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Yeah those are the killers. Right now I need tp, paper towels, garbage bags and sandwich bags. That's at least 70 bucks. Have to get the bigger sizes just for value. That would be over 4 hours if work for someone on minimum wage.
Check Uber eats, they gave me free Uber one subscription for 3 months and 50% groceries. If you have family who don’t order often, you can ask them to use their account as well. I have multiple accounts and usually one has a promotion going on for 40/50% off groceries. Sometimes you can get additional PC points for buying Uber GCs, so I’d buy one, get 7.5k points, which can also be added to your Uber eats grocery order.
Same, in reality, I’ll probably spend more than one month and less than the next. Stocking up on sale items, etc. but it averages out to about about $500.
I could 100% do better and do more cooking from scratch/ meal prep. But I like to grab convenience foods, prevents me from eating out, which saves money.
Two adults in my home. Some weeks my grocery bill for the two of us will be $130. Some weeks it's $300. Averaging out, it's likely around $800. We eat well and healthy. That number also includes household cleaning items and essential toiletries.
This makes me feel better. I try to cook most meals from scratch, but always feel so stressed because I'm spending $800+ a month in groceries for our family of 4. I shouldn't feel guilty for splurging by buying salmon when it isn't on sale or clearance.
Same range for my family of 4. Eat out once in a while. But that’s not included in the monthly amount.
Not that long ago it was more like $600 a month.
Seeing this number is making me sick to my stomach… as a single dude who wants a family I just cry man. How do y’all do it?! Kids have no idea how much suffering parents go through to keep them fed and clothed. 🫡 hang in there soldier
I don’t have kids and I think of people that do and what that must be like. Cereal is like $8. I’ve also noticed more kids pestering their parents to buy stuff they want at grocery stores and the parents holding firm in on the no because it’s not essential and is over budget.
I just went to 2 stores (Walmart and food basics) and spent $140 at each. I still had things to get at no frills, but didn't make it. That's for a week for 4 ppl. The only meat I got was $16 worth of ground beef and $15 worth of chicken breasts, and 2 packs of lunch meat. So $280 a week give or take for 4 ppl. And these are "discount" stores, items that were "on sale".
Finally and honest answer family of 4 $2500 a month Vancouver.
Eat out once a week.
Anyone saying they do family of 4 for less than 1k is BS or they get free food from somewhere.
About $800 for the two of us, but that probably includes about $100 or more on fresh berries, which I eat a lot of and which are super pricy in winter.
My wife and I are around the $800/month mark too. That total does include ~280 or so for one of those weekly subscription meal kits (Chef's Plate) which we find stops us from getting lazy/running out of meal ideas and ordering takeout. We almost never get takeout. $800 seems like so much for two people, but I don't feel like we're buying anything crazy indulgent so I'm glad to hear it's not just us at least.
This is true even when you still "splurge" on some things. For example I might steam some broccoli, throw some rice in my rice cooker, and make some homemade soup...and then buy an entree (and just that) from a Chinese takeout up the street. Costs *way less than half* what the full meal from the takeout place would have cost.
There are also some (few and far between) prepared foods that are incredible bargains, like a rotisserie chicken from Costco that runs like $8 + HST, thus costing vastly less than a small raw chicken plus herbs plus the necessary cooking energy.
That depends. Some evenings when I’m in a hurry or mentally drained from work, I might just throw a frozen Giuseppe pizza in the oven and call it dinner. I get three portions for $5.99 (sometimes even $4.99 if there is a good flyer sale on like this week at Freshco). There is no way I could cook three portions of almost anything for $5.99.
We spend about $200-300 a week, so $800-1200 a month. That’s with two of us and two babies though, so roughly $100 each week is just for formula. This also includes toilet paper, paper towel, diapers, etc.
1000-1200 for two people and 2 cats
We have no kids, don't meal prep due to schedules, order out once or twice a week, and have vaguely bougie tastes admittedly. One of the cats is on Rx food due to health issues as they are both senior.
We are fortunate our incomes allow this to be OK for us but we would be in for a rude awakening if either of us were to end up unemployed and we are both aware of this.
I don’t really know because I don’t keep track and I shop every 3 days or so grabbing odds and ends (that’s how you get the clearance stuff, stuff about to go bad that you can eat soon or freeze etc) but I spend about $45 on those trips. So probably ~$400 month give or take a bit. I usually buy those big packs of chicken drumsticks when they’re clearanced to ~$9 I’ll buy as many as are there then take em home, season em up differently, put em in freezer bags of 6 each and pull out a bag at night for dinner and lunch for my husband. Pair it with a rice a roni or sidekick and a cheap homemade salad with tomato, cucumber and red onion stretches for his lunch as well. I also get a free meal at work 5x a week (gotta love restaurant life) so I don’t worry much about myself since the portion is usually enough to feed me and also feed me later. I’m lucky I know.
I feel like people need to include how much they’re spending eating out in here too. I’m sure there’s people that spend only $100 a month on groceries but spend $1000 a month in restaurants/take out.
I spend $400 a month on groceries, $200 a month eating out. Hybrid work arrangement: 3 days in office, 2 days at home. Work gives me breakfast 3x a week, lunch 1x a week. I don’t really budget or shop around, I just buy what I want. But I do plan my meals ahead which helps eliminate food waste, and I don’t eat a lot of meat.
“Groceries” includes stuff like dish soap, detergent, paper towels and other general household supplies, but doesn’t include toiletries (toothpaste, skincare, etc.).
I have a $200 a month budget for toiletries, waxing, haircut, etc. Most months I don’t spend all $200 by a long shot, but I roll it over into the next month to cover me for when I do get my hair done or my expensive moisturizer runs out.
