Money spent on food....$50/Month goal

[boefixepa]

There seems to be many threads on eating for less or how much one eats out. There are those stories, like CTG, where Amy feed a family of 8 on $200.00 a month or the web site www.hillbillyhousewife.com where she has an actual menu for a family of 4 for $45.00 a week. Or the freezer meal web site that is escaping my mind at the moment.

With all of this as motivation I have set the goal to feed myself for $50.00 a month with a $50.00 allowance for going out to eat. I can't aviod 'family' things (like Saturday, but I had an $8 meal at sizzlers and it was great), and I do like to go out to lunch with work friends. Granted it's great when the company pays, but that isn't always the case.

$100.00 for one person seems pretty good to me and it allows me the freedom to still go out once in a while. I generally go cheap ($2.) or try to get something I can divide in two so it lasts two meals. Still the price per meal eating out is astronomical to the eating in price!

The $50 for groceries has been surprisingly easy so far. I forgot how much I liked my own cooking, though I've discovered I still cook in family size portions and I need to work on that or I will be eating the same thing for a week. I really think I'll more than be able to do it within 3 months, instead of the 6 to 12 I gave myself at the start! The pricebook has been priceless!! I even put all my telephone numbers in it in case I left it somewhere!

I went to town on the cook area at work, previously a microwave and fridge, I added a toaster oven, toaster, can opener, coffee maker and stocked the fridge with some of my food. When the boss saw how nice it was he reimbersed me for the $$ I spent on all the appliances!! So it didn't cost me anything and I have no excuess as to why I can't eat at work and all the others at work love it too!


So how much do you spend? Do you divide 'eating out' and grocery shopping food? Do you have any tricks? Any special tips?

[Broken Arrow]

This thread reminds me of a verse Bette Midler once sang.

"Did you ever know that you're my hero,
And everything I would like to be?"

I admit that food is my one, great budgeting weakness. I spend way too much for it in my opinion.

[boefixepa]

Yes, me too. This is why I decided to attack it...head on. There have been times I will admit that I have spent...are you ready...more than $300.00 in a month!! AND IT'S JUST ME!!!!

[Broken Arrow]

Ah. Ahem. Right. Well, um, it if makes you feel any better... I think I may have you beat. ($400/mo)

[Ima saver]

I know I have you all beat, we eat out 6 nights a week!

[boefixepa]

Yes, but see you are already a millionare....we aspire to be you....when I get there we'll set up a lunch date and chat about our millions tucked away earning interest to pay for this meal out!!

[Ima saver]

Well $50 a month for one is not much money. I remembered when i first got married. I spent (budgeted) $12 a week for groceries for 2. (that included $2 for a cartoon of cigarettes) You are not even allowing yourself $2 a day for food. That is not much!!

[boefixepa]

True, but I don't need to a lot either. I recently got on a health kick and just reached my goal weight. 5'8" - 145 lbs - size 6 WOO HOO!! And am determined to maintain it. So I really only need about 1200 calories a day if I'm not working out but twice a week. That is very easy to do and doesn't require much in the way of food. I'm thinking it will harder not to waste a lot of food. I'm still like to cook like I did back home when I was cooking for seven....three of which were bottomless pit teenage boys. So when I cook alot, or something big, I generally give it way or bring it to work for the guys so I'm not tempted to eat it all myself.

Today's lunch...
Two porcupine meatballs (rice, onion and seasoned hamburger rolled into meatballs)...One banana...one home made brownie...two slices homemade bread.....and I was more than full. I bet the whole thing didn't cost .50 cents. I need to get better at figuring costs...I'll have to read Amy's article again and get inspired. Probably around 700 Calories...mostly because of the brownie...it was probably 300 all by itself.

[Ima saver]

It seems like whenever we eat at home, we want something like steak and baked potatoes. By the time we buy steak, potatoes and charcoal, we have spent more than $20, and we can eat out cheaper than that.

