Biggest Loser does it again
concordancia
Posts: 5,320 Member
in Chit-Chat
Sometimes I think the show is determined to show how out of touch with reality they are!
Last night's episode included a challenge to buy a week's worth of groceries on a "budget" of $70 per person.
Our average is higher when you factor in the staples, but we often only spend about $70 for the two of us! Last week was $150, but it included $50 worth of whey protein, which lasts him several months, as well as allergy meds. Basically, we budget $100 a week, including paper towels and similar things that come from the grocery store or Costco. Pure groceries comes out to about $45 per person.
Has anyone else figured this out for their family? Was anyone else surprised that $70/ person was considered challenging?
Last night's episode included a challenge to buy a week's worth of groceries on a "budget" of $70 per person.
Our average is higher when you factor in the staples, but we often only spend about $70 for the two of us! Last week was $150, but it included $50 worth of whey protein, which lasts him several months, as well as allergy meds. Basically, we budget $100 a week, including paper towels and similar things that come from the grocery store or Costco. Pure groceries comes out to about $45 per person.
Has anyone else figured this out for their family? Was anyone else surprised that $70/ person was considered challenging?
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Replies
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Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...0 -
I also find $70/week is challenging.0
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My family scrapes by on $150 a month. It's me, my mom, and little brother.0
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Im in Toronto spend about 60 a week.0
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see, i thought that their point was the opposite. ppl don't realize how far the dollar can go at the supermarket, so long as you're making careful decisions. ppl assume that it's expensive to eat healthy, but it CAN be done on a budget, easily.0
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I budget $125 a week for three, two teenage boys and myself. I buy our healthy meals along with a bunch of snack food for them for when they get out of school.
But I do travel to DC/NYC and other metro areas a lot. $70 would not come close to meeting those needs in those regions.0 -
I used to be piss broke I would make $25 stretch for a week of groceries for me.0
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Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...
I agree. I live in NYC,$70 is not enough0 -
My purchase is usually $30-50 for 1.5-2 weeks.
But keep in mind I don't buy breads or rarely meat0 -
see, i thought that their point was the opposite. ppl don't realize how far the dollar can go at the supermarket, so long as you're making careful decisions. ppl assume that it's expensive to eat healthy, but it CAN be done on a budget, easily.
That was their point, but to a lot of us, $70 is a lot to spend on groceries. To the average American not living in a city known by its initials, that *is* really expensive. Evidently, our national average is about $25, $42 when you add in eating out.
http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/smartshopper/blogpost/10620544/0 -
I spend about $150 twice a month for my family0
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I spend about $120-$180 per week on groceries for 1-2 people. I think with kids and bigger families it's probably much more difficult to eat for less. There are ways to adjust what you are buying to go cheaper though. For example, instead of buying whey you could be using that money for actual food. I think there are ways to eat well on a tighter budget, you just have to figure out those ways of doing it.0
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Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...
This...I know some other parts of the country are much cheaper than around here...and there are many places much more expensive than around here.
For food and household stuff, we spend about 130-150 a week for 2 people.0 -
Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...
yikes a little hostile.
I agree that groceries are different in different parts of the country, but i have lived in LA, Seattle, Omaha, and Colorado Springs and I would say that i spent about the same in all of those areas. If i was buying 100% organic it may be more expensive.
I currently spend about $75-100 a week for 2 people. And that is for LOTS of fresh fruit and vegetables lean proteins, and some indulgences along with any household items we need like toilet paper/paper towels etc...
I don't really understand why they were stressin so bad, there is an organization called Bountiful Baskets, its in select cities all over the country and you can get a big box of organic produce for $25 a week. and $15 for a conventional basket.0 -
I think it's more about percentage of income and "value" you place on the food you are buying. Since about the 1960s, the amount of money we spend on groceries has decreased dramatically from 17.5% of household income to 9-10% of household income. Europeans generally spend about 14-19% of household income on food. Our tax dollars go to subsidizing cheap crops/food while we are actually spending quite a bit (and what we think of as cheap) on food that has little nutritional value. So if we spent more on higher quality, whole, nutritionally-dense foods, and cut out other things in our lives that we maybe don't need, it might seem easier.
Even when I didn't have as much money to spend, I chose to not buy other things so I could buy better food.0 -
see, i thought that their point was the opposite. ppl don't realize how far the dollar can go at the supermarket, so long as you're making careful decisions. ppl assume that it's expensive to eat healthy, but it CAN be done on a budget, easily.
