How much does your evening meal cost?

[SandysMam]

After a few years of VERY frugal living, we have finally brought our flat which means we can relax a tiny bit and start to actually eat what I would consider to be normal meals.

However...I just called into the shop to grab some dinner and four fish fillets (lightly dusted basa type things), some new potato’s and green beans and it set me back £9!! This is to feed a family of four.
After years of pasta dinners and cheap cuts I struggle to believe a normal, regular family on a public sector type wage can afford to eat like this!! How much does your evening meal usually cost?

Well thats £2.50 per head with some change..... so reasonable for a nutritious hot meal.

But as food price and inflation have outstripped public sector pay for nearly a decade its no surprise your feeling the pinch!

It varies, if we buy prepared stuff it is more expensive. Tonight we are having roasted veg with sausage casserole which will cost about £7, last night was wraps with salsa, free range chicken, salad so nearer to £9 or 10. Its only under £5 if its pesto/pasta, spag bol, jackets and beans type of meal

I don't really know - tonight the kids have had chicken teddies from m and a and pasta and broccoli, so maybe £2 each. We have chicken laksa - two chicken breasts, rice noodles, broccoli, coconut milk, chilliest and spring onion plus flavourings from simply cook probably about £10 for the two of us.

I'd say £10 to feed a family of four with either fish or meat is pretty standard. We have some veggie meals each week that are cheaper but if we all had steak it would be more than £10 for 4!

I agree, in fact I’d say that was on the frugal side for 4! £2.50 a portion is average

It varies really. Tonight the teens are having pizza - £1.90 each. Ill probably have soup and toast after yoga, so that's about £1 I guess?

£ 9 for a decent meal with fish and veg for 4 people sounds ok to me. Just mix it up so you have a few nights a week of cheap meals, spag Bol, etc.

Tonight we've had toad in the hole and beans (trying to use up eggs). two tins of beans is about £1.20, pack of sausages £4, flour and milk about 20p, eggs free (we have chickens). So less than £5.50 tonight but not a great meal nutritionally.

Tomorrow its pesto and feta quiche (again trying to use free eggs) so cost of the quiche only about £2.50 and potatoes and veg are going to come in at less than £2.00 so even cheaper at £4.50ish. Would be more if we had to buy the eggs of course

Saturday Roast chicken with roasted peppers and tomatoes and cous cous will be circa £7/8

Typically I'd say circa £8ish for a normal meal.

That doesn't sound expensive for fish. Is it sea bass? Cheaper fish are available! We tend to spend anything between £18 (expensive fish, meat) and £2 (pasta with tomato sauce). There are 5 of us. I buy individual vegetables now (e.g 1 carrot!) If I only need one as that keeps the cost down.

£2.50 a head isn’t much for fish.

Fish is expensive comparatively. We have realised we waste so much meat so have halved what we put in Bolognese, casseroles etc. Last night was chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning, "chips" (the homemade, par boiled then ovened type), sweet corn and salad. About £6 for 4 of us. I can do it on much less if it's curry or pasta night! (Secretly enjoy it, too. Now I don't "need" to anymore)

4 adults meat/chicken two veg potatoes between £8 and £10'counting electric to cook it.

We had braised beef in tomato sauce with spaghetti. It served 8 of us (six kids)
The joint of beef was £10
Tinned tomatoes £1.50
Tomato purée £50p
Fresh basil £1.00
Half bottle of red £4.00
Pasta £1.00
So say roughly £18 so around £2.20 but there are some beef leftovers for lunch for me tomorrow so another meal.
Oh forgot the garlic bread which was about £3.00.
It was delicious though and even fussy child ate it.

I had wholemeal toast (no butter) & baked beans just for me so basically was very cheap!!

It is expensive...can't believe others think it isn't. If you spend £9 per meal for a family...it's already £63 per week just for dinners...then you need to factor in breakfasts, lunches, snacks and drinks.

My dinner tonight is pasta...

£1 for bacon lardons
50p courgette
70p mushrooms
Half tub of cream cheese 30p
Pasta...50p

Will make enough for two dinners with leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner has cost us £9 for pizzas and salad,that was for 7 of us.

Myself,DH and our 5DC(they all have adult sized meals now)so it was so just under £1.30 each.

The price per person depends on what were eating
If were having a roast lamb dinner then it comes to about £21 so that's £3 per head but that's a leg of lamb,roast potatoes,roast parsnips,carrot and sweede mash,savoy cabbage,homemade gravy(that contains white wine)yorkshire puddings and mint sauce.

You paid £2.25 per head for your meal and it sounds lovely but I do find that if I did lots of little shops it always works out so much more expensive that if I do one big shop.
The one big shop compared to lots of little shops usually saves me over £100 a month for the 7 of us.

I did a lamb stew, tonight, which worked out under £2 per portion, despite using local organic lamb. Even though the lamb was pricey, the veg was seasonal and dirt cheap.

The OP's fish was cheaper than seabass, btw! It was basa. Much cheaper!

I usually spend at least 10 per dinner for 2 adults 2 kids. Sometimes more if having steak or a roast very rarely less.

I find that buying meal by meal is crippilingly expensive, e.g. popping into Sainsburys for a meat / fish item plus sides. I'd always have something in the freezer for can't be bothered nights. A well thought out weekly shop is about £50 in my house for 2 adults plus toddler, we certainly don't go hungry. But then we eat out or have a take away once a week, so never feel like we're missing out if we end up with jacket potatoes for tea one evening

I've just made 7 adult sized meals over 2 days from about £17 worth of food. So approx £2.50 per head. This was an expensive set of meals for us as a special treat. Normal service will resume tomorrow!

Usually our most expensive meals are fresh fish.

I spend about £2.50 a head, but often have leftovers which roll into another meal and make it cheaper. For example the potatoes from last night mashed today with sausages and some peas/ gravy which came in at £5 for 6 of us (well plus the gravy granules out a big pot and a part of a huge bag of store brand frozen peas-maybe £6). Another meal will be reduce stuff on the day of the shop, this week a ray wing each for £3!

Absolutely no idea! Shamefully I’ve never added up the cost of a meal. Tonight we had sea bass with potato wedges and an avocado/pepper/chilli/coriander salsa. I think 4 seabass fillets were £6, then maybe another £3-£4 for the rest?

Overall my weekly shop is £80, plus I’d say £10-15 on bits in the week. For 6 of us I’d say we eat very well on that. No school dinners or bought lunch.

I'd never spend £9 on a normal family dinner, no. It depends what we're having, but usually dinner costs between £2.50 and £5.

That's not counting fruit, which I budget for separately.

Picking up random fresh veg can be bad for your budget.

Fine green beans : fresh on Tesco website £5 odd per kilo, frozen £1.23!