Household of two, no kids. I'm trying to keep our spending down so we can afford a vacation this summer.
The goal is $100 per week on groceries and $100 per week on restaurants. Yet somehow we keep going over. I don't think we're buying anything unnecessary… Like we will go to Costco to get paper plates, Clorox wipes, Kirkland vodka and soda water because the unit price is cheaper..then my bill is almost $200. Isn't shopping at Costco supposed to be cheaper in the long run?
I cook at home a lot, and we have a deep freezer. When I see a really good deal on meat I stock up a bit to save money long term. For example, prime rib roasts were on sale for $5.99/lb around easter. So I bought a few large roasts and cut them up into steaks for the year, vacuum packed and frozen. Usually ribeye is $20/lb so I should be saving money right?
Also my wife's favorite leisure activity is going to happy hour with our dogs. This one always surprises me, because we only do happy hour. No dinner prices. I order whatever's on special (literally $3 beer or $8 cocktail) and a $3 snack, yet our bill ends up being like $60 after tax and tip. Isn't happy hour supposed to be the affordable way to dine out?
I'm probably missing some obvious best practices, but I think I need guidance. It seems like I'm making frugal choices yet last month we spent $1300 on groceries and $900 on restaurants
A $200 per week budget for restaurants and groceries
byu/Sonicmantis inFrugal
Posted by Sonicmantis
27 Comments
[removed]
> I don’t think we’re buying anything unnecessary
This is followed by paper plates, vodka and soda water, of which atleast 2 if not all 3 could be deemed unnecessary
Why are you using paper plates? Go to a “buy nothing group” or second hand shop and get some you can clean and use again
$800 a month for food is insane.
Clorox wipes from Costco are like a once per year thing. Not everything needs to be sanitized
I think that the vodka and paper products, in huge amounts, is probably going to blow your budget.
Costco is cheaper for buying bulk. Buying bulk isn’t cheaper unless you needed a ton of something.
I would break it down. How much are you spending on alcohol? How much on non-food items? How much on ingredients for meals, and how much on premade food like chips or frozen food?
“I order whatever’s on special (literally $3 beer or $8 cocktail) and a $3 snack, yet our bill ends up being like $60 after tax and tip.”
I worry your math is not reflecting reality. Look at your bill. You ordrer two $8 drinks and a $3 snack, and your bill is $60 after tax and tip?
So that means your total is $19, and you pay $41 in tax and tip? Even if you did a 100% tip, you’re missing something.
is this rage bait? $900 for restaurants and $1300 on groceries is batshit insane for two adults. you are straight up buying unnecessary luxuries, no other way of putting it.
It seems like you’re drinking a lot of alcohol? It’s not a cheap vice.
You aren’t ordering a $3 snack and $8 cocktail and ending up with a $60 bill. You are ordering multiples – why is this a surprise? Eating out is almost always going to be the expensive option.
$2200 a month on food and dining? Is this one of those rage bait posts?
I spend 300 a month on groceries to feed two people. Granted, I’ve been practicing shopping frugally for half a decade now, but I think I’d *really* have to try to spend 200 a week on groceries. I’d reccomend starting at Aldi as a bare minimum first step. I’d also suggest making a list of what you want to eat in a week, then shopping based on that. For example, I know I want two chicken dishes, one fish, one tofu, a pizza, etc., then I shop the sales based on that.
We live in arguably one of the most expensive countries in the world and spend well under the equivalent of $200/week on food. But we also don’t go out to eat, use paper plates, or drink much alcohol.
$900 on restaurants last month? That’s two $100+ dinners a week. Are you going out for lunches or something too? Something isn’t adding up.
$200 is plenty for two people to be able to feed themselves. You need to be more intentional with your purchases. If you want to go out to eat, cool, but you need to set a limit and stick to it. Maybe take out fits into your budget better than sitting at happy hour and being obligated to order multiple items and tip well.
Bulk purchases are sometimes cheaper, but if you’re buying huge packages of paper plates and vodka that are wiping out your budget, then that’s your budget for the week. You need to have thought ahead the week before and stocked up on food items.
Shop sales. Meal plan. Limit your happy hour purchases. Don’t buy paper goods. Stock up on items you always use when they’re on sale.
I mean, it just depends on your lifestyle. I mean $800 a month for food a lot of which is going toward alcohol would not work for me like my husband and I drink probably once every five years Max and then it might be a beer at someone else’s house birthday party sort of thing
To me it’s just a lot of money on something completely unnecessary but it depends on your lifestyle. If alcohol is, I’m not giving it up and I have to have it then you’re probably not gonna be able to rain in your bill I mean cause hamburger meat is 799 a pound where I live so I don’t think anybody in here is gonna side you for spending 599 a pound on ribeye. It’s a better quality of meat and it’s cheaper than hamburger.
if you’re trying to save money don’t dine out, or do it once a month
Is there an Aldi where you live?
I think it’s good to spend a little money on activities you enjoy. But let’s say at happy hour you both get a snack and cocktail at the prices you list. Even with tax and tip that should be well below $60. I think you need to do a full inventory of what food and drinks you’re actually buying.
This really feels like rage bait, but in case it’s not, please sit down and track what you’re spending every month. What you’re actually spending. Your food budget should work out to an average, so if you’re spending at Costco for bulk or buying extra food to put in the freezer, the next bill should be cheaper because you’re living on what you already bought.
