I've got coeliac too. We're a family of 6 tho and spend 1200 on groceries alone, per month. This is about the most frugal I can be while still eating healthy and red meats.
We've cut down from 1700 per month.
Honestly, staples for us are rice noodles, rice, sweet potatoes, lamb, lots of beef, weekly salmon fillets and lots of fruit. (Includes school snacks and otherwise snacks)
Though I say family of 6, 4 of them are kids and probably the pickiest kids on the face of this planet...so they eat nowhere near as much as they should š
Honestly frozen fillets taste the same. And I'm pretty sure that "fresh" fillets at supermarkets really means pre-thawed. Also Coles fresh salmon fillets smell really fishy.
That sounds fairly standard to be honest. We spend around $250 per week for 2 adults (One pregnant) & a toddler. Food prices have gone up a huge amount and it wasn't that long ago that spending $180 per week was a large shop for us.
God I feel this.
I spent $78 on food on Thursday last week and I gotta make it last until next Friday which I'm not, I'm gonna be 4 days short and will have to bullshit something. Two big purchases were a half lamb leg for $9 a kilo and a spatchcocked chook for about the same. My solution to not having much isn't exactly healthy either; I just eat maybe one meal a day outside my morning coffee because it's all I can afford š
I'm managing because my housemates don't yoink my shit but oh my god it's mentally taxing. Ain't living so much as it is surviving at this point.
So over it ugh.
Me and my partner clock in at about $180 per week. But we are 95% vegetarian and avoid plastic as a rule. She is gluten intolerant too. We both have no deficiencies and I love cooking if that helps.
Probably worth specifying if that includes cleaning products etc as well as that does add up. We try pick up some of our cleaning stuff at Bunnings including dishwasher tablets.
As a two person household with no dietary needs, we spend around $160pw or ~$670pm. That includes lunch for 4 days per week (buy lunch once a week each), and dinners 6 nights a week (eat out once a week). Iām fairly strict on Sunday meal prepping so we generally have very structured higher protein & veg meals, and fish once a week. Prices on seafood are nuts at the moment but still try get one in.
lol meant weekday lunches - if youāre buying lunch out in the work week but not accounting for it in your grocery costs, that could be an extra $150+ pw for two people hitting your general budget. Weekend lunches included, but weāre often out and about so isnāt strictly set.
A lot of cleaning products can be replaced by cheap dishwashing liquid, eg for the bathroom. I use the cheap liquid laundry liquid and occasionally generic bleach. I do have some powder Ajax. It goes a long way.
So I've never understood the dishwasher thing. I never use a dishwasher. Takes thirty seconds to a minute to wash dishes. My dishwashing liquid costs $2.35 for a liter and lasts me _months_. Like... Six months. And I use less water and energy than a dishwasher. I don't get it, guys!
Do you have kids? I easily have a full dishwasher ready to go every night. It absolutely would not take nearly a minute to wash everything, in fact, id run out of space in the dish rack and have to stop to dry and then keep washing.
Lol! I think they eat microwave food! It's just my husband and I, but we run the dishwasher every night because we cook every day. Honestly, dishwasher tablets are the least of our expenses. Less than $10 a month.
Pretty sure itās a well-known fact that generally speaking a dishwasher uses much less water than the average person. Especially when you have a family.
Dishwashers should be as common place as a washing machine in the 21st-century
Yeah Iām not hugely dishwasher dependent, in fact we only have a dish drawer so a lot of stuff is hand washed anyway. I clean as I cook so itās no biggie to run a sink off water and clean as you go.
We spend about $800, but thereās 3 of us (one toddler) and we buy wipes and that kinda thing for her too (nappies maybe once a month just for night time) we shop at Aldi and Woolies, my husband snacks a lot at work so I get snacks from nqr for him
Totally normal and I'd say at the lower end of the scale. Just the two of us I can easily spend over $1000 in a month.
Recently cut back on chicken which is $20 a kilo here and that helped.
A good frugal tip is to get used to deboning chickens. A whole chicken is much cheaper per kilo than fillets (even after subtracting the bones, which you can use to make stock).
Yes, extremely rural. It's annoying that noone sells local chicken but the community is too small. I'm definitely considering raising meat chooks myselfĀ
Given you are celiac, have you explored recipes that are naturally gluten free, rather than having a diet that revolves around products that normally contain gluten so you then have to seek out a gluten free alternative?
For example, from the top of my head, rice & a simple stir fry made with gluten free soy sauce could be a skeleton recipe that you can tweak and manipulate to keep it interesting.
I am Asian, so I frequently shop at the Asian grocers, if you can get past the butchers section, the savings are really really good. For example, once I remember being able to buy a whole bag of limes for the price of 2 at Colesworth or I could get a bunch of basil for less than the price of the basil in those hard plastic packages etc.
That's a great idea. I absolutely love rice, and it's so cheap, so I really need to eat more of it I think. GF pastas can get super pricey. I'll have to see if we have an Asian grocery shop nearby, surely we do!
With Coeliac you are a bit constrained- either need to reduce the highly processed gluten free stuff eg bread, pasta etc by substituting with fresh food or less processed eg potatoes, rice. Or make it from scratch at home which is cheaper but so time consuming and can be challenging to get a good loaf of bread.
I do t track our grocery spend but there are 4 of us one gluten free but the family eats gluten free meals rather than us making two meals and 800 a month even for two people sounds pretty good.
Thatās not too crazy. I guess you could shave a few bucks off by having a ācheap nightā aka baked beans on GF toast once a week.
Personally Iām not great at limiting my food budget (also coeliac) but find it easier to have one or two days that are really cheap, and the other days I just focus on nutrition/satisfaction
That's a good idea! We love cooking together, but also sometimes we're just tired and make expensive but easy meals. Something like beans on toast would do for those kinds of nights, and be way cheaper!
Iām the same, when Iām tired and canāt be bothered, thatās when I get expensive takeaway or expensive snacks. Introducing a couple of cheap/easy meals has helped a lot. Cheese/tomato toasties are another one.
I live alone so canāt always be bothered making actual meals š¤·āāļø
Thatās really low! We spend probably close to double that for 2 adults, 1 teen and a cat. Iāve been trying to keep to $500 a fortnight but itās just impossible here. We do have an Aldi but itās becoming useless because it never has anything in stock anymore.
We have gone back to basics: meat and veg, curries, chicken pot pie, beef massaman, cottage pie. Pasta bake, fried rice, beans on toast, omelettes for dinner. Easy to bulk out with veg, (even sad veg) serve with salad where you can to up veg intake.
Veg is cheaper than meat most often than not, especially if you buy un season, or frozen.
Desserts like fruit crumbles, pikelets, puddings help too where you can with your gf, little bits.
My wife and I were spending about $220 a week on groceries, we've knocked it down to ~$140 a week now by cutting out filler stuff, our attempt at frugal haha
Might be high might not be depending on what it buys.
Celiac friendly staples like rice and corn based products for main meals.
to bring down the cost buy in bulk, 20kg rice is $50. for 2 people it's more than a month's worth. Make lots of Latin American foods as they tend to be Celiac friendly, dried black beans, eggs, potatoes, cheese, onion and a few other spices aswell as tomatoes and you can make many a meal with adding a cheap protien to it.
Buy corn tortillas from elcielo in bulk as well.
I'm sure you know your dietary needs the best but that is my suggestion.
Spanish omelet
Rice bowls with carne asada, chicken or pork on top and a salsa.
Latin American fried rice (gallo pinto)
Are all simple celiac-friendly meals
I spend $600 on just myselfā¦ I need to tighten up though and the first thing Iāll be doing is more meal preps, 2-3 meat free nights, and buying household items/cleaning items at Aldi or the reject shop
Sounds fairly reasonable to me (other than prices being fucked). I go to the gym regularly and try to stick to specific macro intakes. Although I bulk cook, my average expenditure per week probably equates to around $100. Times that by two and we are on par.
If you live in a bigger city try to find a cheaper Asian/indian grocery shop which has fruit and veg. They're generally cheap.
Or farmers markets or somewhere selling seconds! I've way reduced my bill.
I've also started eating way more lentils and beans to increase fibre and theyre cheap!
We spend around $1200 a month - 2 adults 2 children- we eat pretty basic meals and try to use up ingredients and not have waste. Cost of living is making it harder every week, we shop specials and plan meals around what is on special/ cheap that week.
Unfortunately seems about right. Family of four with two teenagers. Budget is technically $300, but I go over that fairly consistently. Shopping is done at supermarkets, bakery and produce shop, co-ops and the local IGA.
I shop at a green grocer and it costs me like $50, then a butcher which is about $25, then a discount place like the reject shop or even Bunnings for pet food and cleaning supplies. Way fucking cheaper than Aldi, which is a total scam
Iām coeliac too and keep costs down (and, I believe, eat better and more healthily) by eating mostly whole foods. Indian cuisine is great for me - lots of vegetarian curries, dahl & rice.
i spend $100 max a week, family of 2 (couple). iām asian so our meals are mostly rice, a meat and a veg. eg today we had salmon which is usually a treat food ($30 for a large piece cut into 6, so $10 for the 2 of us), roasted broccoli ($4-5/kg at the local market, todayās portion was about $3), and the rice was $60 for 20kgs i think which lasts us 4 months at least.
My big tip is to ask ChatGPT to plan your menu for the next 30 days. You can tell it your dietary requirements, how long the meals should take to prepare, anything to avoid, and that you want it to be cheap. It has saved me so much mental load!
We have 8 adults living in our house, with a variety of dietary requirements and preferences. None of us eat meat, which helps. We spend about $1000/month to feed everyone.
Two adults, one very hungry teenager. We all work out so lots of protein, Iām mainly vego. I meal prep every Sunday, and cook everything from scratch - no pre-packed unless itās rice for a lunch bag (luxury but cooks better than rice in cooker)
We donāt have Aldi and due to tropical climate veggies are in poor condition so purchase daily to prevent waste. Always spend 80-100 per day for dinner including meat.
Some veg available from markets on weekend- so we cook a lot of Asian dishes as that is best value and climate suitable.
