A few weeks ago, I decided I was going to do a grocery challenge with myself to track every last penny I spent on food. I used to lump my “eating out” spending with my “fun” spending, because usually there was a reason I was eating out; I would be with friends, or it would be an office event, or some such thing.
But because of this, I had no idea how much I spend each month on food.
After I declared war on my grocery spending, I promptly got sick and stayed in bed all day with an empty stomach.
I did drink a small glass of milk thinking that I needed my calories (bad idea) and threw it up shortly thereafter.
Here’s what I’ve eaten (and spent) so far (this is super boring so skip past the list of food to the synopsis):
Thursday, Nov 15: Milk (1 cup) $0.50
Total: $0.50
Friday Nov 16: Oatmeal (1 package) ($12/bulk box / 55 packages in box = $0.22/package) $0.22
Breakfast Wrap from Cafeteria $4.92
Pizza from Panago (3 slices) $7.09
Starbucks drink: $3.89
Total: $16.11
Saturday Nov 17: Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Frozen Yogurt (Yogen Fruz) $6.29
Boston Pizza Perogy Pizza $12
Total: $18.74
Sunday Nov 18: Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Grilled cheese sandwhich (2 x slices of bread $0.26 + cheese $0.50) $0.76
1 Manderine orange $0.18
3/4 cup President’s Choice Greek Yogurt $0.99
2 cookies $0.24
1 Manderine orange $0.18
Total: $2.58
Monday Nov 18: Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
1 Manderine Orange $0.18
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (Honey) $0.99
Greek salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
3/4 Margherita pizza (restaurant) + 1 glass of wine $20
Total: $23.37
Tuesday, Nov 19: Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (Honey) $0.99
1 Manderine Orange $0.18
Greek salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
Burrito (homemade mexican rice $1, tomato $0.36, onion $0.05, black beans $0.28 , fresh salsa $0.44, cheese $0.84, tortilla $0.34, cilantro $0.17)
Total: $6.85
Wednesday, Nov 19:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
1 Manderine Orange $0.18
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (Honey) $0.99
Greek salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
Rice bowl (homemade mexican rice $1, tomato $0.36, onion $0.05, black beans $0.28 , fresh salsa $0.44, cheese $0.84, cilantro $0.17)
Total: $6.52
Thursday, Nov 22:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
1 Manderine Orange $0.18
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (Honey) $0.99
Poutine (Cafeteria) $5.59
Starbucks Rooibos Tea latte $0.00 FREE (gift card)
Homemade mexican rice (1 cup) $1
Total: $8.19
Friday, Nov 23:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
1 Manderine Orange $0.18
Poutine (cafeteria) $5.59
Taco bell $3.49
Total: $9.71
Saturday, Nov 24:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Veggie Burger (Fat Burger) $0.00 FREE (boy bought it)
Indian Food (local restaurant) $27 (boy) $9 (me)
Total: $36.46
Sunday, Nov 25:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Indian Leftovers $9
Indian Leftovers (again) $9
Popcorn at Cirque du Soleil $11.75
Total: $30.20
Monday, Nov 26:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Soup & Sandwich (cafeteria) $7.72
Cookies x 2 (free – babysitting)
Cheese string (free – babysitting)
Crackers (free – babysitting)
Toast (free – babysitting)
Total: $8.71
Tuesday, Nov 27:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22 with walnuts (1 tbsp) (.35)
Salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
Nachos (tortilla chips $1.74, black beans $0.28, tomato $0.50, jalapeno $0.60, fresh salsa $0.44, cheese $0.50)
Total: $7.10
Wednesday, Nov 28:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Various snacks at work (free)
Cheese string (free – babysitting)
Crackers (free – babysitting)
Yogurt (free – babysitting)
Cookies (x2) (free – babysitting)
Cinnamon Bread ( 1 slice) (free – babysitting)
Total: $0.45
Thursday, Nov 29:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Black Bean & Rice Bowl (homemade mexican rice $1, tomato $0.36, onion $0.05, black beans $0.28 , fresh salsa $0.44, cheese $0.84, cilantro $0.17)
Old Spaghetti Factory $20
Total: $23.48
