Families or 4 Out There, What's Your Average Grocery Bill per Week?

$100. Granted no diapers but lord they eat a lot.

I find coupons to be worthless. You end up buying stuff you don't really need because they are cheap.

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I spend between $175 and $200 per week for my family of 11 (Mom and Dad plus 9 kids). We buy things like beans, rice, eggs, baby wipes and laundry soap in bulk at Sam's Club. When there are good sales on things like chicken breast, we will buy up to eight family sized packages at once. Likewise with cereal, we will buy 10 or 12 boxes at once. We don't buy any convenience foods such as frozen meals or snack foods.

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The 'Whole Paycheck' thing cracks me up. I do half my BARGAIN shopping at whole foods.

(half gallons)
WF Milk: 1.69
Kroger/Target/etc Milk : $3.89

WF Tatertots: 2.99
Kroger/Target/etc. Tatertots: 5.99

WF Chard/Collard Greens/ Kale/ etc: 1.99 p/bunch
Kroger/ Target/ etc " ___________" : 3.99 per bunch

WF Shrimp: 5.99 p/#
Kroger Schrim: 11.99

WF COOKED Bacon: 7.99 p/#
K/T/etc. raw bacon: 7.99 per/#
K/T/etc cooked bacon : 12-15.99 p/#
(You get about 3x the amount of bacon if you buy it precooked. 1lb cooked= apx 3lb raw)

The trend continues. I save TONS by shopping at WholeFoods
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But in answer to your Q (SUPER regional)... we pay a strict $600 per month for a family of 3. If I bought what I wanted, when I wanted it that amount would double. That includes toiletries, cleaning supplies, lightbulbs, etc.

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Me and hubby are old and have no kids and are just a family of two and we still spend 150 a week on food and drink.

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OK--we're a family of 3, but $150 covers just about everything for us. Son is 8. I think that sounds high, but it might be a regional thing...

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$100.00 a week at the most. But I have a 10 & 13 year old. If they were still babies, my grocery bill would be more due to the diapers, formula & wipes.

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Well, having a baby (or babies) in diapers makes a HUGE difference.
I don't remember our budget from back then, but I am quite certain it was insane.
We were barely making it.
We are only a family of 3, but I hope it's ok to tell ours?

We do not own a car right now. So we either have our groceries delivered or go to the store via bus and take a taxi home.

This last shop we had 2 weeks worth delivered and spent under $200.
So less than $100 per week.
That includes the odd toiletry or cleaning thing you might need.

I prefer to go to the store and take a taxi home simply because the store that delivers has bad selection of organic things and that is why it seems so cheap.
When we go over to Fred Meyers and buy the organic and free range everything, we spend probably closer to $250 for 2 weeks.
But still, that is $125 per week.

Granted, when it gets to the point where we need shampoo, toilet paper, laundry and dish soap, body wash, lysol wipes and so on and so forth ON TOP of groceries, those trips are larger totals.

To go to Trader Joe's or Whole foods from where we live we would have to taxi it both ways and spend easily $40 just getting there and back. I wish we could, just not realistic. Once we have a car though, we want to use them instead.

Your cost will be a LOT better when the baby(s) are not in diapers anymore :)

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If you are able to do the majority of your shopping at places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods on $180-$230/ week...then I would say you are doing pretty well. We are a family of 4 and spend about 150-175/week but I shop at the grocery stores where I can get the best deals...we eat very healthy and most of that includes milk, fruits & vegetables, bread and meat...some organic.

$150-200 a week. My guys hate when the cupboard 'looks' bare.

we are a family of 4 and our weekly food bill is between $110 and $150. I don't clip coupons. I shop at our local grocery store (wegmans) and trader joes.

