What do you spend on groceries?

[dognutz]

Regularly I see people in tears about their groceries in online videos. I love lasagna so I buy a 5 pound frozen tray for 14$ and garlic bread for 4 dollars. I like chili also so I buy 3$ can and add some ingredients if I feel like it but it has most of what I want for taste. I feed myself pretty well for 50$ a week.

My guess is it's meat that is crazy expensive and fruit. I buy mostly bananas that cost me 1$ for 5. I rarely cook so I don't buy meat. I know many are buying for kids which I don't have to. Most of the stuff I buy seems to be the same price for years. I like the triscuit flavors and they are usually 2$ to 2.50 per box.

 

[thumper18474]

250-300/week

 

[jeff2]

Metro, Loblaws, Freshco, Basics, No Frills are all close to where I live.
Metro and Loblaws are on the way home from work.
The discount stores I go to on the weekend.
Whatever is on special(or loss leader) is something I may buy.

 

[Butler1000]

Two person household average about 150/week. Then pro rate in 3 400 or so runs to costco per year(one extra freebee run of about 600 from points) and about 3 400 runs to St Lawrence Market.

Remember that includes cleaning supplies, and all other household items.

But we eat well. Lots of fresh produce, good quality cuts of meat. Even things like rice are top quality. I home cook 6 days minimum a week. Do some batch cooking as well for soups, stews that freeze well. We use good bakeries for bread and freeze it. Top quality cheeses, lots of handmade things like sausages, perogies, from small businesses.

One key is sale buying. Butter goes below 5 bucks? Stock up. Bacon on sale? 6 in the cart. Large portions? Recut to portion and freeze. And I limit prepared food buys. You can't eliminate it. But they are crappy for you.

I'm quite disappointed in restaurant food as a rule these days. And house guests agree on my day to day cooking dkills, let alone when I go for it. Too much salt, over sauced, mediocre cuts.

I do enjoy an occasional fine dines and will happily put up a large bill for an experience.

 

[bazokajoe]

Being single I am roughly the same as the OP.
My big vice is eating fast food about twice a week. I know it's really bad for me but I hate cooking and only go if I have coupons.
Make homemade pizza about 1 a week. Buy bagged salad for lunch. That stuff is pretty cheap.
Buy trays of lasagna and get 3 meals from it.
Buy meat when it's on sale.

 

[SchlongConery]

First a request.

Anyone have any recommendations on some sort of local store sale price app? Where I can get notices of when, say Kashi GoLean cereal goes on sale?

Another thing up front... I have found that if I happen to be in a lower income neighbourhood that the stores in those areas are notably less expensive for the same products. So I always keep a cooler in my vehicle and might drop into a grocery store if I'm in Sketchyville. Often they also have interesting ethnic foods that the local clients enjoy. So more variety for me!

For some strange reason every time I go to the cash register my bill is between $50-60! Sometimes I go food shopping every week, sometimes not for a couple weeks, sometimes 3x to different stores in the same day. Costco can hit $300 once a month or two.

One thing that I really like is that I buy whatever is on sale that I like or want to try. Not being cheap, it's just that I like the variety and really never have a craving for something in particualr. So if good NY Strip is on sale, or a beef tenerloin I'll but it an cut it up, dry age some for that week and freeze the rest. Same with pork loins, chicken breasts, wings etc.

Like @Butler1000, if butter is on sale I'll buy 10 lbs if it is $4. If it is $5, maybe one salted and one unsalted. If it's more, I don't buy it. Same with other stuff. Especially bacon!

There are some specific foods, cereal, coffee and drinks that I really love and buy cases when they go on sale. Otherwise they are all stupid expensive. My Soy Milk is hard to find so I stock up on it too.

Another thing is that I only grind my own meats. No store bought ground anything. It's great when I accumulate several cuts of beef and then make a nice tri-mix of smashburger-ready loose meat balls or for Taco's!

 

[Butler1000]

That seems to come to about 800 per month or 200 per week. Plus I guess you get more bang for the buck at Costco. Reasonable enough. I spend about 400 per month on groceries. Then waste a lot of it and order ubereats for about 1500 a month. Gotta bring that under control and stop it for real.

