Reading other threads here has made me wonder: what's your average monthly food budget? There are two people in my apartment and between the two of us (including eating out) we probably spend close to $400 or maybe a little more in an average month. I'd love to cut it down and should really start using coupons but it's hard because we live in D.C. where food is super expensive, and I 'have' to eat out with my bosses and co workers at least twice a week. (There are only 6 people at my office and these lunches are as close to mandatory as you could get in a workplace). What do you guys spend? How would you suggest I save?
Yikes. I hate mandatory lunches! Is there any way that you know where you are going to eat out beforehand or do they just choose the places at random? If so then try to get a coupon to the places or speak to your HR department and see if there is any way that you can use these lunches as a tax write off.
I actually don't think your figures are that bad for 2 people, especially if it includes some lunches out. If you still want to cut back, I would get in the habit of pretty much buying only those items that are on sale. Stock up when you do buy these items. Eggs can be a pretty good value when they're on sale and they have a lot of protein so they will fill you up. Also look at bags of beans and brown rice and such. Stick to basics like that at least for a few meals and skip the packaged, processed foods. They may be convenient, but they are not cost effective. I don't buy much meat, it's way too expensive for my tastes. I also keep my eyes open for sales at drugstores and non-traditional 'grocery' stores like K-mart and Target. Remember.... on sale, on sale, on sale, plus use the coupons!
We are looking at about $300 or so for 2 people. Although this month we were on a major cutback. We managed to eat for $157. Almost half! I was determined. Of course I have 3 more days, but we are almost home free. Or should I say cash advance free.... yay!
I think $400 a month for two people is not bad at all. There are just the two of us and we probably spend about that much without going out to eat at all. I wish I could do what Farrah did...$157 for a whole month of food is amazing! If you have to go to lunch out for your work, I would order water for the drink to save some money. I would also see what side items they have. If you have to explain to your co-workers why the water and a side, just say your not very hungry or you are on a diet.
There are 2 people in my apartment - one pregnant one being myself - we spend about $380 a month ($190 average on biweekly shoping receipts) We usually get through well and this sometimes includes a few splurges like novelty ice cream bars for me or candy for my hubby! We only order out about once a month something like pizza or chinese just when you are feeling particularly lazy. I try couponing but it's so much calculating and going from store to store that it becomes more expensive in gas and more time consuming over all. We do buy certain things in bulk to save up like detergents and certain dried goods. These usually knocks off about $10-$15 from our montly expense
My husband and I are tying to cut back on our eating out bill. So we are limiting this to once a month (though we would love to do it more often). With the exchange rate, I think our food bill comes up to about $200, with the once a month eating out. Instead of going to the groceries to buy veggies and fruits, we instead go to the local farmer's market. They're fresh and cheaper, plus we can haggle a bit.
I agree, $157 is amazing. I do know I could really cut back on the food expenses in general if I stopped drinking soda but I'm unfortunately addicted That's a great suggestion about having water when eating out though- that really would save me some money. I also appreciate all the other suggestions. Thanks for everyone who said $400 for 2 people is not so bad I read some budget blogs and I feel like everyone there is spending $200 a month to feed a family of 4. I've always been amazed at how they do it and am glad to hear this isn't as common as I sometimes feel like it is
I think it all depends on where you live. I don't go by a budget but I by planning all our meals in advance I can do less impulse buying. Giving a rough estimate I would think I spend somewhere around $200 to $250 a month on groceries for my husband and myself. But that doesn't include eating out. We might get to eat out once a month in my house. It can also depend a lot on how your household works. My husband works second shift so I don't cook as much as I should because I hate cooking for one person. He doesn't have access to a microwave so he can't really take leftovers to work so making more is a waste. So I have to spend more money on lunch box items he can eat than I would if he could just take leftovers to work. And cooking for one usually means buying more convenient items because I don't want to take all day making my dinner. I did go through a spell where we were very short of money because my husband was injured and off work. I managed to spend less than $200 a month but it involved some serious meal planning and eating what we had in the house whether we really wanted to or not. I come from a household where we had to make ends meet more than enough for me to learn how. We ate lots of soup when I was growing up. The only real suggestions I can offer is like S.O. Price said, watch your sales. You can often get some really good deals just by catching them at the right time. Take some time and plan out a menu BEFORE you shop to help you keep on track. Pay attention to what you buy. If the off brand is cheaper, try it. Check the lower and top shelves because the stuff at eye level is usually more expensive. Those companies pay for that place on the shelf just so they are right at eye level. Stock up on stuff that you catch on sale. Ok I am sure you are tired of me by now.
