I could eat very cheaply if I lived on my own

[Atobe]

Could you?!

It’s only me and a teenager at home now but I seem to spend half my life shopping for more and more food as they are fussy, we like different things and they eat a lot of milk and cereal so we are always running out.

I think how easy it could be to just feed myself. I would eat very simply and if I didn’t have much food in I would be quite happy with beans on toast or a ham salad sandwich and a cup of tea. I would cook occasionally eg a cottage pie and it would last me for three days!

I don’t eat out much these days so I would save a lot of money all round too!

I hear you!

We’re getting close to spending £230 a week now and I feel like that’s ridiculous.

The kids seem to go through everything so quickly!

but then you would not have your child at home

Absolutely I could! I reckon £20 a week would be plenty for me 😂

well obviously. Even without trying your food bill would instantly half.

I wouldn’t buy biscuits and crisps either, but I eat them as we buy them now… I’d lose a few pounds

To be fair, it’s DH not DD who is the expensive one

I budget £200 per month in grocery shopping for me & the cat & that’s normally about right. I’m veggie, do a lot of batch cooking & usually have a meal at lunchtime then something like ryvita or a sandwich in the evening. Can’t be bothered meals are usually something like pasta, pesto & frozen veg.

I hear you! Also I wouldn't have to constantly think about what to cook! I could just do a pot of dahl and eat it all week ❤️

Yep, same here. 16yo DS eats far more than I do.

Same here, I buy biscuits and crisps for DS, I wouldn't buy them if I lived alone.

Same here. Wouldn't cook every night either!

100% yes, me too. I also reckon £20 a week would feed me very well.

I batch cook for myself, vegetable based diet with very occasional chicken.
A loaf in the freezer lasts me about 10 days. (yellow sticker too)

Oh and my house would be pristine too!

How much are you spending per week for you and teen?

There's just me and DH at home now, but yes I could live very cheaply - a tin of tomatoes, an onion and a pack of lentils! A bit more than that in reality of course but I'm mainly veggie, whereas DH will buy himself Charlie Binghams meals for two people and eat them all himself, washed down with a bottle of wine. We aren't struggling so it's not a problem financially, but I would certainly spend an awful lot less if there was just me.

I also thought £20 a week would do me. I definitely wouldn’t cook every day and I don’t like snacks eg crisps or takeaways or fast food. I’d prefer a salad or sandwich or occasionally pasta.

Yes definitely. There are 7 of us. 2 adults, 4 kids, (1 small baby who is here half the week). So when I make a family meal, it's in large quantities. I'm constantly topping up snacks and things like bread, milk, packed lunch things. Food shopping is easily our largest monthly expense. I like very simple food so if it was just me that would massively reduce.

Absolutely- DH loves meat but I could happily be veggie which is much cheaper. I love lentils/beans/chickpeas etc and would probably have Dahl or veg curry most days 😂

There’s also more chance to experiment if it’s just you. I try something new out of one of my recipe books most weekends, & then cook the dishes I like best when I have friends over.

I would be thinner too, and would have more free time as I wouldn't have to cook.

Definitely! I am quite happy with simple food. I would mainly live on porridge, yoghurt, frozen fruit, vegetable soup, eggs and beans on toast. I quite often say to DH that I love poached egg on toast either as a breakfast, lunch or for my dinner.

I would spend more time on a Sunday batch cooking bigger meals and portioning them up (curries, lasagne, cottage pies, pasta bake, casseroles etc) and then freezing them so I always had home-made microwave meals in the freezer too.

Oh God yes.

It's me and DH. I'm the same and do not require a cooked meal every night and would be happy with egg on toast and or a sandwich.

Or sometimes I might shave a cake at teatime and have nothing at all

Or make a lasagne or a curry and have it four nights on the trot.

Those were the days

Yes single vegetarian here and I don't eat eggs so my grocery shop is not expensive - I spend more on the dog some weeks. Petrol is a bigger expense for me as I use my car for work.
Increasingly too, I go to Aldi as there are several near where I work and overall I like their stuff - I pop to Waitrose or Sainsburys occasionally but jacket potatoes, houmous, quinoa, frozen veg, some nice cheese, oats, baked beans, nice bread etc all serve me well.

DH is the main driver of our food bill at our house. I like to make big batches of stews or things like quick vegetable pastas. I’m also perfectly happy with a sandwich for many meals. You can get surprisingly creative with a sandwich with just some long shelf-life condiments available to rotate. Sometimes I just put together a plate of random little things and it feels like a really indulgent, satisfying meal because it is all things that looked and taste good.

DH wants variety and meat. He wants proper meals. He is perfectly willing to be the one to do the work for them so I can’t fault him there.

Apologies naice bread and naice cheese 😊