<prompt> Human: Hi rpersonalfinance, So I have an app that I have been using since 2008 where I am able to meticulously follow my expenditures, and sort by types, etc. You hand input everything, but I like it because it becomes like a game of sorts where you are trying to minimize expenditures, etc. It has really helped me save a ton. Anyway, I have enough time, 4 years now, and I basically spend about 500-600 month on food. Food here means food I buy from restaurants, subway, whatever. It does not include groceries since I almost never buy them. Single dude here living in a bach pad.I am curious as to what everyone spends on food, including groceries etc. My plan for this year is to really learn how to cook because I believe that I can cut down this amount by a good chunk if I cook at home. So, how much do you spend on food? Do you think what I spend is a lot?  <response>: This is something Ive been actively experimenting with over the past year. Also single dude here living in a bach pad.What really woke me up was this story about a guy who was able to live on 11k per year Fully insured, and he ate very well. He lives in an RV. Not for me, but not the point here.His approach to food was fascinating. He thinks of it as an investment. Not only in the money he saves by cooking, but also in his health cooking your own is usually healthier, and I think as well in his quality of life cooking your own is like learningpracticing any other art form.Anyway my former, eat-out-a-bunch food budget was around your current one, 500-600mo, or around 20day. I resolved to compare this to the budget Id get from only cooking, never eating out. I wanted at least a solid month comparison so I could include the value of my time spent in a comparison. I dont have a dishwasher, so every cooking session also includes cleanup time. To maximize the health aspect of it, I also resolved to walk to and from the grocery stores and farmers markets.I found that I was able to very comfortably cut my food budget in half. A 10day budget per person is actually pretty generous. I experimented further with really stretching my dollar, and even 150mo is easily doable if a bit routine.A few tricks: the more frequent trips to the grocery stores because when youre walking, you can only buy what you carry, while in addition to adding a few miles of low-level cardio a week, also made me become much better a comparison shopper. Simply hitting the right stores for the right products can shave 100mo off your food bill, easily.Im not an imaginative cook either, so I just started out by trying to recreate the dishes I usually ordered out. For example, pay attention to the ingredients in your next Subway sub, then pick them up and make your own. Consider time and money: how about just buying bAlso, since youre on your own: use your freezer. This trick is huge. Cooking for one can really be a pain in the ass. So make double sized batches soup is very good for this, and freeze most of that shit for later. If youre short on ideas for dishes that freeze well, look at the prepackaged frozen meals, and make your own. The price differential will become evident, quickly. Compare pre-prepped food and see if the time saved is worth the price. Whats the difference between breading your own chicken for chicken parm, or just buying frozen breaded chicken and saving you a few step?Finally I really find that it helps to treat food prep and cooking as two different things. Its very handy to have bags of chopped peppers and chopped onions already to go for your breakfast burrito, or all of your main veggies for your soup already prepped and the mess cleaned.TL;DR: while your food budget isnt ridiculous, if you incorporated cooking into your lifestyle, you could probably save an extra few thousand dollars a year, be in better shape, and have an inexpensive way to completely impress your dates. 