How much do you spend a year (living expenses)?

I would like to know how people only spend $100 per week on groceries, my soon to be teenage son would eat more than this by himself. Either people are underestimating what they spend, eating out a lot or eating cheap and not particularly well.
I don't keep tabs on our grocery spending at all. We have 3 kids - 13, 5, 3.

My wife and I take our lunches to work every day - I often take whatever is leftover from dinners. Kids have the very occasional lunch-order at school.

We never buy soft drinks or fruit juices. Occasional bottle of cordial. Fruit drinks are squeezed fresh fruit and fruit juice iceblocks.

I can tell you that we shop in this order though; Dandenong Market shop for meat, fish, poultry and fruit and veg every fortnight - total spend is usually around $100-$120. Freeze most of it into meal sized portions.

The rest of the shopping which can't be purchased at the market is at the local Aldi each week; probably about $80-$100.

Last-minute top-ups at the local IGA (closest to home than the other two places) for bread and milk etc if needed - approx $30 per week. We do splurge on good quality bread, and make our own Bodem coffees at home using bulk packet ground coffee.

Total per week for entire shop - around $190-$200.

Call it a blow-out at $250 per week all up...including compulsory wine supplies.
 
I would like to know how people only spend $100 per week on groceries, my soon to be teenage son would eat more than this by himself. Either people are underestimating what they spend, eating out a lot or eating cheap and not particularly well.

I do a fortnightly meal plan which is what I base my shopping on and bring leftovers from home to work. I find making bigger batches of meals and freezing them is more economical than making a couple of servings at a time. This is also good for days when I don't really feel like cooking as I have something ready to go. I have worked it out and depending on the meal, it costs on average $1-3 per serving. Also, it's pretty difficult to eat "cheap but not well" as food that is processed/pre-made/frozen is more expensive (per unit/serving) in most instances.
 
Maybe I have forgotten whats its like buying for 2 people as opposed to a tribe, childrens sport and other activities would probably burn though another 10k easily before considering school fees. We used to budget carefully but now just pay down debt, invest and spend whats left, I think as our incomes and assets have risen we haven become as loose as a Labor government with a ever expanding balance sheet. :eek:

Growing teens tend to eat like a horse??

We more or less eat a lot of grains and not much red meat that's how we keep the budget down.

I guess it also helps mum has her own veggie patch.
 
We must be doing something wrong, and one wouldn't even say we're extravagant.

This is our breakdown PER WEEK (family of 5). Annually with misc costs that come up we're probably pushing $70K a year easy.

Food/groceries $550
Electricity/gas $33
Petrol $60
Kids sport/related costs $18
Lunch at work $20
Dinner out/takeaways $100
Phone $15
Mobile phone $20
School expenses $20
Gym $12
Internet $13
Transport $10
Car Repairs $30
Car insurances/Rego $40
Health Fund $60

No mortgage? well done!
 
Per year (2 adults)

Utilities $2,000
Various insurances $2,000
Rates: $1,600
Transport Fees to Work: $1,500
Fuel: $0
Car Costs: $0
Groceries: $5,000
Clothing: Depends, no real set amount
Mob Phones & Int: $1400
Medical & Dental costs: $5,000
Dining/entertainment (locally): ~$1,000?

I don't spend much on the last category with the view to save it and spend it on the same thing overseas instead :)

No mortgage? Well done!
 
2 Adults / 1 Child (4 year old)

Living expenses less debt repayments = $45,000 pa

Biggest expense is food, then childcare, then Utilities, then insurances.
 
We budget $25k for two adults and a dog. (We spend between $500-800 per month of groceries $800 is when we're topping up the wine cooler or the meat freezer). That would cover all costs and some holidays. Plus $10k pa rounded up for the mortgage (soon to be history). We have this covered by passive rental income YAY!! Salary from part time work goes to paying off investment debt and making more passive income. Double YAY
 
Two adults and a baby weekly expenses

$80 food
$106 rent
$20-30 utilities
$15 mobile phones and internet
$20 eating out and entertainment
$30 baby stuff
$30 transport
$30-40 misc (clothes etc)

plus $4000 or so annually holidays

So around $22,000 to $23,000 for a comfortable simple life style
 
Two adults and a baby weekly expenses

$80 food
$106 rent
$20-30 utilities
$15 mobile phones and internet
$20 eating out and entertainment
$30 baby stuff
$30 transport
$30-40 misc (clothes etc)

plus $4000 or so annually holidays

So around $22,000 to $23,000 for a comfortable simple life style

Very similar to mine! This isn't China you're living in are ya? LOL $20 for eating out and entertainment? Won't get you very far!
 
No probs....I would have thought rent/mortgage is a cost of living. Seems though others here arent including it as such..false economy imo.

I think the reason I left it out was because, apart from choosing where I live, the $ are fairly non-discretionary ie it is what it is.

But you can starve or eat bread and water to get your weekly living expenses down.
 
Another question - what is the % and/or dollar value remaining from your household income after housing and essential daily expenses? :p
 
Very similar to mine! This isn't China you're living in are ya? LOL $20 for eating out and entertainment? Won't get you very far!

In Auss, $20 would get you a couple of McDonalds value meals and not much else.

$22 here can get you lunch at a 5 star Shangrila hotel's buffet if you book tickets in advance.
 
IO repayments on a $600k something, are less than that.

Surely you could pay less rent?

For eg:

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-dee+why-415707427

No doubt not the preferred spot, but they're out there?

BV the only thing in this world we're not willing to negotiate on (materially speaking) is where we live, having moved about 4-5 times prior to landing our (rented) goldmine. Its a townhouse in the East (our preferred location) - has 3 beds, 3 baths and is underented to the tune of $150-180 pw compared to market rent.

Plus it would probably incur $10-14K pa in strata levies, maintenance, repairs and rates that we don't pay for - there are serious benefits in renting vs owning in the suburb we live in.

I'd be willing to forsake going out for dinner for 5 years straight as long as we could remain staying where we live - we love it that much.
 
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