Grocery budget is supposed to be $100 a month per person?

svel713

I've heard elsewhere multiple times that its "easy" to live off $100 a month for groceries. This was after I patted myself on the back for eating below the food stamps max allotment for 2, which is $357 a month. So of course I felt like I was a super overspender after that.

I did math for months on and off, and found I could live off rice and dry brown lentils, leaving only $30 a month for fruit, veg, and vitamins. But that sounds like it would be unhealthy with such a lack of variety.

So is it actually possible to live off that and be healthy? Are these $100/mo people living off just 30g of protein a day? What is the proper lowest amount of money to live off for groceries that is healthy?

kommodevaran

I don't understand why and how that would be "supposed". I live in Norway, I'm single, female, and spend around 230 US dollars per month on groceries. I eat well, tasty, balanced and varied, I can pick and choose to some extent, but I also look for good bargains, I'm flexible, I like lots of foods that are cheap, and I avoid waste by planning meals, buying just what I need, freeze, prep, cook from scratch, and eat up.

deputy_randolph

I probably spend about 400 a month on groceries for a family of 4. We eat A LOT of eggs (which are cheap). I roast a whole chicken twice a week. We eat the meat and then boil down for bones/skin for soup. Frozen veggies are usually cheaper, last longer, and aren't significantly less nutritious than fresh.

I buy a lot of items in bulk too (oatmeal, nuts, seeds), which is a cheaper way to buy those items (usually). Canned meats like chicken and tuna aren't extremely expensive, easy lunches, and last a long time in the cabinet.

Eating on a budget just requires pre planning.

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Aerona85

Money spent on food is going to vary dramatically with location. Food isn’t the same price everywhere. And will depend on how much youbmake from scratch, individual calorie requirements, cooking to sales and coupons, if you have allergy or special diet requirements, or you eat organic, etc. I spend about 120 a month for myself eating relatively healthy and what I want. I could probably cut that down if I had to but I would be less satisfied with my meal options.

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LiveLoveFitFab

100 dollars a month would be living in poverty and not sustainable where I live. I spend about 150 a WEEK. That's just for me and my husband. Not only that, but I'm vegetarian, so that's half the amount of meat. I could probably do $60 a week on my own just because I don't eat meat, but it's nothing for me to spend $100 a month just on meat, and that's just for him. A pack of four chicken breasts is 16 dollars here. A small strip steak can be 6-15 dollars, depending on if there is a sale or not. Even a can of tuna is two bucks.

Where I live, 100 dollars a month would literally be rice, beans and frozen vegetables. Not much else.
I'm Canadian btw.

lucerorojo

$100 per month is laughable to me. I did that in the 1990s when I lived in the midwest and the produce was dirt cheap. Also, consider inflation. $100 per month, is about $185 today. But even $185 is too little for me per month, and I'm single. I now live in an expensive city. I would have to eat rice and beans for lunch and dinner to live off of $100 per month. I already eat oatmeal for breakfast and that is cheap but I would have to forgo any nuts or seeds in and no blueberries or other fruit. If I eat well--cooking at home, I spend about $80 per week for me, and more if I get something special. Take out would cost me $140 per week (cheap take-out for lunch and dinner).

Depending where you go here, a sandwich is at least $6.00 and more if it's not just a "deli".

ADeCapua

Food prices vary everywhere, and are high-cost in the state I live in. I spend way more on groceries per month. Close to $180 per week, for a family of 3 adults(this includes non-edibles like toilet paper, etc and also over-the-counter medications). We buy bags of frozen chicken breast, chubs of frozen ground hamburger, fresh fruit and veggies, rice and side dishes. We do get some extra treats every week, but we really try to buy a minimum as we are all trying to lose weight. Since you have food stamps, if you do not use up your allotment every month, they WILL cut your allotment accordingly, I think it's after 3 months. So, make sure you really buy what you need to live and be satisfied too. And don't worry what other people do, you take good care of you. Everybody is different, and their nutritional needs and palates and calorie allotments are all going to be different. Good luck!

corinasue1143

I used to work at a place that budgeted 250/mo for groceries for the first person, add 100 for each person after. That included things you might buy at a grocery store like paper towels, vitamins. That was a minimum whether rich or poor.

shaumom

Yeah, the whole 'it's easy to live off of $100 a month' for groceries is kind of a crock, from what I've seen. Or at least, a crock when you look at reality.

Cost of living is SO different in different places, which includes groceries.

It's also worth noting that 'living off of' and 'being healthy' is NOT the same thing. Sure, a person could survive for a while on rice and beans, in terms of calories. But there's going to be some slowly increasing healthy problems due to lack of nutrients, fiber, and so on.

