It's not main meals that racks up my bills....

[GerbilsForever24]

In interests of keeping eye on costs, I'm trying to meal plan, pay more attention etc. We're lucky enough that we're not skint, but I am conscious of rising COL and the huge impact on my shopping trolley.

I just did my weekly online order. I started by putting all the ingredients for main meals (5 days worth). That came to £53 which seemed reasonable as we're eating well, including this week having steak one night etc.

Then I went back to my Alexa list of all the things I've been adding during the week that we need (tinfoil, olive oil etc) plus things we need every week like fruit and milk and lunch box items etc... and my total check out price was £135. It could be worse and I feel grateful we can manage, but it really makes me realise how it's so easy for celebs and government and whoever to say, "here's a trick for feeding a family of 4 on £3.50 a night"... but that doesn't take into account breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks and all the bits and pieces that are necessary.

My order was generous in that for example we love fruit and I bought "basic" fruit like bananas and apples but also strawberries and grapes and so on, but but it didn't include extensive treats or fancy snacks, or alcohol or (this week) any cleaning stuff.

Cleaning products are the worst. And I always seem to run out of everything at the same time…

My mind boggles when people say go to Aldi or Lidl. We don’t all live near a store. To get to my closest one would be a 28 mile round trip. I have a Tesco delivery saver which costs about £6 a month. I have been to Aldi if I am passing and I don’t rate their fruit and veg.

😂 I shouldn't laugh, but everytime you say you aren't looking for tips to reduce your spending you keep being given more tips 😂

I can see what you meant in your OP, and you are right. It's easy for people to base spending on meal ingredients, and not realise that alongside the ingredients cupboard staples are needed.

Soap, shampoo, cleaning items are also never included in these magical weekly budgets.

Heaven forbid you should want to buy anything to eat outside meals, or a roll of tin foil to use while cooking as that's just the height of extravagance and is certainly never taken into account.

I'm in a lucky position where I don't need to budget. But I feel for the people who do. It must be so scary at the moment, and being preached to about what they should or shouldn't be buying must feel like being kicked when they are down.

It the headline grabbing feed a family of 4 for £5. I feel same when I see renovation type stuff eg update your kitchen for £100 when there’s clearly lots new not mentioned let alone labour and boring stuff like paint brushes or filler.

100% spot on op. We’re the same and I’ve thought this for a while. Ive tried cutting down - but I do like to buy the healthier options where possible. A Lidl opened near us and I cancelled my delivery saver and I try to go weekly. but i can’t always get everything I need there. (And it isn’t always cheaper for everything) So then need to go to home bargins and pop to Tesco to get the dairy free and gluten free stuff I need for the family members that need them (allergy and celiac not a choice) and that takes ages! its a lot of time and effort to save, what £20? if I’m lucky. Then the weekend rolls round and no doubt we need to pick up more bits for whatever is going on. Picnic, friends over etc.

You're right of course OP. I aim to get all that non-food stuff from my slightly further away Lidl because they're less likely to go off and there are big savings to be made, but being able to shop in bulk depends on having cash to hand, storage space and ideally a car.

I agree - it is the and others that add up so much. I too have nearly fainted at a price of pedal bin liners! Sometimes I go shopping spend a fortune then get home and think but there’s no meals there!!!

There was a woman on radio 4 early the other morning who was complaining that she could no longer afford Kellogg's cornflakes and had to buy own brand! Who on earth still buys Kellogg's?! The woman was interviewed as an example shopper!

I see the 'feed a family of 4 for a month for £3' ideas as just being a variant on the ready in 15 minutes ideas.

It is headline grabbing, it may only cost £3 for the main ingredients but the store cupboard items arent free and cooking for an hour to make the saddle leather cuts of meat chewable costs.

The 'ready in 15 minutes' meals are a cheat when you see that all the ingredients are listed as chopped/sliced/grated/marinated in unicorn tears for a week. The 15 minutes is the time it takes to heat everything and plate it up.

Who on earth still buys Kellogg's?

I do and I'm far from alone in that.

Im finding it’s the fresh fruit like blueberry’s and strawberries that seem so much more expensive. I can see why it’s much easier to eat processed or unhealthy food if you’re on a tighter budget.

Side note: If anyone hasn’t tried them yet I’m a big advocate for bee wax wraps. It’s an investment to begin with (£15-30 depending on how many you need) but we love them

@Dontfuckingsaycheese yep, pedal bin liners are another thing that has me going "How much".

We have enough money to eat, if we budget sensibly. I buy spices and dried goods in bulk a few times a year, I have a good enough cash flow to do this. Dropping the odd £60 to save overall is out of some people's league.

I use bar shampoo, lasts forever! Also bar washing up soap! But crikey the cost of washing powder, bin liners and basics has gone through the roof! My shopping (I keep receipts) was £50 a week pre covid (me and dog) I’m lucky if I can keep it below £70 now! Oh and I don’t drink so no added costs there!

