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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:
C152 · 01/12/2024 14:01

I feel this is in poor taste, as I have lived in food poverty, for many years. To pretend at it just because you think that will give you an insight is poorly judged. If you haven't lived it, you will never understand it. If you want to feel more gratitude for things you have in life, that is fine, you don't need to pretend to be worse off than you are to do so. If you want to change your approach to food shopping/cooking to improve your health, that is also fine but, again, you don't need to pretent to be poor to do so. Do what most families in the 80s and before that did - plan your meals for the next week/month, only buy what you need and cook it all yourself. (Be grateful that you can afford the gas/electricity necessary to cook your meals.)

It is highly likely that anyone really in these straights may be able to feed themselves, but wouldn't be getting the necessary calories, nutrients or minerals their body needs. They'd probably be skipping meals, portion sizes will be very small; there would be no 'treats' or eating out at all; and they would be looking to supplement their food source any way they could - extra work, food banks, free meals offered by churches/community centres, taking the leftovers from work meetings home, looking for edible food others have thrown away in the bin/at the end of a market day etc. It's a hard way to survive.

The list of food you have bought is bizarre. No one living day after day in food poverty is wasting their money on Greggs, pringles or packets of biscuits. Nor is it the way to go about improving your health/losing weight.

NordicwithTeen · 01/12/2024 14:01

I mean you could just about survive if you eat ramen or have a cheeseburger a day as your "eating out"? £30 a week is more like it.

BenditlikeBridget · 01/12/2024 14:01

Wtf?

What are you putting the cheese slices on? Mince pies?

And ready shelled eggs???? Words fail me tbh.

At least buy big bags of oats, pasta and lentils if you’re going to do this.

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

TheBeesKnee · 01/12/2024 13:55

So you've been eating snacks and a couple of convenience pastas, not actual meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

This obviously isn't sustainable and I wonder why you're doing this to yourself. Do you not have anything better to do, or are you hoping to write an article about how it's totally doable? Is this some kind of eating disorder?

Have your friends/family been feeding you on the low?

Show quote history

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

OP posts:
x2boys · 01/12/2024 14:00

Mossstitch · 01/12/2024 13:56

That's not only ridiculously unhealthy but also you've bought some very overpriced items.........2 boiled shelled hard boiled eggs😲 didn't know such things existed but I bet you could have bought a dozen fresh ones for the same price!!

Exactly and the ready made tuna and pasta ,
Instead of buying a packet of dried pasta and the cheapest tins of tuna.

Manypaws · 01/12/2024 14:00

We probably spend that per day

blackbird77 · 01/12/2024 13:59

OP I think you’ve got a bigger problem than trying to get your food budget down.

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:58

blackbird77 · 01/12/2024 13:54

You say you’ve spent only £30 since 12th Nov. Did you spend £30 FOR 19 days worth of food or did you spend £30 on food WITHIN those 19 days.

Because if you spent say £100 food shop on the 11th November then your whole comment is pointless really

No WITHIN.

just wanted to CLARIFY ALL I had in before 12th nov was instant coffee and few tea bags - if I’m being pedantic salt n vinegar ! That’s all !!

OP posts:
SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 01/12/2024 13:57

This is in poor taste considering the places suffering from famine rn.

BodyKeepingScore · 01/12/2024 13:57

@Jumell so you're trying to lose weight by eating ONLY biscuits, pastries and bloody Greggs donuts? Surely even you can see how utterly ridiculous that is.

TiredEyesToday · 01/12/2024 13:57

It’s not possible to do and have a healthy diet, unless you’re supplementing with home grown etc - but that costs too, and is too seasonal to be relied upon in the uk. I costed a £25pw menu for a poster quite recently and it was possible but very very limited, and probably wouldn’t meet basic nutritional standards.

CovertPiggery · 01/12/2024 13:57

You forgot to include the goats OP 🐐

Mossstitch · 01/12/2024 13:56

That's not only ridiculously unhealthy but also you've bought some very overpriced items.........2 boiled shelled hard boiled eggs😲 didn't know such things existed but I bet you could have bought a dozen fresh ones for the same price!!

blackbird77 · 01/12/2024 13:56

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

Dear god.

BodyKeepingScore · 01/12/2024 13:56

@Jumell so almost your entire budget has gone on biscuits, scones and junk food?

Dotto · 01/12/2024 13:56

I think you should address your eating disorder, and not play games or write posts about pretending to be poor. It's quite offensive to people who genuinely are poor.

TheBeesKnee · 01/12/2024 13:55

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 you've been eating snacks and a couple of convenience pastas, not actual meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

This obviously isn't sustainable and I wonder why you're doing this to yourself. Do you not have anything better to do, or are you hoping to write an article about how it's totally doable? Is this some kind of eating disorder?

Have your friends/family been feeding you on the low?

TomatoSandwiches · 01/12/2024 13:55

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

These aren't even meals op, you've been sustaining yourself on basically biscuits and a few ready made/packaged meals/snacks.

You will make yourself ill.

x2boys · 01/12/2024 13:55

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

Sainsbury, s is an odd choice for this type of experiment, your money would go further in places like Iceland, and Aldi.

ObtuseMoose · 01/12/2024 13:54

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

That's literally all junk, don't come crying to MN when you've got scurvy.

Original poster
Jumell · 01/12/2024 13:54

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 01/12/2024 13:43

@Jumell are you trying to drop three dress sizes in a month??? that is not going to be sustainable and you will make yourself so weak that you become ill! virtually a water only diet. think of a hunger strike!

Ideally yes I’m overweight

OP posts:
blackbird77 · 01/12/2024 13:54

You say you’ve spent only £30 since 12th Nov. Did you spend £30 FOR 19 days worth of food or did you spend £30 on food WITHIN those 19 days.

Because if you spent say £100 food shop on the 11th November then your whole comment is pointless really

Yalta · 01/12/2024 13:54

That’s an awful lot of crap food for how much you spent

Pipconkermash · 01/12/2024 13:54

Are you eating/undereating junk?

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