Yesterday, besides being a sad excuse for a Super Bowl game (poor Broncos!), was also grocery day! ::confetti rains down from the ceiling::
I sucked it up and took Hailey with me. She surprised me by being great at the store. She helped me find everything on the list, meaning shopping went at a snail’s pace even though she didn’t.
I actually enjoy it though and get a weird pleasure when she squeals and tries to eat the broccoli right from the shelf.
I noticed something else at the store though besides my eager, chatty toddler… the prices.
Sabrina posted an interesting breakdown of her weekly grocery budget for her family and I found myself pouring over the details. I think it’s fascinating to see what other people buy and how they make it work for their families. It’s no secret that prices seem to be creeping up.
In fact, by not watching very carefully the past few weeks, I’ve noticed I’ve been spending more on our groceries as well. I blame excessive new recipe experiments and more elaborate meals. So this week, I decided to reel things back in a bit and take a closer look. For the meal plan…
Sunday– Chicken Fajitas with Chips & Salsa
Monday– Sweet Potato Chili
Tuesday– Roasted Salmon with Kale & Quinoa Pilaf & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
Wednesday– Spinach Stuffed Shells & Salad (+1 to freeze)
Thursday– Salad/Leftovers/Sandwiches
Friday– Homemade Vegetable Pizza & Salad
Lunches: Hummus Wraps, Salads, Leftovers
Breakfasts: Egg scrambles, Oatmeal
Snacks: Yogurt & Granola, Raisins & Almonds
I tend to bounce all over for grocery shopping but ended up this week doing all my shopping at Harris Teeter. I shopped slowly and tried to make reasonable decisions and my grocery bill ended up looking like this (red star indicates items that were on sale; sale price listed)…
WOW. $176.20 is a far cry from the $125ish I stayed under only a few months ago. I didn’t buy everything organic and felt like I had a fairly conservative meal plan including vegetarian dishes and a leftovers night. So why is the bill so much higher?
I have a few thoughts…
– Hailey is eating a lot of food, which is great. I’ll buy it if she keeps eating it. (PS- MUNCHKIN MEALS link up is this Thursday!)
– We’re doing better at eating at home. We used to grab pizzas out on Friday nights and throw in a random lunch out and a breakfast or two. Now the grocery bill covers all meals for us except for Saturday night dinner and usually one weekend breakfast. I imagine this is actually saving us money overall.
– Prices are truly creeping up.
– I’m unable to part with my beloved goat cheese.
– We are buying beer now until David can find time to brew again. And David likes his fancy IPAs.
However, that money did buy us (& Koda- the green beans!) a lot of food.
Overall I found taking a closer look very interesting and plan to try and stay more mindful of spending at the grocery store. However, I don’t believe I will be cutting much from the bill. Each family has their own priorities that dictate where they choose to spend their money and for us, good food is near the top. So while I’m not thrilled with the rising bill, we do always end up eating it all. We don’t throw away food and I feel good about the meals we do eat. Now I’ll just stay more mindful that the bill is higher and adjust accordingly.
Food prep was light- marinated chicken, washed and cut kale and breakfast sandwiches for David.
Do you track your spending on food?
Do you feel like it’s gone up lately?
Kristy says
I love your pre-made breakfast sandwiches! I need to do that for my family!
I’ve found I do the best when I’m diligent clipping coupons and checking SouthernSavers.com (when I shop at the Teeter).
When I don’t have my coupons handy, I head to our Aldi’s in Tega Cay. They have a great selection of organic produce! I load up on that and frozen fruits and veggies. Once I had a cart FULL of largely produce (and some frozen stuff), and my bill was only $65! I know Aldi’s stores in different locations may vary in what they have, so I’m thankful we have a great one!
Great post!
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve heard a lot about SouthernSavers and keep meaning to check it out- thanks for the reminder!