That was their point, but to a lot of us, $70 is a lot to spend on groceries. To the average American not living in a city known by its initials, that *is* really expensive. Evidently, our national average is about $25, $42 when you add in eating out.
http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/smartshopper/blogpost/10620544/
No, it's also how far the food has to come to get to you. Alaska and Hawaii spend INSANE amounts of money on food. there are areas in the cereal bowl that pay out the nose for seafood. and places in the southwest where you better be ready to put out a mortgage for produce. it's ALL geography.
i'm lucky, i live halfway between two major cities and i have a lot of farmland near me, but i'm not too far from the sea. our supermarket bills are a LOT lower than ppl living as much as an hour in any direction.
$70/per person / per week is NOT a lot for organic food, but it CAN be done if you're careful.0 -
Damn, I don't want to admit this but I have trouble keeping it under $170.00 a week for 2 people....Most times I over spend and its around $200.00 a week and my husband goes out to eat for lunches every day. I guess I have got to look at my grocery list because I'm not doing it right...0
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Oh household stuff, thats why!!! I spend like at least $40-50 a week just on paper towels, tp, soaps, etc etc0
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You don't need whey powder or paper towels. That should give you another $70/week for actual food.0
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Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...
I agree. I live in NYC,$70 is not enough
San Francisco is just as bad. $70 for a week's worth of meat and produce? That's not easy to do.0 -
Damn, I don't want to admit this but I have trouble keeping it under $170.00 a week for 2 people....Most times I over spend and its around $200.00 a week and my husband goes out to eat for lunches every day. I guess I have got to look at my grocery list because I'm not doing it right...
Oh, I would definitely add in salmon with a budget like that! And scallops!
I doubt you are doing anything wrong, especially if you live in a large city. But if you want tips on cutting back, there have been a few threads on that lately.
I am a bit surprised that all the CA cities are getting a mention, since SF is so near farm land where my fruits and veggies often come from!0 -
$70 a week wouldn't go very far around here. Sales tax is 15%, any bottled beverage (including water) has a 10 cent deposit and anything that isn't taxed is crazy expensive. For a 4L jug of milk you'll pay $8-$9.0
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I probably spend $70-$100 per week on groceries. **** adds up fast.0
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Planning in advance and sticking to your list are very important. According to the NRDC, "American families throw out approximately 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy. The cost estimate for the average family of four is $1,365 to $2,275 annually." http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf0
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$70 a week wouldn't go very far around here. Sales tax is 15%, any bottled beverage (including water) has a 10 cent deposit and anything that isn't taxed is crazy expensive. For a 4L jug of milk you'll pay $8-$9.
wow exspensive milk it under 5 here but yeah 70 wouldn't strach far in my house of three adults everything is some what pricey0 -
I would love to have a budget of $70 a week on food. I'm in a house of 3 and our bill at the grocery store is usually about $120-$140 a week and that includes evertything not food ( paper products, cleaning products, personnel items). Now I know where you live plays a big part in what we spend, I live in Pittsburgh PA, it's not New York or L.A. prices but were not a small town either. biggest Loser is definetly not geared to your average everyday working man, but I do get motivated from it so I just watch the work-out parts.0
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Sometimes I think the show is determined to show how out of touch with reality they are!
Last night's episode included a challenge to buy a week's worth of groceries on a "budget" of $70 per person.
Our average is higher when you factor in the staples, but we often only spend about $70 for the two of us! Last week was $150, but it included $50 worth of whey protein, which lasts him several months, as well as allergy meds. Basically, we budget $100 a week, including paper towels and similar things that come from the grocery store or Costco. Pure groceries comes out to about $45 per person.
Has anyone else figured this out for their family? Was anyone else surprised that $70/ person was considered challenging?
Yes, I am surprised that $70.00 per person / week is challenging.
It is 2 of us humans and 2 dogs and I spent $95.xx and that lasts us for at least 2 weeks.0 -
I don't know how they possibly could have bought the name brand meats for that amount of money. The Jennie-O turkey is ridiculously expensive.
I personally thought $70 was a reasonable amount in most areas. We spend about $130 for the three of us, but that does not include lunches for my son and husband.0 -
Maybe you're the one out of touch with reality.
I would say that it depends A LOT on what part of the country you live in.
$70/week in NYC would not go far...
This......It really depends on what region you are in and where you are shopping. I shop for myself only and spend $100 weekly at Whole Foods.0 -
I spend like...$110 per month on groceries.0
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