Everything is getting really expensive. I stay away from branded things, especially Heinz ketchup £4 and cereal over £4, it all adds up.

I agree, these articles in the daily fail about how someone fed their family for £20 a week - on just dinners apparently, and then all the 'store cupboard staples' like olive oil, salt/peppers, spices aren't even included in the cost (because apparently the magical fairies just drop them free from the sky), it drives me nuts.

I think what a lot of people don't appreciate is the cost/time ratio of it. Snacks are also what cost us the most. Yes, I could go to Lidl to say 50p on crisps, but it's an extra 30 minute drive. Or yes, I could make my own flapjacks, but after working and dinner and bedtime and returning emails, I've got better things to do at 10:30pm than make a bloody tray of flapjacks even if they will save me £3. Snacks have to be easy things the dc can grab themselves because I'm busy in the hours after school and can't spend the whole time doling out home baked goodies in my apron. Everything has to come from one weekly home delivery from Tesco (not really any shops near us) and nowhere to bulk by either and it largely has to be easy for them to serve themselves. I do cook simple meals with fresh ingredients and like you, they are relatively affordable, but that's the extent of what I can do.

I hate it when people say don't buy brands.... I get it if your only option was between own brand or not eating but for a lot of people we buy brands, because they taste better. Not everyone agrees but I prefer Kelloggs cereal and Heinz ketchup and Lurpak. IMO they taste better. Better to spend 4 quid on ketchup that you enjoy than £2 on something that you wish tasted better every time you taste it.

Also most of these wild 'feed a family of 4 for a fiver' headlines are not making the best choices like free range chicken or sustainable fish etc. Again if all you can afford is cheap chicken, that is fine but there are consumers who like to pay more and get better, more sustainable, humane choices.

If you do prefer brands I’d recommend trolley app it’s free. You can see where is cheapest.

I hear you OP

A year or so ago, I could do our weekly shop (family of 4) for between £70 to £90 a week depending what we needed. Now it's more like £90 to £120 a week Our wages haven't gone up much in that time. Also, I'm probably buying less meat and trying to cook more budget friendly meals. We rarely drink.

I'm really noticing the hit to the bank balance. There's not much left over for luxuries such as trips out, a takeaway or a pub meal etc.

Thankfully, we can manage. There's plenty of people out there who aren't 😔

I fear it's only going to get worse.

This. These things last weeks/months surely? We once bought a roll of foil on holiday to wrap sandwiches and leftover pizza, took it home with us, and it lasted about 2 years.

I would have thought the cost of cleaning products, toiletries, bin bags etc average out at about a fiver/tenner a week if that, so a relatively small fraction of grocery shopping and hardly worth worrying about unless you're on a really tight budget. Barely noticeable when you're spending £100+ a week.

If you're concerned about cost, you don't buy things like juice, and certainly not for every day consumption. Neither do you buy cleaning products, toiletries, bin bags etc in supermarkets, they're much cheaper in Home Bargains, Wilko etc.

Yep. It's the bloody snacks, fruit and faddy drinks the kids 'need' that push up our shop. We are a blended family and my two DSS's are kids that eat ALOT if snacks.my two (now older) not so much, but never were really. I've kept quiet because everyone parents differently plus we have their other house routine to contend with, but when did the constant sodding snacks become a thing?

I never had snacks really growing up and if I did it was an apple or a biscuit. My two DD's were much the same, though probably had a sort of scheduled mid morn /mid afternoon snack usually a small fromage frais or some cheese and raw.l carrot or some such. DH won't get in the car without a bag of a selection of snacks for the DS's. It's madness. They are 9 and 10! They can go an hour without food!

We are having a family chat about it this weekend as we just can't sustain it!

It's the school canteen and snacks that cost me a fortune. I have a 15 year old boy who eats like a horse. I can afford it but he costs far more to feed than me!

Surely lots of people must buy them or they wouldn’t be on the shelves.

I know I do but where I live we get the ones that are made in Nairobi so cheaper than the ones made in the Uk. It’s the same for Weetabix. But truth be told I could easily go without them if need be, my preferred breakfast is egg, avacados and hummus. There’s just something about ice cold milk and cornflakes though.

No snacks when I was young in the seventies. I wasn't allowed anything between meals. I was given a few pence for sweets a couple of times a week. I certainly wasn't allowed to help myself to food but there wasn't much there to help myself to. When I was a bit older there was the occasional box of Mr Kipling stuff so I assume my parents felt a bit better off by then.

The snacks I buy, aren't for between meals except for school morning break. They're to go in lunchboxes.

My teen has a pt job at McDonald’s. The 16 yr old boys get their free meal on break and sometimes buy extra food after shift (hefty staff discount) bet it’s saving some parents a fortune.