Hit $500 on my monthly grocery bill and it felt like a win

Most people here brag about spending under $200 a month. I finally got my monthly grocery spending down to $500 and I was thrilled. I live alone near Portland, Oregon and last year I was dropping almost $800 a month on food. That $500 milestone meant I stopped buying pricey convenience meals and started cooking dried beans and whole chickens. Has anyone else shifted their goal from just cheap to reasonably affordable for their area?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_martin1mo ago

Wait, you were dropping $800 a month on food for ONE person? That is absolutely wild to me. I live in a similar cost-of-living area and I thought my $400 was bad. How much was eating out or those convenience meals costing you? I gotta say congrats on cutting it back to $500 though, that takes some serious discipline with beans and whole chickens.

coleman.seth1mo ago

Man, I feel this so hard. I went through the exact same thing when I lived in Seattle. I was spending around $700 a month just because I was too tired to cook and buying those premade salads and frozen meals. The real trick for me was learning to break down whole chickens myself. You get like four meals out of one bird if you stretch it with rice and frozen veggies. Also, don't sleep on your local Asian market for produce and spices. Way cheaper than the big chains. Keep it up, cutting that much off your bill is no joke.