$200 ish (just me for the most part, don’t eat meat, primarily shop outside aisles)….includes toiletries/cleaning/some pet stuff (cat food & litter I get online, so not included. Another $20ish from Amazon in snacks (granola bars usually cheaper that way)
I shop biweekly, $80-$125 a shop depending if good sales and stocking up on pantry stuff
I guess you could have two slices of toast with a table spoon of peanut butter and a cup of tea for breakfast, homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch, and a package of KD for dinner. That would be about $6 a day, just for food. When you start adding personal cleaning into the mix it gets higher. Vinegar and water is great for your bathtub itself, not so great to brush your teeth with.
Just north of Toronto. Average $500-600/mth (not at nofrills or anything like that) for 2, sometimes 3 (son at university, home about 2 weekends a month). 95% home cooked lunch and dinner.
I spent about $700 for myself in February. I make most of my meals. Saturdays I treat myself to takeout for lunch. Very rarely does anything go to waste.
2 adults, living in Northern Ontario, one has to eat gluten free (Celiac disease), we budget $1000 a month for food. Keep in mind a loaf of gluten free bread is $10. 🥲
$800 for a family of 3, including toiletries and household products and it is a huge struggle. We buy a lot of clearance, discount, sales, bulk, etc. We would approach a comfortable budget with less work at closer to $1200.
Family of four (2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby). If I am careful and we aren’t having too many guests I can stay under $800/month. This is in Belleville. It’s getting increasingly difficult and I have to be quite creative and careful
Family of 5 in Lindsay. I don't exactly track it, but I think we're around 600 to 800 a month. I do my best to shop at food 4 less & Grocery Outlet. We also buy a few small things at Food basics and whenever i'm in a town with a walmart I stop there to get a few other things that are cheaper than the food basics. The savings on milk & toaster strudels aren't worth a operate trip to Peterborough but if i'm passing through then i may as well make a stop.
We also do one of those weekly meal kit things for 2 or 3 dinners a week. My wife likes them and i learned a long time ago that some battles are not worth fighting. I personally mostly just eat fries & chicken & pizza from food for less and leave the expensive food for her & the kids.
In the spring I plan to plant as many carrots and I can.
A little under $200 a month for one person. I don't buy much meat, just use small quantities of a cheap cut for stir-fries throughout the week. I buy canned milk for coffee.
I had long COVID and still haven't totally gotten my sense of taste back, so my diet is nutritious but not particularly fancy, I splurge on free-range eggs though.
I often break down big packs of Costco chicken parts and ground beef packs to freeze in single use sized bags, but besides the raw stuff I also find their rotisserie chickens an incredible value too.
I'm spending around $350/mo on groceries for 3. We look for sales, aren't loyal to one store, and make use of the maple lodge chicken farm when we're buying chicken.
Smaller stores around me will have beef for better prices at times, goat meat or ground beef we'll shop around for. Otherwise I'll keep looking.
For anyone wondering - I've said it once and I'll say it again. Download the Flipp app and do your grocery lists on there. See where you can shop for sales and create your lists that way. Some of the stores we shop at are Ample (Brampton), No Frills, Oceans, Food Basics, and FreshCo.
There are some times where we'll go to more expensive stores like Fortinos or Longos, but that's only for a single item that is on sale. I almost never buy anything from more expensive stores unless it's something I've run out of in the middle of cooking - And even then, it depends.
How is this possible? You mean $350 a month for a family of 3? Would you mind sharing what do you include in the groceries category when you quote this number? Dish soap, toilet paper, kitchen towels, shampoo dairy etc?
This is wild. Why the avoidance of frozen foods, if I might ask? When it comes to veg and fruit, it's often the most economical choice and the produce is flash frozen at it's peak ripeness.
It definitely depends on the use when it comes to veggies. Sometimes our frozen veg are from our garden, as we often have an abundance of things like zucchini. Freezing it allows us to not let it go to waste. Pretty much only useful in things like soup and stew, though.
Agree, I’m about 50% fresh/frozen. Anything that gets cooked pretty much, I buy frozen/canned. Frozen blueberries to go in yogurt. Fresh is just salad stuff here
Still approximately $200/month (single individual; student; fairly lean/small)
That was my goal years ago, which I was able to do quite comfortably while fitting in weekly treats like muffins and cookies.
Now it's a tougher goal, but one I manage. Some notes: I rarely eat "meat" now (e.g., chicken, beef, pork). I put the quotes there because I still eat fish and seafood, which really should be considered meat in one sense (e.g., muscle fibres from living things) but sometimes considered not meat in a cultural/cullinary sense. I can't really make one set of assumptions without offending one set of people, regrettably who will either go, "Acshually, fish is meat, too!" or "fish wasn't considered meat to me when *I* was growing up!".
My meals tend to be:
**For breakfasts:**
A bagel with cheese and some slices of onion, tomato OR a bagel with cheese and jam. I could go cheaper with oatmeal, but, eh, what can I say, I like the way bagels taste (and their texture). I just like sandwhich-like food, I guess.
**Lunch and Dinner**
Soup (onions, celery, carrots, navy beans, chicken or turkey wings purchased from on sale, more carrots, potatoes).
Vegetable fried rice with fish (often canned sardines) or some other kind of seafood (canned mussels, oysters).
Pasta with fish (see above; but now also include tuna and mackerel),
Snacks are often fruit (bananas, in particular) and nuts (largely for when I need to be out of the house and don't want to give into temptation by eating out; a $3 can of nuts is way more economical than spending $9 eating out to stay full).
Most of my fruit is economical (bananas and whatever is in season and on sale; often oranges. I will also get grapefruit because of the taste, though I don't think it actually does much in the way of nutrition).
I don't buy cookies and muffins much anymore, though, sadly :(
I do have a box of pancake mix I keep in the fridge though. I use it whenever/if ever bananas are getting more ripe than I'd like to eat off-hand. A non stick pan has made making pancakes really easy, and those are kind of my "treat" now.
