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If you eat very healthily, fresh unprocessed food, what's your weekly grocery budget?

57 replies

Anotherlifeaway · 01/02/2024 14:42

We shop at Ocado, and always cook from scratch, plenty of fresh vegetables, Mediterranean diet with added pulses. We try to eat a wide range of plants (followers of Zoe). Fish and a small amount of fresh meat. One or two bottles of wine a week and the shop also includes things like laundry & dishwasher tablets etc, the usual weekly shop.

I know Ocado isn't the cheapest but I thought it was better value than, say, Waitrose which is where I'd love to shop. Tbh I've tried ASDA, Sainsbury's and Tesco and wasn't very pleased either the quality, selection and delivery process. So we've gone with Ocado and I do like their ease of ordering systems.

However, I'm find I'm spending £150-£200 per week and there's only 3 of us (2 adults 1, 4 year old). I feel I must be spending loads but wondered what anyone else with similar diet spends?

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/02/2024 15:05

I buy seasonal veg as well as topping up garlic, onions, and celery as needed, and only buy apples, bananas, and oranges or clementines fresh. All other fruits I buy are frozen. Berries go off/ soft too quickly, and I mainly use them to bake or in smoothies anyway, so frozen work very well. I also buy tinned tomatoes and tinned beans.

This week's veg shop was carrots, green cabbage, one large potato, and onions. I've had carrot and apple salad twice, and will make coleslaw using a vinaigrette (no mayo) tonight that should last two days. The potato will go into a lentil and veg soup on Saturday. I plan to make a jar of pickled onion, cabbage, and carrot for the odd snack.

I eat very little meat and tend to use it in chili, curry, stews, and other casseroles, so it's mixed with beans or veg. I like sardines and splurge on a brand that runs expensive, but still cheaper than buying fresh. I have half of a smoked mackerel in the freezer that I plan to use next week. Also some fresh tuna that will make a nice salade Nicoise the following week (need to buy potatoes). There's a chicken breast on the bone that I'll use in a chicken, smoked sausage, rice, and black bean dish that I make. I need to buy the sausage for that.

I usually buy cheese weekly, and flour, as I make my own bread. Also butter or butter/ oil spread. I hardly ever buy wine or beer. I do buy fizzy water though.

I shop around. I'm in the US so I go to Walmart for frozen fruit, dishwasher tabs, catfood and cat litter, dried herbs, plain Greek yogurt, shampoo and toiletries, and then Aldi for fizzy water, tinned food, frozen veg, tortillas, butter, milk, and cheese. For meats and fresh veg and the occasional 10lb bag of rice I go to a few larger supermarkets, especially one that always has a sale on some brand of pasta. For dried beans/ lentils I go to the bulk bins at Whole Foods. My bill comes to around $40 - $50 per week for two adults. It would be higher if I bought wine or snacks/ crackers/ chocolate. Also, shopping around saves money. Aldi is significantly cheaper than anywhere else for the items I buy there.

mathanxiety · 01/02/2024 15:07

*splurge on a tinned brand...

BurbageBrook · 01/02/2024 15:08

We try to eat a really healthy diet with a range of fruit and veg, meat and fish etc and spend similar. 150+ per week from Aldi mainly and top ups from smaller shops. Just two of us and a baby.

GreatBot · 01/02/2024 15:12

We spend £4 per person per day, which adds up to about £170 per week although we have 4 kids. I would say 3 of them eat as much as me though and that budget includes the odd school dinner. Mostly we cook from scratch, seasonally, no booze. There’s the occasional tin of beans and breakfast cereal though.

arethereanyleftatall · 01/02/2024 15:13

Dd has gone in to a superfood health kick. On the one hand I'm super happy about it. It's spinach, nuts, kale, steak, seeds, pomegranate, pulses, fruit, fish, eggs, seaweed, quinou, veg, veg, veg, seeds type stuff. On the other hand I'm spending £100 a week on her food alone now.
Meanwhile chicken nugget, noodle queen dd2 costs about a tenner.

CarolHath · 01/02/2024 15:13

2 adults, 1 child, 1 toddler in our house. NI so slightly more expensive. Spend around £160 per week (including toiletries etc) at Tesco mostly. I'm on a whole food plant based diet. Only meat I buy is one whole chicken and one pound of mince or steak pieces per week for the others. Don't buy any UPFs except stock cubes. Buy some organic produce when it's available. Make our own bread, pancakes, treats.

My shop was around £100 before all the price increases.

CarolHath · 01/02/2024 15:13

Rarely buy alcohol either

AttillaThePlum · 01/02/2024 15:18

Yes, this is very much our weekly shop and bill although DD is older.