Also, it’s funny you mentioned ALDI because I just heard they had an organic line come out. Definitely going to have to try that out, too, as I’ve never been in an ALDI before!
jodi says
WE have an aldi on why 150. I went in it last week for the first time to be nosey, but only saw bagged organic apples. Maybe I missed the rest of the organic stuff. If you find they have more, let me know!! Aldi kinda had me confused bc they have so much stuff that is a brand that I have never heard of and I wasn’t sure if it was as good. ANd it always looks like a familiar brand, but when you look closely it must be their Aldi brand?? I am totally intrigued by this, but couldn’t seem to get in my shopping groove there… Keep me posted if you find success shopping there!!
Danica @ It's Progression says
We definitely track our grocery spending – we track all spending in our budget spreadsheet for each month 😉 I guess I haven’t noticed any particular rise in our overall grocery expenses, but I did notice this weekend how much the price of most nut butters has gone up. A jar of almond butter from Trader Joe’s was 6.99!?!
KaraHadley says
I’m absolutely noticing food prices creeping up. I’m not sure if this is unusual or if I’m just noticing it now more because there are a few things that I buy regularly, so I’m hyper-aware of those costs.
I shop mostly at Whole Foods and an 18-ct of their local eggs used to be $3.99, but now it’s up to $4.49 is just over a year. Their house made sausages went up from $5.49 to $6.49, so now I only buy them when they’re on sale (which is why I bought 6 this weekend- ha!). And I used to have a nice choice of fruit (apples, pears, summer stone fruits) that were all $1.99/lbs, but now it seems like there’s only one fruit a week at that price.
But like you, I don’t feel like what I buy is too extravagant and I do compromise about organic vs conventional sometimes, so I don’t see many places to cut back. So I’m just biting to price bullet, I guess.
Karen says
I hear you with the growing grocery spending…I spent over $200 this week and don’t know HOW!! Time to go back to Aldi for essentials and Trader Joes for Produce.
Lauren says
Can I ask why Koda gets green beans? I’m just wondering if it’s a weight management thing because my vet recommended subbing some of my dog’s food with low-sodium canned green beans to help take a few pounds off. I haven’t really tried it yet. If you’re doing it, I just wonder how it’s working for Koda. Or maybe she just really likes green beans! 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Haha! No, Koda isn’t a natural green bean lover, but she is a few lbs overweight and our vet suggested the same thing- subbing out some food for beans. We’ve only been doing it a few weeks, so I won’t know the real results until we check back in a few months.
Poor Koda. She wants to run for miles, but I can’t keep up with her anymore! We’re also looking at getting a high school runner to come and run with her a few days a week to help her out.
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes says
I noticed the very same thing this weekend… and also still bought goat cheese! #worthit
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
Yes! Our bill has been climbing lately, too… I know I buy more meat and fish than I used to (the pregnancy protein cravings we’ve been having) but other than that, didn’t realize maybe prices are also going up overall. We do track it to have the information as well… January was our highest in a long time!
A-Lex says
if you buy your coffee at Costco you will save a TON! I paid like $40 for a 100 pack…
Brittany Dixon says
Show off… we don’t have a Costco 😛 Think Office Depot will still hook you up so you can then hook me up again? That was fun 😉
Call you later!
Marjorie says
I absolutely have noticed the rising prices. I just thought it was me experimenting more with new healthy recipes, etc. I am bad about over buying, so I am reigning that in, doing more meal planning, eating leftovers, etc. We eat out maybe twice a week, so the majority of our meals are at home as well.
Sabrina says
I hope you keep up with grocery posts because they are fascinating to me.
Interesting notes –
My organic milk is $5.99 (much more expensive than yours).
My avocados were cheaper than yours, but they are also really small.
Our salmon is something like $14.99/lb (for farm raised but without artificial dyes- the wild is more). How much salmon did you buy?
A small box of Annie’s honey grahams is at least $4 at the 3 different markets in my area. Therefore I don’t buy them!
We also don’t waste food, but I know I can be better about spending less.
Kelly says
Organic milk here in Canada is $8.49!!
Brittany Dixon says
Wow, those organic milk prices are nuts! I felt like our’s were pricey! However, I don’t buy a gallon, so it’s that much for a half gallon. Does that make a difference?
