Having looked at Howard & Linda's expenses, sample budgets and some others I found online, I've been shamed into reducing our grocery bills. I already knew I spent too much, but I'm way out of line compared to other peoples budgets. Ok, I spend too much on wine, but is that 'Food' or 'Entertainment'? Gotta pay for it either way, but how I categorize it might make a difference. So, lookes like I need to spend less on groceries, buy less expensive wine, and drink less of it
NorCal Dan said
08:20 AM Oct 5, 2011
Are you buying the wine in a box? We rarely buy the 750ml bottles, way to expensive. The box of wine you can find sometimes for less than $6.
bjoyce said
09:49 AM Oct 5, 2011
Don't try to keep up with the Jone's, or Payne's in this case. Everyone eats differently and some spend more and some spend less than others. Figure out your own level. We spend between $600 and $1000 on food both eating in and restaurants. The higher numbers include more eating out. We go through very little wine so I can't help you on that. There are ways to save. Make your own instead of buying premade. Do your own chopping, so buy the fruit or chickens whole instead of paying for someone else to cut them up. Look for deals and online coupons. Lower your standards if you can. (Diane gets headaches from the chicken at Wal-Mart that is injected to enhance the flavor.) Pay the money up front to have more food storage including freezer and refrigerator space so you can buy larger quantities when the price is right. It might be worthwhile to have some coolers around that you can use as temporary refrigerators with ice in them. We have a large Coleman 12volt cooler we use to transport perishables long distances. Check our Costco and Sam's Club to see if the yearly cost is worthwhile. We have both memberships. Learn to like leftovers if you grew up where you had something new and fresh every day. (We know a now former full-timing couple that divorced over this issue, really!)
RVPAINTER said
12:41 PM Oct 5, 2011
Only an observation but in going thru lots of forums on this site - Food, HD TV and Communications seem to be a very high priority with lots of folks - I would even say that FOOD might be first on the list. It seems some Rv's can't pass a restaurant :>) It seems that a lot of RV-ers eat out a lot - a lot- a lot. Don't misunderstand my comments as to each their own - what ever floats your boat. The reason I mention this is we have not started RV-ing yet and it is going to be very interesting to see if we end up going down the same road.
We are very light eaters, neither of us drink anything stronger than diet A&W Root Beer and at present may go out once or twice a month for lunch or breakfast - never dinner.
HD TV has no interest what so ever to either of us - we would rather read a good book on our PC's or update our blogs. My wife is an author so a lot of her time is spent writing. Email is important to us as our way of communication and my DW's way of keeping in contact with agents.
Communications - I do not own a cell phone - never have and never will - no one answers the damn things anyways. Our only concern is WiFi - we need to have "REASONABLE" access to WIFI in our coach, not at starbucks or some REC hall at an RV park. I'm working with 3G Matt and have asked him to recommend the equipment that will perhaps give this to us.
As I say what ever floats your boat - I'm very interested in seeing what changes in our habits might come about when we are F/T RV-ing starting April 2012.
Ckerr said
12:48 PM Oct 5, 2011
I grew up with a love for good food and love to cook and when we do eat out, I prefer a very high quality meal, so I suspect our food budget is significantly higher than many folks. But then there are other ways folks spend money that holds no appeal for us -- going to movies for instance.
I think it's really a matter of figuring out what is important to you and allocating funds accordingly.
Other's budgets are good to give an idea of what you might expect to spend, but everyone's habits, goals and pleasures are different.
bjoyce said
01:27 PM Oct 5, 2011
RVPAINTER - It is really common to meet friends on the road for a meal out and as you might have noticed full-timers almost always mention the friends they have made on the road as a positive. Plus RV kitchens are more limited so people do go out to get the particular meals that would be difficult to fix or keep the special ingredients around. Then there is the temptation to try regional specialties like BBQ in the south, pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana, seafood on the coasts, etc. I will also say that I have encountered many a husband who doesn't cook say "we don't eat out" while the wife gives this look that says she wants to but doesn't like the arguments. BTW: I cook.
