My food bill is ridiculous

[stinkynuts]

I am single, never eat out, except for McDonalds and Dominos on average once or twice a week. I don't indlulge in expensive meat, just regular stuff. According to my credit card statements, my average grocery bill is $600 a month. I couldn't believe it. That's $20 a day, or $10 a meal (I have almost nothing for breakfast). This is the same almost as eating at a fast food joint for each meal. At the grocery store, a pack of straweberries was $7, a steak $15. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, so maybe that could be the reason. But I can't imagine eathing a healthy meal without them.

What is your food bill? (Not including dining out). I heard for the average famiily of four, it's $15,000 a year, ($1200 a month) and will go up another $1,000 this year.

Canadians are about to face more sticker shock at the grocery store - National | Globalnews.ca

Food could in Canada could climb up to seven per cent in 2022, the biggest increase in 12 years.

globalnews.ca

 

[NotADcotor]

If you are eating strawberries out of season and steak, either you can afford it, or maybe you should make better cheaper choices.

 

[bazokajoe]

Gotta eat so I don't keep track of it.

 

[poker]

Real estate.

When it goes up, rents and mortgages go up for retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers. When their costs go up, the prices go up. I just paid $17 for paper towels. Paper fucking towels!!!

Rents also go up for employees… (and most people are employees), and they demand higher wages to afford things.

Real Estate has far exceeded the pace of inflation for a very long time, and now inflation is catching up.

 

[K Douglas]

While I agree that food prices are outrageous (I posted about this a few weeks ago) no way is it adding up to $600/week. What the heck are you eating?
On a typical week I eat out about 50% of the time and make meals 50% of the time. If I had to put an estimate on food costs its probably $250/week.

 

[onomatopoeia]

I am single, never eat out, except for McDonalds and Dominos on average once or twice a week. I don't indlulge in expensive meat, just regular stuff. According to my credit card statements, my average grocery bill is $600 a month. I couldn't believe it. That's $20 a day, or $10 a meal (I have almost nothing for breakfast). This is the same almost as eating at a fast food joint for each meal. At the grocery store, a pack of straweberries was $7, a steak $15. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, so maybe that could be the reason. But I can't imagine eathing a healthy meal without them.

What is your food bill? (Not including dining out). I heard for the average famiily of four, it's $15,000 a year, ($1200 a month) and will go up another $1,000 this year.

Canadians are about to face more sticker shock at the grocery store - National | Globalnews.ca

Food could in Canada could climb up to seven per cent in 2022, the biggest increase in 12 years.

globalnews.ca

It sounds like you are shopping in an expensive grocery store. Try a No Frills or Freshco for common items and staples; use your high end store only for the items other grocery stores don't sell. You're also buying steaks in a chain grocery store; big mistake. Buy your steaks in a specialty store - I pay $5.99 per pound for T-Bone steaks, cut to whatever thickness I want. Buying all of your groceries from one store is a not cost effective.

I'm in Cabbagetown, and I have three low priced grocery stores within five minutes walk from home. The average price of most items is lowest at the Freshco. No Frills has better quality fresh produce. Valumart is more expensive on everything except for a few items, notably Swiss cheese. I shop on foot, and generally pick up groceries from 2-3 stores, return home, and then get other items from other stores on a separate trip. I don't spend anywhere near $600 per month on groceries, and about $30 per month that I do spend is for walnuts to feed to the squirrels who visit my back porch.

 

[bazokajoe]

While I agree that food prices are outrageous (I posted about this a few weeks ago) no way is it adding up to $600/week. What the heck are you eating?
On a typical week I eat out about 50% of the time and make meals 50% of the time. If I had to put an estimate on food costs its probably $250/week.

The OP stated $600/month not week.

 

[Olololo]

I’m single and my weekly bill is around 200-250$. Groceries( mostly veggies, oatmeals and so on for breakfast) + take-out everyday( after work) and one bottle of wine.

 

[jeff2]

I live downtown with a bunch of grocery stores on my walk back from work. Whenever Metro,Loblaws,or Shoppers(usually for frozen salmon)have specials I load up. Especially for frozen vegtables or fruit.
Freshco and No Frills are also walking distance but not on my trip to work. So I go them on the weekends(bring a flyer for price match at the discount stores)by walking or when I am out in the car and stock up.

 

[Insidious Von]

I shop exclusively at Longo's, it can be expensive. The points system is good enough to get me free groceries.

However what I once was paying $45.00, I'm paying $71:00 now.

 

[Prentice]

and about $30 per month that I do spend is for walnuts to feed to the squirrels who visit my back porch.

Switch to peanuts .. much cheaper. Our squirrels seems to like them

 

[stinkynuts]

I don't like shopping at No Frills. They don't have many brands that I like, but more importantly the shopping atmosphere is not as nice. But maybe I need to downgrade.

