How much do you spend on food?
 

As noted in today's "The Villages Daily Sun", Popmenu recently reported that the average consumer spends $350 per week on food ($115 on restaurants + $235 on groceries). That's the equivalent of $35,000/year, or close to $100/day per couple. My food expenses are about 1/3 of that, and more in line with other results I found online.

I challenged Popmenu on the results of their survey -- waiting to hear back. Meanwhile, how much do spend?

Yeah, that doesn’t seem right. If that person eats out twice per week then both restaurants and groceries cost them $50 per day. If they eat out only once then groceries cost only $40 per day. Either way that seems like too much for groceries, certainly more than we spend.

We’re not the typical consumer, we eat out more, yet we didn’t spend $35K for food last year.

I spend about $150 on food per person, per week. But I don’t like to eat out much except to socialize, I prefer my own cooking.

Our monthly food budget is $1000. Generally $600 for groceries and $400 for dining out. That's about $250/week. That does not include alcohol. There's another $400/month budgeted for that ;-)

Hope that helps.

I track this on a spreadsheet (bc of course I do, LOL). Last winter in TV, we spent, on avg, $600/month on groceries (2 people). It was higher in Dec/Jan and then lower each month thru the end of May. Prices were definitely dropping a bit as we didn't change our buying or eating habits.

We eat out maybe 2 or 3 times a month when in FL, at mid-priced restaurants, rarely spending more than $75 including tax and tip. But to be fair, if we ate those meals at home, they would have cost 1/4 of that. Groceries is a much better indicator than restaurant bills. YMMV

We use AI to generate our meal plans for the week, keeping it healthy, quick, and under $100/week at the grocery store, and actual meal assembly quick.

Here’s an example using perplexity: Just a moment...

You’ll see it has some issues with assembly times, so you’d have to go over it ahead of time.

Grok and Gemini can do it too. We’ve had lots of success with those, grok seems to be the best of the three.

I eat cheap and light. This is the content in the Daily Sun?

Must be shopping at Publix? :1rotfl::1rotfl: We don’t eat out very often, spend about $350. month on food and maybe $150 eating out? We are not heavy eaters though. I sure could cut that number by maybe 20%?

I could see big different in family of 4 or more, just 2 of us. Makes us wonder how younger population makes it, especially lower income working class.

For 2025, the average household income in the U.S. is approximately $67,500, while the median household income is around $63,180.

That is before taxes, insurance, rent or mortgage, clothing, utilities, car payments, vacations, etc.

I doubt if anyone in the bottom half spends more than 50% of their income on food.

In 2023, the average U.S. household spent approximately $9,985 per year on food, including both groceries (food at home) and dining out (food away from home). This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

I think this is a link to an article about the Popmenu survey.

https://x.com/restauranttrend/status...CCMVhiR6UgEl0w

Some people criticize AI but this is a weekly budget that AI did in 10 seconds. Most of the items are from Aldi or Walmart so if you shop Publix or if you only eat prime steak it will be a little bit higher. But not 3.5 times higher!

Sample Grocery List for The Villages, FL ($100/week)
**Produce ($26)**
- Bananas (5 lbs): $2.95 ($0.59/lb, ALDI)
- Apples (3 lbs): $4.50 ($1.50/lb, Walmart)
- Carrots (2 lbs): $1.78 ($0.89/lb, ALDI)
- Potatoes (5 lbs): $3.45 ($0.69/lb, Walmart)
- Spinach (1 lb, fresh): $2.20 (ALDI)
- Onions (2 lbs): $2.00 ($1.00/lb, Walmart)
- Tomatoes (2 lbs): $2.80 ($1.40/lb, slightly above national average)
- Bell peppers (2): $2.10 ($1.05 each, ALDI)
- Frozen mixed vegetables (2 lbs): $3.20 ($1.60/lb, Walmart)
- Avocados (2): $2.00 ($1.00 each, ALDI seasonal)

