How I spend $50 per MONTH on GROCERIES

[biophase]

A dozen eggs here is normally $5, for example.

Just to rub it in...

 

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[OzGrinder]

Americans... Damn your cheap food and gas!

US - 1 Dozen eggs: $1.99
Australia - 1 Dozen eggs - $4.15 USD ($5+ for free range)

US - Sirloin Tip Steak (3.49/lb): $4.72 (so is that $4.72 for 3.49 lb which is 1.6kg ??)
Australia - Sirloin Steak (1.6kg): wait for it... $22.45 USD ! BOOM! I win (or lose as the case may be)

even the cheapest cuts of steak here are around $8-$10/kg...

Just multiply that entire shopping list by 3-4x the $ and you have Australian prices. My partner and I spend about $200 a week on groceries I think.

 

[nzerinto]

US - Sirloin Tip Steak (3.49/lb): $4.72 (so is that $4.72 for 3.49 lb which is 1.6kg ??)
Australia - Sirloin Steak (1.6kg): wait for it... $22.45 USD ! BOOM! I win (or lose as the case may be)
.

Oz - is that for Auzzie beef or imported? I would've though local beef would be cheap, considering the size of the stations there. (Station = farm)

I've visited Australia numerous times, don't remember prices being that bad?!

 

[OzGrinder]

Oz - is that for Auzzie beef or imported? I would've though local beef would be cheap, considering the size of the stations there. (Station = farm)

I've visited Australia numerous times, don't remember prices being that bad?!

I don't think imported beef even exists here. We export ALOT of it to Asia. In fact when I was in Tokyo I was able to buy Aussie beef there for cheaper than I can buy it here... Go figure.

It may depend on how long it's been since you've been to Oz? A few years ago when the exchange rate was $1 USD = $0.60 AUD it would have been alot cheaper for visitors, now it's $1USD = $1.03AUD and prices have still gone up, especially in the past few years.

you can see Australian grocery prices here:
Woolworths Online

I've seen recent studies/articles that say Sydney, Australia is the highest cost of living city in the world. I've been to Asia and Europe and my partner has been to (and lived in) the US, and in our experience Australian prices are considerably more expensive.

 

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[William]

Damn aren't you starving? Not to mention it isn't the healthiest with a lotta white and wheat carbs and virtually no veggies in the mix? You are what you eat man, get in some greens and better carbs. My minimalist menu would look like:

Carbs - Rice, oatmeal, potato
Veggies - spinach, broccoli, artichoke, avocado, garlic, onion
Protein - chicken, eggs, sardines, tuna, lean grass fed animals
Fruit - apples, bananas, berries, grapes

I'm sure it costs way more than $50/month but if you eat good you can prevent bad stuff from happening to you down the line. Take care man.

This sounds like something more suitable for the body!

 

[Steele Concept]

This sounds like something more suitable for the body!

You are what you eat... Why eat shit ?

 

[rocksolid]

So it sounds like there is a Fastlane business in this thread.............. does anybody see it?

 

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[CarrieW]

I have a family of four.

I spend $50 per week just on fruit. we average around $600 per month. I have no clue how many calories we consume. we used to get alot more junk/preprepared foods before. now I concentrate on protiens, carbs and fruits. with the sweets thrown in time and again (I will make a cake or jello or something 2-3times a week) we just recently quit our $25per week or more soda habit (in july) I try very hard to not buy the junk anymore. sometimes I will give in and buy a bag of chips or box of cheese-its tho.

if it was just myself I could probably make it on $100 per month. I find that my husband eats more then me and the 2 kids combined! I am scared to know how much my boy will eat when he gets bigger 8)

 

[Maxjohan]

Split Chicken Breasts (3.25/lb): $5.02

This costs me about $19.69 for the most common brand, here where I live in Sweden. Amazing huh? Almost four times as much! And that's exactly why I almost never eats chicken.