You need a good stand up freezer. I use it for ground beef(flat pack it in 1 pound bags and stack em) salmon, trout(portion out again) and chicken breasts. After that I use their frozen meatballs(so good), ten pack of frozen smoked salmon, and occasionally tempura shrimp. Olive oil.

We buy toothbrush heads, laundry and dishwasher tabs, razors and shaving cream, some other shit my wife likes(handcream etc). And I buy large containers of spices and herbs when needed. Treats include pretzels filled with peanut butter(fucking crack) and a few other things.

Its worth the 50 buck membership. Especially if you have pantry space.

 

[Butler1000]

Regularly I see people in tears about their groceries in online videos. I love lasagna so I buy a 5 pound frozen tray for 14$ and garlic bread for 4 dollars. I like chili also so I buy 3$ can and add some ingredients if I feel like it but it has most of what I want for taste. I feed myself pretty well for 50$ a week.

My guess is it's meat that is crazy expensive and fruit. I buy mostly bananas that cost me 1$ for 5. I rarely cook so I don't buy meat. I know many are buying for kids which I don't have to. Most of the stuff I buy seems to be the same price for years. I like the triscuit flavors and they are usually 2$ to 2.50 per box.

I dont skimp on fruit and veg. Its going into my body so the cost doesnt matter as much.

Two of us will go through 1 large or two small melons(I cut them and into a sealed bowl, last all week), two packs of berries(whatever looks good and in sale). Also two other pieces of fruit for me and one for wife(apples, orange). Bananas maybe two each.

Veg I menu plan. Mainly broccoli, zucchini, chinese eggplant, peas, mushrooms, a red pepper, and either a base lettuce mix adding cucumber, tomatoes, radishes(I make my own dressing), or maybe a large meaty tomato. Sliced and dressed.

Cooking is the key. Otherwise you are either eating processed shit or paying labour costs.

 

[Not getting younger]

Two person household average about 150/week. Then pro rate in 3 400 or so runs to costco per year(one extra freebee run of about 600 from points) and about 3 400 runs to St Lawrence Market.

Remember that includes cleaning supplies, and all other household items.

But we eat well. Lots of fresh produce, good quality cuts of meat. Even things like rice are top quality. I home cook 6 days minimum a week. Do some batch cooking as well for soups, stews that freeze well. We use good bakeries for bread and freeze it. Top quality cheeses, lots of handmade things like sausages, perogies, from small businesses.

One key is sale buying. Butter goes below 5 bucks? Stock up. Bacon on sale? 6 in the cart. Large portions? Recut to portion and freeze. And I limit prepared food buys. You can't eliminate it. But they are crappy for you.

I'm quite disappointed in restaurant food as a rule these days. And house guests agree on my day to day cooking dkills, let alone when I go for it. Too much salt, over sauced, mediocre cuts.

I do enjoy an occasional fine dines and will happily put up a large bill for an experience.

Do a lot of batch cooking. Chilli, stews, pasta sauce, etc. make a lot of pizza doughs as well. A favourite though time consuming is different kinds of chicken based meals. Essentially entails boneless chicken, cubed then recipe variations from tai to teriyaki and far more. Zip lock into meal sized portions. Throw in slow cooker someday, ready in a few hours.

grow a lot of veggies, so do a reasonable amount of canning too. Obviously tomatoes etc. favourite is Brussels sprouts.

 

[Butler1000]

Do a lot of batch cooking. Chilli, stews, pasta sauce, etc. make a lot of pizza doughs as well. A favourite though time consuming is different kinds of chicken based meals. Essentially entails boneless chicken, cubed then recipe variations from tai to teriyaki and far more. Zip lock into meal sized portions. Throw in slow cooker someday, ready in a few hours.

grow a lot of veggies, so do a reasonable amount of canning too. Obviously tomatoes etc. favourite is Brussels sprouts.

I batch cook maybe once every two weeks. Various things. Keep a rotation. Its mostly for lazy days and lunches.