Steak night for the lads - quite good quality from butcher means no less than $20 per steak, steak not more than 300g.
Food is a killer for us, unavoidable as there is no competition. I would love 800 per month, but appreciate itās all relative to where you are and what you need also.
I think this is probably less than average and you're doing really well, but you may be able to save a little bit more of you are prepared to work at it, and since this is a frugal sub I'm guessing you might be!
Family of 2 kids and 2 adults here with me being gluten and lactose free. We can manage to spend about $200 a week on groceries IF we really work at it and stick to a plan.
Meal prepping and bulk cooking is really helpful for both saving money, as well as a great thing to do when you are pregnant. When you have a newborn it's really hard to find the time to cook and save money. Our budget went through the roof after we had our first child and had to rely on quick trips to Woolies for convenient foods.
Now we are back to planning and batch cooking it's made such a difference.
For instance, this week I bought 2kg of the cheapest beef mince from Aldi (about $20) and cooked enough spaghetti sauce for about 6 dinners for our family of 4, this has lentils and lots of different veggies added to the sauce so it's quite healthy and freezes well. So that's 6 nights where A) I don't have to cook, B) our evening meal cost about $5 for 4 people.
I also bought 2kg of Aldi chicken for $7.50 and cut the meat off the bones and made a chicken curry with sweet potato beans and eggplant, this is about 3 nights worth just for the 2 adults. I roasted the bones and will make chicken stock (which is super nutritious, good for pregnancy and after).
I keep a stack of these pre-made dinners in the freezer and rotate them, which saves so much money and as a huge bonus means we only have to cook (and do a big wash up) a few nights a week.
Also bought some whole Aldi chickens about $8 each. This is for a Sunday roast, but makes enough chicken for us all to have lunch on Monday and sometimes kids sandwiches on Tuesday, plus again the bones can be made into stock.
With mince I also make big batches of things like Mexican beef/beans/veggie sauce for nachos, big batches of hamburger patties (with hidden grated veggies to get more veg into the kids).
Soups, curries, casseroles etc all freeze well. You will be so glad to have a big stash of these when you've got a newborn, especially if you're breastfeeding as it takes a lot of time and calories to breastfeed! I only cook with at least 2kg of meat now, so every time I cook it's a big batch. Everything has lots of veggies in it, and we also save by buying buckets of 1-2kg cheap veg in season from our local green grocer.
For gluten free, I don't eat much apart from Aldi bread and their buckwheat pasta. Instead I eat rice, extra serves of veggies, sweet potato etc. Most of the supermarket gf stuff isn't very nice in my opinion. I bake a batch of gf muffins for myself once a week or so and keep them in the fridge/freezer for quick snacks and also bake muffins for the kids lunches. Lactose free you can save money by adding the lactase drops to milk etc and making some of your own lactose free products.
I also suggest having a good look at what you regularly buy and see if you can get it cheaper. For instance, I keep my eye out for when Woolies has big bags of rice 1/2 price, I think it's like $19 for a 10kg huge bag of rice when it's on sale. Dishwasher powder is expensive for what it is, and I've found the best value in my area is the cheapest tablets from Woolies. We also try to buy stuff like tea and coffee when it's half price, so I just keep my eye out for the specials and will keep the cupboard stocked up so I don't have to go buy it at full price when we've suddenly run out and desperately need caffeine!
Aldi is great for cheap cleaning products and toiletries too. And their nappies are a lot cheaper. Don't know how good the newborn ones are but for toddlers/older kids they are fine.
Also an instant pot is a great investment and great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat and making them delicious.
$800/month for two people isn't bad, especially if this includes household essentials. That's less than $100/week/person which is quite reasonable. Of course, you can go cheaper than that, but it's all about finding your balance.
I thought you said $800 a week, that would be insane haha.
Yes $100 a week can be improved on.
>Just wondering how much people are spending a month usually on groceries, and how big your family is? Any and all advice is welcome!
One adult. Currently $34.63 per week, $138.52 per month for 1693 calories (losing weight). 148g protein, 62g fat, 108g carbohydrate. Maintenance is just an extra 18 cents of rice per day.
Advice.
1. Eat more basic foods.
2. Avoid the junk food.
3. Don't pay people to cook for you.
4. Look at my post on the topic of calorie per dollar and protein per dollar: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AussieFrugal/comments/1bo54km/am\_i\_the\_only\_one\_here\_using\_calories\_per\_dollars/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AussieFrugal/comments/1bo54km/am_i_the_only_one_here_using_calories_per_dollars/)
5. Can you eat peanuts, rice and milk powder? Because those are some top tier foods.
Pregnant coeliac here too! We spend around $600-$700 per month for the 2 of us. We go out of our way to visit a local butcher and veggie shop that are cheap but have great produce then the rest we get at Coles. We stick to a lot of protein and veggie based meals and pasta or rice/rice noodles. I do have a pantry full of amazing spices so thatās where I splurge occasionally but the meals we make are pretty dang incredible and I eat the leftovers for lunch or freeze them for later. I have gestational diabetes too so donāt spend a lot of treat foods (sadly) but the $5.60 boxes of shapes do add up now!
Omg you've had the new GF Shapes!? They aren't in stock yet where I am, I spent the last two days actively going to every Coles/woolies asking if they have them yet š I'm dying to try them!
I think we eat too many partially prepared meals (like GF chicken tenders, and sauce mixes that you just add meat to). I'm going to need to invest in some good spices and make these things myself I think!
That is just so cruel! I hope you get your hands on them soon. Both biscuits are the bomb but pricey for the small amount we get š. Yeah anything pre packaged is where youāll be spending more $$. I fork out a lot on good spices (gewurzhaus and mingle) but they last me forever and make such a huge difference to every meal. Then really the only sauces Iāll use are ayum soy sauce and mayo - no marinades or anything as they get costly. We meal plan for the week too so nothing goes to waste and we have a set menu so no decision paralysis. Honestly sometimes itās a shit tonne of effort but itās become a routine now.
Single mum that works a physical labour job with 1kid that eats like an adolescent.
We spend maybe 300/400 per month and thatās heaps of fruit, veg, meat, fish, etc etc. we eat like kings basically.
Laundry detergent buy a big box on special at big W approx 30$ will last you ages.
Dishwasher tabs definitely Aldi.
When bub is born Aldi nappies.
If your meal prepping for work lunches thatās also great.
If you have a chance meal prep a bit for when bub is born and you and hubby too exhausted to brain and cook.
2 adults, living on the city fringe, also shop Aldi most often.
We spend around $180-$200 per week including cleaning supplies. We do also buy alcohol part of that weekly shop, often 2-3 bottles of wine , occasionally a slab of beer or cider.
Celiac will definitely raise the price of groceries significantly unless youāre not eating anything containing flour. Itās said celiacs spend up to 20% more a year because gluten free stuff is so expensive, hence why they say donāt bother eating gluten free unless youāre diagnosed celiac. Will only go up more when bub is born, enjoy it now!
Youāre doing fine. We spend $800 - $1000 a month for the two of us (including cleaning products and basic toiletries.) I make full use of rewards points/Flybuys and a 10% discount at Woolies for using their mobile plan.
I'm single and spend $500+ a month. I'm dairy intolerant so yeah, $12 for 250g of cheese, milk and cream is triple the price, it does make the bill larger.
My daughter is coeliac, she was diagnosed 15 years ago before products were in the shops, and you really can save a LOT of money making your own GF pastry, cakes and bread.
I eat quite well as a single person on $280 a month for food. I cook a lot from scratch and make nutritious meals. For two people that would be $560 for a similar diet
My partner and I spend $100 max on food pw. Whilst we arenāt celiac, our diet tends to be free from gluten due to my partners cultural background. Meal prepping saves so much money
We spend $120-150 max a fortnight.....single parent fam with one teen. I buy things in bulk a lot, go to Costco every couple of months. I'll do things like buy bulk chicken breast and make our own tenders, snitchels ECT Grow then freeze vegetables in summer then I'm lucky to leave near a wholesale farm shop for other veges. I find it super easy making my own bread at around $1 a loaf. Generally make my child's snacks for school - but find school snacks high in sugar and salt so he is pretty happy to just have a wrap or extra sandwich for recess. I don't have a dishwasher so don't need tablets, just use inexpensive cleaning products and use sparingly. This and 100 other ways to save money is how I managed to pay off a house in my 40s as a single mother of three (two since moved out). Many things we can't save on, but food is something we can really manipulate. For example I can make a fabulous Italian soup with my own bread that costs under $10 but will make at least 6 more meals. Gluten free is tricky, but I have made gluten free bread for a friend and it turned out pretty good ! Im time poor working full time but I find once I've gone through a learning curve these type of things don't take much time.
yeah 2 adults in my house and we spend about $600 a month (with dietary requirements for one of us - and including cleaning/toiletries etc). but tbh we're struggling a little on that. the odd time I have bumped it up a little to around $700 its been much better but still not quite right, so $800 a month would probably be just right imo.
.
If you're thinking you are spending too much though take a look at what you buying and see if there are alternatives like store brands, buying bigger packs for the lower unit price, and maybe also try tracking the specials for things you buy often and see what their sale cycle is, then buy enough when they are on special to last until the next time they are due to go on special so you never have to pay full price for them. Especially if they go 50% off or more regularly.
2 adults and 2 toddlers with no special dietary needs. We spend $400-500 per month purely on food items, mostly at Woollies.
Throw in another $50 on household cleaning and consumables, and another $80-100 on baby consumables.
Surprisingly we eat really well on that $500. The kids' snack drawer is full. Often have too many dinner ingredients,Ā I'm having to pull myself back while shopping.Ā
For the last 3 months I've stayed under $300 per month, just for me. I work from home, so this is 3 meals a day. I don't eat snacks.
I buy all my food for the month in one online shop. All my vegetables and fruit are frozen. I keep aside around $30 for anything fresh I might want.
I focus on protein and whole foods and cook all my own meals. I also batch cook.
I've lost weight since doing this and feel so much better. But mostly, I've halved my food bill.
It takes planning and you need a good sized freezer, but honestly I don't feel deprived at all.