 

[CarrieW]

thats crazy! I get whole fryer chickens for .99cents a lb on sale! $1.99 regular price! one of the best value things I buy are big bags of chicken leg quarters. its like $6 for a 10lb bag! you can use it in so many ways!!! I will bake them, bbq them, boil them, make pulled bbq sandwhiches, make pot pies, chicken soup, chicken salad... too many possibilities to list!

so 19 something is for one lb of meat? and how did you convert that to usd? that cant be right! we would starve at that price!

 

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[andyredsox]

It really depends on where you live and what lifestyle you are trying to "maintain." You can never sacrifice the quality of your food intake just to squeeze your budget.

 

[halfstepdown88]

Glad this was posted.

One thing I will never sacrifice is my diet and health.

I'd rather take an extra year becoming rich because of eating healthy than getting rich a year earlier and having a shit ton of health problems. Ask anyone who is 40-50 years old in bad shape with health problems and they'd almost all say they'd give it up to be healthy and vibrant.

What's the point in becoming rich if you can't enjoy it by traveling around and doing all sorts of stuff like mountain biking?

I spend about $200 a month on groceries, eating similar to Prime.

I feel good and I can accomplish more from the energy and optimism it provides me. Plus, I workout 4 times a week.

I guess I also sort of have to, because eating this way is what keeps me from becoming depressed.. But whenever I see people eating McDonalds or crappy food everyday I sort of die inside. That is the sort of stuff that is short-term gain. Health problems don't show up for years.

In my mind my health is the greatest investment I can make that will be providing returns for the rest of my life, not only through more enjoyment and the happiness we are all after but also through the productivity boost and clear thinking that will increase my income.

Yeah, that's not going to work for me.

I eat 120 eggs a month to start (protein source). I eat strictly paleo diet. The eggs have to be organic/cage free due to the fact that I eat eggs raw, no cooking, and buying eggs from malnurished/caged chickens is something I don't want to risk.

So a break down of my diet is:
- eggs
- steak (once a week)
- chicken (1-2 a week)
- vegetables (kale, baby bok choy, carrots, cucumber, spinach, brocoli)
- almonds
- butter (2 sticks of butter a week)
- mct-oil
- coconut oil
- frozen berries


Some stuff organic, some not. The two people I follow for my nutrition/health in eating is Mark Scisson and Dave Asprey. I literally mixed their methods together and WHAM! super charged diet that makes you stay lean and feeling awesome! Both guys are definitely worth checking out.

Links:
Mark's Daily Apple
The Bulletproof Executive

 

[Maxjohan]

so 19 something is for one lb of meat? and how did you convert that to usd? that cant be right! we would starve at that price!

It's not 1 lb, it's 3.25 lb.

Here is the listing in Swedish:
Fryst Kycklingbröstfile 2kg Guldfågeln, Kycklingfile

Then I took 89:50(kilogram price) times 1.474, that's 131.923.

Then I take 131.923/6.70(1 dollar = 6.70 Swedish kronor) = 19.69

Price is $19.69 for 3.25 lb of chicken breasts.

But this that I found in the Swedish market is fillets, not sure
that's the same as the OP's chicken breasts? I mean, if that is also fillets?

Otherwise the price conversion and the numbers may
be different.



P.S. 1 dollar today is infact 6.74 kronor. When
I did the calculation, it was 6.70 kronor for 1 dollar.

 

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[CarrieW]

so you are paying $19 for what we would buy for about $6.50 thats still crazy! the only way that it could br equal prices is if your minium wage is equal to 48 kronors per hour!

what is the min wage there anyway?

yes there are breast fillets, which is just the meat. and then theres bone in breast which is a bit cheaper

 

[Maxjohan]

what is the min wage there anyway?

I did a search for the minimum wage in Sweden in Google. This is what I found, and it seems to be right:

There is no minimum wage by law in Sweden; it is all set by union agreements. If you work in a shop the minimum wage will be set according to agreement with a union called Handelsanställdas förbund. If you are at least 18 years old the current minimum wage is then 15.4 USD an hour.

