When financial times are tight, the grocery budget is the easiest part of the budget to cut. Over the last 15 years our grocery budget has ranged from less than $100 a month (when we had no children) to more than $400 a month (last year when our income was higher). Right now our grocery budget is $400 a month. I may try to reduce it soon though.

To keep our grocery spending under $400 a month, I’ve been using the Grocery Game and stocking up on things when I can get them on sale with a coupon. Lately I’ve been a little disappointed with the deals at the Grocery Game, though, and I’ve begun to wonder whether the $10 every 8 weeks is worth the service anymore.

Fortunately, My Grocery Deals is another great option for those who want to save money on groceries. It’s a free site that shows you what’s on sale at your local stores. The best news, however, is that they are planning to add coupon matching sometime in the hopefully near future. When that happens, I will definitely be converting from the paid Grocery Game service to the free My Grocery Deals site.

Now that you know what my grocery budget is, I’d love to hear from you! What is your grocery budget? How many people do you feed on that budget? Does your grocery budget include paper products and toiletries? (Mine doesn’t). And how much do you regularly spend on meat? What are your tips for keeping the grocery budget down?

If you’re not comfortable sharing how much you spend on groceries, don’t worry about it. I’d still love to hear your cost-cutting tips!