Proteins (~$32)
- Chicken breast (3 lbs, boneless): $9.90 ($3.30/lb, Walmart, reflecting 2024 meat price hikes)
- Ground beef (1 lb, 80/20): $5.00 (up 5.4% from 2024, Walmart)
- Eggs (1 dozen, large): $3.00 (reflecting 57.6% projected increase for 2025)
- Canned tuna (4 cans, 5 oz each): $4.40 ($1.10/can, ALDI store brand)
- Black beans (2 cans, 15 oz each): $1.80 ($0.90/can, ALDI)
- Peanut butter (16 oz jar): $2.70 (ALDI store brand)
- Greek yogurt (32 oz tub, plain): $4.00 (Walmart store brand)

Grains & Pantry (~$23)
- Rice (2 lbs, white): $2.20 ($1.10/lb, ALDI)
- Pasta (2 lbs, spaghetti): $2.00 ($1.00/lb, ALDI)
- Bread (1 loaf, whole wheat): $2.50 (Walmart)
- Tortillas (10-count, flour): $2.00 (ALDI)
- Oats (18 oz, rolled): $2.70 (ALDI)
- Canned tomatoes (2 cans, 15 oz each): $2.20 ($1.10/can, ALDI)
- Olive oil (16 oz bottle): $5.50 (ALDI, reflecting import cost increases)
- Spaghetti sauce (24 oz jar): $2.10 (ALDI store brand)
- Flour (2 lbs, all-purpose): $1.80 (up 36% since 2020, Walmart)

Dairy (~$10)
- Milk (1 gallon, 2%): $3.70 (Walmart, stable pricing)
- Cheddar cheese (8 oz block): $2.60 (ALDI store brand)
- Butter (1 lb): $4.00 (Walmart)

Snacks & Misc (~$9)
- Popcorn kernels (1 lb): $1.50 (ALDI)
- Crackers (16 oz box): $2.80 (Walmart store brand)
- Applesauce (24 oz jar): $2.20 (ALDI)
- Coffee (12 oz ground): $2.50 (ALDI, lower-end price due to import cost concerns)

Total Estimated Cost: $100.23

Grocery (Fresh Market, TraderJoe’s, WholeFoods, Costco) $5,824 yearly (Publix cat food)

Out of bubble dining $1, 896 yearly

We don’t purchase processed foods. We do participate in a community garden that donates 50% to food bank, 50% to group. $96

Our protein consumption (beef/pork/chicken)is farm raised, grass fed, free range. Total 225 lbs per year, raised, Eggs come from local egg farm. $1,925. Yearly

Total $9,741.

Definitely healthier and less. DS must be shopping in the bubble Publix.

At this point of our lives, we are willing to spend the money for food that we enjoy. We enjoy wine with our dinner. While we buy better coffee/tea for home, we don’t go to the Starbucks of the world. When we dine out we prefer the nicer restaurants. With all of that, we spend about a third of the Popmenu number. My guess is this number is based on NYC or similar cities.

My husband and I were amazed at what you came up with and what AI outputted to your request. We are going to teach my daughter how to do this for her family.
Thank you.

Although I never paid much attention I would guess no more than $20/day on groceries to prepare meals at home. In my dotage I eat mostly simple, healthy meals prepared with fresh veggies, legumes, fresh fruit, chicken, fish and far less red meat than I used to consume when younger. I cannot remember the last time I drank a soft drink and I don't miss them. I do enjoy eating out with friends and a glass or two of Bordeaux now and then which probably runs another $400/mo. Life is too short to drink cheap wine.

The "data" is based on people aged 21 and older who answered the survey. That means people 20 and under weren't counted at all, even though they are all "consumers" of groceries (except babies who are being breast-fed). What that also means, is that a person doing the grocery shopping for their family of 6, is including the other 5 people in their budget. That shopper is the "consumer" - more accurately named the "buyer."

These aren't "per-person" totals. They're "per household" totals, in other words.

As for us - we average around $200/week for the two of us, combined with groceries and take-out food. I get most of our groceries at Walmart, certain things at Publix and Winn Dixie, and if I just need a half gallon of milk I get it at Aldi. We eat a lot of take-out food but a whole sub at $11 at Publix is good for dinner and the next day's lunch. An extra-large pizza is only $3 more than a large, and that nets us a full extra lunch worth of leftovers. And of course every 6-8 weeks I spend $50 and make a huge tray of lasagna and extra sauce for macaroni and meatballs. I portion control and freeze sauce and lasagna, and it lasts around 5-7 weeks depending on how often I feel like making meatballs.

