Millennials and Gen Z: Splurging on Groceries

[SHP]

This is just, wow. Buying groceries is now splurging. I guess I am doing the budget wrong since I have groceries under essentials, along with a roof and clean water. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-gen-z-splurge-groceries-spending-inflation-gen-z-boomers-2024-4?amp&utm_source=reddit.com

[Pawz4me]

??

The point of the article seems to be that people are splurging on things like “fancy sodas and drinks,” not that essential groceries are being considered a splurge. 

[TheReader]

Seems like it's also about the fact that with grocery prices surging, Millenials and Gen Zers are realizing (like the rest of us) that it makes more sense to spend more on fun items at the grocery store vs going out to eat, etc. and splurging that way. 

Not that the basics are now a splurge, but that the economy is such that our "treats" are now things like the fancy waters, sodas, Trader Joes' snacks, etc. that are "splurge items" and that indulging in those is all one can afford in the current economy, vs. the more typical splurges of dinners out, vacations, etc. 

In other words, sounds like our Millenial and Gen Z babies are growing up. 

[Ginevra]

I don’t read it that way. 
I read it as saying, when Millennials and Gen Zers buy groceries, they are more likely than older shoppers to buy bougier groceries. My own Gen Zer calls it “nice food.” I have seen this for sure with my two young adults who buy their own groceries. When I was that age, I would never have even thought about buying, say, a $4 kombucha. My daughter would buy a block of Parmesan and shred it for her pasta. I would have had the shakes-cheese thing at that age because I wouldn’t have bought a $10 block of cheese. (I do this now but not when I was 24.) Wild-caught sockeye salmon; grass-fed beef; special olives; fair trade, whole bean coffee - they buy these things and view it as a necessary trade off to get high-value nutrition. They do this even if it means they put less money into something else that older generations might have splurged on - like their cars. 

[HomeAgain]

I'd like to find an article that talks about how our parents splurged on things like Ecto-Coolers and Pudding Pops, and how unnecessary they were to our budget.

Good grief.

Let's talk for a moment about how shrinkflation and price gouging went on with 'staple' brands and how they saw a decline in their consumer base with these age groups.  Gen Z/Millennials are tired of getting shafted and move on to products they feel are worth the cost.

[Carrie12345]

Not exactly written well. “Millennials are also becoming parents for the first time.” Um, no.

I’m an x’er who splurges on “groceries”. Meaning tossing some fancy extras in the cart with my needed staples. 

[Heartstrings]

14 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

ot exactly written well. “Millennials are also becoming parents for the first time.” Um, no

If people writing articles could do a wee quick google and see that many millennials are in their 30s that would be fantastic.  Every millennial I know is already married with kids.  I’m an “elder millennial” and have adult children (I started young) and a teenager. 

[Brittany1116]

I recently saw a clip where a mid 20s mom of a toddler spent nearly $500 at a bulk/club store to stock up on "drinks for the month". Water, juice, soda etc. There were years we were married with kids and didn't spend $500 a month on actual groceries. And my kids are not even in high school yet so I don't mean the 80s. 

We do buy some fun items, higher quality items, fair trade, organic, fill in the blank items. But we have also cut soda from the budget, and I know how to go scorched earth if necessary. 

 

[Brittany1116]

Also, I think there are a lot of people who mean "twenty somethings" when they use the term millennial, not realizing most millennials are 30s and even early 40s. 

[Arcadia]

From the article 

“Gen Z, meanwhile, says the money they choose to spend on high-quality snacks and beverages makes for expensive grocery bills. 

One 23-year-old Gen Zer told Business Insider by text that he spends about $130 for a week and a half on groceries. "Fancy sodas and drinks" and "random snacks at Trader Joe's" account for the bulk of the bill. He also said he spent about $35 on protein bars.”

So that is a splurge though protein bars may not be a splurge depending on the quantity he gets for $35. My teens are Gen Z (Zoomers) and everything is expensive to them. Buying a treat from the supermarket would be an affordable splurge. For example a box of madeleines for $5 on $5 Fridays is a splurge. Or an 8 pack of chimichanga for more than $5 is a splurge on convenience food.

[TechWife]

6 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

From the article 

“Gen Z, meanwhile, says the money they choose to spend on high-quality snacks and beverages makes for expensive grocery bills. 

One 23-year-old Gen Zer told Business Insider by text that he spends about $130 for a week and a half on groceries. "Fancy sodas and drinks" and "random snacks at Trader Joe's" account for the bulk of the bill. He also said he spent about $35 on protein bars.”

So that is a splurge though protein bars may not be a splurge depending on the quantity he gets for $35. My teens are Gen Z (Zoomers) and everything is expensive to them. Buying a treat from the supermarket would be an affordable splurge. For example a box of madeleines for $5 on $5 Fridays is a splurge. Or an 8 pack of chimichanga for more than $5 is a splurge on convenience food.

