I try to budget, but I'm guessing that between groceries and the occasional night out it's around $350-400 for myself and my boyfriend. Mostly groceries b/c they're so expensive, and for that reason I dread the weekly trip.

My husband and I also spend anywhere from $350-$400 a month. Some weeks are better than others, but that's our average. We try so hard to be thrifty at the food store but things just add up so quickly and easily. We were able to cut about $80 off our monthly food spending ever since I've made a point to pack my lunch for work.

I budget $250 for my half...so usually I would estimate we spend about $500-$600 on food each month.

$120 per month, including lunches for the two of us.

We spend about $340ish a month.

We spend roughly $200 on groceries a month and then I'd say about $100-150 on lunches, dinners, snacks, etc.

I spend $150 on groceries and $50 on eating out a month.

I buy groceries twice a month and never eat out during the week.

We probably spend 400€ on food alone for the whole family. Could be more. I'm pretty bad about not even looking at prices.

I spend way too much on food. I normally spend around $150 on groceries and I'm guessing around 100-250 eating out.

HOLY CRAP

I just went through my checking account and found that I alone am spending nearly $400/month on food and booze in DC ... I live with my girlfriend and I assume she's spending the same if not more.

Eeeep. I should probably know but I don't. I'm guessing around $250-$500.

For me and the hubby it costs us about $20 a day (3 meals for each of us-including wine or beer), and we eat in most of the time these days. We only go out for special occasions. That may seem like a lot compared to others on the list, but that is what lunch out in SF can cost-which he used to do regularly.

My boyfriend and I are pretty ridiculous ...that and we both come from families of eaters.

I cook often and prefer alot of gourmet ingredients which makes our weekly grocery bill around $100. We eat out at least 3 times a week and that's usually another $100 - $150.

I think we make up for it by pinching our pennies elsewhere.

I don't really budget but I spend relatively the same about each trip which is usually once every 2 weeks. I spend roughly 200-250 a month on food.

I don't really keep track of how much I spend, but I do try to limit myself every time I got to the store. But I have noticed lately that I'm for the must part buying the same things from the grocery store that I usually buy and paying about $10 more because of the increased price of food. So crazy!

The bills have gone up. We used to pay about $50 a week when we first got married 3 years ago. Now, we buy the same things/brands, and pay $80 a week, if not more.

I'm trying to watch more the costs of eating out. We haven't eaten out in about 4 weeks -- and that's a looong time for us. We normally go every other week for a date night type thing.

It's harder to justify it, though, with everything else getting expensive, not to mention the heating bills for this winter that are starting ...

I spend at least $100 a week at the grocery store for dinners and lunches. And we generally eat out once a week. I'd say we spend about $500 a month on food.

I'd LOVE to know how you spend $120 a month Cat...I'm obviously doing something wrong at the grocery store.

I would estimate about $500-$600 a month, but that's for a family of four (including 22 & 17yo sons). We rarely eat out, and get takeout (pizza or barbeque) maybe twice a month. All other meals I make, and my husband and older boy do take their lunches most days. Those boys drink so much milk, though! It's about $3.80 a gallon here, and it lasts MAYBE two days.

T and Co, My husband is out of work right now, so we have seriously budgeted out the food, we have it down to a science! and we arent eating crappola either. Mostly by buying in store brands (publix, winn dixie, wal mart, sams club) and buying in bulk, and really truly planning ahead (we can get 2 meals out of this,so lets not pig out!) we dont eat dessert, or eat out, or use vending machines.

Its only the two of us.

Now my cats? eat a bag of Iams for 16.99 every two weeks. little B*stards. I cant change that!!!

After looking through my old statements, I think I spend about a whopping $300-400/month. That includes groceries, eating out, cocktails and happy hour. And that's not including the times when the BF treats (which is most of the time). I can't resist though, there are so many amazing restaurants in San Francisco!

For a family of four, we probably spend about $500-$600 a month on groceries, but that includes a ton of soda, my husband and I are both really bad about soda. Plus my kids are little and they eat a lot of snacks, and pre-packaged snacks are pricey. I'm going to take a lesson from CaterpillarGirl and work on planning ahead!

I hear ya, Cat! My dog eats Iams too! He won't touch anything else. Haha.

I need to get a membership to Sam's Club...I've heard it really helps save. Thanks for the tips!

I don't keep track because my hubby pays for groceries and going out. Per month, my guess is that he spends about $600. And I spend an extra $10/week for fresh fruit/veggies.

P.S. - I wasn't trying to be snotty in my comment before, I promise. I just re-read it and could see how it could come off that way! It's all about coming up with creative ways to save these days.

Yaks, that's a larger question!

We spend a lot of money on alcohol. I just can't drink cheap stuff anymore, so a bottle of wine is a minimum of $12 and usually $8-10 for a six pack of good beer. It adds up fast.

I wish I didn't know how much I spend on food...at least $500 a month!

Every dollar I spend on bacon wrapped hot dogs is a dollar well spent. If I need one I buy one and never count.

I think we spend about $400 a month on groceries but i am not sure how much on take out we really need to cut back. I need to start planning ahead and budgeting better with the price of groceries going up it's ridiculous a couple of weeks ago i spend $80 at the grocery store and barely had anything to show for it, it is so sad. I really need to go stock up at BJ's.

