# How much do your spend on groceries and dining out?



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Since I'm trying to become more frugal , starting this year I started to track our spendings on groceries, dining out and booze .. We're family of 3.5  (older son university student and lives with us part-time)
Thus, first 4 months we spent:
Groceries (include stuff like detergents, soap etc): $4,042 (estimated annual $12,126)
Dining out: $622 (estimated annual $1,867)
Booze: $1,154 (estimated annual $3,462).

What is your spendings?


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

It's easier to compare if you break it down to cost per person per week.

Your data below reveals cost - per person - per week.

Groceries: $66 per person - per week.
Dining out: $10.25 per person - per week.
Booze: $19.02 per person - per week.

Gosh, that seems low. Good for you I guess.

I have kept a record of my expenses for many, many years, so I have the figures available.

Groceries: $110 per person - per week.
Dining out: $3 per person - per week.
Booze: $46 per person - per week.

I enjoy eating and booze more than you do, but you dine out twice as much as I do. Is that the take away from this?

ltr


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## DollaWine (Aug 4, 2015)

Just girlfriend and I... 

Groceries: $300-$400/month
Dining Out: $100-$200/month
Booze: $20/month, cheap wine


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> I enjoy eating and booze more than you do, but you dine out twice as much as I do. Is that the take away from this?


 Majority of dining out it's my wife's spending on business lunches 
Booze was less becuase end November and end of December we had trips abroad and brought a lot from Duty Free , so I anticipate increase .... btw, what are you guys drinking , I thought I will be "champion" in this category ..

I sustect that we strongly reduced our groceries spendings since I became semi-retired.... Before, we were buying a lot of stuff once per week and throwing away maybe 20% of the food. Also, when my wife was buying, she didn't even look at the prices lol. Now, I'm going more frequently, buying in less quantities and fresher stuff, sometimes with good discounts...


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

gibor365 said:


> Majority of dining out it's my wife's spending on business lunches
> Booze was less because end November and end of December we had trips abroad and brought a lot from Duty Free , so I anticipate increase .... btw, what are you guys drinking , I thought I will be "champion" in this category ..


Wine, wine, wine. What can I say? 



gibor365 said:


> I suspect that we strongly reduced our groceries spending since I became semi-retired.... Before, we were buying a lot of stuff once per week and throwing away maybe 20% of the food. Also, when my wife was buying, she didn't even look at the prices lol. Now, I'm going more frequently, buying in less quantities and fresher stuff, sometimes with good discounts...


Since retiring, my food waste/throwing away is 0%. I now have the time to shop more efficiently, and like you, _buying in less quantities and fresher stuff, sometimes with good discounts_.

ltr


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

like_to_retire said:


> Wine, wine, wine. What can I say?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


food waste/throwing away is still not 0%, but working on it


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## ddivadius (Apr 28, 2017)

Family of 4 (2 boys - 13 and 16) - based on last 3 yr ave

Groceries/Household - $312 per person per month 
Eating out - $44 per person per month
Booze - $0 - no drinkers in my household


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## MrsPartridge (May 15, 2016)

I keep track of all transactions on Mint. 
My breakdown works out to 

Groceries: $67 per person - per week.
Dining out: $39.75 per person - per week. This includes coffee shops, fast food and restaurants.
Booze: $5.25 per person - per week.

Booze is a real drain on one's budget and easy for me to keep to a minimum. Dining out is really expensive but we like going out for dinner.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

I don't keep track but clearly our dining out is quite a bit higher that y'all. After 40-50 years of cooking, we are going to enjoy our senior years. 

Booze varies. Mostly wine, but much higher in summer time as we sit on our deck and overlook vineyards and the lake and the sunsets.......and enjoy the company of a variety of guests who come out to vacation...and enjoy our pool as well. The season is just about to get underway.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Family of 2 + 2 cats!

Food (varies) = ~$500 per month
LCBO = ~$150 per month (including parties and entertaining at home). @gibor, includes a bottle of scotch every few months which REALLY eats into the $150!
Dining out (varies) but at least one nice night per month = ~$100 per month. 

Life is too short to have cheap (bad) wine and cheap (bad) beer. Just me.

@Ddivadius, that's quite low for family of 4!


