You'll Never Guess the Average Grocery Cost for a Family of 4

How much would a reasonable diet cost a family of four?

Groceries are a necessity of life and something everyone has to buy. But, just how much would individuals and families spend on their credit cards or out of their bank accounts to eat a balanced diet? The answer may surprise you.

Here's what a balanced diet would cost the typical American family

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created a plan called the Thrifty Food Plan, which "represents a nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet." The USDA explains that this typical plan follows dietary guidelines for Americans and assumes that all meals and snacks are cooked at home rather than out at restaurants.

To help families get an idea of their grocery budget, the USDA has provided a cost estimate for the Thrifty Food Plan. According to this estimate, a reference family of four (consisting of a heterosexual couple between the ages of 20 and 50 with two children between 6 and 8 and between 9 and 11) would spend around $223.30 per week and $967.70 per month in order to eat a balanced diet.

The USDA also provided some other cost estimates as well. For example, a typical female who is 71 or older and who follows the Thrifty Food Plan would incur monthly grocery costs of $245.70, while food for the typical 1-year-old child on this diet would come in at $108.40 per month.

How does your spending compare?

The USDA's price estimates are based on its definition of a balanced diet, as well as estimations of prices throughout the United States.

Your own spending may differ dramatically from these estimates. Depending on your situation, including whether you tend to opt for more expensive organic items or whether you are a budget-conscious shopper who buys on sale, your own grocery spending may be much higher or lower than this amount.

If your spending is coming in at a much higher rate, though, it may be worth looking into cost-cutting measures -- especially since the USDA has indicated you can eat healthy for around this price. You may want to think about:

• Steering clear of prepared or packaged food items as the more prep-work that is done for you, the higher the cost.
• Shopping the sales flyers so you can buy items that are on sale each week and take advantage of grocery store bargains.
• Making a meal plan and shopping from a list to avoid impulse buys or wasted food that you don't end up eating because you buy more than you need.
• Switching where you do your grocery shopping, perhaps by changing to a less-expensive grocery store chain or shopping at a big-box store such as Costco or Sam's Club to score bulk bargains on groceries.
• Using coupons which can help you save on the cost of food and other grocery-store items such as aluminum foil or paper towels.

You never want to compromise health or safety when it comes to buying food items, but aiming to try to stick within the USDA's guidelines for what a healthy balanced diet should cost can be a good goal if you want to keep your grocery spending in check.