Maybe they have figured out most restaurants, at least chains, are serving warmed up frozen food and deciding that it’s not worth the price. I think most people splurge on something occasionally, if not regularly. The protein bars, though - does Gen Z know how to cook good meals? Unless there are special nutritional needs (my son needed them for a while), that’s either a convenience item or a splurge. Either is fine, just as long as people are aware of their decision process. 

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, TechWife said:

Unless there are special nutritional needs (my son needed them for a while), that’s either a convenience item or a splurge

My family does classify convenience items as splurge vs needs. However, in the case of protein bars, we have used them as a substitute for paying for expensive food at tourist attractions like Disneyland or when we go on a long hike. 

[Heartstrings]

15 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My family does classify convenience items as splurge vs needs. However, in the case of protein bars, we have used them as a substitute for paying for expensive food at tourist attractions like Disneyland or when we go on a long hike. 

Or snacks/meals at work.  When I worked as a cashier and literally got 1 15 minute break per shift I subsisted on Lara bars, because I could eat that, guzzle water and visit the bathroom in 15 minutes.  Not every job offers a 1 hour lunch.  

[Corraleno]

Gen Z, meanwhile, says the money they choose to spend on high-quality snacks and beverages makes for expensive grocery bills. One 23-year-old Gen Zer told Business Insider by text that he spends about $130 for a week and a half on groceries. "Fancy sodas and drinks" and "random snacks at Trader Joe's" account for the bulk of the bill. He also said he spent about $35 on protein bars.

I just want to point out that the above quote from the Business Insider article is not based on the McKinsey survey data in the article they link. It's like some hack at BI texted their 23 yr old nephew and said "hey kiddo, what kind of groceries would you consider to be a splurge?" and then they got one quote and turned it into this sweeping generalization that Gen Z are wasting their money on fancy sodas and snacks.

This is what the McKinsey survey of 4000 people actually says: "rather than splurging on dining out, consumers said they intended to splurge on food at home more than they did at the end of 2023. This change was most evident among Gen Zers and millennials." There's nothing in the data specifying what kind of foods they are "splurging" on.

There's one quote from a Millennial saying "We’ve been shopping at the grocery store more often to buy things that are healthier for us. And in the process, we get to save money and spend time with each other cooking and eating together. So it’s really a win–win for everybody."

But I guess that's not enough of a hook. "Gen Z blows their money on soda and protein bars" seems like the new "Millenials spend all their money on fancy coffee and avocado toast."

Edited April 8 by Corraleno

[Rosie_0801]

27 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

But I guess that's not enough of a hook. "Gen Z blows their money on soda and protein bars" seems like the new "Millenials spend all their money on fancy coffee and avocado toast."

Which was only the new "Hunter-gatherers binge on honey when they have access to some."

[Ausmumof3]

3 hours ago, Ginevra said:

I don’t read it that way. 
I read it as saying, when Millennials and Gen Zers buy groceries, they are more likely than older shoppers to buy bougier groceries. My own Gen Zer calls it “nice food.” I have seen this for sure with my two young adults who buy their own groceries. When I was that age, I would never have even thought about buying, say, a $4 kombucha. My daughter would buy a block of Parmesan and shred it for her pasta. I would have had the shakes-cheese thing at that age because I wouldn’t have bought a $10 block of cheese. (I do this now but not when I was 24.) Wild-caught sockeye salmon; grass-fed beef; special olives; fair trade, whole bean coffee - they buy these things and view it as a necessary trade off to get high-value nutrition. They do this even if it means they put less money into something else that older generations might have splurged on - like their cars. 

I think this is true, but also at least in my country the quality of basic no brand food has degenerated a lot. So for example, where most ham bought was higher quality Australian produced ham, now most of what’s found on our shelves is imported and slimy and texture less. To get the equivalent of the ham we ate as kids means splurging on a more expensive brand. Same with milk (lots of very thin milk made with permeate). Many breads have weird additives so again, to buy bread that’s similar to what we had as kids that doesn’t mess up our guts is a splurge. So there’s two sides to that coin. Yes, younger generation will spend more for authentic food, but that’s because if they don’t they are eating literal rubbish half the time.

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

My family does classify convenience items as splurge vs needs. However, in the case of protein bars, we have used them as a substitute for paying for expensive food at tourist attractions like Disneyland or when we go on a long hike. 

Yep! This has been a mindset shift for me with work. Don’t have access to a kitchen or refrigeration and I can’t make it through the day without eating so a couple of muesli bars are cheaper than buying food. Plus I can eat them while doing my notes and prep work which means I don’t have as much to do when I get home.

Edited April 8 by Ausmumof3

[Ausmumof3]

2 hours ago, Heartstrings said:

If people writing articles could do a wee quick google and see that many millennials are in their 30s that would be fantastic.  Every millennial I know is already married with kids.  I’m an “elder millennial” and have adult children (I started young) and a teenager. 

