Author Topic: $800 per week food budget  (Read 7906 times)

expressfin

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ysette9

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2018, 08:48:17 PM »
I can’t even read the whole thing. Reading about that much eating out makes me feel a little queasy.

MarciaB

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2018, 09:00:44 PM »
"This social being needs human interaction — preferably over food and drink."

Ever heard of a dinner party?

cats

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2018, 09:15:28 PM »
I can’t even read the whole thing. Reading about that much eating out makes me feel a little queasy.

I know!  I love how they seem to start every day with this fancy green smoothie and then....it's carbs/cheese/booze/fatty meat as far as the eye can see.  I do love meals like that on occasion, but to eat that kind of food EVERY DAY?  And there's no mention of eating leftovers of any of the restaurant meals, so I assume the author is actually eating the full portions?  Ooof.

Travis

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2018, 09:44:16 PM »
"I know I know, I spend too much on food and going out I drink a lot during the daytime sometimes just before work.

I noticed a trend in the author's beverage habits.

She will need that $160 Pilates class considering the calories she packs in every day.

"This social being needs human interaction — preferably over food and drink."

And most of her meals are eaten alone.

The author doesn't state her age, but by her numbers she could be saving half her income if only she wasn't eating and drinking it all.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 12:00:41 AM by Travis »

Tuskalusa

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2018, 10:33:20 PM »
A ridiculous fancy gym membership would be cheaper and healthier.  And the social interaction would be taken care of. Yikes.

ducky19

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2018, 06:29:12 AM »
I'm guessing she's pulling in a decent amount freelancing, otherwise she's digging herself a hole each month. $1640 weekly (pretax) is $6560/mo, but taxes will eat up a quarter of that, so say $4920. Rent is $1425 (plus utilities, so ~$100?), dog ($100), Pilates ($160), phone ($80), and internet ($80) are $1945 total. That leaves her $2975 left over - if she spends $836.35 a week, that leaves a deficit of $370.40 a month! She doesn't mention any other spending, but you have to assume she buys toilet paper once in a while (toothpaste, too I hope). She does mention eating leftovers a couple of times, but holy wow that is a lot of wasted money!

jinga nation

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2018, 06:36:58 AM »
"Hey look at me and my fancy lifestyle, I'm humblebragging about my food expenses blah blah."

Enjoy it, land of the free shit army and home of the financially reckless.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2018, 06:42:05 AM »
Did the author indicate their gender?

I  enjoyed the casual reference to both a boyfriend and a date. Ah, Seattle, you polyamorous paradise.

Barbaebigode

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2018, 07:10:06 AM »
I thought I was starting to develop a drinking problem a few years ago. Back then I drank less than he/she does.

elliha

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2018, 07:25:06 AM »
I thought my friend who eats only organic all the time was the worst when it comes to food and her budget is less than half of this. On the other hand she doesn't drink more than half a bottle of organic wine a week which might explain it.

FireHiker

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2018, 10:18:46 AM »
Holy shit. I felt MY budget was outrageous, with a target of $1100/month for a family of five, including a 17 year old boy that eats as much as the rest of us combined...We eat out more than we should and buy a fair bit of organic groceries as well, but damn, not even close to the numbers in that article. And wow, that's an awful lot of drinking every week if that's representative of the norm.

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2018, 10:35:12 AM »
That is a lot of calories.  Ugh! Plus the prices she puts for the food she cooked sounds ridiculous.  I can have a dinner party cheaper than her meals.   Friday night I am having a few friends over for a steak dinner with wine and that is not even that expensive.  Plus she should have leftovers.  So some meals should be free.  I understand liking to eat out because we enjoy it too but we eat dinner out about twice a week. We never did that until we retired.  Salad bar daily. What about buying the ingredients? 

honeybbq

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2018, 10:58:31 AM »
She seems to have a serious alcohol problem. 2 bottles of prosecco for 2 people for 1 brunch??

I live in Seattle so I understand the food pull. There's lots and lots of good food here. But I almost never go out to eat; when I do it's a real treat.

She should just buy a vitamix and blend up a green smoothie every day. It'd pay for itself in a month or two.

