Reduce the grocery bill

Tips to save money in Japan, life better for less, etc.
shawnv
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by shawnv »

runmanTX wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 1:25 pm Thanks! Now I just have to find more kitchen space. :roll:
:lol: :lol: :lol: That's my problem! XD
captainspoke
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by captainspoke »

This is good for one cook, but not space enough for two:

https://imgur.com/lrdlWXA
Last edited by captainspoke on Wed Aug 25, 2021 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
fools_gold
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by fools_gold »

captainspoke wrote: Tue Aug 24, 2021 3:27 am This is good for one cook, but not space enough for two:
You have a real oven!
Gulliver
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by Gulliver »

pfdsa wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 6:40 am (usually spend around 23,000 yen per month for 2 people)
That’s already less than half as much as I spend. Way to bum me out man :o :lol:
buckbunny
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by buckbunny »

JimNasium wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:22 pm A third thing I’d recommend is getting an extra freezer to go along with the fridge.
Our requirement for a pantry spacious enough to accommodate a decently-sized freezer was met with hysterical laughter and incredulity by all the home builders we met :roll:

…but then again so was my claim that making holes in a house's walls was bad for insulation.
fools_gold
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by fools_gold »

I didn't think it was worth starting a new thread over, but our local supermarket is selling butter at 200 yen for a 200g pack. That's half the usual price. I think it may be related to the recent news about a milk glut. Anyway, if you like butter now might be a good time to stock up :)

+1 for the freezer too. We recently bought a small chest freezer and it's been great for keeping stuff from Costco and that end-of-the-day half-price meat from supermarkets.

Edit: looks like it was just my local supermarket. Oh well...
bryanc
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by bryanc »

have a son starting at uni in tokyo and was wondering how much is a reasonable amount to allocate for food a month.
has own kitchen facilities.. is 2man too low??
captainspoke
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by captainspoke »

bryanc wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:26 am have a son starting at uni in tokyo and was wondering how much is a reasonable amount to allocate for food a month.
has own kitchen facilities.. is 2man too low??
Many uni cafeterias have something they call a "one coin" meal. My school had a ¥100 breakfast that was basic, but very good (unfortunately staff and faculty had to pay more, ¥300). I'd sometimes go early to beat the traffic, do some prep, and eat there.

Lunches weren't bad (also two tier pricing, lower for students). One tactic, instead of taking your whole lunch, is to take a leftover main (eg, piece of fish) and get rice, soup, and maybe some tofu from the cafeteria.
pfdsa
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Re: Reduce the grocery bill

Post by pfdsa »

bryanc wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:26 am have a son starting at uni in tokyo and was wondering how much is a reasonable amount to allocate for food a month.
has own kitchen facilities.. is 2man too low??
Guess that different universities have different prices, but where I studied in Nagoya they had meals for less than 500 yen. Sometimes would grab a cheap beef bowl at Yoshinoya/Sukiya too. 20,000 yen should be enough for a mix of home-made meals and cafeteria meals. If you include snacks, drinks, coffee, etc, guess that you would need a budget of 30,000 yen in total.
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