Andrew / November 29, 2006 11:09 AM

On groceries: depending on the week, around $50

On meals out: Probably $100.
Which is a lot less than I used to spend; we totalled it up once and discovered that we spent $1500/month on average for "entertainment," including meals, drinks and events. Yikes! We've cut way back since then.

jennifer / November 29, 2006 11:33 AM

way too much, probably. i'm afraid to actually figure it out.

emyduck / November 29, 2006 11:42 AM

more than i should, probably. we've been eating out less, but spending more when we do, and when i want to cook something i go out and buy the ingredients without thinking twice. on top of that i keep a well stocked kitchen and end up buying things i don't need just to have them for inspiration later. i would estimate $200-$300 between me and my husband.

Shasta MacNasty / November 29, 2006 11:58 AM

Ditto emyduck. I rarely go out to eat, but I spend a ton on groceries. Just for me, I spend about $200 to $250 a month. To my credit though, it's usually spent all at once as I only cook once or twice a month and put everything in the freezer to be reheated later. Saves a lot of time, and if I were choosier with my ingredients and their cost, and also actually planning out a menu, I'd probably save more money. :)

Fauxialite / November 29, 2006 12:44 PM

You can keep it under $60 a month if you know where the closest Aldi is (no shame, it's the same company that owns Trader Joe's anyways).

As for my beer budget, I keep it in a separate ledger.

Bill V / November 29, 2006 12:53 PM

I just follow Rachel Ray and keep it to 40 bucks a day, that includes beer and wine. I'm feeling a bit full and buzzed right now.

Allan / November 29, 2006 12:59 PM

Thanks to my handy calculator I have determined that I spend [ on average ] about $80 a week on eating out and groceries. Since my regular midday gastronomical romps consist of short walks to McDonalds, Sparros, Quiznos, Burrito Beach, Dunkin Doughnuts, and most recently Panda Express. My daily lunch tab is in the $5 to $7 dollar range. Dinner at home usually involves thawing out something to the effect of an Encore frozen dinner, Tombstone frozen pizza or corn dogs. Other options would be ramen noodles or some kind of Campbell's soup. Popeye's Chicken on the weekends. None of these food items cost very much money, so I don't spend much a lot on food but I suspect my waistline is paying the price. I gained 10 pounds over the Thanksgiving weekend and have been having stomach problems all week. Maybe I should start eating healthier. Tomorrow I think I will get a McDonalds salad or maybe Subway.

printdude / November 29, 2006 1:29 PM

out little family unit spends about $100 per week on groceries.
It is about every ten days that I go to the Jewels and spend $130.
Last night was the whopper 192.00 checkout, as I hadn't been since before Thanksgiving, and the cupboards were bare.

Carrie / November 29, 2006 1:35 PM

Too much. I eat out for lunch almost everyday, which is about $6/day. Then there's the fun of stopping for chips and guac or a taco or 2 on the way home after work- dang fantastic Mexican restaurant 1/2 block from home!

I need to start spending a boatload at the grocery store and cook! I brought my lunch so far all this week and it's been nice. And now that I have a kitchen I like and can use, I need to take advantage of it.

fluffy / November 29, 2006 2:28 PM

My meals are simple, and I rarely bake or cook. My groceries include pretty simple things: brown rice, beans, pasta, sauce, veggies, soy milk, cereal. But then there's the kitty grass, catnip, cat food, treats, and a toy or something special for Mr. M.
I'll say about $60/wk.

I do order out once a week (Sunday night ritual- Chinese food and the Simpsons) and go out once a week. Also once or twice a week I might splurge on a good sandwich or healthy lunch. I love to buy a large hot strong cup of coffee every morning.
Even though I've cut down on the drinking, and I don't usually keep booze at home, I spend more than I want to know on going out for drinks.

this is more information than was necessary to answer the question, but I'm bored at work today. hmpf.

Spook / November 29, 2006 2:37 PM

actually I eat out( or home delivery) most of the time, but still the Spook GNP for food pales in comparrison to the alcohol budget- inlcuding tips, talk about pork
barrel spending!

Caffeine Free / November 29, 2006 2:52 PM

We spend about $100 a week on food from Fresh Direct.

I spend about $20 M-F for lunch.

And we go out to dinner on Saturdays, but nothing over $50 total.

It's been a lot better since moving to NYC mostly because there's no one else to dine out with besides ourselves...Right.

Bill B / November 29, 2006 3:45 PM

my gf and i personally are putting the children of most logan square bar owners and restaurateurs through college. we should really get over to jewel...

mary / November 29, 2006 5:40 PM

i do one big trip a month and spend a little over $100. i probably end up spending another $30 and then go out to eat about once a week... i make my own meals and always have leftovers for lunch, so i get sick of my own cooking but i end up saving some money!

jaye / November 29, 2006 6:31 PM

on average about $70 on peapod and maybe an additonal $30 or so from other sources.