OurTown

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2018, 11:08:17 AM »
$836.35 in a week.  That's a lot!

fell-like-rain

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2018, 11:57:32 AM »
This reminds me of reading Samuel Pepys's diary, in that I am both awed and nauseated by the level of human gluttony.

We had a fricasee of rabbits and chickens, a leg of mutton boiled, three carps in a dish, a great dish of a side of lamb, a dish of roasted pigeons, a dish of four lobsters, three tarts, a lamprey pie (a most rare pie), a dish of anchovies, good wine of several sorts, and all things mighty noble and to my great content.'

Yup, sounds about right.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 12:21:46 PM by fell-like-rain »

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2018, 12:57:12 PM »
"This social being needs human interaction — preferably over food and drink."

Ever heard of a dinner party?

In fairness, it's not easy to throw a dinner party unless you're surrounded by a clique of other people who also throw them. Then, they're savvy about the need to let you know if they're coming, the need to show up on time, what (if anything) they are expected to bring, and whether they can or should expand the invitation to include their own guests.

Throwing a dinner party for people who don't "do" dinner parties is painful. They really, truly, honestly don't know how to behave. I'm not talking about which weird-shaped fork to use. I'm talking about basics like accepting the invitation and showing up on time without a bunch of last-minute calls or texts that you can't get to because you're busy organizing the meal. I'm talking about putting butts in chairs and trying the food on the table instead of bitching about how they "can't" eat this, that, or the other thing or lying to me about allergies or food sensitivities.

Years ago, I briefly stopped entertaining my fellow Yuppie-Americans after an incident where I didn't know whether I was cooking for thirteen or for thirty. Too many people just couldn't be bothered to tell me whether they were coming, and I cook from scratch, so that's an incredible amount of leftovers. I learned to use the phrase "no problem, I'll mark you down as a 'no'." Many of these folks got their comeuppance when they tried to plan a wedding reception and got to be on the receiving end of all the logistics hassle.

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2018, 01:04:58 PM »
I have never had a problem with people being inconsiderate about dinner parties. None of my friends would invite someone else to it. If they say no because they are having a guest visit I always tell them to bring them too. We actually just had a barbecue and I knew way in advance who could come.

LennStar

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2018, 01:13:08 PM »
I don't know what you boys, a single dose of good caviar costs one third of that! (As I just watched 10 minutes ago.)

mm1970

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2018, 01:18:28 PM »
"This social being needs human interaction — preferably over food and drink."

Ever heard of a dinner party?

In fairness, it's not easy to throw a dinner party unless you're surrounded by a clique of other people who also throw them. Then, they're savvy about the need to let you know if they're coming, the need to show up on time, what (if anything) they are expected to bring, and whether they can or should expand the invitation to include their own guests.

Throwing a dinner party for people who don't "do" dinner parties is painful. They really, truly, honestly don't know how to behave. I'm not talking about which weird-shaped fork to use. I'm talking about basics like accepting the invitation and showing up on time without a bunch of last-minute calls or texts that you can't get to because you're busy organizing the meal. I'm talking about putting butts in chairs and trying the food on the table instead of bitching about how they "can't" eat this, that, or the other thing or lying to me about allergies or food sensitivities.

Years ago, I briefly stopped entertaining my fellow Yuppie-Americans after an incident where I didn't know whether I was cooking for thirteen or for thirty. Too many people just couldn't be bothered to tell me whether they were coming, and I cook from scratch, so that's an incredible amount of leftovers. I learned to use the phrase "no problem, I'll mark you down as a 'no'." Many of these folks got their comeuppance when they tried to plan a wedding reception and got to be on the receiving end of all the logistics hassle.
Yep.  Pre-kid we had these, and they were fun.

Post kid, we had a few.  Some just last minute "hey come over, we'll grill", and some more planned.  But some people would no-show, and we got to know which people they were.