Taken from this thread here: Moving to Sweden in a few months - The Local

So I guess the minimum wage depends also on what profession you're in too.

yes there are breast fillets, which is just the meat. and then theres bone in breast which is a bit cheaper

Okay, I guess that clears things up with the fillets thing. I wasn't sure about that.

 

[ToniLene]

So a couple of days ago I was made aware by a few members on this forum that I spend considerably less that the average person on groceries (by a lot), which I had no idea. I was very surprised people spent hundreds of dollars per WEEK ...

So to those who have been asking what do i eat, how do I do it...etc etc ... I decided to go to the grocery store today to give you an exact idea of what my shopping cart looks like ...(This is out of my regime since I usually do grocery shopping the first week of every month smh).

So here is what I got today which is somewhat typical of what I usually get on a regular basis:

Here's my grocery list:
1 Dozen eggs: $1.99
Whole Milk (1 Gallon): $2.99
Deer Park Water (28 Pack): $3.99
Split Chicken Breasts (3.25/lb): $5.02
Chicken Drumsticks (12 legs): $5.99
Sirloin Tip Steak (3.49/lb): $4.72
85% Lean Ground Beef: (2 lbs): $6.99
Turkey Bacon (12oz): $2.49
Potato Hotdog Rolls: $1.79
Hotdog (8 pack): $0.99
Wheat Bread: 2 for $3.99
Apple Juice (64 fl oz): 2 for $4
Cereal: 2 for $5
Pancake Mix (32 oz): $1.79
Brownie Cake Mix (18 oz): $1.29
Rice (10 lb): $5.79
Lasagna Pasta (16 oz): $1.79
Tomato Sauce (24oz): $1.49
Spaghetti (16oz Box): 2 for $1.98
Baked Beans (28oz can): $1.29
Ripe Bananas ($0.49/lb): $1.22

Grand total . . . $66.59 :fireworks:excluding taxes ... :fineprint:
(my real bill actually totaled $93 but thats from buying bunch other stuff that arent related to groceries)

YES I KNOW I DID NOT MAKE THE $50 mark but I felt like being greedy today lol. But ill be sure to let this extra $16.59 last me an extra week since I technically bought grocery a week earlier than usual.

Please note that this list doesn't include stuff like seasoning, ketchup, and other condiments since they aren't necessarily needed on every grocery shopping visit. (In my case I already had these in the kitchen).

But back to the point at hand.
I live ALONE :great:so that decreases the amount of food that gets devoured in my apartment.

Everything I buy already fits into a meal plan I have. So spaghetti goes with meat sauce, rice goes with chicken, ground beef goes with lasagna etc.

Cooking Time!!! :smx7:

Pasta make excellent meals because you can make a huge variety of meals that are all fast and easy. In my house growing up, we had this thing called "one-pot" meal. It was filling, delicious, and requires little to no effort.
Simply one pot that includes your meat choice (for me it could be either sliced chicken breasts or ground beef based on my shopping list), angel hair spaghetti, and veggies if you so choose... and they all cook together in one pot, and the best thing about it is that since pasta is boiled into the sauce, the flavor soaks right into everything. Simple but I love it and it makes a huge serving.

And a part from that you know the traditional stuff like pasta and meatball (my ground beef rolled into meat balls is perfect for this) and other popular pasta meals, etc. But here is another favorite of mine that requires no meat and is just as filling. I dont know what its called but I think its popular among kids but I love it - Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. The melting sensation is Delicious lol ... Comes in handy when you have no meat or you just running low on meat ...

Rice ... I make it like any other ... you know, with my meat choice on the side. No explanation needed. I sometimes like to do friend rice, seasoned rice, sometime including diced chicken breasts etc or even baked beans. Endless possibilities.

Baked Beans ... Theres alot you can do with a big a$$ can of baked beans... I wont say anymore!

Chicken, I like to do a variety of different things to chicken since thats what i mostly eat of all meat groups. So, to not get tired of it, ill sometime make curry chicken, fried chicken, brow stew chicken, barbecue, etc ... typical stuff, but I do get creative with it though some times inventing different recipes.