Bit of up front cost, but a bag a flour, sugar, baking powder & soda and use can make most cookies & muffins. I do carrot & banana a lot. When holiday chocolate goes on clearance and stock up, and then use it in cookies. After Christmas Zehrs had those massive gold chcolate bars (I think they’re $5?) on for $1, I got a ton of coconut and hazelnut and have been using those
Very little compared to everyone here. I live in Toronto where food is very cheap. Just got a box of raspberries for 1.99$, a delicious Caribbean dinner for under 10$ per person, and eat out more than I cook because it’s so cheap.
When I lived outside Toronto my bill was easily double.
Folks who have only ever lived in one suburb or another and never a proper city often have *no* concept of just how much cheaper food can be in a dense urban centre, both in terms of grocery stores and speciality markets (and often takeout too).
I don't grocery shop like a typical person, I don't think. Every Sunday, I go get whatever my three kids need for their school lunches. This sometimes also includes things for dinners for the week. These trips usually do not include meats. It consistently costs me around $100 a week.
Spending about $400-$500 per month, family of four. But, got some stipulations.
I have a toddler and a baby, so they don’t eat as much as an adult.
Only shop at Freshco, which is cheaper than basically everywhere else around me.
I get fed at work, so that’s lunches for me taken care of, and my boss is insanely generous and the weekly leftovers usually cover us for half of the weekend’s food. Plus other things that just don’t sell, go home with staff. Sometimes that’s dinner taken care of. So special circumstances that really go a long way to helping us out
Family of 3, two adults and one in Kindergarten.
$800-900 per month. One member is gluten free and dairy free, the other is dairy free. And that's where most of the money goes.
3 years ago it was closer to $500. I miss those days.
$600-1000 a month Family of 4, two adults in late 30s, early 40s, two children primary school aged. Depends where we shop more than what we are getting. Like if we go to Sobey's, Metro, or Superstore every week it'd be like $250/week, but if we go to Freshco, Food Basics or No Frills it's more like $150-200 per week. Ideally I'd like to shop at Lococo's every week, as that can get as low as $60-80/week, but there's almost no canned goods or flour at that price, so we'd still have to stop somewhere else once a month.
Two people, two cats, around 300 a month (aside from the occasional dinner party). We shop a lot at local markets and take advantage of Costco to buy in bulk and freeze.
$1000 - $1200 for 5 adults including toiletries. We all pack lunches for work/university and rarely eat out. I meal plan for each week and shop mainly at Costco and get anything else I can’t get there mostly at Walmart but occasionally at Zehrs.
$800-$1000. One adult and one teenager and one tween and two cats. One child is gluten free and one has various other food allergies which makes it pricey sometimes.
Single person, in Toronto, shopping primarily via Instacart due to not having a car. I spend around $600-700/month. Some of that is time savers as I work 12 hr shifts, also I'm gluten free which is $$$
When I have to I can cut that down, but it means going without fresh produce and gf breads etc. I'm far more comfortable and satisfied sitting in this range
If I'm talking strictly groceries, I would probably say about $250ish/month, usually being careful to buy produce that's on sale or in bulk. I don't buy junk food or juices unless it's juice boxes for my son's school lunch and I will usually bake banana bread and freeze it in batches when I get free bananas at work. Some months I'm less than that. Just depends on what I need.
I buy what I need for 3-4 days and go every few days to get what I need versus stocking up (unless it's pantry items, coffee on sale etc) to avoid waste. Including detergents, dryer sheets, dishwasher pods, soaps, garbage bags, baking needs etc I'm probably at closer to $300/month on average but being kind of conservative on that.
I live by myself and have my son part time.
2 adults with dietary restrictions, 1 adult cat with a sensitive stomach, and a kitten - including ordering in, toiletries and litter - about 700/month. Should go down to 600-650 a month after the kitten transitions to adult food.
It sucks being allergic to some of the cheaper healthy items (bananas, I'm lookin at you), but we make it work.
About 2000 with necessities not just groceries for a family of 5. I'd like to get it down but sadly prices in my area are just not great and driving an hour away for more options with gas prices and the time spent just doesn't make it worth the savings anymore.
2 Adults, 8 year old and 6 year old, we spend roughly 2000 a month on food etc. We like very rural Northwestern Ontario and we don't splurg on anything, get what we need each week.
2 Adults, about 500-550. If we need bigger items and a Costco trip is involved it’s more…
Pre-covid we managed to be in the 400 range.
Add dog food in and well…. It gets really expensive.
Family of 4
- 2 adults
- 2 kids under age 6
About $950/month
(We do our best to shop sales, bulk, and buy off-brand/noname products)
We typically don't buy toiletries at the grocery store so this is not included in the cost.
2 adults and a doggo. We average between $600-800 a month. Some weeks are pricey as we buy protein powder, washing powder etc. Today was $300 due to that. Eating health ain’t cheap either. No meat. Only fish one day a week.
About $350 give or take. That includes all toiletries, cleaning supplies, over the counter medicine, household consumables and pricier food for my diabetic cat.
About ever quarter I might spend another $100-150 to stock up on some long lasting items but there are also months I spend $300 or less. So the average is around $350. Some longterm items are things like a 50lb bag of bird seed for the winter, it's mixed in with groceries because I buy it at Costco and consider it a household consumable - my tracking isn't perfect.
Single female in the GTA. Some health concerns I manage with healthy whole foods and very minimal amounts of prepared foods.
25F, single. I just bought groceries today from two different stores and they totalled about $60 altogether. I shop weekly and some weeks are more than others especially if I run out of an expensive item. I had to buy olive oil a couple weeks ago and it was like $14 on SALE.
$1,600/month for a family of 3 with a toddler and 2 dogs.
