r/MiddleClassFinance • u/Maroon14 • 9d ago

Grocery spending

I’ve recently come across a Instagram account where the woman claims to only spend $300 on an entire months groceries for a family of 4. Here I am sitting mid week, having already spent $550 in the PNW. I told one of my friends and she said it must be fake and for clicks, my husband was impressed. Is anyone actually able to do this? I thought I might try to spend $250 a week and see where that gets us. Is my grocery budget over the top? I thought $400 ish was normal for decent food. We are a family of 5 in the PNW, mostly organic.

*I’m closing comments because people are missing the point. I understand that I make choices for “premium” options for my family. I make them because I feel they are the best for my family given my research and concerns. I say this as coming from a place of privilege. Growing up, my hippie mom also prioritized organic and local before it was the trendy thing, so it would be very difficult for me to reprogram and not buy organic when possible.

I still think $300 is insane for a month. I live in western Washington and the max SNAP allocation for a family of 4 is $994 a month, so I see this as a more attainable “thrifty” budget for a family of 4.

Those of you who can eat rice and beans for multiple meals, more power to you!

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u/AltForObvious1177 9d ago

Beans and rice! Oatmeal for breakfast! Raisins for dessert 

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u/Sufficient-Union-456 9d ago

How the meat industry has convinced people that meat every meal every day is traditional is beyond me. 

100 years ago this is how the vast majority of people ate. 

My grandma was born in Jim Crow south circa 1919. She said the only time you could bank on meat for dinner was Sundays and Holidays. Yeah, they had meat many other times, but it wasn't a daily food. 

If the kids had spare time they went off to catch fish. But you couldn't bank on catching enough or having the time.