So true! I’m on the boundary between x and millennial and most of these generation articles feels like they are talking about my kids generation not mine when they say millennials!

[frogger]

I splurged so much on groceries this week. Brie, fresh mozzerella, fresh parm, and black cambozola black label cheese. All unnecessary to feed my family and pretty expensive. I was weak and that was definitly a splurge and there is nothing wrong with calling it such. 20 and 30 something me would never have bought those or maybe one of those once a year. 

[SHP]

2 hours ago, TechWife said:

Maybe they have figured out most restaurants, at least chains, are serving warmed up frozen food and deciding that it’s not worth the price. I think most people splurge on something occasionally, if not regularly. The protein bars, though - does Gen Z know how to cook good meals? Unless there are special nutritional needs (my son needed them for a while), that’s either a convenience item or a splurge. Either is fine, just as long as people are aware of their decision process. 

There are special nutritional needs here. Getting foods that don't make me sick costs a mint and I have gastroparesis and cannot eat nearly as much as most people. 

9 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I think this is true, but also at least in my country the quality of basic no brand food has degenerated a lot. So for example, where most ham bought was higher quality Australian produced ham, now most of what’s found on our shelves is imported and slimy and texture less. To get the equivalent of the ham we ate as kids means splurging on a more expensive brand. Same with milk (lots of very thin milk made with permeate). Many breads have weird additives so again, to buy bread that’s similar to what we had as kids that doesn’t mess up our guts is a splurge. So there’s two sides to that coin. Yes, younger generation will spend more for authentic food, but that’s because if they don’t they are eating literal rubbish half the time.

Sadly, we have the slimy ham here, along with all the other low quality foods and, yes, the higher quality foods are insanely priced and viewed as frivolous by many. I joke about being accidentally vegan because of egg and milk allergies in the house plus the cost for quality meats. My husband spent over $100 on a tiny ham last year for me for the holidays. A certain teenager commented about the entire ham being almost enough for a sandwich. He wasn't wrong. He didn't get said sandwich, but that doesn't mean he was wrong.

 

8 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Yep! This has been a mindset shift for me with work. Don’t have access to a kitchen or refrigeration and I can’t make it through the day without eating so a couple of muesli bars are cheaper than buying food. Plus I can eat them while doing my notes and prep work which means I don’t have as much to do when I get home.

I keep a vegan protein shake, a baby food pouch, and a protein bar with me at work. The baby food pouch is for my dietary needs, and the ones that are not loaded with sugars are insanely expenses. The protein shakes that don't make me sick are also expensive. Protein bars make me sick and are for times I absolutely cannot make it through the day. They are only slightly better than my only option at work, vending machine food.

My work and my husband's work have both gotten rid of their cafeterias. The only microwaves left are in the offices of those who have brought their own. There are rumors that a certain department has a small fridge but I haven't been able to confirm this. The only reliable food option is a vending machine full of candy selling for 3x the cost of the grocery store. There are no food options one can walk to during lunch. On very rare occasions my work will have a food truck in the parking lot, it is so popular there isn't enough time to wait in line and eat the food. Slightly more often a fast food chain sets up a popup and sells premade sandwiches from an insulated bag. The closest location for that chain is almost 30 minutes away, that means those sandwiches are at least 30 minute old. Outside of the insulation in the bag, there is no temperature control. Sounds like a good way to get food poisoning. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I’ve never understood why avocado toast got such a bad rap. There are times of the year when avocados are 3/$1–and an avocado smashed on a piece of bread = breakfast for under $.50. Even at $1/avocado, it’s a healthy breakfast. A box of Cinnamon Toast crunch cereal has 8 servings in it and costs $6.49 at my local grocery store. Add in the cost of milk, and it’s cheaper to have avocado toast. 
 

I’m super sick of the media calling us profiligrate for wanting safe housing, healthy food, and adequate healthcare. The fingers should be pointed at billionaires who dont pay proportionate taxes and toxic corporations and the politicians who are in the pockets of billionaires and corporations. 

 

[Arcadia]

6 minutes ago, SHP said:

Sadly, we have the slimy ham here, along with all the other low quality foods and, yes, the higher quality foods are insanely priced and viewed as frivolous by many

I don’t think it is so much as being viewed as frivolous as it is viewed as a splurge like what @Ausmumof3described. Cost of groceries (and other stuff) has gone up during the pandemic faster than many people’s annual pay raise. The insanely priced higher quality foods are either viewed as a need (e.g. allergic to additives) that has to be carefully budgeted for or view as a splurge. For example, the dried mango with sugar, glycerin, sulphur dioxide at Trader Joe’s is about $2.29 for a 6oz pack while its just mango slices is more expensive. My husband tells me to just get the more expensive one since we buy a pack at most once a week. We usually buy the Kirkland 20oz pack of organic dried mangos (no other ingredients) for $17. 

