How to keep food costs down?

[dioxide45]

OTOH, we keep a separate line item for dining out because to us this is like an 'entertainment' category--it's something we reserve for maybe once a week.

I even went a step further and track "Work Lunch". This gives me an idea of how much we are spending on food for lunch. A pretty easy cost co cut by brown bagging.

 

[cgeidl]

Can't believe $5000 per month for 2.5

We eat out about once a day average and our monthly food bill comes to about $1300. $900 for meals averaging $30 per day, $200 Costco,$200 Commissary and a bit at the local grocery store

1. Do not throw food out. We eat out almost once a day and cook a full meal at home and then eat too many snacks for our other food.
Keeping down eating out costs as follow
1. Use dining coupons. Saves us generally about one third of the meal cost.Even with this we sometimes have left over food.We use restaurant.com and mail coupons on about two of three meals we eat out.
2. We often order just one large salad and one entrée and split each often having some left over. We seldom take leftovers from restaurants unless like a large piece of steak with sometimes an appetizer.
3. We seldom order drinks except water. Drinks and desserts are most of a restaurants profits and the ingredients cost is only about 10 or 15 %. Often deserts are bought by them at Costco We have several restaurants we bring our own wine where the there is no corkage charge. The wine is less than $20 for a bottle normally $80 at the winery and often double that at a restaurant.. Our son manages a restaurant and alerts us to fine wines at bottom prices.
4. We have very good inexpensive deserts at home like a less than a dollar Hagen bar. Or freah friot.
5. High priced items like prime steak or king crab legs that taste as good or better at home we eat at home.
6. Our meals average about $30 or $900 per month. At home our food for the other meal and snacks averages about $400 per month.
Eating at home savings
1.Do not throw food out. I make lots of leftover omelets with leftovers and egg beaters.Also simple soups.
2. Buy items on sale in larger quanities.
3. We shop Costco for about half our grocery bills-mostly prime beef,fish,fruit, and desert items. We often buy Costco items on sale.
Walk around the outside in your grocery store and buy very few processed foods. Healthier and makes you wealthier.
4. We have access to using the military commissary which saves about 40 % on the few processed items we buy.We spend less than $100 a month at the local grocery store mostly for items we ran out of or need for a recipe.

With the amount we spend on groceries about $3700 per month less than your present budget that leaves us $45,000 to add to our overspending account of traveling from 60 to 90 days a year and often bringing our son and family along. We have been retired almost 20 years and spend about $12,000 per month, close to what you plan. Golf I have given up because of trigger finger the last year and we have not spent our budget last year..We have several retirement IRAS but have never taken any money out except for required distributions. After leaving some money to our children and enough for a reasonable state university the rest will go to provide for disabled veterans at the university we attended.
Life has been good to us. We have been fortunate.
Guess many have their own budget and knowingly and often joyfully overspend in one or more categories.
However it appears that most have no budget as I just read an article stating 63% of families would have a real problem if confronted with an unexpected $500 bill such as a car repair. They would need to borrow, use credit or suffer.

 

[VacationForever]

Cgeidl reminded me that we put weightage on levels of satisfaction (utils) on our spending. I probably place (tasty) food on a higher level than most TUGgers. TUGgers likely place travel at a higher satisfaction level than food, like Cgeidl. My husband likely prefers to spend $ on golf if he has to choose.

 

[MuranoJo]

I even went a step further and track "Work Lunch". This gives me an idea of how much we are spending on food for lunch. A pretty easy cost co cut by brown bagging.

Love it. Heck, even if you have money rolling out of your ears, why wouldn't you want to know where it's going?

I subscribe to LBYM and save for your retirement (but within a reasonable means--you also need to live for today!). This has allowed us both to retire early and do whatever--we just don't place a high value on dining out when we can cook just as well or better at home.

 

[WinniWoman]

Look, if you have tons of money, then spend it on whatever the heck you want.

Put it through a shredder if you want to.

Most of us all wish we were so lucky....

 

[ace2000]

Look, if you have tons of money, then spend it on whatever the heck you want.

Put it through a shredder if you want to.

Most of us all wish we were so lucky....

I don't think she'd be asking if she felt this way... I would think it's a financial issue as well as a health issue - eating out consistently tends to be very unhealthy unless you're really committed. I know I'd have serious problems if I went down that route.