To answer your question Sabrina…
I bought 0.9 lb salmon and it was on sale, which helped out!
And the Annie’s crackers were for a special day at Hailey’s school because I don’t normally buy them either because of the price, but they happened to be on sale that day.
Love comparing prices from around the country/world. So crazy to see the differences.
katie says
If you aren’t wasting food, and you aren’t buying crap….I wouldn’t get too down on yourself.
Lauren says
I second what others are saying-trader joes, Costco and aldi have ssome great deals. I just started shopping at aldi and am LOVING their boxes of organic spring greens and organic spinach for $1.49(!!) And excellent quality-they do not spoil quickly at all! Thanks for sharing-i always find these things interesting as well. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
That is an incredible price for organic greens at ALDI- I’ll have to check them out! Thanks for the info 🙂
Sadly, we don’t have a Costco or Trader Joes’s nearby. The closet ones would take me 30-40 minutes to get to, which is pretty challenging with a toddler!
Ali says
I track our spending too. We have a grocery budget that we try to stay under, but my husband loves going to the store and prefers to go about every other day. It drives me crazy. I would prefer to do the weekly run, but this doesn’t work in our household. By getting the food we need for each meal pretty much, I don’t feel like it’s increased a ton, but with a growing baby, it’s about to!
Jessica says
Prices are for sure going up. In our area, milk has gone from 2.40 ish to 2.51-2.56. Not a huge jump but my husband and 18 month old son both drink it every single day. My son is eating more as well. I just try to shop by the sales and luckily my husband loves leftovers.
Lee says
Do you have a Costco membership? They have good prices on goat cheese!
Brittany Dixon says
No Costco nearby! I’ve debated joining the one in Charlotte, but it would take me 30-40 minutes to get to and I’m not sure if it’s worth it or if I’d take advantage of it. Something to consider though…
Danielle says
Our Whole Foods has signs up that there is an organic egg shortage nationwide right now, and are warning that the extreme draught in California could result in much higher prices and limited inventory of organic foods. I think some of the increased prices could be a result of mother nature.
Brittany Dixon says
Interesting info-thanks! I’m counting my blessings for having a friend who gives us his eggs. He gave us 4 dozen last week and we still fly through them at a crazy pace. If he ever cuts me off, I’m in trouble!
Jerrica says
This post is exactly what i’m dealing with right now! We just moved from PA to San Francisco and my grocery bill has DOUBLED. I’m having the hardest time finding a rhythm- grocery shopping is almost like a game to me! I haven’t heard of a single store here so I am slowly exploring and finding out which stores suit different needs. Just a nightmare, I tell ya!!
Maria says
Jerrica, I live in the Bay Area and was floored when I compared grocery prices to where I grew up in VA. I don’t live in SF, but pretty sure they have Trader Joe’s (best prices/quality IMO) and Safeway, which from time to time has club card deals that are worth it. The meat here though is very high, so we only buy it in bulk (Costco) or skip it entirely. I remember my first trip to the grocery store and exclaiming that I was never going to be able to afford chicken breast again – haha! Good luck and welcome to CA!
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
It’s so insane how the grocery bill adds up. Every week, I go in with the mindset that I’m going to be “good” but every week, we barely slide under budget. I definitely think prices are going up, and it’s harder and harder to buy things like meat and stay reasonable. RANDOM: This weekend, Tyson chicken thighs and legs were randomly 29 cents a pound and I stocked up because I’m sure I’ll never see it again.
I’m trying to do much more from scratch to help – the budget and health. I made bread this weekend, and I make soups and sauces in bulk to freeze. I’m also planning out the garden so I can can more this year!
Brittany Dixon says
Wow, was the $.29 a pound a mislabeling? Because that’s crazy (and amazing!). Good for you for stocking up!
