How much do you spend on food?

instantmartian

PiSquared wrote: »

Oh, I definitely stock up where I can. Fresh produce and milk I buy weekly based on what we'll use. Meat I buy while it's on sale, and also based on the meal plan. I tend to buy large packs of meat, because they are usually less expensive per pound. Extra meat is easily frozen for future use. A lot of staples I only buy when we need them, things like cooking oil, spices, and condiments. I'll stock up on things with a long shelf life, like canned beans and tomatoes, when they go on sale. I save veggie scraps, bones, and shrimp shells in the freezer to make stock.

Then it definitely sounds like you're doing everything I'm doing! Your grocery prices must just be a bit more expensive than ours, which definitely stinks.

ZombieSlayer

Family of four, U.S. Pacific NW.

I spend $250-$350 a month, with an extra $100/month budgeted in November & December.

harrybananas

Less than $10.

Can't beat $0.50/lb chicken.

srecupid

Probably too much. I work at a grocery store so pretty much every night when it's slow I basically get paid to walk around the store putting stuff away. And in the process I pick some stuff out for myself. I do try to buy more in bulk if I find something i like though (amazon prime ftw).

kshama2001

meganridenour wrote: »

I'm glad my boyfriend and I are not the only ones spending $150-$200 a week. I feel like less of a freak now. Last time I mentioned that in a thread, I felt like people were jumping down my throat for spending so much.

We weren't jumping down your throat, we were wondering how you managed to do that. You explained that a lot of it went to proteins, fish, and organic fruits and vegs, and that you shop at Whole Foods (and Costco).

Personally, I balk at the price of humanely-raised red meat and wild fish, so I don't buy it very often. I eat a lot of chicken. I use canned salmon like canned tuna.

edreggi

My husband and I don't have children so we splurge more on eating out. We are also not big drinkers so we save a lot on buying alcohol. What I do notice is that he tends to spend more when we run out of things during the week and he picks up stuff in a rush. We save way more money when we plan our grocery shopping ahead and budget in. For sure we also save money when we buy specific items at specific stores, for the best price. We spend $300 a month for a household of two men and that includes lots of snacks and fresh organically grown foods. But we for sure spend $100 a week on eating out for two.

drachfit

I eat 3000 calories per day and spend $50 / week ($200/month). This includes paper towels / dish soap stuff you get at the grocery store. I realize you are shopping for two but you and your husband probably don't eat quite that much so it sounds like you are spending almost TRIPLE the amount on food.

I also live in new england. I shop at market basket, they really do have noticeably lower prices than Hannaford and Shaws.

1. get the bulk of your calories from basic staples. Rice, beans, lentils, or potatos make up the base of my meals. These first three also happen to offer a lot of protein! Sometimes I eat pasta, but not too often.
2. I eat a lot of meat, but admit I very rarely spend the money on Fish (especially good stuff like salmon), which is far more expensive. However, you might deem this a worthy expense. I try not to spend more than $2-3/lb on chicken or $4/lb on beef; usually I shop sales and eat cheaper cuts. Sometimes a really good cut will be on sale and then I stock up and freeze.
3. Shop the store brands, they are often (not always, but often) made in the same factory as the name brands and get a different label stuck on.
4. Don't pay for packaging convenience such as single-serve yogurts, cheese sticks, etc. Buy a small tupperware container and re-use it if you need single servings. This is less wasteful, and food is usually cheaper in larger quantities.
5. Almost nothing from the "center aisles" of the store. e.g. no cereals, cookies, canned soups, frozen meals. Not only is this stuff usually less healthy than what you would make yourself, if you think about what the cost per calorie this stuff is usually way higher than what you could accomplish on your own. Not to say I never eat cookies - if I'm in the mood, I make a batch out of sugar, flour, and butter + whatever cookie ingredients I want (vanilla, chocolate chip, etc) which is far less expensive, and homemade is tastier.
6. you can even make a lot of sauces. For example, most people pay $4 for a jar of mayo that sits in the fridge for a month. you can make mayo in 5 minutes with a whisk, an egg yolk, vinegar, and a cup of canola oil (30 cents worth of ingredients). it will last a week+ in the fridge. Plus - you control the preservatives and dyes that go in! If you are planning say sandwiches (or what I use it for - coleslaw!) that week, it doesn't take much time to whip up a batch while your rice is boiling.