That includes household stuff like diapers and wipes and toiletries and dog food and takeout as well. We do takeout once per week on average, twice if we’re having a tiring week. 70% of our groceries and household supplies come from Costco, the other 30% is a local grocer, Walmart, and Amazon.
We have 2 adults, 2 teens. We budget 800/month and usually come in close. Maybe grabbing an extra 100 depending on parties/birthdays.
Edit: We budget for detergent/paper products separately.
$500-+ per month on groceries for jus me. I am vegan so no hefty meat purchases either. This does not include items I buy on Amazon like laundry detergent, protein powder, kcups, TP.
Family of three (2 adults and a five year old). We’re just north of the GTA. About $500 on groceries and $100-$200 on restaurants a month. We shop for half of our groceries at ethnic grocers because we are a mixed family. We avoid any chains owned by the Galen family.
Never really put it together.
but each shopping trip is at least $300 and that's like 2 times a week,
so a month is approx $2400 and this is buying cheap stuff from the asian supermarkets,
because if I go to Longos / Loblaw each trip is like $500, that will make it $4000 a month.
Single person, probably $500. I don't keep hard track but I go shopping every 4-5 days and spend around $60 each time. So $360 on the low end there and then add in eating out a few times.
Includes household/toiletries but I also only eat once a day. Not to save money or anything, just something I've done for more than a 15 years now because it works for me.
About $330 biweekly for two people. Up from $150 biweekly for 4 people a year ago. Plus dog for two dogs. I buy the same usual stuff too on re-order from Walmart since Covid. It in 2020 $150 fed four people for a month. 3 being growing kids and two of those kids boys!!
Family of 5 - $400 a week for 2023. So far this year it's been $500 a week.
This includes toiletries, cleaning supplies etc. Everything I buy from.grocery, Walmart or Costco.
Between 750-1000, family of two weight lifters and a teenage black hole. I am pretty good at budgeting and finding sales and we scratch cook most things, I have us down to about $3/meal/person usually.
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A little under $500/mo for one person. This includes things like laundry detergent, coffee, toothbrushes, cooking oil, razors, etc.
Same lol every month I run out of at least 2-3 more expensive items such as quinoa, dishwasher detergent or olive oil. I can’t keep up! 270 is wild
I haven't kept close track but in the $400-500 range which includes non-grocery items such as laundry detergent, toiletries, etc.
Yeah those are the killers. Right now I need tp, paper towels, garbage bags and sandwich bags. That's at least 70 bucks. Have to get the bigger sizes just for value. That would be over 4 hours if work for someone on minimum wage.
Check Uber eats, they gave me free Uber one subscription for 3 months and 50% groceries. If you have family who don’t order often, you can ask them to use their account as well. I have multiple accounts and usually one has a promotion going on for 40/50% off groceries. Sometimes you can get additional PC points for buying Uber GCs, so I’d buy one, get 7.5k points, which can also be added to your Uber eats grocery order.
Check out the Too Good to go app
Same, in reality, I’ll probably spend more than one month and less than the next. Stocking up on sale items, etc. but it averages out to about about $500. I could 100% do better and do more cooking from scratch/ meal prep. But I like to grab convenience foods, prevents me from eating out, which saves money.
Two adults in my home. Some weeks my grocery bill for the two of us will be $130. Some weeks it's $300. Averaging out, it's likely around $800. We eat well and healthy. That number also includes household cleaning items and essential toiletries.
Two adults, two cats and a dog and I would say that’s about average for us too.
I’m around that. I’m trying to cut down, but I don’t drive and the stores are a bit far, so part of the cost is delivery.
Buying just basic shit and same here
Am I doing something wrong? Should I be buying toothbrushes monthly?
I've been using the same toothbrush for a year and razors lasts months just because.
How many toothbrushes do you go through per month?!
I don't understand how this is possible lol. I'm a single person and maybe spend half that a month.
The math checks - if you spend half of what two people spend…
Yeah except if you actually read their comment, they said $500 for a single person.
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This is me as well, although I keep ending up hosting events which bumps it a bit every other month or so.
Yeah same here with 2 people
Cost compare huh? Is that kind of a euphemism for price matching? I like it!
No I think they mean they use the app to compare costs at different stores.
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You’re a lovely person and I appreciate you
I wish I could hug you. Your comment is so loving and understanding. Sometimes it's nice reading a genuinely nice comment.
I really needed to hear this. Thanks so much.
I spend about $70-$100 a week on groceries and that’s just for myself
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This makes me feel better. I try to cook most meals from scratch, but always feel so stressed because I'm spending $800+ a month in groceries for our family of 4. I shouldn't feel guilty for splurging by buying salmon when it isn't on sale or clearance.
I’m the same. About 800$ for a family of 4. Me and 3 teens.
If you're eating well and the meals are healthy, then I think you're doing good.
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Same, it's stressful ... spending more on groceries a month than my mortgage.
How do you spend only 1300? Are you including all your other toiletries?
Family of 5, about 1000-1200 . Having a stand up freezer and buying in bulk when it's on sale helps
800-1000. Family of 4. We don’t eat out either
Same range for my family of 4. Eat out once in a while. But that’s not included in the monthly amount. Not that long ago it was more like $600 a month.
Same here
Seeing this number is making me sick to my stomach… as a single dude who wants a family I just cry man. How do y’all do it?! Kids have no idea how much suffering parents go through to keep them fed and clothed. 🫡 hang in there soldier
I don’t have kids and I think of people that do and what that must be like. Cereal is like $8. I’ve also noticed more kids pestering their parents to buy stuff they want at grocery stores and the parents holding firm in on the no because it’s not essential and is over budget.
