A Week of Grocery Spending for a Family of 7 ($350/Week in 2024)

Inside: Wondering what a family of 7 spends on groceries these days? I’m sharing one week of our grocery purchases with prices, including our once a month grocery purchases like Amazon Subscribe & Save and Grove Collaborative.

Last week, we did our bi-monthly Costco trip. As I walked the aisles, I noticed prices creeping upward yet again.

The chocolate chips we buy are usually $9.99. Now? They’re $10.99.

The Just Bare chicken nuggets I bought a few months ago? They’ve inched up to $17.99 for a four pound bag.

Everywhere I looked, the prices were STILL slowly creeping upward. The $0.97 Shamrock Farms half and half was little consolation.

(Insider Tip: If Costco is getting rid of something, they price it to move FAST, and the prices will always end in “.97”.)

While economy experts continue to talk about how inflation is going down, real middle class families continue to find price increases at the grocery store week after week after week. 

Sorry “experts” if we don’t believe you. Eye roll.

Last year, I wrote about strategies I’m using to fight inflation and tighten up our grocery budget without switching to Aldi (sorry if you love Aldi – I’m just not there yet). 

But sometimes, it’s helpful to see the practical “exactly what you bought” kind of grocery shopping posts. Here’s what I bought last week for our family of seven, along with our meal plan and overall family eating habits.

(For reference, we live in a relatively rural area in Northeastern Pennsylvania.)

One Week of Grocery Spending for a Family of Seven in 2024

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For my weekly groceries, I shop at Giant (25 minutes away) and spend around $200 a trip. I go to Costco twice a month and average $175 a trip. 

We have Costco’s executive membership, which costs $120 a year and gives us 2% back on all Costco purchases, which almost covers the cost of the membership. 

When I shop at Giant, I do grocery pick-up AND shop in the store for produce and any deals on staples I can find. 

For example, there was a buy one get one free deal on Thomas Bagels this week, so I grabbed two to put in our deep freezer. We use them for cinnamon sugar bagels and pepperoni pizza bagels.

We also spend between $100-$150 a month through Amazon’s subscribe & save, and we get a Grove Collaborative box about once a month, which I’ll include as well. 

Finally, I include things like hand soap, paper towels and cleaning supplies in our grocery budget category. It’s not just food. 

In total, I budget $1700 a month for groceries and eating out. Some months are tighter than others, depending on whether or not there is an extra week of Giant shopping that month.

On to this week’s meal plan, and what we bought!

Breakfast/Lunches

Because we prioritize food autonomy for our kids, we all eat different foods for breakfast and lunch.

My husband eats egg and cheese sandwiches, made with Dave’s killer bread and organic pasture-raised eggs (we decided these were worth the splurge because of the extra nutrients). 

I rarely eat breakfast, and if I do, it’s often a handful of Costco salted roasted almonds and a banana.

Our kids eat anything from cinnamon sugar bagels to smoothies to muffins. Very occasionally, I’ll make pumpkin scones, pancakes or waffles. 

Dinner Plans

I plan five dinner meals a week. Of those five meals, 1-3 kids eat some portion of them (sometimes, just rice or veggies, not the main dish). 

Currently, my husband is on a low carb, low sugar, high protein and veggie diet of his own making, so I tweak certain meals for him.  

The kids who don’t eat the dinners either 1) make their own food (anything from pizza bagels to rice, beans and cheese) or 2) ask me to throw something quick in the air fryer for them or need a quick sandwich.

We keep a variety of frozen foods on hand at all times, such as mini pizzas, nuggets, and egg rolls.

We also keep simple sandwich ingredients on hand as well, like peanut butter, jelly, American cheese for grilled cheese and lunch meat.

Our meals this week included:

• Spicy Sausage Skillet (I double the pasta & sauce) with Veggies
• Lemon Pepper Chicken with Veggies
• Chicken Satay (no sauce) with Veggies & Rice
• Costco Beef Stew with Frozen Fries
• Pizza Stuffed Peppers (I roast the peppers first, then fill & ½ the oregano)

For the lemon pepper chicken, I use Mccormick Lemon Pepper seasoning and cut up two packets of Costco chicken tenders (for leftovers). I saute them on medium high heat in a stainless steel pan using a 1:1 ratio of olive oil and butter. 

When I say “veggies”, it usually means bags of steamed veggies. About once a week, my husband will make French green beans in the airfryer with olive oil and salt/pepper.

Related: How to Create a Minimalist Meal Plan (& Save Your Sanity!)