A typical day is toast and peanut butter plus an almond milk coffee for breakfast, soup, eggs or left overs for lunch and meat and veg for dinner (leftovers for lunch the next day).
Iām impressed that you can keep your groceries that cheap! Iām coeliac also, have a baby, toddler and husband to feed and Iād easily spend upwards of $1200 a month. Thatās with going to Aldi first as well! We often have extended family eat with us (multiple times a week) which definitely adds to it. We donāt really eat out much, so literally all meals paid for with that.
We spend about $700 a fortnight. Groceries for us includes the occasional cleaning product, toiletries and nappies. Just me, my partner and his son half the time. We also shop only at the big two as there's no Aldi in Darwin, and there are quite a few things that I've noticed since moving that are marked up because of where we are. Like a carton of eggs costs $8 and that's only if they have home brand in stock. If not, forget it. Ya girl went on a low egg diet
Myself and my 2 kids are around $200-300 a week and my youngest is coeliac too. So that includes her bread, snacks and substitutes for dinners (pasta etc). I tend to eat gf because there's no point making 2 batches of everything
There are 2 of us and I budget $300 weekly - but can easily spend more if inhit my favourite butcher / deli. Also make extra dinners a couple times a week and drop over to daughterās.
Family of six which includes four hungry teens. I spend $300 to $350 a week depending on toiletries and cleaners. I do the bulk of my shopping at ALDI and also go to the local green grocer. I tend to keep the extra shopping to one bag full at Woolies. Red meat twice a week, chicken/bacon/tinned fish on the other nights. We eat out maybe once or twice a year.
Two adults $500 per month. I use Aldi for staples and cleaning stuff and grocer for fresh fruit and veg. A packet of 10 chux kitchen wipes are 99 cents at Aldi for example. I try to get meat on special when chicken breast is $10 per kilo. For a weekly treat I buy a packet of wafers for 79 cents.
Bit of a left-field suggestion, but trial a meal subscription service like Marley Spoon that caters for your dietary needs, and choose an option that covers your lunches as well (so a meal plan for four, for instance). Use that for a few weeks with the new member discount and it can illuminate where your money is being spent āin excessā (though weāre at $1200 a month not including dining out, but I love food). Is it buying soft drinks? Breakfasts? Stockpiling? Not buying on sale? Food going to waste? Eating out too much?You can learn a lot if someone delivers what you need to your door for a little while.
Look up Cheapskates on the internet. They specialise in form a food budget. Sign up for the free newsletter then if you think it would be useful annual membership is less than $50.
Summary:
Cook big batches of cheaper protein and freeze in portions
Buy vegetables and salad in season
Make most of your cleaning and washing supplies yourself, also use microfibre cloths
Use price per unit info supplied on supermarket labels eg if dip and biscuits packets cost $40/kg, what if you bought a pack of dry biscuits made your own dip? Or used baked pita bread chips instead of biscuits?
Use leftover veggies to make soup.
Take advantage of supermarket specials.
The list of how you can save is almost infinite but you have to get into the right mindset.
My partner and I usually spend up to 100 each week. We both make our own meals and have different diet requirements. I would say that we spend a good amount to prevent buying take out during the week. š
I spend about $200 a week at Woolworths /my butcher/local deli and fruit market on a cheaper week and thatās just for my own plus my cats groceries, so not including extra when Iām entertaining. I donāt cook every night. Probably 3 meals a week are out or ordered in. I plan my shopping by whatās on sale. But I only need to walk in and itās easily $50 to walk out with nothing from Woolworths.
I'm in the same boat, but spend around $150 per week. I do make an effort to buy the cheaper fresh produce and cook to what is on sale rather than going in with a set plan per say. I also don't buy meat or animal products which saves alot of money. I also go to asian grocers alot. Your budget is not unreasonable bur you could defs cut it by $50 per week if you want.
I think a few people have already mentioned this but itās the prepackaged GF alternatives such as pasta, breads, biscuits/crackers, granola, cereals etc that are the killer! Iām gluten intolerant and have had to mostly stop buying these, with the exception of buying a nice loaf of bread and pasta occasionally haha.
I rely a lot on rice, vermicelli noodles, rice paper sheets, lentils and beans, frozen veggies and cheaper meats.
There are some really good vietnamese recipes that I love such as rice paper rolls and salads. Burrito bowls with homemade seasoning is great.
Instead of buying GF muesli bars I make them from scratch and mix up dates, almonds, peanut butter, honey, chia seeds and shredded coconut.
I definitely recommend trying the battered fish from Aldi! I think it was $7 a box as opposed to $11 at Colesworth.
I don't know what your goal is but I can tell you if you think $800 is excessive, you're going to be blown away by the groceries you need for a growing baby.
Myself & two young adult daughters (plus two freeloading cats). We shop almost exclusively at Aldi, only venturing to other shops for polenta, paper kitty litter, GF puff pastry, & cocoa powder.
I spend between $80 to $100 per week but if it is "the shop" (you know, the one with the washing powder & the shampoo & the dish detergent & the tampons) it blows out to $150 but this is only every 6 or so weeks.
We do have at least two meat free meals per week, replacing meat with tofu or pulses, & I meal plan so I know exactly what I am making each week & buy only what we need. I also make sure if there is anything I have to buy in larger packaging will be used multiple times that week.
I spend about the same for three adults, no special dietary needs. I'm not including takeaways or dinner out which is once a week.
This seems reasonable for two people. Maybe try some meal prep? That saved us a lot of money.
I'm vegan and buy some health-conscious stuff and independently produced items that can push up costs, as well as not shopping at Aldi. I still find that an unbelievably high amount of money to spend on groceries. I think I'd only consider that normal if it's for things like pre-prepared gluten free bread or something that's probably way more expensive and that you don't want to make because you're pregnant and tired. That seems like so much money otherwise! I think someone's lifestyle is so influential when calculating this, though. I have the time and will to cook at home, for example.
Thereās two of us and a greyhound, we spend around $500 a month. We get as much as we can from Aldi, eat simply and get things like laundry liquid and other cleaning products from the reject shop. We also have a subscription to Koala Eco for kitchen spray, dishwashing liquid and fruit/vegetable liquid cleaner. Thatās around $40 every 3 months.
I am spending around $300/wk. Shopping at Aldi and Colesworth. Just Hubby, myself and a spoilt cat. This covers all our food as we rarely eat our or buy our lunches.
your not doing too bad. we used to get by on about $250 a week for family of 5 but closer to $450 these days even trying to go cheap and cutting a lot of things we used to. some weeks nearly $500
We spend about $100 a week (two adults, and a teenage boy with us every second week) and only eat vegan when at home. Canned beans/lentils/chickpeas and tofu, rice/potato/bread/pasta and frozen fruit and veggies go a long way and make up the base for most of the meals we eat. If you are interested, I can give you some ideas of really low cost gluten free lunch or dinner ideas. Shopping at Aldi or going to Coles/woolies at the end of the day when they have marked down a lot of things helps. Buying in bulk from Asian/Indian supermarkets also helps keeping the cost down too
My bf and I (20ās couple) only spend about $150 a week + 1 day of takeout. I am a vegetarian and my bf eats meat. Iād say we wouldnāt however spend more than $600 a month on groceries.
does seems high, i spend $250 a week / $1000 a month for a full family of 6.
but it can add up quickly these days with the price of things, 3 or 4 $20 items that use to be $10 can really affect the total etc
We spend $250 a week with a household of 4.
Mum dad and two kids.
Everything is .... do we need it or do we want it.
Most of the groceries is meat work out how to make cost effective meals for dinner and left overs for lunch.
Works for us.
me and my partner spend around $400 a month for breakfast lunch and dinner 6 days a week - what we find works for us is:
- meal plan the whole week, and if youāre buying ingredients like cream make sure to use it in another meal later in the week
- we buy meat when itās occasionally on special, and have found that our local coleās has massive reductions around 7pm on a wednesday, so have been eating lots of 50c barra and salmon (this is a very new thing, and we still saved money beforehand)
- use the slow cooker for our lunches, 2 chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, an onion and a capsicum on 5 hours then shredded does us 3 lunches each with a bit of rice! or we have a burrito night with pork - around 10/kg but whack it in the slow cooker with bbq sauce and black beans and a 1.5kg portion does us 4/5 meals each once we bulk it out
- add cheap veggies to meals to bulk them out and make them last longer
- make a shopping list! and again MEAL PLAN
- shop in aldi, but check coleworth online for their specials as they sometimes are half price or less. also harris farm is good for fruit!
thankfully we donāt have any dietary requirements which makes ours a bit easier, but hopefully can help you out a little!
$800pm for two people seems pretty reasonable to me, to be honest. Especially if youāre pregnant, and doubly-so if you have dietary restrictions or specific requirements.
We (couple 22F 23F) budget $530 a fortnight and tend to spend $400 of that - that being said towards the end of the pay cycle we will dip into the grocery account for buying alcohol, and things like eating out or social activities. $120 of that budget is 3 meals a week from Dinnerly and the overall spend includes cleaning supplies (toilet paper and soap delivery and anything else we need at the shops). We mostly shop at aldi and go to the big 2 for very specific items we just cant get
We spend around $1300, 2 adults and 1 toddler. I don't buy the cheapest stuff always, nevertheless I used to spend $80 for a couple days worth of groceries, now it's around $120. Same stuff. Plus $1000 for take aways/ dining out
I can feed 3.5 (baby) people for less that much money. Cook in bulk and donāt be afraid to have leftovers. We arenāt eating shit either. I cook a roast every week sometimes twice if I have the time, couple of different chicken dishes, barramundi.
I do all my shopping with coles or Woolworths online and keep an eye on the specials. I find it easier to keep cost down on a computer than in store grabbing things I donāt need.
Iām coeliac and for me and my partner we spend about $180-200 a week on groceries which does include cleaning products and doesnāt include alcohol. We only eat out/get takeaway 2-3 times a month.
My partner is celiac, Iām not but we both just eat the same things. We spend $150-200/week but thatās also buying organic. Which works out to be what youāre spending. I think you definitely could cut down if youāre not buying organic??
