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I don't know how some people here claim that they feed a family of 4 for $300-$500 a month. That's the figure for just me...and I never eat out or buy fast food or have stuff delivered or buy cooked food at the grocery...are they eating just cheap carbs?. There is a person here that claims to get 20 servings out of a single chicken..Come On!!.
Do I just eat too much??..I'm 5'10" under 200 lbs with a 36 inch waist
I do buy groceries at Walmart. now and then..but frankly there is not that much difference
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A good homemaker should feed a family of 4 for $500 a month with quality protein for dinner every night-chicken,pork,beef roast with fresh veggies ,pasta,rice or potato and lettuce salad and desert.
just no lobster tail,wild salmon filet,prime cut beef steak
There is no way I can feed two for 500/week in our market using decent ingredients and 3 meals plus snacks. Prices just do not allow it.
assuming retirees are in 60s and 70s,they are not as active and they dont eat as much,their grocery bill would be under $300,which does not include cocktail,cigarettes.
I think many retirees don’t eat as much as when younger. I eat a small breakfast, big lunch and a snack at dinner time. When alone I spend 150/month including all my paper products and cleaning stuff. When my 42 year old son is here we spend between 350-400/month.
Thanks everyone for the additional info on I-bonds.
I guess my main inquiry was around whether they should be purchased in any kind of "staggered/laddered" approach or if it made little difference, just to get the entire amount invested being the more important point, given you can afford to do that amount.
If you have tenK to put in at one time cool. If you want to do $1000 a week for ten weeks cool. Your withdrawal eligibility will be staggered. Just get the full amount in before the month after the next reset month which if I remember right is April.
One of the reasons I bonds are so topical is because of inflation. With inflation having been so low for so long the bonds payed very little. If inflation dials back big time so will the bonds inflation rate. Your rate is good for six months from issuance date and will reset thereafter to the current rate. That could be a lot less at some point in the future. Be prepared to look at your interest rate at any time as being only nine months of interest for the first five years. At the current 7.12% it is probably worth it. Moving forward who knows but be prepared.
Even before this all hit I discovered both of us are eating a lot less than we used to.
Back in the day I could order a 16 oz steak and it it all but now the wife and I split an 8 oz steak and each of us takes home a doggie bag.
Breakfast for me consists of a glass of high pulp orange juice, one cup of coffee and one slice of bread with butter. For the wife it's the same thing less the orange juice.
Last time wife and I went out for breakfast was at least a couple years ago because what they service is so much more than we can eat.
When we do go out to eat we always split a meal not to save money but we just can't eat a full portion anymore. That's actually healthier anyway.
Lunch yesterday was a grilled cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup.
I make homemade salsa and a batch costs probably about $5 to make but with with chips I can turn that salsa into three lunch sittings vey easy.
Last restaurant I visited I was shocked to discover the bill nearly DOUBLED over a year ago.
My monthly grocery bill went up so far by $100. I am already paying over 1/2 of my pension for rent.
There are seniors worse off than me. I'm about to join that category.
$20 for a sirloin steak. A 2 lb roast is more than $30. Bananas are 47 cents each. Bell peppers are $5.40/lb. Cukes are $1.97 ea. A pound of lean ground beef is $6/lb. A tray of chicken breasts is $25. A whole chicken is over $12.00. And all these are discount store prices in Canadian funds.
I don't buy take out type meals so I can't comment on those prices.
It's gonna get worse before it gets better. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Has anyone looked up why seniors eat less? I have not done so yet. I have noticed eating significantly less.
One reason is probably not needing as much food as energy - which one may have needed when holding down a job.
Maybe there are physiological changes regarding food in an older body. (will look it up later)
Last edited by matisse12; 02-13-2022 at 05:30 PM..
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Canada too
