No idea how much spent on Food

We have a strict food and household stuff (cleaning, laundry, loo roll etc) weekly budget limit of £180 per week, family of 4.

we do one main online supermarket shop, so we can see exactly what we’re spending and it lets you see clearly how much certain prices are going up for things and how much cheaper supermarket own brand products are etc.

plus we do a veg box delivery, so again it’s all easy to track the spending here.
then we might do one or two small top up shops during the week.

takeaways are an irregular treat and meals out just a few times per year.

but if we didn’t budget strictly and track all of our spending, then we wouldn’t have cash in the bank and we wouldn’t be going on nice holidays abroad every summer…

I buy nice quality food, chocolate, if there's deals great but no I don't hunt them down. I just budget what I think is reasonable to feed us per week, and generally stay within that. If I was flippantly spending daily and not checking the price it wouldn't make financial sense to me, and I would probably be spending double what I do now just for the sake of it.

If you want to make changes you are going to have to start doing what I already suggested above:
Get receipts, study receipts, work out if you can make changes, make changes, hopefully save money.
It might be overwhelming if you're not used to it so start small - commiting to getting receipts is the initial step. Maybe also having a long term goal for the saved money would motivate you too. Forgive yourself for blips if you're moving overall in the right direction. Can your partner get on board too?

You wanted people to tell you if going to the shops less frequently would save you money? That's common sense surely?

I'm no longer sure why you posted @Aquarius1234?
Was it essentially to find folk with exactly the same approach as you?

Nope not like you. I have a rough budget and stick to it. Dh was like you and did lots of little shops. When I worked out how much he was spending he was shocked. From then on we talk about the next weeks meals with the kids and I write the list, he then does the online shop. Online its easy to see the total and he then decides if something is necessary or not. we are a family of 5.

Live your life however you want.

What on earth are buying if you are really spending £700 on 2 adults and 3 dogs.

I spend roughly £750 a month on food/household a month for 3 adults, 16 and 15 year old. And we eat a wide variety of foods. This probably about 95% of all food, we may have a takeaway once a month and eldest child may buy a lunch if at Uni or work depending on timings.

Just bloody add it up please OP. Put us all out of our misery!

If you looked after your spend and kept an eye on it you'd probably be able to do way more things than you currently do. I budget our shopping spend, I dont need to I could be tap happy and not check the bill, but then my lifestyle wouldn't be how it is if I was wasting money buying things we don't need just because I don't want to keep things in check. We are about to leave for the holiday a lifetime, amongst a few other holidays we've had this year. I wouldn't be able to do these things if I wasn't keeping an eye and trying to stay within allowances.

You clearly do have lots of money in the bank though if you're able to spend so liberally on a near daily basis and not take note of how much you're spending. The alternative is you're in mountains of debt and have no idea?

In that case, carry on as you are. Simple. No need to obsess and "be tight" by figuring out what you spend on food.

I generally dont meal plan and dont have a budget. I dont pay attention on much I spend per shop or per week but we use an app for our spendings and I can ckeck later, most months we end up spending similar amount on food between £700 and £900 for 4 of us.

However I do check my recepit after paying because it happened a few times that I was charged wrong prices or didnt get the sale prices etc.

I always check the amount on the card machine, at both serviced and self serve tills. It's far too easy for mistakes to happen and overcharging.

I do know what we spend as an average. We are not on a tight budget, but I still like to know where money is going to make sure nothing is missing.

Our big shop weekly delivery is normally between £180-£200, and a mid week fresh top up of around £30-£40. That covers 4 adults and a teen, with a meal out once a week.

Constant little trips are definitely a problem. The amounts may seem small each time but add up quickly.

Get your iron levels checked again perhaps (I crave red meat due to low iron sometimes).
Eggs are a good source of protein - fritatta is great for filling you up. Have with a salad heavy on spinach. That might feed some of the cravings.
There's maybe something else emotional/psychological going on with how often you shop/admitting the reality of the costs.

Surely just check your online banking, and add it up for a week/month? We spend about £350 a month for 2 adults, and eat very healthily. I never throw anything away, plan all meals, ignore use by dates.

You're getting unreasonably slated here op people saying you're either lying or rich 😂 I only earn 1000 a month and I didn't know my monthly food spend till I added it up either

Is it meat or protein you're actually craving? Is it red meat specifically? Are you low in iron?

Online banking app???

They notify you when you tap your card acknowledging the spend.

It would take you 2 minutes to check your banking app and work out how much you spend in a supermarket a month/week. Quicker than writing this thread.

If you haven't got an online banking app, then I suggest you get one.