# How much do you spend per month on food? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690 "2007-12-03T19:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/21 "2007-12-03T23:15:16Z")
Regular groceries run about $200-300 a month for me and my girlfriend. I take advantage of sales and coupons regularly. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/22 "2007-12-03T23:20:54Z")
My roommate and I spend about $130 each every month, I think. That plus the coffee and bagels I have on weekday mornings at work - something like $4, four times a week… $64 a month. And then I eat out … maybe I’ll use between $40-60 a month, depending. Hm. I’ve just realized I spend a lot more on food than I probably should. That’s like, $250 a month. For eating. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/23 "2007-12-03T23:47:57Z")
I spend about 120 - 150$ for myself on groceries and then maybe 20-30 dollars a week on food out (I try to pack lunches but don’t do it as much as I should). So $200 - $270 a month. That seems like a lot for a vegetarian but I eat a lot of fresh vegetables which I think add up. (I’m also not very efficient and end up tossing rotten food more than I’d like). Right now I need to get a roommate to drive me to the grocery store if I want to go, so I go less often then I’d like. In an ideal world I’d live closer by and be able to make more frequent trips, thus wasting less food when I buy too much and spending less money at resturaunts and expensive convenience stores when I run out. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/24 "2007-12-04T00:00:26Z")
Family of seven, so far this year we’ve spent about $7000 on food, home and out. Works out to be about $90 a piece. Probably costs more for me, I eat out more often than the kids. $125 max, probably. ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/25 "2007-12-04T00:15:58Z")
I give myself $10/day, or ~$300/mo. I eat out one once per weekday for lunch, since I’d rather not pack something. If I cut down on the eating out I could easily drop my spending by $100-$200/mo. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/26 "2007-12-04T00:28:44Z")
To feed myself only, I spend about $200-250 a month on groceries. Well, it’s more like $160 every three weeks. My husband buys his own groceries/eats his own food, because he is allergic to everything I eat. He says he budgets $250/month for himself. I used to spend upwards of $100 on fast food/restaurants but I’m on a strict ‘‘no drive thru’’ regimen and my expenses on eating out/drive-thrus now amount to about $5. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/27 "2007-12-04T08:17:29Z")
My groceries cost me $25 to $30 a week, so roughly $100 to $135 per month. I don’t eat out, so that’s it. (This is for just one person.) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/28 "2007-12-04T08:25:30Z")
$10 a day. I eat out lunch every day at approximately $5, and the other two meals average a combined $5. Total $300 a month. A bit pricy for one person, but food is the one thing I refuse to skimp on. I may sit in the dark because I’m too cheap to run all the lights, but dammit I’m going to be well fed while doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/29 "2007-12-04T09:38:31Z")
Probably about £150 to £200 a month, which is about $310 to $410 at current exchange rates, for a family of four - we don’t eat out very often. It’s probably not an easy thing to compare this to food spending in the USA, as common prices for various foodstuffs are going to be different. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/30 "2007-12-04T12:17:54Z")
I don’t have it broken down enough to tell. I spend 600 dollars a month on groceries, lunch, breakfast, eating out and beer. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/31 "2007-12-04T15:22:30Z")
$150.00 per week at the supermarket for food only. (Figure does not included cleaning supplies, toiletries etc) $80 -$100 per week eating out or take away. So (counting on my fingers and toes) around $950.00 I have an adult son, an 8 year old daughter and an ex husband that always seems to be out of food at his place to feed. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/32 "2007-12-04T15:51:38Z")
According to my budget for the past 16 months: **Groceries** Average $116 My lowest was $51; highest was $178 \*\*Eating out \*\* (includes alcohol at a bar) Average $66 Lowest was $2; highest was $172 ETA oh yeah, it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/33 "2007-12-04T16:05:02Z")
Two adults, three kids (12, 9 and 8). I get $200/2 weeks for groceries. Out of that I also buy things like laundry detergent, cat food, hygienic items, etc. We probably blow around $100/month on fast food - pizza for that many is either $10 (Little Caesar’s, pick-up) or $25 (Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, delivery, tip, etc). Couple of meals at a fast food joint, which varies in price like DAAAAMN. So exclusively on food, I’d say we spend about $450/month. Maybe $500 if you tack on emergency runs for milk, 1/2 & 1/2, etc. We don’t eat as healthily as we could, but we don’t live on potato chips and canned ravioli, either. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/34 "2007-12-04T16:12:01Z")
Roughly $450 a month for food and household cleaners, cat litter, toiletries, all the shopping. Probably about $375 just for food, plus an average of about $25 a week for fast food/eating out. So, $475 for two adults. Cripes. When we were first married I spent $60 a week, tops. Lots of no name mac’n’cheese and very cheap vegetables. And soup. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/35 "2007-12-04T16:19:56Z")
I think it’s about $260 for me. In my opinion, that’s way too much, and we need to stop eating out all the time. It should be $190 max, and could be done pretty easily if we’d eat at home more. We’re working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/36 "2007-12-04T16:26:54Z")
There are 3 people in my family - myself, my wife, and my infant son. We spend about 125 a week on groceries, and we spend about 30-50 a week eating “out”, which doesn’t necessarily mean resteraunts. That covers stuff like buying a can of soda at work or a slice of pizza on your lunch break. I think we spend about 20 a week on baby stuff like diapers and fingerfood snacks, so for the two of us its close to 600 a month. My half would be something like 300. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/37 "2007-12-04T16:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] On further looking, I think I might have misinterpreted that chart note, **tremorviolet**. [/QUOTE] No, I think you’re right, you’re supposed to do an adjustment for different sized families. (except for the 2 person family line which has the adjustment already calculated. > [@](#): > > 3The costs given are for individuals in 4-person families. For individuals in other size families, the following adjustments are suggested: > > 1-person—add 20 percent; > 2-person—add 10 percent; > 3-person—add 5 percent; > 4-person—no adjustment; > 5- or 6-person—subtract 5 percent; > 7- (or more) person—subtract 10 percent. > > To calculate overall household food costs, (1) adjust food costs for each person in > household and then (2) sum these adjusted food costs. Interesting, they acknowledge that cooking for small numbers of people is often more expensive than larger numbers. Hey, that means I can add 20% the average and makes my food budget look (very slightly) thriftier. I feel moderately pleased… ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/38 "2007-12-04T16:40:22Z")
I’ve budgeted about $300 for food per month. In practice that turns out more like $200 - $250 for food and a bit more for toilet paper, saran wrap, etc. This is just for me. ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/5daacb/32.png) [@Old\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Goat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/39 "2007-12-06T02:19:09Z")
Been tracking my expenses for 4 years. Monthly average for food $ 165.00. Moinimal resturant meals. Single male. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690/40 "2007-12-06T04:58:38Z")
About a $150 - $200 a week for two adults, a four year old and two very hungry kitties. This is spent primarily at Trader Joe’s and ShopRite. We don’t skimp on the organic produce, decent meat or good chocolate. I work at home but eat lunch out usually about twice a week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-spend-per-month-on-food/428690.md?page=3)