[Snoopy2645]

I know what you mean it seems like I can buy food out cheaper than make it our walmart makes a great chicken for 3.88 about what one cost to buy raw!! And I can buy a large pizza down the street for $5 I cant buy frozen for that cheap!!!

We do sometimes get great deals on meat though & grill out alot dh works for a company that distributes meat so we get great deals when buying in bulk!!

When I first moved out with dd we spent $25 a week on food now with 3 kids & 2 dogs & dh which eats as much as me & the girls put together we spend way way too much on food each week!!

[DivaJen]

Originally Posted by boefixepa

True, but I don't need to a lot either. I recently got on a health kick and just reached my goal weight. 5'8" - 145 lbs - size 6 WOO HOO!! And am determined to maintain it. So I really only need about 1200 calories a day if I'm not working out but twice a week.

Just an aside, but 1200 calories a day doesn't sound like enough for maintaining a healthy weight and if it's not, you'll send your body the message that it is moving into starvation mode. I've heard a rule of thumb of approximately 12*your weight (in pounds) to maintain weight. Something to think about; I used to have an eating disorder and spent time with counselors and dieticians discussing healthy eating habits. Take it for what it's worth.

[lrjohnson]

Last year I averaged 102.30 a month of groceries, and an obscene amount on eating out = average 106.72.

For my challenge, originally at first I was going to budget $145/mo to account for the fact that I would be eating more at home. (I'd say I was eating out maybe 3 times a week.)

However, the last three months of my challenge, I've averaged 102.22. Yup, eight cents less a month. And I've spent an average of $11.99 a month on dining out-a little over half my monthly entertainment budget.

With the average as it is, it's now a goal to bring it under $100. That should be easy. Especially since I've cut way down on seltzer and club soda.

A neater trick would be to have eating out and groceries average less than $100. If I'm at $114.21, that means I'd need to cut more than ten percent. I may not be willing to do that. Hmmmmm. We'll see.

On my $102 a month, I eat very well, don't feel deprived, and have fresh fruits, veggies, and even treats.

[abowers]

We buy groceries about every 7-10 days, and buy things to take our lunches, and usually buy about 4 planned meals, but have things on hand for easy stuff like pasta. We spend about $65-85/trip (depending on if we're closer to 7 days or 10) for 2 of us.

[abowers]

PS, we buy lots of produce and healthy things- no microwave meals, etc.

[wwjdmsl]

900-1000 bucks a month for a family of four...this includes household supplies, etc...

[lrjohnson]

The USDA Food Plan Levels

I am spending less, including eating out, than the lowest plan for my age/sex. It's fun to check out! Thrifty, low cost, moderate and liberal levels.

[frugalfarmwife]

Good job! It really isn't THAT hard to get the food budget inline when you really put your mind to it, and you can eat healthy and keep it inexpensive.

Hubby and I do make it on $100.00 a month in groceries however we also raise our own beef and veggies. We don't drink soda/pop, don't fall for name brands and do most of my cooking from scratch. Our one "luxury" is chips and cookies, we have daily snacks.

We also feel really good when we can look at a meal and know that we produced it and we KNOW what is really in it. Tonight was burgers, beans and a salad of lettuce, spinach and radishes, the only things not home produced were the dressing, mayo, mustard and the sandwich buns.

kj

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

The USDA Food Plan Levels

Wow. The liberal plan for a man my age is less than $300, and thrifty is less than $150!

I've got to get my food budget under control!

[abowers]

If you look at when we get groceries every 7-8 days we spend about $65, that puts us at Thrifty -- if you combine 1 male 20-50 and 1 female 20-50 ($33.80 + 30.60 = 64.40). Even if we wait 10 days to go grocery shopping, we're still well under the Low-Cost plan weekly amount!

[b4freedom]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I spent (budgeted) $12 a week for groceries for 2. (that included $2 for a cartoon of cigarettes)

$2 a cartoon! In NJ a pack will cost you ~$6.00 now. I have no idea what a cartoon would cost now.