Food budget

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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StevensBibi

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Incoming M1 here, a little concerned about managing my money when it comes to grocery shopping + eating out

I'm coming straight out of undergrad and I will say that I was a little privileged in that I didn't do much grocery shopping; I had a meal plan for 3 years and the last year I did some grocery shopping but mainly ate out

I'm planning on buying groceries once a week for 1 week's worth. What should my groceries budget be if my only source of income is student loans? How often did you guys eat out? Also, any tips on how to be frugal with grocery shopping are appreciated!

thanks
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StevensBibi said:
Incoming M1 here, a little concerned about managing my money when it comes to grocery shopping + eating out

I'm coming straight out of undergrad and I will say that I was a little privileged in that I didn't do much grocery shopping; I had a meal plan for 3 years and the last year I did some grocery shopping but mainly ate out

I'm planning on buying groceries once a week for 1 week's worth. What should my groceries budget be if my only source of income is student loans? How often did you guys eat out? Also, any tips on how to be frugal with grocery shopping are appreciated!

thanks
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I'm a 165 lbs male and spend <300/month on actual groceries. Usually closer to 250. That's not including eating out, which depends completely on how well you can control your impulses. Try and make your food ahead of time in big batches, that way when you want a quick meal you won't be tempted to get fast food. Also, pasta is really cheap, so eat as much of that as you can.
 
if u want to eat out often, it can get expensive as some women are difficult to please
i would also say that 250-300 a month should be reasonable for anybody
if u want good value for your money, buy a huge bag of rice, a ton of potatoes, a bag of onions and a lot of chicken
 
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StevensBibi said:
Incoming M1 here, a little concerned about managing my money when it comes to grocery shopping + eating out

I'm coming straight out of undergrad and I will say that I was a little privileged in that I didn't do much grocery shopping; I had a meal plan for 3 years and the last year I did some grocery shopping but mainly ate out

I'm planning on buying groceries once a week for 1 week's worth. What should my groceries budget be if my only source of income is student loans? How often did you guys eat out? Also, any tips on how to be frugal with grocery shopping are appreciated!

thanks
Click to expand...

I spent 200-250 per month on groceries. Make it 250-300 if you want to eat out. Shouldn't be costing more than that. My wife and I combined spend 400-450 per month on groceries.
 
I was in the same situation for undergrad for 3 years (and will continue to be in this situation for 4 more). I budgeted $50/wk in groceries, ~$5/wk to get lunch at food trucks twice/wk (bacon egg n cheese $2.75). ~$10/wk for take-out or ingredients for a nice dinner one night. Total $65/wk. Also invest in a water bottle and pretty much only drink water. It's probably the only thing that's both cheaper AND healthier than alternatives.

Learn to not care about brand and go for lowest price/quantity (listed on all price tags in grocery store). Same goes for alcohol, get used to cheap alcohol (I think yellowtail is decent for wine and I only buy beer by the case to save in the long run).

Generally cheap items that make up the bulk of my meals in a given week:
Carbs: (as others have mentioned) Rice, potatoes, pasta
Veggies: Frozen vegetables, lettuce, onions, and peppers
Protein: Eggs, hot dogs, chicken or ground beef (usually ~1 lb/wk)
Others: PB&J, mac n cheese, soup, powdered drink mixes when water gets boring (lemonade/tang)
 
Pasta and ramen every day isn't ideal, but it's not hard to stick to a ~$50-$60/wk budget and eat healthy. Just don't buy organic fair trade chobani and expensive cuts of meat.
 
Two things that help out a lot that have already been mentioned.

1. Only drink tap water (other than those nights you go out to celebrate). If you drink stuff like juice, soda, or beer you can end up spending an extra $50-100/month easily. Maybe more.

2. Buy in bulk when possible. I make a Costco run every 2 months or so and drop about $100-150 on non-perishables like fruit snacks, nuts, canned veggies, frozen chicken breasts, and pop-tarts (my weakness). You can get an 80 pack of fruit snacks for $10 and it'll last you months. Obviously that's not practical for fresh fruits or some meats, but it can save a lot of money and make it so you need to shop less often.

Just doing those things I cut my budget back from about $350/month to under $200, and I'm pretty much a garbage disposal. Realistically you should be able to get by easily on $350/month unless you're living somewhere like downtown NY assuming you aren't going to nice sit-down restaurants every week.
 
I work out three times a week, 5'6'' 150ish lbs male, and spend around $150/month on groceries.

