Informal Poll - spending more or less on food?

cwolfman13

I think it's about the same...a reduction in eating out and take out is offset by the fact that we have some pricier grocery items now vs then...mostly fish. That said, even with the pricier grocery items, we had some cost savings early on, but those have been offset by the fact that our boys are now 7 and 4 (almost 5) vs newborn and 2 at the time we started.

ritzvin

TmacMMM wrote: »

Less. We eat the same mostly whole foods we used to, but less of it. Also, we're eating out less and drinking less booze. So probably saving $30-40 a week?

I almost forgot all the savings at bars. I used to drink quite a bit more when out dancing - every ~140 calories of wine I cut out to save calories also saves $10 at some of the salsa venues (~$6 at most of the swing ones).

Lizakabibbis

I pretty much spend the same amount of money. My son and boyfriend still eat the same amount of food even though everyone is eating healthier foods. I do have my daily Starbucks but outside of that - lots of groceries!

nowine4me

More at the grocery store but less eating out. Especially since it rarely order wine, which is typically $7-10 per glass.

zdyb23456

courtneylykins5 wrote: »

Individually for myself, I spend a lot less. I'm rarely eating out and I pretty much stick to the same few simple things for ease of logging.
Overall the grocery bill has explodd when my two little bird eaters suddenly became bottomless pits. The whole family is eating healthier since it's me who buys all the food, but some need to eat a lot more of it.

I have 3 little bird eaters right now, 8, 6, and 4. I'm not looking forward to my grocery bill when they start eating like adults!

descene

Sometimes it looks like I'm spending more. I definitely spend $20-$30 more on groceries than I'd like to now, but I spend $50 less on takeout and snacks, so in the end yes I save money.
Although, It's definitely possible for me to make a meal plan that is both unhealthy and cheaper, so I don't agree entirely with healthy food=cheaper. Seriously, there are periods of my life that I've spent under a dollar on food a day and I was gaining weight (probably malnourished though), but takeout and packaged foods are usually more expensive so if you're doing that you might save money from making changes.

MadCatLady302

I spend £20-£30 more per week on my weekly food shopping now. I'm losing weight but I am eating a lot more. Before, I just had my evening meal and a big sugar filled dessert. So now I'm having three main meals plus snacking in between. On the other hand though, it probably evens out as I don't spend any money on food at any other time now, whereas before I couldn't fill my car with petrol without getting a chocolate bar or watch a film without popcorn etc. So probably works out about the same.

3rdof7sisters

Much less, because I am eating less. Very little junk or pre packaged food. Very little eating out.
Cooking and prepping a lot more

happysherri

More - Can't beat feeding a family with $5 pizza for dinner or Tuna Helper for less than $5!

However, it's so worth it!!!!!!

Evamutt

not sure. I'm eating less but do try low cal treats. I still cook for the 2 of us too

allisonl6

Significantly more. I live in a northern climate so it is quite expensive to buy fruit and veg in the winter. I maximize our short growing season with colder climate variety plants, so my garden is quite fruitful. As a family of 6 though, it goes quickly

lisabinco

More/less?:
Definitely less. About $100 a month less, for two people.

Why?:
- almost zero $ on fast food, eating out, junk food, pre-packaged junk, etc.
- cooking LOTS more at home from scratch, with plant-based whole foods
- am a master at where/how to store veggies & fruits best and plan meals based on what will spoil first
- buy meat 1-2 times a month, max; use it as a flavoring/condiment, not a main dish when we have it
- cook enough for 8-10 people then freeze meal-size leftovers

Am saving at least that much on medication and doctor visits, too. On zero medications now.

lisabinco

ridiculous59 wrote: »

I spend about the same. I don't buy any processed foods and cook everything from scratch. We eat way less (Ice cream most evenings is a thing of the past!) and eating out is a treat, definitely not a weekly occurrence. But the food that I buy is better quality......farmers market veggies in the summer and I buy local beef, pork, chicken, and eggs from people I know in my comunity. I even have fish in the freezer that I caught

Eating out is a real treat again because we do it so rarely. Heck, eating a meat meal like a big steak is a rare treat for hubby anymore. It's nice, actually, that things like that are a treat again. As a kid, my parents so rarely took us out to eat that it was a huge event. Simple things can be a real treat again. That's nice.

lisabinco

andrea4736 wrote: »

More. Buying fresh food means I buy more often and I waste a lot more. Ugh.

Vegetarian Times has a great link on their website about how to effectively store your fresh fruits and veggies so they last as long as possible. It turned things around for me and now I am pretty darn good at it. We eat lots of fresh whole foods like that so it was a good lesson for me. I plan meals based on what will go bad first.

Theo166

lisabinco wrote: »

andrea4736 wrote: »

More. Buying fresh food means I buy more often and I waste a lot more. Ugh.

Vegetarian Times has a great link on their website about how to effectively store your fresh fruits and veggies so they last as long as possible. It turned things around for me and now I am pretty darn good at it. We eat lots of fresh whole foods like that so it was a good lesson for me. I plan meals based on what will go bad first.

I need to get better at storing fresh veggies. Is this the article you were thinking of?
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/spoiled-rotten-how-to-store-fruits-and-vegetables

dfwesq

More on groceries, but almost nothing on eating out. Also, cooking is more of a hobby so I spend less on other kinds of entertainment. Overall, I spend less and am eating better tasting food.

My grocery purchases include a lot of stuff I'm trying for fun and variety. If I really needed to reduce my grocery budget, I could trim it way down pretty easily.

rainbow198

Way less on myself:

I cook and bake a lot from scratch using basic items like flour, eggs, almond milk etc.

On a typical week, I only go out to eat once. When I was overweight it was practically once a day.

I get the majority of my food from the farmer's market now which is less expensive then the grocery stores. It took me some time to figure out the proper amount to buy so items didn't go to waste however.

I don't spend money on juices, soda, alcohol or meat anymore.

Freezing things save me lots money.

I know my prices, I pay attention to and shop around the sales, plus I price match.

I maintain my own little garden for a short time in the late spring - early fall.

Yes, I'm saving so much more money on food now.

MissMaggieMuffin

Much less. Mostly because I am eating the same food as before but a lot less.
Also have chosen to cut out the wine that had become an evening habit - rather shocking to realize how much I was spending on that.
However, totally offset by the amount I am spending on new workout clothes, equipment, etc.

Scorpiotwin

I would say maybe slightly more. I don't eat out hardly at all anymore, but since I'm doing low carb I do spend money on good quality meat. I buy bacon from the meat counter, bison, lamb and sausages. I started off with eating a lot of deli meat and beef, but since I started eating more of a variety of meat my cost has gone up. I'm single so I try to buy just what I need, if I have to buy bulk then I portion out and freeze.

Macy9336

Buying about the same amount of food. Didn't eat out much before so that's unchanged. Spending a little more because prices have gone up the past few months. I think what me and hubby have cut back, our growing teenagers are compensating for as they are sprouting like weeds and eat a little more than before.