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## ykphil (Dec 13, 2009)

Average for wife and me is $400/month, whether in Canada or while traveling. Eating out on average $100 maximum, but double that when one of my kids is visiting. Booze, we are not big drinkers and are not connoisseur so we usually buy a couple of whatever red wine we can find on special in Calgary, never paying more than $6/bottle. When we are in Mexico, we drink Licor de caña, a very cheap but tasty cane alcohol (26-28%) that you can get for about $1.50 a bottle. My wife and I enjoy sipping it with a sugar cube and lime on ice after dinner.


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## WGZ (Feb 3, 2017)

Dining out 120/mo (date nights with gf, and cheap value menu McD's)
Food 200/mo (just me: $50/week, buying things on sale mostly, stay away from junk food, rarely buy alcohol)

I need to get shredded so I can ascend the peaks of Mt. Olympus and train with the Greek Gods, so I expect my eating out to be cut out aside from dining out on date nights.

Or since my gf is cheap like me: she would see humor in a date where I take her to McDonalds and we have a romantic candle lit value menu McD's meal together. 

Or another good one: "There's this restaurant we should try where you get to walk from table to table, and each one has a different cuisine." 
*drive to Costco, proceed to free sample stations*


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Groceries: $50/week
Eating Out: $30/week
Alcohol: $0/week (gave it up last year)


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## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

Groceries including cat food (live alone with two cats)- about $65/week, depending on what I feel like eating
Eating out- $10/week (almost never, and if I do it's cheap and quick like a bowl of Pho or a couple of pizza slices)
Alcohol- $0.00- gave it up 14 years ago.


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

only me and wife

month food bill 800,,,,after all crops are in this fall harvest,,food bill will be much less,,,will still have to feed chickens,,seeds and other cost will be added,,will know more in the fall
eating out 0
booze maybe 80


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Last time I checked, we were somewhere around:

$315/mo for food per person
$25/mo for eating out per person
$7/mo for booze per person

We really don't drink. I might have a beer or two at pub with friends when we go out for trivia or to watch a game (which is pretty rare). We consume far less alcohol at home then our friends end up leaving at our place after bbq's and dinners.

Eating out we might do once every couple months. We have kids and our friends have kids, so its much easier to have people over for brunch or dinner.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

We are in the ramping up phase. When we retired in 2002, it was after the tech slump and we had to watch our pennies. So I did active trading and earned my keep for a few years. Believe me, it was not easy but we made out great. We had a budget and followed it.

Then in 2007, we decided to buy a snowbird condo. So 2008-9 was our first full season. We found that we could live high and eat out regularly and also not spare the wine. Our annual budget dropped to 60% and that included a trip to Europe for a month each year.

After 9 years, we are looking to ways to increase our spending so as not to leave too big a stash for our kids and the CRA. This is mostly more gifts to the kids each year (a 40% increase so far), stepping up to totally fund the GCs college, and more charitable gifting.

It is a fun problem to have, and, when we have a market meltdown, we can ratchet back easily. Based on the savings from snowbirding for 6 months, we now easily have a provision for LTC as well. Plus we don't have to worry about the IRS!

(One of our splurges was to replace all our appliances in Mexico. The result has been a reduction in electricity usage by 50%! Not a big surprise but a pleasant one.)


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## redsgomarching (Mar 6, 2016)

I track my own spending on a weekly basis for groceries and I average around 65-75$ per week. I eat very simple food so extremely minimal waste. 
It helps if you have a diet plan (we CMFERS all have our plans!) Saves me from eating out because I want to follow it and therefore lowers my costs. I end up eating foods that will keep me full (fiberous) with lots of protein.

booze? hard to tell as I drink maybe once a month so its probably $40-50 depending on what I drink - this is variable and can change depending on whats going on! 

dining out - this is tough but anywhere from 50-200$ per month sometimes.

Now as a family of 6? Easily any time we go out for a meal it ends up being atleast 600 - 1.5k. (generally around 75-150)per person including drinks) * by maybe twice a month. 
Groceries for a family of 6 - about 100 per person per week. 
booze when the whole family is home - not so much as we prefer to have experiences, not drink them.