How do you know that? 'Shopper' and 'consumer' are not the same. It's not what the survey results said.

How much do we spend on food? Way more than we need to.

The fact that they didn't define their terms is how I know it. It's one of those dubious "surveys" that companies pay other companies to design for them, to help them spin a marketing agenda.

Even if it is per household, it is still way off. If the average household gross income is less than $70,000, families aren’t spending 50% of their gross income on food.

An average U.S. household (not individual) spends approximately 7.3 % of gross income on food, 22.1% on shelter, and 16% on taxes.

That is really cool! May have to try this sometime!

We track our expenses monthly on a spreadsheet, we spend between $800-1000 per month total for food. Includes eating out and home cooked. Seems like we could cut that down a bit.

Food Expense
 

Think you need to check the math. $350 per week X 52 weeks is $18,200 not $35,000.

Restaurants, $25-$50 a week. Groceries, about $50 a week.

I see a lot of comments about eating out here. Conflating eating out and actual food costs muddies the water and, IMHO, is not the way to budget. Food consumed while dining out is a discretionary expense. Groceries eaten at home are a mandatory expense. A baseline budget is mandatory expenses only. Only after establishing that baseline can the discretionary budget be calculated.

I break my expenses up in this area as follows:

Groceries (mandatory)
Dining out (discretionary)
Alcohol at home (discretionary)
Alcohol out (discretionary)

When viewed from a ‘bare bones survival’ perspective, a lot of budget items are discretionary. One the mandatory budget is in place, one can weigh mandatory expenses in a different way.

Probably $80 average of groceries/drinks a week, plus very few restaurant outings.

The problem with this thread is that combining groceries with restaurant food is an apples to oranges comparison. Obviously, people who eat a lot of meals in restaurants are going to spend more money on food. And, if you include alcohol as food, that cost difference is staggering. If you want to save money on food, stay away from restaurants.

Thanks for sharing .. fantastic ideas

We spend about $1200 a month on food for two people. We rarely eat out and eat healthy. That includes about $200 for alcohol.

I rarely eat out and spend no more than $25 a day on groceries. I have no urge to consume alcohol or other rich foods. A couple of slices of sprouted bread, fresh fruit, and chicken or roast beef deli meat. Maybe not the best diet, but I take a lot of supplements.

Single woman, rarely eat out.... unless on a date. This month I spent $140.00 at Aldi, which includes a 6 pack of beer for 7.00. Have a big dog on 350.00 a month medications. Still have the beers.

I am a retired CPA/Financial Advisor with over 47 years experience and admittedly a little anal when it comes to numbers. Average or median numbers for income and expenses are essentially meaningless, what is meaningful are your actual numbers. Here are the numbers for my wife and I for calendar year 2024:

Expense. Annual. Avg. Weekly. Ave. Monthly

Groceries. 9,723.51. 186.99. 810.29
Dining Out. 12,041.73 231.57. 1,003.48

Total. 21,765.24 418.56. 1,813.77

Thank you. These numbers are similar to mine. I was a bit worried seeing the estimates of $10K/year and below.

$350/week per consumer = $700 per couple as stated.

But you can't turn your assumptions into facts. What is the 'marketing agenda'?
I did contact Popmenu and asked them about their survey methodology. I'm waiting a response.

I agree about the 'apples and oranges' comparison. But they are related. If you have a fixed number of pieces of fruit, the more apples you have, the fewer oranges! i.e., the more you eat out, the less you eat in, meaning that the divisor of your weekly grocery bills gets smaller making your $$$ per meal larger.

Where can we find a local farm for eggs please?

350.00 a week x52 weeks in a year is 18,200 not 35k

The study is ambiguous. It is unclear if that $18,200 amount is per person, per couple, or per household.

But no matter how it was calculated, average families are not spending $18,200 a year on groceries and dining out.

I believe $350 per week for 52 weeks is $18,200 per year, not $35,000.