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AIBU?

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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:
MajorCarolDanvers · 01/12/2024 12:45

If you only eat lentils and drink water you might manage.

greggs is outside your price range.

SocksAndTheCity · 01/12/2024 12:45

I could probably do it if I had to, but only because I have very well stocked cupboards and a freezer full of food already, so I'd only be buying milk and a bit of fruit and veg. And I'd still struggle to keep it under £7 a week.

What specifically are you planning to eat, OP?

coffeesaveslives · 01/12/2024 12:45

No. You will likely end up very malnourished, hungry and unwell.

mynameiscalypso · 01/12/2024 12:45

But if one pizza slice is £2.40, as a PP said, that's 2.5 days of your food budget gone. For one slice of pizza. What will you eat for the rest of those days?

MermaidEyes · 01/12/2024 12:44

£1 a day?! You can barely get a loaf of bread for £1 these days 🤣

Chersfrozenface · 01/12/2024 12:44

OP, why not plan out a week's menus that cost £7 in total?

Including small sums for coffee/tea, milk and sugar at home, if you take them. I assume cold drinks will be just tap water.

thebear1 · 01/12/2024 12:44

Can you list exactly what your planning to buy for £30 a month? Doesn't seem doable.

tilypu · 01/12/2024 12:44

Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:43

No - no fully stocked cupboard - just teabags /small jar of instant coffee.

Eating out for me is Greggs 🤣 maybe this gets it into perspective!

Show quote history

But anything at greggs cost more than £1, which is your daily budget...

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:44

Sorry quoted wrong post above - reason is - partial personal challenge /part seeing what I could live off if I was ever in real dire straits

OP posts:
titchy · 01/12/2024 12:44

Come on then, tell us what you're going to spend your £30 a month on.

LuckySantangelo35 · 01/12/2024 12:44

No it’s not possible Op. next.

NC10125 · 01/12/2024 12:43

I think that it could work well for one month as reset if you focus on using up what you have in cupboards, freezer etc.

I don’t think that it’s possible to manage on that longer term without either using food banks or it having serious implications for your health.

I think that for £20 a week you could eat healthy nice food and that unless you’re really really struggling financially that would be a better budget to set.

DearTheodosiaa · 01/12/2024 12:43

Well obviously it's doable if you barely eat anything but you wouldn't have a very good quality of life

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:43

Scottishskifun · 01/12/2024 12:40

£1 a day is very tough going indeed and basically near impossible.
Is there a reason your wanting to be £30 a month?!!

No - no fully stocked cupboard - just teabags /small jar of instant coffee.

Eating out for me is Greggs 🤣 maybe this gets it into perspective!

OP posts:
Sparklybanana · 01/12/2024 12:42

No chance. Not unless you want to affect your health or you are relying on handouts of food.

Smithhy · 01/12/2024 12:42

Can you give us an example menu for the week of all food/drink for less than £7.50?

Even with a Mumsnet roast chicken you’ll be struggling.

WaitingforStrike · 01/12/2024 12:42

Greggs pizza slice is about £2.40

joysexreno · 01/12/2024 12:42

Maybe if you ate porridge made with water, for breakfast, you already have teabags in, you have lentil soup made with carrots, onions, water for lunch every day and jacket potatoes with beans or beans and rice (bulk bought) for dinner it could be vaguely manageable, but this seems quite difficult.

Sofaroller · 01/12/2024 12:41

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

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:41

WombatStewForTea · 01/12/2024 12:39

Surely you mean per week?!
Weekly could be doable but not if eating out at all

No. Not week. Month

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:40

HappySeven · 01/12/2024 12:39

A pound a day?

Yes

OP posts:
TTPDTS · 01/12/2024 12:40

I'm not sure £30 including eating out for all food and drink for a month is possible, unless you're starting with a fully stocked cupboard? Or have some free food partway through?

IlIlIlIlIlIlI · 01/12/2024 12:40

<£7.50 on food and drink and eating out a week is not manageable.

How would you even propose to make it work?

Scottishskifun · 01/12/2024 12:40

£1 a day is very tough going indeed and basically near impossible.
Is there a reason your wanting to be £30 a month?!!

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 12:40

NutellaEllaElla · 01/12/2024 12:39

How could that include eating out?

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

OP posts:
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