The cost of groceries

[Shadow Wolf]

I see. I thought you meant going out to eat should be less common. I think people rack up their charge cards for going out to eat. I don't know anyone who considers going out to eat 'groceries'. I put it under entertainment.

A lot of budgeting sheets, tips, and advice I've seen all throw eating out under a generalized food budget (often breaking things like "restaurants" and "groceries" into sub categories). But entertainment is a much more suitable category for it, especially if you don't bleed money.
Perhaps it's symptomatic of this run-away living outside your means culture we have seem to have cultivated over that past several decades?

 

[savagewind]

Unless you're eating caviar and Kobe beef I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around $4,000/month. I try to keep my meals to < $1.00 each.

50 kilos of rice, beans or lentils isn't that expensive. It doesn't go bad or take up that much space, so why not buy in bulk and supplement with whatever veggies are on sale?
A good diet isn't that expensive. A fancy -- and questionably healthful -- diet... well, that's another story.

I think whoever produced that article made a mistake calling food and personal items groceries. After posting this thread, I noticed that car expenses was not mentioned. Entertainment was not mentioned. Clothing was not mentioned. Electronics was not mentioned. So, groceries must mean everything other than a home, utilities, and health.

 

[Revoltingest]

I have little idea what groceries cost.
Buying them is wimin's work.
Mrs Revolt just gets the money she needs
from the secret formerly secret cereal box.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

I’d guess we’re running around $1,600 per month with 4 people (2 adults + 2 pre-teens), and that includes food, soap, toiletries, etc....

That, of course, is chicken scratch next to the mortgage, heat/electricity, cars, gas, phone bill, various insurances, money for travel, etc....

 

[sun rise]

I have little idea what groceries cost.
Buying them is wimin's work.
Mrs Revolt just gets the money she needs
from the secret formerly secret cereal box.

Running the country is wimmin's work.

 

[Revoltingest]

Running the country is wimmin's work.

For the right wimmin, yes.

 

[Michelle71]

I buy bulk on sale so I can't say what I spend on food each month. I tried to keep track of it, but it was too much work.

There were four of us here until the bum left. It seemed like an endless and worthless debate trying to get my daughter and her bum to please understand that if I am paying all the bills I shouldn't also feed you for free and so the debate was that they consume only three hundred dollars of food each month. Which was OK but they didn't always contribute. I asked around and most people didn't really know how much their food costs them each month. My sister, though, knew what food, drink, and regular household items cost her each month because she puts everything on her credit card. $1000.00 or more for two.

But, what motivated me to post this thread was an internet article about the cost of living in retirement in the most expensive U.S. cities and it is saying that in some cities the cost of a month of groceries is $4000.00. So, I did the Math to see if maybe it meant each year, but that didn't work. I suspect it is a faulty report because I also did the math to compare $4000 a month with the total monthly expenses and that didn't work either.

But, (though it can't be right!) I suppose it means for two people.

Do you know how much eating, drinking, (and cleaning) costs you each month?

25 US Cities Where Your Retirement Nest Egg Won’t Go Far | Retired in America

$400.00 a month for 4 people. Cuz I shop like that

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I spend a little more because I buy organic food due to skin allergies with what appears to be some preservatives. I sometimes wish I could eat normally as it would save me half the food budget.

I suppose my ballpark spent on food for myself is about what other people are saying for two people.