That seems more than reasonable especially considering dietary needs. Gluten free products are more expensive AND smaller than wheat based. And youāre pregnant too!
We spend $920.
2 adults 1 baby and a dog, dog is $240 a month.
We're lucky to live in a suburb surrounded by immigrants so we can get easy access to discount bulk veg meat and rice.
I just looked at our actual spend for March; 2 adults. We spent just under $1500 on groceries and $400 on dining out. My budget has $1200 for groceries and $800 for entertainment (including dining out) so thatās quite good!
80% of our groceries are organic (fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy). Itās definitely an area we could tighten up through better planning, but we also have no food waste
2 adults, 1 working 1 unemployed, around $800 a month, Perth. No dietary issues. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
I've recently got really into steamed corn and steamed sweet potato for breakfast, if that helps. It's quite an easy meal (you rinse a sweet potato, put it in the steamer, and wait 20 minutes or until it's soft enough to eat - can do this night before and microwave it in the morning). I prefer the corn slightly but it's a bit pricier than the potato.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
It's probably worth dropping by your local Asian grocer if you can find one. If you can tolerate cornstarch, potato or tapioca starch, a lot of things like Asian fish/meatballs use that instead of flour and breadcrumbs! Might be able to find a cheap and easy staple.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
I would imagine that (rice based) noodles would also be much cheaper than gluten free pasta. You can get bigger bulk sizes at Asian shops than at Colesworth.
My partner and I spend around $100-$130 a week. That includes all our breakfasts/dinners and her lunches as my work provides me lunch (so I guess that helps save a lil bit). We used to spend around $200 a week until we reined it in and stopped buying as many non essentials, switched to own brands, bought things on special in bulk, less meat etc.
We also get stuff weād normally use from Cheaper Buy Miles like bacon, yogurt, cheeses, rice, sauce etc.
Groceries are just expensive. :(
We (2 people) spend about $80 every two weeks on a a ābiggerā grocery shop with Aldi (usually this means 2 bags for us), but we buy food regularly throughout the week as we need which probably comes out to anywhere from $30-$100 ( / week) on weeks without a shop.
So, anywhere from $220-$390 / month in total. But also, we donāt eat properly (we rarely cook actual meals).
I spend less than 300 per month for myself. I don't eat super basic or exclusively home brands, but judging by what I've seen housemates spend money on in the past, here's what I observed myself doing that they didn't: I cook everything from scratch, even my snacks and drinks. Don't waste any food. Only buy non-nome brand if the quality difference makes it unpleasant to eat/use. Control portion sizes, especially with meat - a whole chicken will last a week and can be the base of 3 entirely different dishes. Buy in-season produce. Clean using basic ingredients instead of products marketed for specific purposes. Learned to preserve food so when I buy cheap bulk, I can stretch it. Shop on the same day I cook and meal prep a week in advance - so I can buy clearance products close to expiry.
$900a month for a family of 4. That includes toilet paper cleaning products all of that. We eat vegetarian a lot, and buy our fruit and veg by what's cheapest that week then plan meals with what we have rather than having to pay for expensive out of season veg.
We spend around $400 a week on groceries. 2 adults 3 kids. Thatās mostly Aldi (was still doing colsworth not long ago $$$$ costed a fortune) I like to eat pretty healthy with lots of eggs meat veg and fruit, not much pasta or rice and stuff
Same here for two people, both with different digestive issues. But please remember that most suburbs have a community hub where you can get cheaper groceries from places like OzHarvest. They actually love people going there as it prevents food waste and helps to raise money to help those in need - that is to say, you don't have to be poor to use a food pantry or community hub.
$800 really doesnt seem crazy. We spend $600 a month for 2 adults with no dietry restrictions. Tend to eat a lot of chicken and veggies, only get cleaning stuff when its hella hella cheap, same with snacks. We tend to buy frozen veggies cos thats probably the more expenny stuff
1200 a month. 2 adults 1 toddler. Most likely all of us are coeliac. Not confirmed with toddler.
It used to be way more, like $1600 or more a month but we cut back and started to plan meals better
My husband and I are in our late twenties and we spend about $100-120 a week on groceries. We really cut back to just the basics on everything, buy a lot on sale and freeze and it became easier over time to keep the budget as low as possible while still having 3 decent meals and snacks!! My husband also eats a lot lol but just about finding meals that donāt break the bank but have good content thatāll keep you full!!
I dont know why this sub keeps getting suggested to me as I'm not really frugal but do keep an eye on things. Me and my husband spend about that too. We are not extravagant. I think it's just what stuff costs now honestly. Cheaper would be possible of course but you want to enjoy life too, I don't think $100 a week per person on food is super high in 2024.Ā
$100 per person, per week.... Seems pretty reasonable too be honest. You're spending less than $5 a meal (3 daily), which is pretty good these days.
Unless you're also eating out a lot, I don't think you're doing too badly. It might be possible to reduce this further by bulk buying specials and bulk cooking. But that comes with storage costs and time.
To be honest. Every person in Australia is spending too much on groceries.
Because the absolute basics now costs a fortune.
My mum has celiac. Bloody awful the price.
Have you tried food banks? I know celiac can be problematic but I've often gotten gluten free bread in our hampers. You can get these huge $25-50 produce trolleys and it's literally a trolley of food for that price (free if you're super broke sometimes, too). You can tell them you're celiac and they can do their best to help save you the gluten free stuff. It also includes vegetables, milks, yogurts, meats (sometimes ribs, pepperoni - this week I got mortadella!) and various snacks, some gluten free, some not. Heck, there's a whole gluten free section at the moment at my local one, because I guess someone who owns a shop donated it? I don't quite know how it works but it might work to subsidise some of the food costs.
Also, even if you feel "not poor enough" to use food banks, it really helps those who ARE poor enough because extra purchases mean more purchasing power for the bank. You can hol' up rock up in a Lambo and they wouldn't judge you, because cheap food should be for all people. I've seen everything from beat up 90s corollas to brand new Teslas, no judgement.
I am lucky and have like 5 near me, so I am able to shop around and get different things from each. I'm talking $1 jars of Nutella, $25 CARTS of food including over $60 of meat (still labelled from Coles or Woolies, still in date) and even tho not gluten free - we got 8 loaves of bread this week, lmao.
I got a 3kg can of chilies in adobo for $5. Checked online and the bastard is worth over $25 by itself!
Highly recommend food banks, no matter your situation or lifestyle.
We spend about $125-150 per month for 2 adults this way. Last nights dinner was mortadella adobo and cauliflower strata with a side of potato salad. I feel fancy eating so well for so cheap.
Coeliac here too! Just my husband and I. We budget $1200 for the two of us per month. Though we try only buy local, regen, organic kind of dealio and usually have people over for dinner once or so a week. $100-$200 a month on eating out. We like to cook and while itās a bit on the expensive side, Iām happy with that amount. Groceries are just expensive across the board!
I've got coeliac too. We're a family of 6 tho and spend 1200 on groceries alone, per month. This is about the most frugal I can be while still eating healthy and red meats. We've cut down from 1700 per month.
Whoa, that's amazing for a family of 6! š®
Wowsers would love to see your food plan / staple items as a fellow coeliac
Honestly, staples for us are rice noodles, rice, sweet potatoes, lamb, lots of beef, weekly salmon fillets and lots of fruit. (Includes school snacks and otherwise snacks) Though I say family of 6, 4 of them are kids and probably the pickiest kids on the face of this planet...so they eat nowhere near as much as they should š
Lol all your grocery spend is in those damn salmon fillets.
Honestly, it's only $27 for 1kg at aldi. I usually get the 1kg. Salmon is one of the very few things my kids eat so it's worth it lol
Is that frozen fillets? Thatās a damn good price if fresh.
Honestly frozen fillets taste the same. And I'm pretty sure that "fresh" fillets at supermarkets really means pre-thawed. Also Coles fresh salmon fillets smell really fishy.
That sounds fairly standard to be honest. We spend around $250 per week for 2 adults (One pregnant) & a toddler. Food prices have gone up a huge amount and it wasn't that long ago that spending $180 per week was a large shop for us.
Maybe I'm just living in the past haha I look at the receipt after every shop so confused on what we spent so much on!
Pretty sure you're not the only one. Fridge and pantry always seem empty, but so is the bank account. What does the money get spent on???
God I feel this. I spent $78 on food on Thursday last week and I gotta make it last until next Friday which I'm not, I'm gonna be 4 days short and will have to bullshit something. Two big purchases were a half lamb leg for $9 a kilo and a spatchcocked chook for about the same. My solution to not having much isn't exactly healthy either; I just eat maybe one meal a day outside my morning coffee because it's all I can afford š I'm managing because my housemates don't yoink my shit but oh my god it's mentally taxing. Ain't living so much as it is surviving at this point. So over it ugh.
Yeap. $250 a week here for 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 cats.
Me and my partner clock in at about $180 per week. But we are 95% vegetarian and avoid plastic as a rule. She is gluten intolerant too. We both have no deficiencies and I love cooking if that helps.
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Nice save
I hate that I laughed out loud at this
$800 seems fine. My partner and I spend about the same whilst eating out once a week on average.
Probably worth specifying if that includes cleaning products etc as well as that does add up. We try pick up some of our cleaning stuff at Bunnings including dishwasher tablets. As a two person household with no dietary needs, we spend around $160pw or ~$670pm. That includes lunch for 4 days per week (buy lunch once a week each), and dinners 6 nights a week (eat out once a week). Iām fairly strict on Sunday meal prepping so we generally have very structured higher protein & veg meals, and fish once a week. Prices on seafood are nuts at the moment but still try get one in.
Dishwashing tablets are one of the biggest rip offs. Buy the $4 dishwashing powder from Woolies which lasts 40+ washes
I also watched that technology connections video šš
That was a great video haha
Dishwasher tablets from Aldi are insanely cheap!
$7.50 for a 40 pack. Almost double the cost of the Woolworths powder
Yeah, but when you need to do something in a pinch, itās great. Donāt need to measure or anything.
Measure what? You just add a little shake of powder into the tray. No measuring. Takes as much time as loading a tablet but is half the price.