We just spent much of the summer with family and friends and ended up eating out often. Now we are heading across the country and are eating in most of the time, expecting to have lunch out maybe twice a week. We used to eat most lunches out, but that has changed. On our own we rarely go out to dinner or breakfast.
Ken & Sarah said
03:35 PM Oct 5, 2011
A way to cut the cost of eating out is sharing a meal with the spouse, that is if you can agree on the entree. We can most of the time.
RVRon said
03:35 PM Oct 5, 2011
fraziers wrote:
Having looked at Howard & Linda's expenses, sample budgets and some others I found online, I've been shamed into reducing our grocery bills. I already knew I spent too much, but I'm way out of line compared to other peoples budgets. Ok, I spend too much on wine, but is that 'Food' or 'Entertainment'? Gotta pay for it either way, but how I categorize it might make a difference. So, lookes like I need to spend less on groceries, buy less expensive wine, and drink less of it
Glad to see this topic discussed as Joan and I were talking the other night about our food budget compared to Howard & Linda's. We're over their number by about $100/month and that doesn't include eating out! We've broken paper products and other household supplies that are normally bought with groceries out of that budget category and we're still more than H&L. Either we're not as sharp shoppers or we have totally different eating habits! Oh... and we rarely eat out - maybe once a month if that.
We're not yet fulltimers so it will be interesting to see what happens when that time comes with regards to food shopping. Right now we take advantage of bogo bargains and Joan does a lot of coupon clipping. We have 2 major grocery chains and a super Walmart within a few miles from home and it's not unusual to go to all of them to get what we want or where it's cheapest. I know buying in bulk and having shopping options won't be as easy when we're living in the confines of the RV with a lack of storage space - especially refrigerated space.
kimbrellsf said
04:55 PM Oct 5, 2011
Thanks everyone, for the input. I could be a better shopper if I didn't hate shopping so much! I should also me far more careful that nothing gets wasted. For clarity's sake, I buy few convenience or processed foods and we don't eat out much. Last 12 months average on eat-out and restaurant carry out was $75. It's quality fresh foods that eat up (unintended pun) the budget (as well as good wine). My goal for the next 12 months is to make our food, personal care, entertainment and any other budget line items fit the full-timing budget I'm working on. This will give us a chance to see how we can do.
@RVPainter - I would be so happy if we could leave the tv behind and spend out time together, playing games, reading, talking, looking at the stars, but I think I may be asking too much from my husband. Full-timing was my idea and I just talked him into giving up his beloved newspaper and getting the news on the laptop. I can't ask for too much more (-:
It sure is nice to hear that I'm not alone in not being able to get by on $300-$450 for food.
RVPAINTER said
05:49 PM Oct 5, 2011
Bill Joyce - I was merely wondering if OUR current mode of eating would change once we go full time. Right now in our S/B we spend $65 - $75 per week for food. As I say we are light eaters. Dinner for us some nights can be open face toasted english muffins with avacado. For breakfast today I had coffee and a Trader Joe's Fig Breakfast Bar. For lunch yogurt and 2 sesame crackers. Not exactly Cracker Barrel or Denny's - but as they say in St. Martin --------
"Tis we own ting."
As I made sure to mention up front "Don't misunderstand my comments - to each their own."
Fraziers - We love to read and lots of times at night being a painter, I paint - my wife being a writer - she writes. TV has just never been a big source of entertainment in our 30 years of being together. but that's us. "Tis we own ting."
I mentioned to my DW that we would have to get a system for TV reception installed and she said WHY?
Bill Adams said
06:01 PM Oct 5, 2011
If you can buy all of those things on the road then nothing should change. I would die of starvation in about 3 days on that diet, but if it works for you then what you eat now should be just exactly what you eat on the road.
