Average Weekly Grocery Bill

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What is your average weekly grocery bill?

I know that for our family, as our children have each moved out to go to college, our grocery bill has remained quite stable. Which simply shows that food prices keep accelerating. That's a part of your weekly grocery bill that you cannot control.

Your family undoubtedly has special requirements that affect your weekly grocery bill. Your family's size, ages, location, and available storage all impact what is 'average' for your grocery bill. So the point you might want to consider is that it doesn't really matter what your average weekly grocery bill looks like in comparison with everyone else's; it's whether or not you are getting the best grocery deals for your particular family situation.

That being said, I found the following article that has some standard and creative grocery saving ideas. Ask yourself how many of these money-saving ideas you use each and every month.



9 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

It never fails, we budget for our groceries, but the bill always ends up being more. We underestimate, run out of things faster than expected and overall, everything is becoming just too darned expensive!

To make things a little bit easier, here are 9 simple ways you can start saving money on your groceries.


1. Go with a List: Yes, I know…it’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s amazing how effective it can be. You can purchase only what you need and avoid all the other yummy distractions of the grocery store.
2. Meal Planning: Planning your meals in advance makes it easier to get your list together and ensure you buy only exactly what you need. You can get help with your meal planning at Dine Without Whine AND they actually put your grocery list together for you too.
3. Eat Before You Go: Another classic tip. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to buy (and instantly eat) everything! Have a meal or good snack before you go to avoid impulse purchases.
4. Stock Up on Staple Items When They’re On Sale: If you see ketchup or your family’s favorite sauce on sale, stock up. Or if it’s a certain type of soup or frozen vegetable your family eats all the time, buy a bunch of it. As long as it doesn’t spoil and you have space to store it, you will save money in the long run. The nice thing about this is if you continue to stock up on a variety of items, you’ll have a nice pantry full of food at any given time.
5. Cook from Scratch More Often: Yeah, yeah…it sounds easier said than done, but it doesn’t have to be too complicated. It’s no secret that pre-packaged items and convenience foods come at a premium price. They save you time in preparation, but they eat up your budget and let’s face it, time IS money. Plus, if you’re using Tip #2 and planning your meals, cooking from scratch more often is a whole lot easier.
6. Comparison Shop Before You Leave Home: No, I’m definitely not suggesting you go from store-to-store looking for the best deal. That takes too much time. Check the flyers that come to your door and see who is offering the best deals on what you actually need. If you don’t have any flyers at your door, visit the store website as they generally post flyers online.
7. Use Coupons Sparingly: Sure, coupons offer a great deal, but most coupons you’ll find are for items you don’t really need or use. Resist the urge to think, “Wow, that’s a good deal” and search for coupons based on items you need to purchase instead.
8. Keep the Little Ones At Home: If you have young children that want everything that they see, it’s easy to get into the trap of buying items you don’t need, treats that aren’t healthy and become victim to other grocery store distractions. Keep the kids at home with Daddy (it’s a good bonding opportunity) or a relative. You can even swap grocery store shopping times with your neighbor. Not only will you save money, but you’ll save your sanity too!
9. Make Quick Stops for Fresh Ingredients: This may not be easy if you’re on a tight schedule, but if you can work it in, it can save you a bundle. One of the biggest culprits in grocery budgets gone bad is spoiled food. If your fruits, veggies and other perishable items are always going bad, consider shopping for them more frequently, but in smaller quantities and restrain yourself from buying items you don’t need. If you have any teenaged kids, this would be a great chore for them too.

There you go – 9 ways to save on groceries. But in order to make these tips work, you really need to have a plan in place. You need to know what your family needs and what you’ll be eating. To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for your 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. You and your grocery budget will be glad you did.



What will your average weekly grocery bill be next month?

That's the only question for you to ask yourself. It's the starting point of change.


• Set yourself a goal and move towards it using the tips discussed above.
• Next month check your progress and make another adjustment or two.
• If you decide your family needs to give something up, replace it with something less expensive. It's much easier to change a habit that way.
• Gather tools you need to actually meet your goal. For example, if you know you need to cook from scratch more, find easy recipes to start with or get a friend to freezer cook with you once in a while. Or use a menu-planning service so all the upfront planning, including your shopping list is done for you. Put a grocery shopping list on your fridge and teach everyone to use it.

You get the idea. Just do one step at a time and make sure you're always moving forward towards your goal of lowering your average weekly grocery bill.

Colleen Langenfeld is a mother with over 25 years of parenting experience and helps other busy moms at http://www.paintedgold.com.