I'm just curious.

I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.

I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
can.

My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
them.

<Mitch@...> wrote in message
...
> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.
>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

I cannot imagine spending that much a week for two, even eating expensive
steak every night.

Two of us, we spend about $250 a month at BJ's, but that includes laundry
supplies and some household items. Then we spend about $20 to $40 a week at
the farmer's market, local grocery, bakery, etc.

Overall, I'd say about $375 a month and we eat well. I buy what I want, I
do look for bargains and sale items but I buy center cut pork chops, rib eye
steak and roasts. etc. I do take my lunch every day too. We eat out maybe
once a week for dinner, maybe a weekend lunch or breakfast, so kick in
another $120 a month for restaurant food. That does not include a few
times a year for "fine dining" that would be over $100 a visit.

Mitch@... wrote:
>
> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.
>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

My wife and I usually spend about $120 per week, including incidentals like
cleaning supplies and paper towels, toilet paper etc. We eat pretty well.

On Oct 20, 8:49 am, Mitch@... wrote:
> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.
>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
costs include eating out? -aem

On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.
>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

First of all how do you know this... if you don't live with them and
go along on all their shopping trips how can you varify?

Depends on how one defines "groceries", do you mean only edibles or do
you include all household items purchased from grocery stores. Many
familys spend more on non food items than they do on food. Perhaps
your brother and sil count restaurant meals as groceries... it's real
easy for two to spend 1,000/week dining out, perhaps they include
entertaining and their bar tabs too. Of perhaps they are on one of
the popular diet plans where meals are purchased by the month, a very
costly way to eat.

Asking how much is spent on groceries without any defining boundaries,
especially in an international venue, is actually about the silliest
question... I spend well over $200/week just on "groceries" for my
cats... perhaps your brother has a couple of St. Bernards.

A far more intelligent query would be what percentage of disposible
income does one spend on *food* prepared at home.

You need to grow up and stop looking in your brother's dish... I sense
a sibling rivalry issue... you probably want to bonk his wife too,
perhaps you already have.... you are extremely immature to concern
yourself with how your brother spends his money... it's obvious that
he earns far more than you and you are envious.

Mitch@... wrote:
> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.
>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

I bet this includes a lot of pre-prepped foods from the deli; kabobs,
stuffed salmon filets, chicken cordon bleu, bacon-wrapped filet mignon,
and tons of fancy side dishes to go with. Just take them home and bake
or grill according to directions.

I would also assume that this also includes one or more restaurant meals.

I spend probably $225 per week feeding my family of four. A little
less, maybe, since some of that is veggies, meat and bones destined for
the dogs. And that also includes one or more restaurant or carry-out
meals and both kids lunches packed for school.

They only have 20 minutes for lunch, which must also include the wait in
the lunch line. So although they are 17 and 13 respectively I still
pack their lunches; some sort of sandwich or protein (left-over steak is
a favorite), a bottle of chocolate milk, a carton of low fat yogurt,
maybe, or some applesauce or some grapes, maybe a couple of cookies or
some other sweet. Plus all of the necessary condiments, utensils and
napkins. All they have to do is walk in, sit down and start eating.

It's more food than they'd generally eat but I also know that both kids
share with hungry tablemates - the ones eating what my daughter's group
calls "a poor kid's lunch", a soda and a bag of chips, the cheapest
combo available. So nothing goes to waste.

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>> I'm just curious.
>>
>> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
>> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>>
>> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
>> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
>> can.
>>
>> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
>> them.
>
> First of all how do you know this... if you don't live with them and
> go along on all their shopping trips how can you varify?
>
> Depends on how one defines "groceries", do you mean only edibles or do
> you include all household items purchased from grocery stores. Many
> familys spend more on non food items than they do on food. Perhaps
> your brother and sil count restaurant meals as groceries... it's real
> easy for two to spend 1,000/week dining out, perhaps they include
> entertaining and their bar tabs too. Of perhaps they are on one of
> the popular diet plans where meals are purchased by the month, a very
> costly way to eat.
>
> Asking how much is spent on groceries without any defining boundaries,
> especially in an international venue, is actually about the silliest
> question... I spend well over $200/week just on "groceries" for my
> cats... perhaps your brother has a couple of St. Bernards.
>
> A far more intelligent query would be what percentage of disposible
> income does one spend on *food* prepared at home.
>
> You need to grow up and stop looking in your brother's dish... I sense
> a sibling rivalry issue... you probably want to bonk his wife too,
> perhaps you already have.... you are extremely immature to concern
> yourself with how your brother spends his money... it's obvious that
> he earns far more than you and you are envious.

