Hmmm, I scanned all of the entries, and I THINK I have the record.
Married, no children.
Average for month on groceries: $650 (includes occasional items like garbage bags, laundry detergent, etc).
For restaurants (delivery or eating out): $750.
Our largest expense by far, after rent, is food. We live in manhattan. We are not able to cook as much as we would like, given our work schedules. On a typical evening we have 1.5 hours from the time we get home from work until the time our heads have to hit the pillow, and this does not leave much time for preparing food, cooking, and doing the dishes. Another contributing factor is that at work I have no option to store or to heat lunches, so if I want to eat, I have to buy lunch (I skip lunch about 3 times a week though, so this cost is not as bad as it could be, but it adds up). We do realize we could reduce this amount. As an experiment last year, we went three months on an "extreme" dining plan, which was to cook at home 6 days a week and/or get very cheap take-out such as a subway sandwiches. We were able to save about $300/month, which is substantial savings. However, the investment in time (grocery shopping, planning meals, cooking/dishes) and other minor annoyances (such as "having" to eat what you might not be in the mood to eat to because it will otherwise go bad, or turning down social opportunities because it involved eating out) was not worth the cost savings, in our opinion. So we chalk up to the costs to "quality of life", similar to how some view vacations. Maybe because we share a 500 sq. foot apartment, we'll take any opportunity to get out of the apt, and eating out is one of the ways to do that.
NS
P.S. As an aside, we have about the same income or more than the majority of our friends. However, we are continually turning down invitations to go out due to the high expense. I have no idea how our friends are able to go to some of these restaurants on a regular basis. One example, we accepted an invite to join a group at a place we had never been. We were out when the last minute invite came, and did not have time to look up the menus online. We were in the mood to go out anyway, so we accepted "sight unseen" but with the understanding that we would be prepared for a potentially big bill. At the restaurant, my wife and I each had an averaged priced entree with an average appetizer and two "average" drinks each. Total bill with tax and tip was a combined $220. On one meal. Yes, this was the "cutest little place", and yes, the appetizers and drinks are entirely optional. But the general point which baffles me is how much our friends go out to places like this on a REGULAR basis. And, of course, this meal was not "4 times better" than the $50 meal we get at our corner italian place with the red and white tablecloths and the ornery manager named Hugo.
If you have to ask "Is a Target Date fund right for me?", the answer is "Yes" (even in taxable accounts).