Lasagna, i love it!!! make it once per month. Generally about 15 huge slices are made which does me good!!!

BREAKFAST generally include the regular stuff. eggs, bacon, bread, cereal, left overs sometimes... doesnt matter ... Im not a big breakfast person.

I think my short grocery list lasts a long time because of the way my meals are prepared. Eating one chicken breast alone is generally one serving of food. Dice it up into the meal itself and it makes about 3 plates.

Using 2 pound of ground beef makes about 15 slices of lasagna, or a million different meals with pasta (its easy to get creative with ground beef).

12 chicken drumsticks (legs) is sold as a pack in every grocery store for cheap (under $6 bucks) and depending on how much you eat, makes up to 12 meals (considering you have one leg per serving)...

Steak is on the grocery list but I dont ever buy it so i have no idea what Ill be doing with it... (I just bought it to impress my fastlane family so they think Im ballin ...shhh :smx1

p.s. my grocery lists does not include any veggies/greens because to be honest...i hate it. uke:

------------------------------
Basically, I just want to say that for many of you who are on a strict budget (and Im sure many of you are/should be) if you want to fund your start-ups etc ... This is an easy way to save. Cut back on the grocery!

Simply buy and prepare meals in ways that they will last. This is also very important to college kid who are spending the same, if not more, on noodles and pre-packaged microwavable food, easy mac etc... which all only last one serving! ... which makes you buy atleast 10 of them so you have enough for the week.

Doesnt make much sense when there is much more fulfilling options that can last a lot longer and cheaper.. Not to mention the fact that its healthier (forget the preservatives and the fake pre-cooked crap).

And to the guys, a girl love a man that can cook :groove: ... it works for me everytime... Just a hint/motivation ...

p.s. Please keep in mind that this is not me sacrificing anything to save..
its actually not even a method of savings for me. This is just how I am naturally. I just dont spend alot on food.

I prefer to spend more money on high quality foods and spend less money on gadgets and expensive clothing.

I didn't see any fruits(other than bananas) or vegetables on your list which are a MUST for a healthy, balanced diet. All of that meat is going to contribute to high cholesterol and hypertension at some point. Organic grass fed beef, wild caught salmon, turkey wings and organic fruits and veggies are the bulk of my food expenses(around $185 per week for 2 adults & a 2 year old). Which isn't all that expensive compared to the possible medical bills as the result of a poor diet. Whole grain pastas, breads, sprouted beans and sprouted rice are also our staples.

Not saying that your diet is poor, but eating some greenery wouldn't hurt.

 

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[eliquid]

wait until you're married and/or have kid(s)

 

[SlowlaneJay]

Four points:
- This was a timely bump, you were good to dig it up and add your wisdom.
- This thread is gold, business-related, and deserves as much attention as possible.
- The above statements are lies.

 

[theag]

Gonna use this bumped thread to brag about the fact that I now get precooked healthy food delivered each week. 2 meals/day at 100€/week. Saves me about 3-4 hours per week in grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning . Was ecstatic when I found that service.

Combined with 1-2 high quality protein shakes a day, a serving of athletic greens, a few supps (vitamin d, fish oil, ZMA) and a weekly box with organic fruits, I'm eating at a very healthy level with nearly zero time spent on it, everything delivered right to my apartment/office for only about 650€/month total. Thats about double what I spent before, but now I saving 12-14 hours a month that were previously spent on shopping, cooking, cleaning etc.

Do the math. Is your time worth more than 30/hour?

Cant get any better than this IMO. Hate spending time on stuff that doesnt make me $$$.

 

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[ToniLene]

Gonna use this bumped thread to brag about the fact that I now get precooked healthy food delivered each week. 2 meals/day at 100€/week. Saves me about 3-4 hours per week in grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning . Was ecstatic when I found that service.