Hey Sheldon, you forgot to sign off,
sheldonpsychoanalyst; or sheldon the phscho, sheldanalyst, or....well, you
get the drift! e.

Kathleen wrote:
> It's more food than they'd generally eat but I also know that both
> kids share with hungry tablemates - the ones eating what my
> daughter's group calls "a poor kid's lunch", a soda and a bag of
> chips, the cheapest combo available. So nothing goes to waste.

Nice kids

Ophelia wrote:

> Kathleen wrote:
>
>>It's more food than they'd generally eat but I also know that both
>>kids share with hungry tablemates - the ones eating what my
>>daughter's group calls "a poor kid's lunch", a soda and a bag of
>>chips, the cheapest combo available. So nothing goes to waste.
>
>
> Nice kids
>
>
They really are. And they know I don't care if they eat their whole
lunch, give part away or bring part home, the only thing I mind is good
food being thrown in the trash.

Kathleen wrote:
> Ophelia wrote:
>
>> Kathleen wrote:
>>
>>> It's more food than they'd generally eat but I also know that both
>>> kids share with hungry tablemates - the ones eating what my
>>> daughter's group calls "a poor kid's lunch", a soda and a bag of
>>> chips, the cheapest combo available. So nothing goes to waste.
>>
>>
>> Nice kids
>>
>>
> They really are. And they know I don't care if they eat their whole
> lunch, give part away or bring part home, the only thing I mind is
> good food being thrown in the trash.

Indeed!!!

One time on Usenet, Mitch@... said:

> I'm just curious.
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.

I take about $300-$325 every two weeks for my household budget, but
that includes gas for my automohicle.

> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.

All good ideas.

> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

Do they eat out a lot? Or just have expensive tastes..?

--
Jani in WA

One time on Usenet, Sqwertz > said:
> On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 14:24:22 -0400, elaine wrote:
>
> > Hey Sheldon, you forgot to sign off,
> > sheldonpsychoanalyst; or sheldon the phscho, sheldanalyst, or....well, you
> > get the drift! e.

I'm glad he *doesn't* do that -- it was funny when former RFCer Jack
Schmidt was doing it, but Sheldon's a poor imitation.

> Anyone who claims to spend $1000/month just to feed two or three
> cats, needs to sign off as "Completely Insane".
>
> $1000 would buy ~1300 5.5oz cans of premium cat food - about 44
> cans a day.

Must be hungry cats... ;^)

--
Jani in WA

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> Anyone who claims to spend $1000/month just to feed two or three
> cats, needs to sign off as "Completely Insane".

You illiterate coqsucker... I never said any such thing... and your
stutterer's comma proves you're talking with your mouth full of semen.

Sqwertz wrote:


> On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:49:48 GMT, Mitch@... wrote:
> > I'm just curious.
>
> Anywhere from $200-$350/month for just myself. It's more
> expensive feeding one person than it is 1 person out of 5 -
> unless you eat the same things all the time.


Utter ********, Steve...


--
Best
Greg

Little Malice wrote:

> One time on Usenet, Mitch@... said:
>
> > I'm just curious.
>
> > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> > the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
>
> I take about $300-$325 every two weeks for my household budget, but
> that includes gas for my automohicle.
>
> > I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> > I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> > can.
>
> All good ideas.
>
> > My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> > them.
>
> Do they eat out a lot? Or just have expensive tastes..?
>


No, they shop @ Whole Foods...

