Spending for food seems to be one of the utmost concerns we have nowadays. Prices of meat keep soaring and even some commodities too. Trying to cut the cost of grocery expenses seems to be the common goal of every family. But how are you going to cost cut when you really don’t get the exact picture on how much you are spending.
So how much does a certain family really spend each week? Well, this varies in every family of course. Grocery expenses depends on the families needs, family size and family’s preference. For example, families who grows their own vegetable garden can harvest some vegetables and need not purchase them anymore. Families with only one or two kids will probably spend less than those of a family of five or more. Also, a family with two or three boys will spend more on food than a family of only two or three girls. With all these in mind, it is pretty hard to determine the definite strategy in calculating for your grocery budget. Basically, your weekly budget is significantly related to your family classification. First thing you should do is to collect all of your grocery receipts and calculate for your weekly spending.
A family which consumes more of the branded items will definitely spend more in their weekly budget. There will be a big trim on your weekly expenses if you choose store brands than the brand names. Practically, staples such as cooking oil, grain products, pepper, salt, instant potatoes, and other staples are priced almost 50% lower with store brands than the brand names.
Most moms too get overwhelmed with coupons and tend to think that they will be spending less. But actually coupons are tricky unless you use them wisely. You need to consider your family’s needs first before using these coupons so, carefully check if your entire family will enjoy the food you buy with them. Also, avoid buying products you can consumer before their expiration. If coupons are used wisely, you will definitely get as much savings as possible.
One misleading idea that a lot of us follow is the idea that if we buy bulk, we save. This is why most families spend more than what is necessary per week, when in fact they can cut their spending down and save up to 20% of it. Consider bulk buying only if your family is really using that product so you can consume it all up. Items such as toilet papers, kitchen papers, and other commonly used household products are recommended to be bought bulk. Also, when buying food products on bulk make sure that you have somewhere to store them. Be sure to store properly and consumed them before they go bad.
Lastly, most families are fond of junk an unnecessary foods. These are not only unhealthy but also costly. Spending too much on junk foods increase your weekly budget to more or less 10%. You can trim you expenses by carefully screening the food you really need and which are nutritious.
How much you’re spending on your weekly groceries largely depends on how carefully you plan the kind and amount of food you buy and on whether or not you employ saving strategies wisely.
What?! Your poll is especially interesting to me – I had no idea that my family food budget was really on par with many others! Food is just such a chunk. I was sure I must be doing something wrong, but now I’m consoled
lol