I used to live in Ct so I can tell you the prices here are comparable. I found S&S to be much more expensive than Shoprite, which is where I usually shop. I am a foodie too but buy what is on sale and make my meals around them. If I buy an herb or some particular item, I try to get as much use out of it as possible. Yes, your grocery bill is much too high for a family with two babies. When my son did use diapers I switched to the store brand and saved a lot of money. You really are not saving that much when you get them delivered because you can't take advantage of coupons and sales. Shoprite also has "Babybucks" so after every 100 dollars you spend on baby stuff, you get a 10 dollar certificate. I don't buy a lot of processed stuff either, you should consider a garden.

i currently have a family of 5 soon to be 6 (2 adults, 6yo, 5yo,5yo and 1 on the way!). my weekly budget for groceries is $200. I also buy as much organic and possible and we are also gluten-free, sugar-free, corn-free etc. you get the point. i don't buy a lot of pre-packaged things. I can usually come under the $200 range--typically about $175 unless i need lots of non-grocery items, like dish soap etc then i will go up to about $225. I do most of my shopping at Shoprite. i happen to live close to one that has a very decent organic section and gluten-free section. I also hit Trader Joe's for a few items like almond butter and gluten-free bread (Ezekiel 4:9) which is about $1 cheaper per loaf. I avoid Whole foods since it is significantly more expensive then my other choices. I also buy as much meat from the "natural" case as i can afford. i'm currently out of the diaper/wipe phase but will be getting back into it so i suspect my budget will have to increase to about $230-$250 pr week. I also buy juice by the large container and then dilute it by half. it is still very sweet and goes twice as long. It is hard, you just have to shop around but also take into consideration gas and time. you might save a dollar at a different store but spend $5 in gas and 1/2 hr of your time! good luck!

Our grocery bill is on average $160 but let me explain besides my husband and I we also have 2 adult children plus our younger ones (boys) are 15 years old and 12 years old so I think this is pretty good. I have also taught others how to keep their grocery bills down so let me explain how I do it. First off I am not a fan of organic products because they are a) expensive and b) I don't think they are truly organic, just hear me out. First off get yourself a big freezer, preferably not a chest one because things tend to get lost in the bottom and stock up on meats, produce, etc as it goes on sale. Not quite sure what is available in Norwalk but for us we have Big Y, BJ's, WalMart, Stop & Shop and Shop Rite all within about a mile and a half radius so what I do is every week I go through the ads and write down what is on sale that we use, then I compare them to one another and begin crossing off things. I also check out Stew Leonard's for their sales and if they have things I need then I go there when I am heading up that way (Newington, on the Berlin Turnpike) so that I don't waste gas. I then look at the coupons, as I clip them every week and put them in shoe boxes labeled "Food" and "Non-Food" and take out what I need that week. Go onto websites that offer coupons and print those that you use out. You have twin boys in diapers, how about getting your diapers at WalMart, they have excellent prices and quality. Make your own snacks, I just went to the orchard in Cheshire and baught apples for baking (at half price I might add) and eating and peaches so today and tomorrow I will be baking. I very rarely buy pre-made cookies and desserts because many contain additives such as sucralose which I am allergic to and they are very high in sugar. For the boys you can make Banana Oatmeal Cookies either as drop cookies or put the dough in a jelly roll pan and then when it is done use cookie cutters to cut out shapes that the boys will like. My kids love my version of Ice Cream Sandwiches and they love to make homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt. I guy the crushed tomatoes when they are on sale and stock up and when I run out I buy the big can from BJ's for under $3 and make my own tomato sauce and whatever is left over I freeze. We only use Barilla pasta or I make my own. When I make meatballs I use a lot of bread crumbs, not too much to hide the meat but enough to help make it go farther. I also buy whole boneless pork loins and cut them up myself into roasts, chops, cutlets, and for stew or stir fry and I do the same with beef. We have an electric meat slicer so I shave the beef and freeze it or make a roast with it and slice it for sandwhiches, etc. I am Italian and love to cook so if you need or want any recipes just let me know.

Now I have a question for you, how is Trader Joe's? We have one up in West Hartford and I am dying to go in there and check them out. The produce store in North Haven is okay, but a lot of times the prices are high and the quality is not so great compared to the cost. My kids love raw vegetables, the broccoli was soft and the pea pods were $3.99 lb. in the package and didn't look fresh. I can buy 3 lbs of pea pods and have them last a few days between adding them to salads, plain and in a stir fry. Anywhy let me know what you think of my suggestions and about Trader Joe's.

I have a hard time keeping it under $200 and that is just too much! It's hubby and me and two teen boys (athletes) who eat a lot but very healthy, so it includes tons of fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains. It is expensive to eat healthy! That amount also includes our household goods and incidentals, so it's not all food. We do go through 10 gallons of milk a week, though, so that is a decent chunk of our bill.

