Food bill 2A 2C per week?

[toomanyshoes]

How much do/would you spend on 2 adults 2 children per week? (on food)

I think we spend way too much and yes we eat pretty well but after having a chat we're going to try and save more than we currently are so hopefully can be into our own home again sooner.

So how low do you think I could get the food bill and any tips?

[~me~]

We are 2 adults and 2.5 kids

Our budget is $150 grocery
$ 50 f & v

That includes everything, napppies, top ups also. I stick to it pretty well.
We don't buy our Fruit and Veg at the supermarket as it's more expensive than our fruit and veg market. I rarely buy meat at the supermarket.

My DH goes to the market to buy our meat and spends $100 at a time, that lasts us for a month sometimes longer with a few vegetarian meals thrown in.

I only shop by a list, so as I run out of things, on the list they go. I don't walk down shopping aisles like the the confectionary or soft drink one at all.

HTH

[toomanyshoes]

We're spending $350+ per week!

What kind of meals do you make?

[Fuzzywuzzy]

Wow TMS that is alot. We feed 4 adults and 1 child for less than $250 per week and that's having meat every night. Use cloth so don't buy nappies though. What does the majority of your money get spent on?

[Arimeh]

We spend $250 a week, most of the time. Sometimes we run out of fruit so will spend a bit more halfway through the week for extra, but usually we get away with that amount. Thats for 2 adults, 3 children.

[~me~]

You sound like a GF of mine, she spends about that too and has 2 adults and 2 kids.

Lot's of different things...Salmon Steaks on Potato Rosti
Spag Bol
Gourment Pizza (use things like basil, bocconcinni, chorizo, prawns from the market). I make up pizza dough in advance and freeze it.
Tonight is Chicken Kievs (from the market) with roasted veges.
Lemon chicken from scratch.
My DH loves our slow cooker and makes everthing from scratch like Ossco Bucco (yummy!)
Lentil pie
Lasagne
Salads
Stir fry's with Hokkien noodles
gnocci (made this with a burnt sage butter once, very nice)
Beef Stroganoff with home made pasta (I use the master chef recipe)
Rissotto
I make a fried rice from the biggest loser website using tofu, it's very tasty.

I only buy home brand bread as I freeze it, I buy 4-5 loaves at a time.
My DH just spen $100 at the Vic Market and got heaps, including chicken breast, roasts, chops, mince, whole fish, pork chops.
We also said we would never skimp on food and we don't We eat very well.

I meal plan on the days I am home, so I think what I feel like then google recipes. That's how I came by the home made lemon chicken, about to make it again as it really was nice.

[toomanyshoes]

Wow TMS that is alot. We feed 4 adults and 1 child for less than $250 per week and that's having meat every night. Use cloth so don't buy nappies though. What does the majority of your money get spent on?

I don't know TBH. We have meat every night, fish 1-2 times a week, we go through a lot of fruit and veg, the kids take a piece of fruit plus cucumber and capsicum sticks to school 5 days a week but then we don't spend money on pre packaged/processed stuff

[Arimeh]

I don't know TBH. We have meat every night, fish 1-2 times a week, we go through a lot of fruit and veg, the kids take a piece of fruit plus cucumber and capsicum sticks to school 5 days a week but then we don't spend money on pre packaged/processed stuff

We have meat twice a week, a fish meal, some vegetarian meals and then I also incorporated some cheap and easy meals too each week, just to try and keep it down.

I have a meal plan for the month that I follow too.

[Astrolady]

2A 3C - approx $280

As for meals. It is generally a roast and corned beef once a week. Something to do with mince another night, chops, a slow cooked meal with either chicken or beef, then marinated chicken pieces, & chicken thighs with lemon chicken sauce or whatever. Some weeks we have home made hamburgers.

But it is generally the same week in week out. I also buy in bulk when there is a good special. For example our washing powder was half price, online, for about 4 weeks, so each week I brought 4 till the special ran out. That was sometime last year. I have brought 4 more since, but that is cause it was another half price special. I still have about 8 boxes to get through.

[~me~]

Every couple of months I go to Costco which has opened here in Melbourne.
I buy things like toilet paper, diced tomatoes, nappies, wipes, paper towel, glad wrap, and other things that come in bulk.
They then don't come into my weekly shop, it saves quite alot!
I buy my washing powder from Big W in 9kg lots, it's usually on special by the time I come round to needing it again

[Madham]

We spend about $150 we have a roast, veggie dish, mince dish, fish & salad, chicken stirfry and usually casserole or something as well as one night we will have family pie or lasagne. We don't buy any biscuits, junk type foods. I get muffins, scones etc from my parents bakery for kids lunch snacks and pies for dh lunch so I probably save $50

[~Hestia~]

I'm coming back to this thread as I'm spending waaaaay too much on food. I'm sure that's our biggest problem with our finances - NO food budget! Got no idea how much I actually spend though.

Thanks for posting!

[Floweryfields]

TMS do you save your dockets? If so get them out and put everything into sections on a piece of paper - necessities, meat, f&v, treats, etc. If not start saving them and do this for a month to see where your moeny does go. You might be very suprised to find where it does!

[~mamaspice~]

We spend about $250 per week for everything.

[Pandora]

Hmm. Not a lot.
We have $200 a fortnight which has to cover food, nappies for 1c, petrol, train fares, medication etc.

[Astrid]

My budget is $160 pw. For ages we were going over anywhere from $10 to $40, but lately I have been under. That is due to our veggie patch finally being productive and we now get milk from the local farmer in exchange for eggs. We also eat the odd rooster of ours and have chooks for eggs. We spend about $10 per week on chook food, so technically that should be added to our food budget costs.
One pack of $20 nappies is included in the shopping once every 4 weeks. There is also the usual toilet paper, washing powder etc.
We cook most things from scratch, most bread is out of the bread maker. No expensive cereals, I make a batch of bircher twice a week.

[LaDolceVita]

2 Adults, 1 Toddler - $200 a fortnight inclusive of personal items (hair dye, razors, body wash etc) meat, F & V and nappies etc also...

And we eat VERY well, want for nothing, still get our luxuries.

I make pretty much everything from scratch and bake a bit too for snacks etc..

I shop mostly online except for fresh stuff like meat, fruit & veg etc but always make my meal plan to mostly make use of the meat/deli specials. We do a couple of veg meals, like soups etc but most of our meals are meat, pork, chicken & fish. I buy expensive things like coffee in the biggest tin when it's on sale, I always get at least $10 a tin off coffee (Nescafe Blend 43) toilet paper (Only Kleenex Cottonelle) in bulk on sale etc.. I find with these items usually by the time I need them again or start to look like needing them, they're on sale again! I swear they're in an even rotation sometimes!

I'll come back later to tell of some other things we do but I actually find it so easy and am always surprised at how much money people spend on groceries, most of which gets wasted.. Meal planning is AWESOME! I do all our breakfast, lunch & dinners and usually have lots leftover each fortnight so roll that over in to the next fortnight

[Swoop]

Toomanyshoes, we spend the same as you with only 2a & 1c although we often have people staying too (read only 7 weeks last year without house guests). I just don't know how to keep it down? I think I may need to start meal planning to help.