It’s rough out there for singles, and not just because of the chaos of dating apps and the whole “will they, won’t they” drama that comes with it. Romance aside, it’s incredibly expensive to be single, especially at the grocery store.
How do we, the single people of America, fight back against the rising cost of everything — but especially groceries that we absolutely are not eating more of than anyone else? Read on and I’ll explain how much we’re paying in premiums and ways to cut that figure down.
What does it cost to be a single grocery shopper?
According to MIT’s living wage calculator, groceries are killer expenses for singles, with singles in most states spending an extra 9% just for existing as a household of one. I took a not-terribly-random approach at analyzing the data and here’s what I found:
| Cost of living affordability rank | State | Groceries for 1 adult | Groceries for 2 adults | % Premium per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $3,827.00 | $7,016.00 | 9.09% |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $4,242.00 | $7,778.00 | 9.08% |
| 51 | California | $4,508.00 | $8,264.00 | 9.10% |
| 52 | Hawaii | $5,530.00 | $10,138.00 | 9.09% |
Data source: MIT Living Wage Calculator. Calculations by author.
I chose these states as my sample points for various reasons. West Virginia, because it was the cheapest for cost of living (COL), Wisconsin because it was in the middle of the COL pack, California because it had the highest cost of living in the contiguous U.S., and Hawaii because it had the highest overall cost of living.
It’s not just MIT, though. Estimated food plans from the USDA, based on healthy diets and what it costs to achieve them, puts the cost of food for a single person at 20% more than that of each of the individuals in a family of four.
Avoiding the singles tax as a grocery shopper
Don’t worry, I have some practical tips for helping you save more while you’re at the market. Here we go.
1. Get a Sam’s Club or Costco membership
Look, I know you probably don’t need 800 rolls of toilet paper today, but you know what? That stuff doesn’t go bad. Invest in ways to store your bulk and a system to rotate your inventory, just like the store does, and over time, this one will pay for itself. Luckily, you can even buy freezers and shelving at Costco, so it’s all right there and handy.
You can also go in on these bulk buys with your friends, if you all use the same brand of paper towels or want to get 20 pounds of cheap brown basmati rice. You get the price discount of bulk without having to store all of it, since you’ll split that savings two, three, or four ways.
While you’re there, give cash back apps like Ibotta a try. They cost you nothing and give you money back for things you were going to buy anyway at Costco — it can be a double-whammy savings party.
2. Try once-a-month cooking
This fad was hot for like a half a second, but it’s been a huge time and money saver for me over the years. Once-a-month cooking is basically all about cooking in bulk and freezing meals individually. I don’t do it quite the same way — instead I cook bulk grains, beans, and other staples and store those in my freezer, pulling them out when needed and adding a few fresh mix-ins to make it nice.
I might bulk cook several pounds of garbanzo beans. When I transfer a container to the refrigerator to thaw, I’ll cut up part of a cucumber and a small tomato, add some canned olives and feta cheese, plus some herbs, and serve with a pita. It’s cheaper than relying on cans, and it saves me a lot of time.
You will need additional tools for this plan, like appropriate freezer containers (and an Instant Pot won’t hurt), but it’s an investment that pays for itself over time.
3. Plan your meals carefully
If you want to save money without buying any new tools or storage, you can optimize your grocery shopping with careful planning.
For example, I get an itch to make something with carrots about once a year, and then I always go overboard and end up with a lot more carrots than I can use. Instead of simply tossing those carrots or donating them to the neighborhood wildlife, I could plan several carrot dishes that week that will use them all up — if I were a more careful planner, which I clearly am not. Choose foods that work together if you want to cook more often than once in a blue moon, and make sure you’ll use the entire container to maximize your value.
American households waste about $1,866 worth of food per year, so careful planning alone could net you substantial savings.
Avoiding the singles grocery tax and living your best single life
There are so many expenses that we get taxed for as single people that it’s amazing we’re ever able to budget extra money for savings — or anything, really. The world is an expensive place, but we still have to live here, so finding cheaper ways to cover everyday costs like groceries is key.
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