Now with the schedule - 2 kids, both with full time jobs, I've managed to get my social activities down to easy things.  Our wonderful, amazing neighborhood has a potluck every Sunday.  They've been doing it for decades.  We joined about 5 years ago.  In the summer, at 5:30 pm.  In the winter, brunch.  If it's raining, it's canceled.  At the end of our street is a large privately run public park...and we just wander up and look for an open spot.  There's a hierarchy of spots.  Sometimes the best ones are reserved.

I get wine, good food, adult conversation with my tribe.  The kids run and play on the playground.  The dogs have a good time.  And it's easy.  If you are busy or sick?  You don't go. 

Unfortunately I've developed some food sensitivities in the last few years.  But I don't worry about it.  I always make sure that I take food that I can eat.  The stuff I can't eat?  I don't eat.  If someone pushes cake on me?  I say  no.  If they push harder?  I gently remind them of my wheat problem.  Some people occasionally specifically make a fruit crisp without wheat and are sure to tell me.  Just like when I make my fried rice without meat, I make sure the vegetarian knows.  I'm a big girl and the same thing goes for work lunches.  I pack my own lunch, and if the food is something I can eat, bonus, but I'm not going to insist they order me a gluten free sandwich.  I can buy my own sandwich!

Likewise, when I used to invite friends over who were vegan, sensitive to onions, dairy free, didn't eat pork, whatever - I worked around it.


Back to the original...I remember being young, and eating out a lot, and having it be my social interaction.  Eventually was able to change it, but it's super hard at first.  Have to stick your neck out.

ysette9

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #20 on: May 23, 2018, 01:20:23 PM »
What a lovely neighborhood tradition! I wish our local park were a little closer to do something similar.

Dragonswan

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #21 on: May 23, 2018, 01:22:41 PM »
I hear you Grimmy.  I've had to educate a few folks over the years.  However, when you send an invitation that is akin to a wedding invitation, not an evite, (very formal with names, arrives in the mail with RSVP date, and instructs the recipient that they need only bring their appetite and good conversation) it cuts down on the confusion. But once folks I've invited experience my pretentiousness, there's never any doubt that the next group will RSVP and show up (word gets around).  There's a three year waiting list to eat at my table (because I only do this 2-3 times a year and there are lots of folks in my circle). And don't be dissin the fussy flatware, setting a fancy table is part of the ambiance.

But to the topic, these 5-6 course dinner parties of mine, complete with premium seafood and semi-exotic ingredients, rarely cost more than $300 (I know, but I can't help myself).  The only time I might spend $800 on food in a week is when I'm on vacation and eat every meal out. Even then, one of the meals better be dinner theater so I get entertainment with it.

OurTown

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #22 on: May 23, 2018, 02:34:34 PM »
She is averaging $119 per day. 

Just Joe

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #23 on: May 24, 2018, 08:13:45 AM »
I have never had a problem with people being inconsiderate about dinner parties. None of my friends would invite someone else to it. If they say no because they are having a guest visit I always tell them to bring them too. We actually just had a barbecue and I knew way in advance who could come.

Success has as much to do with the guests as the host. Everyone has to work together.

We threw a graduation party recently and hardly anyone RSVP'd. We ended the day with leftovers for a week. One said sure, I'll be there and we still haven't heard from them. Another decided to go to a lake party instead our graduation party, etc. We had a good time with the guests that did visit.

We don't entertain. We made a huge effort to make sure our house was presentable and inviting. Off to bed early that night. Easy to come away from that sort of thing with an idea that its not worth the effort.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2018, 08:15:58 AM by Just Joe »

Cpa Cat

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #24 on: May 24, 2018, 08:36:13 AM »
Hot damn that's a lot of calories to injest!

Her weekly food and booze menu is like a normal person's spendy vacation food/booze menu.

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #25 on: May 24, 2018, 09:02:25 AM »
Joe, that is terrible. We entertain a lot and enjoy it.

mm1970

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #26 on: May 24, 2018, 01:59:23 PM »
I have never had a problem with people being inconsiderate about dinner parties. None of my friends would invite someone else to it. If they say no because they are having a guest visit I always tell them to bring them too. We actually just had a barbecue and I knew way in advance who could come.

Success has as much to do with the guests as the host. Everyone has to work together.

