Weekly shopping cost...

**Olive** · August 5th, 2014, 06:16 PM

How much do you spend? Do you meal plan?

If you buy nappies and formula put that separately.

I spend currently $200 a week approx, for 2 adults and 2 kids.

**Em_325** · August 5th, 2014, 06:40 PM

On average I spend around $250 a week for 2 adults and a baby. I don't meal plan but I really need to as I'm sure I shouldn't need to spend this much every week. DH has a super fast metabolism so eats a lot and is gluten free so that adds to the cost but considering I'm a thermomix owner I know I'm still spending way too much.

**Tinks** · August 5th, 2014, 06:46 PM

I spend around $200 for my family of 5 but that doesn't include meat. I buy that in bulk monthly.

**Emma09** · August 5th, 2014, 07:26 PM

Mine is about $250 p/w for 3 adults and 1 child :-)

**Peace** · August 5th, 2014, 07:44 PM

I spend about $175 per week for 2 adults and 1 baby. It was $150 before ds came along and requires nappies. I do meal plan and only buy exactly what I need for those dinners, and 1 takeaway dinner a week. I try to plan meals around what's on special too.

**wysiwyg** · August 5th, 2014, 08:15 PM

I spend about 130 a week for 2 adults 2 children. That doesn't include any alcohol, or any non-food items (e.g. nappies, toothpaste, washing powder etc. which I try to budget for separately although sometimes they slip into the 'food' category - but they maybe average 12 a week). We probably spend about 35 a week on average on food bought/eaten outside the home (cafes, restaurants, take-away) - e.g. some months allowance would go on two meals out at a cafe, sometimes is taken up in snacks, take-away etc.

I don't meal plan - but we do cook most of our main meals in advance so we can take to work, so we do eat alot of the same meals, there isn't a massive amount of variety.

I am always trying to get it down to 100 - as I thought I read somewhere that a family of four should be able to, but I have never achieved it consistently.

**PumpkinZulu** · August 5th, 2014, 08:22 PM

We meal plan, and spend about $100-$150 on groceries, taking out nappies etc. 2 adults and two children.

**Marley&Me** · August 5th, 2014, 10:19 PM

We spend about $150 per week for 2 adults 1 baby. That's including meat too, I buy bulk and freeze

I also shop at Aldi first and then Safeway (butcher for meat)

**Saffy** · August 5th, 2014, 10:21 PM

We are the same as Tasha

**Marley&Me** · August 5th, 2014, 10:23 PM

I am always trying to get it down to 100 - as I thought I read somewhere that a family of four should be able to, but I have never achieved it consistently.

Really? I suppose it would be possible. If you compromised on flavour

**Jaycee** · August 5th, 2014, 11:23 PM

We spend $250 a week on groceries for 2 adults and 2 children. Thus includes all cleaning supplies as well.

**PumpkinZulu** · August 5th, 2014, 11:38 PM

Really? I suppose it would be possible. If you compromised on flavour

Not true. The secret is a well stocked pantry. We have never had a bare pantry, so keeping it updated only means adding a fresh spice every few months or a few tins of whatever a week. We easily have 20+ spices at any given time, different grains, loads of different pastas. We make our own sauces and spice mixes, everything except breads really is cooked from scratch. We meal plan accordingly and use loads of fresh vegetables and herbs. We make most of our cleaning products (more for the environmental impact than cost), I make a large amount of my own beauty products too. In summer we cloth (honestly can't keep it up in winter). It's very possible for a 4 person family to get by on $100-$150 a week, but it's a lot more effort. Worth it though IMO.

**candy_maree** · August 5th, 2014, 11:42 PM

2 adults 1.5 kids. About $150 per week including nappies and non food items. I don't meal plan officially, but I do it subconsciously. We shop at Coles and farmers markets. I could get it below $100 per week if I wasn't a bodybuilder. We go through lots of meat, eggs & yoghurt.

**candy_maree** · August 5th, 2014, 11:43 PM

Should add, we are like PZ. We keep a well stocked spice shelf. We dont eat pasta or bottled sauces. My figure is also including meat.

**~Hestia~** · August 5th, 2014, 11:47 PM

We spend $200 per week for 2 adults and 2 children. Some weeks we also buy nappies but it still comes in at the $200 mark. I meal plan before doing the food shopping. As for the $100 per week thing...not sure I could get it that low. Although I probably could do better than what I am at the moment.

**Tegam** · August 6th, 2014, 12:00 AM

2 adults, 4 kids no nappies. We spend $300 a week, I have a Thermomix so most $$ goes on fresh fruit and veg. I budget and look at the price of everything except fresh stuff, we want strawberries at $6 a punnet we get them.

**Artechim** · August 6th, 2014, 12:23 AM

2 adults, 3 kids, no nappies (yay!!). We spend around $250 on average. I have homekill beef in the freezer but do buy other meats from the supermarket. Grocery prices in NZ are more than Oz so it would probably be under $200 over there.

**wysiwyg** · August 6th, 2014, 12:32 AM

Not true. The secret is a well stocked pantry. We have never had a bare pantry, so keeping it updated only means adding a fresh spice every few months or a few tins of whatever a week. We easily have 20+ spices at any given time, different grains, loads of different pastas. We make our own sauces and spice mixes, everything except breads really is cooked from scratch. We meal plan accordingly and use loads of fresh vegetables and herbs. We make most of our cleaning products (more for the environmental impact than cost), I make a large amount of my own beauty products too. In summer we cloth (honestly can't keep it up in winter). It's very possible for a 4 person family to get by on $100-$150 a week, but it's a lot more effort. Worth it though IMO.

I agree with the well stocked pantry - but to get down to 100 average (I wish I could find where I read is achievable), if you have nothing in your pantry to start with I think it takes alot of months before you would get near $100 a week average. Some weeks we definitely are as low as $100 if not lower - but have now been recording for 2+ years (my figures are an average across that time) and now have a reasonably stocked pantry but to get to an average of $100 we would need quite a few months of only spending $80-$90 but then pantry items run out - personally I think an average of $100 a week starting from empty cupboards for a family of four (especially once you get to the point where both children eat a decent amount) would be pretty hard to achieve with current food prices. An average of $130, 140 is probably more reasonable.

(Most sites with info about food budgeting do all talk alot about the well stocked pantry, but not all seem to take into account the cost of the items in that pantry to start with, but they are not free they should be taken into account when budgeting)