Grocery/Food Costs

MeganKSchultz
MeganKSchultz Posts: 73
in Food and Nutrition
For those who have been successfully improving their eating habits: have you found that you spend less on food because you are eating out less, or eating smaller portions? Or do you find that you are spending more on food because healthier food can cost more?

Replies

  • Brandi1168
    Brandi1168 Posts: 105 Member
    I think we probably spend about the same. Our grocery costs have increased, but that is because I'm trying to buy a little more organic foods and I buy almond milk for me instead of drinking the milk I buy for my son. BUT we definitely eat out less so I think it kind of evens out.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Our grocery bill has gone up $5-10 a week now that I am not spending $10-50 a week on fast food anymore.
  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
    Our bill has gone up a bit, but not a huge amount. And since we rarely hit a drive thru anymore, it evens out.
  • jacobjacksmom
    jacobjacksmom Posts: 23
    My grocery bill has went up a lot! My boyfriend, my boys and I now all eat different things! Makes for costly grocery bill! Especially where we live! But I keep telling my boyfriend if he wants his skinny girlfriend back he has to ditch out the money. :)
  • WVprankster
    WVprankster Posts: 430 Member
    My budget has stayed pretty static. The manner in which that mony is spent is what's changed. The savings from not eating out as often is offset by buying more food to make at home. If there is a slight savings, it comes from buying the protein (chicken boob, tilapia, salmon) and carbs (quinoa, sweet potato gnocchi) in bulk where I can find it and spicing it myself instead of buying it already bagged/boxed. The money saved in this manner goes toward smaller clothes and an extra box of prophylactics.:blushing:
  • olDave
    olDave Posts: 557 Member
    :smile: Years ago I did a comparison of my food buying habits. I discovered that, pound for pound, I spent less on food when I bought "foods as grown" as opposed to anything processed. I'm pretty sure that is still true. One example I remember is comparing the cost of a pound of potato chips to a pound of raw potatoes. The raw cost/pound was quite a bit less.

    Hope this helps.:smile:
  • Kaylaef
    Kaylaef Posts: 194 Member
    My budget has stayed pretty static. The manner in which that mony is spent is what's changed. The savings from not eating out as often is offset by buying more food to make at home. If there is a slight savings, it comes from buying the protein (chicken boob, tilapia, salmon) and carbs (quinoa, sweet potato gnocchi) in bulk where I can find it and spicing it myself instead of buying it already bagged/boxed. The money saved in this manner goes toward smaller clothes and an extra box of prophylactics.:blushing:

    Haha wonderful!

    In seriousness--mines about the same. I was never much of a fast fooder. I also always had healthy food in the house. I just would eat it in incredible amounts. Now it just lasts me longer ;) SO I guess with that logic...it costs me less...
  • Jeffersz
    Jeffersz Posts: 36
    Down a bit for me. The cost of the food is higher, but the reduction in portion sizes and trips out to restaurants made a more significant difference.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    I think the food bill has stayed about the same even if some weeks it's a little more at the grocery checkout ...we're planning more, so wasting/throwing out nearly nothing, and not eating out nearly as much. Like others have said I think it evens out. I'm also spending more time actively looking for sales, especially on pricier things like lean meats, yogurt, eggs, cheese - staples - and I'm trying to make other staples from scratch, especially breads. This weekend I'm going to attempt making my own yogurt, 'cause I seriously have a yogurt addiction and just about die every time I have to fork over 5 bucks for a small container :/
  • kbrhelker23
    kbrhelker23 Posts: 62
    our budget went through the roof! my husband and i used to eat only garbage, mini corndogs, pizza, pizza pockets for dinner, lots of pastas and ramen... we used to spend about... $100-130 for 2 weeks... now we spend $200 sometimes more, only eating chicken, fish, all fresh veggies and fruits, .. no juices limited carbs... its crazy we cant figure out how to make it less.. oh and it last us 2 weeks sometimes even less!!! BUMMER. and we rarely went out to eat before, now we go out maybe on the weekends, to give me a break from cooking every day. but it makes sense. we were only eating packaged high fat and carbs.. we would get really full for really cheap.
  • twhaley1990
    twhaley1990 Posts: 140 Member
    Definitely more because of all the USDA certified organic I've been purchasing. But in the end, it's worth it. I just spend less on clothing and try to use coupons on what I can, like coffee and Silk
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
    I was spending more, then found a grocery that has significant savings on the fresher items. I got 3lb bags of blood oranges for $0.67 + 10% at register so $0.74 a bag and kiwi for 5/$0.97 + 10%. The special buy on fruit rotates frequently. Over the holidays they had pomegranates for $0.20 each. Meats are pretty cheap there too as is dairy. Now i think it evens out, but even if I'm spending more on food, I'll spend less on medical care and medicines to treat obesity related issues. I already corrected GERD and Hypertension so 2 less meds each month.
  • chrisjathompson
    chrisjathompson Posts: 227 Member
    My grocery bill was 0. I ate out every meal. Somewhere around $1500 a month on fast food and restaurants:(. Around $700 a month on tobacco. This is between my g/f and I.

