food budget?

I am considering RNY and a random question jumped into my head this morning. -

Every time I diet, my food gets more expensive. I am eating less, but what I do eat costs more. What about the post-RNY lifestyle? I would imagine that the food budget will drop due to the small portions? 

Do you spend more or less on food post-op?   

My food budget (for a family of 3) has definitely decreased.  I am an avid cook and make most things from scratch -- and have always had very little food waste.  However, our spending has gone down appreciably, while the quality of our food has increased.  I do tend to buy the best quality meats that were really too spendy before.  My husband and son eat much more normal portions than I did pre-surgery -- and I never noticed how much I over-cooked until after surgery.  Now I cook correct portion sizes.

I will say that if I include the cost of my monthly supplements, it may be closer to being a wash?  

Also, our restaurant budget has dramatically changed.  Our usual bill for a family restaurant meal was around $50.  The other night we ate out and I paid 19 with a 6 tip!  So, there's that, too.

My grocery bill went up because of the quality of food I am buying and cooking from scratch.  More fresh organic produce.  Quality cut organic meat.  Fresh home cooked meals take more ingredients.  Rather than buying convenience foods.  Like a can of soup is cheaper than making your own soup.   

But I don't eat out any where as much as I used to.  I always bring a lunch to work now.  Where before I would go out to eat and sometimes stop for breakfast on the way into work (not anymore).  And I eat out maybe once or twice a week now.  So the expenses/savings just shifted.  Where I spend more on groceries, I save on eating out.  It pretty much evens out for me. 

I spend less on food in general. When we go out I always have leftovers. However like another poster had mentioned it probably evens out some with what I spend on supplements. Don't let that scare you though I could probably save money there too if I shopped sales like some do. 

I have my supplements ordered through my doctor/insurance company and it's only $25/month.  I was happy to learn I could do this!

The amount I spend at the grocery store is totally offset by the amount I save by not eating out as much.  Between the two of us, we could easily blow through $300-$400 a month on breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners eating out.  It was eye-opening to actually add it all up! 

Far, far less.  We used to eat/order out five nights a week.  Now I cook and actually prefer eating the foods I prepare.  Because my quantities are so limited, I don't need to buy much to feed just the two of us.  Even when we eat out there's always leftovers to take home. 

The vitamins - at least the ones I like - can be a little pricey, but the lowered food costs exponentially offset the amount I spend on them each month.  My bank account tells the tale too.  I rarely need to go to the bank because I don't need cash to pay for lunch everyday.  

Except for the cheese bill, which is high enough to fund a small island nation for a year, my food bills both at home or out have reduced considerably.

I spend A LOT less. I'm only 4 and a half months post-op, so my grocery bill will probably rise slightly over time, but the money I save on eating out is huge. Even if I do go out to eat, I usually order sides or split something with my bf, so our bill is way less. I also don't spend any money on alcohol anymore. It wasn't a lot I spent before, maybe a glass of wine with dinner, or a ****tail or two, but that is completely removed from my budget. As far as groceries, I like to shop sales and stock up on chicken and meat for the freezer when I find good deals. I don't waste money on stocking up on starchy side dishes or tons of snacks. No ice cream, cookies, goodies, chips, etc. either. I do spend more on deli meats, yogurts, and lots on cheese. The most expensive thing for me is protein. I buy the ready to drink ones for me, they are the only ones I can tolerate. I also buy A LOT of protein powder for my son; he supplements with them and has lost 51 pounds. He uses four scoops a day because his caloric and nutritional requirements are a lot higher than for me. Overall though, I definitely save money.

My food expense went way down, mostly due to buying less food, eating out less and also because of not buying alcohol.