to think this is an ok amount to spend on the weekly food shop?

[minimaw]

Family of 3, ds aged 12, me and DH - £100 - £110 p/w
DH has been chatting to women in his work who only spend about £50 p/w for the same size of family and now he's starting to talk about Farmfoods and mass buying frozen chicken fillets (!) to save cash.
DH doesn't cook and doesn't understand the cost of food. I do buy good quality food and lots of good cuts of meat but he's jumped on some economy drive bandwagon for some reason and it's driving me nuts. Anyone else have a hubby who just doesn't understand the importance of the food budget?

i have the same size family and would say i spend 80 every couple of weeks. My mum used to spend 100 per week on a family of 4 so i think you could spend less.
Having said this, if you have the money, spend what you like! If i had the money i would probably spend about that

It's not really a question anyone here can answer

It depends on where you live, what shops are available to you, whether you waste food, cut corners with jars of sauce etc...

You're probably better off doing the shopping together for a few weeks and seeing what you can work out.

I find it strange that he 'doesn't cook' though. I take it he eats?

Sounds like a lot to me! Are you buying lots of convenience foods?

That's a lot (to me) for a weekly shop! Although if my DH was to do the shopping that's probably what he'd spend! That's about our usual weekly budget including petrol and weekend wine

Having said that, it does depend on how/where you shop. I guess if you were to do all of your shopping in one go in one supermarket it may be worth it to you for the convenience.

we spend about 70 every two weeks my husband says its way to much for a family of 3

What do you mean by "good quality food" though?

I cook pretty much everything from scratch and so buy the value bags of veg (which we eat loads of!) we don't eat meat (I'm vegetarian) so we don't have that.

I'd say we spend £30-60 a week depending on what offers are on. A huge butternut squash is about £1 and does 3 or 4 meals as an ingredient (e.g. pie, curry, soup).

There are 4 of us. Me, DH, DS13 and DD5.

Yes but what are you buying? A single bottle of wine could make a fifth of that budget disappear in a heartbeat.

It depends on so many factors - perhaps you could set yourself a challenge?

I keep it at around £100 with 5 of us. 3 teenagers but I am very fortunate to have a dd who works in one of the supermarkets and I get a discount.

i am quite careful what I buy and tend to cook from scratch. mind you tonight it is easy chicken breasts in sauce

I think you are being unfair to say your DH doesn't understand the importance of the food budget. we all make choices about what we prioritise for our spending. Some people prioritise organic food, free range chicken, etc. Some people prioritise rent in a nicer area amnd will economise with food.

You need to talk to your dp and agree what your priorities are for your money and find out why he is going on an economy drive. For example is he worried about money, impending redundancy, etc.

I think we're a bit less than you but I think £50 is very, very low and would include buying the kind of meat that I don't want to eat (and I realise I'm lucky to be in that position).

Does he ever do the shopping? Does he like eating?

That said, I was last night because I realised I'd got four portions of a meaty dinner for £1.50 each. I use my freezer loads and always buy special offers and freeze them. You probably could save money - but only if you can be bothered. Some weeks I'm Bertha the Bargain Hunter, other weeks I CBA.

What are your basic meals - do you cook from scratch ? Do you waste much?

I would've thought that it should be the cook who chooses the ingredients.

If dh wants the bulk-bought chicken fillets then he also gets to cook them too. If he's planning to save £50 p/w then he could use some of that to buy himself a cookbook.

It really depends on where you are, how much your income is, if that includes toiletries and cleaning products etc.

Can you afford what you are spending now? I think that amount is fine if you can afford it. If you can't, then look at how you can cut back.

It is just too big a question to get an answer. Some people will be buying Asda no frills either through choice or necessity and have zero extras such as wine or chocolate, others will be shopping at marks and Spencer's or local shops and buying organic top quality everything.

Personally I only buy quality meat and other products and so our weekly shop is more expensive than others. But i will get some cheaper brands. However, I have a friend who spends about thirty quid a week yet has takeaways/eats out at least 4 times a week and buys loads at shops like pound land.

It is all about priorities and everyone is different.

We are a family of 4 me DH (who eats loads) DS1 aged 5 and DS2 aged 3 (who again eat loads)
I spend £44-£48 per week on food. Farmfoods, Tescos Value!!

everyone is different.. some people can afford better quality, and some people cant.. some people prefer decent food above other expenses...

Personally I dont like farmfoods stuff, and see it as on a par with Iceland.. low quality food, mainly processed, and often not very enjoyable to eat, but if you are struggling and on a tight budget, then it is better than starving..

I probably spend about £130 a week on me and my husband, and the dog. That includes things for lunches too.

A food shop is never just a "food" shop though is it.. you put toiletries in, and other essentials too.

That IS quite a lot, I have to say. We manage about £150 a fortnight for the three of us, with DS still in nappies and formula and eating full-size meal portions and we shop at Waitrose, which is hardly cheap.

We don't buy convenience foods at all apart from a few crisps and biscuits for ds and DH doesn't cook because, well, he's shit at it and I love cooking. I buy steak fillet, salmon steaks etc, all organic and try to buy from local producers as much as I can. The thought of a bag of frozen chicken fillets from Farmfoods makes me feel ill. Yes, there are a few bottles of wine in that budget too but no more than say £20 or thereabouts. I'd say a week's worth of meat alone comes in about the 40 - 50 quid mark so it soon stacks up when you then factor in fruit, veg and cheese etc.

Best thing you can do is take him food shopping with you and do a cheap shop one week and then a normal (for you) food shop and see if he is bothered by the difference in quality of food and the type of meals you can cook. My father moaned at my mother once keeping on about how much she spent so she did this and after a few weeks of frozen meat pies cheap bread cheap tea bags etc my father shut up and realised that if he wanted the type of meals he liked then the food bill was going to be higher( my father is however a fussy beggar when it comes to food)

It's a lot, could you find a way to cut it without compromising on quality? Recommend eating less meat/fish - especially if you like to go for the good cuts which can be pricey - and consider going for one or two simpler meals a week eg jacket potato with beans & salad or veg stirfry and rice. I would prefer to do that than to buy grim frozen factory farm meat...

We are a family of four and spend about £70 a week although sometimes I can get away with £40 or £50 depending on how low on food we are getting. That does include any household stuff like washing powder, toiletries, pull ups and cat food.

Invite him to get more involved in the shopping and cooking, so that he can see for himself how it works and whether this suits your family.

We spend a similar amount (me, DH, 2DC), which includes all cleaning products/ toiletries. DH and Dc eat meat, and buying some kinds of meat eg roast dinner joint can increase the bill significantly, as can snack foods and alcohol.

Perhaps you could have a couple of weeks of not buying much in the way of meat, and producing lots of lentil/ vegetable/pasta/grain/casserole based dinners? It'll be cheaper, and might make your DH realise how expensive meat can be.

Jeeez. i could spend £50 just buying stuff for my son and the household stuff like toilet roll, cleaner and washing powder and thats mainly processed food and sauces.

ah well we don't eat meat every night maybe only 2 or 3 nights a week and would probably only buy one bottle of wine