Grocery Budgeting Tips: What it Takes to Feed a Family of 4 for $250 a Month (2024)

I recently was asked about my grocery budgeting tips andhow I feed my family of 4 for $250 a month. I knew nothing about the person asking me except she also had a family of 4 and she was regularly spending $1,000 a month and could not figure out how to spend less.

I immediately launched into what I did and started to give her some tips. What I got back was actually a kind of defensive response about how she is “health-conscious” and doesn’t eat bread, milk, cheese, hamburger or hashbrowns. She couldn’t believe the advice I was giving her. It was like I had offended her by offering tips from my own life.

I was kind of taken aback, to be honest.

So now that I have had some time to digest that conversation, I want you to know, it is totally okay if you don’t like what I feed my family. You definitely don’t have to feed your family the same things as me.

BUT, if you want to know how to save money on groceries and feed a family of 4 for $250 a month, you can absolutely do what I do!

Let me tell you some things I do:

  • I feed white bread instead of wheat bread because it is cheaper (yes, like 7 cents cheaper).
  • I don’t drink pop because it’s expensive (not because it isn’t good for you).
  • We cut out cheese occasionally to save money (not because it’s fatty).
  • I refuse to buy bags of lettuce because I can chop my own lettuce, and I can buy 4 heads of lettuce for the price of 1 bag of chopped.
  • I cook with canned chicken way more than I would like to admit.

If none of this sounds appealing, you can take a detour from here to some of our awesome budgeting or debt payoff resources!

How to Pay Off $35,000 of Debt in 6 Months

Still sticking around?? Awesome!

Ready to save money on groceries?

Grocery Budgeting Tip #1: Shop where it’s cheap.

Trader Joes, Whole Paycheck…whoops! I mean Whole Foods, your local small town grocery store….not the place to save money. Unless you feel like bouncing from store to store to use coupons and shop specific deals, stay clear of these places.

I for one do not have time to be shopping around from store to store. I have butts to wipe and crumbs to clean up off my floors……like all the time.

If you want a cheap grocery budget, you need to shop at a cheap store. My best recommendation is to shop at Aldi.

Now, lots of people say, they can’t do all of their shopping at Aldi because they don’t have everything they need for their meals.

Want to know the solution to that? Make your meals fit with what Aldi does have.

If you are trying to save time and money, then you need to make Aldi work for your meals and save time by only shopping at one store. You will thank yourself, I promise.

I used to go to Aldi, then Target, then Walmart….good Lord! Then I came to my senses and started making meals that only used things Aldi could supply. Then I started ordering my toiletry stuff online (and my coffee….I do not like Aldi’s coffee) and having it shipped from Target to my door.

If you really want to tighten up your food budget, you need to be shopping at Aldi (or an Aldi equivalent) and only Aldi. No extra store trips where you will spend more and you will buy more on impulse because you are in the store. None of that.

Grocery Budget Tip #2: Plan to save money.

If you aren’t already meal planning, you are going to be saving so much money once you start!

Before meal planning, I was spending $250/month on groceries and then another $300-$400 just eating out because I felt like we had “nothing to eat.” Isn’t that always the case? We would seriously have a pantry full of food, but no idea what to do with it so we felt like we had nothing.

When you meal plan, your ingredients have a purpose and you know you have what you need on hand to make your meal for the day. No more wasted ingredients and no more impromptu drive-thru adventures.

Okay, meal plan, meal plan, got it. But how do you actually start to meal plan?

When I first started, I just kept it stupid simple. I’m talking about spaghetti, frozen pizza, scrambled eggs, Mac ‘n Cheese, chicken nuggets, frozen dinners.

For the first couple of months of meal planning, I made the meals require like zero effort to accomplish.

Designing the meal plan, making the grocery list and doing the shopping took enough of my energy, I couldn’t imagine doing any serious cooking on top of that.

My first victory was just accomplishing the meal plan for the month, the grocery shopping and telling my husband what was for dinner. For the first couple of months, we would alternate cooking days (or I’ll be honest, he did most of the cooking/putting stuff in the oven) in the beginning.

Simple was our friend. Soup and sandwiches? Absolutely! Frozen chicken pot pie? Sure thing!

Once I actually got comfortable designing a meal plan, then I started to put more effort into the actual meal preparation and cooking. We have since gotten a little bit more adventurous, but nothing too crazy.

Meal planning is actually really easy. Now that I have been doing it, it is super simple.

When you are first getting started, it seems super overwhelming and exhausting. To help with that, you can design your menu by theme nights (ex. Monday = Mexican, Tuesday = Chicken, Wednesday = Italian, etc.).

USE OUR WEEKLY MEAL PLAN BY THEME AND MONTHLY MEAL PLAN CALENDAR TO GET STARTED TODAY. SIGN UP BELOW TO GAIN INSTANT ACCESS!