RVPAINTER said
06:21 PM Oct 5, 2011
Bill - We are hoping nothing changes BUT I would suspect that in the beginning we will need to get over the "WOW WE ARE ON VACATION" mentality. That I'm sure will quickly pass - so you are right in what you say. When I get above 160 it is too much weight for me - very uncomfortable - 155 is just right.
Bill Adams said
06:51 PM Oct 5, 2011
How can you keep 155# on your body eating avocados and crackers? I believe you when you say that's your diet, I just can't figure it out. When you do the math on those calories you come up with negative numbers unless you sleep around 18 hours per day.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
07:03 PM Oct 5, 2011
Here is another view no-one has mentioned. My daughter has Celiac disease- no glutten period. No wheat, malt, barly or yeast..
So our monthly food bill runs 6-700 a month. We don't buy speciality glutten free products, we just shop around the glutten problem. We have found that if you shop around the outside of the store, fresh produce, fruits, meats, and dairy it is more expensive. But its also more healthy because you elimante alot of preseratives that are in processed foods.
Our entertainment budget includes our wine and rum purchases.
All this is in our S&B
kimbrellsf said
07:27 PM Oct 5, 2011
Yep, the outside of the store is more expensive, but more healthy and therefore in the long run, less expensive!
RVRon said
08:04 PM Oct 5, 2011
RVPAINTER wrote:
Dinner for us some nights can be open face toasted english muffins with avacado. For breakfast today I had coffee and a Trader Joe's Fig Breakfast Bar. For lunch yogurt and 2 sesame crackers.
RVPAINTER, I'm with Bill Adams on this one - gad, I'd eat all of that in ONE meal and still be hungry! We're continually trying to eat "healthy" but for us that means cutting out fatty fried foods, substituting fruits for sweet snacks and keeping portions under control. It sounds like we're doomed to be a bit more spendy on the groceries since food and eating is an enjoyable part of our day, not just sustinance. Like you said, "Tis we own ting."
Racerguy said
08:40 PM Oct 5, 2011
Our traveling food budget was only slightly higher because there were certain things we didn't have room to buy in bulk but it didn't make an appreciable difference.RVPainter I admire folks like you who can eat like that and be happy.Me I like my Taco's,Pizza,and Double Cheeseburgers to much( unfortunately it shows):).
FD5 said
09:17 PM Oct 5, 2011
If you are not full time yet then build your budget off of what you will have (income) at the time you start full timing. Then when you start full timing you will just need to make minor adjustments. Food as a category in a budget is just that, a category. Everyone's category will be different, build your category amount based on your needs. We have been full timing since April 2010 and have adjusted our food budget due to food price increases, and yes they have increased.
Serengeti said
05:30 AM Oct 6, 2011
We very seldom eat out, to keep our food bill down. Also when we buy, we go to a lot of bulk food stores. Even now as we are getting ready to go south, we have on board a lot of item in case lot quantities. Even the toilet paper we have 32 rolls that we bought for $.50 per. We do have a park model in Fl. so we do have some storage there. Wine in boxes, cheaper in Pa. as opposed to Fl. case lots of pretzels that are better than the ones in Fl. In all we are between $350 to $400 per month for our food bill.
-- Edited by Serengeti on Thursday 6th of October 2011 05:31:07 AM
RVPAINTER said
07:57 AM Oct 6, 2011
Bill - there are times of course that we splurge as last night I had 2 hot dogs with rolls and a no fat yogurt for desert. Having had a heart attack at 49, I eat vey low fat foods although Trader Joe's coffe ice cream is one of my down falls as are mochas - but I get 2% milk in those. When we go out to eat I get a buffalo burger or a chicken burrito. In 1960 while living in Alaska, I weighed in at 238 pounds - my waist size I won't even dare mention - not a pretty sight. In my defense I will say there was nothing else to do there but EAT!!! Having been both slim and FAT - I've settled on thin as I feel so much better and I try to maintain 155 even if that demands that I eat some ice cream or a piece of cheese cake :>)
kimbrellsf said
12:41 PM Oct 6, 2011
Painter...WOW ! Sounds like you really turned your life around. Congratulations!
