How much do you spend on food per week - groceries and the occasional take-out/restaurant?

Totally depends on where you live, what access you have to comparison shopping, how you value quality food like fresh fruit & good meat chicken, and how you prioritize eating to other necessities.

During the pandemic when I wasn't venturing far from home, I ended up paying almost twice as much for a number of food items (coffee, peanut butter, bread, pasta, butter, etc).

$100 is not a liberal budget but I can live on less if I am very very careful and deny myself ingredients to make good meals.

$150 per week. All organic.

I spend $100 in five weekdays between Starbucks, lunch takeout and snacks. And so much more for groceries, dinner takeout/restaurants, wine, etc. I'd have to radically change my lifestyle to fit their "liberal" budget. (But in my defense, I don't spend much in many other areas of my life, and much of my enjoyment comes from food and wine.)

OP - you need to shop at Aldi. $100 in groceries from there will last you 2 weeks without much of a difference in quality or lifestyle.

It's around 40-60% cheaper than a regular grocery store. Does it have everything? No. But it has really become more varied and they have a lot of good stuff.

Plus you need to learn how to cook a little bit - it goes a long way.

What's your monthly salary, r5?

How much is your rent/mortgage?

People seem to ignore the fact that many people, especially people on limited budgets, cannot get to stores of their choice.

People in cities usually shop at a local grocery store. Those stores have practically a captive audience and they know it.

Spend about $50 a week, food stamps. Learn to love beans.

In just food items I spend an average of $75.00/week. Since the pandemic began I have not dined out once (including take out or drive thru) and don't intend to until things are far more safe than they are now.

R7, I make a couple hundred thousand a year, and my half of the mortgage is less than $1000/mo. So my food budget isn't a burden, and I'm grateful.

If you like peanut butter and jelly (or high fruit/low added sugar preserves) you can get organic wheat bread, no sugar added peanut butter (I prefer Trader Joes) and it works out to less than $1 per sandwich. I could eat a pbj every day.

You can now get 1lb of organic salad mix (green stuff not iceberg lettuce) for $5 at most supermarkets.

Breakfast: Costco sells 8-10 lb boxes of quaker oatmeal for under $10. Add a banana, salt, splash of milk or almond milk, vanilla extract if you have. 7 breakfasts will cost you under $5 per week.

Chia seeds - Costco sells bulk chia seeds. Several pounds for under $10. If you've never had chia pudding, try it. Basically just let the chia seeds soak in almond/soy/regular milk overnight and add fruit or sweetener. Ridiculously healthy and cheap. can also be a dessert.

I live in a high cost of living area. I spend about $400 / month and that doesn't include what I spend on coffee.

$150 per month sounds like you're doing well, esp. if you don't cook. But beware eating a lot of takeout food. Not good for your health in the long run.

What do you like to eat, OP, besides pasta?

R9, buy inexpensive bread, toast it and add peanut butter - good protein and very filling. Add a tangerine. Deelicious.

I loved it when I found a gigantic tub of Maxwell House coffee for the same price that my local small market was selling Folgers half the size for the same price. I wish I had ventured a bit further during the pandemic early days. Also they had a giant peanut butter jar for almost same price small jar at my local market. And with my rewards card I even got eggs cheaper.

I don’t eat out but maybe once a week. Otherwise about $185 for my Jenny Craig food plus $100 a week for my produce and yogurt.

Thanks r11

How much produce & yogurt do you eat a week for $100.00? Damn.

Also, do you have a car, OP.

Stop and Shop is the most convenient for me and I do have a car but Aldi's is a half hour away. I will occasionally cook a not too expensive steak or chicken in the air fryer and a frozen or boiled vegetable. I only eat a pastry for breakfast with instant coffee. I know it's white trash but Folgers really isn't bad and it's really cheap. Lunch is at most chicken salad, tuna, soup, and recently vegetable dumplings which I never knew I loved. I don't eat pork and my tastes are very simple. I never eat snacks. I can't do deserts as they only give me acid reflux which brings me to another question. I occasionally used Zantac (ranitidine) which was the only one that worked for me. Is the new formula safe?

I have bigger (lump sum) seasonal costs that breakdown my weekly expenses on food. I grow and preserve what I garden and purchase the bulk of my meat in shares of a whole or slab & freeze. . . even cow knuckles can churn out a couple meals plus it can be a nice treat for the pets.

I also get a few things in trade - you can benefit from getting to know people that rely on commodities and many towns have volunteer, social or other opportunities to have a meal or receive groceries without cost.

so, that frees me up to be a lot more frugal in my weekly shopping. Some of my work involves being away from home but I keep my overhead low with communal meals and my own prepared snacks, meals - which involves some specialty appliances and gadgets to make it easier/save time.

I splurge more on seasonings and condiments usually aiming for bulk sizes and moving to smaller containers, so I don't have to buy as frequently - though one can gather packets from restaurants, take out and fast food joints to virtually eliminate those costs. seasonings really make the difference in budgeting your food expenses.

take out/restaurants/etc can be affordable, too, but it helps if you keep it in perspective of trying to get more than one meal out of it. there's also many deals to be had based on when you time it - like happy hour. and of course, collecting those coupons and looking into the available discounts, including credit/transaction benefits, especially those with point systems, that is if you can safely budget it.

but trading out the take out for the heated meals at your grocery store, like rotisserie chicken, might take you further with your lack of cooking abilities. being able to spread the meat over a few days and use the leftover bones/carcass & fat/grease for soup or a broth/stock to add to staples in your pantry.

BBQ chicken with side salad and sticky rice, and drink plenty of water afterwards will save some money and last longer.

[quote]my half of the mortgage

Having someone else in the house who is earning money is key, apparently.

OP of you want to spend leas money on food per week you have to start cooking your own meals and you need to limit the amount you spend on premade foods which are really expensive for what they are.

R24 is correct. If you can’t cook OP, watch you tube for a few basics. Eat eggs-cheap and if boiled, idiot proof to cook. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables. Another poster mentioned oatmeal, which is cheap. Watch store flyers for weekly deals on meats.

You need to stop ordering food in, other than the odd pizza as a treat.

I will add to R25. Soups are your friend. When people say buy a precooked chicken etc. Don't do that. Buy chicken leg quarters and bone them. Even if you do a shitty job at first who cares. Use the bones to make stock and use the meat to make a braised dish like greek reddened chicken which i can supply a recipe for if you want. Beans and legumes are your friend as well for protein. Buy fruits and vegetables on sale. Learn to make iced tea and other beverages from scratch. One poster suggested steak. Waaaay too expensive. Only if on sale. You will have to power budget. One thing I would suggest, if you're a bread eater is make your own bread. Cut up what you will use right away and freeze the rest. If you're going to invest in an appliance get a bread maker. You can use it to make bread dough, dumpling dough, whatever you want. Hummus and pita bread that you make -- easy -- would make a good snack food. Cheese in moderation -- too expensive. Please ask if you have any specific questions

A large pizza will last me three nights. Deli turkey, cheese and bread for lunch. Fill out the rest of the week with fast food burgers or Chinese. I'd say less than $60/week.

OP shop at Market Basket, they're cheaper than the rest.

Fast food / chinese is expensive

R10, you would make the perfect poster child of a paranoid, Covid fearing freak.

A double cheeseburger is $6.50 at Wendys and cut in half is two meals for me. Chow Mein and 2 entrees is $8.50 at Panda Express and two meals and a hearty snack for me. I eat small portions.

I would watch out re: all that fast food. I eat more than my share of McDonald's, but it will catch up with you.