primitives discuss grocery bills

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1018

Oh my.

ZRT2209 (147 posts)   Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:03 PM

How much do you spend on groceries per month?

I have been closely tracking our expenses, and it ends up being between $2.50 and $3.30 per person per meal on average for a month. This includes groceries, fast food and eating out.

Since when is "fast food" not eating out?

Since when is "eating out" considered "groceries"?

RebelOne (26,165 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:33 PM

1. I do not eat out or eat fast food, but I spend on average at least $200 a month for just me and my dog. Every time I go grocery shopping, the prices on items I usually buy have gone up.

Sekhmets Daughter (4,794 posts)   Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:34 PM

2. Have you backed out all the ther things you buy at the grocery store?

Toilet tissue, laundry detergent etc?

Uh-huh.

Since when are non-food items "groceries"?

ZRT2209 (147 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:58 PM

4. oops! no - I just put the entire bill from the grocery store in the "groceries" category and it is still including shampoo, pet food, household cleaners, tinfoil, etc.

hmmmmm

In_The_Wind (35,782 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:52 PM

3. About $350,00 per month. including food for:

two adults
one adult chocolate lab
one blue and gold macaw
one lesser sulfur crested cockatoo
fourteen diamond doves

dixiegrrrrl (29,180 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 07:01 PM

6. 7 years ago I budgeted 50.00 a week for food for the 2 of us.

Just groceries, no TP, no pet food, etc.

No eating out, no fast food, just basic ingredients to cook with.

The budget worked fine for 4 years.

3 years ago the price of rice doubled.

so did the price of coffee.

And milk and....well, you get the picture.

We buy the same basics every 2 weeks.

But spend twice as much now.

there is very little budget room left.

MissB (10,357 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 07:07 PM

9. I have two teenaged boys.

So yeah, I probably spend a bit more in groceries than I would if it were just dh and I.
 
Dh and I work full time, so meal prep has to be pretty easy. We rarely go out to eat. We don't do fast food but once in a blue moon. We cook at home. Dh and I take leftovers for lunches, or soup.
 
I generally cook two whole chickens or a package of pork tenderloin on Sunday or Monday. Leftover meat is used in one or two dinners during the week - like enchiladas, tacos, curry, Chinese food, etc. I also make soup (split pea, chili, roasted pepper/carrot, vegetable) on Sunday.
 
If I make a lasagna during the week, I make two because it is just as easy. I cook one and freeze the other. The more that I cook, the more I find ways to save money on ingredients. Obvious examples include dried beans instead of canned or homemade vegetable stock instead boxed. Prep time is always a pain to deal with, but nice you get the hang of it, it isn't that big of deal.

<<<just checked; groceries only, single male, no special diet required, not a connoisseur, non-food items from grocery stores not included, average $50-60 a week.

<<<has no idea if that's good or bad.

[Evil_Conservative]

RebelOne (26,165 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:33 PM

1. I do not eat out or eat fast food, but I spend on average at least $200 a month for just me and my dog. Every time I go grocery shopping, the prices on items I usually buy have gone up.

Own it.

[thundley4]

9. I have two teenaged boys.

So yeah, I probably spend a bit more in groceries than I would if it were just dh and I.

Well, Duh!!!!  Of course it costs more to feed four people than it does three.  Idiot!

[FlippyDoo]

dixiegrrrrl (29,180 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 07:01 PM

6. 7 years ago I budgeted 50.00 a week for food for the 2 of us.

Just groceries, no TP, no pet food, etc.

No eating out, no fast food, just basic ingredients to cook with.

The budget worked fine for 4 years.

3 years ago the price of rice doubled.

so did the price of coffee.

And milk and....well, you get the picture.

We buy the same basics every 2 weeks.

But spend twice as much now.

there is very little budget room left.

So since your democrat overlords have been in control the prices have doubled? They sure are helping you aren't they?

[BattleHymn]

Well, Duh!!!!  Of course it costs more to feed four people than it does three.  Idiot!

Wait a second, does it still cost more when you run the figures through potato math?

[Dori]

The budget worked fine for 4 years.

3 years ago the price of rice doubled.

so did the price of coffee.

And milk and....well, you get the picture.

Gee...what do you suppose happened 3 years ago to make that happen?   

[franksolich]

Wait a second, does it still cost more when you run the figures through potato math?

It's kind of easy to compute it in this red state, where groceries aren't subject to the sales tax.

One just looks at the grocery store receipt, where the non-taxable items are listed separately from the taxable items, and that's it.

[98ZJUSMC]

<<<just checked; groceries only, single male, no special diet required, not a connoisseur, non-food items from grocery stores not included, average $50-60 a week.

<<<has no idea if that's good or bad.

For one person, that's about right.  I can scrimp and get by on $40-$45 sometimes, but $50-$60 is the norm.  With the GF, I budget $270/mo.  absolute max, or I sequester her disposable income. 

[BattleHymn]

It's kind of easy to compute it in this red state, where groceries aren't subject to the sales tax.

One just looks at the grocery store receipt, where the non-taxable items are listed separately from the taxable items, and that's it.

Out of curiousity, what does a gallon of milk run up there? It's $3.98 here. 

[98ZJUSMC]

Gee...what do you suppose happened 3 years ago to make that happen?   