RVPAINTER said
02:37 PM Oct 6, 2011
Yes I did, it's funny how a heart attack at 49 can make one think about how food really is not a source of life - at least an over abundance of the wrong foods TOO OFTEN! I'm almost 72 now and LEAN IS MEAN - LESS IS MORE. Smoking and a very stressful job played a part in the heart attack as well as over eating so I stopped smoking and retired at 54!!! We now have a saying that we have lived by for quite a few years now
Keep it simple - make it easy.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
05:48 PM Oct 7, 2011
Not going the heart attack route here. Having a stress test and sonagram last week was interesting at my young age of 45, no issue yet, just have some bad genes it seems :) Having a daughter with an eating disorder forced us to eat better. I personally hated the changes, no more pizza, sourdough bread, spagetti or alot of pasta's, corn based pasta isn't terrible but.... I lost about 12lbs, and my blood sugar is now under the diabetic bar.
Food budgeting is almost a personal thing for each couple, or family. If you eat alot of fresh fruit and veggies it is more expensive than the prepackaged.
laears said
02:34 AM Jul 31, 2013
I know this is way old most, but love it! I'm a wine in the box gal!!
Having looked at Howard & Linda's expenses, sample budgets and some others I found online, I've been shamed into reducing our grocery bills. I already knew I spent too much, but I'm way out of line compared to other peoples budgets. Ok, I spend too much on wine, but is that 'Food' or 'Entertainment'? Gotta pay for it either way, but how I categorize it might make a difference. So, lookes like I need to spend less on groceries, buy less expensive wine, and drink less of it
Are you buying the wine in a box? We rarely buy the 750ml bottles, way to expensive. The box of wine you can find sometimes for less than $6.
There are ways to save. Make your own instead of buying premade. Do your own chopping, so buy the fruit or chickens whole instead of paying for someone else to cut them up. Look for deals and online coupons. Lower your standards if you can. (Diane gets headaches from the chicken at Wal-Mart that is injected to enhance the flavor.) Pay the money up front to have more food storage including freezer and refrigerator space so you can buy larger quantities when the price is right. It might be worthwhile to have some coolers around that you can use as temporary refrigerators with ice in them. We have a large Coleman 12volt cooler we use to transport perishables long distances. Check our Costco and Sam's Club to see if the yearly cost is worthwhile. We have both memberships. Learn to like leftovers if you grew up where you had something new and fresh every day. (We know a now former full-timing couple that divorced over this issue, really!)
We are very light eaters, neither of us drink anything stronger than diet A&W Root Beer and at present may go out once or twice a month for lunch or breakfast - never dinner.
HD TV has no interest what so ever to either of us - we would rather read a good book on our PC's or update our blogs. My wife is an author so a lot of her time is spent writing. Email is important to us as our way of communication and my DW's way of keeping in contact with agents.
Communications - I do not own a cell phone - never have and never will - no one answers the damn things anyways. Our only concern is WiFi - we need to have "REASONABLE" access to WIFI in our coach, not at starbucks or some REC hall at an RV park. I'm working with 3G Matt and have asked him to recommend the equipment that will perhaps give this to us.
As I say what ever floats your boat - I'm very interested in seeing what changes in our habits might come about when we are F/T RV-ing starting April 2012.
I think it's really a matter of figuring out what is important to you and allocating funds accordingly.
Other's budgets are good to give an idea of what you might expect to spend, but everyone's habits, goals and pleasures are different.
We just spent much of the summer with family and friends and ended up eating out often. Now we are heading across the country and are eating in most of the time, expecting to have lunch out maybe twice a week. We used to eat most lunches out, but that has changed. On our own we rarely go out to dinner or breakfast.