Send me any garden tips you have; I’d love to do the same! I’ve started making our bread too (the bread machine lets me cheat which I love) and I love how fresh it is!
lauren says
Unrelated, slightly stupid question…how do you guys slice your homemade bread?? After making a mess of a few loaves and trying out the electric knife, I am kind of disheartened on bread making. Does it just take a lot of practice?
Brittany Dixon says
I let ours cool, then use a serrated knife. It makes a lot of crumbs, but it doesn’t’ squish the bread. I just go slowly and saw back and forth. A sharp knife helps!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
We track our grocery store spending, and I’ve noticed prices are creeping upwards as well! A dollar here and a dollar there definitely add up. I’m not sure if you’ve done a post on this before, but do you ever do any bulk shopping? I’ve noticed we’ve saved a lot of money that way.
Brittany Dixon says
I buy grains and beans in bulk (sometimes flours too) and would love to buy more meats in bulk, but our freezer is full as is, so I’d have no room to put them. I totally agree though, buying in bulk is great!
Maria says
I really think the rising costs also have do with it being winter, too. While I try not to buy too much out of season produce, some things do creep in. I ended up buying $7 worth of grapes the other day (and they weren’t even organic!). Teach me not to weigh my produce!
At the end of the day though, if quality food is important to you, then the rising costs of food should be easier to handle, like you mention. I justify us buying quality meat and produce by realizing that overall, we live well below our means (our housing/rent is way below our budget for it, don’t own expensive cars and have paid them off, cancelled our cable for Netflix, don’t go to bars/drink, etc.). Food is not only a necessity, but good food also helps keep you healthy and away from the doctor (which ultimately saves you money in the long run), so why not splurge?
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh, I rarely weigh things, too and have had some serious gut checks at the register! Grapes will get ‘ya… sneaky little things!
I agree with choosing where to spend money. We don’t have cable or fancy shoes but goshdarnit I have an organic red pepper! Haha.
jodi says
When I decided to go full time SAHM, I reviewed our credit card bill for several months and added up all stores that I do grocery shopping (including target since 90% is groceries…) and it varied by $200-300 per month! So I think some months are just more expensive than others, but it is amazing how expensive food is. sometimes I justify it with we really don’t eat out much, we have cut that back sooooo much, but then some meals would probably be cheaper just to run out! Even a veggie pizza at papa murphy’s is probably cheaper than buying all the ingredients to make a pizza ( though obviously much healthier that we make it!) My struggle, among others :), is I tend to buy things that we use a lot if I see a good sale, I will buy a couple extra. So not sure if that saves us in the end or not. Like we like pretzel crisps, but they are expensive. Today they were BOGO, so I stock up! But of course then the grocery bill is higher. But I know we will eat them and would have bought them anyways… hmmmmm. Just tricky if I stick to the list but then see a good buy, hard to turn down. Whats your thought, practice self control or save in the long run?
Brittany Dixon says
I definitely follow the same as you and stock up if things are on sale. I especially keep an eye out for sales on organic chicken and veggie broth, diced tomatoes and other items that will keep. Our freezer space doesn’t allow me too much wiggle room with stocking up on meats!
And for every week I high five myself for being so low, there is a another week that I gasp at how high the bill is. I do think it evens out over time.
Regina says
We’ve always been mindful of our grocery bill but we found ourselves eating out and grabbing extras here and there throughout the week that really added to our overall food costs. As a family of 3.7 with a dog our food expenditures were much greater than we wanted. We took a hard look at them in December and committed to really keeping our budget at/under $150/week. So far we’ve done incredible and with planning, prep and awareness were often coming in under budget each week.