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## OutofBounds (Dec 7, 2016)

Just me and the girlfriend here. We average about $400 per month plus about $100 - $150 of eating out (once per pay period usually). We're working on shopping more frugally and watching the sales better. We're also working on a more set meal plan which should help as well. We eat a ton of fruits and vegetables, as well as good meats. We tend to buy produce and most meat at Costco which saves us a bunch compared to similar quantities at Safeway 

Booze isn't really worth worrying about. It's not a regular enough thing to budget for. My girlfriend doesn't drink and I pretty much only drink scotch. My scotch is $80 - $150 per bottle, but a bottle lasts a year or more at the rate I drink it. Current bottle was $65 and I bought it 14 months ago, still have half of it left. LOL Once in a blue moon I'll grab $20 worth of craft beer or something in summer while grilling.


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

Our monthly averages when at home (not traveling) for 2 retired adults. We don't track totals when traveling because much is all inclusive etc. 

groceries & sundries $490 - we eat very well/healthy for this, with zero waste, and garden provides some of years vegetables
dining out $75 - pretty much my wife only, out with girlfriends 3-4X
booze $ 65 - we make our own good quality beer and wine @ approx 30% of store cost here

Total $630/mth or $315/person per month


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## tavogl (Oct 1, 2014)

Only the wife and I here.

Weekly groceries 60-75 per person, per week.
Dinning out, about 150 per person, per month. This includes coffee shops, fast food and dining out.
Alcohol: Not budgeted. We don't drink that often, and when we do... its a sixpack and cheap wine.


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## PrairieGal (Apr 2, 2011)

For one person:

Groceries - $300
Eating out (mostly fast food lunches and the occasional Tim's coffee) $100
Alcohol $0


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

family of four - wife and I, 14 and 17yo sons. 2016 data. 

Groceries $6580 - $31/person/week
Dining out $3553 - $17/person/week- this includes timmy's and starbucks etc. 
Bar/NightClub drinks - $505 - $6/person/week for wife and I
LCBO - wine for her, hard liquor mostly for me and beer for when guests over- $829 - so $8/person/week for wife and I

Included in this is shopping and stocking bar for social events he hold for between 4 and 15 4-5 times per year.
Hosting dinners has the effect of keeping the dining out figure down.


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## gaspr (Mar 24, 2014)

Wife and I have just started retirement. We have tracked carefully for many years. Most recent 12 months per person per week...groceries (includes cleaning supplies, paper products etc) $101, eating out $6, booze $25. 

I should note that we only buy the best "cardboardeau" wine we can find.:fat:


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

cardboardeauX
FIFY:beguiled:


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## noobs (Sep 27, 2015)

a couple + cat , we both together don't spend over $400/month on food and groceries, we don't eat a lot to begin with, don't drink and only eat out a couple of times a month.


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## crgf1k (Aug 8, 2015)

I've gotten my grocery bill down to about $90/month for me and my cat. I also have a restaurant budget of $90. 
For groceries, I eat a lot of baked potatoes, rice, oats, popcorn and carrots. I buy whatever is on the 50% off produce rack, and occasionally get a 50% off sirloin steak. I pick up some beer over in Detroit now and then because it's cheaper, but I've had to cut way back on drinking. If I go over budget on my groceries, I reduce my restaurant budget by that amount. 
Food has been the toughest budget category to really cut back on, but if you shop smart you can make a big difference. I spent $25 at the grocery store the other day, and could barely carry the big bag of rice, potatoes, etc.


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## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

I live alone, and I probably spend about $400/month on food, of which half is groceries and half is eating out. I don't have an alcohol budget but will usually pick up a beer or two when I'm at the grocery store. I lift weights and am currently on a bulking phase so I'm eating aroudn 4000 calories a day. My diet is very meat heavy (lots of steak, chicken, and ground beef). Don't really like vegetables. Eat a good amount of fruit though.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Two answers. We don't know and it depends. We don't have a food/entertainment budget and we do not really track them. Just two of us. We do a fair amount of shopping at Costco so when we buy it always lasts a while. Also depends on the time of year and our travel schedule.


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## Odie (May 10, 2017)

Groceries are $66/week per person. We are 6 people. Thar be some scary math.


