arib: (Default)
arib ([personal profile] arib) wrote2003-10-13 11:52 am

(no subject)

Anyone have any idea what a monthly food budget for a single parent with a three-year-old would be?

[identity profile] teddywolf.livejournal.com 2003-10-13 09:00 am (UTC)(link)
Depends a lot on where they shop, what they eat and how much they economize (not eating out for example). Assuming they get a fairly full variety of protein, starch and so on and don't get too much preprocessed food, likely $200-300. Also assuming all meals are eaten at home, an average of 90 meals a month, it works out to between $2.20 to $3.30 a meal assuming snacks are part of meals. That is per meal, not per person, but it's an average. Dinner is likely more expensive than breakfast, for example.

[identity profile] dandelion-diva.livejournal.com 2003-10-13 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
IME, this depends more on the parent than the kid. Sam's happy eating macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs, sandwiches, cereal and such for weeks on end. I tend to go a little insane if I have to eat the same thing for too long.

It also depends on where they live, but, if they buy a lot of things in bulk, don't shy away from generic brands and stay away from a lot of snack/instant foods, they could probably be well fed for less than seventy-five dollars a week. Especially if there's a good farmers market and/or food co-op around. (The co-ops are *great* for bulk things, as is Whole Foods, which really surprised me, 'cause they're definitely not known as a cheap store.)

Gessi who, ironically, has to go feed her three year old now. *Grin*