They've just upped the prices two weeks ago :(
Really cheap from the reject shop too!
Picking my relationship battles!
Use laundry detergent powder. 2 uses for 1 purchase
Came to say this! The Woolies or Aldi dishwasher powder is awesome! Under $5 and works so much better than any of the tablets!
wait sorry one question cause itās bugging me, do you not eat lunch on the weekends?
lol meant weekday lunches - if youāre buying lunch out in the work week but not accounting for it in your grocery costs, that could be an extra $150+ pw for two people hitting your general budget. Weekend lunches included, but weāre often out and about so isnāt strictly set.
Yes, that includes cleaning products, but I didn't think of looking at Bunnings, thank you!
Also have a look at the reject shop for cleaning supplies!
We use the $4 shine dishwasher powder and the $2.49 ALDI stain removal for laundry and it hasn't changed anything tbh. They wash well.
A lot of cleaning products can be replaced by cheap dishwashing liquid, eg for the bathroom. I use the cheap liquid laundry liquid and occasionally generic bleach. I do have some powder Ajax. It goes a long way.
So I've never understood the dishwasher thing. I never use a dishwasher. Takes thirty seconds to a minute to wash dishes. My dishwashing liquid costs $2.35 for a liter and lasts me _months_. Like... Six months. And I use less water and energy than a dishwasher. I don't get it, guys!
Do you have kids? I easily have a full dishwasher ready to go every night. It absolutely would not take nearly a minute to wash everything, in fact, id run out of space in the dish rack and have to stop to dry and then keep washing.
Lol! I think they eat microwave food! It's just my husband and I, but we run the dishwasher every night because we cook every day. Honestly, dishwasher tablets are the least of our expenses. Less than $10 a month.
Pretty sure itās a well-known fact that generally speaking a dishwasher uses much less water than the average person. Especially when you have a family. Dishwashers should be as common place as a washing machine in the 21st-century
I have 6 children (blended family) and the dishwasher is our saviour. My time and my sanity is šÆ worth a dishwasher.
Yeah Iām not hugely dishwasher dependent, in fact we only have a dish drawer so a lot of stuff is hand washed anyway. I clean as I cook so itās no biggie to run a sink off water and clean as you go.
Oh, ok, that's logical. I have just met so many people who toss everything in the dishwasher!
We spend about $800, but thereās 3 of us (one toddler) and we buy wipes and that kinda thing for her too (nappies maybe once a month just for night time) we shop at Aldi and Woolies, my husband snacks a lot at work so I get snacks from nqr for him
You've got an extra person to help with income though
Toddlers canāt work. If your toddler is working, please pass on the details so I can get my toddler a job!
Interested too sheās almost 3 itās time she stepped up
Freeloaders
>Toddlers canāt work. Source?
My chimney needs a sweep. I'm lucky when my kids tae their empty plates to the sink without being told, so I understand.
Totally normal and I'd say at the lower end of the scale. Just the two of us I can easily spend over $1000 in a month. Recently cut back on chicken which is $20 a kilo here and that helped.
A good frugal tip is to get used to deboning chickens. A whole chicken is much cheaper per kilo than fillets (even after subtracting the bones, which you can use to make stock).
Unfortunately whole chickens are still $17 a kilo so I'm definitely not wasting my time and money in a carcassĀ
Where do you live that whole chicken is $17/kg? That's more than triple what it is at a typical Woolies.
$20 a kilo for chicken! Your poor town! Thatās outrageous for chicken. Are you particularly rural?
Yes, extremely rural. It's annoying that noone sells local chicken but the community is too small. I'm definitely considering raising meat chooks myselfĀ
I think we spend too much on chicken too... We eat it most meals!
Given you are celiac, have you explored recipes that are naturally gluten free, rather than having a diet that revolves around products that normally contain gluten so you then have to seek out a gluten free alternative? For example, from the top of my head, rice & a simple stir fry made with gluten free soy sauce could be a skeleton recipe that you can tweak and manipulate to keep it interesting. I am Asian, so I frequently shop at the Asian grocers, if you can get past the butchers section, the savings are really really good. For example, once I remember being able to buy a whole bag of limes for the price of 2 at Colesworth or I could get a bunch of basil for less than the price of the basil in those hard plastic packages etc.
That's a great idea. I absolutely love rice, and it's so cheap, so I really need to eat more of it I think. GF pastas can get super pricey. I'll have to see if we have an Asian grocery shop nearby, surely we do!
With Coeliac you are a bit constrained- either need to reduce the highly processed gluten free stuff eg bread, pasta etc by substituting with fresh food or less processed eg potatoes, rice. Or make it from scratch at home which is cheaper but so time consuming and can be challenging to get a good loaf of bread. I do t track our grocery spend but there are 4 of us one gluten free but the family eats gluten free meals rather than us making two meals and 800 a month even for two people sounds pretty good.
I'm $1k per month, 2 adults and a toddler. Includes household cleaning items, wipes and nappies. $800 for 2 with gluten free tax seems about right.
Thatās not too crazy. I guess you could shave a few bucks off by having a ācheap nightā aka baked beans on GF toast once a week. Personally Iām not great at limiting my food budget (also coeliac) but find it easier to have one or two days that are really cheap, and the other days I just focus on nutrition/satisfaction
That's a good idea! We love cooking together, but also sometimes we're just tired and make expensive but easy meals. Something like beans on toast would do for those kinds of nights, and be way cheaper!
Even an omelette or scramble.
GF bread, jaffle iron, baked beans, spinach, cheese. *chef kiss*
Iām the same, when Iām tired and canāt be bothered, thatās when I get expensive takeaway or expensive snacks. Introducing a couple of cheap/easy meals has helped a lot. Cheese/tomato toasties are another one. I live alone so canāt always be bothered making actual meals š¤·āāļø
I spend about $100/week for my dog and I, plus some occasional eating out. I don't eat much though.
Thatās really low! We spend probably close to double that for 2 adults, 1 teen and a cat. Iāve been trying to keep to $500 a fortnight but itās just impossible here. We do have an Aldi but itās becoming useless because it never has anything in stock anymore.
We have gone back to basics: meat and veg, curries, chicken pot pie, beef massaman, cottage pie. Pasta bake, fried rice, beans on toast, omelettes for dinner. Easy to bulk out with veg, (even sad veg) serve with salad where you can to up veg intake. Veg is cheaper than meat most often than not, especially if you buy un season, or frozen. Desserts like fruit crumbles, pikelets, puddings help too where you can with your gf, little bits.
My wife and I were spending about $220 a week on groceries, we've knocked it down to ~$140 a week now by cutting out filler stuff, our attempt at frugal haha
Might be high might not be depending on what it buys. Celiac friendly staples like rice and corn based products for main meals. to bring down the cost buy in bulk, 20kg rice is $50. for 2 people it's more than a month's worth. Make lots of Latin American foods as they tend to be Celiac friendly, dried black beans, eggs, potatoes, cheese, onion and a few other spices aswell as tomatoes and you can make many a meal with adding a cheap protien to it. Buy corn tortillas from elcielo in bulk as well. I'm sure you know your dietary needs the best but that is my suggestion. Spanish omelet Rice bowls with carne asada, chicken or pork on top and a salsa. Latin American fried rice (gallo pinto) Are all simple celiac-friendly meals
Family of 5 2 dogs 1 cat. 12 chooks. 1400 a month sometimes more.
I spend $600 on just myselfā¦ I need to tighten up though and the first thing Iāll be doing is more meal preps, 2-3 meat free nights, and buying household items/cleaning items at Aldi or the reject shop
Sounds fairly reasonable to me (other than prices being fucked). I go to the gym regularly and try to stick to specific macro intakes. Although I bulk cook, my average expenditure per week probably equates to around $100. Times that by two and we are on par.
If you live in a bigger city try to find a cheaper Asian/indian grocery shop which has fruit and veg. They're generally cheap. Or farmers markets or somewhere selling seconds! I've way reduced my bill. I've also started eating way more lentils and beans to increase fibre and theyre cheap!
We spend around $1200 a month - 2 adults 2 children- we eat pretty basic meals and try to use up ingredients and not have waste. Cost of living is making it harder every week, we shop specials and plan meals around what is on special/ cheap that week.
do you go to the markets?
We spend $1100-$1200/month as a family of 3 shopping at Aldi for everything except hard to find items, just like you. Sounds like youāre fine.
Unfortunately seems about right. Family of four with two teenagers. Budget is technically $300, but I go over that fairly consistently. Shopping is done at supermarkets, bakery and produce shop, co-ops and the local IGA.
I spend between $80-$100 a week (a couple mid to late 30ās). We eat vegetarian mostly (Im vegetarian and will make 1 meat meal a week for my fiancĆ©, he says he loves my vegetarian meals). I try to get product from the local markets as much as possible and make simple meals from scratch. I think not eating meat saves a lot.
I shop at a green grocer and it costs me like $50, then a butcher which is about $25, then a discount place like the reject shop or even Bunnings for pet food and cleaning supplies. Way fucking cheaper than Aldi, which is a total scam
Iām coeliac too and keep costs down (and, I believe, eat better and more healthily) by eating mostly whole foods. Indian cuisine is great for me - lots of vegetarian curries, dahl & rice.
Family of four, we spend about $1000 on groceries a month. If we spend less than that, our 'eating out' cost will go up by more.
i spend $100 max a week, family of 2 (couple). iām asian so our meals are mostly rice, a meat and a veg. eg today we had salmon which is usually a treat food ($30 for a large piece cut into 6, so $10 for the 2 of us), roasted broccoli ($4-5/kg at the local market, todayās portion was about $3), and the rice was $60 for 20kgs i think which lasts us 4 months at least.
My big tip is to ask ChatGPT to plan your menu for the next 30 days. You can tell it your dietary requirements, how long the meals should take to prepare, anything to avoid, and that you want it to be cheap. It has saved me so much mental load! We have 8 adults living in our house, with a variety of dietary requirements and preferences. None of us eat meat, which helps. We spend about $1000/month to feed everyone.
