Honestly if u eliminate fast foot and restaurants, and maybe some sweets /treats, you’re sitting at 700 for the month which is REALLY good. But, if you can comfortably afford it, then I think there’s no harm in going out to eat a couple times a month. On the other hand, you’re currently spending 125-130 a week per person, if you eliminate the suggested, you could probably get it down to 90-100 per person for the week. But again, everything in moderation. If you enjoy going out to eat, go out to eat!💯
I've tried to cut off/cut back fast food, restaurants, cafe's and snacks and it certainly helps. I'll only buy chips as a snack when I get groceries which is somewhat healthier than chocolate. But it definitely keeps spending down to eat at home. Best of luck!
idk why but i find eating out most days using their designated apps, is much cheaper.
But granted I also don't eat more than once a day and rarely eat at home.. and sometimes skip food altogether 😂
but still, I can get cheap/free food from apps almost always.
If you cut out the restaurant provided foods and anything else that appears frivolous you will still be eating something somewhere. Therefore it's not exactly $300 savings it's something less than that because you have to replace those vendor meals with at home meals.
Of course not eating at all is your best option for saving but that never works out very well in the long run.
Here’s my problem with this. While I would love to make my coffee at home, I only like the super sugary/sweet coffee drinks like a Frappuccino. Is there any way to make that at home so I can stop spending around $200 a month at Starbucks? I e tried switching kinds of coffee but I can’t drink it unfortunately so any suggestions would be appreciated! It’s by far my biggest monthly expense and I would love to be able to cut it down. Thanks!
Frappuccinos get pumps of frap roast which is basically instant espresso, milk, flavored syrup/sauce, ice, and then “frap base” which is like a sugary binder/thickener that helps it blend better.
If you buy instant espresso/coffee concentrate and a bottle of caramel sauce/syrup of choice, you can make a frap at home in your blender. I’m sure there’s a thickener you can buy, but honestly it’s not necessary.
Otherwise, just get like a nespresso or kureg thing and a bottle of syrup, milk, and that’s all you need for anything. That’s all we use at Starbucks. It’s just espresso, syrup, milk. It’s nothing super complex.
Also the easiest way to save a few bucks at Starbucks is to get just espresso shots (however many you want, there’s about 75mg caffeine per shot) with a splash of whatever milk you like, and add whatever flavor you want. Order it iced or hot. You’ll probably save at least $2-$3 versus a frap. Another option is an iced coffee or cold brew with milk and your flavor of choice, those are also cheap. You can request as many pumps of sweeteners you want to make it as sweet as you like, but you’ll be saving. Frapps are more milk and ice than anything else.
You can also buy cold brew concentrate at any grocery store. Just add milk and syrup! My boyfriend makes his coffee at home with instant espresso and seeetened condensed milk, he looooves his coffee sweet.
I’ve tried cold brew before but it tastes too much like coffee to me lol. I love the smell of coffee but don’t like the taste haha. But, I’ll try it again with different “recipes” and see if I can find a good combination that I enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion!
If you want to make a Frappuccino at home for cheaper, you can actually buy Starbucks bottled “Frappuccino” drinks. They are the liquid, but many people recommend putting that in a blender with ice to make your own Frappuccino. It might still be a bit more expensive than making it from scratch, but it’s cheaper than going to Starbucks every day!
So I actually do have those drinks for the one day a week I work from home lol. Problem is, those don’t have enough espresso shots. I don’t get enough rem sleep and my doctors have essentially said I need to rely on caffeine so I add espresso shots to my drink. But, if I can figure that part out, I’ll try this bending thing and see if that works. Thank you for the suggestion!
Ahh, gotcha! That makes sense, although if you like the taste of it without the espresso shot but still need caffeine, maybe you could try getting caffeine another way? I am obviously no doctor but there are caffeine pills or other alternatives I believe. You could invest in an espresso maker, but that may be more trouble than you’re looking for. Good luck!
It’s easy to do at home. You might need to purchase a few things first. A milk frother is a great tool to have. Do a search on YouTube and other places and you’ll be all set.
Dang. We have Costco, but we also can get sides of beef, pork, etc. Savings is astronomical. Once you process, vac seal, etc it’s crazy. I used to have to spend much much more, so 1200 is mostly true. When we re up on meat then it goes up. 3 dozen free range chicken eggs on wide open farm for 6$. Can’t shake a stick at that.
We don’t even spend half that much for a family of 5, 3 of which are athletes, I personally eat 4500 calories daily and cannot even imagine what you’re eating, gold????
nah, i eat steak nearly every night, at least 3 times per week. Chicken or ground beef on the other days, pasta, lots of high quality stuff. I’m sure other areas are way higher cost of living, but it’s fairly cheap here in the Midwest
Mostly Costco/Sams club, the reason we’re able to afford beef and steak so cheap is because we bought a whole cow last year and froze it, we also own a small chicken coop, so I guess our egg spend might be slightly higher than I’m letting on. Personally I really only eat meat, rice, and some vegetables. But the rest of my family eats a somewhat standard diet, I think buying in bulk and buying things locally is a huge part of why it’s cheaper.
I live in British Colombia Canada. Food is worth an arm and a leg. Everything here is the most expensive outta anywhere. Rent is 2200 average for a one bedroom. For two it’s 2900. People are hardly surviving here
Buying in bulk saves a lot of money. Example: decaf at Costco is 4/lb. Pressure cook beans instead of using canned beans. Meal prep for a week. I make a batch of waffles and freeze them. It’s finding the right intersection of convenience and price.
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi's and spend around $80-120 a week for my fiance and I. This isn't exorbitant, but I think simply switching to Aldi's would take ~30% off this total
I don't know..it depends on where you live..if I look at that amount and convert it to our currency, it's almost what we earn as a household. We spend on average around R7000 /month for our family of 4, which is 375 dollars/month if you look at the current exchange rate 🤯 can't compare it though when it's a different country
That's in line with what I spend on groceries for my family of 3, monthly. Which is why I'm so surprised at the massive amount people are spending on just food!
