to ask what you think is a reasonable food budget is for a student living in digs?

[grovel]

DS was "fully catered" in his college at university last year. Now moving into digs with 4 friends. Monday to Friday they are each going to take turns to cook for the others in the evening. I'm trying to work out a budget with him for food, loo rolls, cleaning materials etc. Any thoughts?
I've cut this lots of ways and have got answers ranging from £20 - £50 per week.

It depends where he's going to shop. If he goes to Asda and buys smart price stuff (fruit and veg/pasta etc) he's going to need less than if they shop at Waitrose.

His nearest supermarket is a Tesco.

I'd think a single person could eat comfortably for around £20 per week if he goes to Asda or Aldi or another budget supermarket

I was going to say £30 would be do-able....but £40 would give a bit more lee-way and allow for some 'specials' at the weekend.

You can cook and eat quite cheaply....beans on toast, eggs on toast, pasta with simple sauces, cereals, milk etc

But you are supposed to have fresh fruit and veg every day and he will need ssome good quality protein several times a week. Good quality food isn't cheap these days....
Loo rolls, soap powder and cleaning products aren't cheap either so I wouldn't budget for under £30 a week....

Are they seriously going to take it in turns to cook each night?

I'd say £30 is reasonable. I'd say they shouldn't get involved in cooking for each other - it'll all end in tears most likely revolving around money. They'd be better keeping it separate and doing the odd special meal together!

ruddynorah, I fear your scepticism will prove well-founded. That is, however, their "intention".

Point him towards home bargains and aldi, I reckon £25 a week should be fine.

Budget 1 hasty cup of joe in the morning, 1 sandwich from the refectory at lunchtime (where you also nick the loo rolls), 1 takeaway/ready-meal in the evening .... chuck in beer, doritos, one big 'oh christ we'd better do some cleaning' session per term. About £10/day

I don't think this regular cooking for each other is a good idea.

They may feel that they have to spend quite a bit and impress....which he can't afford to do really.

It will be cheaper for him to grab/rustle up a pie, jacket spud, tuna pasta or whatever and push the boat out a little at the weekends. The budget should allow for the odd treat....bottle of beer, bar of chocolate or whathaveyou

.... should add. About £10/day until the money runs out and then diet is reduced to doritos only.

The point of the cooking for each other is that they will all be doing a fair amount of sport and actually want to eat relatively healthily. They've figured that if they only have to cook one decent meal each a week (and get 5 decent meals as a result) they'll be better off than cooking for themselves (they'd get bored and buy pasties). It won't happen but it seems to be DS's planning assumption and I don't want to rain on his parade.

4 years ago it cost me around £25pw for all food shopping including some treats.

It might help if he does a meal plan of the sort of food he likes and imagines himself eating, then costs it up. (Don't forget lunch and breakfast)

a Pot for household goods (bog roll/washing up/sponges/cilit bang 'cos they'll only clean when it's foul probably) is probably a better idea than communal food eating, we used to do this. Just a fiver each given to the most trustowrthy house member, if anyone bought any cleaning bits they could take the receipt to the Pot and claim the money back. When the pot is empty everyone tops it up again an equal amount.

Problem with communal food is that everyone has such different ideas about what is 'essential' and decent nutrition, so you could easily spend lots of money a week on totally crap food.

Where in the country are you?

*is he

I hope it does work for them! It would certainly be cheaper.

Durham

I had said £30-£40 to DS (who'll be self-catering in a house) for this year. Having seen the house, I think he's going to have to eat out all of the time, to avoid ecoli and the million other bugs that must be floating around in the shit heap he signed up for last November.
How to student landlords get away with it?

Sorry - hijack!

DS1 ahared with 5 friends last year, his second at uni. They cooked for each other on weekdays and sometimes weekends if they were all at home - it worked well and theyput in £25 pw each, and bouhght their own lunches.

why aye! Well...kind of! Haha.

I just wanted to check he wasn't in London and we're recommending a teeeny weeeeeny budget!

Best of luck to him and his plans!

My dh had this cooking set up when he lived in a 7-person student house.

He used to go home, have tea and then if one of the girls had cooked, come and eat at mine too as he never got enough. Way to a mans heart is certainly through his stomach!

They need to make sure they're not going to get cross over ingredients, portion size etc cos it drove dh insane that he provided more than the others did.

Not London, praise the Lord.