Regarding cat and dog food: Check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog-food-index-i.html to skip to the I's.) Buying a higher quality dog food seems more expensive, but since it's not stuffed with non-nutritional fillers, you end up using way less. For example:

Iam Healthy Naturals:
352 calories per cup
$18 for a 15 lb bag

Innova EVO Small bites:
537 calories per cup
$22 for a $13 pound bag

So the Innova (a super-premium brand) has 50% more calories (because it's packed with meat and not beet pulp) but only costs about 20% more. And look at the difference in ingredients:

Iams:
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Flax Meal, Apple Pomace, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Choline Chloride, Dried Spinach, Dried Tomato, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract

Innova:
Turkey, chicken, turkey meal, chicken meal, potatoes, herring meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, egg, apples, tomatoes, potassium chloride, carrots, vitamins, garlic, cottage cheese, minerals, alfalfa sprouts, ascorbic acid, dried chicory root, direct-fed microbials, vitamin E supplement, lecithin, rosemary extract.

I can't even pronounce half of the first list, and I don't want to feed my dog "by-product." The first ingredient is chicken, but the ingredients are listed in order of their weight before cooking, so in the final product it is likely much further down the list. Beet pulp and corn meal are controversial filler foods that cause allergies in some dogs, and Brewers rice is a low quality grain by-product.

I don't work for Innova, there are lots of other good quality brands! I just hate that the dog food industry is so unregulated and most people don't know what they are feeding their dogs.

Ugh, my comment got flagged for links, but basically if you buy a higher quality dog food, you will be able to feed your dog less of it while giving him the same nutrition. Check out dog food analysis dot com.

I agree with True Song. When shopping for high quality pet food (don't go by price), always check the ingredients list. You want the first ingredient to be MEAT. Not "chicken meal", not "grains" but actual whole meat.

I browsed the Iams site and see that some of their bags of food do have Chicken as the first ingredient. Others, however, have corn meal.

My boyfriend and I spend about $300 a month at the grocery store and $200 a month eating out (we eat once a week).

Tidal Wave, just to be clear, chicken meal is not a bad ingredient. Chicken byproduct is really what to look out for. If just chicken is listed, it means fresh chicken, which is about 80% water, which of course is all cooked out when making dry dog food.

This page explains how they analyze the foods:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/how-do-you-rate-the-foods.html

I think it's absolutely fascinating.

True, I tried to change their food......explosive feline poopy everywhere, and one of them just plain wouldnt eat the new stuff. I use Iams Indoor formula.

As for alchohol. Good think i dont touch the stuff!

CG, just curious, did you gradually change their food? Sometimes pets get sick if they switch from one to another. I think it's recommended to give them, say, 90% of their old food with 10% new food, and then gradually increase the new food amount over a week or so.

Yep I meant "chicken by-product".

for example: http://www.iams.com/iams/premium-pet-food/diet-cat-food.jsp - Iams® ProActive Health™ Indoor™ Weight & Hairball Care*

Ingredients: Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Corn Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Powdered Cellulose, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken

Chicken is the 7th ingredient on the list!

Also, just like doctors, veterinarians get paid to "recommend" a particular brand of petfood.

Regarding your cat that just won't eat the new kind...

Some manufacturers actually coat their food with sugar so cats or dogs will be more drawn to it. People see their pet just loves the food, so they assume it's good for them or just want to give it what it wants.

Not saying that's what's happening with your cat. Just saying. I know I'm going on about this. I just feel strongly about it.

I spend about $100 a week on groceries and we eat out usually only once or twice a week. So I would guess its around $500 a month. I never realized it was that high. I always check prices and try to buy in bulk but healthy foods are usually more pricey than the full of sugar and fat ones.

true Song, i did gradually change it, little by little and they just refused it. and than some got ill. I have old cats and young cats. the old ones stopped eating, the young one was mr poopy face.

TW, that is one of the worst I have seen. Yuck! It's the equivalent of people eating a twinkie for dinner.

And yes, that makes me so mad. My vet pushes Science Diet, and it's really not a great quality food.

Bummer. From what I have read (which is really way too much) cats can be harder to switch than dogs.

About 400 for 2,eating out once a week.

I love eating cheap things like rice and beans or pasta. Even though it's more convenient to shop for everything at a big box store, I tend to go to several places over the week. I'd rather spend $17 at a fruit market for a week's worth of fruits and vegetables than spend $30 for some sorry-looking produce at a store that also carries tires.

I really have no idea, and I don't feel like keeping track. We eat out like once a month and I cook my own breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. I'm sure I could drive to a cheaper grocery store than the one that is walking distance, but then I'd be wasting gas and time.

of course i do... about 300 or less.

what are all of you gushing about? i spend 300 and can't even aford organic milk! i live in London... and i never eat out...

I'd say we spend about 60 bucks a week for my husband and I but we eat our WAY too much. We probably spend less the 400 dollars on groceries a month, but that's a lot of counting beer and junk food.

I don't understand how people eat out for like $25! Where do you go?! My boyfriend and I usually spend at least $50 when we go out to eat. Also, I agree with what someone said earlier...eating healthy is so much more expensive!