Buying grains, rice, legumes, frozen veggies in bulk is very inexpensive. Plus I'm vegan and try to eat as healthy as possible, so I buy nothing that's already prepared or any drink except soy milk (and tap water ofc). I cook a lot.

Tofu is your friend. It's super cheap, and goes well with everything.
Peanut butter too.

Half of my grocery bills are fruits and veggies lol... but what can ya do.
 
I spend more on groceries nowadays since money isn't as tight as it was when I was first out on my own and working so now I spend about $300/month. I enjoy cooking and I'm usually on a bulking diet so it's a bit more expensive than average. However, you can easily get by at about $160/month if you're frugal. Just figure out what meal you want to make (cook in bulk to keep yourself accountable) and build your grocery list from that. The majority of your grocery bill will come from your protein. Chicken, eggs, pork, and tilapia are pretty cheap so hitting $40/week is pretty manageable as long as you don't eat out or buy a bunch of junk food. Also, make it a habit to think of things in terms of calories/dollar or protein/dollar. It helps you get your money's worth when deciding between different items.
 
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A question is for the med students: in med school did you guys have enough time to cook?
 
I usually did less than 50/week, but I initially bought a lot of bulk items. Rice and pasta are good staples as are dry beans instead of canned ones. If you want to save more money, frozen veggies can be good too. I usually cook a giant pot of soup or a casserole on Sundays and that usually lasts 8-10 meals!
 
tyrsa said:
A question is for the med students: in med school did you guys have enough time to cook?
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On weekends yes. Also some weekdays but not all, which is all the more reason to cook in bulk on weekends when you've got time. Some easy things to make are chili and lasagna. Lasagna can be less than $5/batch depending on how much cheese you use. Pasta + canned tomatoes is $3-4 and you can freeze it for weeks. Plus you just put a layer of noodles down, then some sauce, then some cheese (and meat if you want), then repeat. Then just stick it in an oven for 30 minutes or so and package it up afterwards.

Chili is the same Way, though it's usually a little more expensive if you use beef. I make a batch that costs around $10-12 and it lasts me about 2-3 months if I eat it 3-4 times/wk. Plus you just put everything in a big pot, let it cook for a few hours, and package it and you're done. So maybe 30 minutes of prep total.
 
Go out at the beginning of every month to an ATM and draw out $300. Put $250 into a groceries envelope and $50 into a restaurants envelope. Buy in bulk. Frozen veggies, chicken and ground beef, rices and potatoes. Obviously tweak the amount drawn out of ATM as needed, but that should set you up solid and keep you grounded in terms of eating out.

And yes, meal prep on sunday evenings so your food is ready to go.
 
So with meal prep I assume you freeze the food and then nuke it through the week? With meats in the fridge I only see that being able to go ~4 days for food safety.
 
I don't understand the logic of keeping a tight food budget. Unless you're already maxing loans and have to pay for a new house, new car, family of 5 & gambling debts, you should have plenty of money to eat whatever you want and enjoy doing it. There are thousands of things to stress about; IMO budgeting for food doesn't have to be & shouldn't be one of them.
 
typoncho said:
Go out at the beginning of every month to an ATM and draw out $300. Put $250 into a groceries envelope and $50 into a restaurants envelope. Buy in bulk. Frozen veggies, chicken and ground beef, rices and potatoes. Obviously tweak the amount drawn out of ATM as needed, but that should set you up solid and keep you grounded in terms of eating out.

And yes, meal prep on sunday evenings so your food is ready to go.
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i love the envelope system and would also suggest doing it! it will make you think twice about "just grabbing something quick from Wendys, etc" or buying that bag of M&Ms at the store that may only be a dollar but it adds up

pd1112 said:
I don't understand the logic of keeping a tight food budget. Unless you're already maxing loans and have to pay for a new house, new car, family of 5 & gambling debts, you should have plenty of money to eat whatever you want and enjoy doing it. There are thousands of things to stress about; IMO budgeting for food doesn't have to be & shouldn't be one of them.
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maybe because we don't want to buy groceries at ~6% interest and let that cost grow for 7-12 years before we starting paying significantly on them?? pretty good incentive to me. nobody is saying that they won't have the money to eat whatever they want, but there comes a point in life where living more responsibly now and managing your debt becomes a very good priority in your life and can help reduce a lot of stress later in life in the form of paying back massive loans.... a single $15 meal eating out can double or more over the course of 4 years of school and a 4 year residency. multiply that by going out a couple times per week, every week, every month, for 4 years or more and you've suddenly got a lot more debt to pay off when you could have just acted like a responsible adult and managed your debt in a more intelligent manner.
 
