How much is reasonable to spend on food?

[Cloud]

One of my New Years' resolutions is to spend less money on food, waste less food (and also to eat less of it); and therefore to save money. I always overspend at the grocery store, and eat out way too often. I end up throwing food away because I don't cook it before it goes bad, too.

I may have already asked this and forgotten, but how much is a reasonable amount to spend on food? For one person, per week (or whatever increment you wish). A generous amount (not bare bones); with maybe, once per week eating out. I have no idea, really, so I thought I'd ask y'alls' opinion.

[Juniper]

No clue. As a family of four, we spend a ridiculous amount at the store. We spend somewhere between $150-200 a week, easy. I've got to get better at this.

Here's some info from the USDA, for comparison:
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood.htm

[Cloud]

I think I spend almost that much myself (as a single person). I buy expensive stuff, sometimes, and love going to restaurants.

[skysidhe]

I suppose just to buy as needed?
It's hard to cook for one.

I don't know what I will do when I am cooking for myself only.

I have this terrible image of me annoying my neighbors with plates of cookies. I like to bake but I sure can't eat them all.

[DanaC]

My food bills range anywhere from £20 to £80 in a week.

[gvidas]

I love living alone because of how empty my refrigerator is: so empty that I haven't replaced the burnt-out bulb in a year and a half. No housemates clogging the shelves.

My view is: only buy large volumes of things that don't spoil quickly (olive oil, eggs, peanut butter, mayo, potatoes, pasta, canned beans/canned tomatoes, etc.) For everything else, go to the store every 1-3 days.

This works well for me, because I live upstairs from a great little grocery. Their produce is wonderful, but their dried/canned/preserved foods tend to be expensive. Regardless, if you're commuting, work it into the trip home. When you're shopping that frequently, you don't have to buy as much and can generally fit a single trip's worth of groceries on top of whatever else is in your bag.

[jinx]

$150-$250 a week (about half of what I was spending shopping at Whole Foods, but the kids are less sensitive to dairy now, and dairy free stuff is more widely available), depending mostly on how much I spent the previous week or if something special is going on. We're a family of 4 but Jim spends extra on his lunches.

[skysidhe]

You guys with big families do very well. There are two here and budget is around $80 to $100 dollars a week but that includes paper products,laundry soap, toiletries and pet supplies/ food too. I can manage on $60 if I have to and that would be just for grocery items and if I am stocked up from a previous week.

[Juniper]

Oh yeah, I'm not including cat & dog food. We get that at Tractor Supply, so I don't tend to think of it as "groceries." Nor am I including the kids' school lunches. I am also not including dining out - we do that at least once a week (Sun. after church), maybe more if I'm having a hard week, and hubby won't pack his lunch so he gets fast food every day. When I have time, I cook mostly from scratch, which is cheaper.

[glatt]

We eat out about once every six weeks. For our family of four, we spend around 150-175 a week. That includes packed lunches for everyone. For weeks that we eat out that one time, you can add $75-100 to that.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Slightly off topic as far as the question goes, but interesting to see how your spending stacks up to the "norm".

[skysidhe]

ok then where did you find that chart?

McDonald's pre-launch happy meal board meeting?

[xoxoxoBruce]

I don't even go to McDonald's.

[monster]

about $500/month for 5 of us. everyone packs lunches. we're just not food people, but we do cook from scratch.

[classicman]

Bruce, that is an interesting look at how it all breaks down.

thread/ Note the healthcare costs that are seemingly static. /drift