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Original poster

To spend £30 a month on ALL food and drink?

409 replies

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:38

I’m single and live alone. I want to set myself a good budget and admit I’ve overspent /been wasteful in the past.

As a single adult female living alone - is £30 per month on food doable do you think ? Includes eating out etc

OP posts:
Uricon2 · 01/12/2024 13:24

Uni friend of mine back in the 80s lived on £1 a day for food and it was a struggle, even though it was worth about £4 in todays money so much more doable.

Don't like people playing at poverty, there is enough of the real sort around.

AmusedMaker · 01/12/2024 13:24

£30 a week would be hard enough.

NewDaye · 01/12/2024 13:24

It’s possibly doable per week

per month would be a struggle. But then again I swear Tesco sell loaves of bread for like 30p, that could last a week or 2, so get a few of them. You could probably get other cheap things like rice, pasta, noodles. So you physically could eat with £30 per month.

the struggle would be getting in the right nutrition. Fruit and veg costs can stack up as best before dates can be short. You’d also likely need to have a vegetarian diet to keep costs down.

things like alcohol, snacks, toiletries and household cleaning items are likely unattainable in that budget

OatFlatWhiteForMePlease · 01/12/2024 13:23

@Jumell are you ever planning to tell us what your daily food intake has been?

fivebyfivebuffy · 01/12/2024 13:22

eRobin · 01/12/2024 12:59

if it’s just you then budget £65 a week for food. you will then separately need to account for cleaning products, laundry, and toiletries. And then a seperate budget for eating out, which may cost you £15-30 a time

Edited

I do £240pm so £60pw including cleaning products and some toiletries

Laundry stuff I buy separately as it's cheaper in bulk

Orangesunset8 · 01/12/2024 13:22

This must be a joke

BodyKeepingScore · 01/12/2024 13:22

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:53

Thanks for all your viewpoints. I appreciate them.

This has been my REAL situation :

on Tuesday 12 November I decided to do a money saving challenge.

since that date - so 19 days admittedly not a month - I’ve spent a total of

£29.83 on food.

slight caveats or ‘cheats’ -

I’ve spent £5 worth of Nectar points on food/drink - so ok - make the above figure £34.83 - in reality.

before starting this I had a few teabags and half a jar of instant coffee in - nothing else

havd had free Gregg’s donut and small gift box of chocs - very small box

And what have your meals looked like since that date? Fresh fruit? Veg? Enough protein?

Nolongera · 01/12/2024 13:22

If you were happy to eat the cheapest noodles as a sandwich in the cheapest bread, possibly.

Even a couple of things from Greggs would wreck your budget.

ThatAgileLimeCat · 01/12/2024 13:22

I really hope you aren't doing this just to write an article in daily mail/telegraph about how poor people should stop moaning, as it's perfectly possible to eat well on £30 a month.

Littlemissgobby · 01/12/2024 13:21

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:38

I’m single and live alone. I want to set myself a good budget and admit I’ve overspent /been wasteful in the past.

As a single adult female living alone - is £30 per month on food doable do you think ? Includes eating out etc

Christ no I spend 70 a week on food and drinj that's just me so no 30 a month is not doable

needhelpwiththisplease · 01/12/2024 13:21

@Jumell playing at being poor and starting a thread about it, is the height of bad taste.
If you need to brag about it, to appreciate it!
Then you really need to have a think about
" why you need to play at being poor "
To appreciate things!
It's a fucking batshit mindset

x2boys · 01/12/2024 13:21

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:40

E.g pizza slices from Greggs etc .. that’s the limit of my ‘eating out ‘ 😆

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Even the pound bakery is more than a pound these days ,how many times a day are you planning on eating ?

mynameiscalypso · 01/12/2024 13:20

Maybe you could give all the money you've saved to a food bank?

BodyKeepingScore · 01/12/2024 13:20

I don't think this would be manageable at all. Certainly not if you actually prioritised nutritionally balanced meals to ensure you were getting everything you needed.

£30 a week - yes
£30 a month - not a chance unless you relied heavily on others subsidising your meals/cooking for you

LivinInYourBigGlassHouseWithAView · 01/12/2024 13:20

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:40

E.g pizza slices from Greggs etc .. that’s the limit of my ‘eating out ‘ 😆

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A pizza slice from Greggs is about £2.50 ...

NerdWhoEatsMedlar · 01/12/2024 13:19

Surely a more useful exercise to do would be something along the lines of " Can I eat a healthy diet for £20 a week" including your 5-a-day plus enough protein, fat and fibre.

Do you have a history of disordered eating?

hazelnutvanillalatte · 01/12/2024 13:19

Sofaroller · 01/12/2024 12:41

No. Obviously not doable. Have you ever eaten or bought food or been to a shop?

😂

SoloSofa24 · 01/12/2024 13:18

I read a book by a woman who lived on a pound a day for a year, but that was back in the early 2000s. Inflation, particularly on basic foods, would mean the equivalent now would be more like £2 a day. And I seem to remember she did things like going to events where she knew there would be free food, grew some stuff herself, had some meals with family etc as well as all the expected buying in bulk or whatever was yellow-stickered and cheap at the supermarket.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Lived-Year-Just-Pound/dp/1906593124

fanaticalfairy · 01/12/2024 13:17

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:54

no - only had 1 slice

I’ve actually spent £30 since Tuesday 12th November 🙌

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So you've spent £35/ your entire budget in 2/3 of the time ... You still have 12 days to go...

TinkerTiger · 01/12/2024 13:17

No - no fully stocked cupboard

Oh wait edited bc I just read the second ‘no’. I’d be intrigued to see how you get on then, £30 a week for me as a single person is just about doable, WITH a partially stocked cupboard.

I’d be concerned that you have an eating disorder tbh if you think £30 a month is sufficient

110APiccadilly · 01/12/2024 13:17

I think you might just about be able to do it for one month, if in dire straits. But it would be very boring, and probably put you at risk of deficiencies - I don't think you could have a balanced diet on that.

When I was a student I could manage £10 a week, but that was 15 years ago - I reckon food's probably doubled in price since then.

Serencwtch · 01/12/2024 13:17

No, it's impossible & very stupid unless you are in an absolutely dire circumstances. If that's the case there are food banks, benefits & other lifelines depending on where you live.

This sounds like some of the talk that went on when I was in an eating disorders unit recovering from anorexia to be honest.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 01/12/2024 13:17

Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:09

Ok you’re entitled to your opinion - but nothing is in bad taste if it’s made me appreciate everything a lot more

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I also think it is in bad taste to post a thread wallowing in cosy pretend frugality when you have the luxury of knowing you can spend whatever you want all the time.

Claire903 · 01/12/2024 13:16

OP - what planet are you on?
Like have you been transformed back to the 90s or something?

Wherethewildthingsfart · 01/12/2024 13:14

There’s a few YouTubers that have done this and someone wrote a book (year of living frugally or something).

I think it’s a good way to reset or save for a particular goal.