:-)


--
Best
Greg

Sheldon wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>
> > Anyone who claims to spend $1000/month just to feed two or three
> > cats, needs to sign off as "Completely Insane".
>
> You illiterate coqsucker... I never said any such thing... and your
> stutterer's comma proves you're talking with your mouth full of semen.


Lol...

I've just been cooking most of the day and sat down (with a big tall
drink of Diet 7 - Up and Popov wodka...), I needed a good laff...now
all we need is for "cybertwot" to jump into the affray.

;-D

I *definitely* think Steve either has lost or *is* losing it,
leastwise as far as reading comprehension goes. And anyone who has
read this group for awhiles knows you have more than "two or three
cats"...fer cryin' out LOUD.


--
Best
Greg <chuckle/>

On Oct 20, 3:47 pm, Gregory Morrow >
wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > Sqwertz wrote:
>
> > > Anyone who claims to spend $1000/month just to feed two or three
> > > cats, needs to sign off as "Completely Insane".
>
> > You illiterate coqsucker... I never said any such thing... and your
> > stutterer's comma proves you're talking with your mouth full of semen.
>
> Lol...

That really was deliciously over the top...well...maybe that was a
poor choice of word.
>
> I've just been cooking most of the day and sat down (with a big tall
> drink of Diet 7 - Up and Popov wodka...), I needed a good laff...now
> all we need is for "cybertwot" to jump into the affray.

Popov? Isn't that a slang term for ejaculate?
REAL MEN (like Shel) drink Crystal Palace.
>
> ;-D
>
> I *definitely* think Steve either has lost or *is* losing it,
> leastwise as far as reading comprehension goes. And anyone who has
> read this group for awhiles knows you have more than "two or three
> cats"...fer cryin' out LOUD.
>
> --
> Best
> Greg <chuckle/>

--Bryan

Mitch@... wrote:

>
> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

I'm certainly curious as to what they buy and what *else* is included in
that tally (restaurant meals? lottery tickets purchased at the market?)

On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.

That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
feed a cat.

>Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
>costs include eating out? -aem

He's a gourmet, so he buys expensive meat, seafood, and other
ingredients.

On Oct 20, 10:56?am, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:49:48 GMT, Mitch@... wrote:
> > I'm just curious.
>
> Anywhere from $200-$350/month for just myself. It's more
> expensive feeding one person than it is 1 person out of 5 -
> unless you eat the same things all the time.
>
> -sw

I have not kept track of what the food spending is per week or month.
I buy what I want or what I need, there are two of us and two cats, so
doubt if it is especially high or low. Are dinners eaten out
included? How about when you go to a friends for dinner and take a
bottle or two of wine, how do you calculate the costs?

With retirement just around the corner, maybe I need to pay attention
a bit more !
Rosie

Sheldon wrote:
>
> On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
> >
> > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.
>
> That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
> meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
> feed a cat.

How do you figure it costs more than $3.32/day to feed one cat, unless
you mean the cat in question isn't a typical household feline? My two
house cats are fed one can of 'wet' cat food per day between the two of
them, and that can costs about $0.50/can, if it's not on sale. So,
that's about $15/month. That does not count the price of dry food,
though. Cat#2 does need to be put on a 'diet' though, since she's
getting a bit too plump!

Sky, who's rather poor at math without a calculator

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

Last week, I spent $20 and a few cents on groceries. Usually I spend
rather more, but I haven't been keeping track.


--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
mirror: http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

Goomba38 > wrote:

>Mitch@... wrote:

>> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
>> them.

>I'm certainly curious as to what they buy and what *else* is included in
>that tally (restaurant meals? lottery tickets purchased at the market?)

Probably includes wine, at which point there is almost no logical
upper limit.

In our case, we go to the farmer's market three times/week
at about $50 a pop, so that's $600/month for two people plus
maybe another $100 (tops) at Trader Joe's.