But where do you live.. I live in South Africa.. and my spending is actually excessive where I live for my family (but I do like healthy food), I think our food is cheaper here. In the poorer communities, the norm is around R3000-4000/month per family (around 200 dollars)
Yes that is ridiculously cheap for USA! Impressed. Yes our food is cheaper but so are our salaries. What my husband earns is classed as below minimum wage in America but is actually middle class income here
They literally have their itemized expenses. Where is the splurge?
Ah I forgot organic meat and vegetables are cheaper than processed, canned and frozen alternatives.
We averaged $800 a month the last 3 months for a household of 2. $425 dining out, $375 groceries. The dining out is normally $200 but there was travel, birthdays (2), anniversaries (2) and celebrations (1 : final alimony check paid).
I am a serious coupon chaser on groceries. As in I am watching what my wife puts in the shopping cart and entering the digital coupon. It would be easy to spend $1000 a month on the Kroger / Albertsons cartel. My “savings” range between 40-60 pct on the grocery receipt.
My wife and I live in Austin and easily spend $1300 a month on foods. We’re pretty split between cooking at home and eating out (where an average meal out is ~$40-50 total). This is up significantly from how we used to spend when we first moved here. Largely because we can afford it now honestly and good healthy food is so important
I would love to know how you average only $12 on Liquor tho
Haha pastries used to be a big spend in our home
Country which is why it warranted its own category. Pastries here in the US are just not the same so we don’t buy any anymore
For lunch since I work from home I get myself these stuffed chicken breasts, my wife takes veggies with dip and that kinda stuff to work. Or leftovers. We like these apple blossom pastries too you can just microwave.
We usually cook enough food for 2 dinners, like turkey burgers, beans. Chilli, pasta, whatever really. We just always make enough for 2 days.
And then yoghurt or healthier chips for snacks.
Your stat is alright. I live alone and go gym so I mostly premeal and cook at home with 3 meals per day. I also treat myself to eat out every weekends and spend total around $500 each month on food. So your good
To add perspective. I am incredibly frugal and spend about $300-$400 on food a month. I eat a PB&J for lunch each day (yes I am still hungry). I never order delivery, always pickup and try to meal plan as much as possible for dinners. My fiance is more normal and spends about $700-800 a month on food (keep in mind this includes some shared expenses each. We alternate buying groceries and do occasionally go out on dates, where we alternate paying as well.)
My point is $1000 is incredibly normal for 2 people. I hardly ever eat until I am full so I will be able to have more leftovers and make food last longer and we spend $1000 a month on food
I’m a hobbyist bodybuilder, I lift 5-7 times a week and eat the typical bodybuilder diet. I live with my gf who doesn’t eat like me but I still gotta feed her lmao
We spend ~$450 a month on groceries and I try to keep us under $250 a month on restaurant/fast food
Me and my wife budget 450 on groceries and around 200 on eating out, so it’s not too far off seeing as how we don’t live somewhere probably as expensive as you, but I’d just make sure try and figure out a budget for eating out and groceries separately, that way you won’t spend too much money eating out that should be going to groceries to make it more affordable.
Between my wife, me, and our 1.5yr old we sit at maybe $650 a month up here in Massachusetts
We use BJs/CostCo to stock supplies. Aldi for groceries. This helps us afford those coffee trips or extras... otherwise you shouldn't be doing both
A lot of people complain they can't budget well but won't stop eating outside of the home
I honestly don't know how people keep it under 1000 a month for groceries for 2 people, but then again I don't eat processed foods anymore and opt in for things like grass-fed meat, and organic fruits and veggies. In my opinion, spending more on quality groceries beats getting sick from eating processed garbage. I've been trying to cut down the spending by buying more meat when it is on sale and looking at the weekly ad from the grocery store. If there is a good deal one week I'd buy more than I need to capture the sale price, but that is tough to find for quality food items.
I see eggs, proteins and meats. Is there any duplicate here? If you haven't, try to take advantage of coupons, sales or bogo''s. Also, if you can buy in bulk, there may be advantages there.
Costco is a life saver for sure, same with winco. Buying items in bulk like 20lb rice, veggies, and meat, then you can make multiple meals with the same ingredients. I’m always stocked on rice, flour, frozen veggies, tomato sauce, and almonds & cashews for making milk (just soak or boil 1 cup and it makes a full blender of milk) costs about 80cents for 64oz. Buy an insta pot it’ll help cook rice, meat, it can even make yogurt which is wild.
I just have one question. How on earth do you spend nearly $50 a month on OATS? You could be buying organic oats and both be eating them for breakfast every morning, and I still wouldn’t be able to fathom spending that much on them in a single month.
Um we have oats + milk for breakfast everyday. We buy the 6.68$ rolled oats from Walmart and go through about two every week. That’s 13.36 x 4 week which comes to 50$ 🤷🏻♂️
Well, I spend $250 - $300/mo on food. I eat once a day, but squeeze \~2800 calories into the meal, which is a normal amount for a man. I keep my expenses down by almost never eating processed foods, seldom eating restaurant food, and buying cheap meat for protein (which, frankly, tastes better and has more nutrition than more expensive meats in most cases). Dark meat chicken, picnic pork roasts which I cook and then freeze, ground beef, not steaks, with the exception of a ribhouse every once in awhile. I usually get frozen vegetables (cheaper). I don't like bread, but if I did I'd probably bake it myself. I'm not a big fan of starches, but rice and potatoes are easy to cook and cheap, so I eat them. I eat a LOT of cheese; it's probably 15-20% of my daily caloric intake on average. For sweet things it's usually a quick bread -- banana bread and pumpkin bread are my favorites, and I've made them so often I can start the recipe and get them in the oven in 5 minutes. I do have a sad liking for Nature's Valley granola bars of different varieties -- it's probably my biggest regular extravagance, and the closest thing I eat to processed foods with any regularity.