[SHP]

10 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

. A box of Cinnamon Toast crunch cereal has 8 servings in it and costs $6.49 at my local grocery store. . 

 

I'm sorry, but WHAT?!  I haven't bought cereal in years so I know Iam out of the loop. I am shocked by the price and that it is only 8 servings. The box must be tiny. And 8 servings of cereal is like first breakfast for teenagers. 

[Arcadia]

14 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I’ve never understood why avocado toast got such a bad rap.

I thought the bad rap was about spending so much on avocado toast at a cafe or restaurant, not so much about homemade ones. It was more like a meme or joke on millennials spending on things like Starbucks and avocado toasts.

[SHP]

3 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

I don’t think it is so much as being viewed as frivolous as it is viewed as a splurge like what @Ausmumof3described. Cost of groceries (and other stuff) has gone up during the pandemic faster than many people’s annual pay raise. The insanely priced higher quality foods are either viewed as a need (e.g. allergic to additives) that has to be carefully budgeted for or view as a splurge. For example, the dried mango with sugar, glycerin, sulphur dioxide at Trader Joe’s is about $2.29 for a 6oz pack while its just mango slices is more expensive. My husband tells me to just get the more expensive one since we buy a pack at most once a week. We usually buy the Kirkland 20oz pack of organic dried mangos (no other ingredients) for $17. 

Healthy options should never be considered a splurge. Buying mangos without sugar should be the norm, not the exception. 

[Arcadia]

5 minutes ago, SHP said:

Healthy options should never be considered a splurge. Buying mangos without sugar should be the norm, not the exception. 

I don’t need to eat mangoes for my health though, I just like mangos. So to me it is a splurge because there are cheaper healthy alternatives to dried mangoes. 
While I do agree with you that healthy options should not be considered a splurge, when our budget was very tight and my parents had to help us out financially, it does feel like a splurge to opt for the more expensive healthier option. 

[Hyacinth]

NM

Edited April 8 by Hyacinth

[Corraleno]

I was curious about the origins of the avocado toast meme, and ironically it comes from Australia! From a 2017 article in The Guardian:

"An Australian millionaire and real estate mogul has advice for millennials struggling to purchase a home: stop buying avocado toast.

Tim Gurner, a luxury property developer in Melbourne responsible for over $3.8bn in projects, is facing heat for comments he made on 60 Minutes in Australia, implying that young people can’t afford to buy property because they’re wasting money on fancy toast and overpriced coffee.

“When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” he said. “We’re at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high.”

He added: “We are coming into a new reality where … a lot of people won’t own a house in their lifetime. That is just the reality.” Asked if he believes young people will never own a home, he responded: “Absolutely, when you’re spending $40 a day on smashed avocados and coffees and not working. Of course.”

<snip>

Gurner is not the first to suggest that young people’s love of avocado toast was making it harder for them to buy homes. Demographer Bernard Saltwrote in the Australian last year that if young people stopped going to “hipster cafes”, they could purchase property.

He wrote: “I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle aged and have raised my family. But how can young people afford to eat like this? Shouldn’t they be economising by eating at home? How often are they eating out? Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house.”

So now Gen Z and millennials are buying more groceries and eating out less — and it's being spun as wasting money on frivolous things like soda and snacks (as if Boomers don't buy soda and snacks???). What these guys are really saying is "We the wealthy have spent the past few decades screwing the economy for our own benefit to the extent that many young people will never be able to afford a home — but we're going to blame them for not living on bread and water."

[Ausmumof3]

13 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I was curious about the origins of the avocado toast meme, and ironically it comes from Australia! From a 2017 article in The Guardian:

"An Australian millionaire and real estate mogul has advice for millennials struggling to purchase a home: stop buying avocado toast.

Tim Gurner, a luxury property developer in Melbourne responsible for over $3.8bn in projects, is facing heat for comments he made on 60 Minutes in Australia, implying that young people can’t afford to buy property because they’re wasting money on fancy toast and overpriced coffee.

“When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” he said. “We’re at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high.”

He added: “We are coming into a new reality where … a lot of people won’t own a house in their lifetime. That is just the reality.” Asked if he believes young people will never own a home, he responded: “Absolutely, when you’re spending $40 a day on smashed avocados and coffees and not working. Of course.”

<snip>

Gurner is not the first to suggest that young people’s love of avocado toast was making it harder for them to buy homes. Demographer Bernard Saltwrote in the Australian last year that if young people stopped going to “hipster cafes”, they could purchase property.

He wrote: “I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle aged and have raised my family. But how can young people afford to eat like this? Shouldn’t they be economising by eating at home? How often are they eating out? Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house.”

