Do you set a budget for your food shopping or do you just buy what you want/need?

[Springisintheair01]

I used to be good at budgeting but I don’t particularly do it where food is concerned any more as it’s only me and a teenager at home now.

I am definitely shopping a lot, spending too much and wasting more than I would like. I can eat pretty simply myself but dc is very fussy and on and off certain foods. They also don’t like eating the same thing two days in a row whereas I could easily eat the same meal two or three times. I am always aware of costs when I’m shopping and buy cheaper brands where I can but I know I need to plan better and use up what we have.

I’m sure if you have a big family you have to meal plan and budget whereas I have got used to shopping every couple of days for a few things because I’m not feeding lots of people. I am wondering what everybody else does.

i make a list and use the scan and shop gadget. If Ive spent too much before the end I just leave the rest for next time.

Yes I meal plan and check out offers before writing a list which I stick too :) saves loads. Which I then spend on holidays :)

Strict budget of £240pm for feeding myself

I don't set a budget despite having a large family as food is not an optional purchase but I don't spend excessively.

I buy what I want. I can't buy that much fridge stuff anyway (flat share). I have very little food waste, only sometimes I don't manage to finish the pot or jar of something before mould begins to develop. Only for me though, so I'm not reliant on other people consuming what I planned on them consuming when buying.

I’m quite strict on the food budget - which is split over milkman, main shop, one top up shop and one takeaway every week. Main shop is done online so once I’ve mealplanned I do the shop and then trim back where necessary to meet the budget. Our budget is probably relatively generous but we do stick closely to it and it’s controlled.

I buy what I want. But I have spent enough time counting pennies and buying just 2 potatoes because 3 was over budget.

No budget. I’m fortunate to able to buy what I want. Only me and DH to buy for

Similar to you OP, I buy what I need/want. I try to have rough meals in my head as I shop and bear in mind anything I have that I need to use up, but generally just go with what takes my fancy on the day.
I don't waste food- this means sometimes I have some strange concoctions for meals- and sometimes I spend a lot. Other times I get by easily on £30pw for me & DD.
I was thinking to myself today that my meals lately have been very thrown together, things that just need using, so I might try to plan a bit better and follow some actual recipes!

Me and DH

£375 per month. Including household things like washing powder etc alcohol and maybe one takeaway. We meal plan and shop weekly and waste little.

We have a mix of fresh stuff at the start of the week and then at the end rely more on cupboard and freezer. I batch cook and we have a big Sunday dinner that last Monday as well

We shop at Aldi but also for elsewhere for bargains and we both can cook.

I food plan and have a rough idea. I spend about £130 p week for 4 (sometimes less) which includes dog and lunches. We eat well and that's for 4 - me, dh, dd- early 20s, ds, 17. We do little top ups for milk.

I don’t budget as such but I meal plan and do go for the budget version of most things. Unless it’s not great quality and I prefer the more expensive/ better version. Make sure to use everything up and waste nothing so I justify it like that.

I don't meal plan or budget as such but I keep an eye on the Lidl app. If it's rocketing then I make a conscious effort to work through freezer meals and think of cheaper options than normal (like toast and jam/ peanut butter and banana for breakfast rather than the preferred cereal and pain au chocolate. We don't tend to eat out or have takeaway but for me and 2 D's who also eat adult portions we probably spend £400 a month in Lidl (this includes packed lunch stuff, any alcohol, sweets and treats and cleaning stuff and toiletry stuff etc)

Daughter and husband eat very simple traditional English classics, so that is very easy to budget and goes out of his account, when I want to splash the cash on amazing continental do, buy the ingredients myself

I buy what I want , I do have wiggle room in my spending but I try to keep it relatively sensible. But if I see something that takes my fancy in the trolley it goes. It's just two airs and a constantly hungry teen but my fit shopping teens to be around £100-£150 a week. I do a lot from scratch, home made bread, fruit loaf, hearty meals etc. but I do like good quality ingredients and can easily spend £30-£80 every few months on good quality baking ingredients and specialty flours etc.

Family of 4 and I try to stay under 150 per week. Some weeks it will come to 110, other weeks I'll reach the 150. I get paid monthly so the last week of the month I always have a budget week because I'm running out of money.

We don’t set a budget, we just buy what we like. We do 2 online shops each week and it’s rare that anything goes to waste.

Aim for about £120 for 5 of us (3 adults 2 teens).

We’re fortunate that we don’t have to budget especially but we are careful, bulk buy when things are on offer, meal plan to minimise waste etc.

Just buy what we want.

I meal plan and order shop online so I'm not tempted by extras.

I budget £100 a week. For 3 adults and 1 child that includes, alcohol, cleaning and toiletries.

We usually nip to local shop for milk/bread /extras in the week. I aim to limit that to £30

I meal plan and make a list but no strict budget. Will substitute if something is particularly expensive or cheap

I don’t set a budget but I don’t buy extravagantly either lots of sensible basics to turn into meals. Then it costs what it costs. I’d rather put money into weekly food shop than a holiday/ day out as good nutrition is really important

There's only DH, me, and the dog - we do like to eat well though. My weekly budget for the Tesco click 'n collect is 'under €100', which includes household stuff like washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, washing machine things etc. etc. The dog food and treats alone come to around €25!

Once every few months (maybe three times a year?), I do online bulk orders for meat and fish for the freezer. Once a year we get a whole sheep, butchered, too. The weekly online shop is mostly veg, fruit, pulses, cereals, tea, coffee, yogurts, eggs, flour, herbs/spices and similar. I buy one pre-made lasagne a week for DH to have on his return from the pub on Friday - which is my homemade curry night (he's gone off curry).

I'm retired, so I have all the time in the world to cook from scratch, which I really enjoy. I'm not sure it keeps the costs down (DH jokes that I make the most expensive sausages in the world), but at least I know what's in what we're eating.

We're very lucky to be able to afford to eat this way - but then again, if we eat out once a year it's a miracle, and we never get takeaways/deliveries because they simply don't exist in our area. I also grow some veg - but not enough for us to live on, by a long chalk!

Onli.me so buy whst I want. Sometimes however if something is not on offer I will wait, if I haven't quite run out