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0 pointsbumby4mo ago0 comments

I feel like I’ve eat pretty well, and my household food costs are almost half what the calculator shows. Similar for vehicle costs etc.

After looking at the method, I think the calculator probably has some bias towards “what society has convinced us we need”. To a certain extent that is a relative and subjective perception problem, and one exacerbated when you live in a society with a lot of consumer debt.

0 comments

13 comments · 3 top-level

lp4v4n4mo ago· 5 in thread

The yearly cost of food for one person without children in the county of Los Angeles(I selected an expensive area on purpose) is showing 4,428 USD. That's about 12 dollars a day. I don't even live in the United States but that value looks pretty low if anything.

jandrewrogers4mo ago

Anecdotally, I can easily eat for $12/day even in Seattle. There are days when I probably spend half of that. We aren't talking beans and rice here, these are diverse satisfying meals. It does require you to cook though.

lp4v4n4mo ago

I don't doubt you can eat three meals with 6 dollars, but it's crazy how solipsistic people are when it comes to food. Not everybody can buy food in bulk and cook at home.

A 10 oz ham sandwich will probably cost you more than 2 dollars even if you buy everything at the supermarket. I don't know why people are so reluctant to admit that 12 dollars a day is not much for groceries.

2 more replies

prepend4mo ago

I can easily cook all my meals for $12/day.

I don’t consider daily or even weekly restaurants part of a necessity for life.

lp4v4n4mo ago

People have commutes and work shifts that don't always allow them to buy food in bulk and cook their own food.

Not everybody is like you.

Restaurants have never been a necessity for life, but I guess that for a lot of people you should be upper class to eat out once a week.

2 more replies

bumbyOP4mo ago

That’s pretty surprising, honestly, because there are other areas considered much lower COL that are within spitting distance of that value.

etchalon4mo ago· 2 in thread

My household food costs are about 20% more than what the calculator shows (and that's a very minimal budget)

Behold, "averages" are not perfect.

bumbyOP4mo ago

Are you following the USDA thrifty food plan like the methodology assumes?

etchalon4mo ago

I don't perfectly weigh our groceries every week to hit the exact counts they recommend, no.

But we stick to the essentials, utilize different stores for the lowest prices we can get, and don't purchase nonsense.

1 more reply

Larrikin4mo ago· 3 in thread

What does eating pretty well mean to you? Maybe you don't even if you think you do? We don't know without your budget or a receipt from your typical grocery run

NewJazz4mo ago

Also some folks are just smaller than others.

bumbyOP4mo ago

They do try to account for this in their method. Men, women, and children of different ages all have different amounts of assumed food intake

bumbyOP4mo ago

Mostly what the typical nutritional guidance has advocated consistently over the last few decades, with maybe slightly higher protein intake.

6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, fairly liberal amounts of dairy and lean protein, lesser amounts of red meat. Grains like breads/rice for additional carbohydrates.

Admittedly, avoiding eating out regularly is the #1 way I keep food costs down, though.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

13 comments · 3 top-level

lp4v4n4mo ago· 5 in thread

jandrewrogers4mo ago

lp4v4n4mo ago

I don't doubt you can eat three meals with 6 dollars, but it's crazy how solipsistic people are when it comes to food. Not everybody can buy food in bulk and cook at home.

2 more replies

prepend4mo ago

I can easily cook all my meals for $12/day.

I don’t consider daily or even weekly restaurants part of a necessity for life.

lp4v4n4mo ago

People have commutes and work shifts that don't always allow them to buy food in bulk and cook their own food.

Not everybody is like you.

Restaurants have never been a necessity for life, but I guess that for a lot of people you should be upper class to eat out once a week.

2 more replies

bumbyOP4mo ago

That’s pretty surprising, honestly, because there are other areas considered much lower COL that are within spitting distance of that value.

etchalon4mo ago· 2 in thread

My household food costs are about 20% more than what the calculator shows (and that's a very minimal budget)

Behold, "averages" are not perfect.

bumbyOP4mo ago

Are you following the USDA thrifty food plan like the methodology assumes?

etchalon4mo ago

I don't perfectly weigh our groceries every week to hit the exact counts they recommend, no.

But we stick to the essentials, utilize different stores for the lowest prices we can get, and don't purchase nonsense.

1 more reply

Larrikin4mo ago· 3 in thread

What does eating pretty well mean to you? Maybe you don't even if you think you do? We don't know without your budget or a receipt from your typical grocery run

NewJazz4mo ago

Also some folks are just smaller than others.

bumbyOP4mo ago

They do try to account for this in their method. Men, women, and children of different ages all have different amounts of assumed food intake

bumbyOP4mo ago

Mostly what the typical nutritional guidance has advocated consistently over the last few decades, with maybe slightly higher protein intake.

6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, fairly liberal amounts of dairy and lean protein, lesser amounts of red meat. Grains like breads/rice for additional carbohydrates.

Admittedly, avoiding eating out regularly is the #1 way I keep food costs down, though.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse