If you’re American and your grocery bill is more than $200 a month for one person, this is for you

Every time I see a thread about grocery shopping, I am honestly shocked at how expensive it seems like a lot of people say groceries are and how high their bills are. <br><br>I’ll preface this by saying I’m 29, American, living in a small town in the Midwest, I’m single and I have a good but not great paying office job for my area. I have been trying to live more frugally and sustainably for a few years now but I am not a hyper frugal person. I also am not trying to starve myself or go for the bare minimum and I want to live a relatively comfortable lifestyle. <br><br>My grocery bills are less than $50 a month. Some of my favorite foods are Mac and cheese, hot dogs, and ramen. This is partly because I have no culinary skills but also because I am lazy and hate to waste food. <br><br>Here are some of the things I do that has helped me keep my grocery bills this price: <br><br>- **I meal prep** **I meal prep** **I meal prep:** I cook my food for the week at the beginning of every week. Most of my meals are pasta, rice, potatoes, and beans, because these are all very cheap and can be bought in large quantities. I don’t consider my meals healthy but it’s not like I’m eating a Big Mac and fries for dinner every night. I also take leftovers to work for lunch every day, and I always make extra food just in case. <br><br>- **I don’t have a sweet tooth:** I like dessert but I never crave it. I keep a bag of candy or chocolate chips in my desk at work but I never buy dessert when I’m shopping. Most of my food budget is for staples like rice, pasta, and tins of beans. We all have vices and if you have a sweet tooth, that’s okay, but for me it’s another way I save money. <br><br>- **I have a small kitchen so I don’t keep a ton of food stocked:** I have a tiny kitchen so it’s hard to keep a ton of food on hand but I like the freedom of being able to make whatever I want with the staples I keep on hand. I always have coffee and milk stocked but other than that, I usually make my weekends about going grocery shopping and prepping my meals. <br><br>- **I don’t buy meat:** I don’t have the budget for this and I am not a big fan of meat anyway. Beans are a great source of protein and there is so much you can do with them. <br><br>- **I don’t reuse leftovers more than three times, and I don’t keep leftovers for more than a week:** I always make sure I don’t have leftovers hanging out for too long. I take them to work for lunch, I never eat leftovers for dinner and breakfast, and I don’t freeze leftovers. I understand that this might not be realistic for some people but I feel it really helps me keep my grocery bills down. <br><br>- **I don’t snack:** I do have some snacks around the house, usually pretzels or chips or something, but I never snack while I’m cooking. I will drink water but I usually cook pretty quickly and I find that once I get in cooking mode, I’m good until I’m done. <br><br>- **I don’t buy anything pre-made:** This is partly because I am lazy and hate to waste food. Even making pasta sauce from canned tomatoes and onions is something that I do. If I am going to make myself pasta, I am going to make **everything** from scratch, including the sauce. <br><br>- **I don’t buy anything pre-cut:** I know some people love this but I think it’s ridiculous and pretentious. I don’t buy pre-cut carrots or fruit. I always chop everything myself. <br><br>- **I understand that fresh produce is not cheap but it’s not terrible:** I don’t have the budget to shop at Whole Foods but there is one grocery store in my town that has a pretty good produce section. They don’t have sales very often, but I can often get 2-3 apples for less than $5, 2-3 bell peppers or zucchinis or cucumbers for $3, and 2-3 big potatoes for $2. Fresh produce isn’t cheap but it’s not exorbitant either. <br><br>- **I don’t eat out much:** If I am going to buy food, I consider my groceries to be the best choice. Sometimes I’ll buy food out if I’m in a bind and I don’t have time to cook, but this is more because of laziness than anything. <br><br>- **I don’t like condiments:** I like to make my own condiments, but I’m also not a big fan of them. I only have two condiments in my fridge, and that’s ketchup and ranch. I like to add some of that to my food but I never overdo it. <br><br>- **I buy staples in bulk:** I don’t like to repeat myself, but this is just good advice. <br><br>- **I don’t use coupons:** I once worked in customer service for a grocery store chain, and I asked one of my coworkers if coupons were worth it. They said that coupons are often for expensive brands, and it’s not worth it. I have saved money once or twice with coupons but overall, I just don’t bother. <br><br>- **I always shop the sales:** If I want to make something with chicken, I will only buy chicken if it’s on sale. I will buy the chicken if it’s on sale and I’ll make a big batch of chicken noodle soup or chicken rice bowls and have those for lunch. I will eat a lot of soup that week and it’s not always my favorite, but I find it so satisfying. <br><br>- **I don’t have dietary restrictions:** I feel like this goes without saying but I don’t have any dietary restrictions. This doesn’t necessarily mean I am frugal, I just think it’s worth noting because I understand that can be very expensive. I also don’t drink a lot of alcohol and I never buy juice or soda. <br><br>Overall, I feel that the people who are complaining about their bills on this chamber are just flat out lying and not trying very hard.