3 ms·

> a moderate cost of food prepared at home for a family of four (with, say, a 16 year old daughter and 14 year old son) is $1,378.90/mo I’m not sure how they c

> a moderate cost of food prepared at home for a family of four (with, say, a 16 year old daughter and 14 year old son) is $1,378.90/mo I’m not sure how they calculate that (and the page they link to with information is down), but that really doesn’t make sense. For my five person household - five adults - we spend about $800-1000/month on groceries. According to that document, we’d be spending about $1400 on their low-cost plan or $1750 on their moderate-cost plan. But we’re not low-cost: that’s our costs shopping at a fairly upscale grocery store (not Whole Foods, but above average on price) and buying pretty fancy food. Maybe the costs assume no bulk purchases split between multiple members of the household?

tschwimmer 3y ago
That means you're spending $2-3 per meal per person assuming 2-3 meals a day eaten at home. This is effectively impossible in many places (in urban California I'd say it is actually impossible). I find it hard to believe you're incorporating anything but a lot of beans/rice and potatoes, or your portions are very small.
- Kerrick 3y ago
  Another potential explanation is that they may be shifting some of the grocery budget without accounting for it in their comment: buying cafeteria meals, eating from restaurants, dining at friends' and families' houses, etc.
Iwan-Zotow 3y ago
> 1000/month on groceries yes, we as well mostly cook at home, but if you add some occasional restaurant meals, plus fast food on the road, plus things like $ for NG to cook, and $ for electricity for fridge and freezer, $1200-1300/month looks about right