Then I read on. $752/month groceries for FOUR people? $72/month for housekeeping supplies? Good lord. Any frugal minded person, anywhere, can do far better than that!

The regional statistics were far more meaningful though. (Generous where we live; not really enough for where we used to live – but much more reasonable).

The food stamp thing is interesting. I try to keep an open mind because someone on food stamps probably does not have the times, skills or tools for home cooked meals. But it really should be a part of the program (learning the skills; finding the time). The “thrifty food plan”, just a national average, was $600/month for a family of 4. In comparison, we eat pretty darn well on $450/month, in an expensive zip code. I wouldn’t describe our food menu as particularly thrifty, really.

Anyway, kind of interesting.

BTW, I didn’t even really look at the transportation standards because we have always been well below – driving used cars. But I totally understand the expensive LA transit. I used to live and work right by light rail – for about 2 years (California). It was far cheaper to DRIVE. The transit is expensive here and not terribly useful.