|
$176 in groceries for the month is what this CNN reporter experimented with in an effort to experience what it's like to live off the SNAP (US 'food stamp' subsidy).
Just curious...this was $176 for one person, for the entire month. Right now my family is in the states, and I'm stationed on an unaccompanied tour overseas. This means I have to buy my own groceries and cook for myself. I shop at my military commissary, where, generally speaking, the groceries are 30-45% cheaper than retail. All I'll say right now is that I spend way more than $176 a month. So, I'm curious--what's the average grocery bill of a Paizonian? If you're single, it's easy to figure out. If not, try to adjust the amount down to one person.
I'm sure you can eat fine on less than $200 a month, but I wonder how varied your diet will be?
|
|
Literally, 10 years ago, I was a brand new cog in the wheel with a real paycheck and so on. My monthly grocery budget was $100 exactly, including any binges of fast food. I remember lots of bologna and peanut butter, and I even remember ketchup sandwiches made with pilfered ketchup packets.
Looking at a month's worth of grocery receipts today, and taking away all the luxuries, I spend way more than $176 a month.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
|
Live in the midwest, we shop... inexpensively as possible. There are 4 of us. runs just over $100 a week.
That's about the same for me. Two adults, two kids. We spend about $100 a week. We found eating out was our biggest expenditure and cut that down to almost nothing. We avoid try not to buy frozen, heat-it-and-go dinners to keep the costs down.
EDIT: That's $100 Cdn. so currently about, what, $80 US?
Seems that food is quite expensive in the U.S. My wife and I spend about 100 Euro per week for food for two, and see towards healthy and "light" food, preparing the food ourselves (well, my wife does the cooking), and use good and fresh ingredients mainly, which are more expensive than ready-made food. So, we spend about 400 Euro a month, compared to our monthly net income of about 3200 Euro together, both having a full-time job in public service.
Stefan
I buy the groceries for my Elderly mother, myself, and my 20 year old brother here in central Oklahoma. I spend $150 every two weeks or about $300 a month. I do most of the cooking as well. It need to be pointed
out that food stamps are exempt from taxation which can add extra $9 worth of groceries for every $100 dollars spent.
EDIT: Sales Tax in my area is 8.5 %
|
|
so we are averaging, for basic groceries, around $100 per person per month. I'd say from these posts then that if $176 was for one person that ain't shabby
EDIT:
Callebs is based in New Orleans, so he worked through the Louisiana Department of Social Services. The agency gave him a gift card worth $176, the maximum amount of assistance for which he was eligible, instead of an actual EBT card or food stamps.
also;
(According to SNAP, the average monthly stipend was about $96 per person and about $215 per household in 2007.)
|
|
I'm closer to Stebehil's figures--back home, my wife and I average around $200 a week for a family of four (Stebehil is around $125-130 a week for two people). I have discovered it can be more expensive buying in single-person quantities vs larger or bulk quantities for a family. While I'm on my own during this overseas assignment I'm spending around $75 a week for myself.
I've never looked at the bill, but I'd say that I fit under that $176 mark. I normally go shopping when I run out of something that isn't food, a staple, or to prepare a specialty item.
I spend about $40 in a little over a week at work with their meal service and don't eat breakfast and most times don't eat supper (usually frozen foods like fish, TV dinners, etc). Yeah, I know, I don't eat the best.
However, if I were to bring my own lunch, that would drop significantly. I like to make things from scratch (ex, pizza crust, some breads, etc). But I can't stand leftovers.
Another thing, I don't drink soda and no snacks. I may grab some M&Ms out of the vending machine every now and then. I drink plenty of water (the first sign of dehydration is hunger).
Realistically, the quantities that I sometimes eat are too large based on the food pyramid. I learned a lot when I went to Australia for a month. The quantities are much smaller for the same price State side. That said, I've reverted to the larger quantities after 6 months.
so we are averaging, for basic groceries, around $100 per person per month. I'd say from these posts then that if $176 was for one person that ain't shabby
EDIT:
Callebs is based in New Orleans, so he worked through the Louisiana Department of Social Services. The agency gave him a gift card worth $176, the maximum amount of assistance for which he was eligible, instead of an actual EBT card or food stamps.
also;
(According to SNAP, the average monthly stipend was about $96 per person and about $215 per household in 2007.)