And lastly, it greatly depends on one's diet. If a person has any food allergies, for example, that limits what 'cheap' foods you can get. Like, I can't have wheat, not even things that are cross-contaminated. Which actually means that most grains, most dried beans, most nuts, and most dried fruits are unavailable, because most of them are processed in facilities, or on equipment, that process wheat. So when I get dried beans, say, I have to get some that are over $5 a pound, because they guarantee they are not wheat contaminated.

kimny72

It really depends on where in the world you live and how picky you are. I probably spend @ $150-175 a month for myself but I do without some stuff I wish I could spring for. I'd probably spend another $50 or so if I had it.

LiveLoveFitFab

I keep hearing about American's having cheap shopping trips at Aldi's where the eggs are a dollar for a dozen and everything else is cheap cheap cheap.

Just a Canuck fantasizing about being able to afford more clothing due to spending less on food here...

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SolotoCEO

The largest determining factor of your grocery money is where do you live (cost of groceries) and how much money do you have to spend. I easily spend less than $100 for just me - $25 for meat (mostly chicken), $25 for (frozen and fresh) veggies, and $25 for other (canned beans, pasta, eggs, butter, bread, dairy, etc.). Rarely do I exceed those amounts - and I eat well at 1200 calories a day.

JustRobby1

This is entirely divergent based upon geography. Here in Chicago, 100 bucks does not get me very far. Crook County being what it is keeps prices high. My grocery bills have easily doubled since I moved here.

Lounmoun

svel713 wrote: »

I've heard elsewhere multiple times that its "easy" to live off $100 a month for groceries. This was after I patted myself on the back for eating below the food stamps max allotment for 2, which is $357 a month. So of course I felt like I was a super overspender after that.

I did math for months on and off, and found I could live off rice and dry brown lentils, leaving only $30 a month for fruit, veg, and vitamins. But that sounds like it would be unhealthy with such a lack of variety.

So is it actually possible to live off that and be healthy? Are these $100/mo people living off just 30g of protein a day? What is the proper lowest amount of money to live off for groceries that is healthy?

A flat amount of $100 per person is suspect because:
1. Food costs different amounts depending on your location in the world. Easy in one area of the world is impossible in another area.
2. Different people have different calorie needs. Someone who is a tall teenage male athlete is going to eat much more than a petite 80 year old sedentary woman. Someone who needs a special diet might have to spend more to buy certain foods.

I have seen bloggers doing $100 for food per month as a challenge.
$100 per month for one person for food would be pretty low for most people so I would not believe that that is what you are supposed to spend unless it is a minimum amount to budget for the month per person for food. Most people could not eat very well for a month on $100 worth of food unless they were growing some of their own food or getting free food from somewhere. Otherwise you are probably buying things like ramen, pasta, rice, tuna, dry beans, lentils, powdered milk, oatmeal, generic brand frozen vegetables, cheap canned vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, flour. Not much meat. Drinking water mostly.

You might be better off looking at these things to help you figure out a reasonable food budget:
https://spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu/plan/what-you-spend/
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10586530/monthly-grocery-budget/p1
https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood

I spend about about $120-200 per person on food (in Kansas). It is fairly frugal for someone without a garden. It means eating meals prepared from home. It requires meal planning, buying store brands/generic, not eating a ton of meat. If someone offers us free food we take it.

Confuzzled4ever

Not me. I'm closer to 150 per month. I eat a lot of meat and cheese and veggies. I also buy things like baby Bella cheese and precut veggie noodles. I could cut back a little there if I had to. When I get my place back and I'm the only one eating what I buy, I'll have a more accurate number.

Confuzzled4ever

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

I keep hearing about American's having cheap shopping trips at Aldi's where the eggs are a dollar for a dozen and everything else is cheap cheap cheap.

Just a Canuck fantasizing about being able to afford more clothing due to spending less on food here...

Aldis is cheaper. I got baby Bella mushrooms for 79 cents a container today. Boneless skinless Chicken breasts are 1.89 a lb or less, cheese slices are 2 dollars or less a package. Eggs range from $1 to 1.50. Greek yogurt is 3 bucks for the bigger one. They've got a lot of organic stuff too.

I live in south Jersey at the beach.

callsitlikeiseeit

on average i spend $75-100 a WEEK for my son (11 years old) and I.

More when my fiance is home.

generally speaking, the only pre packaged foods i buy are for his breakfast and lunch.

we eat at home every day. i take leftovers or a salad or sandwich for lunch to work.