baxt1412 said:
maybe because we don't want to buy groceries at ~6% interest and let that cost grow for 7-12 years before we starting paying significantly on them?? pretty good incentive to me. nobody is saying that they won't have the money to eat whatever they want, but there comes a point in life where living more responsibly now and managing your debt becomes a very good priority in your life and can help reduce a lot of stress later in life in the form of paying back massive loans.... a single $15 meal eating out can double or more over the course of 4 years of school and a 4 year residency. multiply that by going out a couple times per week, every week, every month, for 4 years or more and you've suddenly got a lot more debt to pay off when you could have just acted like a responsible adult and managed your debt in a more intelligent manner.
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lmao you missed the point, but thank you all-knowing MS0 for educating me on loans, interest, algebra, acting like an adult, responsibility & intelligence.
 
pd1112 said:
lmao you missed the point, but thank you all-knowing MS0 for educating me on loans, interest, algebra, acting like an adult, responsibility & intelligence.
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No problem! Glad I could help! 😀
 
This thread doesn't reflect the reality of many medical professionals. Congratulations everyone for spending $300/month on food-- but I think this has to be an extremely low estimate. I know not everyone here is a miser.


1. Just going to Starbucks everyday costs about $60-100 per month or more. Luckily med students and residents don't need much coffee, right?
2. A beer tab on Saturday night usually costs at least $25-50 bucks. Unless you are brining your own flask, a night on the town is expensive.
3. Going out on a date is usually going to cost at least $40 to $75 if you go to a nice restaurant. Many of you guys have expensive partners that require fancy steak, wine, salmon, desserts, and other high-dollar items.
4. Going to McDonalds and Chipotle isn't cheap anymore. It is hard to eat at these places without racking up at least a $7 tab. Even my hospital cafeteria usually costs at least $7 bucks for lunch now.
5. Healthy foods, organic foods, and the like aren't too cheap. Nuts, free-range meats, and high quality dairy products are pretty expensive.
6. Inflation-- food prices are have gone way up in the past few years
7 Big eaters-- Some students are overweight and eat a ton of food. Being overweight is expensive.
 
FWIW I've been on foodstamps all throughout college and only receive $186 (used to be $200) a month. I've very rarely had to spend money out of pocket for groceries, so I can say wholeheartedly that eating on a budget is not difficult at all if you plan ahead. Also it's not like I'm eating poorly either. I buy a ton of turkey, rice, chicken, and frozen/canned veggies and fruits, with the occasional high-carb snack (granola bars, trail mix, etc) to sustain my bodybuilding goals. Granted, I hardly ever eat out (less than 1 time/mo on average) and do not drink at all, so I don't know if I'm in the minority or not.

However, if you are already going to be 200k in debt by the time you graduate then it's totally worth spending $200/mo rather than something like $500-600 as the post above me is suggesting. You can literally save $27k+ (400/mo extra spending * 12 months * 4 yrs, over the course of a 10 year repayment plan after graduating med school).


Buy your own coffee to bring to lectures (edit: buy the beans and brew it at home), don't go out drinking every weekend, save eating out for very special occasions, and shop smart for your groceries. That will save you a sizable down payment on a mortgage.
 
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BadgerBadger said:
FWIW I've been on foodstamps all throughout college and only receive $186 (used to be $200) a month. I've very rarely had to spend money out of pocket for groceries, so I can say wholeheartedly that eating on a budget is not difficult at all if you plan ahead. Also it's not like I'm eating poorly either. I buy a ton of turkey, rice, chicken, and frozen/canned veggies and fruits, with the occasional high-carb snack (granola bars, trail mix, etc) to sustain my bodybuilding goals. Granted, I hardly ever eat out (less than 1 time/mo on average) and do not drink at all, so I don't know if I'm in the minority or not.

However, if you are already going to be 200k in debt by the time you graduate then it's totally worth spending $200/mo rather than something like $500-600 as the post above me is suggesting. You can literally save $27k+ (400/mo extra spending * 12 months * 4 yrs, over the course of a 10 year repayment plan after graduating med school).


Buy your own coffee to bring to lectures (edit: buy the beans and brew it at home), don't go out drinking every weekend, save eating out for very special occasions, and shop smart for your groceries. That will save you a sizable down payment on a mortgage.
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Exactly... I don't get it lol
 
MatCauthon said:
This thread doesn't reflect the reality of many medical professionals. Congratulations everyone for spending $300/month on food-- but I think this has to be an extremely low estimate. I know not everyone here is a miser.


