£1,000 at the supermarket every month!

[Sainsburysaddict]

So - have just gone through our finances and we’re spending £1,000 at the supermarket every month.

DH says this is average for a family of 4 and is rather alarmed that I’d like to budget. Spending less can’t be done apparently, without a life of boring meals.

We desperately need to save money.

Thoughts? Tips? How much do you spend?

Shep pie

It sounds a lot but if that is everything including cleaning, toiletries, alcohol etc I don’t think it is as bad as it sounds.

We spent £210 a week for 2 male adults, 1 female adult and 2 very hungry teenage boys. I cook all meals from scratch (meat 6x per week) and we eat a lot of fruit (minimum 3-5 pieces pp per day. It also includes everything for 4 packed lunches a day and a dessert with every main meal. One meal per week is ready made. Each week we buy 4 bottles of alcohol free beer). It doesn't include any cleaning products (smol £16 per month) or cat food (untambed £36 per month) for 2 cats. So think it's fairly realistic.

We have two adults, all meals at home, one of us gluten free and we spend around £60-£100 a week. I assumed being gluten free would make it more expensive but maybe it's cheaper because we don't buy any ready meals or premade pizza or things like that.

We use the international supermarket a lot for much cheaper spices, rice vinegar etc. Even in supermarkets, spices and herbs are much cheaper in the international aisle than those little pots. Tend to eat rice a lot and have rice cakes instead of bread (because gluten free bread is expensive and basically junk). We use a lot of frozen meat and veg. This is all by choice not due to needing to restrict ourselves.

I don't think we scrimp and save but we do buy things by ingredients not brand e.g. Philadelphia cheese has gums added to it, the Tesco's own is pure milk so we buy the Tesco one.

I think it's the extras that add up - juices, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits or their healthier equivalent. Basically things that are pre-made rather than ingredients.

It seems like a lot. Have you quantified how much you're throwing away?
Obviously there's things which can be economised on in terms of need v want, quality v value, but how much ends up in the bin? How much do you have in your cupboards/freezer that you don't need?

…or perhaps a simple typo.

We spend about that much (also family of 4) but we are in eastern USA and I have noticed food is a lot cheaper in the uk.

Guessing you are in or around London?

Us too

I think that is a ridiculous amount to spend on cleaning products.

I never really understand when posters say "that includes all toiletries and cleaning products". Toiletries are not expensive unless you want to spend silly amounts on shower gel, shampoo etc and they last quite a while. Buy at Aldi, Lidl, Home Bargains (anywhere that sells them cheaply).

Lidl's washing liquid is less than £4 and does around 50 washes (I use less than recommended so get more washes from it). Again, it lasts a good few months.

You don't need tons of different cleaning sprays and unless you are cleaning multiple times a day they should last.

Best to buy loo roll in bulk if you can. They work out cheaper and you are not forever buying packs when you go shopping

The price of my toothpaste is shocking £5 at a small Asda recently

3 adults and 2 dogs and it's not far off that but it does include wine. I don't think we are particularly extravagant.

Reads like colon cancer to me.

Two adults, a 10 year old and a cat here and we spend around £140-150 a week. We’re veggie and buy zero alcohol. This includes toiletries and cleaning items, although I do try to shop around for those in B&M/Hime Bargains. I find the weeks I pick up a couple of bottles of shampoo and toothpaste I’ve spent over a tenner just on these. I usually shop at Sainsbury’s and use the smart shop so I can keep track of how much I’m spending or use Ocado. I’m gong to Aldi tomorrow the first time in a long time to see how they compare price wise. I remember when I used to go to Morrisons and be able to get a weekly shop for £65.

We do this as well for at least a couple of meals a week. We’ll have a jacket potato and salad for dinner or spaghetti or beans on toast. We always have fresh fruit and salad readily available all week. It makes a big difference to the cost of the food shop.

It’s the amount some people spend on cleaning products that astound me. If you are lucky to live near a place that supplies tools and catering types of things then get a 5 gallon lemon scented container of it and decant some into a bottle and dilute as per instructions . Does my kitchen worktops down to glass, stove door etc.
For laundry I use Aldi or Lidl powders which I decant into a large laundry tin with a scoop. Lasts ages. No fabric conditioner. If you tumble then add an old facecloth that you’ve sprayed in a fresh linen diluted scent (if you have to)
I do use bleach but buy it at B&M as I have a lot of pets and forever moping the floor……again I buy it in bulk as don’t live near one, so just when I’m near one.
Ditto with kitchen towel Home Bargains plus their bin liners which are fab.
For a chicken chow mein ( or my version!) found that the limes, chillis, fresh ginger, garlic and coriander etc mounted up, so I tried bottled lime juice, dried chilli flakes (or whole dried) and jars which have ginger and garlic chopped from supermarket and dried coriander. Lovely! Oh and dried noodles instead of prepacked throw in ones already cooked. Just needed the oyster sauce, soy and splash of sesame (Asian supermarket, again if lucky to get as cheaper)

Hope this helps someone.

I think that nowadays it’s very easy to spend that amount. We were £60 at butchers then around £200 at the supermarket. Ok there were some cleaning products, dog food and wine but it just seems the costs go up every week. It used to be around £120 at the supermarket but that was last year!

That sounds a lot to me. I spend around £70 a week for 2 of us and that includes everything. I batch cook and bulk buy things like loo roll, pasta, rice etc.

If I really had to, I’d be able to live on £70 a week. But nowadays I don’t need to. Back in the day, we had absolutely no money and could survive on very little. I hope I never have to do it again, but I could!!

I really don't think our shopping habits have changed the price of our supermarket goods have risen hugely since March 2020.

Are you buying a lot of booze?

Family of four - 2 teens, we budget £150 a week but only usually use that once a month when we need toiletries or cleaning stuff. Usually £100-£130 weekly.

No alcohol but don’t scrimp on other stuff.

It makes a huge difference shopping at Aldi or Lidl compared to the other supermarkets. After reading this thread and realising I was spending between £70 - £100 on just me and DD a week I went to Aldi instead this morning. £46 for our usual shop. I’m converted!

That’s amazing.
We did a cost by cost comparison this morning, on a recent shop - Sainsbury versus LIDL.
LIDL came in 10% cheaper.

I go to the Poundshop where they have branded toothpaste for a lot less. I refuse to pay that much for toothpaste.

@SilenceInside ·

** an error, I was thinking about the monthly cost of the OP and wrote month when I meant week. But I'm probably doomed to a lynching as it's too late for me to edit the post.

You will be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life!!!!!