I will say, that usually includes dog food (we have 5 dogs) and at least some non grocery items.

Could I reduce that cost, yes. But I dont have to. I'm picky about what i eat (mostly meat and veg) and while much of what i get is generic brands(especially for canned/pantry items), there are some name brand items i prefer. If I am baking I am VERY picky about brands and quality.

I do miss living near an aldis. the nearest one is almost 2 hours from me

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

100 dollars a month would be living in poverty and not sustainable where I live. I spend about 150 a WEEK. That's just for me and my husband. Not only that, but I'm vegetarian, so that's half the amount of meat. I could probably do $60 a week on my own just because I don't eat meat, but it's nothing for me to spend $100 a month just on meat, and that's just for him. A pack of four chicken breasts is 16 dollars here. A small strip steak can be 6-15 dollars, depending on if there is a sale or not. Even a can of tuna is two bucks.

Where I live, 100 dollars a month would literally be rice, beans and frozen vegetables. Not much else.
I'm Canadian btw.

i was going to say, those sound like Canadian prices (thats where my fiance is from and i spend a lot of time up there LOLOLOL) i dont see how anyone can afford to eat up there! LOL! only the chicken breast packages tend to run around $22 in his stores (outside Toronto)

Gracie12311

If you’re in the US, you can an definitely eat for $100 per month for one person. I’m not saying you can eat whatever you want, or have extra treats or alcohol, but if you need to simply fill nutritional needs for one person, you can do it no matter where you are. I’ve shopped in Manhattan, NC, SC, Virginia, Vegas, and states in between and I can always find sales. Even more expensive grocery stores will have certain days they mark their meats down, and very cheap. Pork loin and roasts are $2 a pound on sale, as well as hamburger meat and chicken.

Yes, my Aldi’s has eggs for $0.49 a dozen. FORTY NINE CENTS. If needed, I could live off those! I don’t do beans, lentils or any of that stuff so I can’t speak for that, but yes, it’s doable if you take the time and effort to research your local markets. I don’t know about worldwide either, although I know Canada and other countries are generally more expensive.

Francl27

Totally depends on where you live. Then obviously you have to be smart and buy chicken breast at the store where it's $1.88 a lb vs the store where it's $4 a lb, buy frozen veggies on sale at $1 and not fresh broccoli at $3 a lb etc... Heck a gallon of milk goes from $2.5 to $4 here depending on the store. And yeah, protein like fish and steak are pretty rare at my house, I don't like them enough to justify paying $6+ a lb.

And $100 a month on groceries doesn't mean anything if you eat out 5x a week and end up spending double that at restaurants..

diannethegeek

I'd be curious to know where this $100/month ideal comes from, how old it is, which agency came up with it, and whether it's before or after sales tax is applied.

svel713

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I think I may be okay where I'm at, considering my protein needs. I also forgot to add all the eating out costs, which brings it to $200 per person per month rather than $178.

I should have probably asked about overall food costs and fitting them into the $100. No one could drink or go out to eat with friends on that budget anywhere, I'd assume. I don't drink, so I don't know how much that costs a month, but I heard its a lot.

I'll try to keep lowering the budget, but I won't stress is I pass the $100 mark. 95% of people I know easily spend $400/mo per person on total food costs anyway.

diannethegeek wrote: »

I'd be curious to know where this $100/month ideal comes from, how old it is, which agency came up with it, and whether it's before or after sales tax is applied.

@diannethegeek. It was from Reddit. People living in the USA. From a few years ago to now. My problem is they never post their macros, so I have no idea if they also have my requirement of 80g protein per day. That's why I asked here.

LiveLoveFitFab

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

on average i spend $75-100 a WEEK for my son (11 years old) and I.

More when my fiance is home.

generally speaking, the only pre packaged foods i buy are for his breakfast and lunch.

we eat at home every day. i take leftovers or a salad or sandwich for lunch to work.

I will say, that usually includes dog food (we have 5 dogs) and at least some non grocery items.

Could I reduce that cost, yes. But I dont have to. I'm picky about what i eat (mostly meat and veg) and while much of what i get is generic brands(especially for canned/pantry items), there are some name brand items i prefer. If I am baking I am VERY picky about brands and quality.

I do miss living near an aldis. the nearest one is almost 2 hours from me

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

100 dollars a month would be living in poverty and not sustainable where I live. I spend about 150 a WEEK. That's just for me and my husband. Not only that, but I'm vegetarian, so that's half the amount of meat. I could probably do $60 a week on my own just because I don't eat meat, but it's nothing for me to spend $100 a month just on meat, and that's just for him. A pack of four chicken breasts is 16 dollars here. A small strip steak can be 6-15 dollars, depending on if there is a sale or not. Even a can of tuna is two bucks.