 

[Eagleeyes]

I live downtown with a bunch of grocery stores on my walk back from work. Whenever Metro,Loblaws,or Shoppers(usually for frozen salmon)have specials I load up. Especially for frozen vegtables or fruit.
Freshco and No Frills are also walking distance but not on my trip to work. So I go them on the weekends(bring a flyer for price match at the discount stores)by walking or when I am out in the car and stock up.

I agree, price matching and loading up on specials can money. Paying full retail is hard on the wallet. This week apples are $.99 /lb vs $1.99 /lb regular price at Superstore. Who doesn't like half price?

 

[onomatopoeia]

Switch to peanuts .. much cheaper. Our squirrels seems to like them

The walnuts and peanuts in the bulk bin at Freshco are the same price, currently $6.59/ Kg; they were on special for half that amount for many months. Bagged peanuts in the shell aren't significantly less expensive. The squirrels very much prefer the walnuts over peanuts, when given a choice. Walnuts are also much better for squirrels from a nutritional point; peanuts are squirrel junk food.

Squirrels that regularly come to my porch will come when I call them, often from up to 100 yards away - I make a 'Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch' sound when I'm at the porch door with nuts, and through Pavlovian conditioning, they associate that sound with free walnuts. I toss one in front of any squirrel that enters the porch area, and a few are scattered randomly from time to time. I recognize repeat visitors, but I don't give them names. The ones that have patches of mange on their fur during the summer or fall usually don't make it through the winter.

Leaving peanuts out will attract pigeons, and sometime a blue jay will fly away with a whole peanut in shell, but pigeons don't even try to peck through a walnut shell.

 

[K Douglas]

The OP stated $600/month not week.

Haha I should have known a guy named stinkynuts would not be spending $600/week on food. My bad.

 

[K Douglas]

I shop exclusively at Longo's, it can be expensive. The points system is good enough to get me free groceries.

However what I once was paying $45.00, I'm paying $71:00 now.

I shop there occasionally. More expensive than your typical grocery store but the quality is much better. I prefer them to Farm Boy.

 

[Butler1000]

So my average for two works out to be maybe $100-125 weekly for various household goods. I shop at at No Frills, Farmboy for that. I look for specials on my brands and stock up. We also only do one take out a week, and cook pretty healthy. On top of that I do an every 3 month run to Costco for Salmon, Trout, Ground beef, some household stuff like TP. That bill is usually $300 range. Finally a run to St Lawrence Market every 3 months for a big meat shop and some other things like perogies and other specialty items. That run is about $400.

But we do eat very well. Lots of fresh produce. Meat is farm fresh(Sausage guy is fantastic at SLM), we eat Lamb once a week or so. Fish twice. I figure its going into my body so price is not really an issue.

If you set up a pantry/stand up freezer, then you can save alot. Buy on sale. Divide out(I use a scale for portion sizing) freeze. But what you know you will eat. Make grocery lists. And weekly meal planning(not exact but just think ahead) also help alot

 

[Ponderling]

I'm in the burbs where food retailing has lower prices.
Shop the food basics/freshco/no frills line of outlets.

We do shop looking for basics on sale, and load up modesty when things we regularly buy go on sale.
We plan our dinner meals mostly a week in advance, and usually do plan to make two meals worth of something so not cooking every night .

If we find marked down meat cheaper than what is on sale we buy it and change the meal plan to use it.

I make all lunches for work, and kids school lunches at home. .

I never buy coffee at retail. I make a pot at home in the morning and a cup from the in office machine in afternoon.

We are a family of four with two boys now 19 and 22 still under our roof - don't ya love COVID and how it had it has killed tons of starter sorta jobs?

We eat out when we socialize but also (pre covid) host dinner parties -cheaper than restaurant dining.

Just tallied up 2021 recently ( Yes, I quicken all year long to allow this).
Dining and drinks out was lower due to lock downs, at $1300 for the year. That is mostly wife and I- lids meals away from home they pay for. Usually closer to $2400.

Grocery bills totaled a bit under $8500 for the year. Maybe a bit higher than 'normal' when everyone was not around the house as much as 2021 was.

 

[amlooking]

Buy cheap food. Like eggs, lentils, pasta/rice.
Peanuts and Dollarama Chips for snacking. You can try buying white bread at Dollarama too.
Don;t buy meat at all and use lentils/eggs instead for protein.
Goto Popeyes/A&w once a week to slam Chicken/beef craving.
It's possible to eat for 300 a month if you try puting some effort into it.
I spend like 1000+ on food a month when I'm lazy. Sometimes I go frugal mode and spend like 350.

 

[K Douglas]

A three topping large pizza from Pizza Nova cost me $20.55 the other night.
I went back and looked at what I used to pay for the same pizza.
April 2019 - $15.80
Dec 2020 - $17.82 (12.8% increase over 20 months)
Jan 2022 - $20.55 (15.3%!! increase over13 months)
So that's a combined 28.1% increase over 33 months. And they have the gall to tell us our inflation rate was only hovering around 2% since before the pandemic and that its about 5% presently. Complete and utter bullshit!