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## KaoruChiwa (May 21, 2017)

I spent ~20% of my income on dining out... i think that's a bad number. But stuff I need to do keep the wife happy. (my understanding is that divorce = 50% of my income!


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## The Black Wizard (May 16, 2017)

*Groceries*

That is really impressive. Everything is so expensive these days.

Right now, me and my wife (she is pregnant) are managing on about $130 a week. It is no doubt going up, as she needs higher quality food right now. 

A family member spends about $1500/month but then again they shop at whole foods (whole pay check)





nathan79 said:


> Groceries: $50/week
> Eating Out: $30/week
> Alcohol: $0/week (gave it up last year)


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## DollaWine (Aug 4, 2015)

I'm curious to know what people's groceries usually consist of, percentage wise. How much is fruits/veggies? Non-perishables? Meats? Snacks? Seeing really high bills here and wondering what exactly people are buying... seems excessive (or very organic!)

Give me $100 and I can cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for myself for almost 2 weeks... all good-portioned, healthy, meat-including meals, and some snacking, and zero processed foods. And I'm 6'2 and always ready to eat, lol. A big part of getting your grocery bill down is planning meals and getting creative with recipes. And price-matching at stores.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Agreed DollaWine, meal planning is important to help with grocery costs.

I also wonder if people include household supplies, TP, etc. as part of their grocery budget, or it is just food alone?

I don't have the energy to break it down  We try and save our 20% net each month and then have fun with the rest - try not to worry about it too much.

I find fresh (and good) meats add up quickly. So do nice cheeses. We got through a lot of both in our house.


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## CalgaryPotato (Mar 7, 2015)

I don't have my exact numbers, but I find it's much harder to keep these numbers in check with a family than it was when it was just my wife and I. 

For example, if I'm going out for the day ,for myself, I can just eat before leaving, and I can eat enough to fill myself up, and then I won't need anything, or maybe a small snack while out. But with kids, you try to feed them, but no they don't eat the food you make for them, that goes to waste. But the second you get out they are starving and you need to buy them food.

I can also judge how much food I'm going to eat, and how much to cook for myself way easier than for my children. I end up with a lot more wasted food then I like even when I try to save things for later for them.

Even thought they probably eat 1/2 as much food as us, I'd say realistically 2/3 of our food bill is because of them, in one way or another.

Oh and I'll blame 90% of our alcohol bill on them too.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Funny, re: alcohol.


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## milhouse (Nov 16, 2016)

Wife and I. Based on the last 3 years of data:
About $4500/yr on groceries. It's would be an interesting exercise breaking it down on what kinds of groceries.
About $7000/yr dining out. We eat out a lot. 
About $1000/yr on alcohol.


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## Lost in Space 2 (Jun 28, 2016)

kcowan said:


> We are in the ramping up phase. When we retired in 2002, it was after the tech slump and we had to watch our pennies. So I did active trading and earned my keep for a few years. Believe me, it was not easy but we made out great. We had a budget and followed it.
> 
> Then in 2007, we decided to buy a snowbird condo. So 2008-9 was our first full season. We found that we could live high and eat out regularly and also not spare the wine. Our annual budget dropped to 60% and that included a trip to Europe for a month each year.
> 
> ...


Are you in Mexico or Florida? I'd love to visit Mexico but the wife is worried about crime.

Also I emailed my niece and asked her, two boys 5 and 7 she wrote back 



> So we now spend 175$ a week on food or 600-700 a month which does not include soaps supplies etc. So 800 would be solid.
> 
> Which is $200 per month per person or 50$ per week per person.
> 
> ...


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## VLT (Jan 1, 2017)

Good question. I've been tracking my grocery expense for about a year. 
I'm a single retired lady living in (costly) Victoria and spending about $400.00 a month on grocery and I can't seem to reduce it. I eat modestly but have a serious weakness for fresh fruit and Greek yogurt. 
My grocery amount is consistent with a Statscan single person household. 

Did you know that ALL Canadian dairy is owned by a couple of Quebec companies? I buy local labels such as Island Farms and Fraser Valley, but Canadian dairy is ALL Quebec owned, ALL Politics, and we ALL pay for it.


