Food budgets and shopping lists for one person living alone

[Heidimay]

I'm adjusting to living alone now STBXH has thankfully moved out! I'm not used to shopping and cooking for one any more and am probably spending more than I should be on food and not making wise choices about what and how much I buy in the supermarket! I used to cook for two, but STBXH would often decide at the last minute he wanted to order himself takeout, so food would go to waste and my budgeting got very confusing.
I know you can cook more and freeze leftovers with some dishes, which I do, but I am so confused from all the change and wondering what sort of very quick things I can make for lunch and dinner just for myself! I don't want to waste money on ready meals for one and I'm at home most of the time so I can use the kitchen to prepare lunch as well.
Can anyone help suggest a reasonable weekly food budget for a single person, what versatile items it's sensible to buy every week (I eat most things) and any quick inexpensive lunch/dinner suggestions?
I would be so grateful to hear people's ideas, as I'm worried about wasting money and not eating properly!

I batch cook and freeze things like lasagne, curry (Indian or Thai), bolognese, meatballs, stews; anything you can easily portion up. I then give myself a big pat on the back when I look in the freezer and something really tasty is there waiting to be defrosted .

In the summer I mostly eat salad - lettuce when washed and dried off (get yourself a salad spinner if you haven't already got one) lasts for several days in the fridge if kept in a plastic container with a bit of kitchen paper at the bottom. I have jars of pickles and antipasti in the larder to jazz it up a bit.

I find the biggest problem is with wasting vegetables, as many supermarkets now insist on selling packaged veg in sizes suitable for families, rather than you weighing out what you need. I have a greengrocers nearby that sells items by weight so can stop there on the way home from work to pick something up.

Lots of eggs. Boiled eggs, poached etc freeze half a loaf or even just take a slice of bread out the freezer as you need it. Tins of fruit to save a trip to the shops.

I agree with kernowgal about waste. I love fresh veg, but I do also now use more frozen veg to avoid wastage; there are some really nice individual frozen steam servings in the supermarkets. I also freeze bread right away. It only takes moments to defrost the few slices I need.

I batch cook too. If you make 4 extra portions of something you like once a week you'll have lots of variety in your freezer by the end of a month.

My bill including cleaning stuff is around £65 per month, but I'm vegetarian so maybe a bit cheaper than average even though I eat very well.

I'd roast some onions, mushrooms and peppers on a Sunday, then mix with one of those Ainsley cous cous packets, chickpeas and some feta, for lunches for a couple of days.

I think the most important thing to be aware of is things that don't keep terribly well, and ensure you're planning a couple of meals based around that, so you don't have lots of half-used packets sitting around that you can't finish in time.

So, for example, if I was using half a packet of feta for lunchtime salads, I'd probably make some little pasties with the other half of the pack plus onion, pepper and herbs - and freeze those for lunches the following week.

Punnet of mushrooms = half roasted for cous cous as above, and half to make a pasta sauce. Etc.

I have sandwiches or toasties for lunch, costs £5/week max for bread, butter (get a big tub) and chicken slices/cheese.

You can buy lots of veg frozen and just grab what you need.

Buying veg.from supermarkets - in our morrisons you can buy veg. loose.I'm the Queen of the 1 carrot and 3 onions shopping basket
Ok, I buy other things too but certainly with veg. i can buy precisely the quantity i want. Perhaps other supermarkets do this , dunno, i only have access to Morries these days.

Oh, and yes I totally agree about eggs. I think those and potatoes are two ingredients that I find incredibly versatile.

When I'm just feeding myself (DP works away a lot) I get most of my food from the m&s reduced counter. Treaty food at a fraction of the normal price.

I hardly ever buy fresh potatoes these days, but instead keep two or three types of frozen potatoes in the freezer for use as needed.

I keep a good store cupboard of essentials, microwave pouches of rice and grains, tins of sardines, different types of pasta, long life milk, dried mushrooms etc etc.

Eggs are good for a quick lunch, and I make soup with left over veg, again good for lunch. Things that can be easily portioned such as sausages are good, half a pack with mash & onion gravy and half into a tomato & bean casserole for instance, and I do the same type of combination of meals with packs of pork or lamb chops.
I eat fish often as it's often available in a single portion size.

It is a challenge to suddenly start cooking for just one, to keep it interesting and balanced. It's easy to slip into "can't be bothered" mode, but planning ahead is a key to tasty interesting meals which will brighten up your life.

M+S has a reduced shelf?

I buy reduced chicken/sausages and freeze, never had any issues. Then just throw in slow cooker, eat that evening and have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Thank you for your ideas and encouragement everyone! I know it seems silly not being sure what to eat when there's so much choice available! If anyone's got a suggestion for a sensible figure for food per week, that would be great! I'm on a budget to try and be sensible due to divorce, but not in that spending a few extra pounds on food a week isn't possible.
If anyone can suggest how many of things (like packs of meat, numbers of vegetables) is reasonable, I'd be very grateful too. I've always hated wasting food and feel very guilty if something has ended up in the bin.