Giant Groceries – $203.87

One thing that is saving my sanity lately is having a “back-up” shelf in our minimalist pantry. 

When something moves from the back-up shelf to its usual home, I automatically add a replacement to my Giant grocery pick-up cart. So when we run out of peanut butter or olive oil, I always have an extra on the back-up shelf. 

I also stock up on things we use regularly when they are on mega sale (50% off), like Rotel or name brand bagels or store brand pasta sauce.

Pro Tip: Be willing to try lower priced brands/options. I started saving $10-15 a week simply by switching apple brands from Honeycrisp to Evercrisp, a similar tasting apple that is slightly less sweet and we now prefer! 

Here’s what I bought at Giant this week. 

For reference, “SB” is Store Brand, and “NP” is Nature’s Promise, and anything with an asterisk is not a usual purchase, but a rare one.

Baking & Cooking

• 13.5 oz. Coconut Milk ($1.69)
• 17 oz. Moresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($11.29)
• 1.8 oz NP Curry Powder ($4.39)
• 1.9 oz. NP Smoked Paprika ($4.39)
• 32 oz. Giant Confectioner’s Sugar ($2.79)
• *11 oz Rainbow Sprinkles for Cookies/Ice Cream ($3.99)
• 15 oz. SB Canned Pumpkin ($2.09)

Beverages

• 89 oz. Gold Peak Unsweetened Tea ($3.79)
• 1 Gal. Turkey Hill Diet Lemon Tea ($3.39)

Breads

• (2) 6 Pack Plain Thomas Bagels ($2.75 each – B1G1)

Condiments & Sauces 

• 16 oz. Chick-fil-a Polynesian Sauce ($3.50)
• 20 oz. Claussen Sandwich Slices ($4.69)
• 12.3 oz. Rao’s Homemade PIzza Sauce ($3.89)

Dairy

• 8 oz. Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Block ($2)
• (2) 8 oz. Cabot Monterey Jack Block ($2 each)
• ½ GAL SB 1% Chocolate Milk ($2.29)
• 1 GAL SB 1% Milk ($3.53)
• 16 oz. SB Mozzarella Cheese Sticks ($4.29)
• 16 oz. SB Whole Milk Shredded Mozzarella ($4.29)
• 16 oz. SB Sharp White Cheddar Block ($3.99)
• 16 oz. SB Sour Cream ($1.79)

Deli & Prepared Food

• (2) 8oz. BelGioioso Parmesan Cheese Wedge ($4 each)
• 1.5 lb. SB Deli American Cheese ($6.49/lb)
• .55 lb. SB Deli Tavern Ham ($8.99/lb)
• 6 oz. Sliced Pepperoni ($2.50)

Frozen

• *13 oz. Birds Eye Cheddar Broccoli Bake ($4)
• *Alexia Mexican Corn ($4)
• (5) 12 oz. SB Steam Ready Broccoli Florets ($1.99 each)
• 16 oz. SB Frozen Strawberries ($3)
• Turkey Hill Mint Chip Ice Cream ($3.50)
• Turkey Hill Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream ($3.50)

Meat

• 16 oz. Hatfield Ground Italian Sausage ($3)
• 3.25 lb. SB Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs ($3.99/lb.)

Produce

• 15.2 oz bottle Mighty Mango Naked Juice ($3.99)
• 3 lb. Sweet Onions ($3.99)
• 2 lb. Whole Carrots ($1.99)
• 12 oz. Fresh French Green Beans ($3.99)
• 1 lb. Baby Carrots ($1.29)
• 2 English Cucumbers ($1.79 each)
• 8.81 lbs. Evercrisp Apples ($1.79/lb.)
• 3.34 lbs. Bananas ($0.58/lb)

Rice, Grains, Pasta & Beans

• (2) 16 oz. Barilla Campanelle Pasta ($1.99)
• 16 oz. SB Medium Pasta Shells ($1)
• (2) 16 oz. SB Rotini Pasta ($1 each)

Snacks

• 16 oz. Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Oats & Honey ($4)
• Family Size Double Stuffed Oreos ($3.33)

Costco Groceries – $215.15 

Here’s what we bought at Costco this week. 

The next trip will likely be around $150-$175, for an average of $400 a month at Costco, or $100 a week. 

