It’s one of themost often asked questions in the budgeting world. “How much should I be spending on groceries?” When people start budgeting and hacking away at unnecessary expenses, they seem to have a preconceived notion in their mind that they absolutely have to get their grocery budget down to a set number for their family size. I’m here to tell you, it’s just not so! You heard me. There is NO one set number to need to get your grocery budget to. And here’s why.
Grocery Budget Depends on Location
Where you live determines what you will pay for groceries. States like Hawaii, California, New York and New Jersey all have higher cost of living, and as a result, higher grocery costs. While PA may not be within the top 10, it’s certainly a state with a higher cost of living than other states like Texas, Tennessee and Louisanna. But this doesn’t apply only from state to state. Grocery costs canalso within a region. Grocery stores local to me run different sales than stores in the next town an hour away, and their retail prices can will be differenttoo.
It Depends on Your Diet
If you eat all organic, unprocessed foods, you can expect to pay a little more than someone who’s buying processed foods. If you’re on a gluten free diet, or have egg allergies, you may be paying a little more for your food. In our family, we don’t use regular milk. The boys drink lactose free milk, while Lady Bug drinks soy milk. For me, this means I’m spending roughly $35 per month on 5.5 gallons of milk. If they were able to digestregular milk, I’d be spendingunder $20 month.
Depends on What’s Included
I include household and personal care items in with our grocery budget {although this month I have started breaking it down into different categories}. Since I include items besides just food in our grocery budget, it makes it difficult for me to compare my budget for my family of 5 tosomeone who has a $400 budget for a family of 6 and they include only strictly groceries. The playing field isn’t even.
But it’s not just groceries vs. household. What about lunches? Some people budget lunches as a separate line item in their budget rather than buying items to pack for lunch. For our family, our $500 per month budget includes all meals eaten at home as well as packed lunches for Hubs, Bookworm and Monkey. Occasionally Hubs will eat out for lunch, butthat money comes from our Fun money category for the month. For the last 3 years, I have packed the boys’ lunches every single day of school. Buying certain lunch box friendly items may raise my grocery budget slightly, but it also saves in the long run by not buying school lunches.
Do You Cook From Scratch
Cooking from scratch can save a lot of money. If you prefer to make things from scratch, your grocery budget will be less than someone who prefers the ease of convenience foods. Making things from scratch doesn’t have to stop at recipes though. Simple things like making your own chicken brothandvanilla yogurtare simple, wonderful ways to make the most out of your grocery budget.
Other Factors
Do you garden? Buy a lot of fresh produce when it’s in season and preserve it somehow? Have a stockpile? If you do, your grocery budget will be different than people who don’t have access, space, or the resources for this.
If you do garden, are you able to garden year-round? Most years, I’m not able to garden from the beginning of late Octoberthrough the end of March. It’s simply too cold for anything but the crows to thrive outside. But some people in Washington and Oregon are able to have shard, lettuces, and carrots growing in their gardens in January. Then there’s places like California and Florida. A few years back Hubs and I were in Florida for spring break in March, and there were fresh strawberries. That doesn’t happen until June for us up in the north! By the way, I’m completely jealous of you folks that can have winter gardens.
All that being said, if you want a good starting point for your grocery budget, the USDA publishes estimates on the cost of food every month. According to their estimates, our family should be spending $606.80 a month under the thrifty plan. While we do spend less than that a month, some of our dietary restrictions make it hard to reduce our bill any lower. If we wanted to get “liberal” with our grocery prices, their estimates suggest we shouldbe spending nearly $1,198 a month on food. For reference, that’s very close to what we were spending each month before we started to get our budget under control.
The heart of the matter is this:please don’t get caught up comparing your grocery budget to someoneelse. Everyone is different depending on situation, location, and dietary needs. It’s okay to wonder for an estimate, but don’t dwell on it and let yourself get frustrated over it in the end. You’re comparing apples to zucchini. As long as the end result is a reasonable grocery budget that sufficiently feeds your family, you’re going in the right direction.
So now’s the time to spill. What’syour monthly grocery budget, and what’s your family size? Do you include toiletries and household items in your grocery budget? Do you have a garden to help cut your bill?
