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johnnyB1994 OP t1_j3ntwif wrote

Reply to comment by Fluorescent_Tip in [OC] 2022 budget for me and my fiancé (late 20s, USA) by johnnyB1994

Just curious, is that a guess? If I were to guess I would probably think the same but am always surprised to see how things actually build up.

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Fluorescent_Tip t1_j3o4o29 wrote

I do most of the most of the cooking / shopping and I usually spend about $50 each week - I added some to account for booze and miscellaneous stuff. It might help that we don’t buy meat and we shop at Aldi.

I have also accumulated countless bulk spices, dry beans, herb garden and what not that rarely needs to be purchased.

Fresh veggies, fruit and bread isn’t too expensive.

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johnnyB1994 OP t1_j3o5ncj wrote

Gotcha, well done! We do buy a lot of meat and while we try to go to Aldi, it isn’t the most convenient option for us compared to some overpriced grocery stores. I’m thinking if I build Aldi into our routine more, I could cut back a good amount.

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Fluorescent_Tip t1_j3o6056 wrote

We’re fortunate that is only a 5 minute walk away! It’s a great store for basic staples. I’ll never buy a bag of chips anywhere else without feeling cheated.

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johnnyB1994 OP t1_j3oltth wrote

That’s awesome! I agree Aldi is great for staples but IMO needs supplementing. We have a Trader Joe’s next to our Aldi and we like to hit both when we decide to take the drive. A great combo that happens to be owned by the same company!

Think I’ll add to my 2023 goals to get back in the habit of doing that

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No_Principle8258 t1_j3o0p8c wrote

Our family of 6 spends between $75 and $125 a week on groceries and we eat plentifully. Eating out is a massively overrated and overpriced expense.

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pookiedookie232 t1_j3psxd8 wrote

That's like bread, rice, and beans, though.

My family of 7 easily drinks 7 gallons of milk a week, so roughly $25 a week on just one staple. No way y'all are eating fruits, veggies, and meat on ~$100 per week

I'd be interested to see menus and recipes to verify them.

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johnnyB1994 OP t1_j3rfxu5 wrote

Fair point, I wonder where they live though. I’ve only ever lived in east coast cities so Im used to the mark up.

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No_Principle8258 t1_j3uq2pt wrote

HCOL city.

  • Peanut butter $4
  • 5lb bag Sweet Potatoes $6
  • Kale bag $3
  • pasta sauce $2
  • pasta (2lb) $4
  • rice (20lb bag lasts us a month) $38.98/30 days so roughly $8/wk
  • carrot $.89
  • onion $1.09
  • ground chicken $4.99 (1lb)
  • ground turkey $15.49 (3 lb)
  • ground beef $5.99 (1 lb)
  • frozen salmon ~18oz $18 (more fresh, lower price than thawed)
  • whole cantaloupe $4
  • Lactaid (only 1/wk - family has issues with lactose) $8
  • oatmeal lasts a decent while, but also cheap $5
  • occasionally buy nuts to throw in meals, but it’s more expensive than peanut butter snacks. This would add on most of the price.

Sometimes we drive up to fruit farms/vegetable farms and grab a ton of extras for low cost. Think $1/lb avocados, strawberries, etc. really helps us diversify since they can’t get enough people to harvest it all and sell.

Hope that clarifies any confusion. We don’t buy everything every week, and we eat everything, no leftovers. The full list is closer to $100 than $75.

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