Food budget

[Osede]

brand is doesn't matter. Just don't get the overprice brand. For places, some walmart, tops/giant do provide cheaper price. But still, it depends on where do you live.

[Tyche]

Walmart + great value brand.

[Cream Soda]

Ramen noodles, $0.20 per packet(including tax). I eat about 4 a day. So about 80 cents a day.

$24/month, $292/year.

I will eat out maybe once a week, so $29/month, $348/year

Just wanted to give you the lowball extreme, as compared to someone who eats out EVERY day. Then you can find yourself a nice healthy budget in the middle, cause I can guarantee you what I do isn't best for health

[wagon]

I moved to center city in philadelphia recently, and there are a superfresh and wholefood two blocks from where I live. The food they sell seem overpriced though, especially wholefood. If I were to buy meat and veg from wholefood, it would come down to $5 a meal anyway.

[Kumbai]

Ramen noodles, $0.20 per packet(including tax). I eat about 4 a day. So about 80 cents a day.

$24/month, $292/year.

I will eat out maybe once a week, so $29/month, $348/year

Just wanted to give you the lowball extreme, as compared to someone who eats out EVERY day. Then you can find yourself a nice healthy budget in the middle, cause I can guarantee you what I do isn't best for health

I get that you're on a budget but 4 lots of ramen a day, every day... wtf... I'd rather die lol.

[Sanoske]

@ OP. Why the hell are you eating so many sandwiches...?

Also, buy large cuts of meat and cook it up for the week. Make sandwiches at home, etc etc. Buy in bulk, get your food ready at the beginning of the week and make everything yourself and you will save tons.

[Intense]

brand is doesn't matter. Just don't get the overprice brand. For places, some walmart, tops/giant do provide cheaper price. But still, it depends on where do you live.

I refuse to shop at Walmart due to their sketchy business practices. I typically go to Sprouts which is an inexpensive farmers market or Trader Joes which is also relatively inexpensive.

[Cream Soda]

I get that you're on a budget but 4 lots of ramen a day, every day... wtf... I'd rather die lol.

Lol, at least I have electricity and water now to cook them. Before I was eating them directly out of the packet.

[OWS_Tonx]

Ramen noodles, $0.20 per packet(including tax). I eat about 4 a day. So about 80 cents a day.

$24/month, $292/year.

I will eat out maybe once a week, so $29/month, $348/year

Just wanted to give you the lowball extreme, as compared to someone who eats out EVERY day. Then you can find yourself a nice healthy budget in the middle, cause I can guarantee you what I do isn't best for health

Usually all I eat, but the exception of a sammich or lunch with coworkers. I'm not poor, I just like them, and they're cheap, lol.

[Yabby]

My girlfriend has been going crazy with coupons and deals at the store. She came home with 231 dollars worth of food, spent 7.43. A lot of the shit she made money on.

Breakfast Yesterday: Cinnamon rolls (Because koggers does some double coupon thing she made 32 cents per purchase) so -32 cents. Have about 4 rolls left over between us both for tomorrow lol.

Snack: Kellogg's protein bar: Cost Free

Lunch: spaghetti about 2 cups: Cost 50 cents for noddels, the Ragu she made 10 cents per can so cost is 40 cents with lots of leftovers.

So far total:18 Cents (I'm going to act like there are no leftovers even tho i will most likely being eating this for a few days.

Dinner: Tuna helper: Cost>> Help kit (Free because of some deal plus coupon) Tuna made 51 cents (They are on sale for 49 cents and she had a double coupon for 50 for a dollar off)

Total cost: - 33 cents for the day


This isn't how it is all the time but we went from spending about 300~ dollars a month between us going out regularly to about 50 bucks a month max.


TL;DR : Find a GF that enjoys doing coupons. Nothing is more crazy than standing there at the register and seeing a bill start at 200~ dollars and dropping below 10.

[dritero]

If I guess properly, I'd say around $300 / month on food.

Breakfast: 4 eggs, 2 ounce ham, 2 ounce cheese, 1 cup spinach

10 am: 6 ounce cheese, cut up peppers, celery, carrots etc.

Noon: 6 ounce meat, cut up veggies again

2:30 pm: 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup mixed berries, handful of almonds

4:30 pm: 1 piece of fruit

5:30 pm: 1 cup water, 1 cup chocolate milk, 2 scoops protein powder

6:30 pm: 6 ounce meat, cut up veggies again

It's been said, but buy at Costco and you'll notice the savings.

[Dolmen]

My girlfriend and I spend ~$400-$600/month on food, depending on the month and how many time her sisters show up wanting to be fed. I don't eat sugary, processed food, so that adds to the cost, and I make everything completely from scratch. Also, it's amazingly hard to find any recipes that are low in sodium.

