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i probly spend 100 a month, just for me. but i dont eat breakfast or lunch at home on days that i work, and eat out now and then
"Bought" lunches definitely have an impact on the grocery bill; when I was working, I'd eat in the company cafeteria or be part of the department's lunch order from the deli most days. So even though I ate meat at that time (which I don't anymore) I spent less in the supermarkets but the end result was undoubtedly that I spent much more on actual food than I would have, had I brought lunch every day.
SO and I are now retired, so our supermarket expenses do pretty accurately reflect the total we spend on food. We too tend to buy organic for those fruits/veggies where it matters a lot (certain produce tends to be more prone to pesticide contamination than others, so we 'pick our battles' in that regard since organic is always more expensive).
As for eating out, we're probably not typical because we very rarely do. It's a combination of just not thinking it's worth the expense in most cases, and also being uncomfortable with the origin and quality of the food being served. I have some food allergies and just got tired of the unfortunate results of somebody in the kitchen making a mistake even though my order specified that the item I want must not include X, Y, or Z. Too late after I ate it though.
Looking at our 2008 expense breakdown, we spent only $337 in restaurants for the entire year, which I'm sure is far below the norm for Long Island! And that included a few instances when I took a friend out to lunch for their birthday.
Looking at our 2008 expense breakdown, we spent only $337 in restaurants for the entire year, which I'm sure is far below the norm for Long Island! And that included a few instances when I took a friend out to lunch for their birthday.
yea, a few months back, I probably would have done that within about 2 months.. i've since cut that back alot, since im in the process of buying a house
I dont know how you spend so LITTLE! We shop solely in long island because we have an infant and it is more convinient with parking and so on ...even though we live in brooklyn.
We go to BJs twice a month, and other random stores for veggies.
I cook everything and we eat no pasta, almonst no grains, nothing pre made, and we eat lots of proteins and veggies. We spend 800 for the two of us! This doesnt include infant formula.
I think it is easier if you do not eat much protein, everythign else is cheap.
we do not really eat out. Maybe once every 2 months if that- hard to eat out with an infant. We do cook filet mignon and other "fancy" stuff at home though.
Me, my wife, and Toddler son...at least $400 at Bj's, Trader Joes, and Supermarkets, plus probably another $200-300 per month for restaurants and bought lunches. One month I brought lunch every day, and I could see the difference in my bank account..then I got lazy again.
Do you get the circulars online or are these the ones that get dropped on the doorstep? I'd love to be able to save more on groceries, but I usually just wind up going to the closest place, and once I'm already there I don't feel like searching through the whole circular.
I always wonder if those discount cards the supermarkets give us are truly a bargain. I know once I got a $100 gift certificate for cashing in my points, but I really have no clue how those things operate.
K
Quote:
Originally Posted by omigawd
Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wal Mart.
I am also use coupons, check the circulars before I shop, make a list & cross-reference the coupons I have with that list, and I am a major bargain hunter.
I remember one time in Stop & Shop, I got $160+ worth of groceries for about $45. That was the best savings I ever had! Most of the stuff I got free (this was when they used to double the $1 coupons) and I used coupons for almost everything I had in the basket, along with their weekly specials, etc.
Family of three with one 7 yr old. Whole Foods in Manhasset and in Hicksville. Weekly grocery bill is approximately $125. Our biggest expense in the bill is meat and cheese and some of the fancier yogurts. We occasionally shop for additional groceries in Indian stores (Patel Bros. in Hicksville) where groceries are far cheaper (i.e., in addition to Whole Foods). Sometimes we drop in on our local Pathmark, Waldbaums or Stop&Shop for knick knacks. Once every 4 months or so, we spend $150-$200 in Costco. I would say that our monthly grocery bill is closer to $600. I should say that a few months ago, I was laid off and unemployed for 5 weeks. We cut back on all the fancy stuff without cutting back on nutrition and our monthly grocery bill was closer to $300. We promised that we would stick to this newfound 'diet'. Didn't last longer than 3 paychecks specially since new job paid more than old job :-).
We have tried coupons and all. Problem is that coupons are usually for the unhealthiest stuff.
It is much cheaper to eat unhealthy. Crappy carbs, sugar, heavily preserved food, vs. lean meat and fresh vegetables..you're talking increasing your food budget by 50-100 percent, never mind going organic.
We buy our spring mix lettuce at BJ's...you get a big bin for $4 or something that equals 3-4 bags that cost $2.50 or so at the supermarket. We buy our organic milk at Bj's also, that costs $1 per half gallon less. That more than pays for our membership alone.
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