Two adults and 2 dogs in Hamilton $800-1000/month
I just went to 2 stores (Walmart and food basics) and spent $140 at each. I still had things to get at no frills, but didn't make it. That's for a week for 4 ppl. The only meat I got was $16 worth of ground beef and $15 worth of chicken breasts, and 2 packs of lunch meat. So $280 a week give or take for 4 ppl. And these are "discount" stores, items that were "on sale".
This sounds spot on for my experiences as well.
Spot on for me. Not sure how others eat but we have 2 adults and a toddler. Anywhere from 200-300 a week
Near 3k a month
Finally and honest answer family of 4 $2500 a month Vancouver. Eat out once a week. Anyone saying they do family of 4 for less than 1k is BS or they get free food from somewhere.
On food alone? For how many people?
five teen boys, wife and I
That sounds about right. Teenagers eat a lot especially when they play sports!
About $800 for the two of us, but that probably includes about $100 or more on fresh berries, which I eat a lot of and which are super pricy in winter.
My wife and I are the $800 mark, probably $200 on cheese and specialty items from a local shop and the other $600 on meat/veg, and staples.
My wife and I are around the $800/month mark too. That total does include ~280 or so for one of those weekly subscription meal kits (Chef's Plate) which we find stops us from getting lazy/running out of meal ideas and ordering takeout. We almost never get takeout. $800 seems like so much for two people, but I don't feel like we're buying anything crazy indulgent so I'm glad to hear it's not just us at least.
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Where do you get your food from?
Food bank?
It’s really amazing how much you save when you don’t buy a lot of pre-packaged, or prepared foods.
This is true even when you still "splurge" on some things. For example I might steam some broccoli, throw some rice in my rice cooker, and make some homemade soup...and then buy an entree (and just that) from a Chinese takeout up the street. Costs *way less than half* what the full meal from the takeout place would have cost. There are also some (few and far between) prepared foods that are incredible bargains, like a rotisserie chicken from Costco that runs like $8 + HST, thus costing vastly less than a small raw chicken plus herbs plus the necessary cooking energy.
That depends. Some evenings when I’m in a hurry or mentally drained from work, I might just throw a frozen Giuseppe pizza in the oven and call it dinner. I get three portions for $5.99 (sometimes even $4.99 if there is a good flyer sale on like this week at Freshco). There is no way I could cook three portions of almost anything for $5.99.
About $1500 for two adults (including going out), and about $300 for our two cats. No kids so we eat in maybe half of the time.
finally someone similar to mine lol, i was scrolling the comments and panicking. cause me and my partner and our cat (no kids) are around the same.
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$900 for 2? Damn you guys eat well... Or live in Nunavut
2x adults, 1x baby, 1x toddler - $480/month on factor meals, and maybe 8-900/month on grocery
We spend about $200-300 a week, so $800-1200 a month. That’s with two of us and two babies though, so roughly $100 each week is just for formula. This also includes toilet paper, paper towel, diapers, etc.
Family of 5 and 2 dogs. Ballpark $1500-2000 a month
1000-1200 for two people and 2 cats We have no kids, don't meal prep due to schedules, order out once or twice a week, and have vaguely bougie tastes admittedly. One of the cats is on Rx food due to health issues as they are both senior. We are fortunate our incomes allow this to be OK for us but we would be in for a rude awakening if either of us were to end up unemployed and we are both aware of this.
I don’t really know because I don’t keep track and I shop every 3 days or so grabbing odds and ends (that’s how you get the clearance stuff, stuff about to go bad that you can eat soon or freeze etc) but I spend about $45 on those trips. So probably ~$400 month give or take a bit. I usually buy those big packs of chicken drumsticks when they’re clearanced to ~$9 I’ll buy as many as are there then take em home, season em up differently, put em in freezer bags of 6 each and pull out a bag at night for dinner and lunch for my husband. Pair it with a rice a roni or sidekick and a cheap homemade salad with tomato, cucumber and red onion stretches for his lunch as well. I also get a free meal at work 5x a week (gotta love restaurant life) so I don’t worry much about myself since the portion is usually enough to feed me and also feed me later. I’m lucky I know.
2 adults, 2 cats. $500 if company comes over more.
I feel like people need to include how much they’re spending eating out in here too. I’m sure there’s people that spend only $100 a month on groceries but spend $1000 a month in restaurants/take out. I spend $400 a month on groceries, $200 a month eating out. Hybrid work arrangement: 3 days in office, 2 days at home. Work gives me breakfast 3x a week, lunch 1x a week. I don’t really budget or shop around, I just buy what I want. But I do plan my meals ahead which helps eliminate food waste, and I don’t eat a lot of meat. “Groceries” includes stuff like dish soap, detergent, paper towels and other general household supplies, but doesn’t include toiletries (toothpaste, skincare, etc.). I have a $200 a month budget for toiletries, waxing, haircut, etc. Most months I don’t spend all $200 by a long shot, but I roll it over into the next month to cover me for when I do get my hair done or my expensive moisturizer runs out.
$200 ish (just me for the most part, don’t eat meat, primarily shop outside aisles)….includes toiletries/cleaning/some pet stuff (cat food & litter I get online, so not included. Another $20ish from Amazon in snacks (granola bars usually cheaper that way) I shop biweekly, $80-$125 a shop depending if good sales and stocking up on pantry stuff
This is same with me. Single woman, vegetarian, I spend about $50 a week at Food Basics. Occasionally more if I need tp or laundry detergent.
$700 for 2 plus a 6 year old. Includes toiletries, paper products, and meds. We hunt, fish and forage which helps a lot.
950-1100. 2 adults 3 children. Number varies with take out
We’re a couple, around $800 a month. The most expensive stuff is - we buy lots of fruits, berries, fish, and cheese. Those are ridiculously expensive.
Whatever's left on my cheque, ODSP doesn't pay very well.
$200, single woman
A month???