We threw a graduation party recently and hardly anyone RSVP'd. We ended the day with leftovers for a week. One said sure, I'll be there and we still haven't heard from them. Another decided to go to a lake party instead our graduation party, etc. We had a good time with the guests that did visit.

We don't entertain. We made a huge effort to make sure our house was presentable and inviting. Off to bed early that night. Easy to come away from that sort of thing with an idea that its not worth the effort.
That's terrible.  I remember my niece's grad party 2 years ago.  My SIL has a huge network.  We flew in, and were there a few days early. For sure she put us to work!  Cooking, cleaning, setting up games, etc.  I don't know how many people were there.  100?  Nephew graduating next month.  I expect to be put to work again.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #27 on: May 24, 2018, 02:04:04 PM »
Joe, that is terrible. We entertain a lot and enjoy it.

You're also entertaining people who have been trained to be good guests.

Humans aren't born with the ability (or in some cases, the desire) to behave considerately toward others. They have to be trained. There's more than one way to do this.

Some military establishments train aspiring officers in the basics of etiquette: how to leave a phone message, what kind of information needs to be in an invitation, how to respond to the invitation (horrible things happen to them if they wait more than 24 hours to resolve a "maybe"), and how to show up on time. I do find serving or retired military officers to be good guests.

Back in the Dark Ages there used to be university courses in etiquette and deportment although I think some of them centered on international business etiquette and protocol. There have definitely been books written on the subject and I think some ladies named Judith Martin and Emily Post helped to establish some basic standards State-side. The problem is that few people seem to have actually read their work.

Then of course there's osmosis. I happened to be born into a family where what would probably be called "formal" entertaining was, well, normal. It happened at least a couple times a week, and although as kids we were seldom on a guest list unless the host family had kids our age they wanted at the table, we *did* learn how to interact properly. We also learned what was involved in putting on a proper dinner, including all the logistics. I got to see, up close and personal, what happened when someone didn't RSVP or when a family showed up late or not at all, or when unexpected guests arrive. I've been the person eating the invisible pork chop. So I kind of absorbed most of it without really thinking about it, and once I got outside what I now recognize to be a fairly unusual and privileged bubble it surprised me to learn that most people don't dine regularly, or even at all.  Indeed, the notion that most people are frightened or intimidated by the experience and unable to function at a civilized table even at a holiday gathering with family came as a shock to me. I was flabbergasted that it was considered normal or at least common for adults to freak out or treat other people very inconsiderately due to social anxiety or introversion, and that the freaking-out behavior was not regarded as a genuine dislike for the host or evidence of some hideous developmental problem.

The thing that I like about explicit etiquette training is the way it illustrates the fact that the rules are *not* obvious to all civilized humans, and that skills do in fact have to be taught. People who are explicitly taught tend to be much more aware that not everyone knows what they know, and are therefore less likely to be surprised or put off when someone doesn't.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #28 on: May 24, 2018, 02:28:36 PM »
I hear you Grimmy.  I've had to educate a few folks over the years.  However, when you send an invitation that is akin to a wedding invitation, not an evite, (very formal with names, arrives in the mail with RSVP date, and instructs the recipient that they need only bring their appetite and good conversation) it cuts down on the confusion. But once folks I've invited experience my pretentiousness, there's never any doubt that the next group will RSVP and show up (word gets around).  There's a three year waiting list to eat at my table (because I only do this 2-3 times a year and there are lots of folks in my circle). And don't be dissin the fussy flatware, setting a fancy table is part of the ambiance.

But to the topic, these 5-6 course dinner parties of mine, complete with premium seafood and semi-exotic ingredients, rarely cost more than $300 (I know, but I can't help myself).  The only time I might spend $800 on food in a week is when I'm on vacation and eat every meal out. Even then, one of the meals better be dinner theater so I get entertainment with it.

You're right about the low cost of entertaining if you have the wherewithal to serve 8-12 people at once. It puts you and your family in the position of being able to entertain in the home instead of restauranting. It's far easier to celebrate special occasions and much easier to enjoy the guests and the conversation. I've experimented with letting a friend co-host by providing the food, drink, and clean-up if I provide the location and the table settings. So far it's worked.

