The Cost of Living in Klal Yisroel--Part 1

I think I could safely say that we all agree that it costs more, in dollars, to be frum than to be not frum.

According to the USDA, the following are the costs for feeding a family in the US, on average. I'm going to use the figures for a family of six--mother, father, and 4 children under eight.

Eating thriftily: $679.40 per month (you're staying alive but that is about it)

Low-cost eating: $816.10 per month

Moderate-cost eating: $1007.10 per month

Liberal cost eating: $1296.50 per month


The figures assume that ingredients for all meals are purchased in a store and then cooked at home. No restaurant or fast food items are included. No ready made purchased snack items are included. Soft drinks are not included. Nor do the figures included special occasion meals and holiday meals. And they sure do not include feeding company. Also not included are the numerous items that get purchased in grocery stores and supermarkets that are non-food items: paper goods, plastic bags, garbage bags, laundry detergent, cleaners, over the counter medications, foil pans etc.

I'm going to put the general run of the mill member of Klal into the liberal cost eating category. Judging by the type of foods that jump off the shelves in butcher shops and kosher grocery stores I believe I am justified. And I am also going to say that frum families spend more then the $1296.50 per month on food.

The same USDA site where I got the spending figures also had an article that stated that "chuck roast is expensive this month at $1.69 a pound. Chicken remains steady at .89 cents per pound for whole roasters." I'm not all that young and I can't remember when kosher chuck roast was $1.69 a pound, nor do I remember when last I could pay .89 for a pound of whole chicken. The USDA figures are not based on buying kosher products, which cost more than non-kosher products. At a minimum I would say that being kosher adds another $200 to $300 a month to the bill.

New York abounds with kosher restaurants and "fast food joints," and I have never seen one stay empty. Average cost of a meal for the family above in one of these restaurants is $50 plus. If this family eats out only once a month, that adds $600 plus to the yearly total. And let's be conservative and add in company only once a month--that adds another $1000 to the total for the year. And please note that hand shmura matza and wine and liquor are not included in this total. Neither is candy and nuts and other packaged snacks and neither is soda. Neither is buying ready made meals from a take out store. Let's add in another $1500 to $2000 to the yearly total.

Our grand total is approximately $22,500.00 And that is with little children. If your children are in their teens the amount spent on them is one and a half times as much as for a young child.

Now, a smart, experienced balabusta who is a savvy shopper and who watches out for sales and is willing and able to take the time to shop at from 3 to 6 different stores can cut this figure down. She might be able to get the figure to cover the non-food items that we also buy in the grocery store. But she is not going to get the figure down to below about $17,000. And no, I haven't figured in WIC checks and food stamps--please don't open that can of worms with me.

Stare at that figure for a few moments. Ask yourself, "How much do I have to earn to cover $17,000 to $22,500 in food expenses?" And if you are a parent supporting a kolel couple, ask yourself where you are getting the money from. And if you are supporting more than one young couple, where are you going to get the money from? Everyone talks about supporting young couples for an average of five years. What they don't seem to know is what that will actually cost. And neither do the young couples.

It is easy enough to talk about support in a general way when you don't have the figures in front of you. When the figures are staring you in the face, the reality is different. And please keep in mind that food and some non-food items are only a part of what a couple needs to live. Maybe if more people looked at the numbers rather than the theory, decision making about finances would make some sense. And so would the whole issue of supporting young kolel couples for some undetermined amount of time.

Note: One parent to whom I mentioned these figures said to me: "So the kids won't eat out and buy ready made, no candy and soda and snacks, which aren't good for you anyway, and they won't be able to afford company. They'll use a pot instead of foil pans. They can make it on less." He's dreaming. And his dream is going to turn into a nightmare very fast.

And keep in mind that food is only ONE of the items that costs frum consumers more. Is support getting out of hand? Let's hear from you.