Just had to put a food shop on the credit card, fed up!

[whatsausername]

We don’t get paid until next Thursday. I’d ran out of essentials like coffee, hand wash, toothpaste, chips etc. Needed the usual packed lunch stuff too. £78 in Asda. I have £82 in the account until payday but need to keep it in as direct debits due day before payday.

I just feel bleugh. We both work full time and having to put a weekly food shop on a credit card is just soul destroying.

anyone else feel like this?

Well, my grandparents ate that kind of diet, and all four of them died in their seventies with or from various cancers, diabetes and heart disease, and the one who lived to her 90s had dementia for ten years, probably linked to diabetes resulting from a very poor diet. I’m not sure many of that generation or today’s boomers were enormously healthy? It’s not just obesity that results from poor food quality.

I find this too. Family of 6. I used to spend £70 maybe 2 years ago. Now I spend around £110 being careful and after day 4 I need to go back. Maybe it's the children getting older and helping themselves more for me to add to the increase in cost.

Aldi, I posted some examples of our meals a bit further up the thread. X

I do hear you OP.

one small thought, if you’re spending £250-300 on one big shop and then also £60 per week that is £450-£500 which was a family of 3 is high and potentially there could be savings in there?

dont want to miss the point though that living month to month is hard going

This "Rachel from accounts" bollocks is so condescending. I don't ever remember anyone saying "Rishi from accounts" or "Gordon from accounts".

I'm not a fan either but I wouldn't stoop so low. This is a site primarily for women so please don't use sexist insults here.

I used to buy lamb etc now I cook a lot of vegan type dinners like vegetable curry or Moroccan vegetable tahine to save money. I’d say that our shopping bill has doubled in the last 4 years but the quality and variety of food is much less.

This is a site primarily for women so please don't use sexist insults here.
Hear, hear.

Sounds about right to me. If I'm getting just the essentials at Lidl in for the week I'm always spending minimum £50 for DH and I and the dogs.

Soap does last far longer though.

This "Rachel from accounts" bollocks is so condescending. I don't ever remember anyone saying "Rishi from accounts" or "Gordon from accounts".

@whatsausername We didn't get 'Jeremy/Kwasi/Nadhim/Rishi/Sajid/Philip/George/Alistair/Gordon/Kenneth/Norman/John/Nigel/Geoffrey/Denis/... from Accounts'
so why say "Rachel from Accounts"?

Interesting thread this - careworker here working a 48hr week. I live with my 19yr old daughter and I spend £40 per week, I refuse to spend more - we both eat 1-2 meals regularly provided by our workplaces so obviously fortunate although both earn mediocre wages - both working approx 3-4 days per week.

I cook veggie so lots of butter, cheese, beans, lentils, oats, veg, fruit, eggs, honey and I splash out on expensive olive oil - if DD wants niche processed crap, she buys it.

Meat is ludicrously expensive and generally shitty quality - I shop Lidl & Sainsbury’s - loyalty schemes come in handy - I also go to M&S for chocolate & biscuits.

We don’t booze but drink a lot of Earl Grey tea and water (39p God bless Lidl).

I find it beyond hilarious that a big chunk of our population believe super prick Farage will improve this situation. He was the architect of Brexit ffs …

What a ridiculous comment, so we can spend whatever we like, or whatever fripperies, because we work full time?
We have no idea how the OP spends/wastes/ conserves her money.
We only know soap give her the ick and she is happy to spend £7 on instant instead of decent fresh coffee.

Been doing it for years OP as we don’t have the spare cash ready when we need to buy food. Have always lived on the back foot

it is really tough for many families, food, heat, electric, mortgages, rents, costs are rising.
The basic essentials items are handy.

How long do you expect people to live for?!

I could do a shop for £75 but my family is 2 adults and 1 child

I get you.

Nearly £7 for Yorkshire Tea is too much.

It's 6 quid now, for the only cat food our cat will eat...

She gets the food, we get own brand tea bags.

Nice tea isn't essential, but it'd be bloody lovely to have sometimes.

@greengagesummers , UK diabetes rates are increasing. The baby boomers might have been old enough to have been alive during rationing, or they will have been children of parents who live through rationing.
Obesity in childhood is increasing.

Yes, both DH and I have recently come home with one bloody bag (granted, a full one) for about £30! I dread the shops where it seems everything has run out the same time, especially if cleaning products are needed.

You’re not wrong OP. Life is short and it’s a disgrace that even certain fruits are a treat now for so many children and their families who work hard - and that formula has security tags. So depressing.

I have a weight loss app, and notice shrinkflation there loads. Can input an item which has been saved on there previously by another user, but when I check the packet, there's now say 280 rather than 300 calories in it. Often a smaller amount of protein than whenever the original was put on the app too.

@whatsausername as an aside, what I have found particularly helpful over the years is having all of my bills come out on the same day, or as close to pay day. Once all paid I don’t worry as it’s done. I also ensure all bills come out of one account and spending is done from a different one.

@Youcanpayit , just a tip, but sometimes human food is cheaper than cat food. I sometimes share my food, and DCat eats a bit of pastry or something. She thinks it's great.

Do they? I doubt it. I don't know anyone that does a weekly shop for so little

Really? We tried own brand because of the cost and it was FOUL imo. So stuck with Nescafe but now forgo the milk.

Prices are going up so much. Swapped from nescafe to aldi own brand and dh who loves his coffee hasn't noticed. Saved at least a fiver there:)

We don't eat bought snack food, or ready meals. We just don't like them and if anyone wants biscuits or cake we just make it, takes no time and is very cheap. We even have reusable baking sheets.

September is a long month. Cost of living is too high. Our council tax is going up again. We can't magic money, and we do work- there are only so many hours in the day left to meal plan, cook, freeze, garden veg, fuck about in allotments that labour want to build houses on.