Single People: what's your monthly grocery budget?

[Anonymous]

New to the area and not making much $, having a hard time budgeting and saving. Wondering what seems to be the average monthly spend for folks here on groceries, plus maybe some going out to eat?

TIA

If possible, maybe how much you make would help for perspective?

[Anonymous]

OP, consider those two together -- as in feeding yourself. Don't need to be separate.

[Anonymous]

$433, usually spend less

[Anonymous]

$250-$300

[Anonymous]

I would separate purchasing groceries vs eating out. Eating out is basically entertainment. You know, want vs need.

[Anonymous]

When I couldn’t afford to eat out, my budget was $50 a week. This was when I took in $25k a year.

[Anonymous]

I buy in bulk and cook for myself. My guess is I spend about $110/month on fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood. But if there’s a sale on pineapples - like $1.75 for a whole one I’ll buy 10 at once and process them into frozen smoothies and pre-made drinks.

I just bought a 56 Fl OZ container of Sesame Oil as another example. Am I going to use that much sesame oil in a month? No. It’ll probably last me a year but it’s cheaper to buy the larger sizes of high quality and expensive ingredients instead of going back for the same thing every week.

56 fl oz of Sesame Oil sold in my local Giant in 5 oz bottles would cost me $53. Because I bought it in bulk it cost me $22 or 50% off.

That’s how you save regardless of your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, consider those two together -- as in feeding yourself. Don't need to be separate.

What does this even mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I couldn’t afford to eat out, my budget was $50 a week. This was when I took in $25k a year.

Was this recent and around here? That doesn't sound survivable.

[Anonymous]

Groceries and eating out = ~$1500.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I couldn’t afford to eat out, my budget was $50 a week. This was when I took in $25k a year.

Was this recent and around here? That doesn't sound survivable.

I’m a different person, but when I was unemployed and took in $20-30k, yes $50 a week was doable, and that was in San Francisco, a place more expensive than the DMV. Trader Joe’s has really good prices.

[Anonymous]

How many single people are on this board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Groceries and eating out = ~$1500.

Thank you! Mine is AT LEAST this. I’ll never understand how the people that say $250/month do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Groceries and eating out = ~$1500.

Thank you! Mine is AT LEAST this. I’ll never understand how the people that say $250/month do it.

I mean, I have a family of four (including two teens) and spend less than $1500/month on groceries and eating out. I know there are economies of scale, so I'm not saying I'd spend only a quarter of this if I were on my own. But I'd be eating a lot of caviar and truffles if I had a budget of $1500/month just for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Groceries and eating out = ~$1500.

Thank you! Mine is AT LEAST this. I’ll never understand how the people that say $250/month do it.

I mean, I have a family of four (including two teens) and spend less than $1500/month on groceries and eating out. I know there are economies of scale, so I'm not saying I'd spend only a quarter of this if I were on my own. But I'd be eating a lot of caviar and truffles if I had a budget of $1500/month just for me!

I’m one of the $1,500+ posters. In my case, it’s not caviar but rather the following:

1). I do all shopping at Whole Foods. It’s very close and I just don’t want to go from store to store to buy different items.

2). Due to the requirements of my job, I don’t like or want to spend a lot of time cooking; hence, there is more takeout than normal. Nothing super fancy but it still does add up.

3). I do like healthier (and more expensive) versions of food items. For example, I buy Fiji water. Some people say all bottled water is a waste of money but I like the taste, and Fiji does have good mineral content and a higher pH (lower pH and acidity can cause some health problems).

Overall, I wish I spent less but I’ve never had a single health issue (or even colds really) now at age 40. The combination of healthier food and lower stress/more convenience is worth it to me.