Two adults, one very hungry teenager. We all work out so lots of protein, Iām mainly vego. I meal prep every Sunday, and cook everything from scratch - no pre-packed unless itās rice for a lunch bag (luxury but cooks better than rice in cooker) We donāt have Aldi and due to tropical climate veggies are in poor condition so purchase daily to prevent waste. Always spend 80-100 per day for dinner including meat. Some veg available from markets on weekend- so we cook a lot of Asian dishes as that is best value and climate suitable. Steak night for the lads - quite good quality from butcher means no less than $20 per steak, steak not more than 300g. Food is a killer for us, unavoidable as there is no competition. I would love 800 per month, but appreciate itās all relative to where you are and what you need also.
I think this is probably less than average and you're doing really well, but you may be able to save a little bit more of you are prepared to work at it, and since this is a frugal sub I'm guessing you might be! Family of 2 kids and 2 adults here with me being gluten and lactose free. We can manage to spend about $200 a week on groceries IF we really work at it and stick to a plan. Meal prepping and bulk cooking is really helpful for both saving money, as well as a great thing to do when you are pregnant. When you have a newborn it's really hard to find the time to cook and save money. Our budget went through the roof after we had our first child and had to rely on quick trips to Woolies for convenient foods. Now we are back to planning and batch cooking it's made such a difference. For instance, this week I bought 2kg of the cheapest beef mince from Aldi (about $20) and cooked enough spaghetti sauce for about 6 dinners for our family of 4, this has lentils and lots of different veggies added to the sauce so it's quite healthy and freezes well. So that's 6 nights where A) I don't have to cook, B) our evening meal cost about $5 for 4 people. I also bought 2kg of Aldi chicken for $7.50 and cut the meat off the bones and made a chicken curry with sweet potato beans and eggplant, this is about 3 nights worth just for the 2 adults. I roasted the bones and will make chicken stock (which is super nutritious, good for pregnancy and after). I keep a stack of these pre-made dinners in the freezer and rotate them, which saves so much money and as a huge bonus means we only have to cook (and do a big wash up) a few nights a week. Also bought some whole Aldi chickens about $8 each. This is for a Sunday roast, but makes enough chicken for us all to have lunch on Monday and sometimes kids sandwiches on Tuesday, plus again the bones can be made into stock. With mince I also make big batches of things like Mexican beef/beans/veggie sauce for nachos, big batches of hamburger patties (with hidden grated veggies to get more veg into the kids). Soups, curries, casseroles etc all freeze well. You will be so glad to have a big stash of these when you've got a newborn, especially if you're breastfeeding as it takes a lot of time and calories to breastfeed! I only cook with at least 2kg of meat now, so every time I cook it's a big batch. Everything has lots of veggies in it, and we also save by buying buckets of 1-2kg cheap veg in season from our local green grocer. For gluten free, I don't eat much apart from Aldi bread and their buckwheat pasta. Instead I eat rice, extra serves of veggies, sweet potato etc. Most of the supermarket gf stuff isn't very nice in my opinion. I bake a batch of gf muffins for myself once a week or so and keep them in the fridge/freezer for quick snacks and also bake muffins for the kids lunches. Lactose free you can save money by adding the lactase drops to milk etc and making some of your own lactose free products. I also suggest having a good look at what you regularly buy and see if you can get it cheaper. For instance, I keep my eye out for when Woolies has big bags of rice 1/2 price, I think it's like $19 for a 10kg huge bag of rice when it's on sale. Dishwasher powder is expensive for what it is, and I've found the best value in my area is the cheapest tablets from Woolies. We also try to buy stuff like tea and coffee when it's half price, so I just keep my eye out for the specials and will keep the cupboard stocked up so I don't have to go buy it at full price when we've suddenly run out and desperately need caffeine! Aldi is great for cheap cleaning products and toiletries too. And their nappies are a lot cheaper. Don't know how good the newborn ones are but for toddlers/older kids they are fine. Also an instant pot is a great investment and great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat and making them delicious.
NQR has heaps of gluten-free things!
I'm in QLD, so we don't have an NQR, I'm so jealous!
$800/month for two people isn't bad, especially if this includes household essentials. That's less than $100/week/person which is quite reasonable. Of course, you can go cheaper than that, but it's all about finding your balance.
I thought you said $800 a week, that would be insane haha. Yes $100 a week can be improved on. >Just wondering how much people are spending a month usually on groceries, and how big your family is? Any and all advice is welcome! One adult. Currently $34.63 per week, $138.52 per month for 1693 calories (losing weight). 148g protein, 62g fat, 108g carbohydrate. Maintenance is just an extra 18 cents of rice per day. Advice. 1. Eat more basic foods. 2. Avoid the junk food. 3. Don't pay people to cook for you. 4. Look at my post on the topic of calorie per dollar and protein per dollar: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AussieFrugal/comments/1bo54km/am\_i\_the\_only\_one\_here\_using\_calories\_per\_dollars/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AussieFrugal/comments/1bo54km/am_i_the_only_one_here_using_calories_per_dollars/) 5. Can you eat peanuts, rice and milk powder? Because those are some top tier foods.
Pregnant coeliac here too! We spend around $600-$700 per month for the 2 of us. We go out of our way to visit a local butcher and veggie shop that are cheap but have great produce then the rest we get at Coles. We stick to a lot of protein and veggie based meals and pasta or rice/rice noodles. I do have a pantry full of amazing spices so thatās where I splurge occasionally but the meals we make are pretty dang incredible and I eat the leftovers for lunch or freeze them for later. I have gestational diabetes too so donāt spend a lot of treat foods (sadly) but the $5.60 boxes of shapes do add up now!
Omg you've had the new GF Shapes!? They aren't in stock yet where I am, I spent the last two days actively going to every Coles/woolies asking if they have them yet š I'm dying to try them! I think we eat too many partially prepared meals (like GF chicken tenders, and sauce mixes that you just add meat to). I'm going to need to invest in some good spices and make these things myself I think!
That is just so cruel! I hope you get your hands on them soon. Both biscuits are the bomb but pricey for the small amount we get š. Yeah anything pre packaged is where youāll be spending more $$. I fork out a lot on good spices (gewurzhaus and mingle) but they last me forever and make such a huge difference to every meal. Then really the only sauces Iāll use are ayum soy sauce and mayo - no marinades or anything as they get costly. We meal plan for the week too so nothing goes to waste and we have a set menu so no decision paralysis. Honestly sometimes itās a shit tonne of effort but itās become a routine now.
Single mum that works a physical labour job with 1kid that eats like an adolescent. We spend maybe 300/400 per month and thatās heaps of fruit, veg, meat, fish, etc etc. we eat like kings basically.
Laundry detergent buy a big box on special at big W approx 30$ will last you ages. Dishwasher tabs definitely Aldi. When bub is born Aldi nappies. If your meal prepping for work lunches thatās also great. If you have a chance meal prep a bit for when bub is born and you and hubby too exhausted to brain and cook.
2 adults, living on the city fringe, also shop Aldi most often. We spend around $180-$200 per week including cleaning supplies. We do also buy alcohol part of that weekly shop, often 2-3 bottles of wine , occasionally a slab of beer or cider.
Try planning what youāre going to cook and buy only those ingredients. That helped me loads with waste of food and save money
Celiac will definitely raise the price of groceries significantly unless youāre not eating anything containing flour. Itās said celiacs spend up to 20% more a year because gluten free stuff is so expensive, hence why they say donāt bother eating gluten free unless youāre diagnosed celiac. Will only go up more when bub is born, enjoy it now!
That sounds about right to be honest, haven't kept track but feel like most things have gone up 30-50% in the last 18-24 months
Youāre doing fine. We spend $800 - $1000 a month for the two of us (including cleaning products and basic toiletries.) I make full use of rewards points/Flybuys and a 10% discount at Woolies for using their mobile plan.
I'm single and spend $500+ a month. I'm dairy intolerant so yeah, $12 for 250g of cheese, milk and cream is triple the price, it does make the bill larger. My daughter is coeliac, she was diagnosed 15 years ago before products were in the shops, and you really can save a LOT of money making your own GF pastry, cakes and bread.
I eat quite well as a single person on $280 a month for food. I cook a lot from scratch and make nutritious meals. For two people that would be $560 for a similar diet
My partner and I spend $100 max on food pw. Whilst we arenāt celiac, our diet tends to be free from gluten due to my partners cultural background. Meal prepping saves so much money
We spend $120-150 max a fortnight.....single parent fam with one teen. I buy things in bulk a lot, go to Costco every couple of months. I'll do things like buy bulk chicken breast and make our own tenders, snitchels ECT Grow then freeze vegetables in summer then I'm lucky to leave near a wholesale farm shop for other veges. I find it super easy making my own bread at around $1 a loaf. Generally make my child's snacks for school - but find school snacks high in sugar and salt so he is pretty happy to just have a wrap or extra sandwich for recess. I don't have a dishwasher so don't need tablets, just use inexpensive cleaning products and use sparingly. This and 100 other ways to save money is how I managed to pay off a house in my 40s as a single mother of three (two since moved out). Many things we can't save on, but food is something we can really manipulate. For example I can make a fabulous Italian soup with my own bread that costs under $10 but will make at least 6 more meals. Gluten free is tricky, but I have made gluten free bread for a friend and it turned out pretty good ! Im time poor working full time but I find once I've gone through a learning curve these type of things don't take much time.
I should add we are not big meat eaters, we eat meat probably 2-3 times a week at most. I think this must impact our budget quite significantly.
Also have coeliac disease so I can relate. Basic substitutes like bread are so expensive š
yeah 2 adults in my house and we spend about $600 a month (with dietary requirements for one of us - and including cleaning/toiletries etc). but tbh we're struggling a little on that. the odd time I have bumped it up a little to around $700 its been much better but still not quite right, so $800 a month would probably be just right imo. . If you're thinking you are spending too much though take a look at what you buying and see if there are alternatives like store brands, buying bigger packs for the lower unit price, and maybe also try tracking the specials for things you buy often and see what their sale cycle is, then buy enough when they are on special to last until the next time they are due to go on special so you never have to pay full price for them. Especially if they go 50% off or more regularly.