$125 - $185.

The higher range is when we end up running out of all shampoos, paper towels, toothpaste, soaps, cleaners and everything all at the same time. Why does that always seem to happens!

I don't buy a lot of packaged food either. Mostly stick with healthy choices, lots of fruits and veggies. Would love to shop at Whole Foods, but can't afford it. I will be using vinegar and homemade cleaners instead of constantly buying new ones (we have a dog and cat, so we use them a lot!) My husband still thinks I need to cut back, but I am extremely careful at what I buy!

Edit: Riley, really? I am going to have to check them out then!

If we're talking just food, then about $100 a week for 4 of us. I get my paper towels, toilet tissue, shampoo, shower gel etc at Sam's Club so not sure how much more that would factor in. Probably still only about $120 a week total.
I pretty much only shop for food at Aldi, Randazzo (local fruit and veg market), and Sam's Club (mainly my meat).
We don't eat a lot of organic but I do most of my cooking from sctratch so we eat pretty healthy on that amount of money.

I have a family of 4 with one still in diapers and usually manage to get the groceries for $130 to $180 per week (and I feel I could do better sometimes). Occasionally I have a higher week. We eat some organic: all milk, most meats, some fruits and veggies (some are hard to get).

I like Trader Joe's and the prices and quality are usually good (but not that much produce). Whole Foods seems expensive to me--some things may be reasonable but the organic produce is expensive as are many specialty items. In the summer and fall try a local farmer's market--good produce and good prices I have found.

In the range of $150. - $200. weekly.

used to be <$200/week for my family of 4 + my daycare of 4 kids.

Now we're hitting $300 since the beginning of summer. Sucks.

$150 and on a good week $130

Lately we've been spending about $150-$175 a week. That's for food and non-food (cleaning supplies, school supplies, occassional clothes). We shop at Super Target and get food delivered from Schwan's, and I included both in the amount I posted.

Our kids are 7 and 13, so no diapers. :) That saves us a ton, but they're both boys. I know our food bill will go up quite a bit as they get older. We had a foreign exchange student a couple of years ago, and I was shocked by how much a teenage boy could eat! :)

There are 4 of us (sometimes 5) and I spend about $150 weekly at the grocery store. My husband and I both take our lunches to work. We eat out maybe once a week. My $150 doesn't include my monthly Costco run to get paper towels, toilet paper, bulk foods etc which is typically $200 - $300.

Our family of 4 includes a 6 and 8 y/o and I spend between $150 and $175 a week. I've just begun diving into the organic world (especially milk, chicken and eggs) but I don't foresee my weekly bill going over $200 even with my organic items.

about $200 a week including everything. I shop at Stop and Shop and Fairways and BJs and Costco ... I have an infant so I buy diapers too - usually from BJs for around $25 a box - I don't buy organic bc I really can't afford it. But I never buy pre-packaged snacks. I never buy premade food. For ex, I make my own hamburger patties from a large package of ground beef, I don't buy pre-made ones. Way cheaper. I buy a 10 lb bag of perdue frozen chicken cutlets for $20. I buy many veggies fresh (salad, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc) but buy bulk frozen spinach at BJs. I also just got frozen edamame which was great. We buy tons of fresh fruit as well.
I also absolutely love to cook. We're a family of 5 but the infant is only eating breast milk and just started rice cereal so he doesn't count except for dipes and wipes. Good luck! I had a similar post on this very recently!

No diapers, BUT with older kids comes bigger appetites!!! I spend around $100-125, however I do not buy organic on a regular basis.

We spend about $25 per week per person and that includes such non grocery items like toilet paper, dog food, cleaning supplies, and detergents.

I have a DIL that spends about $200 to $250 per month for a family of 5 including 1 in diapers.

Good luck to you and yours.

About $150-$200 a week for a family of 5, one in diapers - we also buy organic somewhat regularly. But, we also have our own chickens, eggs, and laundry detergent - so we save some there!

I budget $125 for food & toiletries, but often go over. So probably closer to 150+ That's a family of 4, one in diapers & one 10 yo.