Trying to live on the $96 per month is VERY tight - 93 meals over 31 days or equivalent means you have to spend a maximum of $1.03 USD per meal - I do not recall if the state sales taxes have to be included in such purchases or not though. The $176 a month translates into $1.89 per meal - a far more generous allowance at 83% above the $96 per month allowance. That 86 cents extra per meal gives you a LOT of flexibility in designing your meal plan for the month - perhaps even certain luxury items such as carbonated beverages instead of coffee or tap water. (In some areas, tap water is just not a palatable option. Like Plano, TX... blecch.) On a small budget, most of the time, meals are planned. If you're lucky you can factor in the occassional carry-out pizza or McDogmeat's run. :)
In my experience purchasing food for one person on a tight budget is harder in the States than it is for two or more because of spoilage issues and that it makes bulk quantity purchasing not a realistic option. I used to always run into problems with spoilage - and if you're walking/public transit/cycling instead of driving, the effect on procuring certain foodstuffs is substantial in its own right. It took my area a good while to get public transit up to a decent level, so spoilage was a constant problem. Nothing's worse on a tight budget than an entire day's worth of meal budget dairy spoiling because the bus ride home took 15 minutes too long.
I suppose in urban areas with markets open daily it would be easier on the tight budget to prepare your meals daily. That I'm not familiar with. I'ma suburbanite slob that way... ^_^
I live in New York. For two adults to live modestly (and cook as many meals as we can with our busy schedule) we spend $150 a week, give or take. I guess that works out to $300 a month per person. Well above the average. I guess I either need to move or go on a diet.
I live in New York. For two adults to live modestly (and cook as many meals as we can with our busy schedule) we spend $150 a week, give or take. I guess that works out to $300 a month per person. Well above the average. I guess I either need to move or go on a diet.
$300 a month each sounds like, for NYC, pretty darn good. From what I've heard the Big Apple is expensive all the way around.
$300 a month each sounds like, for NYC, pretty darn good. From what I've heard the Big Apple is expensive all the way around.I live in New York. For two adults to live modestly (and cook as many meals as we can with our busy schedule) we spend $150 a week, give or take. I guess that works out to $300 a month per person. Well above the average. I guess I either need to move or go on a diet.
Lol, you have heard right! Fortunately, I have a personal finance manager (my fiancee) who is on the ball, and I should have clarified that we live in Westchester (just north of the city), not actually in NYC.
In NYC it may actually be cheaper to eat at a hot dog cart for every meal than to shop for groceries. And we're talking a dirty water dog with everything. And a soda.
Not that Westchester is much better as far as prices, but there is definitely more competition between supermarkets, so if you bargain hunt and keep your eye out for specials, you can do okay.
I also work at a restaurant, which provides me, on average, about 5 meals per week and other occasional food/beverage related perks.
However, it occurs to me that because of the horrible drinking water, we spend easily $30-50 a week on bottled and jug water, so it balances out somewhat.
Dare I ask; a dirty water dog?And we're talking a dirty water dog with everything. And a soda.
As in the boiling water the dog is cooked in tends to get ... murky after a while...
I live in New York. For two adults to live modestly (and cook as many meals as we can with our busy schedule) we spend $150 a week, give or take. I guess that works out to $300 a month per person. Well above the average. I guess I either need to move or go on a diet.
As a fellow New Yorker (I moved from Westchester to Putnam), my story is identical.
Zero, don't or didn't you work at the Charthouse?
Where I get screwed is that boxed vegitarian/organic foods and the natural drinks I buy are really expensive. I also do the bottled water thing.
after i got out of the army the first time, i was spending 5 dollars a week on food, and 30 dollars a week on beer.
so, 20 dollars for food, 120 for beer per month.
today: i pay the rent, girlfriend pays for food. so, i have no idea what she spends on food. and i dont drink much beer anymore.
