I hate that I have to pay $2000 for a meal plan

fabrizio
Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:00:57 +0000

I can’t imagine $500/month being anything better than a gross underestimation, unless you really do eat only ramen.

Personally, I’d have trouble eating well for under $300/month. I could manage with less, but I’d be having a number of really lame meals.



I remember your post from a similar thread. Do you live in an area that has unusually expensive groceries? I found that shopping at Publix in Atlanta was not expensive at all; I never spent more than $240 a month ($60 a week), and I ate very well: fresh vegetables, meats, and fruits; eggs and dairy; and whole grains. What’s more, if I had a car and was able to drive to Chinatown, my vegetables would be even less expensive. (I eat a lot of vegetables, but of course it’s possible that the increased gas expense would offset the decreased vegetable expense.)

I’m now a grad student at another school in another state, but groceries are about the same here as they were in Atlanta. Like I said, unless you live in an area that has unusually expensive groceries, you either have a taste for premium products (nothing wrong with that) or you don’t check the in-store advertisements to see what’s on sale.