Steve

On Oct 20, 7:13?pm, Sky > wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
>
> > On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>
> > > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.
>
> > That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
> > meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
> > feed a cat.
>
> How do you figure it costs more than $3.32/day to feed one cat, unless
> you mean the cat in question isn't a typical household feline? My two
> house cats are fed one can of 'wet' cat food per day between the two of
> them, and that can costs about $0.50/can, if it's not on sale. So,
> that's about $15/month. That does not count the price of dry food,
> though. Cat#2 does need to be put on a 'diet' though, since she's
> getting a bit too plump!

My cats stay the same weight regardless how much they eat, in fact I
wish Jack and Jilly would gain a couple of pounds but no matter how
much they eat they burn it off, especially Jack, he eats the most yet
he weighs the least, only 11 pounds.

My cats get unlimited premium brand dried food, there's a gravity
feeder filled at all times. They each get one of those 50cts cans of
Fancy Feast at some point each day, that's how they get their meds,
crushed pills mixed into the seafood variety, their favorite. They
also share in whatever I cook for me, if I roast a chicken the six of
them can easy polish off half, When I grill pork chops I make four,
two for me, two for them, if I grill a porterhouse they can easy eat
1/3+, they actually eat more of the meat than me and they get the
entire filet. Plus they get all kinds of snacks each day... they love
vanilla ice cream which they each get a tsp now and again, they love
ham, they each get a slice of Boar's Head ham, they love cheddar
cheese, cream cheese, evaporated milk, cottage cheese, all sorts of
things... and they love vegetables too; corn, carrots, squash, beans.
And there are other items too, they even like the crusts from toast.
I really can't give an exact accounting to the penny, some days it
costs more than others, but it easily averages well over $3 a day per
cat. Costs about $20 a week just for cat litter... there are three
large pans (two in the basement, one in a back room, mostly for Peach,
she's deathly afraid of the basement), they get cleaned twice every
day, and totally sanitized once each week, dumped, and scrubbed with
lavender Fabuloso. Oh, I also spend quite a bit on fancy schmancy
room deodorizers, even a few of the battery operated type, and cans of
Lysol disinfectant spray.... there is absolutely no cat smell in my
abode. And of course they get lots of toys, those ain't cheap, and
they destroy those regularly, even catnip ain't cheap. And I need to
spend substantially more on cleaning, they even have laundry; they
each have their own towels and blankies to sleep on (professionally
hand knit from exotic natural yarns, even llama and alpaca, no cheapo
man made fibers for my babies), laundered regularly, in fact they have
their very own washing machine, I have a spare full function Kenmore
in the basement just for their hairy delicates, and because of the
hair I have to vacuum every day, even spent more than $600 recently on
a new Dyson just for them. And I won't even discuss vet bills and
meds, and they don't have insurance... I spend whatever it costs.
Anyway, I'm sure it costs more than $3.32/day for each cat... when it
comes to my cats I spare no expence... the pleasure they give is
immeasurable, they are worth every penny and then some.

Sheldon

Goomba38 wrote:
> Mitch@... wrote:
>
>>
>> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
>> them.
>
> I'm certainly curious as to what they buy and what *else* is included in
> that tally (restaurant meals? lottery tickets purchased at the market?)


If they do all their shopping at Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) as
Mitch says, they buy $250 worth of food and pay $500 for it.

gloria p

<Mitch@...> wrote in message
>
> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.

Some of this is age dependant (younger kids just do not eat as much) and
some is the area (food costs vary).

> I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> can.

I'd hazard a guess that you mostly use fresh produce and not too much of the
convience processed things. I'm the same way. When I walk out of a grocery
store stateside, it's with 100-125$ worth of food that will do us 3 for 2
weeks easy. In Sasebo Japan (just moved back 20 days ago) it was pretty
much the same but the products gotten just changed from seafoods (much
cheaper there than here) to other meat cuts. I still get lots of fish now
though and am having salmon fillets for dinner, while last night was
catfish.

I'd guess that I use probably even less convienece foods than you do and
this is where the difference mostly is. I do price shop for the lower
costs, but I dont just get the cheapest thing as sometimes there's a health
or taste difference we want in another brand. Coupons? I use them but
learned the trap of them too. They can make you think you are saving money
when in reality, even witht he coupon the item is more expensive than
another brand you like as well. Also can lead to impulse shopping for
things you don't really like that much or wouldnt buy as often.

