Boring… food shopping costs

[Tattooedcoffeeaddict]

I’m trying to settle a debate. I’m being told that I’m not buying enough food/spending enough money/buying enough snacks with the food shop and I was wondering how much other people spend?

So two adults, three children ages 2, 6 and 8. A dog and a guinea pig. The 5 and 8 year old both diagnosed with ASD and struggle with sensory issues surrounding food. This means that certain foods have to be branded or they will not eat them. If I try to give them anything other than a Richmond sausage or Birds Eye chicken dipper they will know and refuse to eat.
Food shopping is coming in around £130 a week with a mid week top up of around £30 - £40 for bread, milk, wipes, more snacks and occasionally nappies (2 in nappies).

I meal plan and the two oldest have packed lunch at school. Yet I’m being complained at that there’s not enough snacks. If it was just the children complaining I’d take it but I’m getting the same complaint from the other adult in the house as well.

So in this weeks online shop, snacks wise there is;

46 packs of crisps (10 of these are reserved for lunchboxes)
1 box nutrigrain bars
3 bags apples
Bag of tangerines
500g blueberries
800g strawberries
A cucumber/ cherry tomatoes/ carrot sticks
2 packs instant noodles
1 pack chocolate digestives
1 pack jammy dodgers
1 pack cookies
16 rocket ice lollies
8 button cornetto type ice creams

Apparently this isn’t enough… this is far more than I had growing up. I think the problem is they are ploughing through it and expecting it all to magically replace itself and I don’t like doing that. When I was little if I ate all the junk in a day that was it until the next food shop.
Their dad is complaining that it’s not enough and I’m struggling with the 6 year old as she’s non verbal and doesn’t understand she can’t chain eat crisps so then just screams when she doesn’t get more. I don’t know if I’m going wrong with this!

IMO for the kids that's plenty. That being said, I have a stash of 'my snacks' - perhaps suggest that to your OH. He can get it himself or if you're feeling nice you can add a few bits for him and keep them to one side.

Just make sure you have something cheap/filling around for if anyone's genuinely hungry! Bread and butter etc.

Sorry couldn't get last 46 packets of crisps !!

46 packets of crisps not enough snacks?😮That's way too much junk. make them eat fruit and nuts instead.

Looks loads to me. If your husband wants more he needs to either add to the list or go and buy what he wants.

9 packets per week per person and 1 left over. Nobody needs to eat crisps daily.

That’s a lot of crisps and apples 😬
both my teens have ASD, eldest is home from uni so our shopping bill is higher. This week for snacks I have bought….
10 packs of crisps
1 punnet Grapes
1 punnet of blueberries
1 bunch of banana
1 pot of chopped melon
1 bag of carrots (dd2 eats them raw)
1 pack of mini cucumbers

we don’t buy biscuits very often or chocolate though they are still eating Easter eggs. We don’t really eat between meals and have fruit as pudding or with breakfast. Dd1 has a really awful diet due to sensory issues but when she’s at uni we eat pretty healthy. We have the same issue with sausages (will only eat richmonds). Dd1 mostly lives on pizza and potatoes (chips, mash, jacket) where as dd2 will eat anything.

Bloody hell - that's way more snacks than we ever bought for 3 kids. Too much snacks!

Agree I'm afraid with PPs. Are they eating any proper meals?!

Don't do all those snacks

Snacks shouldn't be needed anyway

If people are hungry then a drink and some bread and butter, bread and jam , cheap fruit and veg ( apples bananas and carrot sticks )

Feeling really generous then a chunk of cheese with the bread or unsalted nuts with the apple

That is not a list of snacks, that is a pile of junk food for greedy people.
No family needs to go through 20+ ice creams a week, or 46 packets of crisps.

It sounds like they need larger portions at meal times and less junk to eat in between.

Snacks are not necessary at all between meals if the meals are decent.
This many means people can leave their actual food and fill up on junk instead.

Surely you don't really think that lot's not enough snacks for your family? That's really quite a generous amount.

As for costs, £170 pw for your family is probably around average. You could do it for less if you needed to, and it would be fine to spend more if you could afford it, but as a starting point for a family food shop that is neither on the breadline or sufficiently financially comfortable that the luxury version is affordable, it's fine.

