A woman in Gurugram recently did something many people keep meaning to do but rarely get around to: she tracked exactly how much money she was spending on food.
The exercise lasted three months. When she added everything up, the final number genuinely surprised her. What followed was a lively discussion online, with people comparing food bills, sharing budgeting tips and debating whether convenience is really worth the cost.
Woman tracks food spending over three months
The woman shared her experience on Reddit's r/personalfinanceIndia community in a post titled "Tracked my food spending for 3 months. The results actually scared me."
She broke down her expenses month by month and the numbers added up quickly.
According to the post, she spent Rs 11,400 in the first month, Rs 13,200 in the second and Rs 10,800 in the third. By the end of the three-month period, her total food expenditure had reached Rs 35,400.
Most of that money, she explained, went towards food delivery apps such as Zomato and meals from restaurants located near her paying guest accommodation.
The amount itself was enough to grab attention. But it wasn't really the figure that seemed to bother her most.
The Reddit user admitted that despite regularly ordering food and spending a significant amount on meals, she rarely felt particularly satisfied afterwards. Instead, she described a familiar routine: food arriving at the door, a quick meal, and then hours spent scrolling through streaming platforms with a lingering feeling that something was missing.
She ended her post with a question for fellow users, asking whether they tracked their own food expenses and how they kept them under control.
Take a look at the post here:
The discussion quickly became about more than money
The responses revealed just how differently people think about food spending.
Some users looked at the numbers and shrugged.
A few said their own food and beverage bills were considerably higher, particularly when travel entered the picture. One commenter mentioned spending several lakhs a year on food and drinks and argued that such expenses should not automatically be viewed as wasteful.
For them, food is part of enjoying life. If it brings convenience, saves time or adds to the overall quality of everyday living, the expense can be justified.
Others took the opposite view.
These users suggested setting stricter budgets, planning meals in advance and cutting back on food delivery orders. Some recommended cooking at home more often, while others discussed habits such as intermittent fasting as a way to reduce both food consumption and spending.
Their argument was simple: small behavioural changes may not feel significant in the moment, but they can make a noticeable difference over time.
Then there were those who saw themselves in the post almost immediately.
Several users said their monthly food expenses also hovered between Rs 11,000 and Rs 14,000. Long working hours, exhausting commutes and a lack of energy to cook at the end of the day often made food delivery less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
Yet many felt the most interesting part of the discussion had little to do with budgeting.
A number of commenters pointed out that the real issue seemed to be the gap between spending and satisfaction. The concern was not just how much money was leaving her account, but the fact that frequent ordering did not appear to be making her happier.
That observation struck a chord with many readers. In cities where convenience is available at the tap of a screen, saving time has become easier than ever. Feeling fulfilled by the choices that save that time, however, is a different question altogether.
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