> My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> them.

What do they do? Eat out every day? Thats 71$ a day and something like 23$
per meal!

Sample: Last night's meal

1/4 cup butter- price save club used to get the butter in large lots, 1 lb
was abut 1.75$- about 21cents
1/2 a green pepper- 30cents?
1/3 medium onion - 8 cents?
2/3 lb catfish at 2.99lb (2$) (you probably eat more meat that we do so
calculate up if desired)

2 packs ramen noodle (kid loves it, we dont mind it either)- 20cents

2 ears corn- 50 cents

2 cups steamed bok choy cabbage (25cents?)

3.54$ if I added right? Multiply a cost like that for 2 weeks and you get
17.54$ (smile). If 3 meals a day cost the same price, yiou get 52.62$ but
we also have those other things like laundry detergent, toilet paper and
such to factor in like everone else. And yeah, some other things slip in
easy enough like mini-boxes of raisins for Charlotte's school lunch or Don
and i get a hankering for T-bone.

Now match that with hamburger helper. 2.59$ for the box and just about the
same for the meat. Oh I'm not perfect, I have a few of those on hand
because we like the zesty tialian one. We also like the chicken helper (we
add a few things to make it even better). But mostly f I want a
pasta-ground beef thing, I use a recipe thats like the box but with a 50cent
gravey package, a few extra seasonings, and some dried pasta. Done that
way, you are looking at 50-75cents for equal to the 'box', plus the meat
cost.

xxcarol

"Sqwertz" wrote in message to Mitch@.:
>
>> I'm just curious.
>
> Anywhere from $200-$350/month for just myself. It's more
> expensive feeding one person than it is 1 person out of 5 -
> unless you eat the same things all the time.

Thats true. Unless you have enough excess freezer space to repackage
everything to smaller servings, you have a problem taking good advantage of
the larger pack sizes which drop the price of items quite a bit.

We are suffereing mildly just now (for our habits) as our extra chest
freezer isnt here yet. Normally I make our own stocks out of leftover bones
and chicken carcasses. Right now, I lack the freezer space for storing a
good batch so it's dried granules and a few cans here when I need stock.
Since i'm used to making my own (both better and less salt) at pennies a
cup, it was a sticker shock to get stock.

Oh the cost of making your own is practically free if you figure out that
you bought the chicken, roasted and ate it, then make the stock off the
leftovers. Its not very efficient for a single person as you get 1-2
gallons of stock which you have to separae then have freezer space for.

Perfect crockpot stuff.
xxcarol

On Oct 20, 4:02 pm, Mitch@... wrote:
> >Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
> >costs include eating out? -aem
>
> He's a gourmet, so he buys expensive meat, seafood, and other
> ingredients.

Well, we think we're gourmets, too, in that we appreciate high quality
ingredients prepared with care and imagination. But we'd have to step
up our searching for rare and exotic things to approach that budget
for a week. Figure as much as a pound of beef or veal or wild caught
fish @ $20/lb times two people times 7 days = $280/week for the dinner
entrees. That still leaves a lot of $ for side dishes and fancy
lunches. With desserts and reasonable wine I guess we could reach
your brother's budget but we'd sure have to work at it. But we'd be
fat. Are your brother and SIL big people?

The other problem is that a number or our favorite meals are really
inexpensive. I guess we'd have to give them up, huh? :-) -
aem

"Kathleen" wrote:

> I spend probably $225 per week feeding my family of four. A little less,
> maybe, since some of that is veggies, meat and bones destined for the
> dogs. And that also includes one or more restaurant or carry-out meals
> and both kids lunches packed for school.

Sounds high but some areas are that high. I live in a cheaper area for food
stuffs.

> They only have 20 minutes for lunch, which must also include the wait in
> the lunch line. So although they are 17 and 13 respectively I still pack
> their lunches; some sort of sandwich or protein (left-over steak is a
> favorite), a bottle of chocolate milk, a carton of low fat yogurt, maybe,
> or some applesauce or some grapes, maybe a couple of cookies or some other
> sweet. Plus all of the necessary condiments, utensils and napkins. All
> they have to do is walk in, sit down and start eating.

