Eating on a budget

[Barney]

Granted it was in jumbo and in Puerto Madero but I just saw a couple spend 800 peso what wouldn't be more then 2 big shopping bags in my home country in Europe. With that kind of money you can feed a family of 4 for one week with good food, balanced died and mainly A-Brand products. The choice of products would also be tenfold.

With the kind of prices they are charged in supermarkets and I can't see how anybody can keep up the same lifestyle, in my opinion it must be atleast triple of what you spend in Europe or the US.

I know you can buy in bulk, most people live together and cook together and try to avoid supermarkets all together but I would really like to know how you can spend 25-30 peso a day(like is claimed here various times) with a balanced died and some luxury products.

 

[salgueiro]

I would really like to know how you can spend 25-30 peso a day(like is claimed here various times) with a balanced died and some luxury products.

It's a combination of cake and milanesas as in "Let them eat cake" and "milanesas para todo."

 

[CarverFan]

I bought one large bag of shopping at the chinese supermarket yesterday and it was $82. 4 years ago this would have cost $20. I don't ever shop at places like Jumbo anymore, and have cut down on expensive items like queso rallado and powdered milk. Would like to know how others are dealing with inflation!

 

[PhilipDT]

It's a combination of cake and milanesas as in "Let them eat cake" and "milanesas para todo."

I wish I could give a "super thanks" for this post

 

[PhilipDT]

I'm not sure what bags have to do with it, the volume of the purchases very very very loosely connected to the value of the contents. 12 pesos of paper towels fills the same amount of space as 1200 pesos of wine. 130 peso frozen lobster the same space as a 65 peso bife de chorizo or a 6 peso bag of pasta. For all you know the people you saw had tins of caviar in their bags.

 

[Ashley]

My shopping bill has almost doubled in the past year and I find myself justifying going out to eat more now because the money I save eating in is fairly minimal.
Unfortunately, the quality of a lot of food served in the more economical restaurants is also pretty abysmal so when we cook at home (80% of the time), it's to eat higher quality food than is available out (pizza is one, cake is another, ethnic food is another...). When we go out to eat, it's usually because we're too tired to cook something and anything quick a picada, or a nice chicken salad or something costs the same as a meal at Garbis or our local parilla.
I also don't think there is that much difference from supermarket to supermarket either. You really have to shop around to find a bargain. The only place I try to avoid (because it always disappoints produce-wise and always seems to cost more) is Carrefour.

 

[asadofan]

we eat meat once or twice a week, make home made empanadas ,torta,tarta,more or less all is home made after shopping to buy the ingredients.I,m sure even you guys can manage to do that?

 

[dani28]

Inflation aside (I got here 3 months ago so dont really know), I have found grocery items, like most items in Argentina, to be either ridiculously cheap when compared to US/Europe (I am talking about US-Chicago/NYC, Europe-Madrid/Barcelona, places where I have lived) or outrageous and insultingly expensive for some items, especially those that are imported or frozen. In the latter case, I simply DONT BUY THEM or find a cheaper national alternative.

Now, for a single bachelor, I rarely cook and eating out and take-away is still a lot cheaper than in the US/Europe counterparts, and I have been able to eat quite well on, realistically, about 100 pesos a day and upscale-nice for about twice that.
There are some very attractively priced menu's, some of which are also available for dinner, and take-away/delivery prices are a deal. Just take a look at Buenosairesdelivery.com's menus for example. As low as 18 pesos for an individual pizza? Chinese for around 30 pesos?
Also, for the occasional (about once a week) fine dining venture, I find fine dining here is still quite a bargain. Puerto Madero has some fine dining restaurants offering menus for as low as 50 pesos. You can't even get that price at the Olive Garden in the USA.

So yes, perhaps the prices are climbing and climbing overall, but eating here, eating well, for LESS, not cheap in some cases but definitely LESS, is still one of the great delightful pleasures in my opinion.

 

[nikad]

We are 3 adults and two pets and I spend 600 pesos weekly on groceries and around 150 pesos on delivery ( pizza, etc ) so I manage to spend 750 pesos weekly and that includes beef, pork, chicken, lots of fruits and veggies ( one member is vegan ), dairy products, chocolate, pet food, wine, sodas, etc. We also have all meals at home... I am not sure what you guys buy or cook (?) I mainly buy from supermarkets ( mix of LeShop, Coto and chinos ) and take advantage of their credit/debit card offers and promo days.

 

[CarverFan]

My god Nikad, can I come and live with you? I could be your mucama and bff!