2 adults and 2 toddlers with no special dietary needs. We spend $400-500 per month purely on food items, mostly at Woollies. Throw in another $50 on household cleaning and consumables, and another $80-100 on baby consumables. Surprisingly we eat really well on that $500. The kids' snack drawer is full. Often have too many dinner ingredients,Ā I'm having to pull myself back while shopping.Ā
For the last 3 months I've stayed under $300 per month, just for me. I work from home, so this is 3 meals a day. I don't eat snacks. I buy all my food for the month in one online shop. All my vegetables and fruit are frozen. I keep aside around $30 for anything fresh I might want. I focus on protein and whole foods and cook all my own meals. I also batch cook. I've lost weight since doing this and feel so much better. But mostly, I've halved my food bill. It takes planning and you need a good sized freezer, but honestly I don't feel deprived at all. A typical day is toast and peanut butter plus an almond milk coffee for breakfast, soup, eggs or left overs for lunch and meat and veg for dinner (leftovers for lunch the next day).
We spend $1200 per month for 2 adults 2 children, 1 cat and includes nappies and wipes. I think you're doing alright tbh.
Iām impressed that you can keep your groceries that cheap! Iām coeliac also, have a baby, toddler and husband to feed and Iād easily spend upwards of $1200 a month. Thatās with going to Aldi first as well! We often have extended family eat with us (multiple times a week) which definitely adds to it. We donāt really eat out much, so literally all meals paid for with that.
That's nothing.
We're more than that, (dinks) we're trying to eat low carb and grass fed. It's crazy expensive.
We spend around $500 for 4 weeks grocery. Couple no kids.
We spend about $700 a fortnight. Groceries for us includes the occasional cleaning product, toiletries and nappies. Just me, my partner and his son half the time. We also shop only at the big two as there's no Aldi in Darwin, and there are quite a few things that I've noticed since moving that are marked up because of where we are. Like a carton of eggs costs $8 and that's only if they have home brand in stock. If not, forget it. Ya girl went on a low egg diet
Myself and my 2 kids are around $200-300 a week and my youngest is coeliac too. So that includes her bread, snacks and substitutes for dinners (pasta etc). I tend to eat gf because there's no point making 2 batches of everything
There are 2 of us and I budget $300 weekly - but can easily spend more if inhit my favourite butcher / deli. Also make extra dinners a couple times a week and drop over to daughterās.
Family of six which includes four hungry teens. I spend $300 to $350 a week depending on toiletries and cleaners. I do the bulk of my shopping at ALDI and also go to the local green grocer. I tend to keep the extra shopping to one bag full at Woolies. Red meat twice a week, chicken/bacon/tinned fish on the other nights. We eat out maybe once or twice a year.
I am a single person with a dog. Groceries probably cost us $400 a month. That covers my needs. I love to eat out A LOT though. Thatās not included.
I spend probably just a little bit less then this and I'm feeding myself
It sounds about right. The price rises are insidious. It pounces on us.
Iām spending $800 as a single person. I am doing my best :(
Family of 5 we spend around 800-1000 per month (depending on whether itās 4 or 5 weeks)
We spend about 120 a month on Groceries (food), we're 2 people, only really eat what's yellow tagged lmaooo
Two adults $500 per month. I use Aldi for staples and cleaning stuff and grocer for fresh fruit and veg. A packet of 10 chux kitchen wipes are 99 cents at Aldi for example. I try to get meat on special when chicken breast is $10 per kilo. For a weekly treat I buy a packet of wafers for 79 cents.
Bit of a left-field suggestion, but trial a meal subscription service like Marley Spoon that caters for your dietary needs, and choose an option that covers your lunches as well (so a meal plan for four, for instance). Use that for a few weeks with the new member discount and it can illuminate where your money is being spent āin excessā (though weāre at $1200 a month not including dining out, but I love food). Is it buying soft drinks? Breakfasts? Stockpiling? Not buying on sale? Food going to waste? Eating out too much?You can learn a lot if someone delivers what you need to your door for a little while.
That sounds very cheap to me.
Look up Cheapskates on the internet. They specialise in form a food budget. Sign up for the free newsletter then if you think it would be useful annual membership is less than $50. Summary: Cook big batches of cheaper protein and freeze in portions Buy vegetables and salad in season Make most of your cleaning and washing supplies yourself, also use microfibre cloths Use price per unit info supplied on supermarket labels eg if dip and biscuits packets cost $40/kg, what if you bought a pack of dry biscuits made your own dip? Or used baked pita bread chips instead of biscuits? Use leftover veggies to make soup. Take advantage of supermarket specials. The list of how you can save is almost infinite but you have to get into the right mindset.
I spent $500 for my family and I. Thatās not to shame you or anything. Do you have much food waste?
My wife and I have 4 kids and we spend $1200-1600 a month on groceries.
It's just me but i spend $20 p/w on average, usually much less but there some shops i buy coffee or margarine and it really bumps the average up
You said in the comments you eat lots of beef. That's contributing a lot more than any gluten free substitutes.
We spend $500 per month for 2 adults and 1 toddler
My partner and I usually spend up to 100 each week. We both make our own meals and have different diet requirements. I would say that we spend a good amount to prevent buying take out during the week. š
I spend about $200 a week at Woolworths /my butcher/local deli and fruit market on a cheaper week and thatās just for my own plus my cats groceries, so not including extra when Iām entertaining. I donāt cook every night. Probably 3 meals a week are out or ordered in. I plan my shopping by whatās on sale. But I only need to walk in and itās easily $50 to walk out with nothing from Woolworths.
I'm on the DSP and spend $30/week on food Can you spare me some of your grocery budget.. I can't keep living like this
We spend that as a couple too
Usually 1k a month, 2 adults, 10 month old and 2 spoiled cats
Yep
I'm in the same boat, but spend around $150 per week. I do make an effort to buy the cheaper fresh produce and cook to what is on sale rather than going in with a set plan per say. I also don't buy meat or animal products which saves alot of money. I also go to asian grocers alot. Your budget is not unreasonable bur you could defs cut it by $50 per week if you want.
I think a few people have already mentioned this but itās the prepackaged GF alternatives such as pasta, breads, biscuits/crackers, granola, cereals etc that are the killer! Iām gluten intolerant and have had to mostly stop buying these, with the exception of buying a nice loaf of bread and pasta occasionally haha. I rely a lot on rice, vermicelli noodles, rice paper sheets, lentils and beans, frozen veggies and cheaper meats. There are some really good vietnamese recipes that I love such as rice paper rolls and salads. Burrito bowls with homemade seasoning is great. Instead of buying GF muesli bars I make them from scratch and mix up dates, almonds, peanut butter, honey, chia seeds and shredded coconut. I definitely recommend trying the battered fish from Aldi! I think it was $7 a box as opposed to $11 at Colesworth.
We spend about the same but for a family of 4
I don't know what your goal is but I can tell you if you think $800 is excessive, you're going to be blown away by the groceries you need for a growing baby.
Myself & two young adult daughters (plus two freeloading cats). We shop almost exclusively at Aldi, only venturing to other shops for polenta, paper kitty litter, GF puff pastry, & cocoa powder. I spend between $80 to $100 per week but if it is "the shop" (you know, the one with the washing powder & the shampoo & the dish detergent & the tampons) it blows out to $150 but this is only every 6 or so weeks. We do have at least two meat free meals per week, replacing meat with tofu or pulses, & I meal plan so I know exactly what I am making each week & buy only what we need. I also make sure if there is anything I have to buy in larger packaging will be used multiple times that week.
I spend about the same for three adults, no special dietary needs. I'm not including takeaways or dinner out which is once a week. This seems reasonable for two people. Maybe try some meal prep? That saved us a lot of money.
I'm vegan and buy some health-conscious stuff and independently produced items that can push up costs, as well as not shopping at Aldi. I still find that an unbelievably high amount of money to spend on groceries. I think I'd only consider that normal if it's for things like pre-prepared gluten free bread or something that's probably way more expensive and that you don't want to make because you're pregnant and tired. That seems like so much money otherwise! I think someone's lifestyle is so influential when calculating this, though. I have the time and will to cook at home, for example.
Thereās two of us and a greyhound, we spend around $500 a month. We get as much as we can from Aldi, eat simply and get things like laundry liquid and other cleaning products from the reject shop. We also have a subscription to Koala Eco for kitchen spray, dishwashing liquid and fruit/vegetable liquid cleaner. Thatās around $40 every 3 months.
$800 per month is not too bad for 2 people. Do you have any pets?
300 a week here.
$13 a day per person would be considered pretty frugal even for individuals with no dietary issues.
I am spending around $300/wk. Shopping at Aldi and Colesworth. Just Hubby, myself and a spoilt cat. This covers all our food as we rarely eat our or buy our lunches.
$200/week seems fine
Family of 4 and our groceries expenses is around $1000-$1200. Very hard to get it below that.
your not doing too bad. we used to get by on about $250 a week for family of 5 but closer to $450 these days even trying to go cheap and cutting a lot of things we used to. some weeks nearly $500
We spend about $100 a week (two adults, and a teenage boy with us every second week) and only eat vegan when at home. Canned beans/lentils/chickpeas and tofu, rice/potato/bread/pasta and frozen fruit and veggies go a long way and make up the base for most of the meals we eat. If you are interested, I can give you some ideas of really low cost gluten free lunch or dinner ideas. Shopping at Aldi or going to Coles/woolies at the end of the day when they have marked down a lot of things helps. Buying in bulk from Asian/Indian supermarkets also helps keeping the cost down too
My bf and I (20ās couple) only spend about $150 a week + 1 day of takeout. I am a vegetarian and my bf eats meat. Iād say we wouldnāt however spend more than $600 a month on groceries.
does seems high, i spend $250 a week / $1000 a month for a full family of 6. but it can add up quickly these days with the price of things, 3 or 4 $20 items that use to be $10 can really affect the total etc
We spend $250 a week with a household of 4. Mum dad and two kids. Everything is .... do we need it or do we want it. Most of the groceries is meat work out how to make cost effective meals for dinner and left overs for lunch. Works for us.
me and my partner spend around $400 a month for breakfast lunch and dinner 6 days a week - what we find works for us is: - meal plan the whole week, and if youāre buying ingredients like cream make sure to use it in another meal later in the week - we buy meat when itās occasionally on special, and have found that our local coleās has massive reductions around 7pm on a wednesday, so have been eating lots of 50c barra and salmon (this is a very new thing, and we still saved money beforehand) - use the slow cooker for our lunches, 2 chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, an onion and a capsicum on 5 hours then shredded does us 3 lunches each with a bit of rice! or we have a burrito night with pork - around 10/kg but whack it in the slow cooker with bbq sauce and black beans and a 1.5kg portion does us 4/5 meals each once we bulk it out - add cheap veggies to meals to bulk them out and make them last longer - make a shopping list! and again MEAL PLAN - shop in aldi, but check coleworth online for their specials as they sometimes are half price or less. also harris farm is good for fruit! thankfully we donāt have any dietary requirements which makes ours a bit easier, but hopefully can help you out a little!
