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.

Three weeks out of four I put in whatever I want, then on last week of month usually more careful. But by then cupboards and freezer are quite full. On week 4 I make two lists, stuff we need and stuff we definitely don’t need, this stops me putting stuff in just in case. Week 4 will have less expensive cuts of meat and less treats. This way I meet my monthly budget but we’ve had 3 weeks of feasting and only one of famine

Only me and DH.

We buy what we want within reason but most stuff gets used - if it gets to the end of the week and there's random stuff in the fridge I'll make a stew or soup with the veg. Or roast the veg and have it with pasta/ Parmesan.

The thing we never seem to finish up is hummus even though I love it.

I usually go to Aldi once a week for fruit and veg ( we don't eat meat), household things like loo roll, kitchen roll, washing up liquid etc, tinned stuff and cereal/ bread. That's usually about £50.

Then we top up with a few bits during the week from whatever supermarket is nearest.

I have a £10 a day lunch budget on the 4 days I'm in work but that also has to cover any coffees so not a huge amount. That would be the first thing to go if I had to make changes.

No budget but always have a shopping list. However if dh comes with me, we are always at least £50 more than if I went alone.

Meal plan and online shopping once a week. Occasionally a top up shop. I can’t be arsed with going to the shop multiple times a week.

Once a week shopping is sufficient for me. Not keen on online stuff as the dates are never too good. If I’m shopping instore, I check the dates and if they are not good, I just don’t buy it.

Yes £70 every 10 days. For 3 older teenagers and one adult. Two have afrid and one gluten free.
I meal plan and shop online so I can be really strict. I bulk buy rice, pasta, tea bags, washing up liquid, coffee etc when on offer.
I also have a few cheap night meals eg egg on toast/ Jacket potato with cheese and beans.

Yes I have a monthly budget and meal plan to stick to that. It's fairly generous by some standards - me and 3 teens, 2 dogs and 3 cats (and occasional (very expensive) visits from older kids who are at university).

Somewhere in between. When I was partnered but without kids I figured out that if I splashed the cash a little bit on a more extravagant Friday night dinner I wouldn't feel the urge to eat out! Now we have 2 adults and 2 tweens I still don't put salmon or steak in my trolley with reckless abandon but I will buy preferred cheeses, bread, fruits, and deli stuff so people don't feel deprived. Same theory really, make eating at home more appealing thank eating out, save a fortune.

I don’t have a budget as such but I know the price of most things and will stock up when they’re on offer. I’m also a big fan of yellow stickers.
My last online shop cost £190 😱.

No budget, just buy what we want/need.
Have definitely had times when the dc were young and we had to be a bit more careful but now I’m just very grateful that we can buy what we want.

We are lucky enough to not need to budget. We do try to stock up on long-lasting staples when they go on sale.

£100 per week onto the spending card to do the weekly shop (me, DH, DS and Dcat), then once per month on payday we do a toiletries/cat food/litter shop and fill the car with fuel. Not a penny more!

Yes I always spend a lot more when dc is with me! I prefer to have a list of what we need and stick to it. If I wander around putting what I fancy in the trolley I will spend much more.

No budget. I do a rough meal plan but these days it's just buying roughly the right amount of stuff for certain meals but not allocating to a particular day. Sometimes I don't get it right and we end up with too much stuff and some fresh food gets put in the freezer, or we don't have quite enough but I can throw together a store cupboard pasta meal. Family of 5. I do all shopping online once a week. Don't need to top up. We're fortunate that we can buy what we need/want, though I tend to choose things on offer and own-brand products.

No list, no budget, no meal
plan. But I wish I did. I spend far too much on food and it’s getting harder to afford it. We were Poor growing up so I am obsessed with having a full fridge and cupboards.

Fairly strict budget of £125pw for family of 4, plus cat. 30% off coop own brand is really helpful for thag though and even better when there's meat already reduced, plus the 30% off. 😁

Not since DD was born, before I was very careful and meal planned. Now I just buy whatever we need.

I just buy what I want. It's the one area I won't set a budget for

Buy what I want when I want. Me, dh and an 18 year old.

I buy what we need. Some weeks I might spend £70 other weeks I might spend £160, it really just depends. Probably spend around £600 per month.

5 of us, 2 adults and DC 14, 12, 11 plus 2 cats (that are both greedy AF!)

I meal plan, have a list and there is no waste. But we have what we want and I don't have to worry about cost. We have good meat and fish and lots of fruit, veg and salad stuffs.

I meal plan in an effort to avoid waste but don’t have a specific budget. Plus tend to go for quality, so choose higher welfare meat and so on. Fussy cats tend to push the bill up by a fair amount!

We make sure we don’t go over £100 a week on food (family of 4)
That includes a top up shop of fruit & veg during the week.
We stick to it by meal planning, we eat a Mediterranean type diet so our shopping list is pretty consistent!

Similar to you, OP. There is DH and myself at home and random teenage child (19) who may or may not appear for days at a time.

However, I'm also beginning to realise that we spend a lot on food, and this is probably the only area where I can actually cut back. Trying to plan more and buy less.

I could definitely save money if I physically shopped less. I find myself shopping little and often and even a small basket of stuff is £30+ in Tesco each time.