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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:
crumblingschools · 01/12/2024 14:58

How come you had nothing else in your cupboards or fridge before you started this? No herbs or spices? Tinned food?

Before this did you eat fruit and veg? Cook meals from scratch?

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:55

SapphireOpal · 01/12/2024 14:53

So what have you actually eaten for meals?

This is basically snacks.

Show quote history

Nothing apart from this, I’m afraid

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:54

WoolySnail · 01/12/2024 14:52

Credit where credit is due at least you have recognised you have wasted money etc in the past and are tackling it. Your budget is unrealistic but if you look at someone the links people have kindly posted you'll find lots of meal ideas. Cooking from scratch is your biggest saver. Things like pre sliced cheese etc ( instead of a block, but this is only an example, as you said you only got the cheese for the nectar points- also a bad idea, making purchases you wouldn’t normally just for points) will decimate your budget in no time!

Thank you - some of the ideas on here have been really helpful

OP posts:
SapphireOpal · 01/12/2024 14:53

Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:50

Didn’t write a running daily total from Tuesday 12th Nov but from memory here goes best I can

slice Pizza Greggs - 2.30
tube Pringles 1.50
2 packet digestives - 55p x 2
custard cream packet - 32p
Around 5 /6 pints of milk at 85 p each or 69p if discount
Sainsbury’s x 6 packet sultana scones
Sainsbury’s mince pies packet (6?) - 1.95

sainsbury’s cheese slices 2 packets - 3,25 includes 4 slices - inc cheddar/wensleydale etc

with my nectar bonus points I’ve bought 2 x packets of the ready made pasta with tuna /sweetcorn Sainsbury’s -around 2.95 /packet

1 large jar own brand instant coffee - around £3?

had hand a jar of coffee and few tea bags already in BUT NOTHING ELSE!

free Greggs donut

small box chocs as gift

packet of 2 shelled, cooked boiled eggs

Some of my purchases gave me massive Nectar bonus points which would explain the mince pies and scones etc

so roughly this !!

Show quote history

So what have you actually eaten for meals?

This is basically snacks.

WoolySnail · 01/12/2024 14:52

Credit where credit is due at least you have recognised you have wasted money etc in the past and are tackling it. Your budget is unrealistic but if you look at someone the links people have kindly posted you'll find lots of meal ideas. Cooking from scratch is your biggest saver. Things like pre sliced cheese etc ( instead of a block, but this is only an example, as you said you only got the cheese for the nectar points- also a bad idea, making purchases you wouldn’t normally just for points) will decimate your budget in no time!

Doitrightnow · 01/12/2024 14:50

Is it possible to eat on £30/month? No.
I would spend a min of £25/week to feel healthy. At the moment I spend about £90/week for two people and we eat well.

Your food purchases are terrible whatever your budget. If I had such a tight budget I'd be eating a lot of jacket potatoes, beans, carrots and apples.

MereDintofPandiculation · 01/12/2024 14:50

My father, whose portions were miniscule, spent £25 a week, not including his milk delivery.

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:48

food not good

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:48

BMW6 · 01/12/2024 14:25

Oh and you haven't bought any loo roll, toiletries or household cleaning products.

So you'll be filthy, stinky, rotting teeth, greasy hair, shitty arse and zero clean clothes.......

JUST good and drink

eVery thing else COMPLETELY separate

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:47

INeedAnotherName · 01/12/2024 14:46

I've finally caught up with the thread. I think next month's focus should be on healthy meals instead of snacks. Once you are eating decent meals then you can start to look at cost costing, ie padding out meat with lentils or beans.

Get the basics right first.

Show quote history

This is a good, fair point

OP posts:
Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:46

friendlycat · 01/12/2024 14:08

This is just another silly wind up post.

Not a wind up post - totally real ..

BUT - I admit for the sake of absolute reality that I’ve spent £29.83 from Tuesday 12th Nov up to today.

I’ve also spent £5 of Nectar points on food /drink only

also had a free donut and free small box of chocs

had some instant coffee and a few tea bags already in

So .. admittedly if we are to tot up benefits in kind even though I’ve spent less than £30 in actual money from 12th Nov - now, with benefits in kind it’s more like £40 a month I just under 3 weeks

so not wind up but £30 a month may be misleading … admittedly

OP posts:
INeedAnotherName · 01/12/2024 14:46

Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:16

I now appreciate things far more than before

the only ‘meals’ I suppose are 2 tuna pastas from Sainsbury’s

no it’s not healthy to go without fruit or veg but it’s a learning curve for next month

Show quote history

I've finally caught up with the thread. I think next month's focus should be on healthy meals instead of snacks. Once you are eating decent meals then you can start to look at cost costing, ie padding out meat with lentils or beans.