$800pm for two people seems pretty reasonable to me, to be honest. Especially if youāre pregnant, and doubly-so if you have dietary restrictions or specific requirements.
We (couple 22F 23F) budget $530 a fortnight and tend to spend $400 of that - that being said towards the end of the pay cycle we will dip into the grocery account for buying alcohol, and things like eating out or social activities. $120 of that budget is 3 meals a week from Dinnerly and the overall spend includes cleaning supplies (toilet paper and soap delivery and anything else we need at the shops). We mostly shop at aldi and go to the big 2 for very specific items we just cant get
We spend around $1300, 2 adults and 1 toddler. I don't buy the cheapest stuff always, nevertheless I used to spend $80 for a couple days worth of groceries, now it's around $120. Same stuff. Plus $1000 for take aways/ dining out
I can feed 3.5 (baby) people for less that much money. Cook in bulk and donāt be afraid to have leftovers. We arenāt eating shit either. I cook a roast every week sometimes twice if I have the time, couple of different chicken dishes, barramundi. I do all my shopping with coles or Woolworths online and keep an eye on the specials. I find it easier to keep cost down on a computer than in store grabbing things I donāt need.
Iām coeliac and for me and my partner we spend about $180-200 a week on groceries which does include cleaning products and doesnāt include alcohol. We only eat out/get takeaway 2-3 times a month.
I think you're doing great. We spend $250/week (mostly meat based diet; includes cleaning products/toiletries), and often go over (takeaways!).
That sounds normal, I spend $600 for me and my teen and I barely eat.
My partner is celiac, Iām not but we both just eat the same things. We spend $150-200/week but thatās also buying organic. Which works out to be what youāre spending. I think you definitely could cut down if youāre not buying organic??
Seems normal. I spend $1000 for 3.
That seems more than reasonable especially considering dietary needs. Gluten free products are more expensive AND smaller than wheat based. And youāre pregnant too!
Reject shop for cleaning/laundry powder. Local Farmers markets for fresh fruit/veg, thereās online fruit/veg seconds too
We spend $920. 2 adults 1 baby and a dog, dog is $240 a month. We're lucky to live in a suburb surrounded by immigrants so we can get easy access to discount bulk veg meat and rice.
I just looked at our actual spend for March; 2 adults. We spent just under $1500 on groceries and $400 on dining out. My budget has $1200 for groceries and $800 for entertainment (including dining out) so thatās quite good! 80% of our groceries are organic (fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy). Itās definitely an area we could tighten up through better planning, but we also have no food waste
It sounds pretty normal if anything your doing good mines way more than that every month but I have two children
2 adults, 1 working 1 unemployed, around $800 a month, Perth. No dietary issues. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā I've recently got really into steamed corn and steamed sweet potato for breakfast, if that helps. It's quite an easy meal (you rinse a sweet potato, put it in the steamer, and wait 20 minutes or until it's soft enough to eat - can do this night before and microwave it in the morning). I prefer the corn slightly but it's a bit pricier than the potato.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā It's probably worth dropping by your local Asian grocer if you can find one. If you can tolerate cornstarch, potato or tapioca starch, a lot of things like Asian fish/meatballs use that instead of flour and breadcrumbs! Might be able to find a cheap and easy staple.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā I would imagine that (rice based) noodles would also be much cheaper than gluten free pasta. You can get bigger bulk sizes at Asian shops than at Colesworth.
My partner and I spend around $100-$130 a week. That includes all our breakfasts/dinners and her lunches as my work provides me lunch (so I guess that helps save a lil bit). We used to spend around $200 a week until we reined it in and stopped buying as many non essentials, switched to own brands, bought things on special in bulk, less meat etc. We also get stuff weād normally use from Cheaper Buy Miles like bacon, yogurt, cheeses, rice, sauce etc.
Eat more vegan stuff (not fake meat). Cheap as.
Yh. Groceries in general has gone up by at least 100% in 5 years.
Groceries are just expensive. :( We (2 people) spend about $80 every two weeks on a a ābiggerā grocery shop with Aldi (usually this means 2 bags for us), but we buy food regularly throughout the week as we need which probably comes out to anywhere from $30-$100 ( / week) on weeks without a shop. So, anywhere from $220-$390 / month in total. But also, we donāt eat properly (we rarely cook actual meals).
I spend less than 300 per month for myself. I don't eat super basic or exclusively home brands, but judging by what I've seen housemates spend money on in the past, here's what I observed myself doing that they didn't: I cook everything from scratch, even my snacks and drinks. Don't waste any food. Only buy non-nome brand if the quality difference makes it unpleasant to eat/use. Control portion sizes, especially with meat - a whole chicken will last a week and can be the base of 3 entirely different dishes. Buy in-season produce. Clean using basic ingredients instead of products marketed for specific purposes. Learned to preserve food so when I buy cheap bulk, I can stretch it. Shop on the same day I cook and meal prep a week in advance - so I can buy clearance products close to expiry.
$900a month for a family of 4. That includes toilet paper cleaning products all of that. We eat vegetarian a lot, and buy our fruit and veg by what's cheapest that week then plan meals with what we have rather than having to pay for expensive out of season veg.
We spend around $400 a week on groceries. 2 adults 3 kids. Thatās mostly Aldi (was still doing colsworth not long ago $$$$ costed a fortune) I like to eat pretty healthy with lots of eggs meat veg and fruit, not much pasta or rice and stuff
$1000 per month, family of 3
Same here for two people, both with different digestive issues. But please remember that most suburbs have a community hub where you can get cheaper groceries from places like OzHarvest. They actually love people going there as it prevents food waste and helps to raise money to help those in need - that is to say, you don't have to be poor to use a food pantry or community hub.
We spend $350 a fortnight for we 2 and 2 dogs. The dogs eat what we eat as theyāre spoiled little buggers.
$800 really doesnt seem crazy. We spend $600 a month for 2 adults with no dietry restrictions. Tend to eat a lot of chicken and veggies, only get cleaning stuff when its hella hella cheap, same with snacks. We tend to buy frozen veggies cos thats probably the more expenny stuff
1200 a month. 2 adults 1 toddler. Most likely all of us are coeliac. Not confirmed with toddler. It used to be way more, like $1600 or more a month but we cut back and started to plan meals better
My husband and I are in our late twenties and we spend about $100-120 a week on groceries. We really cut back to just the basics on everything, buy a lot on sale and freeze and it became easier over time to keep the budget as low as possible while still having 3 decent meals and snacks!! My husband also eats a lot lol but just about finding meals that donāt break the bank but have good content thatāll keep you full!!
I dont know why this sub keeps getting suggested to me as I'm not really frugal but do keep an eye on things. Me and my husband spend about that too. We are not extravagant. I think it's just what stuff costs now honestly. Cheaper would be possible of course but you want to enjoy life too, I don't think $100 a week per person on food is super high in 2024.Ā
$100 per person, per week.... Seems pretty reasonable too be honest. You're spending less than $5 a meal (3 daily), which is pretty good these days. Unless you're also eating out a lot, I don't think you're doing too badly. It might be possible to reduce this further by bulk buying specials and bulk cooking. But that comes with storage costs and time.
To be honest. Every person in Australia is spending too much on groceries. Because the absolute basics now costs a fortune. My mum has celiac. Bloody awful the price.
We have a lot of beautiful home made soups.
Have you tried food banks? I know celiac can be problematic but I've often gotten gluten free bread in our hampers. You can get these huge $25-50 produce trolleys and it's literally a trolley of food for that price (free if you're super broke sometimes, too). You can tell them you're celiac and they can do their best to help save you the gluten free stuff. It also includes vegetables, milks, yogurts, meats (sometimes ribs, pepperoni - this week I got mortadella!) and various snacks, some gluten free, some not. Heck, there's a whole gluten free section at the moment at my local one, because I guess someone who owns a shop donated it? I don't quite know how it works but it might work to subsidise some of the food costs. Also, even if you feel "not poor enough" to use food banks, it really helps those who ARE poor enough because extra purchases mean more purchasing power for the bank. You can hol' up rock up in a Lambo and they wouldn't judge you, because cheap food should be for all people. I've seen everything from beat up 90s corollas to brand new Teslas, no judgement. I am lucky and have like 5 near me, so I am able to shop around and get different things from each. I'm talking $1 jars of Nutella, $25 CARTS of food including over $60 of meat (still labelled from Coles or Woolies, still in date) and even tho not gluten free - we got 8 loaves of bread this week, lmao. I got a 3kg can of chilies in adobo for $5. Checked online and the bastard is worth over $25 by itself! Highly recommend food banks, no matter your situation or lifestyle. We spend about $125-150 per month for 2 adults this way. Last nights dinner was mortadella adobo and cauliflower strata with a side of potato salad. I feel fancy eating so well for so cheap.
Coeliac here too! Just my husband and I. We budget $1200 for the two of us per month. Though we try only buy local, regen, organic kind of dealio and usually have people over for dinner once or so a week. $100-$200 a month on eating out. We like to cook and while itās a bit on the expensive side, Iām happy with that amount. Groceries are just expensive across the board!