this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2025
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I don't know how people are getting by. Average household income in the US is like $121k/year. I would be in trouble if that was my household income and I don't know how people are affording groceries making $60.5k each.
I mean, many Americans live in medium to low cost of living areas. My state’s median income is below 6 figures, and even costs within the largest city are nowhere near what it costs in NYC or San Francisco.
Edit: a word
What's your budget? It really depends on what your rent is and I guess how much health insurance your employer covers.
they aren't spending $2000 on food each month. they are spend more like $200.
I mean, how much is banana? Like $10?
I buy organic ones for 35 cents each. you can get non organic ones for 25
Woosh
I mean, it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?
I want to see a budget of $200/month on food. I have a family of 4 and shopping at aldi on what I consider a reasonable budget (getting fresh fruits/veggies, chicken breasts, some frozen fruits/veggies, cereal, pasta, rice, eggs, and bread for a week is $100+ I am sure I could cut cost some but nothing we are spending on is crazy.
I'd like to see that too. It's probably terrible. My wife and I probably spend $600 every 5-6 weeks and it's just the two of us, no kids. And we bulk shop (Sam's Club) so it's cheaper. Back when we went to the supermarket it was like $500 every 2-3 weeks.
We both have health conditions, so we don't do takeout, do all our own cooking to account for our needs. Our bill is probably a bit higher do to that, but it mostly involves avoiding salt and sugar and eating healthy as possible.
I mean, if you don't have a choice, you make it stretch or you go hungry. There is a big difference between a poverty budget and something "average" though.
I just don't consider spending at the level we do to be particularly extravagant and it is still expensive now.
Same, we're not buying anything fancy. Bulk meats, some fresh fruit and vegetables, and we buy a lot of dry and powdered goods that keep (wheat gluten, pastas, beans, etc.). Milk, sour cream, eggs, butter, orange juice, some bread. We get some snacks here and there, but minimally and generally it's stuff that can be added to make meals anyway, like tortilla chips and the like, or dips that can be thinned to make convenient sauces.
We even make our own treats, like I make my own yogurt and peanut butter from starter and whole peanuts and cashews, and my wife makes homemade ice cream sometimes.
Stop buying processed things in boxes
What are you talking about? We mostly buy whole foods. I literally posted the kinds of things we're buying in a comment below.
Stop buying meat. Beans are cheaper, healthier, and don't destroy the climate
Great, you saved us ~$10/week.
I won't argue the climate benefits nor the moral or ethical implications of consuming animal products because frankly, those are justified. Strictly budget wise, beans vs chickin is marginal in percentage which is what the post was about.
Loads of people in this thread said "this is me" or "this isn't me" but no one else shared their itemized budget.
I'm talking about dry beans, not canned. The savings are not insignificant
My wife and I combined make less than 100k. We're fine, just bought a house. Wtf are all y'all spending money on?
You made your own problems in my opinion
I hear ya! I really don't know how we're 'getting by' (if you can call it that, lol,) either. You'd probably be surprised at what you can exist without when you straight-up just don't have any other choice or option but to go without it. (Healthcare, dental care, food beyond the bare minimum to stay alive, any entertainment or conveniences, etc.)
Notice I said "exist" and not "live," lol. You could say I'm 'alive,' but this ain't living! I'm just existing.