No one on DCUM is low middle class. Not really..

You need to ask this on Reddit

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

Uh no. Rice, beans, produce that is in season, frozen vegetables.

From what I have read, most LMC do not know what "seasonal produce" is unless they live on a farm and grow it. OP says she lives in a suburban area...

In some urban area it may be hard to find produce, but Walmart delivers and there are urban farms and csa deliveries in the neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

Uh no. Rice, beans, produce that is in season, frozen vegetables.

From what I have read, most LMC do not know what "seasonal produce" is unless they live on a farm and grow it. OP says she lives in a suburban area...

yes, because you are so elite the only knowledge of and contact you have with the LMC is derived from "reading?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are pretty frugal, don't have a huge income, and I'm impressed you're making it on $700 a month all in. Our grocery bill has crept up from $100 a week in 2020 to around $150 for a family of 4.

We tend to eat out/get takeout fairly rarely, mainly when traveling to visit relatives or doing something with friends, probably averages out to once a month. But we also do more occasional adult date nights with dinner (like once every 2-3 months), a couple of us have regular activities where we throw in $10 for pizza, and we also get ice cream or pizza at the pool a little more often in the summer.

Our total is probably a little more than yours because our grocery bill is higher. But it does definitely feel like other people go out more.

Oh also, never delivery. Too expensive. If we're spending money on food I'm not eating it in my crappy house!

I hate it when people with much more disposable income visit and say "oh let's just get takeout/delivery, it's so much easier, I don't want you to stress over cooking." No thanks, I'd stress out more over spending $200 to feed both our families for one night.

We're LMC too and I love my tiny house. I decorated it exactly to my liking. We live close to a downtown and walk to pick up our food ourselves. My house is much more comfortable than the eateries where we pick up our food! I agree with you that paying for deliveries is a waste.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

Haha I’m definitely not LMC, nor raised LMC, but all of that stuff is in rotation for us right now. My toddler dictates all

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

Uh no. Rice, beans, produce that is in season, frozen vegetables.

From what I have read, most LMC do not know what "seasonal produce" is unless they live on a farm and grow it. OP says she lives in a suburban area...

Anonymous wrote:We are pretty frugal, don't have a huge income, and I'm impressed you're making it on $700 a month all in. Our grocery bill has crept up from $100 a week in 2020 to around $150 for a family of 4.

We tend to eat out/get takeout fairly rarely, mainly when traveling to visit relatives or doing something with friends, probably averages out to once a month. But we also do more occasional adult date nights with dinner (like once every 2-3 months), a couple of us have regular activities where we throw in $10 for pizza, and we also get ice cream or pizza at the pool a little more often in the summer.

Our total is probably a little more than yours because our grocery bill is higher. But it does definitely feel like other people go out more.

Oh also, never delivery. Too expensive. If we're spending money on food I'm not eating it in my crappy house!

I hate it when people with much more disposable income visit and say "oh let's just get takeout/delivery, it's so much easier, I don't want you to stress over cooking." No thanks, I'd stress out more over spending $200 to feed both our families for one night.

We are pretty frugal, don't have a huge income, and I'm impressed you're making it on $700 a month all in. Our grocery bill has crept up from $100 a week in 2020 to around $150 for a family of 4.

We tend to eat out/get takeout fairly rarely, mainly when traveling to visit relatives or doing something with friends, probably averages out to once a month. But we also do more occasional adult date nights with dinner (like once every 2-3 months), a couple of us have regular activities where we throw in $10 for pizza, and we also get ice cream or pizza at the pool a little more often in the summer.

Our total is probably a little more than yours because our grocery bill is higher. But it does definitely feel like other people go out more.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

Uh no. Rice, beans, produce that is in season, frozen vegetables.

We never eat out, if we want a fast meal we go to Trader Joe’s or similar and get something to eat at home. One college daughter gets coffee out sometimes but that’s it.

Honestly I think the LMC is NOT getting take out...at least I hope not. So wasteful and unhealthy. I'm envisioning them eating things like hot dogs, heating up frozen chicken tenders, and macaroni and cheese from a box?

^ and eat no processed snacks!

We live on a lower middle class income. We rarely eat out, and never at fancy places. Take-out once or twice a month on average. We're fine with this.

I'm desperately trying to get my husband to stop buying processed snacks and crap, because it ends up being expensive. We have the time to cook from scratch - we just need to get better organized! Buying foodstuffs to cook from scratch is a lot less expensive and healthier than buying prepared foods in the supermarket. Right now I'd say we cook from scratch 50-60% of the time. My goal is to get that to at least 75%.

Why are you so interested in comparing if you clearly can't afford to dine out more? I don't understand the point. Yes, some people chose to dine out and not cook at home. Others can afford to dine out but choose to cook at home. You are just going to make yourself and child feel bad. Have your child practice some gratitude instead. It is a learned skill and best to start early.

Just curious what food budgets look like for other small households with smaller-than-DCUM-average budgets these days as prices rise. My family is one adult and one tween, and financially I'm lower middle class. So we're not poor, but not an average DCUM-er either.

I spend apx $500/month on groceries, which covers 90% of our meals and snacks, including DC's lunches brought from home. We dine out about once per month; get takeout twice per month; get an odd Starbucks or ice cream cone on the go once or twice a month. DC uses allowance to grab a slice of pizza or snacks out with friends after school. So probably $700 month all in between groceries and dining out.

It feels like a lot to me, but DC is quick to point out that friends tend to go out/order in much more (while both comprehending and not that we're not on the same financial footing as many of their classmates), which is the reason for this Q as there has been a lot of complaining about dinners at home lately