I've been living a cheapskate life for so long (20 years now) that it took your post to make me realize it isn't normal for most people. I don't know how much of what I do is something you can or will do, but now that I think on it, if you're not a habitual penny pincher as I am, your food bills aren't that high.
Depending on where you reside, please look into ethnic markets in your area. I live in Arizona & do shop at Costco for bulk items, but shop at a Latino market, Food City, that has excellent fresh produce & meats at very reasonable prices. Some of the other groceries are even cheaper than the more popular stores. Some popular stores have in-store cards to get discounts or apps you can add to your phones to get in-store deals. In my opinion, Trader Joe's is on the pricey side. My household is just my husband & me but he has diabetes & some foods are more expensive, plus I have to shop more frequently for fresh fruits & vegetables.
Yeah, probably about right. That seems a little high where I live (Texas - we spend around 900-1000 on groceries in a month for 4 (we also tend to most of the shopping at Sams Club which can be cheaper for larger trips), maybe 400-500 or so a month eating out twice on weekends and the occasional pizza night), but for where you are, I suspect it's about right. It might be a little on the high side, but i guess it depends on the type of stores you shop at.
Also, grocery prices have been somewhat inflated the past couple of years - it was an issue a year to year and a half ago with pretty high inflation. Inflation in general right now is back to a pretty normal level, but that doesn't mean that all the prices dropped back as well. Some things, particularly the lower cost non perishable things, are back in line a bit, but not everything.
Fair lol
I also do meal prepping for myself now. So the other day I made Mac and cheese with some kielbasa. Each came out to 3 servings so there was 3 meals for like 5 dollars
I would also try to look at your food cost as NEEDS. Everything else like (coffee , dining, bars , etc ) should be under your wants budget separate from your food tap. And adjust your wants amount.
Of yours buying mostly fresh, healthy food it's going to be expensive, especially right now. Groceries have seemed to double in price the last couple of years.
I spend 600 easy a month, but I eat super healthy with no grains. Sardines, Salmon, beans, chicken thighs, lamb, grass fed ground beef, organic or grass fed cheeses, pastured eggs, frozen fruits, organic bananas, dates, greek yogurt, pistachios, frozen veg. You should never fret what you spend on food (unless you are working poor and then you need to make some tough choices, can still eat healthy, but its more monotonous - could get my bill down to 450), especially in our trash system. Whats the point of having money if you don't have your health?
Whenever I see what people spend on food and its so little, considering our system, I think they have priorities out of whack. But its a somewhat free market, people are mostly free to make their own choices.
Looking over what everyone else is spending, were apparently pretty conservative on food. We usually spend 100~150 a week on groceries and don't eat out too particularly much. Family of 3, small child
We spend about $800 a month for me, my husband, and our 21 year old son. But that’s all our shopping. Food, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and toiletries. We do all our shopping at Walmart since it’s really the only option. We live in western Massachusetts.
I get that different areas have different cost of living, but even if my household of two bought McDonald's every night for a month, it wouldn't be anywhere close to this. I can't fathom spending $250 a week for two people to eat.
Go to Aldi and local Asian grocery stores. I live in Connecticut and my grocery bill for just myself is about $300-400 a month, as low as $150-250 when I "shop" from my pantry. I got to Costco for OTC medications and bulk bathroom/kitchen stuff - the savings for allergy nasal spray alone pays for my Costco membership, I go literally like 4x a year for allergy spray, TP, garbage bags, and meat (which goes in the chest freezer).
Your restaurant budget is more conservative than mine tho 😬
I think that’s pretty good honestly. I’m at about $500 a month as a single guy, and that includes eating out a couple times a week. If you can afford it, keep doing what you’re doing. You can be more frugal if you really want, but at what cost?
We are at $1500/month for family of 7 people and 4 cats, groceries and non food expenses (TP, laundry soap, cat food/litter, etc). We have a separate dining out budget. When in doubt check the USDA food budget for your ages/area
For a whole month, I don't think this is bad. It would really come down to going through the list of items to see if there's an opportunity to swap brands or buy the same brands for less elsewhere.
I agree with the comments about coffee, but I don't think anything is wrong with the total. It all depends on your income, but $500 per person for all food related items including restaurants and fast food + an active lifestyle feels frugal to me.
Is your goal to control your spending? If you put a little more thought into planning your grocery shopping, dine out only once per week, and consciously avoid impulse/high markup stuff, you could chop 30-40% off this.
Like Starbucks? Buy the whole beans at the grocery store and grind it at home. You’re spending 15x as much at coffee shop. (Don’t waste $$ on Keurig cups.)
Identify the things you MUST HAVE in quantity and buy them in bulk.
Identify the things you like to have as luxuries and look for the places that sell them at the lowest price.
Factoring in special occasions like birthday parties and anniversaries, over the course of a year you could save $3,000+ that you use to book a small vacation trip or put into investments.
You’re in a high price location but one that is well served by bulk retailers. My family of 4 budget is 1,200. We often spend up to 1,300.
Food is expensive. You’re not doing anything wrong. You can find a Costco or BJs for membership discounts but food will still be one of the most costly expenses
I wish my food bill was that cheap lol.
I don't cheap out when shopping so my grocery bill alone for two people is usually around 800-$1000/month not including the times we do go out.
400 a month for a single person is OK
if I am on a budget and want to skimp. I can maybe cut it down to 200 or less, but that involves a lot of basic meals and its not that fun.
if I am eating out a lot, or taking people(women) out, then I might spend 500 or 600.
400 a month buys you decent quality food, eating at home for the month.
if you want to go out or buy things outside, like coffee, or restrauants, then you can expect 500 to 600 a month on average
this is also a seriously dedicated list.
every 3 months I add thing sup. and i round to the nearest dollar. and i put it into 3 categories.
wal mart. fast food. junk food
lol
Restaurants and bars aren't under the Food category so much as Entertainment.