    G/f is gone, quit smoking, eating healthy. I was able to quit my part time job, and hire someone to drive my cab a couple days a week. I am saving so much that I can have a life (Whatever that is)
  • dysonsl
    dysonsl Posts: 11 Member
    it's definitely more expensive to eat healthier. but you can find short cuts. i fight my battles on what to get organic. and something my trainer told me that's always weighed heavy when i shop. you spend more now instead of paying even more later due to poor health. you're saving yourself by spending more on quality food instead of getting things like diabetes and paying for it later in medical bills. it's important so you should treat it as such!
  • NerdyJenn
    NerdyJenn Posts: 20 Member
    We spend less now.

    Also, if you look at a bag of groceries and figure out how much actual FOOD is in the bag -- you get more bang for your buck eating well. I was pondering this today as, at the gym, they were playing that extreme couponing show on one of the TVs. Some woman bought two buggies of sugar/corn syrup water (various forms of pop and sweet tea, etc) for $10 and all I thought was "there's nothing actually in the carts - you just paid $10 for nothing".
  • pumpkinspice84
    pumpkinspice84 Posts: 160 Member
    Ours is about the same. We even have extra food left before we go grocery shopping again because of measuring everything.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    balances out, Our grocery bill has gone up a bunch but we never eat out anymore, so in the long run, we are saving.
  • lightdiva1
    lightdiva1 Posts: 935 Member
    My grocery bill has gone up... a lot. Instead of buying Top Ramen and mac n cheese, I buy chicken breast and whole grain pasta. Instead of junk food I buy fresh fruits and veggies, which sad to say, here where I live, eating healthy is more expensive.

    However, my husband and I call it the fat tax. The tax we have to pay to get rid of the fat. It has to go somewhere, and moving that large amount of fat takes money. lol

    Every time I have to buy a new bra, (cause the one that is 1 month old is now too big) I call it the fat tax. New underwear, fat tax. Huge sale on junk food but not on fresh fruits and veggies, fat tax.
  • cebiginalaska
    cebiginalaska Posts: 280 Member
    However, my husband and I call it the fat tax. The tax we have to pay to get rid of the fat. It has to go somewhere, and moving that large amount of fat takes money. lol

    Every time I have to buy a new bra, (cause the one that is 1 month old is now too big) I call it the fat tax. New underwear, fat tax. Huge sale on junk food but not on fresh fruits and veggies, fat tax.

    "Fat tax" OMG that is awesome :laugh: I have to remember that. I am going to hold out on my current clothes as long as I can. Everything is expensive where I live :sad: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/920180-cost-through-the-roof
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    I def spend less money now with my new eating habits. Usually now I go to the grocery store and only buy things on the "outside" aisles - fresh veggies/fruits, meats, dairy - and got everything I needed for less then what I would spend eating out for that week.

    But I do spend more TIME shopping, planning, cooking - so it costs me in other ways.
  • mhorn2142
    mhorn2142 Posts: 319 Member
    It has worked out to be about the same as we don't spend money eating out. We take a lunch daily, we cook breakfast and dinner at home most days. So even though my grocery bill is higher, it because we are eating more meals at home so the money we would spend eating out seems to cover that increase. The hardest part is going to the store more often because we eat more fresh foods and don't want to over purchase because they will go bad.
  • bellyboosmom
    bellyboosmom Posts: 55 Member
    At first, I thought I was spending more. But then I started looking at it closer. For instance, I used to spend $35 to $50 a week on lunch alone by eating fast food everyday. Now that I am packing my lunch everyday, I am averaging spending less than $10 a week. That is at least $100 monthly savings right there. Since I was eating dinner out several nights a week as well, I am probably saving another $200 a month there. That gives me about a $75 weekly surplus to buy healthy foods. All in all, I don't think I am saving much financially, but I am saving my life, so every penny is worth it.

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