How? We live right outside of DC where food is expensive no matter where you go. We realized shopping at trader joes instead of the regular grocery store saved us money. We meal plan every Sunday and every Monday morning were at TJs wih our list ready to go. We planned for leftovers so no food went to waste. We began incorporating more vegetarian meals each week. We meal planned items to last two different meals. We used some frozen vegetables, experimented with homemade tortillas, was conscious of what was on sale and we’re flexible. We get my husbands coffee from the regular store and go to costco for Greek yogurt and our sons clif bars but other than that we shop wholly at trader joes. We also meal plan 7 days and avoid eating out except for special occasions which I thought would be really hard since we’d eat out at least once a week before. But it’s actually made eating out feel so much more special and we don’t fall into the trap of eating out and then getting sucked into the convenience and eating out even more. We prepare snacks if we’ll be out awhile so we aren’t spending $1 here and there for granola bars or coffee. It’s amazing what a difference it’s made. And when we do eat out say for our anniversary or when we found out we’re having another son, we plan accordingly. We swap out steak for ground beef or add in another vegetarian meal. Chilis and soups are awesome because they always yield plenty of leftovers. Overall I feel like we’re actually getting more for our money and seeing the savings makes it even more worthwhile.
Brittany Dixon says
Wow, you have done some serious work and it’s impressive! Your story makes me wish we had a Trader Joes nearby, but sadly we don’t. Thank you so much for sharing all your great tips. I love soups and stews, too because it usually means lunch is done for the next day :
Molly says
You have to get goat cheese at Costco! They have 2 large sticks of it, not crumbled, for $6, I think. We tend to be around the $175-$200/month mark. While it seems crazy to me, my boys do eat a ton and now I’m buying more packaged snacks for school. Those Annies crackers in the individual packs are highway robbery! We should plan shopping days together sometimes! I love to venture to Trader Joes and Costco!
Brittany Dixon says
Are you a Costco member? Do you drive into the Charlotte one? I wish we would have gotten a Costco instead of a BJs up here.
PS- if you are a member I might ask to tag along one time to check it out… ok, ok, just to buy the goat cheese!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I’m glad you wrote this post!
I track our spending and I’ve been spending a lot more lately too. To be fair, all of January I cooked every night except for 3 nights out of the 31! So, it’s expected it’d go up, but definitely prices are going up. I’ve had to cut some corners. 🙁 It’s been a tad frustrating. I also found it interesting to see what you pay vs. what I pay in CA. Like, green onions you pay less. I pay $1 per bunch, but for cilantro you paid $1.99 and I pay .99 cents. Though, cheese for example seemed like yours was pretty cheap! I could never buy parm for $1.99. I think when I buy it it’s like $3.99-5! Anyway, super interesting!
Lia says
You need traderjoes in your life as everyone else said. If you like up boy all of those cheeses every week you will save money there!! Not everything is cheaper and they don’t so sales but overall for the kind of food and quality of food you buy tjs would make a lot of sense for you if there is one nearby. We spend SO much money on food which is absurd cause there are only two of us. I don’t know what it is..:I’ve been eating paleo the last month and buying way more produce and nuts which are pretty spendy and jacking up the budget. Also, I think we Host friends a lot for dinner on the weekends which I love to do but it does add up.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh, yes, great point about hosting friends. We tend to do this more during the warm months and I can always tell a difference. Worth it though!
And goshhhh I wish we had a Trader Joes nearby! The closest one would take me 30-40 minutes to get to so it usually doesn’t make much sense. Luckily though I don’t usually buy that much cheese, haha! Just needed to stock up on a few items this week 🙂
Lia says
Sorry for all of the typos in that comment…typing on my phone is hard!!
Rachel says
please post stuffed shell recipe! And I agree… No matter how hard we try, cannot seem to cut foos budget
Kelli says
I def track everything I buy . I try to go to publix for the buy one get ones and target for snacks for the kids . Question- what is the difference with Ezekiel English muffins than say Thomas’ ? I have debated about buying them but didn’t want to spend the extra $
Brittany Dixon says
I love the Ezekiel brand for their sprouted grains and wholesome ingredient list, but I mostly buy them to use in making breakfast sandwiches because they are the only ones I’ve found that don’t get soggy when you reheat them. They are really thick and hold up to be reheated well.
Sarah says
I love your grocery posts, and comparing the US to UK. Its funny that what is cheap for you is expensive for us and visa versa Our grocery bill has shot up over the last couple of years. We are a house of two adults, who like good food, but we don’t buy organic as we simply could not afford it. I would have to double our budget if we moved to organic veg and meat.
