We are a family of 6 (4 adults, 1 teen and a 3 year old), dog, cats, bird, fish and other family members and friends come over often. 3 of the adults are living in other areas (college and work) so we are truly 3 in the house, but my grocery budget has to cover those others. When we are all together, I load up baskets and boxes to send to the kids and on the road with DH.
If you watch what you are getting at the membership stores, you can keep to the budget. I use SamsClub and Gordon Food Supply. For me, my shopping habits were about filling the pantry every pay day.
We used to have biweekly pay so pretty much I was buying all the month's groceries one pay day and the added in produce and dairy on the alternate. Now we have weekly pay. I have also learned that we don't have to always have spaghetti sauce (tomatoes and tomato sauce yes) in the house. We had a list from long ago that had the minimum number of cans you need--that was a lot of our cost and we didn't ever empty the cabinets.
Now I buy the staples in bulk. Meats divide and go in the freezer. I joined
Amazon Subscribe and Save for pet food, laundry soap and diapers w/ wipes. It took some number crunching because I was going to the big brand names versus store...Surprise! These items saved us money, but others would not have.
DD16 is starting a more vegetarian lifestyle. That's expensive! But we aren't purchasing meat at $3.50 per pound. We are able to splurge on expensive fish and produce, as well as some of the pre-chopped items. Onions were just wasting away so now I buy diced frozen. More expensive, but it's working out for our new lifestyle and budge.
This weekend I went to the grocery. Spent $150 on cans, rice, produce (including a watermelon for $6), dairy, bread, frozen lasagna, candy, Clif bars ($1 ea)....Half of the cans were sent to another family member's home (lack of pay) and our cupboards are full for this week and beyond. We don't have many grab and snack foods, but there are some.
If you set a goal, you will have to make some changes in your lifestyle. But it's not all about giving up your indulgences and cooking in crock-pots. Find what is important and what you aren't too crazy about. From there, you'll be able to reach your dream. I splurge on some convenience, but that is worth my money and time. To make up for the splurge, I have to get rid of other items.