How much do you spend on food per month?

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Uber Geek

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# 1169199 5-Nov-2014 12:34

hangon: ... based on this food cost survey, a man + a woman + a 4 yo in Auckland eating "basic" diet would cost $159 pw, $212 pw eating "moderate" diet, or $254 pw eating "liberal" diet.
http://www.otago.ac.nz/humannutrition/research/food-cost-survey/otago057919.html

While "estimated weekly costs on non-food items for a family of four (2 adults, 2 children)" at "moderate" level costs $40.7 pw.

I've lived in Auckland - left 2 years ago - I think that those figures are wildly optimistic (even for 2012).

Sideface

hangon

393 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169209 5-Nov-2014 12:44

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Inphinity:
Bee:
Here's the secret : shop at Paknsave..

I must say I don't understand the love for PaknShave. Every time I've tried to shop there, it comes out miles more expensive, a thousand times more stressful, and I end up having to go off to other shops to get everything anyway. Oh, plus their in-house branded stuff seems to be foul rubbish. What am I missing?

for many food items and non food items, pak n save's price is on par or below other supermarkets, sometimes even when they are on special in other supermarkets.

however, it helps plan ahead and not to buy overpriced items (applies anywhere, pretty much) - find alternatives or just leave it out, stock some non perishable items when they are priced low, but don't go overboard.

Dairyxox

1495 posts

Uber Geek

# 1169211 5-Nov-2014 12:44

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Two adults & a toddler here too
We spend $150 a week on groceries, plus about $100 a month on takeaways/eating out.

So about $700 per month.

We shop at Pak n Save and it is cheaper, but the quality of their meats & produce is dubious in my eyes (or mouth).

hangon

393 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169217 5-Nov-2014 12:54

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Sideface:
hangon: ... based on this food cost survey, a man + a woman + a 4 yo in Auckland eating "basic" diet would cost $159 pw, $212 pw eating "moderate" diet, or $254 pw eating "liberal" diet.
http://www.otago.ac.nz/humannutrition/research/food-cost-survey/otago057919.html

While "estimated weekly costs on non-food items for a family of four (2 adults, 2 children)" at "moderate" level costs $40.7 pw.

I've lived in Auckland - left 2 years ago - I think that those figures are wildly optimistic (even for 2012).

optimistic maybe but definitely doable, non food items at basic level + food would be $189.53, our figures came back at $181.37 combined, below what I had budgeted for. Although we are rather eating moderate than basic. we waste little, which also helps.

This quarter though I need to add $25 pw for kindy food, which would seem unreasonably high :D

CokemonZ

360 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169225 5-Nov-2014 13:06

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Pak n save for the basics - and to be honest the home brand/pams stuff all comes from the same factories as the branded stuff.

50/50 pak n save for meat or the butcher - which ever has the better specials.

Our $700 a month includes household goods, loo paper, shampoo, dishwasher powder etc.

mattwnz

15271 posts

Uber Geek

# 1169230 5-Nov-2014 13:20

CokemonZ: Pak n save for the basics - and to be honest the home brand/pams stuff all comes from the same factories as the branded stuff.

50/50 pak n save for meat or the butcher - which ever has the better specials.

Our $700 a month includes household goods, loo paper, shampoo, dishwasher powder etc.

Not always. Some of the cheap stuff is made in, or sourced from different countries. egTins of fruit or frozen veges, for some of the cheap brands can come from china, but Watties is usually NZ or Australain fruit. You do have to look at the fine print. But for things like milk, it is usually the same stuff. I avoid pacnsave meat, as they often often hide the fat underneath the meat, at least that is what I have found in my local store. Usually countdown meat is better, but I try to get the silver farms stuff when it is on special. It is more expensive, but you just eat less of it. Also Moore Wilsons has some good meat.

mattwnz

15271 posts

Uber Geek

# 1169231 5-Nov-2014 13:22

Without knowing what is being purchased, it is hard to say if you are paying too much. The more convenience food you have, the more you will be paying over raw ingredients. But the store that you shop in can make a big difference. Pacnsave is usally the cheapest overall I have found, but countdown can have good specials, which make them cheaper on some things.

ckc

321 posts

Ultimate Geek
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# 1169236 5-Nov-2014 13:32

About $200 a week between two of us. And we eat a lot. So we buy a lot from farm shops. We also buy protein powder.

Lyderies

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169244 5-Nov-2014 13:43

mattwnz: Not always. Some of the cheap stuff is made in, or sourced from different countries. egTins of fruit or frozen veges, for some of the cheap brands can come from china, but Watties is usually NZ or Australain fruit. You do have to look at the fine print. But for things like milk, it is usually the same stuff. I avoid pacnsave meat, as they often often hide the fat underneath the meat, at least that is what I have found in my local store. Usually countdown meat is better, but I try to get the silver farms stuff when it is on special. It is more expensive, but you just eat less of it. Also Moore Wilsons has some good meat.