To compare a few things which are on your list, and we regularly buy, a block of parmesan (200g) is nearly £4 in most places (6.52 USD). I think Ive got a bargin if its nearer £3, and a good strong block of cheddar (350g) is now reaching £5 (8.15 USD), however we can buy a packet of 4 breakfast muffins for £1 (1.63 USD) if you buy the shops own brand which generally is just as good as brand.
4.99 USD for some wraps is outrageous,
over here even top brand would not be more than £2.50 and that is steep.
Produce seems on par. Avacados for example are at least £1 each, but sometimes more, and generally not very good, I dont buy them often. 4 lg bananas would be roughly £1 too (1.22 USD)
I tend to shop in various places depending on what i want and how flush we are for the month, Tesco, Lidl (read Aldi in case you dont have them in US) Morrisons. I try to shop as savvy as I can, and I would guess we prob spend an average of £100 a week (163 USD). This only tends to include meat a couple of times, and fresh fish is quite a treat as its so expensive.
Our go to meals are jacket pots with baked beans and some cheese, seafood pasta made with frozen mixed seafood, homemade KFC made with chicken thighs (yum) potatoe wedges, homemade currys, homemade pizza etc. Nothing that I would call flash. Steak is reserved for Valentines and birthdays. Oh and not forgetting, a good old British sunday roast. Yesterdays was Brisket cooked in the slow cooker. This was so expensive, it was litlerally just enough to feed 3 adults with one sandwich portion left, about as big two coke cans, and it was £11 (18USD) Ouch!
Jen says
Keeping our grocery bill down is so, so hard. We try to only buy meat once a week (but it lasts for two dinners), but with my annoying pregnancy cravings, we’ve been buying chicken breasts and ground turkey weekly.
I’m actually talking to Wyatt’s teacher tomorrow about sending him in with different foods I can make at home. Everything is supposed to be in their original packaging for allergy reasons, but it’s so much cheaper (and healthier) for me to make him sunbutter granola bars as a snack than buying something processed.
Danielle @ Long May You Run says
When we lived in NC, I had so many great resources at my fingertips for healthy, fresh, and organic foods- Earth Fare, Harris Teeter, the Davidson Farmers Market, a CSA… now we live in a quasi-food desert (in northern Illinois) where families struggle to pay their bills and don’t even think about buying organic. And while I definitely understand the importance of one over the other, I so deeply miss being able to buy quality produce that is both fresh and organic. So while our grocery bill is a good bit lower than it use to be in Charlotte, I would take higher grocery expenses if it meant better food for my family. All my produce for the week usually ends up being under $25 (whereas in Charlotte it would be well over $50)!
One big reason why the prices are rising might have something to do with the winter- so many vegetables/fruits aren’t in season and/or the extreme cold is making things difficult. I know the drought in California is wreaking havoc on crops out west.
Avery @ Young Aspirations says
Hate that prices won’t stop going up! I’ve noticed that too. I’ve had to decrease our grocery budget quite a bit recently and while it’s not always fun, I did notice that I really tend to overspend when I don’t stick to the list. I always have remind myself before I walk into the store to NOT buy anything that’s not on the list unless it’s TRULY a necessity. Love this breakdown though. Very helpful!
MC says
This is cracking me up in the saddest way…I live in Washington, DC, and at the Harris Teeter closest to me, freshly grated parm cheese is EIGHT dollars. And that’s just the stuff they do in store. It’s not even name brand! The Kraft stuff that I get is about $4 a can, which also hurts. I hate that prices are so different and that this city, where it takes everyone I know at least one full paycheck to cover rent, if not more, also makes $8 supermarket brand in-house cheese. It is insane. I need to migrate South it seems.
Ashley says
Happy Monday!!!
