# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/21 "2002-12-09T19:13:15Z")
**Drachllix** and I are both working 12 hour days this month, so what with his/my kids in and out, we eat out a _lot_. I buy him lunch and take it to work on my off days, so there’s 20 bucks, we have dinner out at least 3/4 times a week, so there’s 100. 40 dollars for bread,cereal,fruit,soda, etc…Lunches at the hospital cafeteria and that adds up to a scary 640 dollars a month. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/22 "2002-12-09T19:31:44Z")
I spend and average of $30-40 in groceries per week. I go out for breakfast one day on the weekend, and go out for lunch one day/week (the rest of the time I bring my lunch). I spent $31 on groceries yesterday. here’s what I bought: 5 lb bag of grapefruit 2 catfish filets (on sale) 1/2 lb shrimp (also on sale) loaf of bread 1 box angel hair pasta 1 box linguine 1 package (probably ~ 1 lb) frozen broccoli 1 package frozen green beans 1 package frozen artichokes 3 cups of yogurt 1 package ramen 1 can cream of celery soup 1 packet of sauce mix for pasta (knorr’s Parma Rosa) head of garlic Box of scalloped potatoes (guilty pleasure) Every other week I need lunch supplies (drink boxes, lunch meat, pretzels) so then it costs a little more. I don’t use a ton of cleaning supplies, and a box of 26 garbage bags lasts me 26 weeks. Gosh, your groceries seem so expensive. Then again, if I bought 4 lbs of chopped meat it would last me… jeez, three months at least. I also have +10 “Know What’s in the Freezer” – very rarely do I buy something I don’t need and I almost never let something go to waste. I’m single but I have friends over for dinner often. I can’t stand cooking for one. Are you like, a big strapping sort of fellow? ---
**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, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/23 "2002-12-09T19:54:48Z")
Well, I have a pretty physical job and I lift weights on a regular basis. I wouldn’t say big and strapping, but definately muscular. 😉 I am actually cutting at the moment. (i.e losing fat) I eat everything in one week, and sometimes I have to throw away a few celery sticks and some excess milk, but thats about it. Hello: I eat half a quart of cottage cheese a day, and 1 yogurt. My meals go something like this- Breakfast- 5 eggs, cheese, banana (milk, protien shake, banana, 1 cup otmeal and rasisns on workout days, M, W, F) Snack- cottage cheese, banana lunch- Tuna, cheese, rice or tortilla Snack- Roast beef sandwich (wrap really, use tortilla instead of bread) Dinner- 6 oz beef, 1/2 cup rice, brocolli Snack- apple, yogurt And celery and 2 TBsp of PB before bed. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/24 "2002-12-09T20:55:52Z")
Wowser, you must be really active. I calculate that to nearly 3000 calories/day. Obviously your food needs are large if you are eating this much to _lose_. So… well, that’s why your grocery bill is high! Sucks, I guess but us wee females have an advantage in the bugeting department, I suppose. Sorry dude. Get scrawny, then you’ll save money LOL. ---
**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, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/25 "2002-12-09T21:19:29Z")
My son eats that way too, **Epimetheus.** Five meals a day, minimum, plus snacks when he gets hungry. Darn kid–he gets the great metabolism AND the upper body strength! Da noive. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/26 "2002-12-09T22:21:54Z")
I probably spend about $35-$50 a week on food, for me alone. Like **Epimetheus** , I spend quite a bit of time in the weight room, so that accounts for a lot of it. I guess I eat about 2200 calories a day to lose, but I’ve got a sedentary job, which makes quite a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/27 "2002-12-09T22:58:48Z")
I’m single, and I easily spend $100 a week on food. I eat only fresh vegetables (rarely canned or frozen) and meat, and I avoid cheap junk food like the plague? Ramen? Never. Oh, and I like ice cream, which is pricey. I also eat out a lot (at least one meal a day, often two). ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/28 "2002-12-09T23:11:19Z")
I spend $150 monthly on groceries, I eat out about three times a week. I live by myself, but I tend to buy a few things for the b/f (real ice cream as opposed to Toffuti and such) so he has something to eat when he’s here (he has a morbid fear of anything that can be seen as “health food”, that I am slowly breaking him of) It’s only that high for me because I purchase a lot of natural food items and tofu items, which tend to be more expensive. I usually end up throwing out a lot of fruits and veggies too b/c I can’t eat them fast enough (although no one who knows me would agree) I just tend to over-buy. ---
**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, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/29 "2002-12-09T23:50:24Z")
Oh my! That does explain a lot. I guess I should have known you were active. My stomach hurts still from thinking of all that cottage cheese you eat 😉 ---
**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, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/30 "2002-12-09T23:57:05Z")
Single person here - I think I average about $10/day, but that’s including restaurant meals. ---
**Author:** ![OfBlinkingThings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ebca7d/32.png) [@OfBlinkingThings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OfBlinkingThings)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/31 "2002-12-09T23:59:24Z")
I spend 30-40% of my paycheck on food. I just dont know how to shop and I never eat what I buy. Its sad. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/32 "2002-12-10T00:05:44Z")
That was one heck of a delay in the double-post, **Ringo**! ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/33 "2002-12-10T00:07:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OfBlinkingThings \* > \*\*I spend 30-40% of my paycheck on food. I just dont know how to shop and I never eat what I buy. Its sad. \*\* Oh my god! How much of your paycheck do you spend on rent? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/34 "2002-12-10T03:27:01Z")
As a single guy (who is amazingly underweight, I might add), I usually spend about $20-$30 a week, myself. That usually includes my twice monthly cases of Dr. Pepper and misc. items that I only need periodically (i.e. dish soap, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379/35 "2002-12-10T04:04:02Z")
Heh - I came home for lunch (can’t come here at work anymore) and submitted that as I left to go back to work. When I got home, the browser just had the “Website not responding” page. I just thought it was a typical board lunch time traffic jam, and I really didn’t remember what I’d done last, so I just refreshed. It posted again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-on-food/141379.md?page=1)