How much do you spend on Food/Entertainment/Extras per Week?

[barkomatic]

I spend about $250 a week on food, entertainment, nights out, and little extras like books. Except for the food part, this category for me is all discretionary. This is my individual amount--I only spend this on myself.

What do you allocate for these items? I'm trying to stick to a budget, but not sure that $250 for all this is realistic. Then again, maybe there's someone out there who spends less.

 

[Abstract]

I don't really understand the last few sentences. Are you saying that your budget of $250 is prohibitively low, and yet you think there may actually be people at MR who spend even less than you do?

I spend FAR less than $250.

 

[barkomatic]

Sorry, I wasn't clear--but yes, I have a hard time keeping this amount under $250 and was just curious what other people spend in this category. Of course, I'm lumping things like bus tickets to Boston in this as well ($40 a pop) since I have a long distance relationship that I'm trying to keep going.

 

[Designer Dale]

I don't know if I should include food I cook for myself, so I won't. My "goof off" budget per week is under $50. That covers movies out and rentals for movies in. I do all my own cooking and I like it that way. $1000 per month would cover more than 1/2 of my complete expenses for a month. If you bank half of what you spend on yourself you will be in good shape when you are my age.

Dale

 

[barkomatic]

I don't know if I should include food I cook for myself, so I won't. My "goof off" budget per week is under $50. That covers movies out and rentals for movies in. I do all my own cooking and I like it that way. $1000 per month would cover more than 1/2 of my complete expenses for a month. If you bank half of what you spend on yourself you will be in good shape when you are my age.

Dale

I'm actually including food that I cook for myself in that $250 budget. It's goofy for me to lump that into the entertainment category perhaps but since I consider eating out "entertainment" I thought I shouldn't separate the two kinds of eating. lol

Do you socialize a lot with people? I like watching movies too but I'm not sure I could do that every night all week. It seems like the "socialization" part costs the most. Damn socialists! ha ha

 

[Designer Dale]

Sorry, I wasn't clear--but yes, I have a hard time keeping this amount under $250 and was just curious what other people spend in this category. Of course, I'm lumping things like bus tickets to Boston in this as well ($40 a pop) since I have a long distance relationship that I'm trying to keep going.

Running from NYC to Boston will definitely add to your expense total, as will going out with your girl. I was thinking you managed to spend all that on just yourself. I lived there for five years in the '70s. It is a great city, but not in the least bit cheap. Look at your expenses again and see how much you are spending on just yourself and what you spend visiting your girl. That will give you a better view of what you can trim and what is really important. After my divorce, I kept all my receipts for a month and sorted them into categories to see what I could trim. It really helped me plan my expenses. Don't trim the girl, that is important.

Dale

 

[Designer Dale]

I'm actually including food that I cook for myself in that $250 budget.

Do you socialize a lot with people? I like watching movies too but I'm not sure I could do that every night all week. It seems like the "socialization" part costs the most. Damn socialists! ha ha

My total food expenses for a week probably total around $50-75 per week. I'm 61 now and was married for 22 years, so no, I don't socialize much at all. I would really like to, but it just seems hard to organize for me. When I was in my 20s I went out dancing probably 3 nights a week and took my girls out to eat at least once a week. If I did all that now, it probably would cost me $250 per week.

Enjoy your youth. Keep the girl.

Dale

 

[barkomatic]

Running from NYC to Boston will definitely add to your expense total, as will going out with your girl. I was thinking you managed to spend all that on just yourself. I lived there for five years in the '70s. It is a great city, but not in the least bit cheap. Look at your expenses again and see how much you are spending on just yourself and what you spend visiting your girl. That will give you a better view of what you can trim and what is really important. After my divorce, I kept all my receipts for a month and sorted them into categories to see what I could trim. It really helped me plan my expenses. Don't trim the girl, that is important.

Dale

You are so right about Boston. I thought New York would be the most expensive city, but the prices in Boston make my head spin. The same sushi dinner in NY which costs $30 costs $75 in Boston. Go Yankees.

 

[theLimit]

I spend about $250 a week on food, entertainment, nights out, and little extras like books.

Wow! Per week? I assume food refers to non-essential eating out.

If I'm lucky, I might spend 1% of that. Usually less. Although, if I had the means, I could see spending that much as a family.

 

[JLatte]

I spend about $250 a week on food, entertainment, nights out, and little extras like books. Except for the food part, this category for me is all discretionary. This is my individual amount--I only spend this on myself.

What do you allocate for these items? I'm trying to stick to a budget, but not sure that $250 for all this is realistic. Then again, maybe there's someone out there who spends less.

I used to be incredibly frugal with my money, but lately I've been spending more. The past 3 or 4 months I've been spending about the same, last week was $279, week before that was ~$300. Not all of it is spending on myself though, sometimes I buy food or drinks for friends. I know the money goes mostly towards food, I stopped making myself lunch and eat out every day at work. After work I go to the pub by my house for happy hour and have 5-6 beers and dinner. I also tip well for some servers. At night I either end up going to another dive bar with a friend, or I see a movie, or go to a coffee shop. I used just stay at home and read or watch a movie, but sometimes it just gets really lonely and I'd rather pay to go out, even if I'm not in the company of others.

 

[barkomatic]

Wow! Per week? I assume food refers to non-essential eating out.

If I'm lucky, I might spend 1% of that. Usually less. Although, if I had the means, I could see spending that much as a family.

I cook about half my meals at home and half I eat out. My weakness is that I buy my lunch every day. I tried making some soup once in the microwave at work one day and it exploded. That was that. lol

I felt that $250 was excessive, and that's why I'm trying to compare what I spend with what other people do. Like JLatte, I go out with friends and spend money on drinks. Rounds are a killer.

My guess is that one the reasons for the difference is my stage in life. I'm not married, don't pay a mortgage and live in a different city than my family--so perhaps I rely more heavily on socializing with friends.