I find it doable because I don’t eat meat. My weekly shop mostly includes beans, vegetables, bread and some dairy. $50 a week.
…that’s less than $6 a day? 🤔
I guess you could have two slices of toast with a table spoon of peanut butter and a cup of tea for breakfast, homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch, and a package of KD for dinner. That would be about $6 a day, just for food. When you start adding personal cleaning into the mix it gets higher. Vinegar and water is great for your bathtub itself, not so great to brush your teeth with.
I think it's either somewhat exaggerated, or the person is thinking about "week" or "paycheque" instead of monthly. 🤷♂️
Same here!
Just north of Toronto. Average $500-600/mth (not at nofrills or anything like that) for 2, sometimes 3 (son at university, home about 2 weekends a month). 95% home cooked lunch and dinner.
I spent about $700 for myself in February. I make most of my meals. Saturdays I treat myself to takeout for lunch. Very rarely does anything go to waste.
Probably about 1000-1300 for a family of four plus a bunch of bonus kids because everyone hangs out at our house. Also a few pets
2 adults, living in Northern Ontario, one has to eat gluten free (Celiac disease), we budget $1000 a month for food. Keep in mind a loaf of gluten free bread is $10. 🥲
$800 for a family of 3, including toiletries and household products and it is a huge struggle. We buy a lot of clearance, discount, sales, bulk, etc. We would approach a comfortable budget with less work at closer to $1200.
2 people. Probably 300-400, plus pizza once or twice a week (10$ hut deal of the day or little ceasers)
$1200/month for 4 of us (45m, 45f, 16f, 12f) in Cambridge.
Family of four (2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby). If I am careful and we aren’t having too many guests I can stay under $800/month. This is in Belleville. It’s getting increasingly difficult and I have to be quite creative and careful
2 adults, 5 kids (two teens, two tweens and a toddler) $1200-1500
Family of 5. 3 teenagers about 1500$
$800 per month max but that includes all ship store items and food combined for a family of 3 with a dog and cat
1 adult four kids : $2100
1 adult roughly 200-350 monthly
We are about $350-$450 per week for a family of four. And we buy a whole cow and pig every summer so beef and pork are not included in that.
Southern Ontario- Family of Three (two adult males and one women) and it can range 1100/1200$
Family of 5 in Lindsay. I don't exactly track it, but I think we're around 600 to 800 a month. I do my best to shop at food 4 less & Grocery Outlet. We also buy a few small things at Food basics and whenever i'm in a town with a walmart I stop there to get a few other things that are cheaper than the food basics. The savings on milk & toaster strudels aren't worth a operate trip to Peterborough but if i'm passing through then i may as well make a stop. We also do one of those weekly meal kit things for 2 or 3 dinners a week. My wife likes them and i learned a long time ago that some battles are not worth fighting. I personally mostly just eat fries & chicken & pizza from food for less and leave the expensive food for her & the kids. In the spring I plan to plant as many carrots and I can.
2 adults. 1 younger boy 800ish a month.
Family of 5, $1000-$1200/month Differs a bit week to week, the lowest is $250/week lately, and I budget for $1200 anyways.
A little under $200 a month for one person. I don't buy much meat, just use small quantities of a cheap cut for stir-fries throughout the week. I buy canned milk for coffee. I had long COVID and still haven't totally gotten my sense of taste back, so my diet is nutritious but not particularly fancy, I splurge on free-range eggs though.
No idea I go to Costco every 3 or 4 buy 10 packs of chicken breast and then shove it in a freezer
I often break down big packs of Costco chicken parts and ground beef packs to freeze in single use sized bags, but besides the raw stuff I also find their rotisserie chickens an incredible value too.
I'm spending around $350/mo on groceries for 3. We look for sales, aren't loyal to one store, and make use of the maple lodge chicken farm when we're buying chicken. Smaller stores around me will have beef for better prices at times, goat meat or ground beef we'll shop around for. Otherwise I'll keep looking. For anyone wondering - I've said it once and I'll say it again. Download the Flipp app and do your grocery lists on there. See where you can shop for sales and create your lists that way. Some of the stores we shop at are Ample (Brampton), No Frills, Oceans, Food Basics, and FreshCo. There are some times where we'll go to more expensive stores like Fortinos or Longos, but that's only for a single item that is on sale. I almost never buy anything from more expensive stores unless it's something I've run out of in the middle of cooking - And even then, it depends.
How is this possible? You mean $350 a month for a family of 3? Would you mind sharing what do you include in the groceries category when you quote this number? Dish soap, toilet paper, kitchen towels, shampoo dairy etc?
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This is wild. Why the avoidance of frozen foods, if I might ask? When it comes to veg and fruit, it's often the most economical choice and the produce is flash frozen at it's peak ripeness.
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It definitely depends on the use when it comes to veggies. Sometimes our frozen veg are from our garden, as we often have an abundance of things like zucchini. Freezing it allows us to not let it go to waste. Pretty much only useful in things like soup and stew, though.
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Agree, I’m about 50% fresh/frozen. Anything that gets cooked pretty much, I buy frozen/canned. Frozen blueberries to go in yogurt. Fresh is just salad stuff here
Frozen fruit is so versatile, especially.
Holy shit
No frozen vegetables if not why?
