# How much do you spend on food? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379 "2002-12-08T23:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/1 "2002-12-08T23:22:36Z")
I did my grocery shopping today and my bill came out to nearly 60 dollars! Now that does not seem like much, but this is for one person, for one week. 240 dollars a month seems kind of high for a single person on groceries, but I could be actually on the low end. How much do you spend? \*FWIW, this week I bought: 4lbs 90% lean beef 2 cartons of eggs I pack flour tortillas Celery and lettuce 6 apples, 13 banannas 1 Gallon of milk, 3 quarts cottage cheese, 6 pints yogurt 1 1/2 lb roast beef sandwich meat Box of brown rice 6 cans of tuna 8oz of mozz cheese 1 1/2 lb bag of raisins Oatmeal Bigelow Japaneese style green tea. Not a whole lot really. Some of the carts of fellow shoppers that I see are piled high. One week supply shopping or monthly I don’t know… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/2 "2002-12-09T00:20:12Z")
I most definitely spend less then 60 bucks/week on food… but then again, me and my roomie are poor college students. =) ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/3 "2002-12-09T01:23:47Z")
I shop for a family of four, twice a month. We spend about $300.00 a month on those trips, but we certainly spend more then that, almost every day I end up going to get milk or eggs or cookies, it’s hard to add all of that stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/4 "2002-12-09T02:01:42Z")
How in Hell do you eat 13 bananas in one week? Ugh. 4 pounds of beef? 24 eggs? A pound and a half of raisins???! One week!!! You’ve got like a month’s worth of food there if that was my shopping cart. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/5 "2002-12-09T02:14:55Z")
I spend anywhere from $50-$90/week for a family of six…usually about $70ish, though. In addition, I end up spending another $100-$150 at WalMart on household stuff. Oh, how I HATE spending $150 and realizing there is nothing **FUN** in the cart! Best, karol ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/6 "2002-12-09T02:20:27Z")
With all the kids and grandkids living with my wife and I, we spend about $150 a week for groceries. What we collect from the adult children for room and board covers about 75% of our monthly grocery tab. We are looking forward to the day when they all find their own places to live. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/7 "2002-12-09T02:23:10Z")
Bwahahahahahaha! Family of four…I count myself lucky if I can get out of the grocery store for under $200 a week. Epimetheus, I see you list only food. What about household necessities like cleansers, personal hygiene products, waste disposal products, etc., etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/8 "2002-12-09T02:35:04Z")
Epimetheus: Jin’ has a good point Rice and such (Spageitti) can last a long time. You need to take an average of individual foods over a period. As to the answer to the OP, I spend about $40.00 weekly (as an od guy with now rug rats.) Of course this dosen’t include booze! PS: Still can’t get eggs here in NC. ☹ (Ice storm y’all know) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/9 "2002-12-09T15:19:06Z")
About $50 a week (counting everything, including household products and beer). I could probably get it under $35 or so if I gave up alcohol, ice cream, and real, fresh-baked bread, but life is too short for that. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/10 "2002-12-09T16:16:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jinwicked \* > \*\*How in Hell do you eat 13 bananas in one week? Ugh. > \*\* I love bananas. 🙂 MMM-mmm Jake: I don’t really eat spagetti, and I buy brown rice, which at my store only comes in a small box, which lasts me a week. My oatmeal lasts me awhile though. Same with my Natural PB. (for my celery, yum) I am a bachelor, so my cleaning supplies last quite awhile. LOL, I have lived here over a year and still have the same bottle of Mr. clean and windex. I bought a bottle of Mean Green, and a can of furniture polish a week or so after I moved in, and they are just now starting to get low. I also don’t include my protien powders, creatine, L-glutamine and my mulitivitamins in my grocery list. Nor do I include my razors (disposable, which I go through quickly, since I shave my head everyday), deoderants and soap. (don’t use shampoo, see statement about shaving head) From the sounds of it, I am glad I am a bachelor. 200 dollars a week!? Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/11 "2002-12-09T16:28:53Z")
I spend about $70 a month on groceries, just one person. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/12 "2002-12-09T17:14:35Z")
Me alone, about $20 a week, including the occasional incidental such as deoderant. When my family is with me, about $100 every 2-3 weeks. Beer, about $25 bucks a weekend. I think I agree with **jin**. My wife and I are still in the “Broke College” lifestyle and unless we’re splurging, eat one meal a day. Stuff like macaroni, soup and pizza. Of course, it’s a _big_ improvement over when we actually were completely broke and in college. Then it was once a day of Ramen noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/13 "2002-12-09T17:32:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorgon Heap \* > Of course, it’s a _big_ improvement over when we actually were completely broke and in college. Then it was once a day of Ramen noodles. And you are still alive? You’re a tough man. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/14 "2002-12-09T18:09:30Z")
I go every two weeks or so, and between Ivylad and me we probably spend about $200 every two weeks. I find when I plan our dinners I actually spend less. I have a menu of our dinners for the next week or two, the supplies we’ll need to make these meals, and then do the shopping. You actually spend less, because you’re not wandering up and down the aisles, grabbing stuff off the shelves at random thinking you might be able to make a meal with it. ---
**Author:** ![hello32499](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cc9497/32.png) [@hello32499](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hello32499)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/15 "2002-12-09T18:34:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Epimetheus \* > \*\* > \*FWIW, this week I bought: > > 4lbs 90% lean beef > 2 cartons of eggs > I pack flour tortillas > Celery and lettuce > 6 apples, 13 banannas > 1 Gallon of milk, 3 quarts cottage cheese, 6 pints yogurt > 1 1/2 lb roast beef sandwich meat > Box of brown rice > 6 cans of tuna > 8oz of mozz cheese > 1 1/2 lb bag of raisins > Oatmeal > Bigelow Japaneese style green tea. > \*\* That’s a week?!? How can you possibly eat 3 quarts of cottage cheese, 6 pints of yogurt, and 4lbs of beef in a week? Do you make cottage cheese and beef tortillas? I use a max of a .5 lb of chicken and .5 of beef for a week (and that’s a good week of no leftovers). Maybe I don’t eat that much ☹ but I get away with $20 a week. ---
**Author:** ![hello32499](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cc9497/32.png) [@hello32499](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hello32499)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/16 "2002-12-09T18:35:55Z")
Oh, my SO said that I sound kinda hostile in that post. Didn’t mean to be. Sorry. I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/17 "2002-12-09T18:42:20Z")
Single person here - I think I average about $10/day, but that’s including restaurant meals. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/18 "2002-12-09T18:43:17Z")
People throw away a lot of food. They usually don’t make lists, so they aren’t sure what they need, so they buy items they already have just to be on the safe side. Then everything rots, so they have to throw it all away. Personally, I make sure that I use everything I buy. Nothing gets thrown out. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/19 "2002-12-09T18:45:47Z")
Actually, **Urban** I was losing a lot of wieght - not good for my size. I got most of my calories and carbs from beer. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/20 "2002-12-09T18:53:31Z")
Because that’s how much I get in food stamps. Stamps can only be used on actual food. Things like toilet paper, dishwashing liquid, and shampoo are not covered. I eat a lot of cereal and peanutbutter. Other than milk, the only beverage I buy is diet Mountain Dew. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379.md?page=2)