What percentage of your income do you spend on food?

[Ann.without.an.e]

For us, I just find it easier to have dining out as a separate line in the budget. If they were mixed, I'd have a harder time keeping track of things. We do eat out often and it is usually planned. Having it in a separate place in the budget is just easier.

 

 

We budget it separately too.  I thought it best to combine for this though because if  you eat out often, of course your grocery bill be lower than someone who eats all meals at home.  

[Scarlett]

I think percentage of income for this category just doesn't make sense unless there are different % for different income levels. Mine is about 12%

[Annie G]

For us, I just find it easier to have dining out as a separate line in the budget. If they were mixed, I'd have a harder time keeping track of things. We do eat out often and it is usually planned. Having it in a separate place in the budget is just easier.

 

Oh, I totally get having groceries and eating out as separate items in the budget.  But when someone asks how much you spend on food, do you combine groceries and eating out?  I probably wasn't being clear. I have friends who eat most meals out and 'think' that since they only spend $200 a month on groceries that they're actually spending only that much to feed themselves each month. 

 

For someone who is struggling to stay on budget (which is what often prompts someone to start this kind of thread), hearing the total cost of food is helpful. 

[TravelingChris]

I think percentage of income for this category just doesn't make sense unless there are different % for different income levels. 

 

 

THat is what I think too and also it depends greatly how many people you have.  Although going from three to four people hasn't made all that much difference,  THe main difference is that we aren't buying specialty foods and drinks with our groceries that dd eats and drinks.  (She needs to drink Powerades to keep up her blood pressure or else she gets faint).  HOwever, we still pay for those through our allowance for dd when she is at college.  WHen she is at home, we pay for those when we go grocery shopping.  SHe has some other foods she eats that she doesn't eat while in college.

[BooksandBoys]

We spend 24% of gross income on food. We are in a high COL area and spend 33% on our housing, not including utilities, so things are really tight. We have food allergies and diabetes (a genetic form that shows up in childhood), so this is as low as I can get the food budget. If I slack even a bit, it's up over 30%. We eat out a few times a year, usually when someone else is paying.

 

For comparison, we will be moving soon to a low COL area to take a much better job and I expect the percentages spent on food to drop to 10%.

[Arcadia]

Oh, I totally get having groceries and eating out as separate items in the budget. But when someone asks how much you spend on food, do you combine groceries and eating out?

Dining out would fall under entertainment expenses for us. Eating out would fall under food expenses. We eat out a few times a week and don't spend much per meal at the cafe or fast food. More in the $15 and under range for a meal.

 

Dining out would be like an out of town friend or relative is visiting and we go to where the friend may like e.g. BIL wanted to try Cheesecake Factory for dinner. That cost much more since the prices are higher, there is tips to pay and we would also pay for the guests. Easily $200 per meal all in.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I think percentage of income for this category just doesn't make sense unless there are different % for different income levels. Mine is about 12%

 

 

That's the point.  How can financial planning websites say a certain percent of a budget when the income and the number of people can be drastically different?  Like seriously, this makes no sense.

[Annie G]

Dining out would fall under entertainment expenses for us. Eating out would fall under food expenses. We eat out a few times a week and don't spend much per meal at the cafe or fast food. More in the $15 and under range for a meal.

 

Dining out would be like an out of town friend or relative is visiting and we go to where the friend may like e.g. BIL wanted to try Cheesecake Factory for dinner. That cost much more since the prices are higher, there is tips to pay and we would also pay for the guests. Easily $200 per meal all in.

 

Well now my head is really spinning- eating out is food but dining out is entertainment!  

 

We kind of do that when we go to the movies, which is usually once a month but can be more if it's Good Movie Season. We time it to go over a meal and gorge on popcorn and soda and thus skip a meal at home.  Man, it's awesome to live within walking distance of a theater that has delicious but cheap popcorn and soda that comes with free refills.  Anyway, I count that as entertainment but yeah, technically it's food. 

[MeghansMom]

I wonder if the 9% of income figure was meaning for one person?? That would be nearly in line. Because (different #s for the sake of easy math) $4000 a mo comes to $400 mo if using 10% of income on food. That would be close to what the financial person gave you. When feeding a family, if one person can live on $400 each additional person wouldn't add a full $400 more but it would go up maybe $100-200 per person? I wonder if the 9% figure wasn't counting in additional people. Hmm...

 

 

 

This is us. This is one of the few areas that I splurge. 

 

 

 

This! We have had a large range of income over the years but our grocery budget has always (or could have) remained the same. The only way I see a real increase in grocery costs by income would be if you started making more organic, specialty purchases with the higher income than were available on a lower income. (So same foods and amount of food but much higher since organic, free range eggs might be $4/dz instead of $2/dz and so on)

 

I think that probably is the case, because I can not see us eating very well on 525 a month including toiletries, household items and pet food. Also, the more money in the house, the better we eat.

[Arcadia]

The only way I see a real increase in grocery costs by income would be if you started making more organic, specialty purchases with the higher income than were available on a lower income.

I do get more precut garlic, onions, carrots when my kids are older and my hubby's pay could absorb the higher cost. We also did less rationing for example buying some favorite fruits even though it was out of season and not on sale.

[QueenCat]

Oh, I totally get having groceries and eating out as separate items in the budget.  But when someone asks how much you spend on food, do you combine groceries and eating out?  I probably wasn't being clear. I have friends who eat most meals out and 'think' that since they only spend $200 a month on groceries that they're actually spending only that much to feed themselves each month. 

 

For someone who is struggling to stay on budget (which is what often prompts someone to start this kind of thread), hearing the total cost of food is helpful. 

 

Yes but it's difficult because I DO count toiletries, cleaning and paper products in my grocery budget.

[purplejackmama]

I am completely blown away by how little some of you spend on food. I really need to learn your frugal ways. $350 a month was mentioned on another thread. Wha?!?

[mama2cntrykids]

Ours is anywhere between 17-20%.  We're a family of six, with 2 teen boys that eat a lot.

[Pen]

Around 35%. Income is relatively low and we eat organic food. Then again we also grow some of it at least some years, and belong to CSA, so maybe it could be even higher if we didn't do these things.

[Night Elf]

I spend about 17% on groceries (food, health and beauty, paper products, OTC meds)  and takeout each month. We're a family of 4, all adults.

[DawnM]

Groceries include pet food, paper goods, cleaning supplies, vitamins.  It has to because I get them all at Costco and have no way to separate them in my mind.

 

Anyway, it is close to 9%, give or take.

[Zinnia]

I combine groceries and eating out, because eating out *is* a luxury.  If I'm able to keep grocery costs down, then we treat ourselves with eating out.  It's the best way that we've found to keep it under control.

[FaithManor]

12-15% depending on the week. It will be worse this week because of ds's graduation party. I've been spreading out the expenditures across several paychecks but there will not only be last minute items that I probably forgot or realize I did not get enough of but also the fresh fruit since that is not something purchased in advance. Two large watermelons, a couple lbs. of grapes, three quarts of strawberries. So yah...I'm going over the usually amount by a good bit this coming week.

[TravelingChris]

I went on one of the financial planning websites.  THey had percentages for housing, utilities, insurance, food, etc.  We found it didn't apply to us.  Our housing costs were lower, our utility costs were higher (I counted our cable, internet, phone bundle as a utility and also our cell phone costs), our food and transportation costs were also less, our education costs were more. ANd on it went. The food figures must be averages or something like that.  

[kwickimom]

my average since January puts us at 12%