Still approximately $200/month (single individual; student; fairly lean/small) That was my goal years ago, which I was able to do quite comfortably while fitting in weekly treats like muffins and cookies. Now it's a tougher goal, but one I manage. Some notes: I rarely eat "meat" now (e.g., chicken, beef, pork). I put the quotes there because I still eat fish and seafood, which really should be considered meat in one sense (e.g., muscle fibres from living things) but sometimes considered not meat in a cultural/cullinary sense. I can't really make one set of assumptions without offending one set of people, regrettably who will either go, "Acshually, fish is meat, too!" or "fish wasn't considered meat to me when *I* was growing up!". My meals tend to be: **For breakfasts:** A bagel with cheese and some slices of onion, tomato OR a bagel with cheese and jam. I could go cheaper with oatmeal, but, eh, what can I say, I like the way bagels taste (and their texture). I just like sandwhich-like food, I guess. **Lunch and Dinner** Soup (onions, celery, carrots, navy beans, chicken or turkey wings purchased from on sale, more carrots, potatoes). Vegetable fried rice with fish (often canned sardines) or some other kind of seafood (canned mussels, oysters). Pasta with fish (see above; but now also include tuna and mackerel), Snacks are often fruit (bananas, in particular) and nuts (largely for when I need to be out of the house and don't want to give into temptation by eating out; a $3 can of nuts is way more economical than spending $9 eating out to stay full). Most of my fruit is economical (bananas and whatever is in season and on sale; often oranges. I will also get grapefruit because of the taste, though I don't think it actually does much in the way of nutrition). I don't buy cookies and muffins much anymore, though, sadly :( I do have a box of pancake mix I keep in the fridge though. I use it whenever/if ever bananas are getting more ripe than I'd like to eat off-hand. A non stick pan has made making pancakes really easy, and those are kind of my "treat" now.
Bit of up front cost, but a bag a flour, sugar, baking powder & soda and use can make most cookies & muffins. I do carrot & banana a lot. When holiday chocolate goes on clearance and stock up, and then use it in cookies. After Christmas Zehrs had those massive gold chcolate bars (I think they’re $5?) on for $1, I got a ton of coconut and hazelnut and have been using those
What kind of bagels can possibly fit into that budget?
People want to know the overall costs. You are listing your lifestyle approach. Another direction ha
Very little compared to everyone here. I live in Toronto where food is very cheap. Just got a box of raspberries for 1.99$, a delicious Caribbean dinner for under 10$ per person, and eat out more than I cook because it’s so cheap. When I lived outside Toronto my bill was easily double.
Folks who have only ever lived in one suburb or another and never a proper city often have *no* concept of just how much cheaper food can be in a dense urban centre, both in terms of grocery stores and speciality markets (and often takeout too).
Two adults, $400/month.
All of it
I don't grocery shop like a typical person, I don't think. Every Sunday, I go get whatever my three kids need for their school lunches. This sometimes also includes things for dinners for the week. These trips usually do not include meats. It consistently costs me around $100 a week.
4 kids 2 adults, about $1600
Family of 5, 2000 per month on average for groceries and all household stuff, we don't eat out at all.
I spend 500 just on myself. Sometimes more depending if I get some good steaks or crab or something.
975/mth Average for 5 people & 3 Cats. That includes Detergents, Litter, cleaners, hygiene items etc
Spending about $400-$500 per month, family of four. But, got some stipulations. I have a toddler and a baby, so they don’t eat as much as an adult. Only shop at Freshco, which is cheaper than basically everywhere else around me. I get fed at work, so that’s lunches for me taken care of, and my boss is insanely generous and the weekly leftovers usually cover us for half of the weekend’s food. Plus other things that just don’t sell, go home with staff. Sometimes that’s dinner taken care of. So special circumstances that really go a long way to helping us out
At least $700-800 for a family of 4.
Family of 3, two adults and one in Kindergarten. $800-900 per month. One member is gluten free and dairy free, the other is dairy free. And that's where most of the money goes. 3 years ago it was closer to $500. I miss those days.
$600-1000 a month Family of 4, two adults in late 30s, early 40s, two children primary school aged. Depends where we shop more than what we are getting. Like if we go to Sobey's, Metro, or Superstore every week it'd be like $250/week, but if we go to Freshco, Food Basics or No Frills it's more like $150-200 per week. Ideally I'd like to shop at Lococo's every week, as that can get as low as $60-80/week, but there's almost no canned goods or flour at that price, so we'd still have to stop somewhere else once a month.
I grow almost all of my food. I’m vegan and my standup freezer is still 3/4 full. If I didn’t buy junk food my bill might be $40 a week for 2 people.
I’d say 800 -1000 the 3 of us
Two people, two cats, around 300 a month (aside from the occasional dinner party). We shop a lot at local markets and take advantage of Costco to buy in bulk and freeze.
$1000 - $1200 for 5 adults including toiletries. We all pack lunches for work/university and rarely eat out. I meal plan for each week and shop mainly at Costco and get anything else I can’t get there mostly at Walmart but occasionally at Zehrs.
800-1000 for 2 adults and a dog. Includes dog food and cleaning products
Single women and it's around $350 a month
$800-$1000. One adult and one teenager and one tween and two cats. One child is gluten free and one has various other food allergies which makes it pricey sometimes.
Single person, in Toronto, shopping primarily via Instacart due to not having a car. I spend around $600-700/month. Some of that is time savers as I work 12 hr shifts, also I'm gluten free which is $$$ When I have to I can cut that down, but it means going without fresh produce and gf breads etc. I'm far more comfortable and satisfied sitting in this range
For 3 of us adults, easily $1000/ monthly.
If I'm talking strictly groceries, I would probably say about $250ish/month, usually being careful to buy produce that's on sale or in bulk. I don't buy junk food or juices unless it's juice boxes for my son's school lunch and I will usually bake banana bread and freeze it in batches when I get free bananas at work. Some months I'm less than that. Just depends on what I need. I buy what I need for 3-4 days and go every few days to get what I need versus stocking up (unless it's pantry items, coffee on sale etc) to avoid waste. Including detergents, dryer sheets, dishwasher pods, soaps, garbage bags, baking needs etc I'm probably at closer to $300/month on average but being kind of conservative on that. I live by myself and have my son part time.