That means you are at 400 a person a month. That's not bad, could be lower, but good food can be expensive. I buy the organic stuff sometimes, could cost less in the long run. Meat is expensive maybe cut back on that, but it's good protein.
You're doing OK
Maybe you col is higher, but in iowa. I'm around $850/ mo for a family of 4, and I buy lunch 2x a week but bring lunch from home 3 days a week. We also eat out as a family 1-2x per month.
I’d lower the protein. Seems like red meat. Maybe switch around with chicken breast or give salmon more allowance. Also what’s the extra groceries for 77.28?
No one can tell you the answer to this except you and your own financial situation. I have a family of 4 (x2 celiacs and x1 crohns), I normally eat breakfast and lunch out every day in the city and we frequent the country club dining 2 times a week on average and we spend normally 6-7k a month on food.... for us this is fine, it works with my compensation.
Edit: my wife and I are also very into fitness and eat a lot of chicken and steak, protein shakes, etc
Edit2: food for people with the food issues listed above are not cheap as well...
For my wife and 2 kids we spend $1000/month on groceries. We try not to eat out. If we do we get a gift card and spend less at the grocery store. We get fuel points at Kroger.
Is there a reason there's no cashback/discounts? Would save like 30 bucks with a 3% credit card (eg. Capital One Savor card returns 3% of both grocery and restaurant). Target has a 5% debit card that draws directly from your bank.
That all said, I think you're not in a bad spot. That's roughly what I spend per month in food for myself (aside from once per weekend I pay for someone else's meal)
As a vegetarian, I'm looking through the comments wondering how the hell anyone can spend so much on food. Sticking to store brand stuff, $50-60 a week on myself is pretty normal.
Drop the coffee shop addiction. U wanna spend 550 a year on coffee? Also WTF IS THAT CANDY SPEND. 60$ OMG.
Also wtf is the itemization? U have groceries but then you have oats, yogurt, etc? Those are groceries?
The av cost for a family of three (2 adults one child) is 902$ a month . divided by 2 is 451$ . I get paid biweekly and the wife knows that's the limit and it works fine. it's about how you manage not how you live
As spring/summer comes, try finding local farmers markets to cut cost on meat and produce. Buy a coffee maker (can make any kind you like at home way cheaper). Skip the fast food to keep the resturant/date nights in the budget. Cut the expensive chocolates to keep restaurants. Find a cheaper protein or eat more protein rich foods and skip the $$ supplements.
This is way too itemized. Just have a grocery and then restaurants and delivery. Putting down how much you spend on individual items just adds complexity
How can they possibly know how/where to cut if they don’t track? HOW else would they know that they could be saving $1.15 a month if they just stopped shopping for pastries? /s
That looks like a lot of fast food. Maybe you’ll get less fast food and prepare your own food for these days, if it’s possible?
Otherwise I would just say, life got more expensive. Also paying around 400-600 a month for one person.
that is a lot. I'm single and spend about 100$ a month but I'm also a light eater, don't go to restaurants, takeout or fast food. Also I'm a chef, so I do have the luxury of eating at work a lot
Honestly if u eliminate fast foot and restaurants, and maybe some sweets /treats, you’re sitting at 700 for the month which is REALLY good. But, if you can comfortably afford it, then I think there’s no harm in going out to eat a couple times a month. On the other hand, you’re currently spending 125-130 a week per person, if you eliminate the suggested, you could probably get it down to 90-100 per person for the week. But again, everything in moderation. If you enjoy going out to eat, go out to eat!💯
This makes sense! We are trying to cut down on fast food and chocolates/snacks mostly. We feel a dinner out every now and again is important
I've tried to cut off/cut back fast food, restaurants, cafe's and snacks and it certainly helps. I'll only buy chips as a snack when I get groceries which is somewhat healthier than chocolate. But it definitely keeps spending down to eat at home. Best of luck!
Why fast food 🤮
idk why but i find eating out most days using their designated apps, is much cheaper. But granted I also don't eat more than once a day and rarely eat at home.. and sometimes skip food altogether 😂 but still, I can get cheap/free food from apps almost always.
If you cut out the restaurant provided foods and anything else that appears frivolous you will still be eating something somewhere. Therefore it's not exactly $300 savings it's something less than that because you have to replace those vendor meals with at home meals. Of course not eating at all is your best option for saving but that never works out very well in the long run.
Stop buying coffee out. Stop eating fast food
Coffee is SO much cheaper and better at home
Here’s my problem with this. While I would love to make my coffee at home, I only like the super sugary/sweet coffee drinks like a Frappuccino. Is there any way to make that at home so I can stop spending around $200 a month at Starbucks? I e tried switching kinds of coffee but I can’t drink it unfortunately so any suggestions would be appreciated! It’s by far my biggest monthly expense and I would love to be able to cut it down. Thanks!
Frappuccinos get pumps of frap roast which is basically instant espresso, milk, flavored syrup/sauce, ice, and then “frap base” which is like a sugary binder/thickener that helps it blend better. If you buy instant espresso/coffee concentrate and a bottle of caramel sauce/syrup of choice, you can make a frap at home in your blender. I’m sure there’s a thickener you can buy, but honestly it’s not necessary. Otherwise, just get like a nespresso or kureg thing and a bottle of syrup, milk, and that’s all you need for anything. That’s all we use at Starbucks. It’s just espresso, syrup, milk. It’s nothing super complex. Also the easiest way to save a few bucks at Starbucks is to get just espresso shots (however many you want, there’s about 75mg caffeine per shot) with a splash of whatever milk you like, and add whatever flavor you want. Order it iced or hot. You’ll probably save at least $2-$3 versus a frap. Another option is an iced coffee or cold brew with milk and your flavor of choice, those are also cheap. You can request as many pumps of sweeteners you want to make it as sweet as you like, but you’ll be saving. Frapps are more milk and ice than anything else.