So now Gen Z and millennials are buying more groceries and eating out less — and it's being spun as wasting money on frivolous things like soda and snacks (as if Boomers don't buy soda and snacks???). What these guys are really saying is "We the wealthy have spent the past few decades screwing the economy for our own benefit to the extent that many young people will never be able to afford a home — but we're going to blame them for not living on bread and water."

Yes correct! I remember the *storm that created at the time 

[Ausmumof3]

14 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I was curious about the origins of the avocado toast meme, and ironically it comes from Australia! From a 2017 article in The Guardian:

"An Australian millionaire and real estate mogul has advice for millennials struggling to purchase a home: stop buying avocado toast.

Tim Gurner, a luxury property developer in Melbourne responsible for over $3.8bn in projects, is facing heat for comments he made on 60 Minutes in Australia, implying that young people can’t afford to buy property because they’re wasting money on fancy toast and overpriced coffee.

“When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” he said. “We’re at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high.”

He added: “We are coming into a new reality where … a lot of people won’t own a house in their lifetime. That is just the reality.” Asked if he believes young people will never own a home, he responded: “Absolutely, when you’re spending $40 a day on smashed avocados and coffees and not working. Of course.”

<snip>

Gurner is not the first to suggest that young people’s love of avocado toast was making it harder for them to buy homes. Demographer Bernard Saltwrote in the Australian last year that if young people stopped going to “hipster cafes”, they could purchase property.

He wrote: “I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle aged and have raised my family. But how can young people afford to eat like this? Shouldn’t they be economising by eating at home? How often are they eating out? Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house.”

So now Gen Z and millennials are buying more groceries and eating out less — and it's being spun as wasting money on frivolous things like soda and snacks (as if Boomers don't buy soda and snacks???). What these guys are really saying is "We the wealthy have spent the past few decades screwing the economy for our own benefit to the extent that many young people will never be able to afford a home — but we're going to blame them for not living on bread and water."

And to add to the irony post-Covid (well… whatever you call this thing we’re in now) there was an absolute glut of avocados and article were printed begging people to buy avocados and chastising people for not buying enough! We ate more guacamole than we ever have before!

[Carrie12345]

8 hours ago, TechWife said:

Maybe they have figured out most restaurants, at least chains, are serving warmed up frozen food and deciding that it’s not worth the price. I think most people splurge on something occasionally, if not regularly. The protein bars, though - does Gen Z know how to cook good meals? Unless there are special nutritional needs (my son needed them for a while), that’s either a convenience item or a splurge. Either is fine, just as long as people are aware of their decision process. 

My oldest two (25 and 21) are pretty accomplished home cooks. They both still have their “grocery splurges”. Though, dd does come over here to get her fix of goat cheese, lol.

[Pawz4me]

6 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

So true! I’m on the boundary between x and millennial and most of these generation articles feels like they are talking about my kids generation not mine when they say millennials!

I'm on the tail end of the Boomers, had my kids somewhat late, and feel the same way. There have been many threads on here bashing and trashing the Boomers, how we all had it so easy and are resting on our laurels and blah blah, while discussing the posters' own struggles with paying for kids' college while taking care of elders (or whatever other struggle) and I'm over here thinking "Hold on a minute, DH and I are Boomers and we're in exactly the same situation as you all who are feeling so self righteous bashing us." It makes no sense, and it's one of many reasons categorizing people into silly "generations" drives me batty. I think it's just another way to stereotype and divide people, and keep us arguing amongst ourselves.

[SKL]

I do think younger people have higher expectations than my generation had when we were young.  Sue me.

When we were young, a lot of people bought "fun" food because they couldn't afford a full menu of nutritious food, and junk food was cheaper.  Maybe junk food is still cheaper, I don't know, but as people get older, we care more about food quality - perhaps because our bodies become less forgiving over time, or perhaps because we get wiser.  I think we also don't need to eat as much quantity-wise, so we can be choosier about the food we do eat.

But yeah, my generation hung out at places that didn't cost anything, brought our lunch/dinner to work, and shockingly, ate a lot of "generic" food.  Well, it was a step up from the cheese line I stood in as a teen.  I won't say I never bought food at a prepared-food establishment, but it would be one muffin or an order of fries, and I would feel guilty about it.

When I was working 2.5 jobs, I did buy some convenience foods at factory outlets, thinking it was an economical choice, which it really wasn't.  I also ate a lot of pbj.

I find that my kids learn about the unnecessary-ness of splurge food by having to pay for it themselves, out of their own earnings, which, at age 17, are self-limiting (especially when entertaining friends who don't work).  Not to say that they never splurge, but they don't take it for granted.

[HomeAgain]

16 minutes ago, SKL said:

I do think younger people have higher expectations than my generation had when we were young.  Sue me.

