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The piece evaluates trade-offs between cooking and eating out, then lays out practical budgeting and meal-planning steps, including saving goals, tracking spending, categorizing essentials and discretionary items, and monitoring progress.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/stretching-your-food-dollar-costs-over-time-budgeting-and-planning/403612/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/stretching-your-food-dollar-costs-over-time-budgeting-and-planning/403612.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Connor ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-09-27",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":33},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How do food costs compare between eating at home and eating away from home?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"The document uses BLS data to show that “food at home” and “food away from home” each have different average costs. It also notes that restaurants’ overhead can increase the price you pay when eating away from home.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What percentage of income goes to food according to the 2018 averages in the document?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"Using the provided averages for food and national salary, the document states that an average earner spending like an average American would have spent nearly 27% of income on diet alone in 2018.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What are the core steps of the budgeting process described?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"The document outlines five steps: set realistic savings goals, track current spending, categorize essential versus discretionary spending, list income and subtract average spending to check sustainability, then set goals, monitor, and adjust as needed.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},403612,1792179698,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":106,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":33,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":110,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":117,"preview_page_count":4},687207022233,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Stretching Your Food Dollar  \nGood management of food spending and food waste can make our other needs more palatable.  \nCosts Over Time:  \nAs it is with most commodities, the cost of food in America has varied throughout our history. Progressing changes in factors like farming, supply chain infrastructure, tax policies, and good, old-fashioned supply and demand all have played a part in our varying costs over time. It’s also important to consider that while the cost of food seems to only increase through the years, the same dynamic is mostly true for our other necessities such as housing, clothing, etc. Despite how unpredictable and uncontrollable this type of economic inflation can seem, there are things we can do to make sure our costs of living are under control.  \nAmericans On Average  \nWhile our different lifestyles lead us to different experiences with money and budgeting, it can be helpful to compare our performance to the average American. Seeing statistics of the average person can give us a helpful benchmark for comparison in many contexts. Note these statistics reported from government agencies:  \n• Average spent on “food at home” in 2018  \n– $4,464 per adult  \n– US Bureau of Labor Statistics  \n• Average spent on “food away from home” in 2018  \n– $3,459 per adult  \n– US Bureau of Labor Statistics  \n• Average national salary in 2018  \n– $29,456 per worker  \n– 2018 US Census  \nAverage Food Costs From Average Income  \nFood Away From Home – 12% appx  \nFood At Home – 15% appx  \nRemaining Income – 73% appx  \nBy these numbers in 2018, someone who earned an average salary and spent money on food like an average American would have spent nearly 27% of their income on their personal diet alone. While that percentage may seem larger to some than others, it can certainly be seen as a concerning stat for all of us when thinking about the family dynamics of income and how food costs fluctuate in time.  \nIn 1913, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDL) was formed and later tasked it’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) with tracking/reporting certain economic data– including consumer food cost statistics. In January of that year, the average national cost of a pound of potatoes was $0.016. Fast-forward to November 2020, the average cost of a pound of potatoes was $0.756. What will the cost of potatoes be next year? How much will they cost in the year after you retire?  \nAt Home VS. Away From Home  \nWhat might be obvious, BLS data largely confirms that the average costs for food we cook/prepare ourselves (“food at home”) are more affordable than the price we pay for the food we get “away from home”. It’s not hard to realize and experience this especially when considering the many overhead costs that restaurants account for when marking-up food prices for profit. While our bills are likely to back the data, remember that there is some caveat to the rule.  \nJust as some restaurants offer more value than others, some food at home habits can be harmful to our bottom line. The money we mean to save by cooking meals can be lost in many forms such as food waste and expensive ingredients. Taking an honest review of how we plan our overall food expenses and how we perform can show us where the real improvement can be made. Consider the tips here!  \nBudgeting and Planning  \nEspecially for those new to formal budgeting, designing amore structured food plan or food budget can be a big help in curbing inefficiency. Our emphasis in planning isn’t necessarily that we should always cook and never enjoy a professionally cooked meal. The real objective of our food planning should be the same as our overall budget: to achieve the best balance possible so that our income is prioritized to our life goals more properly. A new approach to how/where we eat, which stores we buy ingredients from, and how we plan out our dollars can all help make it easier to feed the goals we have.  \nThe Act/Art Of Budgeting  \nReal budgeting pays many rewards to the budgeter. Maintai","cbCaiqTWKpmJ6H84","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqTWKpmJ6H84","pdf",1113367,"English","# Costs Over Time\n# Americans On Average\n# Average Food Costs From Average Income\n# In 1913 to 2020: Potato Price Trends\n# At Home VS. Away From Home\n# Budgeting and Planning\n# The Act/Art Of Budgeting\n## Outline Your Savings Goals\n## Track Your Current Spending\n## Categorize Your Spending And Saving\n## List Income, Subtract Average Spending\n## Set Goals, Monitor, Adjust\n# Menu/Meal Planning","[{\"question\":\"How do food costs compare between eating at home and eating away from home?\",\"answer\":\"The document uses BLS data to show that “food at home” and “food away from home” each have different average costs. It also notes that restaurants’ overhead can increase the price you pay when eating away from home.\"},{\"question\":\"What percentage of income goes to food according to the 2018 averages in the document?\",\"answer\":\"Using the provided averages for food and national salary, the document states that an average earner spending like an average American would have spent nearly 27% of income on diet alone in 2018.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the core steps of the budgeting process described?\",\"answer\":\"The document outlines five steps: set realistic savings goals, track current spending, categorize essential versus discretionary spending, list income and subtract average spending to check sustainability, then set goals, monitor, and adjust as needed.\"}]","Stretching Your Food Dollar - Costs Over Time - Budgeting and Planning | PDF",1790541909]