1. Just going to Starbucks everyday costs about $60-100 per month or more. Luckily med students and residents don't need much coffee, right?
2. A beer tab on Saturday night usually costs at least $25-50 bucks. Unless you are brining your own flask, a night on the town is expensive.
3. Going out on a date is usually going to cost at least $40 to $75 if you go to a nice restaurant. Many of you guys have expensive partners that require fancy steak, wine, salmon, desserts, and other high-dollar items.
4. Going to McDonalds and Chipotle isn't cheap anymore. It is hard to eat at these places without racking up at least a $7 tab. Even my hospital cafeteria usually costs at least $7 bucks for lunch now.
5. Healthy foods, organic foods, and the like aren't too cheap. Nuts, free-range meats, and high quality dairy products are pretty expensive.
6. Inflation-- food prices are have gone way up in the past few years
7 Big eaters-- Some students are overweight and eat a ton of food. Being overweight is expensive.
Click to expand...

1. I don't drink coffee, but you can get coffee pretty cheap. Even better, you can get a 100 pack of tea from Costco for $5 which should easily last a month. Even if you have to buy two, that's only $10/month. A lot cheaper than coffee.

2 + 3. I set aside $200/month for 'entertainment/others'. That goes towards buying new clothes/shoes, date nights, fast food, or whatever else that doesn't fit in my normal budget of groceries, rent, insurance, gas/transport, and utilities. Sometimes it's also a back-up if I go over in other fields. I go out about once a month and am able to easily keep my tab under $25. The other option is to just not drink when you go out or go places that aren't expensive. Also, if someone's partner "requires" fancy things and other expensive items, I would highly question the foundation of that relationship and that person's values in general, but that's just me.

4. Partially true. You can still get a meal off of various dollar menus for under $5, but it's still easier to just limit how often one eats there to once a week or less.

5. True, but you don't have to buy organic or free-range foods to eat healthy. Fruits and veggies aren't always cheap, but they are certainly affordable.

6. Prices may have gone up, but so has everything else. Can't really do anything about this one.

7. I'm sure this will come off the wrong way, but being overweight is not an excuse for overeating. I'm not overweight, but I'm basically a walking garbage disposal and I still manage to spend less than $200/month on food with $20 or $30 to spare in most months. Besides, I'd say being a healthy weight so you can be a role model for your patients and being on a budget are some pretty decent motivators to not eat as much.
 
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Stagg737 said:
1. I don't drink coffee, but you can get coffee pretty cheap. Even better, you can get a 100 pack of tea from Costco for $5 which should easily last a month. Even if you have to buy two, that's only $10/month. A lot cheaper than coffee.

2 + 3. I set aside $200/month for 'entertainment/others'. That goes towards buying new clothes/shoes, date nights, fast food, or whatever else that doesn't fit in my normal budget of groceries, rent, insurance, gas/transport, and utilities. Sometimes it's also a back-up if I go over in other fields. I go out about once a month and am able to easily keep my tab under $25. The other option is to just not drink when you go out or go places that aren't expensive. Also, if someone's partner "requires" fancy things and other expensive items, I would highly question the foundation of that relationship and that person's values in general, but that's just me.

4. Partially true. You can still get a meal off of various dollar menus for under $5, but it's still pretty easy to just limit how often one eats there to once a week or less.

5. True, but you don't have to buy organic or free-range foods to eat healthy. Fruits and veggies aren't always cheap, but they are certainly affordable.

6. Prices may have gone up, but so has everything else. Can't really do anything about this one.

7. I'm sure this will come off the wrong way, but being overweight is not an excuse for overeating. I'm not overweight, but I'm basically a walking garbage disposal and I still manage to spend less that $200/month on food with $20 or $30 to spare in most months. Besides, I'd say being a healthy weight so you can be a role model for your patients and being on a budget are some pretty decent motivators to not eat as much.
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Nah man, it's just easier to spend $600/mo on food because that's what real medical professionals spend, don't you know. The more you spend, the more professional you are. It's Fick's second law of money diffusion.
 
skiier54 said:
I get by on $100-150/month and I'm vegetarian, so it would actually be cheaper if I ate meat since soy products are expensive. My food consists primarily of tofu, soy burgers, peanut butter, pasta, oatmeal, milk, yogurt, cheese, pizzas, and protein shakes. I also don't snack. This goes without saying, but if you don't drink alcohol, your costs will be a lot lower.. My friends drop 50-100 each on beer per month.
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$100/month.... Are you a rabbit?
 
skiier54 said:
I'm completely serious and I don't steal food or eat out. I can post my receipts haha. I also live in a cheap city though so that helps. I'm a single guy and I eat around 2000-2500 calories a day (I'm 5'9, 138 lbs, ~10% bf). In June, I spent around $106 on food.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
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That's impressive. I dropped $143 at Safeway just yesterday. Albeit, I just moved into my new place, so a lot of it was condiments that will last a while.
 