Get the basics right first.

tothelefttotheleft · 01/12/2024 14:46

@BenditlikeBridget

Oh that made me laugh! Thankyou.

HardenYourHeart · 01/12/2024 14:42

My weekly grocery shop is already 50 on average and that's with shopping at Aldi, watching prices like a hawk, no take outs and batch-cooking at home.

Uricon2 · 01/12/2024 14:42

Jumell · 01/12/2024 14:01

No one’s feeding me in the low - it’s my first month of seriously budgeting so I’m learning by trial and error and will budget more effectively next month.

its not uncommon to skip meals - although admittedly not ideal

Show quote history

That is horribly unhealthy and lacking in practically everything. If you keep a diet like that up you are risking your health.

(Do not know why I'm wasting my time stating the bloody obvious, TBH)

Bumblebeestiltskin · 01/12/2024 14:40

Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:54

Ideally yes I’m overweight

Show quote history

You're not going to lose weight eating pure junk 🤦🏼‍♀️

3luckystars · 01/12/2024 14:39

Eating out of a skip.

Mylifeisamesssuchamess · 01/12/2024 14:39

BMW6 · 01/12/2024 14:25

Oh and you haven't bought any loo roll, toiletries or household cleaning products.

So you'll be filthy, stinky, rotting teeth, greasy hair, shitty arse and zero clean clothes.......

Oh come on. Is there any need to phrase it like this.

WhimsicalGubbins76 · 01/12/2024 14:33

When you say “eating out” do you mean your local soup kitchen? And are you “shopping” at your local food bank?

If the answer to either of these is no, then no. £30 is not enough. Not unless you specifically plan to not survive until your next birthday

katseyes7 · 01/12/2024 14:33

I live alone and l don't have a lot of money. The most l ever spend on food/groceries (and this is very unusual) is £100 a month.
It's more like around £20 a week, depending on whether l need toiletries/cleaning stuff.
I can't see how you could possibly live on £30 a month.

Skyrainlight · 01/12/2024 14:32

Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:50

Didn’t write a running daily total from Tuesday 12th Nov but from memory here goes best I can

slice Pizza Greggs - 2.30
tube Pringles 1.50
2 packet digestives - 55p x 2
custard cream packet - 32p
Around 5 /6 pints of milk at 85 p each or 69p if discount
Sainsbury’s x 6 packet sultana scones
Sainsbury’s mince pies packet (6?) - 1.95

sainsbury’s cheese slices 2 packets - 3,25 includes 4 slices - inc cheddar/wensleydale etc

with my nectar bonus points I’ve bought 2 x packets of the ready made pasta with tuna /sweetcorn Sainsbury’s -around 2.95 /packet

1 large jar own brand instant coffee - around £3?

had hand a jar of coffee and few tea bags already in BUT NOTHING ELSE!

free Greggs donut

small box chocs as gift

packet of 2 shelled, cooked boiled eggs

Some of my purchases gave me massive Nectar bonus points which would explain the mince pies and scones etc

so roughly this !!

Show quote history

For the most part this isn't food, it's junk.

WoolySnail · 01/12/2024 14:31

TheChosenTwo · 01/12/2024 13:30

I’m trying to work out what type of person has literally nothing in their cupboards except some instant coffee and some teabags. No tins of anything, no pasta/rice, no garlic, salt or pepper, spices etc? Just tea and coffee.
Other than people living in poverty I can’t understand this at all.

Someone that doesn't cook from scratch I'd say x

TiredCatLady · 01/12/2024 14:30

This is not an exercise in discipline. This is disordered eating.

blackbird77 · 01/12/2024 14:30

Before you started this months “experiment” OP, what did you normally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day? What do you eat normally when you are spending liberally? Or is what you listed indicative of your regular diet?

CheeseyOnionPie · 01/12/2024 14:29

No idea how you would do that without living on rice and beans for every meal and never buy food from outside or eat out.

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