When we were young, a lot of people bought "fun" food because they couldn't afford a full menu of nutritious food, and junk food was cheaper.  Maybe junk food is still cheaper, I don't know, but as people get older, we care more about food quality - perhaps because our bodies become less forgiving over time, or perhaps because we get wiser.  I think we also don't need to eat as much quantity-wise, so we can be choosier about the food we do eat.

But yeah, my generation hung out at places that didn't cost anything, brought our lunch/dinner to work, and shockingly, ate a lot of "generic" food.  Well, it was a step up from the cheese line I stood in as a teen.  I won't say I never bought food at a prepared-food establishment, but it would be one muffin or an order of fries, and I would feel guilty about it.

When I was working 2.5 jobs, I did buy some convenience foods at factory outlets, thinking it was an economical choice, which it really wasn't.  I also ate a lot of pbj.

I find that my kids learn about the unnecessary-ness of splurge food by having to pay for it themselves, out of their own earnings, which, at age 17, are self-limiting (especially when entertaining friends who don't work).  Not to say that they never splurge, but they don't take it for granted.

Just quoting here because it echoes conversations dh and I have had.  Both of us grew up poor.  I mean, not as poor as my parents growing up, but pretty darn poor.

I had a SAHM/school-day work mom.  Dh's mom worked longer hours.  It influenced our diets.

Mine: a lot of home cooking, but also that meant a lot of whole foods prepared, canned, preserved.  There wasn't extra money for the fun things at the grocery store unless it hit the bakery discount store: like 20 packs of Flavour-Aid for $1, which was cheaper than $.15 for one Koolaid packet.  We grew our food, or knew someone who did and was willing to share/sell misfits.

Dh: a lot of cans, boxes, and frozen food from the grocery store.  Dirt cheap, could be stretched to feed kids, and could be bought by the case.

How we handled food choices as an adult were highly based on these different diet styles plus the fact that neither of us had much time.  It took moving to a remote location to get rid of most of the meals from dh's childhood because they were too expensive, and we couldn't have the pantry I had as a kid, either.  Everything became fresh and bought weekly, rotating through with the seasons.  If we had not, I think we would have gone the way of families I see online.  Women who were brought up to be homemakers as their first and only occupation grew up poor.  A lot of times they grew up with dh's diet: high carbs/low protein/very low fruits & veggies that could spoil.  They then pass this limited menu on to their kids, which becomes more limited each generation because of the lack of time needed to prepare fresh and the budget needed to have the ability to waste.

So much of what I ate as a kid is now considered a splurge for people if it is prepackaged at the store, but it's also giving a chance for people to experience new things in smaller investments. And we still have the expectations for the poor: The influence of the corn, wheat, and sugar industries strive to keep low nutrient/high carb food at a price they can set to control the market and spending at the expense of people.  When I see younger people doing things like bypassing the cold cereal in favor of overnight oats or chia pudding, or buying a chunk of parm rather than the green can, it can look like a splurge instead of changes that reflect how they're seeing the food industry and what it means to them.  But then when we also insist they work a full time job, side hustle, and go to school, the food (or how they're putting it on the table) becomes a much smaller issue inside of our social expectations and roles of employers, governments, and worker protections.  We can't talk about the dog's tail without addressing the body first.

[Carrie12345]

40 minutes ago, SKL said:

I do think younger people have higher expectations than my generation had when we were young.  Sue me.

While there are definitely some aspects that raise my eyebrow, I think about 90% of their higher expectations make sense.  
Just because we saw it as “how life is” doesn’t mean it was “right” or should remain status quo.

What I DO wish is that more would participate in the actual hard work it takes to make change. Many do, but we need more. 

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

What I DO wish is that more would participate in the actual hard work it takes to make change. Many do, but we need more. 

Yep.

[Heartstrings]

I don’t understand the idea that young people should eat crap for a few decades until they can afford better.  How many health problems are caused by that mentality, not to mention mental health issues.  Do we really think it’s healthy long term to spend a decade on ramen noodles?    Health and longevity are long term things.   “Eat like crap for a couple of decades” sounds like marketing for Big Pharma.  “Eat ramen now, we can fix you later with our over priced pills and barely effective treatments.”   
 

None of us would want to feed our kids like that and a lot of us here judge the ones that do. We carefully curate healthy food and veggies for their first 20 but want them eat absolute garbage for the next 20?  Is that really what we had in mind when stressing about getting vegetables into out toddlers way back when we were the young moms?  

Edited April 8 by Heartstrings

[Heartstrings]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

And we still have the expectations for the poor: The influence of the corn, wheat, and sugar industries strive to keep low nutrient/high carb food at a price they can set to control the market and spending at the expense of people.  When I see younger people doing things like bypassing the cold cereal in favor of overnight oats or chia pudding, or buying a chunk of parm rather than the green can, it can look like a splurge instead of changes that reflect how they're seeing the food industry and what it means to them. 