Where I live, 100 dollars a month would literally be rice, beans and frozen vegetables. Not much else.
I'm Canadian btw.

i was going to say, those sound like Canadian prices (thats where my fiance is from and i spend a lot of time up there LOLOLOL) i dont see how anyone can afford to eat up there! LOL! only the chicken breast packages tend to run around $22 in his stores (outside Toronto)

Try going up North...a head of lettuce is $26 bucks up there. Yikes!

macchiatto

We have a family of four and our grocery budget happen to be $400/mo. It was $300/mo for several years, than $350, then $400. Doable but not necessarily "easy" (depending on preferences and appetites, of course, along with where you live).

macchiatto

I'll add, our dining out budget is separate. So is "supplies/consumables," which is $130/mo (and includes all the paper products, toiletries, makeup, cleaning supplies, stamps, etc.

ccruz985

What!?! Where?!

MoonriverDreamer

I live on social security (alone) and average $75/wk. for groceries alone. I am type 2 diabetic so can't eat oatmeal, rice or many beans without my BG spiking. I need to eat a lot of nuts, chicken, eggs, cheese, ground turkey, cottage cheese, greek yogurt (b/c of the protein), real butter (I go light on that), coffee, olive oil, a little fresh fruit and frozen strawberries, lots of frozen and fresh veggies. I would rather spend the extra money on food than prescriptions. I don't own a car so feel like I'm sacrificing enough to stay on my budget -- my $29/mo. health club membership is a necessity as well, so I can do pool exercises (arthritis and it helps w/balance & flexibility). And have a budget of about $20/mo. for "fun". I'm pretty thrifty there and it helps to be a senior citizen. I pay extra for paper goods, cleaning and personal care products, vitamin supplements, BG test strips and injection syringes. By the end of the month I'm stretched pretty thin but so grateful for my life as it is now.

mjbnj0001

Confuzzled4ever wrote: »

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

I keep hearing about American's having cheap shopping trips at Aldi's where the eggs are a dollar for a dozen and everything else is cheap cheap cheap.

Just a Canuck fantasizing about being able to afford more clothing due to spending less on food here...

Aldis is cheaper. I got baby Bella mushrooms for 79 cents a container today. Boneless skinless Chicken breasts are 1.89 a lb or less, cheese slices are 2 dollars or less a package. Eggs range from $1 to 1.50. Greek yogurt is 3 bucks for the bigger one. They've got a lot of organic stuff too.

I live in south Jersey at the beach.

Monmouth County myself, with at least 2 Aldi within 20 minutes. I guess I'm going to have to check them out. Recently watched a youtube vid on Aldi, which is stimulating this response, that asserted that Aldi in Europe split into 2 companies, one of which is what we know as Aldi here in the US, and one which is the parent of Trader Joes. I was surprised.

Shopping around, eating well, lots of fresh produce, lots of home prep of everything from bread to spaghetti sauce to salad dressings, etc., lots of general home cooking, we are still spending way, way above $100/month/person. And I'm a low-wastage kitchen manager, diligent cook, and comparative/sales shopper. I guess you *could* go $100/month by eating not-so-nutritious stuff, but not easily in this area of the US.

alicebhsia

svel713 wrote: »

I've heard elsewhere multiple times that its "easy" to live off $100 a month for groceries. This was after I patted myself on the back for eating below the food stamps max allotment for 2, which is $357 a month. So of course I felt like I was a super overspender after that.

I did math for months on and off, and found I could live off rice and dry brown lentils, leaving only $30 a month for fruit, veg, and vitamins. But that sounds like it would be unhealthy with such a lack of variety.

So is it actually possible to live off that and be healthy? Are these $100/mo people living off just 30g of protein a day? What is the proper lowest amount of money to live off for groceries that is healthy?

potatoes are a good buy too if you get sick of rice. nice filling baked potato, don't need anything on it but maybe a little salt. i used to live off 40 bucks a week for two adults and two children about 15 years ago. lots of homemade muffins, homemade yogurt smoothies (made with frozen strawberries in syrup) when finances allowed, hot dogs and veggie hot dogs, american cheese, homemade bread, cheap bread from the bread outlet store, onions, celery, carrots, mac n cheese boxes, lots of tea and coffee, got us by fairly well. i don't know how we did for protein everyday though no one got a protein deficiency that we were aware of. prices have gone up though.