bizguyforfun t1_jaba1xu wrote on February 28, 2023 at 4:34 AM

$700 bucks a month on food? What do you eat? And if you both have brand new cars, what maintenance expense do you have?

KimberelyHarmon t1_jabg6ih wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:35 AM

$700/mo on food for 3 people is a $175 shopping trip weekly. That's not unreasonable for three people who don't want to be eating like rats, especially with grocery prices the way they are.

My wife and I spend about $150/week on groceries. We buy a lot of fresh, organic foods and meats, but nothing exactly "over the top".

This is a weird number to cling to in this post.

help_me_decide333 OP t1_jabbrzv wrote on February 28, 2023 at 4:50 AM

$700 is all in, with a few trips to restaurants, all alcohol, etc. That's 100% of our consumption per month but could be cut more as we shop at Aldi and Costco exclusively, and buy 1/4 cows for freezer beef that last us about 18 months. Does that seem high?

Maintenance on cars, no kidding, should be about $200 a year. We drive about 6k miles a year per vehicle so we are looking at 2 oil changes per year per vehicle. Won't have to even think about other maintenance or tires for a few years.

bizguyforfun t1_jabda5i wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:05 AM

I guess I'll buy the car maintenance, but man, that food bill is way too high. I spend MAYBE $300 a month on a bad month for 2.

pedal-force t1_jabh9pl wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:46 AM

$5 per day per person is your bad month? Come on now.

I suppose I could do that if it was absolutely necessary. That's maybe $1 for breakfast, $1.50 for lunch and $2.50 for dinner. No snacking, definitely no drinks except water, certainly no alcohol. That's extremely tight. Especially in 2023 and if you don't live somewhere extremely cheap.

help_me_decide333 OP t1_jabeb91 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:15 AM

We do have 1 baby! Lol but yes we need to start looking at all the "extras" we get and go out to dinner only once a month maybe

MikeWPhilly t1_jabfsw9 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:31 AM

How old is kid? What is wife’s income? And when kid is school age what is the plan? Also childcare costs if she doesn’t stop working?

ThrowawayTink2 t1_jabhdo9 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 5:47 AM

They have a 'baby' so I'm thinking under 2, and wife is pregnant. They're looking at at least 6 years of childcare, 3 with 2 kids. Childcare will be hefty.