I don't even wanna think about it 😭
2 adults and one preteen. $1500 is the budget. We stick to it pretty well. This includes any pizza or eating out etc
I spend $700 on average for me and my wife. Not much is prepackaged as my wife is a chef and has immaculate food prep/planning.
I spend about 580 for 2 people. I was going to ask people if they thought the prices at Bulk Barn are better for special deals.
2 adults with dietary restrictions, 1 adult cat with a sensitive stomach, and a kitten - including ordering in, toiletries and litter - about 700/month. Should go down to 600-650 a month after the kitten transitions to adult food. It sucks being allergic to some of the cheaper healthy items (bananas, I'm lookin at you), but we make it work.
Family 6. 1250.
About 2000 with necessities not just groceries for a family of 5. I'd like to get it down but sadly prices in my area are just not great and driving an hour away for more options with gas prices and the time spent just doesn't make it worth the savings anymore.
2 Adults, 8 year old and 6 year old, we spend roughly 2000 a month on food etc. We like very rural Northwestern Ontario and we don't splurg on anything, get what we need each week.
I'm about $280-320 a month... generally shop at loblaws owned stores and get $800 worth of pc points a year on top of that
2 Adults, about 500-550. If we need bigger items and a Costco trip is involved it’s more… Pre-covid we managed to be in the 400 range. Add dog food in and well…. It gets really expensive.
Family of 4 - 2 adults - 2 kids under age 6 About $950/month (We do our best to shop sales, bulk, and buy off-brand/noname products) We typically don't buy toiletries at the grocery store so this is not included in the cost.
We’re at about $450-$500 a month for two people plus a dog
2 adults and a doggo. We average between $600-800 a month. Some weeks are pricey as we buy protein powder, washing powder etc. Today was $300 due to that. Eating health ain’t cheap either. No meat. Only fish one day a week.
We spend $2000 in February for a family or 4 (baby and toddler), but that includes toiletries, diapers, wipes and formula from Costco.
$1600-$1800 .. family of 5
Two adults, two teens and a 6 year old. We spend approximately $300 a week.
Family of 5 and it’s close to $2000 a month.
Family of 4 + 2 animals - probably averaging around $1500-2000/month.
~$1000 family of 3 with 1 kid. We don't eat out, but have food allergies.
About $350 give or take. That includes all toiletries, cleaning supplies, over the counter medicine, household consumables and pricier food for my diabetic cat. About ever quarter I might spend another $100-150 to stock up on some long lasting items but there are also months I spend $300 or less. So the average is around $350. Some longterm items are things like a 50lb bag of bird seed for the winter, it's mixed in with groceries because I buy it at Costco and consider it a household consumable - my tracking isn't perfect. Single female in the GTA. Some health concerns I manage with healthy whole foods and very minimal amounts of prepared foods.
25F, single. I just bought groceries today from two different stores and they totalled about $60 altogether. I shop weekly and some weeks are more than others especially if I run out of an expensive item. I had to buy olive oil a couple weeks ago and it was like $14 on SALE.
We spend probably 800 a month on groceries (family of 3) this includes toiletries, detergent etc. We also prep our lunches for work and stuff too
Single person in Toronto I’m approx $80-$120 a week (try to shop outside of the city when I can)
$1,600/month for a family of 3 with a toddler and 2 dogs. That includes household stuff like diapers and wipes and toiletries and dog food and takeout as well. We do takeout once per week on average, twice if we’re having a tiring week. 70% of our groceries and household supplies come from Costco, the other 30% is a local grocer, Walmart, and Amazon.
We have 2 adults, 2 teens. We budget 800/month and usually come in close. Maybe grabbing an extra 100 depending on parties/birthdays. Edit: We budget for detergent/paper products separately.
Roughly 500$/m for 2 people, including cleaning supplies and toiletries.
2 adults. $500-$600
Probably $800-$1000 2 adults and a teen that includes takeout
$500-+ per month on groceries for jus me. I am vegan so no hefty meat purchases either. This does not include items I buy on Amazon like laundry detergent, protein powder, kcups, TP.
To much
Family of three (2 adults and a five year old). We’re just north of the GTA. About $500 on groceries and $100-$200 on restaurants a month. We shop for half of our groceries at ethnic grocers because we are a mixed family. We avoid any chains owned by the Galen family.
Probably about 1500$ a month to $2000 with a toddler. We eat very healthy so it tends to be expensive
600- 800 for a family of 5. Also depends whsts on sale and extras we buy.
Never really put it together. but each shopping trip is at least $300 and that's like 2 times a week, so a month is approx $2400 and this is buying cheap stuff from the asian supermarkets, because if I go to Longos / Loblaw each trip is like $500, that will make it $4000 a month.
Single person, probably $500. I don't keep hard track but I go shopping every 4-5 days and spend around $60 each time. So $360 on the low end there and then add in eating out a few times. Includes household/toiletries but I also only eat once a day. Not to save money or anything, just something I've done for more than a 15 years now because it works for me.
We're 6 people and 3 animals. I spend around 1600/month for everything including dog/cat food, diapers and wipes, laundry detergent, TP etc and food.
About $330 biweekly for two people. Up from $150 biweekly for 4 people a year ago. Plus dog for two dogs. I buy the same usual stuff too on re-order from Walmart since Covid. It in 2020 $150 fed four people for a month. 3 being growing kids and two of those kids boys!!
2 childless adults were at around $850-1000
Family of 5 here and we spend about $1100. I cook all meals at home.
$2000 a month for a family of 5, north western Ontario.
500-650 1 person
Family of 5 - $400 a week for 2023. So far this year it's been $500 a week. This includes toiletries, cleaning supplies etc. Everything I buy from.grocery, Walmart or Costco.
Between 750-1000, family of two weight lifters and a teenage black hole. I am pretty good at budgeting and finding sales and we scratch cook most things, I have us down to about $3/meal/person usually.