Charlotte gets 40 mins. She only says the microwave line is long so we add
nothing that needs that.

She has school lunch on pizza day but is hapy with a packed lunch most of
the time. We leave it up to her and she knows it saves us money so normally
goes the packed lunch route.

> It's more food than they'd generally eat but I also know that both kids
> share with hungry tablemates - the ones eating what my daughter's group
> calls "a poor kid's lunch", a soda and a bag of chips, the cheapest combo
> available. So nothing goes to waste.

Same here. I make a *point* of adding extra. If a kid is short, she's got
a small but enough extra for another. I even remember to cut her samwich in
1/2 (the larger bread slices, not the standard 'wonderbread stuff'). There
will normally be 1 cup worth of veggies, 1-2 cups of raw fruit, and small
'fun stuff' like a baggie of pickles, or olives, or pancit. Thermos of soup
or a soupy bean mix wil kick in as soon as it gets chilly.
xxcarol

Mitch@... wrote:
>> Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
>> costs include eating out? -aem
>
> He's a gourmet, so he buys expensive meat, seafood, and other
> ingredients.

Being a gourmet doesn't necessarily mean one eats expensively.
Likewise.. a lot of lousy cooks eat expensive crappy food.

One time on Usenet, Gregory Morrow > said:
> Little Malice wrote:
>
> > One time on Usenet, Mitch@... said:
> >
> > > I'm just curious.
> >
> > > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month. That includes
> > > the kids' school lunch tickets. I've never gone over that.
> >
> > I take about $300-$325 every two weeks for my household budget, but
> > that includes gas for my automohicle.
> >
> > > I'm pretty good about stocking up when things go on sale.
> > > I also make large batches and freeze things. I use coupons when I
> > > can.
> >
> > All good ideas.
> >
> > > My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
> > > them.
> >
> > Do they eat out a lot? Or just have expensive tastes..?
> >
>
>
> No, they shop @ Whole Foods...
>
> :-)

I'm thinking I'm glad I've never visited one...

--
Jani in WA

On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:38:38 -0700, Sheldon > wrote:

>On Oct 20, 7:13?pm, Sky > wrote:
>> Sheldon wrote:
>>
>> > On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>>
>> > > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.
>>
>> > That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
>> > meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
>> > feed a cat.
>>
>> How do you figure it costs more than $3.32/day to feed one cat, unless
>> you mean the cat in question isn't a typical household feline? My two
>> house cats are fed one can of 'wet' cat food per day between the two of
>> them, and that can costs about $0.50/can, if it's not on sale. So,
>> that's about $15/month. That does not count the price of dry food,
>> though. Cat#2 does need to be put on a 'diet' though, since she's
>> getting a bit too plump!
>
>My cats stay the same weight regardless how much they eat, in fact I
>wish Jack and Jilly would gain a couple of pounds but no matter how
>much they eat they burn it off, especially Jack, he eats the most yet
>he weighs the least, only 11 pounds.
>
>My cats get unlimited premium brand dried food, there's a gravity
>feeder filled at all times. They each get one of those 50cts cans of
>Fancy Feast at some point each day, that's how they get their meds,
>crushed pills mixed into the seafood variety, their favorite. They
>also share in whatever I cook for me, if I roast a chicken the six of
>them can easy polish off half, When I grill pork chops I make four,
>two for me, two for them, if I grill a porterhouse they can easy eat
>1/3+, they actually eat more of the meat than me and they get the
>entire filet. Plus they get all kinds of snacks each day... they love

Sheldon, your cats eat better than my husband and I do! (we do buy the
felines a premium canned food but they only get one can per day shared
between the three of them... plus kibble.)

>> > > My brother and his wife, no kids, spend $500 a WEEK for the two of
>> > > them.
>> >
>> > Do they eat out a lot? Or just have expensive tastes..?
>> >
>>
>>
>> No, they shop @ Whole Foods...
>>


Am I witnessing a "straight man/fall guy" (Burns & Allen) routine here --
sounds like it.
Soo funny!