Yes!  

[SKL]

Just now, Heartstrings said:

I do t understand the idea that young people should eat crap for a few decades until they can afford better.  How many health problems are caused by that mentality, not to mention mental health issues.  Do we really think it’s healthy long term to spend a decade on ramen noodles?    Health and longevity are long term things.   “Eat like crap for a couple of decades” sounds like marketing for Big Pharma.  “Eat ramen now, we can fix you later with our over priced pills and barely effective treatments.”   
 

None of us would want to feed our kids like that and a lot of us here judge the ones that do. We carefully curate healthy food and veggies for their first 20 but want them eat absolute garbage for the next 20?  Is that really what we had in mind when stressing about getting vegetables into out toddlers way back when we were the young moms?  

I think the science will support me when I say that young bodies are, on average, incredibly forgiving.  If we're talking about the horrors of feeding our kids white bread instead of wheat bread, I think our concerns are misplaced.

It isn't just the food budget that young people need to figure out.  Let's be honest - young people, on average, aren't born wise about money.  They have to make mistakes, just like we did, and learn from them.  One day it's buying sugary soda, another day it's buying unnecessary clothes, another day it's speeding and getting tickets and higher insurance premiums.  This is why old people are boring.

Side note though ... I had switched to a much healthier diet before I became a mom, and naturally I tried to feed my kids that way too, kuz duh?  But now they complain that their childhoods were awful because I didn't give them more sugar, nuggets, and white bread.  Whatever.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

I do think younger people have higher expectations than my generation had when we were young.  Sue me.

I think they do, but I think a lot of it is because they have so many more choices. The grocery stores we shopped at when I was a kid were about the size of the produce departments in many grocery stores now. And now the assumption is that fruits and veggies that were at best seasonal offerings during my childhood will be available every day of the year. And having access to more varied food is great, and it's understandable that people have expectations of being able to afford those choices.

[ScoutTN]

I remember “splurging” on half n half for my coffee in grad school. Those were lean years, for sure! 

 

 

[Heartstrings]

I think a lot of it is they recognize the limited ability to save anyway.  Say they scrimp $100 off of the grocery budget every week.  Wow, well done.  Save that for a house!   Except houses in their area start at $400k and the adult tell them they need 20% down, or $80k.   $100 a week is $5200 a year, or 15 years to get to $80k.  But then you have a house that needs repairs because it’s a fixer, so you scrimp for 15 more years to fix it up and finally get to eat healthy, decent food when your 50, right when your body starts really acting up anyway.
 

 And that’s if home prices don’t go up any in that first 15 years, which is unlikely so now that $80k is really $100k and takes closer to 20 years.

That’s not appealing to many people for perfectly rational reasons.  

Edited April 8 by Heartstrings

[Heartstrings]

30 minutes ago, SKL said:

I think the science will support me when I say that young bodies are, on average, incredibly forgiving.

They are forgiving in the short term, but the long term comes for us all. 

[Bootsie]

31 minutes ago, Heartstrings said:

I don’t understand the idea that young people should eat crap for a few decades until they can afford better.  How many health problems are caused by that mentality, not to mention mental health issues.  Do we really think it’s healthy long term to spend a decade on ramen noodles?    Health and longevity are long term things.   “Eat like crap for a couple of decades” sounds like marketing for Big Pharma.  “Eat ramen now, we can fix you later with our over priced pills and barely effective treatments.”   
 

None of us would want to feed our kids like that and a lot of us here judge the ones that do. We carefully curate healthy food and veggies for their first 20 but want them eat absolute garbage for the next 20?  Is that really what we had in mind when stressing about getting vegetables into out toddlers way back when we were the young moms?  

 

When I look at the options at the grocery store, I do not see two options--(1) Buy cheap and unhealthy or (2) buy expensive and healthy.  We will differ in opinion about what is a healthy diet, but I can buy a wide range of items:  eggs, oatmeal, beans, bananas, onions, potatoes, zucchini, cabbage at reasonable prices.  I do not consider many of the high-ticket items marketed as healthy; protein bars, bottled water, coffee drinks, cut fruit, packaged nutritious snacks (a few almonds, a few grapes, and an ounce of cheese) to be healthier (and often not as healthy)

[Dmmetler]

12 hours ago, TheReader said:

Seems like it's also about the fact that with grocery prices surging, Millenials and Gen Zers are realizing (like the rest of us) that it makes more sense to spend more on fun items at the grocery store vs going out to eat, etc. and splurging that way. 

Not that the basics are now a splurge, but that the economy is such that our "treats" are now things like the fancy waters, sodas, Trader Joes' snacks, etc. that are "splurge items" and that indulging in those is all one can afford in the current economy, vs. the more typical splurges of dinners out, vacations, etc. 

In other words, sounds like our Millenial and Gen Z babies are growing up. 