 

[WinniWoman]

I don't think she'd be asking if she felt this way... I would think it's a financial issue as well as a health issue - eating out consistently tends to be very unhealthy unless you're really committed. I know I'd have serious problems if I went down that route.

Initially I thought that in terms of finances, but now I saw she recently posted that her financial advisor says they are doing just fine and that she can afford to spend the money. So that is why I said this. As for health issues that is another story but I thought she initially expressed concerns over the costs and not her health in relation to the food bill.

 

[Kel]

I am now trying to figure out why the OP started this thread in the first place. A lot of people posted helpful tips on reducing food costs and the OP doesn't seem to really want to reduce her food costs after all.

 

[VacationForever]

I am now trying to figure out why the OP started this thread in the first place. A lot of people posted helpful tips on reducing food costs and the OP doesn't seem to really want to reduce her food costs after all.

Maybe I do and maybe I don't. Can I afford to keep spending on food the way I have? Yes. I came here asking for inputs and while several responses have been useful, there are suggestions here that we just won't adopt. We won't make drastic changes and having food we won't eat or enjoy. It is like asking my cats eat dog food and vice versa.. Boxing meals? Not going to happen. Slow cooker? Great idea. Reduce impulsive buying? Another great one.

 

[WinniWoman]

On my way home from work this evening, I stopped at the supermarket as I routinely do every week on Friday and I couldn't help but think of this post.

You don't need to do this obviously, but something I have been doing more and more is buying generic brands of certain items- the store brand. We only have a small Hannaford supermarket in town and their generics are pretty good. They also have some organic items.

For the second week in a row I left my $5.00 off coupon in the car, but I realized it as soon as I walked out of the store, so I came back in to customer service and upon showing my store receipt they gave me the cash. So my $100 bill was down to $95 for this week.

Made up for the $4.00 I spent on Powerball tickets with my coworkers the past two days! I really don't want to go back into work on Monday morning!

 

[WinniWoman]

Happened to get this in my email box today.


http://www.moneytalksnews.com/10-ways-eat-better-for-less/2/

 

[Passepartout]

Maybe I do and maybe I don't. Can I afford to keep spending on food the way I have? Yes. I came here asking for inputs and while several responses have been useful, there are suggestions here that we just won't adopt. We won't make drastic changes and having food we won't eat or enjoy. It is like asking my cats eat dog food and vice versa.. Boxing meals? Not going to happen. Slow cooker? Great idea. Reduce impulsive buying? Another great one.

As I mentioned waaaay back in about post 3 or so, since you seem to be able afford to spend whatever you wish for whatever you want, what's the problem? I mentioned that any savings would require a lifestyle change that you seem unwilling to make. If you were to suffer some highly unwelcome reversal of fortune, review this thread. Many of the participants manage to survive on a small percentage of your budget without stooping to cold cat food.

Honestly, no one suggested something as radical as "asking my cats (to) eat dog food and vice versa". While simplifying lunches would save you some money, no one suggested lunch meat between slices of dry sandwich bread.

You are extremely fortunate to be financially able to spend what you profess to. It's a luxury very few of us have the opportunity to choose.

Good luck and good eats!

Jim

 

[x3 skier]

As I mentioned waaaay back in about post 3 or so, since you seem to be able afford to spend whatever you wish for whatever you want, what's the problem? I mentioned that any savings would require a lifestyle change that you seem unwilling to make. If you were to suffer some highly unwelcome reversal of fortune, review this thread. Many of the participants manage to survive on a small percentage of your budget without stooping to cold cat food.

Honestly, no one suggested something as radical as "asking my cats (to) eat dog food and vice versa". While simplifying lunches would save you some money, no one suggested lunch meat between slices of dry sandwich bread.

You are extremely fortunate to be financially able to spend what you profess to. It's a luxury very few of us have the opportunity to choose.

Good luck and good eats!

Jim

Well said Jim.

I have been amused by this whole thread and how it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, and speaking of food, especially the Tea Party.

Cheers

 

[falmouth3]

I just saw this on Lynn Khalfani-Cox's Facebook. If anyone would like to be interviewed by her, here's your chance.

Hey everybody - I'm working on a story about people who are 50 or older who have decided to downsize their house or lifestyle (i.e. going from a 3, 4 or 5 bedroom home to a smaller house, condo or townhome ...or just eating out less, cutting cable, etc.) Does this sound like you or do you know anybody like this? If so, please let me know ASAP here on FB or via info@askthemoneycoach.com. Thanks!