In New Jersey, a gallon of milk is $3.99. A loaf of bread is $2.99.

A head of lettuce, which is not that big, is $1.99. Tomatoes are $3.99 a pound.

Any type of specialty vegs are upwards of $3.00 a pound.

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In New Jersey, a gallon of milk is $3.99. A loaf of bread is $2.99.

A head of lettuce, which is not that big, is $1.99. Tomatoes are $3.99 a pound.

Any type of specialty vegs are upwards of $3.00 a pound.

Forget meat, thats $4.99 a pound or better.

As for "created meals" forget that... You could pay more for those than taking your family out to a nice restaurant.

So, we didnt even touch on the fact that toilet paper is so expensive....

Okay, I would have to say the answer is upwards of $12,000. per year, living on a strict budget.

$300. per week... family of 3? I dont splurge... I dont even buy napkins for the dinner table, I use the cloth kind.

THEN....Get gas for your car and drive; thats $2.99 a gallon.

Tally it up; and takeout is almost a better option.

According to the Statistical Abstract, families with incomes less than $70,000 per year averaged spending $4,562 per year on food. Those with incomes between $70,000 and $79,999 averaged spending $7,337. The average spent on food for all families in 2004 was $5,781. Of that $3,347 or 58% was food prepared at home. The balance ($2,434) was for food prepared outside the home (i.e. restaurants, take out food).

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According to the Statistical Abstract, families with incomes less than $70,000 per year averaged spending $4,562 per year on food. Those with incomes between $70,000 and $79,999 averaged spending $7,337. The average spent on food for all families in 2004 was $5,781. Of that $3,347 or 58% was food prepared at home. The balance ($2,434) was for food prepared outside the home (i.e. restaurants, take out food).

What about family size? Those figures were for an average family of 2.5 members. And the average family included 6/10ths of a child under 18.

A U.S. family of four spends an average of more than $8,600 a year on food, according to the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey. So paying closer attention to food shopping can save big money. In fact, it's a primary component of being financially FIT, an acronym for food, insurance and telecommunications. Those are the three areas of repeat spending that consumers can cut with the least sacrifice.

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A U.S. family of four spends an average of more than $8,600 a year on food, according to the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey. So paying closer attention to food shopping can save big money. In fact, it's a primary component of being financially FIT, an acronym for food, insurance and telecommunications. Those are the three areas of repeat spending that consumers can cut with the least sacrifice.

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For our family of 4 we spend about $100 per week.
If you're looking to cut costs, I have found that places like Walmart or Target have pet food, snack items (chips, crackers) and some cleaning supplies at a lower cost.

I find that I spend on average at the grocery store $150 to $ 200 a week on groceries and that is based on my family of 4.