Dee Dee

"aem" > wrote

> The other problem is that a number or our favorite meals are really
> inexpensive. I guess we'd have to give them up, huh? :-)

That's a funny thing to say. Made me laugh. You're absolutely
right. First of all, I'd have trouble spending $500 a week on
groceries no matter where I shopped, week after week. I don't
know what I'd eat all the time that would be that expensive.
And I would quickly miss most of the things I really like to eat
that are low cost. Roast chicken, for pete's sake, how much can
you spend on that?

nancy

aem wrote:
> Mitch@... wrote:
>
> > >Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
> > >costs include eating out? -aem
>
> > He's a gourmet, so he buys expensive meat, seafood, and other
> > ingredients.
>
> Well, we think we're gourmets, too, in that we appreciate high quality
> ingredients prepared with care and imagination. But we'd have to step
> up our searching for rare and exotic things to approach that budget
> for a week. Figure as much as a pound of beef or veal or wild caught
> fish @ $20/lb times two people times 7 days = $280/week for the dinner
> entrees. That still leaves a lot of $ for side dishes and fancy
> lunches. With desserts and reasonable wine I guess we could reach
> your brother's budget but we'd sure have to work at it. But we'd be
> fat. Are your brother and SIL big people?
>
> The other problem is that a number or our favorite meals are really
> inexpensive. I guess we'd have to give them up, huh? :-) -
> aem

There are lots of three pack a day smokers burning up close to $500 a
month.

I honestly don't think $500/wk for two adults is very extravagant...
it's only extravagant if they can't afford it... that comes to about
$35 a day each, or about $12 a meal... more than most spend but not
really so much, it's all relative. It's pretty easy to come up with
meals for two adults that average about $70 a day... I mean like a
simple lunch of sausage, cheese, fruit, bread, assorted olives, and a
moderate wine can easily top the full day's $70 allotment (I'm not
tawkin' Oscar Mayer bologna and Kraft singles). For dinner a few
quality lamb chops with wild 'shroom sauce, a fresh vegetable medley,
bread, wine, a nice dessert with gourmet coffee and apertif can also
cost more than $70. I can easily produce a menu for an entire year
consisting of common foods that would cost about $70 a meal for two
and not repeat once.... $12 a plate is a snap... a simple breakfast
for two can easily top $25... NYC bagels with nova and a schmear, with
a pitcher of mimosas, coffee, and danish and you're well over 25 bucks
and no one is stuffed (and that's eating at home), instead of the
bagels a seafood crepe and cheesecake instead of a danish you can add
another ten bucks. Heck, a decent meal at a NYC Chinatown joint for
two can very easily top $100... and that's a very moderately priced
meal and nothing exotic. Again, it's all relative, depends on ones
pocket.

But feeding a family of five on $500 a month is definitely poverty...
welfare food stamp level... one active teenager can scoff up $500 a
month all by himself just by inhaling. From reading this thread I
strongly suspect that many here eat **** poor fare... a lotta generic
box mac n' cheese and that ilk... they certainly ain't doing much
cooking... you can't be doing cooking alloting only $1.12 each for
dinner... that won't even cover a grilled cheese, a banana, and a
glass of milk. A 12oz can of Spam costs $4, with a small loaf of
cheap white bread and some yallo musturd that family of five uses up
their buck n' change each and goes to bed ill fed and famished.

I think most folks in the US live on a food budget somewhere about
haflway between those two figures... about $10-$12 a day per person is
more realistic for working class folks... people have snacks, they
drink a soda, eat cookies, chips, a hunk of cake, a bowl of ice cream,
a few cups of cawfee a day, a beer or two now and again.... only truly
poverty afflicted live on meals costing a buck a pop.

Obviously there are a lot of rfc'ers whose computer budget is more
than their food budget.