At least for us, it's also that we got out of the habit of going out as a splurge/extra, and, honestly, take out/delivery just wasn't better than making food at home. At this point, it's not COVID-it's simply no longer part of our regular lives. But I'll probably never go back to buying packaged baked goods vs going to the bakery-I'll give up baked goods first. 

 

The other difference I see-over half the college/just out of college kids I know personally are vegetarian or vegan. So their grocery carts will contain things that I would consider a splurge (more nuts, Almond milk, Ramen from the imported foods aisle because the cheap ones contain meat products, and they're more likely to buy things like portobello mushrooms or whole heads of raw cauliflower to turn into "steak") but they're NOT buying meat, eggs, cheese, etc.  

[SHP]

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I don’t need to eat mangoes for my health though, I just like mangos. So to me it is a splurge because there are cheaper healthy alternatives to dried mangoes. 
While I do agree with you that healthy options should not be considered a splurge, when our budget was very tight and my parents had to help us out financially, it does feel like a splurge to opt for the more expensive healthier option. 

I didn't say you ate Mangoes for your health, I said the healthier option should be cheaper, ie the option that doesn't have sugar. It is crazy to me that in the US it costs more to avoid something that has links to long term health issues.

When it comes to dried fruit, it's not just the financial part of it, I spent a lot of time trying to find dried fruit without sugar. I went to several grocery stores near me without much luck and finally turned to the internet to find the dried fruit I wanted.

[SanDiegoMom]

Two of the biggest differences I see in spending now versus when I was young is the ubiquitousness of expensive drinks.  Starbucks, Peets, Boba, etc are a completely normal part of weekly life for so many of these teens.  When I was a teenager and hanging out at the mail, our splurge was a small bag of candy and a soda. Now would those be around the same price, inflation-wise? Probably! 

The other is the doordash/ubereats.  I think it's become so easy to get take out - there will always be those who learn how to cook young and those who just cobble along and learn late or not at all.  The latter would have eaten frozen dinners or pizza (the only thing that was delivered when I was growing up), but now they are doing doordash instead and can get anything easily.  It gets so expensive!  

Its hard to think it's generational though.  Just looking at my kids and me versus my sister, it really seems like spending habits (while they should be taught obviously) are also ingrained. My sister is naturally frugal, I am not so much. My oldest daughter is spendthrift and impulsive shopper.  My younger daughter is a typical teen who likes to spend money on Boba or lunches out occasionally, but keeps track and stops spending if she is worried about her money. My son never spends anything - he will only get a treat like a frappachino if someone has given him a gift card. 🤷‍♀️  They were all raised the same.  Actually my spendthrift daughter is six years older and experienced more of our frugality and careful budgeting when we were younger - the twins have experienced us being older and able to indulge in more things. 

[TechWife]

1 hour ago, Heartstrings said:

They are forgiving in the short term, but the long term comes for us all. 

I think we don’t educate people well on how our bodies work, especially about the cumulative effects of our choices. Nutrition and physical activity are a huge part of long term health, but learning about “best practices” is incredibly difficult. Not only is public health research & community education underfunded, but industry has an outsized influence on any recommendations that do come out. Dietary guidelines are a prime example of that. 

[Arcadia]

45 minutes ago, SanDiegoMom said:

Actually my spendthrift daughter is six years older and experienced more of our frugality and careful budgeting when we were younger

I actually spend more because my dad is frugal and my husband is more penny pinching than frugal. It is kind of like you can afford to spend $100 on things like boba tea per month for example but the parent or spouse or sibling is only willing  to spend $5. It gets frustrating. 

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, Heartstrings said:

I think a lot of it is they recognize the limited ability to save anyway.  Say they scrimp $100 off of the grocery budget every week.  Wow, well done.  Save that for a house!   Except houses in their area start at $400k and the adult tell them they need 20% down, or $80k.   $100 a week is $5200 a year, or 15 years to get to $80k.  But then you have a house that needs repairs because it’s a fixer, so you scrimp for 15 more years to fix it up and finally get to eat healthy, decent food when your 50, right when your body starts really acting up anyway.
 

 And that’s if home prices don’t go up any in that first 15 years, which is unlikely so now that $80k is really $100k and takes closer to 20 years.

That’s not appealing to many people for perfectly rational reasons.  

We’re in a spot of not being able to save due to medical bills. Not everything is covered—we’re looking at a crazy bill coming up for wisdom teeth that have to come out and have to come out in a hospital setting for this kid…estimate right now is $8000. It should get discounted, but even still, we can’t ramen our way out of that. We can’t cut enough streaming services. We already do bare bones for many things, so I am unwilling to scrimp too much on groceries when we eat healthy, garden, and have very minimal food waste (plus we have some special dietary needs too). It’s crazy!

Our medical budget every year is the equivalent of buying a decent used car.