Am I going crazy or have grocery prices just gone completely wild lately? My partner and I are spending around $200 a week on groceries here in Seattle, and I swear it used to be more like $120-130 a couple of years ago for basically the same stuff.
We cook most of our meals at home, I don't buy anything fancy... and somehow the cart still hits $200 every time. What's everyone else paying? Anyone have actual tips that help — Costco runs, bulk buying, farmers markets, those Aldi-type discount stores? I've been thinking about trying one of the weekend markets, but I'm not sure it's actually cheaper. What's your best budget trick?
You're not going crazy — it's the same down here in Portland. Two of us, cooking at home most nights, and we're easily at $180-200 a week now. Three years ago it was more like $110.
The thing that gets me is how much the basics jumped: eggs, milk, bread, even store-brand stuff. We've started hitting the farmers market and Costco more, which helps a bit, but yeah, $200 a week for two feels like the new normal now. Depressing.
$200 a week for two actually sounds about right to me these days. We spend close to that too, and we mostly cook at home without buying anything fancy either. Eggs and dairy alone seem to have doubled compared to a couple of years ago.
From what people report, $200 a week for two is pretty common in Seattle now, especially if you buy a lot of produce and meat. Shopping weekly sales, store brands and bulk staples at Costco or WinCo can knock a good chunk off that.
Also in the Seattle area, and $200 a week for two sounds about normal now. We started splitting our shopping between two stores to chase the deals, but it feels like the prices just keep inching up regardless.
One tip that helps: plan meals around the weekly flyer instead of the other way around, and freeze bread and meat when they're on sale. It won't get you back to $120, but it can shave off $20–30 a week.
Honestly $200 a week for two doesn't shock me at all anymore. The basics are what sting the most — eggs, milk, bread, all the stuff you can't skip. I started doing a mid-week top-up at a discount store instead of one big haul, and it cut our bill by maybe 10-15%. Not life-changing, but it adds up.
Same here in a different city. Store brands made the biggest difference for us — most of the time you honestly can't tell. Bulk rice, beans and frozen veggies help too.
I'll second the store brands point — that alone probably knocked $40–50 off our weekly bill. The thing that surprised me was frozen produce. I used to feel weird about it, like I was cheaping out, but frozen berries and spinach taste the same in a smoothie and last forever. Only thing I still splurge on is coffee. I have limits.
$200 a week for two sounds about right to me, sadly. We've noticed the basics creeping up the most too — eggs, produce, even store-brand stuff that used to be the safe bet. Splitting our trips between a regular store and a discount grocer helped shave a bit off, though it's still painful at checkout.
Adding another data point: $200 a week for two sounds about right to us too, sadly. We started doing one big weekly shop plus one small top-up run, and that alone cut down on the impulse buys that were sneaking the total up.
Nina's tip about one big shop plus a small top-up is solid — impulse buys add up fast when you wander the aisles twice a week. Another quiet win: check the unit price (per oz/lb) on the shelf tag, not just the package price. The bigger box isn't always cheaper.
We're in the same ballpark for two people, and we cook at home most nights too. What helped us a bit was doing one bigger weekly shop with a list and skipping the midweek top-ups, which used to turn into a second full shop. Still, $200 feels like a lot for basics — it adds up fast even without anything fancy.
— Mark J.
That $200 figure sounds pretty normal to us too, even with cooking at home most nights. Switching more things to store brands helped a bit, and doing one big shop instead of lots of little trips cut down on impulse buys. It's still wild how fast the basics add up, though.
We're two people as well, and honestly $200 a week doesn't sound crazy anymore — our bills look a lot like that too. We've started buying more store brands and planning meals around what's on sale, which does help a bit. Do you find the farmer's markets cheaper for produce, or is it about the same?
Same boat here near Seattle — no matter what I cut, the weekly shop keeps creeping up. Store brands helped us a little, though honestly the savings feel smaller every month. At this point I just budget for groceries the same way I budget for rent: assume it'll cost more than I want.
On Peter's farmer's market question: it usually depends on the season. At peak harvest local produce can match or beat the supermarket, but off-season it tends to cost more. Going near closing time sometimes gets you better deals, and the bulk staples are still usually cheaper at the big stores.
$200 a week for two sounds about right to me too, sadly. We cook at home most nights and it still adds up fast — the basics are what get you. The one thing that's helped a little: one big weekly shop and then no mid-week top-ups, that's where all the impulse stuff sneaks in.
У нас похожая картина, хоть и не в Сиэтле: на двоих тоже уходит заметно больше, чем пару лет назад, при том же самом наборе продуктов. Так что $200 в неделю, увы, похоже на новую норму.
Из того, что реально работает у нас: закупаемся раз в неделю строго по списку — без списка импульсивные покупки съедают кучу денег. Плюс перешли на собственные марки магазинов: разница во вкусе минимальная, а в цене ощутимая, как тут уже писали. Ещё стали планировать меню на неделю и замораживать — стали гораздо меньше выбрасывать. Фермерские рынки у нас выходят не всегда дешевле, а вот сезонные овощи и фрукты там брать выгодно.
Brian's list covers most of it. One more thing that tends to help: check the unit price on the shelf tag rather than the package price — bigger packs and 'deals' aren't always cheaper per ounce. And meal planning around what's already in the freezer cuts waste more than people expect.
Reading all these numbers makes me feel a little better about our own bill, honestly. We switched to store brands and a weekly meal plan, which shaved off a decent chunk, but $200 for two still seems to be the going rate everywhere.