£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?

Obviously a week that's why I talk about OP spending £250 a week. £1000 divided by 4 innit.

We are a family of 4 and during uni holidays a family of 5. We spend £80-£100 per week for 4 of us and approx £120-£130 per week when my dd is home.

what I have done which has made a difference is signed up to Clubcard plus … costs a few £ per month but then get up to 10% off 2x shops per month up to value of £200 so saving some money there. We also yellow sticker shop and freeze what I get … which then is used in the next weeks meal plan.

we use frozen veg instead of fresh a lot of the time ( cheaper and less waste) and stock up on things we use when they are on offer.

when I was cutting down on amount we were spending at the supermarket it was definitely about being more organised, taking the time to meal plan and get a comprehensive shopping list and then not deviating too far from it !

We spend £1k too. Surprisingly easy . Two adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 guinea pigs

😆 Turns out @SilenceInside meant £120 a week! I was about to ask her how she did it. Can she give me some tips and clues? Turns out it was a typo and she actually meant weekly..!

Although.................

@MotherofWhippets81 · Today 13:19

That's a lot.

I probably spend £150 at most - there are two adults a 10 year old and two dogs and we don't skimp and have nice food. I don't think I could spend £250 if I tried

THAT doesn't appear to be a typo. To steal @Comedycook's words... Where are YOU shopping? 1973?

.

OP are you varying meals? Just looking at our meals over 7 days this week: 2 vegetarian, 2 fish, 2 white meat (large chicken that then did a curry), 1 red meat. The low cost of the risotto & the big pot of soup ofset the fish & meat.

Also lunches tend to be leftovers/ sandwiches with tuna/ cheese/ egg mayo (ie not expensive cold meats). Breakfasts are overnight oats/ bagels & fruit.

We spend half that for a family of 4 including cleaning supplies and basic toiletries but I don't think anyone here eats like we do ( Asian veggie diet but no fake meat). I guess you decide what to prioritise. I prefer to use the money for travel and experiences.@

Two adults and we spend about £150 a week - admittedly that includes anything we want to pick up like socks, wine or whatever.
I don't think £250 a week is outrageous but you could definitely make cuts.

Ours is £80-100 a week Two adults, two children under 6. One has lunch at school, the other barely eats. I'm mostly veggie, usually stick to just breakfast and lunch, also don't drink. DH gets a bottle of wine or beers most weeks and enjoys ALL the food!.TBH most of the shop is DH 😂 other than breakfast foods and fruit. When he's away we go through so little food it's ridiculous in comparison.

Edited to add that's everything you can buy at a supermarket, so includes cleaning supplies etc. Only exception is TP, and coffee which both come on a subscription.

That’s about £190 a week. We are about the same for two adults and two teens. Meal plan, meat 2-3 meals a week. All cleaning products and Toilettries. Not including dog food or the weekly takeaway or lunches for the DC or DH. No top up shops.

What are you buying?

Just a thought to save cash….. I buy supermarket vouchers at a discount through a work benefit and gym benefit. Just incase you have that option.

No - it’s £1000 a month, which is £192 a week (£12k into 52 weeks…)

It was not 'obviously per week' that you meant. The OP is saying how much she spends PER MONTH.

You came on and said you spend £150.

Not hard to figure out why people thought you meant monthly. Some posters do have this competitive 'spend as little as possible' streak in them, and claim they only spend £40-50 a week on supermarket shopping!

So of course some people thought you meant £150 a month.

We were responding to what you SAID, not what you MEANT!

We spend £500 each month

Personally I find Lidl properly expensive. What I get for 80 quid in Lidl, costs 40 in Aldi. Every time I go there for a change, I remember why I don't usually.

Bout £250 a month for two. Plus £8.99 ocado delivery smart pass a month. I work shifts so batch cook/ear leftovers. Buy one meal @ work a week. We do eat out once/twice a month or a takeaway.

Not including personal toiletries and partner buys his weekend beer separately. I rarely drink at home and have a stockpile of gifted alcohol.

Do you eat meat or fish everyday?
It will make a huge difference to change to 2-3 times a week and cook creative veggie meals if you or DH enjoy cooking.

Do you buy lots of branded things? For example a branded cereal/ biscuits/crisps
/ yogurts rather than the cheaper store’s own brand? Do you have much waste? Or do you religiously eat leftovers and everything you buy?

Yes this is a lot. We're a family of 4 with dogs and cats and our average is £100. Realistically it fluctuates between £80-150 depending on whether we do a budget, meal planning shop or go all out.

You sometimes spend £120 a month? For a family of four?

Are you living on fresh air at times?

That's £30 a week. The essentials like milk, laundry/ cleaning stuff, bread, butter take up alot of that.

That leaves you £20 (roughly) for all meals and snacks for the week.

Please tell me how?? How is that possible?

This is a genuine question.

You weren’t very clear at all.

I think @Sainsburysaddict needs to do a spreadsheet of all outgoings, not just the supermarket.

Mortgage
Energy
Water
Insurance
Fuel
Cars
Television and any apps
Internet
Club memberships adults and children
Beauty

I'm sure there's more with children

We spend £400 ish a month for family of 3 - shop in m&s, waitrose, asda, local shops.
Mostly veggie but eat meat once or twice a week.

Whatever you decide and do at the end, do not compromise health of your children by following advise of "crisps and sandwich for lunch". Maybe move down the chain in terms of the shops you use, e.g. Lidl instead of Sainsbury's, or Sainsbury's instead of Waitrose.

What are you buying? What are your basic meals?