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## edip (Jun 3, 2017)

VLT said:


> Did you know that ALL Canadian dairy is owned by a couple of Quebec companies? I buy local labels such as Island Farms and Fraser Valley, but Canadian dairy is ALL Quebec owned, ALL Politics, and we ALL pay for it.


I just came from Amsterdam where I bought Kumon 750ml for 0.89 E... I'm not talking about the cheese price.....


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Lost in Space 2 said:


> Are you in Mexico or Florida? I'd love to visit Mexico but the wife is worried about crime.
> 
> Also I emailed my niece and asked her, two boys 5 and 7 she wrote back


We visited Florida for the first 2 years of retirement for one month each time. The first year was on the east side and the second on the west side. Very nice but really underwhelming. Is it safer than Mexico? Yes I believe it is. The only risk would be dying of boredom! Is it cheaper than Canada? Yes. When we were there, someone from Ft Lauderdale said that all the people in Lauderdale were old but their parents all lived in Sarasota! The main downsides are humidity, mosquitos and taxes.

By contrast, we live in PV which is a beach destination for Mexicans. 70% of the properties are owned by Mexicans. It is a vibrant community with art, museums, live shows and restaurants. There is no visible mob activity and we have been told that the drug lords want PV to remain a safe beach destination for their families (unlike Acapulco). We have lived there for 6 months a year for 10 years. Prices are on their way up. A buddy just bought an oceanfront place in La Cruz for $229k US. 2 br/2 bath/1 parking secure underground. It has an adjacent lawn for their dog, direct from their place.

The main beach, one of many, is like Cannes. The others are less developed. The Sierra Madre mountains provide many diversions such as hiking, zip lining, and just exploring. Google has mapped many of the hiking trails so you can see for yourself.


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## Nelley (Aug 14, 2016)

kcowan said:


> We visited Florida for the first 2 years of retirement for one month each time. The first year was on the east side and the second on the west side. Very nice but really underwhelming. Is it safer than Mexico? Yes I believe it is. The only risk would be dying of boredom! Is it cheaper than Canada? Yes. When we were there, someone from Ft Lauderdale said that all the people in Lauderdale were old but their parents all lived in Sarasota! The main downsides are humidity, mosquitos and taxes.
> 
> By contrast, we live in PV which is a beach destination for Mexicans. 70% of the properties are owned by Mexicans. It is a vibrant community with art, museums, live shows and restaurants. There is no visible mob activity and we have been told that the drug lords want PV to remain a safe beach destination for their families (unlike Acapulco). We have lived there for 6 months a year for 10 years. Prices are on their way up. A buddy just bought an oceanfront place in La Cruz for $229k US. 2 br/2 bath/1 parking secure underground. It has an adjacent lawn for their dog, direct from their place.
> 
> The main beach, one of many, is like Cannes. The others are less developed. The Sierra Madre mountains provide many diversions such as hiking, zip lining, and just exploring. Google has mapped many of the hiking trails so you can see for yourself.


I have been there (PV) and Cancun many times in the past just 2 weeks at a time but the water always got me. Obviously many aren't at all affected by it. I always wondered if I had stayed longer would it settle.


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## PrairieGal (Apr 2, 2011)

Nelley said:


> I have been there (PV) and Cancun many times in the past just 2 weeks at a time but the water always got me. Obviously many aren't at all affected by it. I always wondered if I had stayed longer would it settle.


My son and his wife have lived in Mexico City for the last three years and they don't drink the water (or even wash vegs in it).


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Nelley said:


> I have been there (PV) and Cancun many times in the past just 2 weeks at a time but the water always got me. Obviously many aren't at all affected by it. I always wondered if I had stayed longer would it settle.


Most people in PV react to the sun, the Margaritas, and the food. The water is the only water in Mexico that is officially potable. Having said that we still have filtered water in our condo. Why take unnecessary chances.

I always react to the tap water in West Vancouver when I return.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

kcowan said:


> Most people in PV react to the sun, the Margaritas, and the food. The water is the only water in Mexico that is officially potable. Having said that we still have filtered water in our condo. Why take unnecessary chances.
> 
> I always react to the tap water in West Vancouver when I return.


I still remember Walkerton, so we drink or mineral water or boiled...


