grocery shopping vs take-out

20Aug08

I realize that title is making me look absolutely bonkers. You are all thinking…. obviously grocery shopping is going to save you more money. It wins. 

At the beginning of the month, the boyfriend and I went over my budget and determined that once I pay everything I need to pay (rent, cell phone, $1000 to consumer debt, student loans, etc.) that I have about $500 in free money… for groceries, clothes, coffee/restaurants. Thats not awesome, but not terrible either since if I have a month with a lot of these expenses, the second job can swoop in and pick up the slack. 

So I have been tracking eveeeeerything this month. Which, is a great exercise that I have previously failed at. So far this month, I haven’t missed a single americano. Also, since I am tracking and being so conscious, I have also been trying not to eat out so much. Especially during the day when I am at work. As a result, I feel like my grocery bill is outrageous! So far…

8.08… $31

8.10… $11

8.12… $24

8.13… $20

8.16… $20

8.19… $44

______________

$150

 

Okay, maybe I am overreacting a little, but doesn’t $150 seem a little high? I mean, its just me and my boyfriend (the other roomies are in Hawaii). I’m a vegetarian, and he doesn’t eat meat at home really unless he cooks it. We’ll probably have to hit the store at least one more time this month since we are going away this weekend and need a few more things to bring along. 

I guess when I started writing this post was going to be my argument for eating out, in exchange for grocery shopping. I used to frequently go out to lunch on class days, and save half my lunch for dinner because I was in class until 9pm. It seemed thrifty, but if I really break it down and estimate that I was spending $40-$50/week on eating out…then by the end of the month, I’m still passing that $150 mark I am at now. Oh, the insanity of budgeting. I cannot even imagine how my mother dealt with all of us growing up…I think its difficult enough for one person…maybe two!

I think it really comes down to meal planning – which, I am not very good at. I like to decide what to make on a whim, which results in many last minute trips to the grocery.

What does your grocery budget look like? Is anyone able to keep it below $100 and still not eat out very often?


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6 Responses to “grocery shopping vs take-out”  

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  1. 1 Small Budget, Big Style Chick on August 20, 2008 said:

    I like your blog! Thanks for visiting mine.

    I am not that good at planning different meals. Luckily for me, I don’t mind eating the same thing for several days. I just make a big pot of whatever I want for dinner that week (spaghetti, rice and beans, salads, etc.) and take leftovers to lunch everyday. It’s great to treat yourself to lunch out sometimes, but doing it daily can really add up. You’ll most likely still be spending less money even when you end up buying more groceries.

  2. 2 Jen on August 20, 2008 said:

    I think your grocery bill is pretty low. Are you using the grocery game? If you are not yet, maybe that will help a little?

  3. 3 savingcent on August 20, 2008 said:

    What is the grocery game?

  4. 4 Jen on August 20, 2008 said:

    Here’s the link for it

    http://www.thegrocerygame.com/index.cfm?function=text&method=whatistgg

    They are running a special where you can subscribe for $1 for 4 weeks and try it out. I just started it 2 weeks ago and I only buy things that are on sale and I use coupons with the sale items. I make weekly trips to the grocery store and since I started doing this, my savings are over 70% each time. My first trip I brought $100 worth of groceries for $28.

    Anyhow, I am not sure if you are a coupon clipper. But if you do clip coupons, this might be worth a try for it. The worst thing that could happen is that you would lose a $1. LOL!

  5. 5 Money Maus on August 24, 2008 said:

    Hi! Glad you can read all the comments now – pretty sure I’ve left a few that I couldn’t read over what I read, either! ;)

    Anyway – for groceries/dining out, I budget $150 per month for each. I bring my lunch 4-5 days per week, which makes it so I when I go out to eat on the weekends I don’t mind spending a bit more for a better meal. My $150 in groceries is almost perfect; for the past 2 months that I have been budgeting since I graduated, I have come very close to the $150 but never over. But that amount is JUST for me and I eat at home a lot.

  6. 6 James on August 25, 2008 said:

    That grocery game makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    Let’s analyze the biggest difference in consuming.

    Option 1:

    THE PRODUCT:
    High produce expenses, IE Fresh fruit, veggies.
    High Carrying costs, Groceries are stored in inefficient ways
    Groceries are kept at high overhead areas(elec, staff, care, produce maint, etc…)
    Shipping Costs, each item at a store is different, can’t ship as low as others.
    The post up earlier was multiple multiple trips, in a vehicle I suppose…
    THE PREP:
    Heating water,
    Takes time
    Takes Water,
    Takes all kind of additional ingredients you may or may not have.
    Add’l Elec for hoods, lights, fans, tv/games for kids to watch while prepping…
    CLEANUP/STORAGE:
    Additional Energy for dishwashing
    Additional Cleaning Supplies
    Additional Water
    Fridge Costs
    Freezer Costs
    Trash Fees

    Walk to a restaurant everyday for dinner, grab a fast food breakfast with enough calories to last for lunch too, and I guarentee you save money over the course of your lifetime…


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