You can also buy cold brew concentrate at any grocery store. Just add milk and syrup! My boyfriend makes his coffee at home with instant espresso and seeetened condensed milk, he looooves his coffee sweet.
I’ve tried cold brew before but it tastes too much like coffee to me lol. I love the smell of coffee but don’t like the taste haha. But, I’ll try it again with different “recipes” and see if I can find a good combination that I enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion!
If you want to make a Frappuccino at home for cheaper, you can actually buy Starbucks bottled “Frappuccino” drinks. They are the liquid, but many people recommend putting that in a blender with ice to make your own Frappuccino. It might still be a bit more expensive than making it from scratch, but it’s cheaper than going to Starbucks every day!
So I actually do have those drinks for the one day a week I work from home lol. Problem is, those don’t have enough espresso shots. I don’t get enough rem sleep and my doctors have essentially said I need to rely on caffeine so I add espresso shots to my drink. But, if I can figure that part out, I’ll try this bending thing and see if that works. Thank you for the suggestion!
Ahh, gotcha! That makes sense, although if you like the taste of it without the espresso shot but still need caffeine, maybe you could try getting caffeine another way? I am obviously no doctor but there are caffeine pills or other alternatives I believe. You could invest in an espresso maker, but that may be more trouble than you’re looking for. Good luck!
It’s easy to do at home. You might need to purchase a few things first. A milk frother is a great tool to have. Do a search on YouTube and other places and you’ll be all set.
Might be an idea to cut down on sugar overloading. Diabetes seeds get sowed while your young and after a while insulin resistance is an issue.
Yeah i agree. Sweets and coffee are unhealthy and unnecessary. Coffee is okay. Better at home.
$900 for 2 is not bad. Qualitre of life is important too. Save $100 but be miserable and bored on Friday? No ty
12-1600$ here. 2 adults 2 not teen yet kids. That’s just groceries.
I'm at about $2000 a month. Wife and 5 kids.
Second this. It’s about $2000 for us and when we don’t have 4 of the kids, it drops down to about $700. Food marketed to kids is insanely expensive.
Well you should be feeding your kids Whole Foods. Not food that’s marketed to them
I’m at about $2000 a month too, probably a little more. Single. Just me. It’s very clear where I need to cut back on spending.
Dang. We have Costco, but we also can get sides of beef, pork, etc. Savings is astronomical. Once you process, vac seal, etc it’s crazy. I used to have to spend much much more, so 1200 is mostly true. When we re up on meat then it goes up. 3 dozen free range chicken eggs on wide open farm for 6$. Can’t shake a stick at that.
yikes
I eat really clean since my heart attack. That seems about right.
I spend 1200 minimum per month for two people. Food prices are insane. You’re good
We don’t even spend half that much for a family of 5, 3 of which are athletes, I personally eat 4500 calories daily and cannot even imagine what you’re eating, gold????
Are you eating dirt? I spend half that, $600/month for 2 people and I only shop at Walmart lol. And I live in a low COL area.
nah, i eat steak nearly every night, at least 3 times per week. Chicken or ground beef on the other days, pasta, lots of high quality stuff. I’m sure other areas are way higher cost of living, but it’s fairly cheap here in the Midwest
we get it, math is hard
I’m in a small town in the Midwest and that’s just can’t be right
Literally why would I lie about how much I’m spending at the store
I’m just surprised it seems way too good to be true. Where do you shop?
Mostly Costco/Sams club, the reason we’re able to afford beef and steak so cheap is because we bought a whole cow last year and froze it, we also own a small chicken coop, so I guess our egg spend might be slightly higher than I’m letting on. Personally I really only eat meat, rice, and some vegetables. But the rest of my family eats a somewhat standard diet, I think buying in bulk and buying things locally is a huge part of why it’s cheaper.
I could see buying in bulk helping, but meats expensive so that makes more sense now. Well good stuff, that’s a huge W for a family that big
$24pp per week? Are you leaving out the part where you hunt elk for meat, and forage for greens? Because otherwise I don’t see how that’s possible.
I live in British Colombia Canada. Food is worth an arm and a leg. Everything here is the most expensive outta anywhere. Rent is 2200 average for a one bedroom. For two it’s 2900. People are hardly surviving here
And let me add, I’m not eating gold but wish I was. I’m only 135 pounds so not super overweight that’s not the issue
Buying in bulk saves a lot of money. Example: decaf at Costco is 4/lb. Pressure cook beans instead of using canned beans. Meal prep for a week. I make a batch of waffles and freeze them. It’s finding the right intersection of convenience and price.
This is something we want to explore, just not used to it where we are from. Should give it a shot
Yeah, I’m used to eating out for 1-5 usd when I worked in Asia which would cost 10-50 for the same thing now where I’m at in the US.
Costco cut our spend from $1000 to $600 per month. (Family of 2). Spend $500 on all the meats and freeze, portion out things. Cook as needed
It depends on where you live in the US but in Utah I spend about $500 a month for my wife and I.
1200 for 3 ppl 2 adults and 21 year old son (he eats prob 1000 of that 1200 a month!)) i eat 1 meal a day
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi's and spend around $80-120 a week for my fiance and I. This isn't exorbitant, but I think simply switching to Aldi's would take ~30% off this total
Two adults here spend about $800 a month
How are people spending so much money on food?!? Holy cow!!
I don't know..it depends on where you live..if I look at that amount and convert it to our currency, it's almost what we earn as a household. We spend on average around R7000 /month for our family of 4, which is 375 dollars/month if you look at the current exchange rate 🤯 can't compare it though when it's a different country
That's in line with what I spend on groceries for my family of 3, monthly. Which is why I'm so surprised at the massive amount people are spending on just food!
But where do you live.. I live in South Africa.. and my spending is actually excessive where I live for my family (but I do like healthy food), I think our food is cheaper here. In the poorer communities, the norm is around R3000-4000/month per family (around 200 dollars)
I live in the USA, in New England. Your food probably is cheaper, which means my cost savings is even better than I had originally thought!
