How Much Your Monthly Grocery Budget Should Be

If you're trying to save money on food, then one of the best ways to do that is to create a budget.

Mint, a budget tracking app, has come up with a food budget calculator to help you gauge how much you should be spending on groceries.

Here is a chart from Mint that shows the monthly grocery budget it suggests. Compare the chart below to the total you got using the grocery budget calculator.

Try This Free Grocery Budget Calculator

For guidance, Mint used the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) monthly food plan, which outlines nutritious meals at different cost levels based on dietary recommendations.

The calculator will prompt you to enter the following data:

Number of members in your household
Age of each household member
Gluten-free or meatless dietary needs for each household member
Number of meals each household member eats out (or orders from takeout) each week

A weekly grocery cost
A monthly grocery cost

[ Try Mint’s food budget calculator here. ]

How Much Should Your Monthly Grocery Budget Be?

What about you? Is the monthly grocery budget for your family size higher than the amount listed above? If so, here are some ways you can save:

Look for promotions on daily deals and coupon code sites.
Choose store brand items over name brands.
Download grocery apps that offer cash back on purchases.

For more tips, check out Team Clark's guide to save money on groceries.

More Ways to Save From Clark.com:

[ This article was originally published on Clark.com ]

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