Glad to see this topic discussed as Joan and I were talking the other night about our food budget compared to Howard & Linda's. We're over their number by about $100/month and that doesn't include eating out! We've broken paper products and other household supplies that are normally bought with groceries out of that budget category and we're still more than H&L. Either we're not as sharp shoppers or we have totally different eating habits! Oh... and we rarely eat out - maybe once a month if that.
We're not yet fulltimers so it will be interesting to see what happens when that time comes with regards to food shopping. Right now we take advantage of bogo bargains and Joan does a lot of coupon clipping. We have 2 major grocery chains and a super Walmart within a few miles from home and it's not unusual to go to all of them to get what we want or where it's cheapest. I know buying in bulk and having shopping options won't be as easy when we're living in the confines of the RV with a lack of storage space - especially refrigerated space.
@RVPainter - I would be so happy if we could leave the tv behind and spend out time together, playing games, reading, talking, looking at the stars, but I think I may be asking too much from my husband. Full-timing was my idea and I just talked him into giving up his beloved newspaper and getting the news on the laptop. I can't ask for too much more (-:
It sure is nice to hear that I'm not alone in not being able to get by on $300-$450 for food.
For breakfast today I had coffee and a Trader Joe's Fig Breakfast Bar. For lunch yogurt and 2 sesame crackers. Not exactly Cracker Barrel or Denny's - but as they say in St. Martin --------
"Tis we own ting."
As I made sure to mention up front "Don't misunderstand my comments - to each their own."
Fraziers - We love to read and lots of times at night being a painter, I paint - my wife being a writer - she writes. TV has just never been a big source of entertainment in our 30 years of being together. but that's us. "Tis we own ting."
I mentioned to my DW that we would have to get a system for TV reception installed and she said WHY?
When I get above 160 it is too much weight for me - very uncomfortable - 155 is just right.
My daughter has Celiac disease- no glutten period. No wheat, malt, barly or yeast..
So our monthly food bill runs 6-700 a month. We don't buy speciality glutten free products, we just shop around the glutten problem.
We have found that if you shop around the outside of the store, fresh produce, fruits, meats, and dairy it is more expensive. But its also more healthy because you elimante alot of preseratives that are in processed foods.
Our entertainment budget includes our wine and rum purchases.
All this is in our S&B
RVPAINTER, I'm with Bill Adams on this one - gad, I'd eat all of that in ONE meal and still be hungry!
We're continually trying to eat "healthy" but for us that means cutting out fatty fried foods, substituting fruits for sweet snacks and keeping portions under control. It sounds like we're doomed to be a bit more spendy on the groceries since food and eating is an enjoyable part of our day, not just sustinance. Like you said, "Tis we own ting."
We very seldom eat out, to keep our food bill down.
Also when we buy, we go to a lot of bulk food stores.
Even now as we are getting ready to go south, we have on board a lot of item in case lot quantities.
Even the toilet paper we have 32 rolls that we bought for $.50 per.
We do have a park model in Fl. so we do have some storage there.
Wine in boxes, cheaper in Pa. as opposed to Fl. case lots of pretzels that are better than the ones in Fl.
In all we are between $350 to $400 per month for our food bill.
-- Edited by Serengeti on Thursday 6th of October 2011 05:31:07 AM
Keep it simple - make it easy.
Having a stress test and sonagram last week was interesting at my young age of 45, no issue yet, just have some bad genes it seems :)
Having a daughter with an eating disorder forced us to eat better. I personally hated the changes, no more pizza, sourdough bread, spagetti or alot of pasta's, corn based pasta isn't terrible but....
I lost about 12lbs, and my blood sugar is now under the diabetic bar.
Food budgeting is almost a personal thing for each couple, or family. If you eat alot of fresh fruit and veggies it is more expensive than the prepackaged.
I know this is way old most, but love it! I'm a wine in the box gal!!