How much do I spend on groceries? The 30-day self-test

Updated regularly. You do not know how much you spend on groceries as long as you only estimate it. Most people underestimate their running costs, because shopping happens in many small amounts. The only reliable way is the 30-day self-test: log every receipt for a month, then compare against the Swiss benchmark. That benchmark is around CHF 632 per month for an average household, according to the Federal Statistical Office (BFS).

Rappn is the only neutral grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreement with any retailer. Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro and Otto's do not pay us to rank them, and nothing below is sponsored.

How do I find out how much I spend on groceries?

Measure it, instead of guessing. The average household spends around CHF 632 per month on food and non-alcoholic drinks at home per BFS, about 6 percent of gross income. But that average says little about you: by household size, chain and habits, your own figure varies widely. Here is how the 30-day self-test works: 1. Collect or scan every receipt for 30 days, including the small ones. 2. Sort the spending roughly (fresh, staples, drinks, snacks). 3. Add it up and compare with the CHF 632 benchmark. 4. Look at your three biggest items, that is where your saving potential is.

What to do if you are above the benchmark

Then the good news is: groceries are the one large spending item you can change every week. Kassensturz and K-Tipp show that switching from name brands to budget own-brands saves 30 to 50 percent on the affected items. The self-test also often reveals unnoticed patterns, like expensive impulse buys or food waste. What matters is not getting below the average, but knowing your own starting figure and steering it deliberately.

The three most common aha-moments in the 30-day self-test

Once you actually measure your spending instead of estimating it, the same three surprises show up almost every time. None of them is a reason to panic, quite the opposite: this is exactly where the lever sits, and from now on it is in your hands. Once you see the patterns in black and white, you usually change them on your own.

• The small top-up shops add up. Between the big weekly shop, plenty of quick visits sneak in, bread one day, a forgotten item the next. On their own they barely register, but by month-end they are often the bigger chunk.
• The same items cost different amounts depending on the chain. Scan for 30 days and you see in black and white that your regular yogurt or coffee would often have been cheaper at another chain, with nothing given up.
• Part of the shop ends up unused in the bin. Whatever gets thrown away, you still paid for it. How to win that quiet item back is covered in avoiding food waste to save money.

The good part: all three aha-moments are about habits you steer yourself, not fixed prices you have to accept. You do not need to overhaul anything, it is enough to know the patterns at all. After four weeks you know which of the three pulls hardest for you, and you can act right there, without making the shop a chore.

In the Rappn app you scan your receipts and the app adds up your grocery spending automatically, instead of you having to guess. Through the price comparison you then lower it week by week. For what is normal for your household type, see how much money for food per month, and where your money goes overall, average household expenses.