I am always so terrible about posting comments but am an avid reader. I just wanted to tell you again how much I love your blog!! It is so fun to me (as I get a high on meal planning and prepping too). I think we would definitely be friends in real life ;)! I am embarrassed to admit that my prepping for the week didn’t happen yesterday but will tonight as I have chicken breasts in the crock pot for shredded chicken tacos. I LOVE meal planning and always appreciate your ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!! Too cute seeing Hailey running in the store.
I also want to apologize for you not having a Costco. I would take you anytime out here. I LOVE it. It’s a quick 7 mins from my house. Proud of you for freezing a meal. I’m 34 weeks this week and haven’t started that yet but I WILL (self pep talk anyone). Keep it up!!! You are doing awesome.
Thanks again for sharing. LOVE your blog! Have a happy and healthy week 🙂
PS Proud seattleite that hasn’t stopped smiling once after yesterday!!! woot woot!
sarah (SHU) says
because i moved recently, i can’t tell if prices are creeping up or if it’s a regional thing (durham NC vs miami beach FL) but our costs are soaring. (maybe add in the fact that i’m pregnant + annabel is quite the eater 🙂 ).
to me, your list looks very reasonable and practical. i actually think you might want to look at your overall budget and see if the groceries are really something to worry about. i did this for january and compared to other costs (home repairs, car expenses, etc) in the grand scheme of things i’ve decided not to stress. my main concerns are that we’re not routinely splurging on super-pricey items, that we mostly are eating in, and that we get quality food. oh, and that we don’t WASTE! i can’t stand if something doesn’t get eaten!
Halsy says
I definentely agree that food prices are rising-especially on staple items like dairy, bread, eggs and meat. We generally spend $40-75 a week for groceries and toiletries for 2 adults and an almost 2 year old. We also buy a portion of a grass fed cow once a year that gives us enough beef for most of that one year and adds about $30 a month to food budget. I would say like you we have noticed an increase in cost due to our toddlers hearty appetite. I buy her all organic dairy and mostly organic produce. Wow is organic dairy expensive! We have made some adjustments to avoid a rise in the budget. Mostly things like trying not to overbuy, and picking items that are on sale for meals and snacks for the week. This especially helps cut the cost of produce and meat. For example at Kroger this week pineapple was only $1(!), organic apples $1.88 a lb, organic salad mixes $2, organic pears $1.99/lb. So I based a lot of my produce choices on these sale items. This week I got lucky with sales and only spent $48. I did not need meat though so that made for a lower total. I got really lucky on some great produce prices and some ecoupons for produce, yogurt and bread at Kroger. I highly suggest getting meat in bulk straight from the farmer if you have a deep freezer.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I spend A LOT of money on food :(. I really need to sit down and see exactly how much I am spending and work on budgeting because it is getting out of control!
Megan @ The Skinny-Life says
This a great topic to discuss. Food prices have been creeping up. I was wondering if it was just me. I switched to organic last year & contributed my higher grocery bills to that. I haven’t been paying close enough attention to how much I’m spending on food. Now that I read this, I will!
Chantal says
My bill has gone up too, but that’s because we moved here and things are more expensive, and I’m still working on replenishing my cabinet!
char eats greens says
Ours is definitely high (I’d say $200 a week), but I need to get back on track of keeping the receipts and adding it all up. It doesn’t help when we run to the grocery store a few times a week, for remembering the costs. That will be my goal for next week: have a GOOD meal plan for the week and try to get all the shopping done on Monday (just because Tyler’s off work that day so it works well). I hope you use up all the groceries you got this week. That’s the only benefit to us spending so much money – I know we use it all. Phew!!
Matt @ Runner Savvy says
My bill has been outrageous lately 🙁 Thank you Whole Foods!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
I’m so glad you posted this as I’ve been noticing my bill creeping up and have been trying to figure out what’s going on. I actually thought I would spend less this week since I planned basic meals and we are out of town all next weekend. NOPE! I ended up spending a little more than I normally do. Hmmm… Maybe I should do a breakdown too. Although I also notice my son is eating a ton more lately as is my husband. That combined with rising costs definitely explains a lot!