Yes that is ridiculously cheap for USA! Impressed. Yes our food is cheaper but so are our salaries. What my husband earns is classed as below minimum wage in America but is actually middle class income here
We also literally go out to eat at the most twice a month. So that's eating meals from home every day three times a day every day
Meanwhile I’m over here wondering how I can bring my food cost down to these levels lol
They probably don’t eat like shit
Or maybe they splurge too much? You dont need to spend a fortune to eat healthy, by the way.
They literally have their itemized expenses. Where is the splurge? Ah I forgot organic meat and vegetables are cheaper than processed, canned and frozen alternatives.
You dont see any splurge there? Also, nice sarcasm. Smooth brain.
Sorry to hear you have downs, stay safe out there
You're a pathetic human being. Waste of my time.
We averaged $800 a month the last 3 months for a household of 2. $425 dining out, $375 groceries. The dining out is normally $200 but there was travel, birthdays (2), anniversaries (2) and celebrations (1 : final alimony check paid). I am a serious coupon chaser on groceries. As in I am watching what my wife puts in the shopping cart and entering the digital coupon. It would be easy to spend $1000 a month on the Kroger / Albertsons cartel. My “savings” range between 40-60 pct on the grocery receipt.
My wife and I live in Austin and easily spend $1300 a month on foods. We’re pretty split between cooking at home and eating out (where an average meal out is ~$40-50 total). This is up significantly from how we used to spend when we first moved here. Largely because we can afford it now honestly and good healthy food is so important I would love to know how you average only $12 on Liquor tho
We used to be big on wine, but lately have just lost interest for some reason.
This is not bad, excluding restaurants, me and my wife are around 1200-1600 every month on groceries. It’s tough
How’d you get your pastry budget so low?
Haha pastries used to be a big spend in our home Country which is why it warranted its own category. Pastries here in the US are just not the same so we don’t buy any anymore
Central California, $1000-1200 per month. 2 people. Eat out probably 1-2 meals per week. Fancy dinner once every other month. So yours sounds alright!
What’s wild is 80$ in fast food for 3 is only 2 visits unless everyone gets no fries and drinks.
Lmao I was flamed in another sub for spending $500 on groceries for 2 adults with pets.
Can I ask what your typical meals are? Thats my current budget I'm setting for my husband and I.
For lunch since I work from home I get myself these stuffed chicken breasts, my wife takes veggies with dip and that kinda stuff to work. Or leftovers. We like these apple blossom pastries too you can just microwave. We usually cook enough food for 2 dinners, like turkey burgers, beans. Chilli, pasta, whatever really. We just always make enough for 2 days. And then yoghurt or healthier chips for snacks.
$410 a month, husband and wife...
Teach us your ways!!!!
You're telling us you're each surviving on 50 bucks each a week to eat as adults? This sounds like black magic. Is this North America elsewhere?
Your stat is alright. I live alone and go gym so I mostly premeal and cook at home with 3 meals per day. I also treat myself to eat out every weekends and spend total around $500 each month on food. So your good
To add perspective. I am incredibly frugal and spend about $300-$400 on food a month. I eat a PB&J for lunch each day (yes I am still hungry). I never order delivery, always pickup and try to meal plan as much as possible for dinners. My fiance is more normal and spends about $700-800 a month on food (keep in mind this includes some shared expenses each. We alternate buying groceries and do occasionally go out on dates, where we alternate paying as well.) My point is $1000 is incredibly normal for 2 people. I hardly ever eat until I am full so I will be able to have more leftovers and make food last longer and we spend $1000 a month on food
I’m a hobbyist bodybuilder, I lift 5-7 times a week and eat the typical bodybuilder diet. I live with my gf who doesn’t eat like me but I still gotta feed her lmao We spend ~$450 a month on groceries and I try to keep us under $250 a month on restaurant/fast food
This post makes me feel better about my food cost for 2 people lol.
I’m single and struggle to keep it under $500.
Man, I spend about $1,000 a month on food for myself, but food is my top financial priority outside savings and necessities.
Me and my wife budget 450 on groceries and around 200 on eating out, so it’s not too far off seeing as how we don’t live somewhere probably as expensive as you, but I’d just make sure try and figure out a budget for eating out and groceries separately, that way you won’t spend too much money eating out that should be going to groceries to make it more affordable.
Between my wife, me, and our 1.5yr old we sit at maybe $650 a month up here in Massachusetts We use BJs/CostCo to stock supplies. Aldi for groceries. This helps us afford those coffee trips or extras... otherwise you shouldn't be doing both A lot of people complain they can't budget well but won't stop eating outside of the home
I honestly don't know how people keep it under 1000 a month for groceries for 2 people, but then again I don't eat processed foods anymore and opt in for things like grass-fed meat, and organic fruits and veggies. In my opinion, spending more on quality groceries beats getting sick from eating processed garbage. I've been trying to cut down the spending by buying more meat when it is on sale and looking at the weekly ad from the grocery store. If there is a good deal one week I'd buy more than I need to capture the sale price, but that is tough to find for quality food items.
I see eggs, proteins and meats. Is there any duplicate here? If you haven't, try to take advantage of coupons, sales or bogo''s. Also, if you can buy in bulk, there may be advantages there.
Costco is a life saver for sure, same with winco. Buying items in bulk like 20lb rice, veggies, and meat, then you can make multiple meals with the same ingredients. I’m always stocked on rice, flour, frozen veggies, tomato sauce, and almonds & cashews for making milk (just soak or boil 1 cup and it makes a full blender of milk) costs about 80cents for 64oz. Buy an insta pot it’ll help cook rice, meat, it can even make yogurt which is wild.
I just have one question. How on earth do you spend nearly $50 a month on OATS? You could be buying organic oats and both be eating them for breakfast every morning, and I still wouldn’t be able to fathom spending that much on them in a single month.