Meganthedogmom

After realizing we waste too many fruits and veggies buying them at Costco and not able to eat them, I started buying most of them at target in smaller quantities. Been able to cut down to $600 per month on groceries for the two of us, including toiletries and dog/cat food.

rosebette

I'm feeding myself, my two adult sons who are still at home, and my husband for around $150-160 a week. I cook every night and pack lunches. We go out to dinner once a week. We are also meat-eaters. I think with a larger family, the per person cost is lower because larger size packages and larger quantities of meat have a lower unit or per lb. price. I'm also good at crock pot meals, so I did a roast last week in the crockpot that became stew and fed us for a couple of days. By the way, grocery prices have been lower in the past six months, probably due to lower gas and transportation costs. A year ago, I was spending closer to $175-$200, but eating the same things.

drachfit

PiSquared wrote: »

My question to you: what are you eating that you're spending so little?

In all seriousness, though. This is my meal plan for the week, and grocery list. I am feeding 2 adults (myself and husband). The recipes I make for dinner have 4 servings, so the left overs get packaged up and eaten for lunch the next day.

Sunday: Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs, Mirin braised bok choy, pureed turnips
Monday: Southwestern pinto bean burgers with chipotle mayonnaise, garlic roasted beet greens (original recipe was for kale, but I wanted to use up my beet greens)
Tuesday: Beet, blood orange, kumquat, and quinoa salad
Wednesday: Spicy basil chicken, brown rice with sesame, sauteed snow peas and peppers
Thursday BLT pasta, roasted broccoli
Friday: Turkey burgers with cranberry-apple relish (will use chicken I have in the freezer), Caesar salad

Shopping list:
Bananas (bunch of 5)
Apples (3 lb pag)
1 red pepper
1 navel orange
1 lemon
5 blood oranges
Fresh Express Lite Caesar Salad Kit
1 pint grape tomatoes
Snow peas, 12 oz
1 bunch basil (2 oz)
1 bunch beets
1 pint kumquats
1 avocado
1 bunch green onions
1 jalapeno pepper
1 bunch cilantro
turnips (2 lbs)
1 bok choy
1 jar minced garlic
2 shallots
Pecorino Romano cheese, 8 oz
Muenster cheese, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
Roast beef, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
1 package chicken thighs (family pack contained 10 thighs)
1 small can corn (8.5 oz)
1 can pinto beans (15.5 oz)
1 jar strawberry jelly (for the hubby)
1 box cereal (store brand Special K, 12 oz)
1 bottle lower sodium soy sauce, 10 oz
1 box Mini penne pasta, 16 oz
1 bag hamburger rolls (bag of 8 rolls)
1 box quinoa, 12 oz
Half gallon organic skim milk (this is my splurge)
Frozen broccoli florets, 16 oz
Edy's Outshine pomegranate bars (box of 6)
Weight Watchers Giant Latte bars (box of 6)
3 12-packs Diet Coke, 12 oz cans (Diet Coke is my vice, and it was on sale so I stocked up)
1 Box white tea, 40 bags (this will last a while)
1 jar multi-vitamins
1 bottle Systane eyedrops, 1 oz (my eyes get super dry, especially in the winter)

Total spent: $160.78

to answer your question of what do you eat on a <$50/week budget, here are the differences:

taking a critical eye to this (it sounds delicious, but it is costly).

1. you have more or less only bought food for dinner! what about the other 2 meals of the day?
2. you have only purchased 6 dinners worth! saturday?
3. a lot of $$$ are leaking out of your budget and into: diet coke (zero nutrition for money), snack bars.
4. deli sliced meats are usually a lot more expensive than just cooking a steak and cutting it up, but i admit it's "not quite the same."
5. produce, especially specialty produce, is where most of the expense is coming from. you have multiple specialty ingredients in each meal. i buy a head of cabbage and an onion and it gets me through 5 or 6 meals. with usually one or two specialty ingredients for that meal, such as jalapenos, cilantro, or blood oranges.
6. what happens to the leftovers? (maybe that is your lunch the next day?)

basically, if you'll excuse me being crass, that is some gourmet *kitten* and not everyone can afford it. I cook about 2 meals a week with fewer and cheaper ingredients and eat leftovers most days.

Jenfromtheblock84

2 adults 2 toddlers in NC, USA and we spend about $75/week on groceries. We have breakfast, lunch, and dinners prepared for the house and eat at home 6 days a week on average. We shop at Aldi's where their milk, eggs, bread, fresh fruit and vegetables are just so cheap. I don't know what I'd buy with $200/week. lol.

mjwarbeck

We spend tons...and go through tons of food. Typically up to 1000 a month (Canadian so currency exchange makes that about 700 US...many foods are more expensive here than the US). I typically cook most meals from scratch or fresh ingredients--some spice pastes or sauces are from a jar.

ashorey87

Cynsonya wrote: »

Now I feel ridiculous, lol. I spend around $150 a week just for myself. I shop at Kroger and only buy organic, humanely raised meat, and no processed foods. But I am new to this. I don't eat out at all though.

I spend minimum $100 (upwards to $150) per week in groceries for just myself also.