Emerson Dameron / November 29, 2006 8:02 PM

My grocery shopping is pretty sparse. Ask anyone who's raided my fridge or pantry. Eating at cheap diners is one of my favorite mundane pleasures, and I do it at least a few times a week.

dave / November 29, 2006 9:55 PM

more than i should.

paul / November 29, 2006 10:04 PM

I often go for weeks on a hundred bucks, and I can eat very well, since years as a bachelor has taught me how to cook anything. I never got why people spend as much on a pound of chicken breasts as you can spend to get 2 whole chickens.

Every once in awhile I'll go to whole foods or somewhere expensive and spend 30-50 bucks on components for one meal (lamb chops etc.) So it might average out to 10 bucks a day.

Eating out is rare, and I only eat one or two lunches a month.

Let's not discuss how much I spend on beer.

Blagg the Axman / November 30, 2006 9:14 AM

Next to nothing. It is the land that provides my meals—game, fowl, crop, fruit and herb—although when I find myself in a village with more than a pair of gold pieces to rub together, never do I hold myself above sampling the local tavern’s brew and bread. To some my tastes may be earthy and ill-conceived, but rarely have I supped better than when roasting a plump, fresh-plucked pheasant, seasoned with a bit of alm and hay-seed, under the sparkling canopy of the night sky.

jen / November 30, 2006 10:02 AM

maybe $40/wk in groceries for me alone, and the boy spends about the same for himself. i spend next to nothing for lunches while at work. i'm not big on spending $7-10 on food that's usually subpar at any of the eateries downtown. that, and i'm one of those that truly thinks if you spare yourself a daily latte and food court meal, you can actually retire early. :)

as for eating out for dinner at night or on the weekends, that's hard to guestimate. sometimes, we'll go weeks with only dining out once and other times, it seems like we're dining out every night. i guess it all evens out in the end.

Shylo / November 30, 2006 10:43 AM

I think the two of us spend about $100 a week in food at the grocery, probably $50 in booze in and out of the home, and probably $75 per week for work lunches. Man, does that add up.

Plus, we have five inside cats and six outside cats to feed. yeah, we're those people.

Marilyn / November 30, 2006 10:58 AM

Mom died.

Dan / November 30, 2006 2:02 PM

My best guess would be that the wife and I average about $100 a week on food. Probably way more during weeks I get lazy and don't cook much.

Mostly the problem is too much spent on restaurant lunches.

trevor / November 30, 2006 2:16 PM

Between my wife and I, food is only just behind rent as an expense. We probably spend $110 a week on groceries, and at least $85 a week on delivery or eating out. That doesn't include eating lunch once or twice a week and getting a nice Americano during the afternoon. That adds another $15 or so.

I don't like to buy lunch much downtown, for the reasons Jen mentions above. There truly are very few joints downtown that are worth paying for, which is amazing considering the sheer numbers of restaurants that cater to the casual lunch crowd. Maybe the next Fuel should be devoted to Loop lunch recommendations?

Luckily, I can scavenge catering at least once a week in the office, so I'm not tempted to spend often. It's funny, but I never realized until recently how many people RELY on circling the catering table like vultures, waiting to see what scraps are left over.

relis / November 30, 2006 2:46 PM

i am trying to eat really cheaply now. for example this week i took a bag of potatoes and root vegetables from my parents after thanksgiving, and spent only an additional $17 at the grocery store - $1 frozen tilapia at chicago food corp!). one day i forgot my lunch though, so i forked over $4 for a sandwich, half of which i saved for the next day at work. this is a vast improvement from the $100 plus i used to spend on lunches, etc.

Andrew / November 30, 2006 3:08 PM

I'm very sorry to hear that, Marilyn. My sympathy to you and your family.

Marilyn / November 30, 2006 3:11 PM

Thanks, Andrew. I thought that since I brought it up on Fuel, I'd provide some closure to the issue. It was a good death after a good, long life.

Andrew / November 30, 2006 4:42 PM

That's how I felt about my grandfather's passing. A good life well lived.

Trevor, we covered Loop lunches awhile back.

unmake / December 1, 2006 12:00 AM

Per week - maybe $10 - $20?

+ maybe $30/mo on alcohol and instant coffee :(

Hal / December 1, 2006 9:32 AM

About $130/week on groceries, for two. There's too much wastage and reliance on "convenience" foods, so I'm starting better meal planning so we can cut that amount down. I also tend to buy lunch in the Loop (and check out www.lunchintheloop.com for ideas beyond going to Potbelly's yet again), which is a chunck of change I don't need to be spending. when I've brought my lunch, I eat healthier and there's a noticable impact on my cash spending. We're prety good about only ordering out about twice a month.

Katie / December 1, 2006 9:43 AM

Quicken says I spend about $83/mo on groceries, and about $40/mo on eating out. I'm trying to cut back on the eating out part, but sometimes I just can't stomach another peanut butter sandwich for lunch at work.

fluffy / December 1, 2006 10:47 AM

Marilyn,
I hope you're doing ok. My thoughts are with you today.