Brussel sprouts are banned on my property. They are evil little cabbages created by Satan to destroy children 's meal times. I truly fucking hate them, and make no allowances at other people's houses. They will never enter my body again.

 

[Not getting younger]

I batch cook maybe once every two weeks. Various things. Keep a rotation. Its mostly for lazy days and lunches.

Brussel sprouts are banned on my property. They are evil little cabbages created by Satan to destroy children 's meal times. I truly fucking hate them, and make no allowances at other people's houses. They will never enter my body again.

lol.
try cooking them in a pan, with generous amounts of butter and garlic. Might change your mind. Lots of ways to cook butter and garlic and add anything to it.

 

[Ponderling]

I dont skimp on fruit and veg. Its going into my body so the cost doesnt matter as much.

Cooking is the key. Otherwise you are either eating processed shit or paying labour costs.

I fully concur with the above bits. Fruit and veg deals we find at Metro.
They have a cart of 'B veg' $3 bags with cosmetically challenged/odd shaped fruit and veg.
Nicer B fruit and veg this way than anything on offer at any price at No Frills.

We cook meals at home all the time.
Rarely is there ready to eat packaging to toss out in the recycler - just cans and meat foam flats.

We have two adult kids still at home ...
Our grocery bill is about 8-9K a year.

A bunch of that is spent stocking up when things go on sale.
Christmas Eve a few hours before closing is our fav shopping day.
Meat prices are usually slashed and the year thus begins with the freezers full of discount purchases.

 

[shack]

lol.
try cooking them in a pan, with generous amounts of butter and garlic. Might change your mind. Lots of ways to cook butter and garlic and add anything to it.

Roasting Brussel sprouts is also a tasty option.

 

[Butler1000]

lol.
try cooking them in a pan, with generous amounts of butter and garlic. Might change your mind. Lots of ways to cook butter and garlic and add anything to it.

I refuse to consider it. The vile things should be banned and every plant and seed destroyed by fire on an altar dedicated to good taste.

 

[Butler1000]

Roasting Brussel sprouts is also a tasty option.

Perhaps with a flamethrower until ash. Then used as a part of a fertilizer mix to grow a decent vegetable

 

[Jenesis]

I don’t pay attention to sales. I don’t do price matching etc. I’m a single household

I’m about $150 Costco per month

And then about 75-100/week I think on average. I just went to Walmart and it was $120 but I have been shopping in a bit and needed a little more.

I buy meat. Steak, chicken, ribs, etc.

I’m sure if I paid more attention and shopped for sales and price matching I would fair better but for the $20 I may save, it is not worth the time, effort and energy to figure all that out.

I also often have to buy and cook meals for two and then save the one meal for the next day. They don’t package chicken in single size portions.

 

[K Douglas]

I do most of my grocery shopping at Longo's or Loblaw Superstore. Occasionally Metro and Farm Boy. No Costco no Wal Mart.
I'd say I average about $100 per week. But I also take out about 3 times per week

 

[jalimon]

lol.
try cooking them in a pan, with generous amounts of butter and garlic. Might change your mind. Lots of ways to cook butter and garlic and add anything to it.

ho yeah but if you add a bit of bacon you then transform it to a masterpiece

 

[Mr Deeds]

Being single I spend about $60 a week on groceries. I do not clip coupons nor do I go out of my way to take advantage of sales. I do shop at a local Asian market (not TNT ) where produce is often half the price. I do a lot of meal prep for the week on Sundays I also eat a lot of beans and others legumes as well as fresh fish and chicken and a lot of eggs and very little red meat, although I do love a good steak once in awhile. The trick to eating healthy and well on little money is to have a lot of spices on hand so you can make the same thing but taste different every time. I stay away from pre-made processed food because it's expensive and unhealthy and I don't shop at places like Loblaws or sobies or any of the other high-end ripoff grocery stores

 

[Not getting younger]

ho yeah but if you add a bit of bacon you then transform it to a masterpiece

indeed. Do that sometimes with perch and walleye. Precook a little in butter/garlic then skewer. Bacon wrapped walleye kabobs make for a great bbq. Will have to try adding sprouts to butter garlic and bacon sometime