Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've felt guilty spending $8-900 a month on food for three. What surprises me is how uniform the spending is across the country. I always imagined food in the Chicago area to be cheaper than many places; I was mistaken. I feel pretty good after reading all of these posts.
So much truth to this. Many years ago, I spent a week in San Diego and couldn't believe the fabulous taste of the salads and fruit in the restaurants there as opposed to the produce I bought here in WI. When I returned home, I was soooo frustrated with our tasteless produce. I will say the organic produce bought today at my local coop has far superior flavor and shelf-life than produce bought at other stores. I never buy nonorganic produce anymore. I really can taste the difference.
San Diego county has amongst the highest number and producing farms of any county in the country which benefits us greatly in both the grocery stores and local restaurants for great produce and meat availability.
We cook and eat at home mostly and lean towards local/organic choices which adds a bit to the monthly bill but I think we are getting by with about $600/mo. I’ve cooked professionally for years and so tend to cook portion sizes that will become, with modifications, leftover meals for a couple more days (or weeks if I do a cooking then freezing session in the kitchen) which can economize that expense and time spent for the two of us.
I aim for about $300 a month for the two of us. That does not include the cat supplies or once a week take out or dine out. I mostly prepare foods from scratch, & we do eat alot of vegetables. 3 meals a day.
I track expenses and average is $485 a month for groceries, cat food/litter, coffee, sundries and occasional wine/beer.
Eating out is an average of $75 monthly.
Oh dear! We buy pet food. Ouch! That is probably $75 alone each month.
There are 3 in our household; we spend about $500 a month on food, plus the pet food.
We also eat out 1x/week and the bill is usually $22 (at the bowling alley cafe), plus I have a standing weekly lunch date with a friend, we take turns treating each other but it does add up over the course of a year, and sometimes with the kids, about $100 a month. And sometimes with a church group, 3-4 times a year. I enjoy getting out when I can, having a break from my guys!
And (seriously) sometimes I don't mind my own business! When I have a down-in-the-dumps girlfriend, for example, we get together and have a girl-to-girl talk. Over lunch, LoL.
Single-person household here. No pets. I've been tracking my spending in multiple categories for the past five years and food has consistently always been between $225 and $260 per month.
Frankly I have no idea why it's so high because due to GI problems my diet is extremely restricted and it is literally the same few items day in and day out all year long. I gave up meat 15 years ago and so the only thing I buy in that category is Bell & Evans boneless chicken breasts (I poach them) which is $6.99/lb at Whole Foods, the only supermarket in my area that carries it. After trying that brand a few years ago I refuse to eat that rubbery stuff that's sold under the Perdue label, even if it is cheaper. My touchy tummy can't tolerate the dark meat and so it would make no sense to buy the less-expensive whole chicken only to throw half of it away.
However, I do also bake once or twice a month and so there is the added expense for ingredients such as flour and sugar. I don't drink anything but water and don't go to restaurants anymore because I've learned the hard way that it's just too risky; even one single unexpected ingredient or spice can cause untold misery. It's just not worth it. All restaurant food is ridiculously overpriced anyway, so I really don't miss that at all.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 07-30-2019 at 10:51 PM..
I haven't tracked ours in a long time but it used to be $200/month for two people. Now it's probably more like $300 including a good restaurant every once in a while. We're not big eaters. We have a cute little grocery store that gets closeouts or overstocked gourmet food products so we save a ton of money on premium yogurts, milk, eggs, frozen fruit. Also will have good name brand cleaning products dirt cheap.
I did garden but am finding it a lot harder in an apartment, of course. I have nothing against quality frozen vegetables, in fact during the winter that's all we can get that's worth getting, excluding certain things that store well like potatoes, and root vegetables. We don't drink except hubby will order a Guinness if we eat out.
I order some flours and other food at vitacost when I order my vitamins to save money. Cleaning products? I buy cheap generic bleach. Cascade and Dawn, Borax for laundry, floor cleaner--in a small apartment I don't need to buy it very often, just the laundry stuff so it's not a significant amount of my budget.
Single-person household here. No pets. I've been tracking my spending in multiple categories for the past five years and food has consistently always been between $225 and $260 per month.
Frankly I have no idea why it's so high because due to GI problems my diet is extremely restricted and it is literally the same few items day in and day out all year long. I gave up meat 15 years ago and so the only thing I buy in that category is Bell & Evans boneless chicken breasts (I poach them) which is $6.99/lb at Whole Foods, the only supermarket in my area that carries it. After trying that brand a few years ago I refuse to eat that rubbery stuff that's sold under the Perdue label, even if it is cheaper. My touchy tummy can't tolerate the dark meat and so it would make no sense to buy the less-expensive whole chicken only to throw half of it away.
However, I do also bake once or twice a month and so there is the added expense for ingredients such as flour and sugar. I don't drink anything but water and don't go to restaurants anymore because I've learned the hard way that it's just too risky; even one single unexpected ingredient or spice can cause untold misery. It's just not worth it. All restaurant food is ridiculously overpriced anyway, so I really don't miss that at all.
I heartily agree on the restaurants. What I can cook at home for maybe $5.00 would cost A LOT more in a restaurant. Also, you don't know what's in it. At home you can control the amount of sugar and salt, you can use organic foods if you want. AND at home we don't get tempted into getting a dessert or a drink.
Can't get out of any restaurant for under about $60 once you add in the tax and the tip, much more if you have dessert and drinks. I do not need these desserts!!!!!!!!!!! (except once in a blue moon for a treat)
I heartily agree on the restaurants. What I can cook at home for maybe $5.00 would cost A LOT more in a restaurant. Also, you don't know what's in it. At home you can control the amount of sugar and salt, you can use organic foods if you want. AND at home we don't get tempted into getting a dessert or a drink.
Can't get out of any restaurant for under about $60 once you add in the tax and the tip, much more if you have dessert and drinks. I do not need these desserts!!!!!!!!!!! (except once in a blue moon for a treat)
There are small indy owned restaurants that you can get the lunch special, tax, tip, for $10.
The best breakfasts are in diners and those are never more than $10.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