Ooh! A topic on food! *squee*
I set aside $150 a month for groceries for myself and my hubby, while he buys stuff as needed, but on average about $100/month. So, $250/month for two people. Now, my grocery habits are dictated by growing up with my Depression-era grandparents and a powerful need to set food by for when my paycheck is lean (as it is now), plus a valuable "how to shop on a budget and still get all the nutrition you need" lesson from my mom shortly after graduating from high school. I tend to buy in bulk and break items down into smaller serving sizes and put them in my chest freezer (best $200 I ever spent). I take advantage of sales quite a bit, saving from 10 to 25% on my grocery bills, and always check with the produce guy to know when their delivery days are for the freshest produce. Farmers markets are awesome too - don't discount those. :)
I have found myself taking my favorite dishes from restaurants (like pineapple chicken curry, cashew chicken, pulled pork sandwiches) and making them at home. A lot of savings there, though obviously requires a lot more effort & time. Plus I end up making enough for at least two meals, which is also great for when I don't want to cook something. I took stock of the freezer and realized I had enough "leftover" meals to last at least a week's worth of dinners.
So, for about $125/month, I eat pretty damn good. For comparison's sake, eating out everyday where I live at fast food joints, including weekends, would cost about $210/month.
Ooh! A topic on food! *squee*
I set aside $150 a month for groceries for myself and my hubby, while he buys stuff as needed, but on average about $100/month. So, $250/month for two people. Now, my grocery habits are dictated by growing up with my Depression-era grandparents and a powerful need to set food by for when my paycheck is lean (as it is now), plus a valuable "how to shop on a budget and still get all the nutrition you need" lesson from my mom shortly after graduating from high school. I tend to buy in bulk and break items down into smaller serving sizes and put them in my chest freezer (best $200 I ever spent). I take advantage of sales quite a bit, saving from 10 to 25% on my grocery bills, and always check with the produce guy to know when their delivery days are for the freshest produce. Farmers markets are awesome too - don't discount those. :)
I have found myself taking my favorite dishes from restaurants (like pineapple chicken curry, cashew chicken, pulled pork sandwiches) and making them at home. A lot of savings there, though obviously requires a lot more effort & time. Plus I end up making enough for at least two meals, which is also great for when I don't want to cook something. I took stock of the freezer and realized I had enough "leftover" meals to last at least a week's worth of dinners.
So, for about $125/month, I eat pretty damn good. For comparison's sake, eating out everyday where I live at fast food joints, including weekends, would cost about $210/month.
$210 a MONTH for fast food, 90 - 93 meals?!
O_o Noice!
|
Just me: big eater = $90 per month on groceries & household consumables. Like Lilith, I buy in bulk, pasta & meat, and store.
But... I spend a gross amount of money on restaurants.I average 8 or 9 meals per week out and spend $350 to $450 a week at restaurants.
-W. E. Ray
Way to stimulate the economy Molech. Last weekend I went to a resturant and left twice the tip I would normally leave, because I'm hoping the more money I give to other people the better our economy will be.
|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
|
...Last weekend I went to a resturant and left twice the tip I would normally leave, because I'm hoping the more money I give to other people the better our economy will be.Please visit
Hey! That's not a real page!!
...
Okay, so David Fryer's giving away money? What do I gotta do for it. I assure you, whatever it is, I've sunk lower.
|
|
...Last weekend I went to a resturant and left twice the tip I would normally leave, because I'm hoping the more money I give to other people the better our economy will be.Please visitHey! That's not a real page!!
...
Okay, so David Fryer's giving away money? What do I gotta do for it. I assure you, whatever it is, I've sunk lower.
Give me good service at an expensive resturant, and keep my water glass full.
Edit: Or maybe if you can answer this question... ;p
Director of Brand Strategy
|
In NYC it may actually be cheaper to eat at a hot dog cart for every meal than to shop for groceries. And we're talking a dirty water dog with everything. And a soda.
I can verify that this is true. Unfortunately, a hot dog, or even two, from the Sabrett cart on the corner isn't really enough to fill you up. In order to get a full meal out of it, you end up spending the same as if you went to a regular fast food restaurant.
My girlfriend and I go shopping once a week and tend to spend around $75/week. We used to be around $120/week but have been deal shopping, buying less organic (sad), and getting things in bulk as much as possible in the last six months or so. We're in Jersey City, so it's not quite the same markup as in Manhattan or even one of the other NYC boroughs, but even eating at $150/month is near starving ourselves, or eating ramen at least once a week. So if $176 is per person per month to be equivalent to food stamps, I'm there!