I can easily afford $500 a week on groceries just for me but I don't
because I honestly don't prefer those gourmet foods as a steady diet,
I'm more a meat and potatoes stew/soup kinda person, I much prefer to
pig out on meat loaf than prime rib, and I'm essentially pretty frugal
in that I don't like to waste food, but I eat a lot better than meals
for a buck. But then maybe I do spend more than I think... just this
afternoon I felt like a little nosh and so I polished off two cans of
King Oscar brisling sardines at $3+ per pop, who's counting.. my cats
is who, had to share half a can, they smelled those sardines right
through the can. A rough off the cuff guess, on average I spend
about $200 a week on edible groceries just for me... I'd say I spend
as much on feeding my six cats as I do on feeding me, so my family
grocery bill comes darn close to that $500 a week.. and even though I
can easily afford the good stuff I still drink $11.99/two liter
vodka... **** you, Sqwertz! LOL

I don't know if I believe the OP's grocery bill... a family of five,
if only two are female, has got to be spending at least $2/day just
for TP.
Sheldon

On Oct 20, 10:06?pm, Goomba38 > wrote:
> Mitch@... wrote:
> >> Your costs seem neither particularly high nor low. Do your brother's
> >> costs include eating out? -aem
>
> > He's a gourmet, so he buys expensive meat, seafood, and other
> > ingredients.
>
> Being a gourmet doesn't necessarily mean one eats expensively.
> Likewise.. a lot of lousy cooks eat expensive crappy food.

Amen!

Sheldon

On Oct 20, 10:56?pm, Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:38:38 -0700, Sheldon > wrote:
> >On Oct 20, 7:13?pm, Sky > wrote:
> >> Sheldon wrote:
>
> >> > On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>
> >> > > I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.
>
> >> > That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
> >> > meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
> >> > feed a cat.
>
> >> How do you figure it costs more than $3.32/day to feed one cat, unless
> >> you mean the cat in question isn't a typical household feline? My two
> >> house cats are fed one can of 'wet' cat food per day between the two of
> >> them, and that can costs about $0.50/can, if it's not on sale. So,
> >> that's about $15/month. That does not count the price of dry food,
> >> though. Cat#2 does need to be put on a 'diet' though, since she's
> >> getting a bit too plump!
>
> >My cats stay the same weight regardless how much they eat, in fact I
> >wish Jack and Jilly would gain a couple of pounds but no matter how
> >much they eat they burn it off, especially Jack, he eats the most yet
> >he weighs the least, only 11 pounds.
>
> >My cats get unlimited premium brand dried food, there's a gravity
> >feeder filled at all times. They each get one of those 50cts cans of
> >Fancy Feast at some point each day, that's how they get their meds,
> >crushed pills mixed into the seafood variety, their favorite. They
> >also share in whatever I cook for me, if I roast a chicken the six of
> >them can easy polish off half, When I grill pork chops I make four,
> >two for me, two for them, if I grill a porterhouse they can easy eat
> >1/3+, they actually eat more of the meat than me and they get the
> >entire filet. Plus they get all kinds of snacks each day... they love
>
> Sheldon, your cats eat better than my husband and I do! (we do buy the
> felines a premium canned food but they only get one can per day shared
> between the three of them... plus kibble

One teensy can for three cats... why bother... I think that's child
abuse.

http://www.phonifier.com/phonify.php...d-the-world%2F

Sheldon wrote:
> On Oct 20, 11:49?am, Mitch@... wrote:
>> I have a family of 5, and my food budget is $500/month.
>
> That's $3.32 per day per family member, that's about a dollar per
> meal... your family eats well below poverty level. It costs more to
> feed a cat.
>

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPla...FoodAtHome.htm

For what it's worth. I used to feed myself, my ex-husband, and a
preschooler for less than $300 a month,(not including paper products,
cleaning stuff, etc.) We very occasionally had fast food or a meal in a
"family" restaurant, and that amount does not include that either. We
ate decently; I made a habit of buying loss leaders and shopping at
places like Aldi. Most of what I made was from scratch as possible.

Most of my blog is gone, but this is some photo graphical evidence:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6412917...7600957324825/


--

Sarah Gray