I spend about 160 a month on groceries but I do eat out once a day. My eating out is pretty inexpensive. I usually get a salad at Whole Foods for lunch which is like $5 and honestly about as cheap as some of the meals I could prepare at home.
 
NWwildcat2013 said:
I spend about 160 a month on groceries but I do eat out once a day. My eating out is pretty inexpensive. I usually get a salad at Whole Foods for lunch which is like $5 and honestly about as cheap as some of the meals I could prepare at home.
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Well those $5 translate to at least another $150 a month for a total of $310 which is much more reasonable than $100 which still I cannot comprehend. I feel like every time i go to the grocery store its like $40 and i have to go to the grocery store like 3x per week. I am married so its more since there are two of us but seriously. Unreal.
 
skiier54 said:
With two people, unless you guys are both exceptionally cost conscious and have similar eating habits, spending can go up fast. I know if I were splitting food costs with my roommate, I'd probably be spending twice as much as what I am now because he buys the most expensive brands and lots of snack food.
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generic brand FTW
 
Hrdrock said:
I try and buy generic as much as possible, but then there is always that one great value product you buy that is complete garbage that just ruins it for everything else.
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haha i dont buy a lot of processed foods so i don't really have a complaint (rice is rice, instant potatoes are instant potatoes, etc). and i typically "spice up" everything i buy anyway so it brings on a new flavor regardless. i'm not sure there is anything that i *strictly* buy name brand only
 
i go to walmart usually and use the website www.pricematcherz.com because they do all the ad matching for me and put out a master list of the sales. not affiliated with them at all, but it's a huge time and money saver for people who don't have the time to hunt through all of the ads for the best deals

they may or may not be active in your area though
 
baxt1412 said:
haha i dont buy a lot of processed foods so i don't really have a complaint (rice is rice, instant potatoes are instant potatoes, etc). and i typically "spice up" everything i buy anyway so it brings on a new flavor regardless. i'm not sure there is anything that i *strictly* buy name brand only
Click to expand...

😱
 
baxt1412 said:
haha i dont buy a lot of processed foods so i don't really have a complaint (rice is rice, instant potatoes are instant potatoes, etc). and i typically "spice up" everything i buy anyway so it brings on a new flavor regardless. i'm not sure there is anything that i *strictly* buy name brand only
Click to expand...

rice: 10/10
rice with rice: 10/10
pretty much what I expected
Thank you for your suggestion.
 
skiier54 said:
With two people, unless you guys are both exceptionally cost conscious and have similar eating habits, spending can go up fast. I know if I were splitting food costs with my roommate, I'd probably be spending twice as much as what I am now because he buys the most expensive brands and lots of snack food.
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Probably spend 400-600 a month on groceries for the two of us. When I say i feel like i spend $40 every time its because i feel that is like the minimum. But a lot of times it can be more. Life isn't cheap. Hats off to you all that make do with much less in groceries.
 
For me the best way to cut expenses was to eliminate pop/tea. I was going through a gallon of iced tea daily or if I bought Mt. Dew a 6 pack every 2-3 days.
 
Edit: whoops tried and failed to quote @Wordead "Whatever miniscule amount of money you save is not worth eating pasta and ramen and whatever other garbage every day."

I agree. What you put in your body affects how you feel, how you function and how your brain works. I ate 90% clean (raw fruits, veg, yogurt, eggs, nuts mostly) for 2 months before studying for step and during and my goodness it made me a believer in the power of food as "medicine"

Processed food is actually what drives up grocery bills. Eggs, bananas, a head of broccoli, brown rice or quinoa, lentils, beans, lean proteins... these things are "cheap" comparably when you think of the nutrients and vitamins you get vs ramen/rice. My advice is to shop for a month, track your bills and make a budget based on that.

The first few trips are always more expensive because usually you have to buy those pesky things like olive oil, a few spices, nut butters, pantry items etc that last forever but drive up the bill at first. Good luck with school!
 
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