Why is it that me and my boyfriend spend $100 a week at the grocery store and never have anything to eat?

Question

How much do you spend at the grocery store a month? I dont know if I have a problem and just dont know what to get. Every week we get stuff to make sandwiches, soup, and bag salad, and its always $100. We hardly ever get meat or anything to make a meal. It wouldnt be so bad if we were eating good. To top it off we arent even losing weight.

Answer 1

First of all, you can cut down on alot of the bill by avoiding heat and serve, all in one box, and snack foods. Get a couple of cookbooks with recipes that you like and make more stuff from scratch. This may take more time to prepare and time to get used to cooking, but it can be alot of fun, especialy if the two of you can work togeather to prepare meals.

This doesn't mean you can't have these kinds of food, but set aside a small amount of your grocery budget for these (like $20) so that they don't become the bulk of the cost.

Second, there are many things that can be kept for more then a week, such as flour, past, canned goods, and anything that you can freeze (such as meat). Often these things will be cheaper if you buy them in larger quanities (such as family pack/size meats) or buy them when they are on sale (such as canned goods).

Also, decide on some basic food stuffs that you will use alot of and that are versitile, such as flour, sugar, eggs, pasta, milk, tomato sause, ground beef, etc. These are usualy cheaper and can be used to make a wide variety of foods. So, these should be the first things on your shopping list (assuming that you are low on them). Then you can choose things that you don't always use such as various fresh vegies, different cuts of meat, etc. If your budget is going over, you can cut the latter section down and still have the stuff to make some great meals.

Answer 2

My husband & I are going thru the same thing! It seems like we buy healthy stuff and then never have anything to eat. I think it's because the people who produce the food understand that many people are willing to pay more to continue eating healthy, rather than eating pizza rolls and ramen all the time. For example - a 20 oz bottle of soda is way cheaper than the same size bottle of fruit juice.
Pay attention to how much you are paying per oz/lb. The bigger jar of peanut butter may be $2.00 more, but you're actually paying 10 cents less per oz b/c you're buying in bulk. Also clip coupons - you can get a lot of two for one deals, and some grocery stores will honor other companies coupons. Some stores will have specials like 10 for $10 - and although buying 10 cans of soup at once may seem like alot for two people, you'll be saving in the long run.
You can also try making dishes like lasagne & casseroles that you can freeze the leftovers, and use again later. I find that alot of our leftovers were going to waste. Buy a big bag of chicken breasts, and cook chicken & pasta once a week - you'll notice a difference in a few weeks!

Answer 3

I believe we spend about $100.-125. a week, but that is for a family of seven. You can get a bread machine and make your own bread, use recipes ,not a premixed box. Cut out all junk food. Deli meat is not cheap either. Try bent can stores, I got 2 or 3 grocery baskets of food , compared with 1 from walmart for the same price.
Also make a list through the week of needs, when you get almost out of something, write it down. try to buy just what is on
the list. Plan what you want to cook the following week and make sure you have all ingredients, put on list what you don't have. If you plan your meals, you can buy just what you plan to cook and not stuff you don't really need.

Answer 4

Groceries are so expensive! Here are some of the things I do to save money on food:

Look for sales and always make a list. I read the sale ads, make a menu based on what's on sale (and what's in the freezer). Once I've planned what we're going to eat for the entire week, I make a shopping list based on that. When I shop, I rarely buy anything that's not on my list.

I stock up on non-perishables (canned foods, paper products) and snacks (chips, cookies) when they're on sale. I hardly ever buy anything that's not on sale! Even if you don't have a lot of storage space, you can stock up on some items when they're on sale: I kept a pantry when I lived in a tiny apartment.

We don't eat a lot of prepared foods. I use my crockpot to make roasts, chili, or spaghetti sauce. I make most meals from scratch. (Check out Robin Miller or Rachael Ray on the Food Network for some quick dinner ideas.)

Don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry. The times that I buy something that's not on my list ... that's usually when I've skipped lunch and I'm shopping on an empty stomach. Packaged snacks and other junk foods look SO good then!

Answer 5

We used to have the same problem. Make a list of what you want to prepare every day, and buy all the ingredients. Also, start the list at the beginning of the week, and add products you've run out of to it. That way you'll easily be able to spend 100-150 and always have enough food. Good luck!
Hint: Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry!

Answer 6

My boyfriend and I spend a ridiculous amount of money at the grocery store every time we go and we don't ever have anything to show for it. I can't explain it. It's like we only buy crap that we want, nothing substancial to make a meal with. Soups are really practical and cheap, but we get tired of eating them...so we spent a fortune stocking up and now they're just sitting there. I know I buy lots of chocolate and fruit that I eat constantly, so it disappears pretty quickly. He eats Cheez-its and cookies. Food is just expensive, so when you feel like you're not getting very much for your money, it's because you AREN'T.

Answer 7

You are buying convenience foods.
You need to start a small pantry on a shelf add spaghetti sauce, pastas, tuna, canned fruit and veggies, soups, Bisquick or Krustez baking mix, cake mixes and frosting. Freezer should contain some single meals, some frozen veggies and some fruit with a container of cool whip. Frig .. milk and eggs.
That should give you several meals so you don't have to go to the store every day. Re supply weekly or monthly depending on how often you eat at home.

Answer 8

You should always make a list before you go, that way you get what you came for and you don't get a bunch of impulse stuff like cookies, crackers, ice cream, cheez whiz etc.

I like to get large quantities of frozen fish and chicken. They can be thawed and cooked pretty quickly and served with rice or pasta for a healthy meal. If you spend $20 on ten servings of fish, for example, $3 on a bag of rice or $10 on ten servings of pasta along with $20 for five meals worth of sauce. Add a couple bucks for veggies and bread, and you have an awesome meal that costs about $6 for two people.

Discount grocers like Food 4 Less can shave 20% off your bill, and Warehouse Stores like CostCo are good if you have the will power to avoid buying 120 granola bars for example.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

My answer is so cool! Do what I did, save about $150.00-$200.00 and order 1/4 or whats called a quarter of beef from a local butcher shop. You can gets roasts and gr. beef etc in meat package orders they offer.Next, buy frozen and fresh veggies, whatever is in season and potatoes by the 10LB bag, sock up when things are on sale. Kind of stock up as you go, buy also for the NEXT week or two. A small apt. size freezer , they are cheap and worth the small investment. Perhaps make up a wkly. menu when u get Ur larder inventory up, and stick with it. And, don't consider shampoo and hair care etc...as part of Ur food budget. If you 2 aren't picky eaters, make stuff in bulk as a big pot of stew,chillies,soup,,,,etc...and eat them the 2nd. or 3rd. day...they are still ok...any food 2-3 days in the fridge should be fine.

Answer 10

I have a husband and two kids (ages 3 years and 20 months, both boys) and I spend between $300 and $350 every two weeks, plus about $25 per week on those in-between trips to pick up last minute things, etc. We always have food, but unfortunately it's nothing I want to eat--it's all kid-friendly stuff, LOL.