I don't love the Ocado veg though, so we have a weekly box from Riverford which I suspect comes in cheaper than buying things separately, and then I add bags of salad and a few other bits in with the shop.

I also don't get fish from them - we are lucky enough to have a twice weekly market stall which is a lot cheaper and fresher.

[edited as left out a word]

Lottapianos · 01/02/2024 15:21

2 adults, loads of fresh food, cook from scratch 3 meals a day, usually 6 days a week. Average weekly grocery bill is about 100 quid, with maybe a 20 quid top up in the week. Usually shop at Sainsburys

WhatHaveIFound · 01/02/2024 15:29

We spend around £80-100 per week for 3 adults. Plenty of fruit and veg plus chicken & fish. Only occasional red meat and not much alcohol. Usually Tesco delivery or sometimes Morrisons click & collect.

Lentilweaver · 01/02/2024 15:33

About £120 per week for 3 adults, but we are mostly vegetarian. No processed food or alcohol.

Moier · 01/02/2024 15:42

I'm on my own .. 65.. l use Sainsbury and M&S..
I have one cat costs me £5 on a large whiskers dry food.
With my laundry / dishwasher / cleaning products/ loo rolls/ fruit veg and rest of shopping ( no alcohol.. l don't drink..
Costs me on average £75 per week.. so l think you're doing better than me.

Thewildthingsarewithme · 01/02/2024 15:45

We have a healthy diet, cook from scratch try to buy everything organic where possible, we eat more meat than you but no alcohol and I spend £160 a week plus a couple of top ups of between £10-20, two adults and one three year old!

mitogoshi · 01/02/2024 15:47

3 adults here, typically spend £100 a week, plus dsd buys her own snacks (junk!) eat out once per week

mitogoshi · 01/02/2024 15:47

We eat meat most days I should add

HotToes · 01/02/2024 15:50

Cook from scratch. Order from Morrisons. 2 adults, 8 year old and 4 year old and a cat. This includes both adults lunches too.

£100 per week. No alcohol though.

TheFTrain · 01/02/2024 15:51

3 adults in the house. I shop mainly at Tesco but do top ups at Waitrose. Works out at about £200 per week. We buy about 4 bottles of beer a week or a bottle of wine but apart from that it's similar to you OP. Our shop has definitely gone up over the last couple of years and I'm about to make a concerted effort to try and get it lower.

StoatofDisarray · 01/02/2024 15:52

It's about £100 to £120 a week, but I eat a lot of good quality meat from Borough Market, high welfare eggs, and seasonal vegetables, plus a can of Lewis Hamilton monster every day because I bloody love it. I don't drink, don't holiday much and rarely go out in the evenings (maybe half a dozen times a year).

Petrarkanian · 01/02/2024 15:52

About £130 a week, everything cooked from scratch, no alcohol. 4 adults. All from Morrisons.

StoatofDisarray · 01/02/2024 15:53

StoatofDisarray · 01/02/2024 15:52

It's about £100 to £120 a week, but I eat a lot of good quality meat from Borough Market, high welfare eggs, and seasonal vegetables, plus a can of Lewis Hamilton monster every day because I bloody love it. I don't drink, don't holiday much and rarely go out in the evenings (maybe half a dozen times a year).

It's just me, BTW.

GreatBot · 01/02/2024 16:00

If you’re looking to save money, I advise buying in bulk where you can (eg we buy sacks of oats and rice). Make your own bread. Meat no more than a couple of times a week. Frozen fish.

GreatBot · 01/02/2024 16:01

I would also add that organic, high welfare etc is hugely more expensive than normal produce, but worth it if you’ve got the money

Anotherlifeaway · 01/02/2024 16:07

Okay, that's helpful. Thank you. Seems it is reasonable then. Or at least average. Prices aren't reasonable! It's gone up from around £100 over the last year or so I think.

OP posts:
Crikeyalmighty · 01/02/2024 16:22

I actually buy quite a lot from the rather splendid indoor farm shop near us, it's not cheap but I buy what I need and don't waste it- and I meal plan - I mix this with a bit of M&S ( a few ready meals and Greek yoghurt and all my fruit) and a bit of Sainsbury's ( mainly tins, packets and household goods and utilise my nectar offers)

There is only 2,of us (both adults) but I spend around £110 a week including a bottle of wine. Around £45 at farm shop, £40 at M&S and 25 at Sainsbury's

Augustus40 · 01/02/2024 16:35

2 adults. C £140 includes all cleaning agents. No booze nor pets. I eat meat twice a week. Ds 6 days. We both eat a lot and I definitely steer clear from readymades. I do indulge in a tin of light rice pudding every evening so maybe that is upf.

I go to Savers Home Bargains and Asda.

About a year ago I think I spent c £95 at Asda each week but now it is between £110/£120.