[Sylphet]

Here are some tips for saving money that I have found hugely helpful:

1) buy meat in bulk when it's on super sale and divide it up into freezer bags
2) check your local supermarkets circulars online so you can plan out where to buy what food- why buy chicken legs for $2/lb when they're $1/lb a few blocks away?
3) coupons!
4) learn how to cook with cheaper cuts of meat - boneless skinless chicken breast is usually $5/lb or something absurd like that. I can usually get chicken thighs for $0.80/lb and they're super tasty! Marinate the crap out of a london broil in soy sauce and garlic etc. Along these lines as well - if you're not picky about what kind of protein you have always check the fish/beef/pork/chicken prices, almost any recipe can be adapted to different proteins.
5) Shop the sales. If you see items on sale that aren't perishable buy a lot of them - you'll eventually use them up.
6) Shop in season. In-season fruits and veggies will always be cheaper and better tasting.

Hope this helps! One person should be able to eat very well on $300-$400/month food budget

[Valisk]

Lunch: 2 items off dollar menu of your choice - $2.14
Dinner: 2 items off dollar menu of your choice - $2.14
Beverages: Tap water

Grand total:
$128.40 for 30 day months
$132.68 for 31 day months
$119.84 for Black History Month
$124.12 for Black History Month during a Leap Year

Holidays: Invest in some tupperware. Stock up on what others don't eat. Visit as many houses as possible. Can shave off 1-2 weeks from food budget during holiday months. (Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, Cinco de Mayo, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.)

[Cream Soda]

Lunch: 2 items off dollar menu of your choice - $2.14
Dinner: 2 items off dollar menu of your choice - $2.14
Beverages: Tap water

Grand total:
$128.40 for 30 day months
$132.68 for 31 day months
$119.84 for Black History Month
$124.12 for Black History Month during a Leap Year

Holidays: Invest in some tupperware. Stock up on what others don't eat. Visit as many houses as possible. Can shave off 1-2 weeks from food budget during holiday months. (Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, Cinco de Mayo, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.)

omg someone else who drinks tap water.

I thought the world was going puss. All the "omg if it's not bottled water get it away from me"

Fuck bottled water, if i was going to pay for a beverage, I'd get something that had some taste to it.

[wonderlust]

i live in nyc, i think food here is more expensive than most places but there are a lot of delicious inexpensive ethnic foods/hole in the walls that i love to eat at.

also i dont keep any processed foods in my house (except for kimchi ramen lol) also i buy mostly organic fruits/veggies/grass fed meat so that adds up plus i love artisanal cheeses
(i get really lazy and just eat cheese and grapes way too often for dinner)

i eat at home about 50% of the time, my friends and i take turns cooking dinner for each other several times a week (saves money on going out plus its more fun to learn how to cook!) i mostly shop at the local farmers market in union square, trader joes, wholefoods and h-mart (korean/asian grocery store). i think i average 1k on groceries a month (unfortunately that doesnt include me eating out/wine store/pastery/chocolate store >.> )
but i'm a girl so i dont usually pay when i go out lolol

[Zetanio]

Hmm. I'll weigh in

My food budget is a bit higher then most. By virtue of living in NYC (Only Whole Foods or expensive mini-marts are close) and the fact that I eat out quite a bit.

Breakfast/Lunch: Diet shakes (Total cost per month = 160 bucks)
Between breakfast/lunch: 2 protein bars (Also inclused in the 160 bucks per month)

Dinner: Here is where I get most of my costs. I eat out probably 4-5 nights a week. Sushi, tapas, steak, whatever. This runs between 20 and 80 a night, depending on where I go, drinks and all that.

Using last week as an example:

Monday: Cooked up some chicken and wild rice with string beans and steamed carrots. About $12

Tuesday: Out for work drinks with boss and lawyers. Covered by company but tab was about $300 between 5 so $60. We had some apps and split a decent main course but the drinks were the bulk of the cost (Really awesome mezcalaria place)

Wednesday: Sushi, $40

Thursday: Steaks at Morton's. Porterhouse $54, Tuna tartare app $17, Drinks $40. so $111 before tip/tax. Figure $150 total (This was a celebration, not the usual)

Friday: Spanish, $75

Saturday: BBQ at a friend's. Brought some steaks, corn and beer. Spent about 50~ on it.

Sunday: Italian (cheap), $20

So, $407 for last week on dinner/drinks. This also doesn't include anything after dinner like heading to the bar or anything.

That puts me at about $1800 a month. It's a lot but I can afford it.

I guess that puts me more then a bit higher but meh. I love good food. There are too many good restaurants in this city.

[Serif]

omg someone else who drinks tap water.

I thought the world was going puss. All the "omg if it's not bottled water get it away from me"

Fuck bottled water, if i was going to pay for a beverage, I'd get something that had some taste to it.

If you are going to buy bottle water, at least get the gallon jugs.

They only cost like 70 cents.

[Zetanio]

If you are going to buy bottle water, get one gallon jug.

It costs like 70 cents. Then you can fill it up again for free forever.

ftfy

[Sylphet]

For those of you living in NYC (I've noticed a couple posts here) who don't have 1800 to spend on food a month!

One of the ways you can get really fresh, high quality ingredients without spending a lot of money is to do a lot of shopping in Chinatown. The produce is both cheaper and better quality (can go to Flushing too if that's closer) as is the meat/fish. Also things Asian staples like rice/tea are dirt cheap too.