Groceries: $550
Restaurants/Eating out: $150
Gas: $500
I feel your pain. There seems to be so much more to blow your money on out here than there seemed to be in IL. The mindset out here is also very 'keeping up with the Joneses'...
We do a detailed monthly budget each month, planning a spot for each dollar, with the income amount for the month being the money earner the previous month. Also, the categories which have multiple purchases a month are pulled out in cash at the beginning of the month and put into an envelope system. For example, our grocery, restaurant, entertainment, etc. categories are cash in an envelope (but not gas). The reoccurring, mostly 1 time payments are just tracked from our checking account. We also accrue amounts each month for annual, or 6 month payments like insurance and registration.
It's been great and we've trimmed down our spending a ton on stupid stuff. No more paycheck to paycheck living and it makes spending guiltless if it's in the budget. We've been doing it for about a year and a half now and are big proponents for budgets.