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FAQs
According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan. The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.
What is a realistic grocery budget for 2 people? ›
The average grocery costs for a two-person household across the Thrifty to Liberal plans range from $476.92 to $868.66: Male and female living together: $514.09 to $819.26. Two adult females: $476.92 to $769.86.
What is the average grocery bill for 2 people a week? ›
According to the most recent data released from the Household Pulse Survey, American households spend an average of $270 on groceries a week. Broken down by household size: One person - $156.02. Two people - $220.82.
What is a realistic grocery budget for a family of 3? ›
The average grocery budget for a family of 3 can vary depending on factors like location and dietary preferences. A moderate-cost plan can range from $387 to $1,031 per month, while a thrifty plan can range from $287 to $764 per month.
What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
What is the average grocery bill per month? ›
For a single person, the average grocery bill can range, depending on age and gender, between $238.46 to $434.33. For a household with two people, the average grocery bill is $5,635 per year, or $469.58 per month. For a household of three people, the average grocery bill is $6,862 a year, or 571.83 per month.
How much should two people spend on groceries in 2024? ›
Food Budget Guidelines for a Two-Person Household
The USDA recommends adding 10% to their guidelines when shopping for a family of 2. Here's the USDA guidelines: Thrifty Plan: $546.50 per month. Low-Cost Plan: $600.76 per month.
How much does the average person spend eating out per month? ›
How Much Do Americans Spend Eating Out? Americans spend an average of $3,639 eating out each year—roughly $300 each month. And those fast-food meals and restaurant tabs continue to add up. In fact, Americans spent 20% more eating out in 2022 than they did in 2021.
Which state has the most expensive groceries? ›
1. California
In California, the average weekly grocery spending is $297.72.
What is the average grocery bill for a family of four? ›
In 2020, the average US household food expenditure amounted to $609.7 per month. In 2023 the average household spends between $1,047 to $1,576 on a groceries per month. Safe to say.
On average, groceries cost between $290 and $548 per month for one person. However, expenses can vary depending on location, dietary choices and personal spending habits. If you don't budget for groceries and instead just buy what you need — and want — at intervals throughout the month, you could be overspending.
How do I calculate my grocery budget? ›
If you're wondering how to create a monthly food budget, another tool to use is the 50/30/20 rule. This simple and intuitive grocery budget formula suggests that you spend your net (after-tax) monthly income this way: 50% for living essentials (e.g., groceries, housing, transportation, healthcare, etc.)
Why are groceries so expensive? ›
Food prices have always been volatile — especially so during the pandemic. Thanks to a combination of overall inflation, supply-chain disruptions and tariffs on certain foreign imports, food prices have risen 26% since the start of 2020.
How much does the average person spend a month? ›
Monthly expenses list. According to the same 2022 BLS study, the average American's monthly expenses are $6,080, 1 which is about 77% of the average monthly income before taxes. This list of expenses covers everything from housing, health insurance and food to entertainment, personal care products and books.
Is $50 a week enough for groceries for one person? ›
If you haven't already been shopping for yourself and don't know where to begin, try a weekly budget of $50. This is half of what many frugal families with children spend, so it should be high enough for a single person to eat nutritiously even if you don't make every single meal from scratch.
How much money do you save buying groceries vs eating out? ›
Facts & Findings. Americans save around $12 by opting to cook and eat at home, with the average home meal costing $4.23 versus over $16 per meal at an inexpensive restaurant. Annually, it costs over $13,000 more to eat out than it costs to prepare the same amount of food at home.
How much does a single person spend on eating out per month? ›
The average cost of eating out for one person in the USA per month can vary widely depending on factors like location, dining preferences, and lifestyle. However, a rough estimate might range from $150 to $300 or more. Keep in mind that individual spending habits can significantly influence this average.
What is the average budget for a family of 4? ›
Average Expenses for a Family of Four
According to the most recent data, U.S. households that consist of four people spent an average of $8,640 per month in 2022. In 2021, the average four-person household spent $7749 per month. This works out to average annual expenditures of $101,514 in 2022, up from $92,989 in 2021.