I also recommend putting your alcohol purchases under hobbies or some other category rather than food. You need to be aware of how much you’re actually spending on it and decide what makes sense for you
Your budget is unrealistic for the amount of eating out that you are doing. $900 a month for your $60 Happy Hour outings means that you are going out 3 or 4 times a week. If your spending goal is $100 a week on going out, you have to cut down to once a week for that.
You say:
>our bill ends up being like $60 after tax and tip.
as if that is an unreasonably large bill. That’s only $30 per person for food and a drink or two.
As far as the groceries, are you systematically eating the bargain foods that are in your deep-freeze? Or are they hanging out gathering ice crystals? Plan your weekly meals to include freezer foods.
Also, I noticed that you are including paper products, cleaning supplies and alcohol in your grocery budget. You could get a more realistic look at your spending if you set separate categories for those, and took the time to line list them separately in your spending spreadsheet.
My only advice to you is to stop eating out! Sadly, $60 for happy hour is probably as low as it gets unless you each only have one drink. We travel a few times per year and wouldn’t be able to do it if we were eating out often; it adds up really fast. Are you actually tracking your budget? I input my expenses weekly into a spreadsheet so I can see everything and figure out where each dollar is going. It takes a few minutes and has really improved my mindset about being frugal.
Paper plates (usually) are not a necessity. Cut down on things like that if you don’t really need them. I used to use tons of paper towels. I bought some white dish towels and just clean with those, throw them in the wash, and they are great! A 12 pack of paper towels could last me an entire year now.
$1300 for groceries is REALLY high. I could definitely feed two two adults for $4-500. Make up a meal plan for the week based on what your store has on sale and what you already have at home. I buy bulk meat at Costco when I can. We usually plan out 2-5 meals for the week. I cook in the crockpot and try to make enough to make another meal with some leftovers. We try to avoid premade stuff but will grab it if we are having a crazy week. Costco has some good prepared options that you can just pop in the oven. I always try to make things that I can repurpose into a different meal too, like Chicken fajitas can be used again for nachos or quesodillas the next night. Sauce with meatballs + pasta can easily feed us each three meals. The meatballs can be used for meatball subs if we are tired of pasta too. Try to make the things you are ordering at restaurants, once you can make a few of your favorites, you won’t feel the need to go out as much.
“Like we will go to Costco to get paper plates, Clorox wipes, Kirkland vodka and soda water…$200.”
How many of each of these are you buying to get to $200?!? And how long does it last??
Start using glass plates, and put them in the dishwasher.
“(literally $3 beer or $8 cocktail) and a $3 snack, yet our bill ends up being like $60 after tax and tip”
Again, how many drinks and “snacks” are you buying to get to $45? Assuming 20% tip & 10% tax, your bill is $45 before the taxes and tip!!
The best thing you can do is to really look at your detailed receipts for the past month and see WHAT you bought, and how much of that was wasted.
You may be trying to be frugal by buying at lower prices, but to be frugal you have to buy less also. Not buying something for $100 isn’t being frugal if you are buying for 4 alternatives for $30 each.
You mentioned happy hour with $3 beer and $8 food, but the bill ends up being $60 with tip. How many of each are you buying? 1 each for both of you is only $22. 2 each for your wife and 3 each for you is $55. That isn’t being frugal. Sounds like you need look at how much of stuff your are buying and cut back
So yes Costco runs are usually more than $100 because the large containers are expensive. The point is you don’t have to go back and buy it again for a few weeks, so it may work out to be cheaper. That said, Costco is not always cheaper than Walmart or Aldi per unit. The quality may be better, but I find it’s not always worth it and you have to evaluate which items are worth buying there for you.
It’s also easy to buy things you don’t need at Costco, because Costco is fun and you think you’re getting a deal. But it’s not a deal if you don’t need it.
I am also a stockpiler so I relate, but if you’re frequently stocking up on things like meat, then yes your grocery bill will frequently be more expensive. Maybe every other week or so, try to just use the meat and pantry staples you already have and keep additional spending to a minimum? That might help you reduce waste and spend less overall.
I also understand the restaurant thing because where I live, one date at a restaurant with one drink per person is easily $100. But the answer to this is just discipline. Just stop going out as much. Enforce a hard and fast rule of once per week. And then don’t break it. There really isn’t another way around that.
I do most of the meal planning and grocery shopping…also for a household of 2. I try to focus on seasonal pricing and sale items and build out a weekly menu based on those, ensuring we are using most or all of the ingredients across multiple meals. Our weekly spend is typically $80 for groceries and $40 for one takeout meal a week, and some weeks we skip that takeout meal. For the record, this is within 20 miles of Seattle WA – nationally recognized for high cost of living, so if we can hit these weekly numbers, anyone should be able to.
Paper plates are an unnecessary waste of money.
Why do you need paper plates, can you not wash plates? Why do you need corona wipes, can you not clean with a regular towel and clean it?
Well realistically you need to write everything down. What does a meal look like and does it cost? You say you are surprised when the bill comes at a restaurant, that’s because you aren’t looking at it on paper before or during the ordering.
Things like Clorox wipes are convenient but it’s just basically a paper towel with Clorox cleanup on it. 300 wipes are $20, and you can easily beat that buying a bottle of Clorox and a couple rolls of paper towels.
This is rage bait. Ignore it.
My wife and I can’t go out for less than $60 (cheap Mexican) to $100 (chain steakhouse like Texas Roadhouse). If you go out once and literally spend 1 penny on any kind of takeout – you’ve gone over your budget