There's a relationship between space and comfort. At less than 1700 square feet, my home is oversized by Mustachian standards and I can't justify keeping a really large dining table with chairs, because of the floor space. I can serve up to a dozen people comfortably but cram in up to 20 if they don't mind mixing and matching plates. That's more than enough to accommodate 99% of the events I need to host. You can do showers, a graduation reception, a book launch party, and a charity benefit. Later this year I may host a wedding ceremony and reception for a young couple I know. Entertaining privately saves an incredible amount of money and the logistics just aren't that difficult compared to the nonsense required to put on the same event and provide the same comfort level and ambience in rented space.

dcheesi

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #29 on: May 24, 2018, 02:48:13 PM »
FYI, there was a previous discussion of this article:

'i-spend-$800-a-week-on-food-and-drink'

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #30 on: May 24, 2018, 03:26:17 PM »
We were taught manners as kids so know all the social graces.  I have one friend that was raised by wolves so if she doesn’t respond to a invitation I just call and ask if she is coming. Since we downsized we can only have 8 people for sit down dinner unless it’s summer and we can be on the patio and then 14.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #31 on: May 24, 2018, 04:04:12 PM »
We were taught manners as kids so know all the social graces.  I have one friend that was raised by wolves so if she doesn’t respond to a invitation I just call and ask if she is coming. Since we downsized we can only have 8 people for sit down dinner unless it’s summer and we can be on the patio and then 14.

Yep: you learned the way I did.

Not all people teach their kids the same way. It doesn't mean they're bad or defective. Sometimes the parents are absent or too busy to do family meals. Other times the parents themselves don't know, or are struggling to the point where they can't provide the infrastructure. It's hard to learn table manners if there's no table, and hard to learn to use utensils if everything is fast food intended to be eaten with the fingers. They tend to hang out with other families that operate the same way, so the kids grow up thinking it's normal.

One of the first friends I made State-side raised her family that way. She was just plain overloaded: ill, and taking care of a sick husband, but trying to raise her two girls, her dead sister's children, her husband's children, and two grandkids. They had something like nine or sometimes ten people in a 3-bedroom apartment. That's one of the reasons the little boy couldn't read and the teenaged girls ate salad with their fingers. I taught the kid to read and gave the teens a crash course in how to eat in a civilized way, how to cook, and how to behave when out in public. Also, I used them as guinea pigs in some of my social theory experiments. We eventually all went off in different directions but I'm still in touch with the girls on social media. They're good people and definitely helped expand my awareness of the reasoning behind why people from different subcultures do what they do. Having known them earlier in life helped me to parent my daughter. It also made me more aware of some of my biases. I can't honestly say I've gotten rid of the biases or even mitigated them effectively. My best friend tells me that I'm not racist or sexist but that I'm classist as f***. Her judgement on such matters is generally sound.

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #32 on: May 24, 2018, 07:23:04 PM »
That poor woman having to care for all those people .

gerardc

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #33 on: May 24, 2018, 08:08:54 PM »
What's a reasonable food budget for 1 person?
I have a hard time keeping it below $10 a day. And that's if I eat at home the whole day. Otherwise, it's way more.
I eat healthy and highish protein.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #34 on: May 24, 2018, 08:28:41 PM »
That poor woman having to care for all those people .

It seems like a big burden, but she never did any housework or child raising, except that she'd change the diapers of the baby. She'd pretty much checked out mentally and emotionally at that point, and all she really did was the laundry and some occasional cooking. She babysat during the day for two or three families in the neighborhood who needed someone to watch their small children while they worked.

I understood why my friend was too sick to work, and her husband had been too badly wounded in Korea, but I didn't see any reason why the able-bodied members of the family couldn't work even a little bit. Not one person in the family had a job. There were four teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19, and only the 14-year-old was in school. Plus, my friend babysat neighborhood kids during the day for extra cash. Between that and subsidies for housing they got by well enough that my friend defended her decision to not nudge any of the teens in the direction of paid employment lest they "burn out" by being required to work. Nor did she insist that they learn how to use the public transit system. Some of the teens had never been on a public bus because they had only ever been driven around: they had no reason to learn how to read a bus schedule because there was always someone else there to drive them. The result was a group of completely unemployable young women so I decided to try to do something about it before they produced another generation of not-doing-very-well. Hence the social experiments. Some worked better than others.

