Feb 26 2009
What Is Your Family Eating?
I received the following family food expenditure photos in an email. You know how that goes… good information, but no particular origination source to site. Nevertheless, I thought it was interesting enough to share with you because…
1) The current economic slump has many of us looking closer at our spending habits and thinking about ways to save money. Some families may be buying more groceries and eating out less. Seeing how others eat for less may inspire someone to implement more creative ways to shave bucks off his or her own family food expenditure bill. Click here to learn 20 ways to save on groceries.
AND…
2) The current obesity rates give cause for pause (hey, that rhymes
). We need to make our nutrition and overall health more of a priority. Taking a closer look at our junk to healthy food ratio, may allow us to see where the obesity epidemic and other weight-related problems should be attacked first–at the dinner table.
Take a good look at the family size and diet of each country, and the availability and cost of what is eaten in one week:
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
So, what’s your family eating? How much is it costing per week?
We’re probably about on par for the US.
We’re starting a garden, now that I work from home. I’ve always tried to steer clear of processed foods, which are both bad for you and hard on the budget. It doesn’t always work, but if we garden, can/preserve/freeze, and conserve (buy things we need while they’re on sale), we tend to have a lower food bill than most. Now, non-food items…ugh. Let’s not go there.
On average we spend more than we’d like, a bulk of our budget is spent on food stuffs and we’ve almost completely cut eating out and fast food. I would probably say we average about $250 a week. Signe’s number, wow! that blows me away. How does she do it? I think I’ll check out that link you provided.
Holy Moly! Signe’s weekly expenditure’s are very admireable! I’d love to find out how she does it!
I usually spend between $150 and $200 per week, depending on what I’ve run out of or need. I usually split my shopping between BJ’s (like Sam’s or Costco) for bulk items that will last for at least a month or more, and Wal*Mart because yes, they are cheap, and really the only ‘grocery store’ in the area - well, there is one closer, only a mile from us, but I don’t shop there because their prices are way out of the ‘reasonable’ range. Except when they have good sales. I don’t buy meat from Wal*Mart, though, too many bad issues with their meat products. I wish we had a butcher close by because that’s the best place to get fresh meat… Instead, I buy meat at BJ’s, because they actually have a great/fresh selection and end up being cheaper. Of course it’s ‘bulk’, but at least I can divide it up and freeze what I’m not going to use right away…luckily we have an upright freezer in our basement, so I can store plenty! 
What is the world happened to all of the pictures!!! I’m sorry folks.
I keep a list of all the things we need/ want, but we still seem to go to the grocery store every other day for something. We spend at least $100/ week. We save money by buying generic products and eating all the leftovers. We spend a lot of money on social-eating. Meaning, we go out to eat with other families on the weekends or we host a get-together. That’s not as cost-effective as preparing food at home for ourselves, but it may save more money than doing something else for entertainment’s sake.
Thanks for all the comments!
Davida