Let me preface this by saying that taking Jordan Page’s advice about how to start a grocery budget several years ago, was life changing for my family. Before, I always tried to budget for groceries but I didn’t have a clear idea of how much I should be spending or what I should be including.
Basically, budgeting in general, is not my strong suit. (But that’s a whole notha story.) Now lets get to what you came here for..
What is a good budget for groceries?
Not what the USDA’s “Low Cost” food plan says..
I once googled “grocery budget calculator” to establish a baseline for figuring out how to start a grocery budget for my family. I stumbled across the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Low-Cost Food Plan calculator.
An Unforgettable Thanksgiving Starts with premium turkey and ham, sides and desserts from Perdue Farms!It’s free. I thought it sounded great. It would certainly give me a starting point for finding the solution to my “what is a good grocery budget” question. Or so I thought, anyway.
That was until I actually answered the questions and it told me that my family of six should be hunky dory with spending over a THOUSAND dollars on food every month.
A thousand.
Dollars!
One thousand, eighty dollars and fifty-four cents to be more precise. $249.37 per week on groceries alone. Uh.. What?
There is no way my family could ever manage that food budget on one income, probably not on two incomes, either. That’s just impossible for my frugal brain to accept. I knew there had to be a better way, a better answer to my question.
So how do I calculate a grocery budget?
Want the simplest grocery budget calculator, ever? $100/person/month.
That’s it. Simple. Start by taking the number of people in your family multiplied by $100 and BAM you have your groceries on a budget for the entire month!
Every time I share my thoughts about how to start a grocery budget and how I continue to stick to my grocery budget, I receive a ton of mixed feedback. Some assume I have completely lost my marbles, while others reply something like, “wow, I wish I could do that!”
But, the truth is, with a little creativity, you can start a grocery budget that you can actually stick to as well! Or at least make one heck of an attempt and still save yo dolla dolla bills, y’all! It’s really not that difficult to start a grocery budget.
Mind blowing fact: my budget for groceries includes all consumables. More on that in another post.
Related: How to Stick to a Grocery Budget.
How can I spend $100 a week on groceries?
Reduce your family size to 4 members. *insert evil laugh*
Kidding. I’m just kidding. Don’t go selling your kids or spouse on Etsy.
For a large family to spend 100 dollars per week or less on groceries long term, they’re going to need some serious dedication.
For the average family, that sort of dedication to hunting sales, clipping coupons, or making significant sacrifices just isn’t feasible. It certainly isn’t sustainable for my family of six.
That’s why I follow Mama J’s grocery bill calculator lead, and recommend 100 dollars per person per month, divided into four weeks.
It’s more feasible for the average family. It’s a workable budget for the long haul, which isn’t that the point anyway?
So how much should I spend on food in a week?
Once I learned how to create a grocery budget for my family, I began grocery shopping once per week. So, it only makes sense to divide my budget for groceries into weeks, as well.
I totally recommend shopping once per week, if possible. Deals are fresh each week, produce is fresh each week, so many good things about shopping weekly.
Plus, if you happen to run out of something, you can easily replenish it the next week instead of making a separate trip to the store which I DON’T recommend. *more on that in a minute*
Related: How to Meal Plan on a Budget!
For my family, it works best because this mama doesn’t like to plan so many meals at a time. I may preach about the importance of a meal plan, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy doing it! So, I do a little (one week) at a time. Helps so much!
Productivity tip: it’s much easier to manage little bits at a time versus a whole month or even two weeks. Apply this theory when budgeting for meals, vacations, or when creating a cleaning routine, basically, just apply this theory to your whole stinkin’ life, ok?
Related: How to Get More out of Your Day!
How can I spend $25 a week on groceries?
I’m so glad you asked. You may think I’m starting to sound delusional, but it is possible, trust me.. The surviving on $25 per week thing, not me being delusional. Sheesh.
I try to do this at least a couple times a year to keep my kitchen and pantry stocked with usable items and clear out dated inventory. It also helps to reset my brain if I’ve been struggling to maintain my budget, like during the busy months, for example.
But I’ll stop rambling and let you read that post, ok? What is Shelf Cooking?
In a nutshell, when grocery budgeting, I aim to spend $150 or less each week on consumables. Most weeks, I actually spend closer to $125 because that budget for groceries is still engrained in my brain.
I promise it is doable. It may take some practice. But, if you really challenge yourself, I have faith that you can start a grocery budget that you can stick to, too!
How do I stick to a grocery budget?
Congrats, you made it to the end! But, what now? Now that you know how to start a grocery budget that will be sustainable for your family, it’s time to learn how to stick to it.
If you use the easy grocery bill calculator of $100 per person per month, your grocery budget will be easy to remember, so you’re already halfway there. But, I do have more tips for meal planning, budgeting for groceries, and sticking to a tight grocery budget, long term. You can check those out here:
- How To Go Grocery Shopping Online and Save Money
- 3 Tips for How To Stick To a Grocery Budget
- 10 Cheap and Easy Ways To Stretch a Meal
- How To Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons
- How To Meal Plan on a Budget – The Beginner’s Guide
- 11+ Frugal Ideas for School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat
I hope this grocery budget calculator was helpful for you to not only start a grocery budget, but stick to one, too. Do you have a super awesome money saving hack when it comes to all things groceries? I’d love to hear about it in the comments down below!
Until next time,
Stay Courageous
Need a printable for how to create a grocery budget?
I created a printable for you, so you can remember what you’re supposed to be budgeting for meals without coming back to this post. Click here to download and print that!
Need more grocery shopping or meal planning help?
I have just the thing for you! I threw all my meal planning tips and tricks into a course! Click here to learn more about it!