Income-wise, my friend and her husband got disability on top of his veteran's benefits. All the food was free because of SNAP and WIC, and they only really needed one vehicle because they never went anywhere. There were five televisions in the house, a gaming system, and the like. In many respects they did exactly what I did-- entertaining at home. I seldom went over because of the smell. In the interests of trying to help them, I hired her to help clean my apartment once a week. But that led to a neverending stream of "can-we-borrow, can-we-borrow, we-can't-afford, we's-poor-folks". After they destroyed my new vacuum I learned really quickly to not lend anything to them I couldn't afford to basically give away. They simply trashed everything in their path. Years later, I went to visit one of my friend's daughters and she kept house in exactly the same way: piles of clothing mixed with broken toys mixed with bags of pet food mixed with rotting bits of this and that.

It's a lifestyle. There are families and groups of people who genuinely like to live that way.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #35 on: May 24, 2018, 10:46:19 PM »
The interesting thing is that she could actually hire a live-in housekeeper/cook for that much.

OurTown

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #36 on: May 25, 2018, 07:53:47 AM »
I wonder what she spends on entertainment?

ducky19

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2018, 10:33:31 AM »
Anyone else notice she included two Fridays in the "week"? If you subtract out the first Friday, that drops her total to $739.51 - still outrageous, but that works out to ~$400 less per month. She also overspends most on dinner ($160.80, $98.62, $87.58)... if she kept dinner to $50 a night, she could save an additional $200 a week. That and the discrepancy of two Fridays adds up to an additional $14,000 per year she could put toward savings. Clearly, she is proud of how much she spends on food, though... Hopefully she'll wake up one day and realize just how much of her life she traded for a basic necessity. Sadly, I doubt she will!

ExitViaTheCashRamp

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #38 on: May 27, 2018, 02:03:39 AM »
What struck me was the alcohol consumption went unmentioned. I estimate that about 25 units of alcohol was consumed -- the weekly maximum should be 14 units according to the NHS regardless of male or female these days.

LennStar

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #39 on: May 27, 2018, 06:11:04 AM »
How much is a unit?

In an understandable amount please. Something based on liters, not gallons.

ExitViaTheCashRamp

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #40 on: May 27, 2018, 06:34:04 AM »

From:  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/calculating-alcohol-units/

Type of drink                                                                     Number of alcohol units
Single small shot of spirits * (25ml, ABV 40%)                     1 unit
Alcopop (275ml, ABV 5.5%)                                                1.5 units
Small glass of red/white/rosé wine (125ml, ABV 12%)          1.5 units
Bottle of lager/beer/cider (330ml, ABV 5%)                          1.7 units
Can of lager/beer/cider (440ml, ABV 5.5%)                          2 units
Pint of lower-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6%)               2 units
Standard glass of red/white/rosé wine (175ml, ABV 12%)     2.1 units
Pint of higher-strength lager/beer/cider (568ml, ABV 5.2%)   3 units
Large glass of red/white/rosé wine (250ml, ABV 12%)           3 units


(Sorry for the formatting, font spacing messes the table up)

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #41 on: May 27, 2018, 09:47:51 AM »
Women are advised not to have more than one drink/day or 7 week.  I think for men it is 3 a day.

elliha

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #42 on: May 27, 2018, 02:03:20 PM »
14 units is a lot according to me. Only in my party days at the university did I get close to or pass that number. I drink maybe one beer every two-three weeks in during the warmer period (late spring, summer and early autumn) and even less in winter, perhaps a beer every other month or so. I usually drink slightly more 2-3 beers once or twice a year. I had pain in the area of my stomach that is where the liver is when I was around 14 units a week so I really cannot see people being consistently at this number and healthy a whole life.

joleran

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #43 on: May 29, 2018, 12:20:14 PM »
14 units is a lot according to me. Only in my party days at the university did I get close to or pass that number. I drink maybe one beer every two-three weeks in during the warmer period (late spring, summer and early autumn) and even less in winter, perhaps a beer every other month or so. I usually drink slightly more 2-3 beers once or twice a year. I had pain in the area of my stomach that is where the liver is when I was around 14 units a week so I really cannot see people being consistently at this number and healthy a whole life.

