How much is your grocery budget? (eat, health, cheap)

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by frenzyrider

Before kids, we used to go to nice restaurants that had BYOB so we used to take a bottle of wine with us. Helped a ton!!

BYOB is always a plus. The upcharge on beverages, even a totally middle of the road wine, is incredible.

[BigDGeek]

I almost never eat out and I bring my lunch to work.

I spend probably $60-$80 a week at the supermarket, but I buy more than food there. I don't really keep track of it; I don't spend extravagant amounts on food. Though since it's just me, I do buy more luxury items than I probably would if I had kids to feed.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I almost never eat out and I bring my lunch to work.

I spend probably $60-$80 a week at the supermarket, but I buy more than food there. I don't really keep track of it; I don't spend extravagant amounts on food. Though since it's just me, I do buy more luxury items than I probably would if I had kids to feed.

Mine is pretty similar, maybe slightly less and that would include non-food items bought at the grocery store.

Households-of-one got no love in this thread, and are basically overlooked by society in general.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by RJ312

Mine is pretty similar, maybe slightly less and that would include non-food items bought at the grocery store.

Households-of-one got no love in this thread, and are basically overlooked by society in general.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. It's like if we live in a SFH and we're single with no kids, we're somehow sub-human. I'm not trying to call out anyone in the thread, I'm just saying in general (in real life) we're ignored and marginalized.

[MovingtoDFW]

Off topic: Are there online grocers in the DFW area, something like FreshDirect.com in NYC? We have tried Greenling but have issues with them. When we were in NYC we practically never needed to go grocery shopping! Altogether saved 2-3 hours per week and the effort. Really miss them here - they had everything and then some, compare to traditional grocers, including organic.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. It's like if we live in a SFH and we're single with no kids, we're somehow sub-human. I'm not trying to call out anyone in the thread, I'm just saying in general (in real life) we're ignored and marginalized.

When reading your first post about grocery bill, I noticed how you were the first household-of-one that commented on this thread. As a single person with no kids, that stood out to me. You are correct that no one on this thread should be called out, but anyone who is a household-of-one beyond the age of 25 notices that you become more marginalized in real life if you remain a household-of-one. This happens despite the fact that the household-of-one is becoming a much more common arrangement due to delayed marriages. But even with delayed marriages, if you are a household-of-one with no obvious marriage coming in the next 1-2 years, you seem lost on general conversations outside your own specific social circle.

I, as a single adult with no kids, tend to hang out with other adults with no kids. In my own circles in real life, I'm not marginalized but I certainly feel marginalized outside of my own basic circle.

There's also something interesting about being a household-of-one with regard to grocery shopping, which is more on point to this. Being a household-of-one impacts how one shops as well. I can't go to Sam's Club for a lot of goods for instance because the portion sizes are too big and there will be too much spoilage. Watching portion sizes is key. It is obvious when buying deli meats, fruits, and vegetables. When I buy bananas for instance, I only buy bananas no more than 4 at a time and look for the greenest possible bananas to extend shelf life.

Cooking as a household-of-one has its own challenges too.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by RJ312

When reading your first post about grocery bill, I noticed how you were the first household-of-one that commented on this thread. As a single person with no kids, that stood out to me. You are correct that no one on this thread should be called out, but anyone who is a household-of-one beyond the age of 25 notices that you become more marginalized in real life if you remain a household-of-one. This happens despite the fact that the household-of-one is becoming a much more common arrangement due to delayed marriages. But even with delayed marriages, if you are a household-of-one with no obvious marriage coming in the next 1-2 years, you seem lost on general conversations outside your own specific social circle.

I, as a single adult with no kids, tend to hang out with other adults with no kids. In my own circles in real life, I'm not marginalized but I certainly feel marginalized outside of my own basic circle.

There's also something interesting about being a household-of-one with regard to grocery shopping, which is more on point to this. Being a household-of-one impacts how one shops as well. I can't go to Sam's Club for a lot of goods for instance because the portion sizes are too big and there will be too much spoilage. Watching portion sizes is key. It is obvious when buying deli meats, fruits, and vegetables. When I buy bananas for instance, I only buy bananas no more than 4 at a time and look for the greenest possible bananas to extend shelf life.

Cooking as a household-of-one has its own challenges too.

Yup, it definitely does. I buy a lot more frozen stuff than I did when I was married and this is simply so I can buy in large quantities for a volume discount without worrying about it going bad. I have a 13 cubic foot freezer in my garage that I bought specifically to store bulk frozen food. I do buy in bulk and store it in my garage, but I go to Costco maybe every 4-6 weeks. I also got my membership for free by buying a Living Social deal and spamming it all over Facebook; after 3 people clicked through and bought it, mine was free. So that worked out well.

I have to buy fresh produce in very small quantities too. It takes careful planning. I also prepare large quantities of things ahead of time and freeze them. You can freeze a LOT of stuff...even butter! I even keep tortillas and English muffins in the fridge; they last a lot longer that way. You can also freeze those.

[Souleiado]

Originally Posted by MovingtoDFW

Off topic: Are there online grocers in the DFW area, something like FreshDirect.com in NYC? We have tried Greenling but have issues with them. When we were in NYC we practically never needed to go grocery shopping! Altogether saved 2-3 hours per week and the effort. Really miss them here - they had everything and then some, compare to traditional grocers, including organic.

No, We are really limited in the metroplex , I tried two or three different companies but I wasn't impressed by the quality or quantity for the price. It was cheaper and fresher at WF.

[4Movingeast]

I try to keep us at or under $200/ week at the grocery store (Tom Thumb, Market Street, WF and Costco). Toilet Paper and paper towels/ Toiletries/pharmacy separate and comes in around $50 per month. We eat out once or twice on the weekends and I pack lunches for my children every day and my husband 2-3 times per week. I buy mostly organic fruits and veggies, grass fed beef, and organic dairy. I buy very few premade or processed foods and also utilize Amazon for things like LaraBars (school snacks for the boys). I know I could pare it down but since that also includes wine it hovers around $200 per week.

[keribeth818]

Originally Posted by MovingtoDFW

Off topic: Are there online grocers in the DFW area, something like FreshDirect.com in NYC? We have tried Greenling but have issues with them. When we were in NYC we practically never needed to go grocery shopping! Altogether saved 2-3 hours per week and the effort. Really miss them here - they had everything and then some, compare to traditional grocers, including organic.

We had issues with Greenling too. Loved the concept and I think it has potential but for now, not ideal. When I have time to meal plan, I use a local co-op to order online and then pick-up once every two weeks. Its good for meets and produce and some other items but I still need to do a grocery shop at least once every two weeks to supplement.