Is your monthly salary still not enough for food? Let's take a look at how these people keep their food expenses to a minimum.

Recently, the millennials on Reddit are competing in how fast they are burning money, and the topic is — whose grocery bills are more expensive than their mortgage.

There is a family of seven, and every two weeks, they spend 1000 dollars at Costco, averaging 200 dollars per person per month. A couple with a dog has a weekly salary of 200 dollars. There is also a fellow from Florida who only spends 80 dollars a month on food.

Why is the gap so big?

USDA official data: Average monthly food expenses for an average person are $250-550 per person. But it depends on how one eats—

• Frugal Type: Female $242/month, Male $303/month
• Moderate Consumption Type: Female 317 USD/month, Male 376 USD/month
• Carefree Spending Type: Female $405/month, Male $457/month

How do frugal people do it?

The guy who spent 80 bucks that month revealed the secret:

• Aldi supermarket + local vegetable market to find cheap deals
• Special price on chicken (drumsticks at 79 cents per pound) large quantities frozen
• Eating the same lunch every day (batch cooking)
• Use beans, eggs, and rice as the base
• It's a luxury to eat shrimp and fish only when friends come.

The method for a family of seven:

• 25 lb bag of rice as a staple food (one bag can last for several months)
• Costco monthly collective procurement (reduce errands frequency)
• Plan for spring planting + pickling (self-sufficiency)

Conclusion: If you want to save money, you have to hustle—bulk purchasing, cooking for yourself, and local sourcing. The most extreme is growing and pickling vegetables. But the premise is that you need to have time, space, and determination.