Koda eats green beans? Hilarious!
emma @ be mom strong says
Shoot if I could just spend that much for a week we would be golden! With my organic obsession (especially now since I’m pregnant) and my Ironman husband’s appetite it is tough to stay under $200!
Lisa says
You are speaking my language here! Our grocery budget is steadily climbing, and I don’t know what to do about it. We eat everything I buy, hardly use packaged goods like cookies or chips, and I try to make meals that can be used for lunch for the next day or so. Our 15 month old has developed a huge appetite, so I’m guessing that might have something to do with it. We come in @ $150 if I’m careful, but I know most weeks I wind up making a “quick stop” and spending anywhere from $15-$30 more. Thanks for this post!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yes, I am all too familiar with those quick stops, haha! They always end up getting me!
Kjirsten (Balanced Healthy Life) says
Our food spending was getting way out of control lately (as food prices are raising) so my husband and I came up with a new budget that I have to stick with. I buy mostly all organic and I’m aiming to spend no more than $175 a week with an extra $200 thrown in for the month for items like paper towels and other random things as well that always pop up. The price of the Ezekiel English muffins your bought is way overpriced compared to what I pay. I can usually get them for around $3.50 and still think that is expensive! Since this is the first month I’m really trying to budget groceries I’ve paid a lot of attention to prices and meal planning. My husband likes meat every night for dinner where I don’t need it and that can get pricey. I’m looking to get good at meal planning and budgeting and hopefully slash our grocery bill even more. I would love to get to around $125 a week, but with a toddler who eats more then I do I feel like we keep buying more groceries!
Kristen@Change of Pace says
My husband and I just discussed this the other day. Our grocery bill is the second biggest expense in our home… Despite my efforts in meal planning, couponing, and shopping around we still spend A LOT on groceries. I’m not even sure why!
Mrs FF says
It has definitely gone up despite trying to always take advantage of specials when I do the grocery shopping. If I sent my hubby to do grocery I’m sure we will be spending even so much more!
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness says
Cool idea! I def think prices have gone up lately! I do what I can to keep costs down without sacrificing health and quality but I don’t keep track as well as I should.
Lauren @ Fun, Fit and Fabulous! says
I am totally with you on this one. I feel like I am buying pretty much the same thing a usual and have seen a significant increase in my bill. Like $10-$20 depending on the week. I know some of that is me putting a higher priority on organic meat, but even with that it’s a big jump.
kathy says
Older post I realize, but wanted to comment. My grocery budget is out of sight for only 2 of us. Our kids are on their own now, but despite the grocery prices rising, our grocery bill keeps going up exponentially and I wish I could get it down to a normal price. I don’t buy everything organic, like you, but most of the dirty dozen list I do. I try not to buy boxed foods on a weekly basis as I cook most of our food from scratch, but even with that, some recipes require a lot of ingredients. We also buy extra to pack in our lunches each day at work and I make smoothies in the morning which uses a lot of fresh ingredients. (Oh and I’m vegan, so meat is included in the cost, but certainly not much – but we do purchase organic dairy products). So if we grocery shop every week, which we don’t always do, but try to, our bill can be anywhere from $125 to $200. For Two People??? That is ridiculous. I do NOT menu plan, which I never seemed to master – maybe I should give that a shot. That might help, but surprisingly, even when paying $200 a week, we are usually running out of fresh produce by the weeks end. So frustrating. I’d like to keep our grocery bill down to under $100 a week, but simply don’t know how while maintaining high quality foods.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Kathy! While I do think meal planning helps a lot (at least for me!), it sounds like you are doing a pretty great job. Using a lot of fresh produce adds up (sometimes frozen can help keep the cost down) and while eating real food can help keep a grocery bill lower, when you are eating a majority of meals at home and eating high quality stuff, it can add up. On the weeks our bills are high, I remind myself it’s an investment in my health and I’d rather cut corners elsewhere, since health is a top priority of mine. While I do like trying to keep the bill low, too, pat yourself on the back a little for doing so many amazing things for your and your husband’s health!