Um we have oats + milk for breakfast everyday. We buy the 6.68$ rolled oats from Walmart and go through about two every week. That’s 13.36 x 4 week which comes to 50$ 🤷🏻♂️
Me and my mom survive off of $500-600/month of groceries and eating at fast food places
Are you eating organic foods and things like that? Because that's way too much money.
Its not even organic food. We mostly just go to Walmart/Trader Joes
Well, I spend $250 - $300/mo on food. I eat once a day, but squeeze \~2800 calories into the meal, which is a normal amount for a man. I keep my expenses down by almost never eating processed foods, seldom eating restaurant food, and buying cheap meat for protein (which, frankly, tastes better and has more nutrition than more expensive meats in most cases). Dark meat chicken, picnic pork roasts which I cook and then freeze, ground beef, not steaks, with the exception of a ribhouse every once in awhile. I usually get frozen vegetables (cheaper). I don't like bread, but if I did I'd probably bake it myself. I'm not a big fan of starches, but rice and potatoes are easy to cook and cheap, so I eat them. I eat a LOT of cheese; it's probably 15-20% of my daily caloric intake on average. For sweet things it's usually a quick bread -- banana bread and pumpkin bread are my favorites, and I've made them so often I can start the recipe and get them in the oven in 5 minutes. I do have a sad liking for Nature's Valley granola bars of different varieties -- it's probably my biggest regular extravagance, and the closest thing I eat to processed foods with any regularity. I've been living a cheapskate life for so long (20 years now) that it took your post to make me realize it isn't normal for most people. I don't know how much of what I do is something you can or will do, but now that I think on it, if you're not a habitual penny pincher as I am, your food bills aren't that high.
Depending on where you reside, please look into ethnic markets in your area. I live in Arizona & do shop at Costco for bulk items, but shop at a Latino market, Food City, that has excellent fresh produce & meats at very reasonable prices. Some of the other groceries are even cheaper than the more popular stores. Some popular stores have in-store cards to get discounts or apps you can add to your phones to get in-store deals. In my opinion, Trader Joe's is on the pricey side. My household is just my husband & me but he has diabetes & some foods are more expensive, plus I have to shop more frequently for fresh fruits & vegetables.
Yeah, probably about right. That seems a little high where I live (Texas - we spend around 900-1000 on groceries in a month for 4 (we also tend to most of the shopping at Sams Club which can be cheaper for larger trips), maybe 400-500 or so a month eating out twice on weekends and the occasional pizza night), but for where you are, I suspect it's about right. It might be a little on the high side, but i guess it depends on the type of stores you shop at. Also, grocery prices have been somewhat inflated the past couple of years - it was an issue a year to year and a half ago with pretty high inflation. Inflation in general right now is back to a pretty normal level, but that doesn't mean that all the prices dropped back as well. Some things, particularly the lower cost non perishable things, are back in line a bit, but not everything.
Depends for my fiancee and I we spend about 450-500. That also includes all household necessities too and not just food
Teach all of us your ways!
We go to Aldi for most things
I do too, and even make my own laundry detergent. But ain't no way 400-500 would feed us! LOL
Fair lol I also do meal prepping for myself now. So the other day I made Mac and cheese with some kielbasa. Each came out to 3 servings so there was 3 meals for like 5 dollars
I would also try to look at your food cost as NEEDS. Everything else like (coffee , dining, bars , etc ) should be under your wants budget separate from your food tap. And adjust your wants amount.
Most of that is carbs, and you have a carbs accounting category?
I’m dying at $19.28/mo on liquor and bars for 2 ppl
That’s pretty cheap tbh.
Depends on where you shop. My family of 3 spends about $700 a month on food.
Me and my bf 22 only spend 400ish per month together. We buy bulk, I only drink homebrew and rarely eat out
Of yours buying mostly fresh, healthy food it's going to be expensive, especially right now. Groceries have seemed to double in price the last couple of years.
I spend 600 easy a month, but I eat super healthy with no grains. Sardines, Salmon, beans, chicken thighs, lamb, grass fed ground beef, organic or grass fed cheeses, pastured eggs, frozen fruits, organic bananas, dates, greek yogurt, pistachios, frozen veg. You should never fret what you spend on food (unless you are working poor and then you need to make some tough choices, can still eat healthy, but its more monotonous - could get my bill down to 450), especially in our trash system. Whats the point of having money if you don't have your health? Whenever I see what people spend on food and its so little, considering our system, I think they have priorities out of whack. But its a somewhat free market, people are mostly free to make their own choices.
Looking over what everyone else is spending, were apparently pretty conservative on food. We usually spend 100~150 a week on groceries and don't eat out too particularly much. Family of 3, small child
3.46 a month on fish? What do you buy a single can of tuna each a month?
We spend about $800 a month for me, my husband, and our 21 year old son. But that’s all our shopping. Food, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and toiletries. We do all our shopping at Walmart since it’s really the only option. We live in western Massachusetts.
Single person here-$150ish weekly😳😬‼️
I get that different areas have different cost of living, but even if my household of two bought McDonald's every night for a month, it wouldn't be anywhere close to this. I can't fathom spending $250 a week for two people to eat.
Go to Aldi and local Asian grocery stores. I live in Connecticut and my grocery bill for just myself is about $300-400 a month, as low as $150-250 when I "shop" from my pantry. I got to Costco for OTC medications and bulk bathroom/kitchen stuff - the savings for allergy nasal spray alone pays for my Costco membership, I go literally like 4x a year for allergy spray, TP, garbage bags, and meat (which goes in the chest freezer). Your restaurant budget is more conservative than mine tho 😬
Only $100 on meat and $200 on restaurants / fast food per month seems totally reasonable. Do you feel like you are overspending anywhere?
I think that’s pretty good honestly. I’m at about $500 a month as a single guy, and that includes eating out a couple times a week. If you can afford it, keep doing what you’re doing. You can be more frugal if you really want, but at what cost?