Most of the home brands are NZ sourced and proven many a time to have less sugar and more of the produce than the bigger brands, for example Home Brand tomatoes have more tomatoes and less additives and sugar in them than Watties which has been said to have a lot more harmful things put in than just tomatoes

I'm going to noob myself past judgement

MikeB4

14424 posts

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# 1169247 5-Nov-2014 13:50

We don't spend a lot, we eat light meals mainly Rice veges pasta. We eat Chicken, Fish and small amounts of red meat. We grow a lot of the veges we eat. From a guess I would estimate we would spend around $400 to $500 per month on food maybe less.

Mike
Retired IT Manager.
The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

There is no planet B

CokemonZ

360 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169254 5-Nov-2014 13:50

One person supports this post

mattwnz:
CokemonZ: Pak n save for the basics - and to be honest the home brand/pams stuff all comes from the same factories as the branded stuff.

50/50 pak n save for meat or the butcher - which ever has the better specials.

Our $700 a month includes household goods, loo paper, shampoo, dishwasher powder etc.

Not always. Some of the cheap stuff is made in, or sourced from different countries. egTins of fruit or frozen veges, for some of the cheap brands can come from china, but Watties is usually NZ or Australain fruit. You do have to look at the fine print. But for things like milk, it is usually the same stuff. I avoid pacnsave meat, as they often often hide the fat underneath the meat, at least that is what I have found in my local store. Usually countdown meat is better, but I try to get the silver farms stuff when it is on special. It is more expensive, but you just eat less of it. Also Moore Wilsons has some good meat.

This applies to Watties. too. there was a stink not long ago about their fruits being imported, even though the front of the can said comes from Hawkes Bay. I can't find the article in a 30 second google.

The larger problem with that is New Zealand has very weak country of origin labelling. Most processed products including canned fruit say made from local and imported ingredients, not what is imported and from where.

Don't get me wrong - there is a large variation in quality. We've brought from budget to watties, and across different products settled into the couple of brands that work for us. Oak spaghetti, budget tomatoes for cooking, watties fruit salad and so on.

CokemonZ

360 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169255 5-Nov-2014 13:54

And here is an article referencing watties fruit being packaged in Thailand.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11341314

Doesn't specify where the actual fruit came from. Our fish is the same, caught here, shipped to China or Vietnam for processing and shipped back here.

I still buy and eat it all. Lots of it is great. Basically sows fear uncertainty and doubt, and it is all likely to be fine.

DravidDavid

1892 posts

Uber Geek

# 1169259 5-Nov-2014 13:58

CokemonZ:

Doesn't specify where the actual fruit came from. Our fish is the same, caught here, shipped to China or Vietnam for processing and shipped back here.

What a waste of time and effort :(

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

pab

71 posts

Master Geek

# 1169265 5-Nov-2014 14:12

Disrespective: I've been using some software called You Need A Budget for nearly a year now and have noticed that our monthly grocery bill feels ridiculously high on average.

In the ballpark of $1500 per month. That's $375 per week...

There are two adults and a toddler in the house

Crikey, that's about double what we spend for our household of two adults, a 2yr old and 4yr old, living in Christchurch. Looking back at our heaps records, we've averaged $744 per month on anything classified as groceries (anything bought from supermarket, butcher, baker, green grocer etc). Our eating out/takeaways/cafe/coffees for the past 12 months averaged an additional $201 per month.

Primarily shop weekly at Pak'n'Save, use disposable nappies (included in total grocery cost) but reusable washable wipes. Toddler has been refusing to eat anything not from a watties little kids can at dinner time for the past year - argh! Breakfast at home and packed lunches for work/pre-school. We have no meal plans or shopping lists, minimal food wastage and generally only purchase seasonal produce and try to buy items when on special. Most meals are non-vegetarian. I most cook based on what's in the fridge/freezer on the day. Takeaways or a meal/lunch out generally weekly.

I do grow the veges in summer and spend about $100 on it per year and we have chickens that eat $200 of feed per year, but I don't need to buy eggs for 10 months of the year and tend to give away 20 dozen eggs to neighbours.

To be spending $1,500 per month on groceries I wouldn't be looking at price tags and be buying things whether or not I thought they were reasonable value - e.g. tomatoes in winter.

CokemonZ

360 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1169267 5-Nov-2014 14:18

DravidDavid:
CokemonZ:

Doesn't specify where the actual fruit came from. Our fish is the same, caught here, shipped to China or Vietnam for processing and shipped back here.

What a waste of time and effort :(

Not going to argue that point.
Keeps it cheap though.
There is locally processed products you can buy. Almost twice the price, so the choice is ours.
I know what choice I make, and based on what I see taking the most shelf space what other people choose.

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