Grocery Budgeting Tips:  What it Takes to Feed a Family of 4 for $250 a Month (2024)

FAQs

Grocery Budgeting Tips: What it Takes to Feed a Family of 4 for $250 a Month? ›

The backbone of keeping my grocery budget so low is the creation of a stockpile of pantry staples, such as flour, beans and other legumes, rice, steel cut and rolled oats, corn meal, popping corn, barley, sugar, vegetable oil, baking essentials, and some canned fruits and vegetables.

What is a realistic grocery budget for a family of 4? ›

This includes purchasing items from your local grocery store or supermarket. On average, a family of four can expect to spend anywhere between $500 to $1,000 per month on groceries, depending on factors such as dietary choices, quality of ingredients, and location.

How much food for a family of 4 for a month? ›

Average Costs and Variations

The average cost of food at home for a family of four, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ranges from $567 to $1,296 per month, which comes out to approximately $130 to $300 per week.

How to budget $200 on groceries a month? ›

Here are the most important habits that we regularly used to spend no more than $200 a month on food.
  1. Create a weekly perishable food inventory.
  2. Plan a menu each week.
  3. Focus on buying loss leaders.
  4. Find the markdowns.
  5. Buy in Bulk.
  6. Avoid processed foods.
  7. Your Turn.
Feb 21, 2024

What is a normal monthly grocery budget? ›

By Household Size

According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan. The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.

What is the average monthly budget for a family of 4? ›

The average monthly expenses for a family of four range from $7,875 to $9,168 (depending on the ages of your kids). For single folks, the average monthly expenses are $4,337. For married couples with no kids, monthly expenses are $7,111.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

How can I feed my family on a very small budget? ›

How to feed your family for less - Experts tips for shopping and cooking on a budget
  1. Don't feel pressured to always buy fresh. ...
  2. Eat seasonally. ...
  3. Substitute pricey lettuce. ...
  4. Meal plan with the catalogue in hand. ...
  5. Top trick to find the lowest priced groceries. ...
  6. Learn how to stretch your food further. ...
  7. Shop the 'dodgy' bin.

How much should a family of four make? ›

Out of all 99 cities SmartAsset examined, a family of four would need a median of $226,886 to live comfortably.

How much should a family of four spend on groceries in 2024? ›

As of March 2024, the USDA recommends a family of four on a thrifty budget spend $976.60 monthly and $1,585.20 for a liberal budget. On average, across the four food plans, the monthly budget recommendation has risen 27% since the start of 2020.

How do I plan a monthly grocery budget? ›

  1. Track current spending. Before you figure out what you should be spending on food, it's important to figure out what you are spending on food. ...
  2. Allocate a percentage of your income. ...
  3. Avoid eating out. ...
  4. Plan your meals. ...
  5. Keep a fridge grocery list. ...
  6. Eat before you go to the store. ...
  7. Be careful with coupons. ...
  8. Embrace the bulk section.
Feb 22, 2024

What is a reasonable amount of money for groceries? ›

What's a reasonable food budget? Many financial advisors and gurus recommend spending no more than 10%-15% of take-home pay on food, a figure that includes restaurant dining and takeout.

How much does it cost to feed a family of 4? ›

In 2020, the average US household food expenditure. amounted to $609.7 per month. In 2023 the average household spends between. $1,047 to $1,576 on a groceries per month.

How do I calculate my grocery budget? ›

The 50/30/20 budget can help you work out how much to spend on groceries based on your specific income and expenses. Following this framework, you spend about 50% of your monthly after-tax income on needs, 30% on wants and 20% on savings and debt repayment.

How much does the average family of four spend on groceries? ›

And when it comes to a family of four, the average cost for their monthly grocery bill is about $975. Those averages might seem low to you, spot on or crazy high. So many factors come into play here: like where you live or how many special dietary needs you have.

What is a good weekly grocery budget? ›

For a low-cost budget for a family of four, you can plan on spending $243.80 a week or about $1,055.80 a month. Moderate-cost plan. For a moderate budget for a family of four, you would spend $302.80 a week for groceries or $1,311.50 a month.

What is the average cost of groceries for a family of 4 per week? ›

A family of four should be able to purchase a week's worth of groceries for $244 to $396, depending on how strict their budget is.

How much does a family of four spend on groceries in 2024? ›

As of March 2024, the USDA recommends a family of four on a thrifty budget spend $976.60 monthly and $1,585.20 for a liberal budget. On average, across the four food plans, the monthly budget recommendation has risen 27% since the start of 2020.

What is the average grocery cost per family? ›

California was at the top of the list for most expensive places to buy groceries, with the average household purchasing $297 worth of groceries per week. Neighboring state, Nevada follows closely behind with the average household spending $294 a week.

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