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> Did you know that ALL Canadian dairy is owned by a couple of Quebec companies? I buy local labels such as Island Farms and Fraser Valley, but Canadian dairy is ALL Quebec owned, ALL Politics, and we ALL pay for it.


 Didn't know it! Now I understand why Canadian dairy products are disaster! I like cottage cheese, but never could've find something to my favorite 9% cottage cheese by Tnuva... Maximum I've seen in Canada in the stores 4% and it's tasteless...
Thanks god , I can buy normal European cheeses


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## Lost in Space 2 (Jun 28, 2016)

kcowan said:


> We visited Florida for the first 2 years of retirement for one month each time. The first year was on the east side and the second on the west side. Very nice but really underwhelming. Is it safer than Mexico? Yes I believe it is. The only risk would be dying of boredom! Is it cheaper than Canada? Yes. When we were there, someone from Ft Lauderdale said that all the people in Lauderdale were old but their parents all lived in Sarasota! The main downsides are humidity, mosquitos and taxes.
> 
> .


That is interesting, sure wouldn't have expected that!



> By contrast, we live in PV which is a beach destination for Mexicans. 70% of the properties are owned by Mexicans. It is a vibrant community with art, museums, live shows and restaurants. There is no visible mob activity and we have been told that the drug lords want PV to remain a safe beach destination for their families (unlike Acapulco). We have lived there for 6 months a year for 10 years. Prices are on their way up. A buddy just bought an oceanfront place in La Cruz for $229k US. 2 br/2 bath/1 parking secure underground. It has an adjacent lawn for their dog, direct from their place.
> 
> The main beach, one of many, is like Cannes. The others are less developed. The Sierra Madre mountains provide many diversions such as hiking, zip lining, and just exploring. Google has mapped many of the hiking trails so you can see for yourself


My sister lived in Mexico for like 2 years and some friends from a few years ago owned a place there and live mostly full time (she's Mexican) as well. Both said they loved it. We're fast approaching retirement and are starting to think what we want to do. If our investments work out as we hope than we'll buy an RV and spend the first few years touring (well at least 4 months a year)


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## NorthKC (Apr 1, 2013)

For one person:

Groceries - $150
Eating out (mostly Timmie's and the odd pub) $100
Alcohol $10 (this is technically not budgeted as I'm lucky to buy it twice a year)


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Absolutely agree with you about Florida. We have spent lots of time in Florida in various locales. When it came to thinking about Florida for a second home we quickly eliminated it. Same for Texas coast. AZ was fine with one exception...too much desert, no ocean. When we finally decide on a second home my guess is that it will be in PV. Good air connections for us, competition on the route, etc. As for safety, we feel equally as safe in PV as we do in the Florida.


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## BeautifulAngel (Jun 30, 2017)

I currently live alone however, my boyfriend stays with me most days so I do grocery shopping for two people. 

On average I spend 
-$300 a month on groceries 
-$50 a month on restaurants 

I tend to stick to my budget and I always go in the grocery with a list. I only allow myself to buy things that are on the list. It's actually helped me save a lot of money on groceries since I've started writing a list before going to the grocery store.


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## awesomeame (Nov 15, 2011)

OK, you people spending $30-70/wk per person...what are you eating??????????????

I avg:

$124.95/week for whole foods (no box, think natural foods in their natural form, and conventually raised meat)
11.92/week for man-made foods (comes in a box)
13.14/week eating out
87.44/week booze (pricey scotch)

Yearly that works out to 
6497.40-real food
619.84-man made foods
683.28-eating out
4546.80-booze

Jesus. And I'm just one guy! 215lbs 6'1" I might have to switch to cheaper scotch lol. I already shop the flyers/and costco, I don't really know where else I could shrink the food expenditure

Matt


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

awesomeame said:


> OK, you people spending $30-70/wk per person...what are you eating??????????????


Agreed. It's pretty hard to keep a decent meal under $3-5 per person. 3 meals per day that would be $63-105 /wk not including healthy snacks! I know most people don't eat very well (coffee for breakfast, often skip lunch, fries are considered vegetables, etc.) but I'm quite surprised by some of the numbers posted here.

I could see $60-70 per wk if your being very careful but $30 is getting pretty frugal.