My husband and I are very poor people, and I think I would lose my mind if we had to spend $400 a month on food. We usually spend closer to $250, but then we don't eat out often. If you can pull this off, on days when you have your mandatory outings, bring your lunch with you to work and eat it in secret before everyone goes out. Then order something light and inexpensive or don't order anything. When people inquire, say that you've already eaten or just that you're not hungry.
Question: why do you have "have" to eat with your bosses? Just order a glass of water and start eating your own food you brought to work or even decline to invitation. Anyway, I spend approximately $120 per month on groceries - if you factor the things I purchase at the dollar store, laundry money and snack cash for the weekend then I say it's more like $150 per month. I think this is reasonable enough because I always have food in the fridge and a nice meal to cook for me and my gal.
These are somewhat nice restaurants, with waitresses. It would not be possible for me in that kind of environment to pull out a bagged lunch and start eating. The restaurant staff would be put off by it and so would my bosses and co-workers. I could decline to go, as no gun is held to my head, but as I said in the original post, only 6 people work at my office and so socializing and networking during that time is necessary. Someone got fired at my work for a huge number of reasons a few weeks ago, and one of them really was that my bosses felt she did not like or fit in at the office because she was quite antisocial. That is simply not a position I want to be in.
Do you and your co-workers go to the same restaurant when y'all go out? If so, see if you can purchase certificates/gift cards from restaurant.com. Could be a way for you to spend some money. Otherwise I would second the suggestion to order something light/cheap and then pack some additional food to eat on like a break or in between work. As for your other question, we are a family of 5 and spend about 200-300 on food. (One is a baby who only eats a bit of real food). However, I make a lot of things at home (cookies, breads, and the like) and we eat very simple meals.
I am in a similar environment where people like to eat out here and there and I am still trying to save money. They all make or can afford a little more than myself overall. I tend to take the approach of eating lunch early when we go out, then I order a treat for myself it the desserts are cheap. If not, I just leave it at a drink I may have been craving sometime. Another neat trick is that you share with a friend! So a $5.00 lunch becomes just $2.50 for each of you. This works well for us however because we are both light eaters some of the time. Another tricky thing I have been able to do is make sure to suggest we go places that have specials or deals I feel I could afford. Or better I have a coupon that benefits the group when I go out so we can all save a bit. In general I believe I manage to keep my grocery bill to $75 -$150 per month. I may have hit $200 when I particularly splurged. Usually my motto is don't buy it unless it is on sale. I start looking for the things I usually like to eat and make ahead of time. For example, I look year round at sales adds for my spaghetti and cheesecake ingredients to go on sale. Making more food at home goes a long way as well. But location will make a huge difference. Some places will have food taxes on everything in addition to sales tax, others lower sale taxes, and some places the price of food is just far higher. Figuring out what is relatively healthy and cost efficient is the first step. Find a few set go to meals you feel good about the price you spend for them and go from there. I have moved to taking a 1/day vitamin just in case, because sadly a lot of on sale foods that take little preparation have a lot of preservatives etc that don't make them as healthy. Not to say healthy eating can't be cheap, usually produce rotates for sales each season just like everything else. Best of luck on managing those bills!
Thanks so much to you and everyone else. I truly appreciate the tips and encouragement. Splitting a lunch with a coworker might actually be able to work. I am going to try to start shopping more sales too. Thanks again!
I am not really fond of eating snacks so most of my budget would only include three main meals everyday. I think my budget for food every month will run from $120-$150.
