (predominantly; and certain other types of palm); coconut oil is from coconuts. Here's what Wikipedia has to say: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil


----------



## bayview (Nov 6, 2011)

Organic virgin coconut is great - lots of benefits. Again it is whether you think it is hype or genuine!


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

bayview said:


> Organic virgin coconut is great - lots of benefits. Again it is whether you think it is hype or genuine!


Actually the benefits of coconut oil are vastly exaggerated.


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Retired Peasant said:


> We spend $320/month on average for 2 people. Don't eat out a lot, and brown bag it.


Us too! Exactly.


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Probably close to $450 per month for us, no kids and try to brown bag lunches at least 3 times per week.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Coconuts come from coconut palms, hence my confusion.

Also from wikipedia:



> Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry. Because of its stability, it is slow to oxidize and, thus, resistant to rancidity, lasting up to two years owing to the high saturated fat content.[1]
> 
> *Many health organizations advise against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat*


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

When we were trying to be really frugal, we were able to get our groceries for about $500/ month for two kids, and three adults. That was ALOT of effort. Now, without trying very hard, we do about $900 now. Our groceries before we watched our spending was $1200 for 4 people. 

We eat alot of meat, fresh fruits and veggies, diary, and health foods, and lots of coconut oil too. We don't do a lot of organic though.

I found the difference between $500, $900, $1200 is primarily how we. 

At $500, we bought only on sale, and stocked up when they were deals, ate in season fruits and veggies, and froze what we didn't eat. Made everything from scratch from breads, to sauces, etc. bought cheaper cuts of meat and learned to cook better. Used coupons, price match, local coops, etc. 

At $1200, we bought whatever we wanted, and didnt even notice the prices. Threw out a lot of foods, and bought expensive cuts, and gourmet items.

At our current level, we still buy bulk and stock up, I know my prices of even the expensive meats and stock up when on sale, I buy breads, but not always the artesian breads. I flyer hop, but allow for more room for the extras, but am still aware of what the costs are. I could go less, but don't have as much time to plan out my shops.


----------



## bayview (Nov 6, 2011)

I dont track our grocery spendings. In general, groceries are relatively cheaper in large chinese grocery stores, mostly the perishable stuff, especially fruits, veg, eggs, meat & seafood.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

Time Magazine had a photo essay showing what families around the world buy for groceries for a week.

Interesting differences with each culture, especially the quantity of packaging in some countries and the lack of it in others.

The countries with the fresh fruit and breads...............looks like the most attractive food to me.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Last year we averaged $200 month, two people. That includes lunch everyday. You just need to be a smart shopper. Price match, 0 waste, meals are planned based on sale items. Loss leaders are stocked up. 

This year we are running an average of about $225/ month, this has been up a lot and not sure exactly what I'm doing wrong over last year. Maybe food prices have increased more than inflation?


----------



## peterk (May 16, 2010)

I've cut out carbs, and try to get organic when it's reasonably priced. I currently spend ~350/month for 1 person.

I've been doing some reading on organic, and I'm becoming convinced of it's importance in the diet. I still can't get over the cost organic, pasture raised meat at the store though, ($10/lb for the cheap cuts/ground) $30/lb for premium steaks!!! So I'm trying to find an alternative source that doesn't involve me stocking up on 100+lbs of beef at a time (small apartment dweller here).

If I do go full organic, I could see the bill jumping to $500/month. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to pull the trigger on such an expense though..

A year ago, in school, I was getting by on $150/month. Living off cheap meat, lots of pasta, eggs, and regularly making home-made soups out of scraps.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

I don't understand the prices for beef that we see in the grocery stores.

My wife's family had a wheat/beef farm in Saskatchewan and finally had to sell off the cattle because there was no money in it.

We own 160 acres of native pasture and it only fetches 400 a year in rent. If the land was cultivated and available to plant crops, it would rent for 5000 a year.

The farmers aren't getting the money..................who is?


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Beef farmers in Canada have been having a rough go of it for a while now, for reasons including softened demand for red meat, relatively strong Canadian currency, mandatory Country of Origin labelling in the U.S., and higher feed costs (partly in response to a heightened demand for ethanol). 

My question back to you is, take a look at the beef you bought and the beef available for sale. How much is from Canada?


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

Good question.........don't know the answer to that.