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## stantistic (Sep 19, 2015)

*Short counting or short weighing*

The subject I wish to discuss does not fit neatly into other forums so I'll put it here. 
~
In about the first week of May, I bought a package of Eggo cinnamon waffles. Stated on the package - 8 waffles weighing 280 grams.
I was shocked to find only 6 wrapped packaged waffles in the cardboard box. So I weighed it. About 220 grams +/- 5 g. 
As an individual purchase this is totally trivial, but considered nationally, it could be significant.
That got me thinking - how common is this sort of thing ?


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## Chica (Jan 19, 2016)

stantistic said:


> The subject I wish to discuss does not fit neatly into other forums so I'll put it here.
> ~
> In about the first week of May, I bought a package of Eggo cinnamon waffles. Stated on the package - 8 waffles weighing 280 grams.
> I was shocked to find only 6 wrapped packaged waffles in the cardboard box. So I weighed it. About 220 grams +/- 5 g.
> ...


Try emailing a complaint to Kellogg's and see if they send you a free coupon. Maybe someone working in their plant got hungry and swiped a couple. 

And yes, disgusting as it is, I worked for a food wholesaler and one of the warehouse guys was opening the boxes of Oscar Mayer lunchables (I think 12 or 16 lunchables in a box sold to a grocery store), poking his finger through the cellophane and taking out the Snickers from one or two. Essentially now making the entire box non-saleable. 

Anyway, stay frugal and go to Walmart and look for their bulk size Great Value brand of cinnamon waffles. 48 in a box (6 x 8 packs inside) for about the same price as 2 boxes of Eggos.


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## stantistic (Sep 19, 2015)

*Preferred way*

I am not opposed in principle to private entities but have a slight preference for the Co-op way. In this particular case, the item was purchased at a local grocery Co-op, the refund was prompt and non-argumentative. In this case, it was a net gain for me because I got a whole new package (minus the return trip cost, of course).

But I continue to wonder what percentage this type of loss represents to the store's total costs ?


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Absolutely no idea. We spend what we spend. We only view spending at the macro level. We spend very little on packaged and processed foods. When we dine out it is invariably for food that we either do not or cannot prepare well, or it is not worth the effort.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I spend $370 per month on food and dining out, for one person. Interestingly this is exactly what I was spending back in 2010, so my food and dining out costs have not gone up in 8 years despite inflation. And I eat quite well, with weekly trips to the local farmers market.

That's $86/week per person (groceries + restaurants + eating out)

I find there's lots of social pressure to spend much more than this. I usually politely decline, but often it means I'm left out of group activities with coworkers. They frequently go out to restaurants after work, but I don't like spending that kind of money -- especially for food that I usually find subpar.


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## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

I significantly reduced my alcohol budget by learning how to make my own beer. I brew a new batch about once a month and it is a lot cheaper than buying even the very cheapest beer from the store. I drink way more beer than I ever did and still pay less than when I was buying it. I could do a write-up on my experience if anyone is interested.


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

Earl said:


> I drink way more beer than I ever did and still pay less than when I was buying it.


I'm not sure that would be a successful long term frugal strategy. Drinking way more could have negative financial consequences - reduced workplace productivity, higher health care costs, potential marriage break-ups (legal costs), etc..

Higher costs and drinking less may save $ in the long run...


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## stantistic (Sep 19, 2015)

*FYI*

Recently I clicked on post #55 of this thread (in non-member mode), and was much surprised to see some company using one of my words as a hyperlink to a product they were flogging. When clicked on, (in member mode), the hyperlink disappeared. I was unaware that this type of thing was going on.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

stantistic said:


> Recently I clicked on post #55 of this thread (in non-member mode), and was much surprised to see some company using one of my words as a hyperlink to a product they were flogging. When clicked on, (in member mode), the hyperlink disappeared. I was unaware that this type of thing was going on.


I had noticed that as well. Our posts are used as click-bait by the advertisers that enrich the owners of this site.
Our job is to chat it up and draw eyeballs to the site - and occasionally give them the finger.


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## stantistic (Sep 19, 2015)

> and occasionally give them the finger.


.
OnlyMyOpinion , you're not the only one with that opinion.


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