Combined with 1-2 high quality protein shakes a day, a serving of athletic greens, a few supps (vitamin d, fish oil, ZMA) and a weekly box with organic fruits, I'm eating at a very healthy level with nearly zero time spent on it, everything delivered right to my apartment/office, saving me at least 12 hours a month for only about 650€/month total.

Cant get any better than this IMO. Hate spending time on stuff that doesnt make me $$$.

Precooked? Hehe, you must plan on staying single? Nothing better than a home cooked meal.

 

[theag]

you must plan on staying single

Absolutely.

 

[Gsuz]

Gonna use this bumped thread to brag about the fact that I now get precooked healthy food delivered each week. 2 meals/day at 100€/week. Saves me about 3-4 hours per week in grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning . Was ecstatic when I found that service.

Combined with 1-2 high quality protein shakes a day, a serving of athletic greens, a few supps (vitamin d, fish oil, ZMA) and a weekly box with organic fruits, I'm eating at a very healthy level with nearly zero time spent on it, everything delivered right to my apartment/office for only about 650€/month total. Thats about double what I spent before, but now I saving 12-14 hours a month that were previously spent on shopping, cooking, cleaning etc.

Do the math. Is your time worth more than 30/hour?

Cant get any better than this IMO. Hate spending time on stuff that doesnt make me $$$.

Damn! Would LOVE to get this. Looking for this for months now. Mind sharing their name? Or do they only cater to a specific region?

 

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[BlakeIC]

without reading anything in thread and only the title

This idea stumbled upon me yesterday, what if there was a website that listed the absolute cheapest for foods?
(Buy x at costco instead of x at walgreens because x costs 2 cents a lb vs 10 cents a lb at walgreens)

You know for someone who is barely scraping by and cannot afford to spend so much on food

 

[Mikhail Joseph]

EDIT: I have removed my small guide on how to steal groceries from supermarkets.

Seems immoral for me to teach others. lol

 

[theag]

Damn! Would LOVE to get this. Looking for this for months now. Mind sharing their name? Or do they only cater to a specific region?

https://kukimi.de/gourmet-programme/

I was looking for sth like this for months too. Saw an article on gründerszene by accident in my feedly because apparently they just raised a couple million in VC from HTGF etc.

They ship to all of Germany .

Website looks a bit like its mainly catered to women and they market it as a diet (only about 450kcal per meal, so you have to add some calories with breakfast and snacks, in my case protein shakes and fruits). But I dont care if I'm not the target audience, since the food looks good and since there is no better option out there right now I'll take it . First shipment on thursday.

 

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[BlakeIC]

https://kukimi.de/gourmet-programme/

I was looking for sth like this for months too. Saw an article on gründerszene by accident in my feedly because apparently they just raised a couple million in VC from HTGF etc.

They ship to all of Germany .

Website looks a bit like its mainly catered to women and they market it as a diet (only about 450kcal per meal, so you have to add some calories with breakfast and snacks, in my case protein shakes and fruits). But I dont care if I'm not the target audience, since the food looks good and since there is no better option out there right now I'll take it . First shipment on thursday.

are you getting a variety? or is the same food each week?

 

[theag]

are you getting a variety? or is the same food each week?

You can chose the meals and change them every week as you like. They dont have tons of options but enough for some variety, see here for example the fitness plan: https://kukimi.de/fitness-diaet-intensiv.html

For my first week I just ordered 14 different meals that sounded good and will see what tastes good .

 

[RHL]

Or you can spend $23 a month eating 3 of these a day at 25 cents a piece if you are hardcore.

Better check with @Iwokeup. Pretty sure eating like 3.7g of sodium per day isn't going to work out very well.

 

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[Alan LT]

I value my health over money. Destroying your body to save a few bucks isn't a good idea.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

without reading anything in thread and only the title

This idea stumbled upon me yesterday, what if there was a website that listed the absolute cheapest for foods?
(Buy x at costco instead of x at walgreens because x costs 2 cents a lb vs 10 cents a lb at walgreens)

You know for someone who is barely scraping by and cannot afford to spend so much on food

How do you monetize? Who would try to advertise to people that can't afford food?