It may be excessive for you (and if you actually had non-psychosomatic liver pain on that amount you need to see a doctor urgently), but when national health organizations give an amount as a maximum safe level, it tends to actually be safe.

elliha

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #44 on: May 29, 2018, 12:48:56 PM »
14 units is a lot according to me. Only in my party days at the university did I get close to or pass that number. I drink maybe one beer every two-three weeks in during the warmer period (late spring, summer and early autumn) and even less in winter, perhaps a beer every other month or so. I usually drink slightly more 2-3 beers once or twice a year. I had pain in the area of my stomach that is where the liver is when I was around 14 units a week so I really cannot see people being consistently at this number and healthy a whole life.

It may be excessive for you (and if you actually had non-psychosomatic liver pain on that amount you need to see a doctor urgently), but when national health organizations give an amount as a maximum safe level, it tends to actually be safe.

I have not had any pain for 10-12 years or so, it stopped on its own after I cut down drinking so I am not going to go to the doctor now about it. I looked up what my country says and they say 9 units for women and 14 for men and I found a bunch of articles discussing lowering it to 9 units for men too and that seems to suggest that there is some backing for me thinking 14 is a lot. Also, as the wording is at least where I live it is that over 9 or 14 units is "at risk consumption" this to me shows that this is an upper limit and that the ideal consumption if there is any is not likely to be exactly this number for most people.

grandep

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #45 on: May 29, 2018, 01:59:59 PM »
What do you say to someone who, like the author of the article, justifies their eating out expenses by saying "My quality of life is great!" I have a lot of friends where I live who love eating out and who do it several times a week. That makes it hard for my SO and I to be frugal because we are frequently turning them down and sometimes don't even get invited (which still stings a little). But our friends believe that their money is made for enjoying life and for them, eating out is "enjoying life" and they think that our frugal habits mean we are living in deprivation and despair.

Obviously, I don't believe that and I am perfectly happy and content with my life cooking my own food, but what would you say to the author of this article who believes that her food expenses are perfectly justified because to her that's how she enjoys life?

Cassie

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #46 on: May 29, 2018, 05:34:54 PM »
Maybe decide to join them monthly and let them know so they will continue to ask you. If you never go of course they quit asking. Also have a potluck at your house.

Travis

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #47 on: May 29, 2018, 07:51:49 PM »
What do you say to someone who, like the author of the article, justifies their eating out expenses by saying "My quality of life is great!"

...what would you say to the author of this article who believes that her food expenses are perfectly justified because to her that's how she enjoys life?

Ask her to check back in 5 years when her "quality of life" butts up against her desire for something bigger than another fancy meal and a savings account with something in it would start looking useful.

alanB

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Re: $800 per week food budget
« Reply #48 on: May 30, 2018, 08:30:02 AM »
What do you say to someone who, like the author of the article, justifies their eating out expenses by saying "My quality of life is great!" I have a lot of friends where I live who love eating out and who do it several times a week. That makes it hard for my SO and I to be frugal because we are frequently turning them down and sometimes don't even get invited (which still stings a little). But our friends believe that their money is made for enjoying life and for them, eating out is "enjoying life" and they think that our frugal habits mean we are living in deprivation and despair.

Obviously, I don't believe that and I am perfectly happy and content with my life cooking my own food, but what would you say to the author of this article who believes that her food expenses are perfectly justified because to her that's how she enjoys life?

I would say "I am happy you are enjoying your life" then try to meet up to do something else if you don't want to eat out.  Why not offer to cook for them, are they turning down invites from you?  Most people will stop inviting if the invites are only going one way and are always rejected.  Save your advice for people who ask for it, or for anonymous forums where we pretend to have all the answers ;P