There is no demand for pasture land though...........as farmers are exiting the beef industry and cultivating the land.

I watched an interesting documentary about the infamous "dust bowl" across the midwestern US in the 1930s.

For centuries all that land produced on it's own was the native wool like prairie grass.

There was a reason for that.............as constant winds, heat and lack of moisture are the prevailing weather patterns.

Farmers came along............scraped the land and planted crops.

The winds came (as they always do) and blew away all the loose topsoil......year after year.

Today, the crops are plentiful in the same area.............solely because an immense water acquifer was found beneath the States. It was measured at 100 feet deep.

Irrigation of the bountiful crops has resulted in the water level falling to 50 feet deep. It is half gone and the increase in irrigation is using it up faster than it is replaced. On going droughts decrease the replacement levels.

So...........in another 50 years or less..........there will be no water to irrigate and the land will return to the dust bowl.

Man tries to beat nature................and fails once again.

Today our food prices are dirt cheap...........but it will not always be so.


----------



## praire_guy (Sep 8, 2011)

My Own Advisor said:


> Probably close to $450 per month for us, no kids and try to brown bag lunches at least 3 times per week.


450 a month for 2 AND you brown bag it?

Where do you shop for your groceries? 7-11, or Macs?

I would have a hard time hitting that number


----------



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

praire_guy said:


> 450 a month for 2 AND you brown bag it?
> 
> Where do you shop for your groceries? 7-11, or Macs?
> 
> I would have a hard time hitting that number


It is indeed a higher number. There are 2 of us and we bring lunch to work (almost) every day and we average about $300/month for groceries. 

We shop exclusively at the Real Canadian Superstore for 3 reasons: prices, variety and PC points. The above amount does NOT include the occasional trip to Costco where I like to buy stuff in bulk to prepare for parties.


----------



## Dave (Apr 5, 2009)

When I was a student on a thight budget, I spent on average 100-115$ per month between 2005-2010. Brown bagged all the time and made everything from scratch. Bought in bulk on sales and froze stuff. Plain meals. Nothing fancy. No expensive junk allowed. Now I spend around 300$ and another 100$ in supplements. I treat healthy eating as an investment in my future. A grain free diet is more expensive but so worth it. And yes, organic coconut oil rocks !

Dave


----------



## gimme_divies (Feb 12, 2011)

We spend about $200 per week for two adults and a toddler. We choose to pay premium prices and buy almost exclusively organic foods and premium meats and we get our eggs directly from a local biodynamic farm. It's expensive to eat this way when you consider our toddler can eat a $6 container of organic raspberries in 1 sitting. Hopefully our choices will have long-term health benefits for our children.


----------



## liquidfinance (Jan 28, 2011)

Currently averaging $356 a month for two. That includes toiletries as well. 
Dining out around $156 & month based on the quick report from my RBC Credit card spend

All in all I'm quite happy with that. It works out to $16.83 a day for 2 people including eating out, tips and toiletries.


----------



## Hawkdog (Oct 26, 2012)

We spend between 140 and 160 per week and that includes toiletries for 2 adults. We rarely buy meat (have been buying a few racks of ribs lately for the bbq) or fancy cheese. We live in a small community in the north though and prices are extremely high versus the city. We both take lunches. We take advantage of sales when we can, but we limit our shopping to one day a week, try for the spend 100 get 100 airmiles deals.
We do a trip about every 6 weeks to the city to hit the box stores where we stock up on coffee, rice, pasta sauce, costco size spices, olive oil and other non perishables. 

The price of beef has been rising, some of it has to do with the big drought last year in the states.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/12/05/food-price-meat-guelph.html


----------



## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Average $217 per month for one. I buy organic meats and veggies. That includes cleaning supplies.


----------



## BigGuy (Feb 11, 2012)

Eating nearly everything organic, gluten-free (almost celiac), we run (2 adults) around $600/month. Living downtown and eating organic gets expensive...Eat out a few times a month, ~$100.


----------



## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

our neighbours with family of four spends $2500 as she buys 'organic;. i try to convince her that our family of four does OK on $1,000 going pesticide free as we grow some in our own garden, but she likes to support us shareholders of grocery stores....!!!



christinad said:


> Just wondering what would be considered a frugal cost for groceries. My cost was $260 for one person. Is that high?
> 
> Christina


----------