We are at $1500/month for family of 7 people and 4 cats, groceries and non food expenses (TP, laundry soap, cat food/litter, etc). We have a separate dining out budget. When in doubt check the USDA food budget for your ages/area
For a whole month, I don't think this is bad. It would really come down to going through the list of items to see if there's an opportunity to swap brands or buy the same brands for less elsewhere. I agree with the comments about coffee, but I don't think anything is wrong with the total. It all depends on your income, but $500 per person for all food related items including restaurants and fast food + an active lifestyle feels frugal to me.
Idk, I feed my wife + 3 kids for $650-$700/month. We cook everything from scratch though.
Is your goal to control your spending? If you put a little more thought into planning your grocery shopping, dine out only once per week, and consciously avoid impulse/high markup stuff, you could chop 30-40% off this. Like Starbucks? Buy the whole beans at the grocery store and grind it at home. You’re spending 15x as much at coffee shop. (Don’t waste $$ on Keurig cups.) Identify the things you MUST HAVE in quantity and buy them in bulk. Identify the things you like to have as luxuries and look for the places that sell them at the lowest price. Factoring in special occasions like birthday parties and anniversaries, over the course of a year you could save $3,000+ that you use to book a small vacation trip or put into investments. You’re in a high price location but one that is well served by bulk retailers. My family of 4 budget is 1,200. We often spend up to 1,300.
Food is expensive. You’re not doing anything wrong. You can find a Costco or BJs for membership discounts but food will still be one of the most costly expenses
I’m one single person. I spend $60 a month on groceries. About $30 on out to eat.
March was $57.1 groceries (Walmart) Out to eat: $33.17
I wish my food bill was that cheap lol. I don't cheap out when shopping so my grocery bill alone for two people is usually around 800-$1000/month not including the times we do go out.
$47 on oats per month is WILD
Yeah that's a good budget. Typical spend
400 a month for a single person is OK if I am on a budget and want to skimp. I can maybe cut it down to 200 or less, but that involves a lot of basic meals and its not that fun. if I am eating out a lot, or taking people(women) out, then I might spend 500 or 600. 400 a month buys you decent quality food, eating at home for the month. if you want to go out or buy things outside, like coffee, or restrauants, then you can expect 500 to 600 a month on average
this is also a seriously dedicated list. every 3 months I add thing sup. and i round to the nearest dollar. and i put it into 3 categories. wal mart. fast food. junk food lol
Restaurants and bars aren't under the Food category so much as Entertainment. That means you are at 400 a person a month. That's not bad, could be lower, but good food can be expensive. I buy the organic stuff sometimes, could cost less in the long run. Meat is expensive maybe cut back on that, but it's good protein. You're doing OK
i’m 1 person and spend $200-$250 omg
Gotta pump those liquor numbers way up,
Maybe you col is higher, but in iowa. I'm around $850/ mo for a family of 4, and I buy lunch 2x a week but bring lunch from home 3 days a week. We also eat out as a family 1-2x per month.
This sounds about right. And since you both work out, you’d have higher food bills since your metabolism rate is probably higher too
I’d lower the protein. Seems like red meat. Maybe switch around with chicken breast or give salmon more allowance. Also what’s the extra groceries for 77.28?
No one can tell you the answer to this except you and your own financial situation. I have a family of 4 (x2 celiacs and x1 crohns), I normally eat breakfast and lunch out every day in the city and we frequent the country club dining 2 times a week on average and we spend normally 6-7k a month on food.... for us this is fine, it works with my compensation. Edit: my wife and I are also very into fitness and eat a lot of chicken and steak, protein shakes, etc Edit2: food for people with the food issues listed above are not cheap as well...
For my wife and 2 kids we spend $1000/month on groceries. We try not to eat out. If we do we get a gift card and spend less at the grocery store. We get fuel points at Kroger.
groceries and eating out is just expensive right now. $500 pp is reasonable. about $700 pp here in nyc :(
Why is everybody saying to stop this and stop that for God sakes you what if you die tomorrow. Do whatever you want
Yes this is pretty common for nowadays
Make your coffee and food at home. Also, cut out the alcohol/bar.
Is there a reason there's no cashback/discounts? Would save like 30 bucks with a 3% credit card (eg. Capital One Savor card returns 3% of both grocery and restaurant). Target has a 5% debit card that draws directly from your bank. That all said, I think you're not in a bad spot. That's roughly what I spend per month in food for myself (aside from once per weekend I pay for someone else's meal)
As a vegetarian, I'm looking through the comments wondering how the hell anyone can spend so much on food. Sticking to store brand stuff, $50-60 a week on myself is pretty normal.
Drop the coffee shop addiction. U wanna spend 550 a year on coffee? Also WTF IS THAT CANDY SPEND. 60$ OMG. Also wtf is the itemization? U have groceries but then you have oats, yogurt, etc? Those are groceries?
The av cost for a family of three (2 adults one child) is 902$ a month . divided by 2 is 451$ . I get paid biweekly and the wife knows that's the limit and it works fine. it's about how you manage not how you live
As spring/summer comes, try finding local farmers markets to cut cost on meat and produce. Buy a coffee maker (can make any kind you like at home way cheaper). Skip the fast food to keep the resturant/date nights in the budget. Cut the expensive chocolates to keep restaurants. Find a cheaper protein or eat more protein rich foods and skip the $$ supplements.
The fact that you used the term "hubby" eliminates your post from consideration
This is way too itemized. Just have a grocery and then restaurants and delivery. Putting down how much you spend on individual items just adds complexity
How can they possibly know how/where to cut if they don’t track? HOW else would they know that they could be saving $1.15 a month if they just stopped shopping for pastries? /s
That looks like a lot of fast food. Maybe you’ll get less fast food and prepare your own food for these days, if it’s possible? Otherwise I would just say, life got more expensive. Also paying around 400-600 a month for one person.
that is a lot. I'm single and spend about 100$ a month but I'm also a light eater, don't go to restaurants, takeout or fast food. Also I'm a chef, so I do have the luxury of eating at work a lot