Bush ..... Republicans ....... Jooooooos ......Bush .........  Rethuglican Sequester eLeVeNtY!!!!111!!!

[/DU History]

[98ZJUSMC]

Out of curiousity, what does a gallon of milk run up there? It's $3.98 here. 

Right about the same here in Redstate (Downstate) Illinois.  Oddly, we run across occasional killer sales on half gallons that come to about $2.00/gal.

[franksolich]

Out of curiousity, what does a gallon of milk run up there? It's $3.98 here. 

I just checked a receipt from Thursday.

$3.49 for the real stuff, whole.

[BattleHymn]

Right about the same here in Redstate (Downstate) Illinois.  Oddly, we run across occasional killer sales on half gallons that come to about $2.00/gal.

If you're in downstate IL, we might be getting ours from the same cow. (SW MO)   

[98ZJUSMC]

If you're in downstate IL, we might be getting ours from the same cow. (SW MO)   

   Probably!

South of Marion/Lake of Egypt.

[BattleHymn]

  Probably!

South of Marion/Lake of Egypt.

The closest I've been to your neck of the woods has been Cairo.  That is always an... experience.  I don't think anybody there can afford to pay for any of their groceries with their own money. 

[98ZJUSMC]

I just checked a receipt from Thursday.

$3.49 for the real stuff, whole.

I've been drinking 2%-1% for so long, Whole tastes like Buttermilk, to me.  Can't handle it and I LOVE milk.  A couple years ago, the GF found Whole Milk in sale for something ridiculously cheap.  One swig and I made the sour face.  Same with her. We used it to cook with, that's it.

[98ZJUSMC]

The closest I've been to your neck of the woods has been Cairo.  That is always an... experience.  I don't think anybody there can afford to pay for any of their groceries with their own money.  

  Cairo ...... !!  Yeah, it's.......a trip.  I used to drill down there with the Guard (early-mid 80's) as our 4.2" Mortar Platoon was down there (whose MTOE gear was in E. St. Louis  ) .  Saturday nights, we used to hit the bars.  100% black and we never, ever had a problem.  In fact, we had a friggin' blast.  We were still in Woodland BDU's, not sure if that had anything to do with it.  Then again, as a Scout Platoon, we looked pretty hard corps compared to the rest.  We were purging the post-Carter non-hackers at that time.  They formed us out of former Marines, Vietnam time ex-LRRPs, Combat Engineers and the like to, specifically un- f**k the country clubbers and square it away.

Had a bar in the Armory, too!  The First Sergeant ran across the Mississip for Coors, which was not available on our side, then.  The shit we used to get away with is not to be believed.

Ahhh...good times.  Very good times.

[Freeper]

In_The_Wind (35,782 posts)    Sat Mar 2, 2013, 06:52 PM

3. About $350,00 per month. including food for:

two adults
one adult chocolate lab
one blue and gold macaw
one lesser sulfur crested cockatoo
fourteen diamond doves

You put the comma in the wrong place, it should read $35,000 a month. And damn that is a lot of groceries.
 

I know I know the comma was supposed to be a period. 

[BattleHymn]

You put the comma in the wrong place, it should read $35,000 a month. And damn that is a lot of groceries.
 

I know I know the comma was supposed to be a period. 

Yes, a comma instead of a decimal point.  What a very europeeeeaaan thing to do.   

[Evil_Conservative]

Out of curiousity, what does a gallon of milk run up there? It's $3.98 here. 

$2.99 here.  Depending on which brand you buy.  I've seen it as high as $3.29 for a gallon of milk a couple of weeks ago.

[jtyangel]

Milk here in the oh is around 2.59 a gal but they've been running good sales lately and you can get it for 1.99 a gal

I think we might run cheaper because ours does not have as far to go to get to market. Always seems to run cheaper then many other places in the country. Cheese too. Lately eggs have been ridiculous so I get the 3 doz pack at SAMs club and that's been 1.39 for a dozen versus 1.69 and higher at the regular grocery store.

[RobJohnson]

$2.99 here.  Depending on which brand you buy.  I've seen it as high as $3.29 for a gallon of milk a couple of weeks ago.

I found some on sale this week for 2.69/gal all proofs included.   It was one of the brand names.


Prices go up. The DUmmies EBT benefits go up. My taxes go up. Conservatives pay a price for working so the DUmmies can sit on their lazy ass and bitch they have to suffer. Kiss my hard working ass DU.

[sybilll]

If you have an Aldi within a reasonable driving distance, it is worth it.  I don't care for some of the off-brand cereals and snacks, but the staples cannot be beat.  I figure I save enough there to at least buy a tank of gas. 

[RobJohnson]

If you have an Aldi within a reasonable driving distance, it is worth it.  I don't care for some of the off-brand cereals and snacks, but the staples cannot be beat.  I figure I save enough there to at least buy a tank of gas. 

On my last visit to Illinois Aldi was  closing stores and making grocery super stores.

A couple small communities lost their Aldi stores.

I know a church group that compared canned goods from Aldi to other brands. They simply found more water and less product in the cans.

[JohnnyReb]

In 1968, me and the wife got by on $20 every 2 weeks.....me and current wife can eat that up on one trip to a greasy spoon......and one of us will leave hungry.