How much do you spend a month on food?

[sevenbravo]

I am not normally a budgeting type person, but I am trying to get a better handle on how much I spend each month. Last month my family (wife, 3 kids ages 6,8,11) spent just over $1,100 on groceries. My wife and I are 95% raw and the kids are probably closer to 70%. We buy organic when it is available and we get a basket of veggies every week from a CSA. The only free food we recieved last month was from our small garden and from our neighbors. Eleven hundred dollars seemed like a lot, but then I broke it down to $2.37 per person, per meal. Which seems pretty good considering we don't eat anything out of a box. Everything we eat is a whole food. (the only non-raw things in the house are sprouted wheat bread, oatmeal, and brown rice)

So I am curious, do you all know how much you are spending?

[Conscious Midwife]

Household of seven
Me, hubby and kiddos ages 2, 3, 12, 14, 18

@$1000 monthly including food in restaurants.

ME 100% Raw
Hubby and teens 50% - 75% RAW
2 and 3 year old high raw

farmers market 1-2 times per month
wild oats 1-2 times per month
need to incorporate more organic

Chinese accounts for approximately $100 monthly. Hubby usually eats buffet at lunch, one to two times per week, and The family has take out every other week.

[vgloveforlife]

Househould of 2 and I spend about $300.00 give or take in a month. I go to the farmers market 2X a week and the rest of the week I go to a discount grocery store and I will ocassionally go to the regular grocery store. About 80% of the food is organic.

I could never imagine spending over $1,000 but my family is smaller obviously.

[juliebove]

I spend a lot, but it's hard for me to break it down to just food because I buy other things at the health food and grocery store besides just food. My husband is not raw and most of the food money goes for him. He eats a lot of ice cream, chips, meat, etc. And he eats enough food for two people at least! Daughter is not raw and also has a lot of food allergies so I have to buy a lot of special things for her that cost more than regular food does. I'm high raw, mostly organic. And then there's the cat who is on a senior diet.

Most weeks I get a box of organic fruits and vegetables from the health foods store. I do have a small garden so there were several weeks this summer when I did not get a shipment because it was duplicating what I was fresh in my garden. What I grow doesn't cost me a lot. Much is grown from seed and I use Earthboxes. I can reuse the same dirt from year to year, only having to replace the top 2" of dirt. I probably spent $30-40 this year on seeds, plants and dirt. I didn't really keep track of that.

My organic produce box costs me between $30-50 each week depending on what I get in it. I usually get the small box plus a few additional items so it's usually around $30. But if I get coffee, eggs or a lot of extra produce, it's more.

I usually have one grocery store trip that's around $200. Another trip that's around $100 and still another that's about $40 to $60. But this isn't just food. I might also buy magazines, sundries, cleaning supplies, cat litter, school supplies, etc.

I spend another $60 or so per week at the health food store, but that includes supplements, books, cards, crystals, etc.

During the school year, my daughter and I dined out about 2-3 times a week. A meal for the two of us can run anywhere from $10 to $30 depending on where we go and what we eat. Husband sometimes has to dine out at more expensive affairs such as the one tonight that cost $40.

And then there's the special food for my daughter that I can't get in the regular stores. Stuff like xanthan gum, powdered vanilla, soy and dairy free chocolate, and other baking supplies. That's probably about $30-$40 a month.

I guess the cat costs the least amount of money. She gets one pouch of food per day at less than $1.00, plus a little dry food and treats.

[rawbeliever]

wow, vgloveforlife, that's pretty good. I'm spending twice that much for food that's only about 30% organic. I wish I could get down to $150 per month/person. maybe i should haunt a few farmer's markets...

[Biff]

We spend about $1,200 a month on food - and it is just me, my wife, and our 20 month old daughter. We do buy 95% organic including lots of avocados and nuts, which makes our grocery bill nuts!

[Green Life]

We spend about $400.00 per month. That has to go for food for me (99% raw) my husband (99% cooked) and my two burlesque teenage sons (50-50).

That does not include our restruant fares which I won't even begin to mention.

It is so expensive to eat well, really it is.


Cheers!
Green Life

[Jordann]

I'm not quite 100% raw, close though, and I spend on average about $400-$450 a month on food - as much organic produce as I can, tons and tons of fruit, lately quite a few bulk raw nuts/seeds too. It's outrageous, considering this is half my monthly income currently! But I choose to because I feel best when I eat raw!

[rawfigure]

I spend about $ 150-200 a week for 2 of us. I am Raw Vegan and my Husband is not. I buy all Organic for me. We eat very light during the week. We are too busy to cook and un cook !

We spend about 150-200.00 eating out on the weekends. We are at the Lake and eat out Fri Sat and Sunday night. My husband gets Beef or Seafood. I get veggies and salad.

[sevenbravo]

Since there aren't really any restaurant that fit our diet, we don't eat out any longer. We tried finding a great salad in town, but I can make one 10 times better than anywhere so...we don't waste money at restaurants. $1100 does include some things other than food. So maybe $1000 is an accurate count. We probably spend $75 a month just on organic almonds for milk.

[Coriander74]

I'm guessing about $200 a month for just myself. I'd like to get that amount down but I love my avocados LOL

[mcasburn]

I probably spend around $500 per month for just me (and my boyfriend snacking here and there). That includes maybe one meal per week at a restaurant, 99% organic produce and some mail-order stuff (grawnola from Lucky Duck, jalapeno-stuffed olives from Alissa, etc).

[DavidZaneMason]

-I'm just one guy.......I spend about $150 - $200 monthly tops.

-David Mason

[Cinnamon]

For 2 of us I spend $400.00 to $600.00 per month depending on the time of year and how much organic produce I can find in our area. I am high raw or 100% and my hubby is probably 50/50. We usually have a large garden each summer and it helps so much on the grocery bill but this year we didn't get one put in, too many other things going on in our lives this year! Add to that our local Farmer's Markets in the summer help a lot with organic produce for good prices. Our highest priced items are the nuts and seeds, dates for sure, and the little bit of what I buy online from time to time.

[lavendarJ]

This post was a good idea. With the three volunteer jobs and the two part-times jobs and the grant writing on the side (sometimes only generating 10-20 hours a month) I just couldn't afford to eat the way I desired. I usually get produce that can stretch (like bananas, salad greens, etc). I was just offered a job the other day and I believe I will now be able to shop the way my heart desires. I am going to try to go for a 100/month on food starting in September. My goal is to buy fresh as much as possible and not to go overboard on things like Lara Bars.

You know what is weird. I just think to myself that all the conventional and SAD food should be more expensive than organic. Organic is less trouble, more beneficial to our health -which helps in preventative care. The SAD food has to be processed with chemicals, dyes and all the other junk.