Surely your partner doesn't want DD to be filling up on junk so she won't eat proper food?

I have 3 kids (11, 8 and 6) and did my food shop today. I got:
8 apples
6 bananas
500g strawberry
Punnet of grapes
2 packs of Maryland cookies
24 packs of crisps
3x6 packs of chocolate type bars
8 yoghurt pouches
Box of frubes
3x pot noodles
8 dairylea dunkers
3x packs chicken on sticks
Pack of plain waffles
Pack of scotch pancakes
Pack of salt and vinegar rice cakes

I've got 1 back at school having pack lunch and 2 still on Easter holidays. I'll probably top up the fruit but most of the dry snacks will last into next week.

Oh and I spent £88quid in Aldi, that included 4 evening meals, lunches and breakfasts.

Sorry I didn't seem to absorb that at least 2 are ASD. But that leaves 3 who can eat fewer crisps and junk. I don't know enough about ASD to comment on ASD diets.

By my reckoning that's three not so healthy snacks a day plus healthy ones. If your family are an average weight/below average, it might be worth increasing main meal portion sizes and making sure it's as healthy as possible so their bodies aren't craving others things looking for nutrients. Three of us can easily live on £60pw (I appreciate many can't) so by my mind you're spending enough on food.

46 packs of crisps?

If the other adult in the house is complaining let them do the shopping.

Budget sounds about right. Two adults and two tweens and we come in about £180 / week when they are not in school.

It's more than enough.
Our household is the same minus the 2 year old and pets. We don't have half that many snacks. I don't snack and the kids only do at the weekend.

I agree the crisp situation is ridiculous!

Feeding the two oldest is so bloody difficult and I’m at my wits end with it. My 6 year old has severe ASD. She’s non verbal, in nappies with no understanding and she will NOT eat meals. She will sit there and scream. Other than snacks the only meals she will eat are spaghetti bolognese but it has to be made with a specific packet mix, fusilli pasta instead of spaghetti and she will only eat it with mushroom and onion if it’s chopped very small. Oh and the pasta and sauce can’t be touching! Other than that she will eat Birds Eye chicken dippers, Richmond sausages, alpha bites and crisps. Sometimes she refuses all food except crisps so it’s a case of giving her the crisps or she doesn’t eat all day.

To the person asking if I really don’t think that’s enough, no I do! That’s what made me ask. Their dad is constantly on at me about me not providing enough food for them so I went through the food shop, saw all of that and thought surely not.

I hate the amount of snacks but without the snacks the 6 and 8 year old would not eat at all.

Thank you all for reassuring me I’m not being mean and it is indeed plenty.

Also it’s only the kids eating the crisps! And mostly my 6 year old at that! I remember my mum looking after her once and I came back to find she’d chain ate a multipack of cheese and onion crisps. Even her school gave her crisps to placate her when they can’t calm her down! It’s becoming a nightmare.

I think perhaps you should go on the SN board for advice.

Ignore the crisps comments , OP.

Food of Kings. Nothing comes close to sitting in front of the TV with a beer and a 150g bag of Sea Salt & West Country Cider Vinegar flavour crisps.

I spend about £100 pw on big shop plus milk and veg top up and I buy none of these snacks at all except pieces of fruit. I can't have this stuff around - I'd end up eating it myself!
If the kids (teens) are hungry between meals they can always have toast/jam/peanut butter/marmite; they can cook a couple of eggs; bowl of weetabix; natural yogurt with fruit; there's always portions of soup, hummus, refried beans, pitta etc in the freezer they can defrost. They can bake a mug cake or flapjacks. They can make popcorn. The elder makes smoothies.

Is there enough protein in main meals, often when there isn’t people do get more hungry and crave unhealthy snacks.
Could you try offering an egg with the chicken dippers etc?

I'd ask the GP to refer you to a dietician so you can get some help with introducing more foods. It is hard work but can be done.

Ok, so I think you need to mentally separate food for the two with additional needs from food for the rest of the family because it sounds like what is a snack for some, is also a meal for others. Have you shown your dh your list? Does he want more variety or just quantity? Are his meals enough? Can you afford more snacks? Is there a reason he can't just add to a list or buy whatever he wants himself? Or is this more about what the children are having?