Friday, Nov 30:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Greek Salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
Indian Takeout (free – boy bought it)
Total: $2.20
Saturday, Dec 1:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Triple O’s Breakfast sandwhich $7.04
Indian leftovers
Party food $10
Total: $17.27
Sunday Dec 2:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Indian Leftovers
Large fries (Dairy Queen) (free – boyfriend bought)
Penne $0.50 with vegetables $1.17 and cream sauce $1.00
Total: $2.90
Monday, Dec 3:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Salad (1/4 cucumber $0.19, 1/2 red pepper $.50, 1/2 yellow pepper $0.50, 1 tbsp feta cheese $0.39, 1 tbsp dressing $0.17)
Indian Leftovers
Total: $2.25
Tuesday, December 4:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Penne with vegetables and cream sauce leftovers $2.67
Cheese string (free – babysitting)
Crackers (free – babysitting)
Yogurt (free – babysitting)
Cookies (x2) (free – babysitting)
Cinnamon Bread ( 1 slice) (free – babysitting)
Total: $3.12
Wednesday, December 5:
Coffee (1.5 cups) $0.17
Sugar: 1/3 tsp $0.01
Milk: 1 tbsp $0.05
Oatmeal (1 package) $0.22
Pizza (free – work Christmas lunch)
Orange: $0.17
Yogurt: $0.99
Total: $1.61
Grand Total: $228.32
Now, I know I said I would do this for a month, and I’m one week shy. But to be honest, things got crazy after the three weeks and I lost track of what I ate and the receipts to back up the costs.
Assuming four weeks in a month, and $76.11/week average (as shown above), my food spending for the month, including eating out, would have been $304.43.
Not so good now, is it?
Eating out is really what got me. I had several meals in the three weeks that were eaten at restaurants or fast food joints, ringing in at $179.37. This is insane! I had 16 meals out. 16! In just three weeks!
Granted, due to a few circumstances this is a bit out of the ordinary, but if I removed that out of the equation, my grocery spending would have only been $49.05. Even if I averaged the meals that I ate out at $3.50/meal if I had made it at home, I’d be looking at only $56 – substantially less than the almost $180 that I did spend.
It is obvious that I need to cut back on my “eating out” spending, big time. If I didn’t eat out so much, my grocery spending – at an average of $3.50/meal if I had enjoyed from-home meals instead of restaurant meals – would be $140.06 for the month.
This is much more on-par with what I am used to (usually around $160/month with a night out with friends).
So, that is the synopsis.
How much do you usually spend on eating out on a monthly basis?
I’m a bit of a hermit so many months T and I manage to keep to our eating budget of $160. Going out to eat with friends more than a couple of times though bumps that up pretty quickly…
Since I adopted a rather extreme diet a few months ago, I’ve eaten at a restaurant maybe on 3-4 occasions. So my eating out spending has dropped a lot. Of course I’m spending a bit more on groceries since I make almost all of my meals.
When you decide to focus strictly on healthfulness and nutrition in what you eat, it’s amazing how few restaurant meals qualify!
You’re crazy for tracking everything that detailed. I just track everything I buy and go by that because I’ll either eat it or (sadly) throw it away eventually.
Listing every detail like what you’re doing is hard work. I could never keep track of everything like that. You’re almost at the end of one month so good luck!
The best you did was put write it all our (or type it) so you could see your numbers. That’s what will help you and it has showed you where you need to cut back. I give you credit for breaking the numbers down like you did, wow. I’d be doing my grocery game challenge forever if I did that. Keep up the great work mate! Mr.CBB
Clearly my typing skills are rubbish tonight. My apologies. The first line should read … The best thing you did was write it out or type it out so you could see your numbers. Cheers!! 😉
Remind me not to buy popcorn at cirque du soleil!
I always laugh when I see others food budgets. I struggle to keep food spending under $800 for my partner, myself, and our toddler.
I must have a very wasteful metabolism…