I spend about 20/week on food, living alone!

BUT that doesn't include meat, thinking about it, or breakfast or milk. I tend to bulk buy veg and freeze it, so I only really buy a large amount once a month - about £20 of veg to freeze.

My bills got much better when I started to meal plan first. Working backwards from that plan to find out how much of each ingredient I needed meant I could go shopping with a pretty specific list.

Don't forget to factor in a few treats, though. If you've been through some tough emotional stuff you definitely need good nutrition to rebound, but a bit of chocolate is therapeutic too.

DH took the kids away quite a lot this summer and I was home alone. I did a meal plan for the three or so weeks I was on my own and did just one or two nights of cooking each week. I loved it because I could eat all kinds of weird stuff I wouldn't necessarily feed the family or just a dippy egg and broccoli soldiers, and weekend nights I was often meeting friends so didn't have to feed myself so I always bought slightly less than needed so it didn't go to waste.

I did find this gem of an article at the time though when I was googling "recipes for one": www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2000/nov/05/foodanddrink.recipes

I completely agree with the sentiments in that article by Nige!

I do my own version of little treats too, I often get a small pack of smoked salmon when it's on offer, for a lunch time sandwich or two.

I usually have an apero of a drink and few olives or cubes of cheese or some nuts while dinner is finishing cooking, it marks a few indulgent moments in the day.

When I was at university I found £50/week was usual. £40 was doable but miserly, no luxuries. Mind you this was without a freezer so options to bulk buy/cook were limited.

I’ve been living alone for years, since the kids grew up, and I always plan a week’s menus at a time, then construct the shopping list of required ingredients.
I live 10 miles from the nearest supermarket, so it’s less hassle to do just one weekly shop, and means I’m not wasting food or money on impulse buys.
Fresh veg have a nicer texture than frozen ones, that tend to be a bit soggy. Leaves don’t freeze well at all. I get enough veg for the week and keep them in the fridge. Asparagus is the only thing that needs eaten a bit quicker- it tends to go slimy at the tips after a few days.
I often get a big bag of courgettes and make a batch of courgette and potato soup, with onion and cumin for a bit of flavour. It makes a good lunch with some crusty bread and a slice of cheese.
Raid your spice rack and make some nice curries to freeze in portions, get some interesting recipes off the internet for exotic dishes you’ve never had the chance to try, enjoy experimenting now that you can please yourself!
Food should still be a pleasure, even if you eat alone. Make a proper healthy meal, set a table, have a napkin and maybe a glass of good wine now and then. Or make some winter comfort food, like a hearty stew, and curl up by the fire or tv with a bowl on your lap.
We spend years catering to kids or partners- now is the time for you to discover your own tastes. Enjoy!

I love cooking and since I've been on my own I will cook enough for two, eat half and freeze half. That way, I've built up a good stock of ready meals in the freezer, and perhaps only have to do pasta, rice or potatoes to accompany. Lunches tend to be a sandwich or soup, breakfast usually toast. I always keep bread in the freezer and defrost a couple of slices as I need it. I tend to spend about £40 a week. I also buy larger packs of meat, portion it up and freeze it in cookable portions. I also manage to find enough for a couple of bottles of wine!

Batch cooking
Soup for lunches - I normally buy a carton of fresh and this lasts 3 days
Eggs or porridge for breakfast - scrambled eggs is really fast and I have it with tomato and spinach
If you need to keep costs down then I find that I don't need a 'proper' dinner every night - as there's just me, 2 or 3 evenings I'll just have a sandwich, beans on toast, omelette etc

The main things I seem to waste are tubs of butter, bottles of fresh juice, feta cheese and salad!

Don't feel you have to avoid larger meals like joints of meat - they can be great value. A joint which is supposed to serve 4 can be a roast for you on day one, some lovely cold meat on day two, and two frozen portions for future casseroles.

In terms of quick meals, I am also a great soup fan - I use up leftovers and buy cheap veg from the market, so I usually have 2-3 different ones in the freezer, ready to go into the microwave at lunchtime.

burningsage You can freeze butter! I buy a large tub (because it works out cheaper), portion it out into smaller plastic tubs and freeze - no waste.

I buy butter, bread and anything that can be frozen from the reduced items in Waitrose or M&S and freeze it immediately. I then have lots of inexpensive ready meals or ingredients for a from scratch dish when I like.

I use mysupermarket.co. uk to make sure I pick up offers on the most expensive items like dishwasher tabs or coffee from the stores locally.

I haven't really budgeted for food for years but DS used to allow £35 a week when he was at university.