Are you buying the wine in a box? We rarely buy the 750ml bottles, way to expensive. The box of wine you can find sometimes for less than $6.

 

Only an observation but in going thru lots of forums on this site - Food, HD TV and Communications seem to be a very high priority with lots of folks - I would even say that FOOD might be first on the list. It seems some Rv's can't pass a restaurant :>) It seems that a lot of RV-ers eat out a lot - a lot- a lot. Don't misunderstand my comments as to each their own - what ever floats your boat. The reason I mention this is we have not started RV-ing yet and it is going to be very interesting to see if we end up going down the same road.

We are very light eaters, neither of us drink anything stronger than diet A&W Root Beer and at present may go out once or twice a month for lunch or breakfast - never dinner.

HD TV has no interest what so ever to either of us - we would rather read a good book on our PC's or update our blogs. My wife is an author so a lot of her time is spent writing. Email is important to us as our way of communication and my DW's way of keeping in contact with agents.

Communications - I do not own a cell phone - never have and never will - no one answers the damn things anyways. Our only concern is WiFi - we need to have "REASONABLE" access to WIFI in our coach, not at starbucks or some REC hall at an RV park. I'm working with 3G Matt and have asked him to recommend the equipment that will perhaps give this to us.

As I say what ever floats your boat - I'm very interested in seeing what changes in our habits might come about when we are F/T RV-ing starting April 2012.

RVPAINTER - It is really common to meet friends on the road for a meal out and as you might have noticed full-timers almost always mention the friends they have made on the road as a positive. Plus RV kitchens are more limited so people do go out to get the particular meals that would be difficult to fix or keep the special ingredients around. Then there is the temptation to try regional specialties like BBQ in the south, pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana, seafood on the coasts, etc. I will also say that I have encountered many a husband who doesn't cook say "we don't eat out" while the wife gives this look that says she wants to but doesn't like the arguments. BTW: I cook.

We just spent much of the summer with family and friends and ended up eating out often. Now we are heading across the country and are eating in most of the time, expecting to have lunch out maybe twice a week. We used to eat most lunches out, but that has changed. On our own we rarely go out to dinner or breakfast.

fraziers wrote:

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Having looked at Howard & Linda's expenses,  sample budgets and some others I found online, I've been shamed into reducing our grocery bills.   I already knew I spent too much, but I'm way out of line compared to other peoples budgets.  Ok, I spend too much on wine, but is that 'Food' or 'Entertainment'?  Gotta pay for it either way, but how I categorize it might make a difference.   So, lookes like I need to spend less on groceries, buy less expensive wine, and drink less of it 

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 Glad to see this topic discussed as Joan and I were talking the other night about our food budget compared to Howard & Linda's.  We're over their number by about $100/month and that doesn't include eating out!  We've broken paper products and other household supplies that are normally bought with groceries out of that budget category and we're still more than H&L.  Either we're not as sharp shoppers or we have totally different eating habits! Oh... and we rarely eat out - maybe once a month if that.

We're not yet fulltimers so it will be interesting to see what happens when that time comes with regards to food shopping.  Right now we take advantage of bogo bargains and Joan does a lot of coupon clipping.  We have 2 major grocery chains and a super Walmart within a few miles from home and it's not unusual to go to all of them to get what we want or where it's cheapest.  I know buying in bulk and having shopping options won't be as easy when we're living in the confines of the RV with a lack of storage space - especially refrigerated space.

Bill Joyce - I was merely wondering if OUR current mode of eating would change once we go full time. Right now in our S/B we spend $65 - $75 per week for food. As I say we are light eaters. Dinner for us some nights can be open face toasted english muffins with avacado.
For breakfast today I had coffee and a Trader Joe's Fig Breakfast Bar. For lunch yogurt and 2 sesame crackers. Not exactly Cracker Barrel or Denny's - but as they say in St. Martin --------

"Tis we own ting."

As I made sure to mention up front "Don't misunderstand my comments - to each their own."

Fraziers - We love to read and lots of times at night being a painter, I paint - my wife being a writer - she writes. TV has just never been a big source of entertainment in our 30 years of being together. but that's us. "Tis we own ting."

I mentioned to my DW that we would have to get a system for TV reception installed and she said WHY?

Bill - We are hoping nothing changes BUT I would suspect that in the beginning we will need to get over the "WOW WE ARE ON VACATION" mentality. That I'm sure will quickly pass - so you are right in what you say.
When I get above 160 it is too much weight for me - very uncomfortable - 155 is just right.

Here is another view no-one has mentioned.
My daughter has Celiac disease- no glutten period. No wheat, malt, barly or yeast..

So our monthly food bill runs 6-700 a month. We don't buy speciality glutten free products, we just shop around the glutten problem.
We have found that if you shop around the outside of the store, fresh produce, fruits, meats, and dairy it is more expensive. But its also more healthy because you elimante alot of preseratives that are in processed foods.

Our entertainment budget includes our wine and rum purchases.

All this is in our S&B

RVPAINTER wrote:

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 Dinner for us some nights can be open face toasted english muffins with avacado.  For breakfast today I had coffee and a Trader Joe's Fig Breakfast Bar. For lunch yogurt and 2 sesame crackers.

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 RVPAINTER, I'm with Bill Adams on this one - gad, I'd eat all of that in ONE meal and still be hungry!  We're continually trying to eat "healthy" but for us that means cutting out fatty fried foods, substituting fruits for sweet snacks and keeping portions under control.  It sounds like we're doomed to be a bit more spendy on the groceries since food and eating is an enjoyable part of our day, not just sustinance.  Like you said, "Tis we own ting."

If you are not full time yet then build your budget off of what you will have (income) at the time you start full timing. Then when you start full timing you will just need to make minor adjustments. Food as a category in a budget is just that, a category. Everyone's category will be different, build your category amount based on your needs. We have been full timing since April 2010 and have adjusted our food budget due to food price increases, and yes they have increased.

Bill - there are times of course that we splurge as last night I had 2 hot dogs with rolls and a no fat yogurt for desert. Having had a heart attack at 49, I eat vey low fat foods although Trader Joe's coffe ice cream is one of my down falls as are mochas - but I get 2% milk in those. When we go out to eat I get a buffalo burger or a chicken burrito. In 1960 while living in Alaska, I weighed in at 238 pounds - my waist size I won't even dare mention - not a pretty sight. In my defense I will say there was nothing else to do there but EAT!!! Having been both slim and FAT - I've settled on thin as I feel so much better and I try to maintain 155 even if that demands that I eat some ice cream or a piece of cheese cake :>)

Yes I did, it's funny how a heart attack at 49 can make one think about how food really is not a source of life - at least an over abundance of the wrong foods TOO OFTEN! I'm almost 72 now and LEAN IS MEAN - LESS IS MORE. Smoking and a very stressful job played a part in the heart attack as well as over eating so I stopped smoking and retired at 54!!! We now have a saying that we have lived by for quite a few years now

Keep it simple - make it easy.