You Might Also Like: 25 Easy Dinner Ideas from Costco (Delicious & Almost No Prep)

Produce

• Pack of 6 Colored Bell Peppers ($6.79)

Breads & Rice

• 2 Pack Baguettes ($4.99)
• 2 Pack Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, 16 Per Pack ($6.59) 
• Chocolate Croissants ($7.19)
• 20 Pack Entemann’s Birthday Cake Muffins ($10.29)
• 2 Pack Dave’s Killer Bread, Thin-Sliced  ($9.59)
• 2 Pack Meier’s Italian Bread ($4.99)
• 25 lbs. Long Grain White Rice ($12.99) 

Baking

• 4.5 lb. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($10.99)
• 3 Pack Ghirardelli Brownie Mix ($13.99)

Dairy

• (2) 32 oz. Half & Half ($0.97)
• 32 oz. Heavy Cream ($1.97)
• 4 1lb Packs Butter ($13.99)
• 2 Dozen Organic Eggs ($7.49)

Frozen

• 12 Pack Mini Pizzas ($12.59)
• 4 lb. Just Bare Chicken Nuggets ($17.99)

Meat

• Rotisserie Chicken ($4.99)
• 6 Pack Fresh Chicken Tenderloins ($23.65)

Prepared Foods

• 40 oz. Baked Scalloped Potatoes ($7.79)
• Irish Beef Stew ($19.99)

Snacks

• (2) 24 oz. Late July Jalapeno Chips (6.99 each)

Amazon Subscribe & Save – $152.19 (1x/Month)

We have a variety of items that come at different times of the year. Some things we get every month (like toilet paper), and others every few months, like coffee.

We save anywhere from 5-15% on each item. Sometimes we save over 50% from the store prices, like with Goldfish that sell for $9.99 a box at Giant.

Here’s what we bought this month (prices are not shared because they change so frequently on Amazon, but see total above for reference!)…

• 24 Rolls Charmin Ultra Soft Toilet Paper
• Lil’ Critters Gummy Vitamins
• 20 Pack Spindrift Sparkling Water
• 6 12 Oz. Bags Starbucks Veranda Blend Coffee
• 6 27.3 oz Boxes Cheddar Goldfish
• 1 Box, 3 Bags Miss Jone’s Pumpkin Bread
• 10 Pack Magic Erasers for Bathroom
• 2 Boxes Strawberry Honey Bunches of Oats

Grove Collaborative Box – $54.45 (1x/Month)

Our spending with Grove Co. is usually closer to $35 a month, with the occasional skipped month.

Next month, I’m planning on trying THIS automatic foaming soap dispenser with Dr. Bronner’s Mild Castille Soap (1:8 Soap to Water ratio) to see if we can cut back on hand soap costs.

If it goes well, I will slowly phase out Mrs. Meyer’s Gel Soap, which seems to be really hard on my kids’ hands in the winter especially.

I’m slowly replacing toilet brush heads and drip stones for all three of our Grove Co. toilet brushes – one a month for the next few months. This is an irregular purchase for us that I only do every 2-3 years.

I also added a glass spray bottle (one time cost) and roll of paper towels to another corner of the house for convenience. We use Young Living’s Thieves cleaner.

• Toilet Brush Head Refill ($6.17)
• Drip Stone Refill for Toilet Brush Stand ($5.99)
• Grove Cleaning Glass Spray Bottle ($14.99)
• Grove Glass Hand Soap Dispenser ($7.00)
• Mrs. Meyer’s Gel Hand Soap Refill ($9.49)
• Mrs. Meyer’s Honeysuckle Hand Soap ($4.74)

Related: The Only Minimalist Cleaning Supplies You Really Need 

Our Grocery Budget for the Month + Other Meals We Enjoy

I budget $1700 a month for eating out and groceries. Some months are tighter than others, depending on whether or not there is that pesky extra week.

We occasionally use our local Dollar General for staples like bread, bagels, milk and half and half. Sometimes, the kids talk us into a bonus candy/snack run. 

Here are other meals we enjoy throughout the month…

• Chicken Fajitas (I double spices & add garlic powder)
• Easy Stovetop Turkey Chili with Cornbread
• Ground Chicken Stir Fry
• Lasagna Soup
• Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Blackened Chicken Aflredo
• Cheese Steaks
• Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Looking for more meal ideas? HERE are recipes we used to eat frequently a couple years ago, with a free meal planning printable!)

I hope this inspires you in some way, whether you are trying to reduce your grocery spending, or you look at ours and think, “I’m doing so much better!”

Either way, here’s to grocery prices going down or at least holding steady until the end of the year!

Hey, a mom can dream.

Read Next: 11 Minimalist Budgeting Tips & Tricks (Saving Made Simple)

How much are you spending per week on groceries? What’s your family size? Any savvy tips for saving on groceries? Share in the comments!

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