You are paying a lot for packaging for those breakfast and lunch items, esp the individual boxes of cereal and raisins and the squeezy yogurt.
Tuna and lunchmeat are very expensive.
Hellmans mayo and Heinz ketchup -- waste of money. Store brands taste the same, and if slightly different, it doesn't take too much time to get used to the other.
A better breakfast is homemade waffles that you can freeze and then toast to defrost. Or if you have the time, pancakes. These can also be made ahead and frozen and defrosted. Can be served with cheap jam. You can also make your own granola with oats, leftover dry cereal, dried fruit bought in bulk. Porridge can be varied with dried or frozen fruit.
'bleach, anti bac spray, bathroom cleaner, toilet duck, washing up liquid, pan scourers and all purpose cloths. '
You don't need all of that.
Bleach and wash up liquid will do your entire bathroom. Anti bac spray in particular is a total waste of money if you're also buying bleach.
You can reuse all purpose cloths after soaking them in a little bleach to kill off bacteria and mildew.
A little bleach goes a long way.
Soap is cheaper than shower gel. You can shop around and find one that doesn't melt when exposed to water and steam.
As long as the toothbrushes have bristles that are fairly straight, I just bleach them and don't replace until they are in bad shape.
I buy the cheapest toiletries, tp, tampons and pads and never use the full measure of laundry detergent, or softener. I don't use paper towels --reusable cloths are fine.
I mealplan and buy from ethnic groceries, mix mince with lentils (drain fat off cheap mince), use leftovers, do a lot of home baking, buy tins of tomatoes for sauce and whiz in blender, buy frozen fruit and large tubs of yogurt (the DCs like smoothies but don't eat a lot of fruit otherwise) -- frozen tastes just the same as fresh in pies or other desserts the odd time we have dessert.
Frozen veg is fine too. I only buy fresh if they are almost giving it away, and then blanch and freeze anyway.
I buy garlic and onions fresh (and loose) and store them in the fridge to prevent spoilage.
I don't buy a lot of potatoes because they don't store well -- we eat a lot of rice, couscous and pasta that can be found on sale or in bulk/loose in ethnic places.
I buy dried herbs and spices at ethnic groceries. Buying little name brand jars is a huge waste. I keep them in repurposed plastic tubs or in the name brand jars that I have from years ago before I wised up.
Dried beans are even cheaper than canned. Takes planning to use them though.
I don't buy free range or organic unless cheaper than regular but for my stock I use wings, backs or necks that are organic. I make stock from chicken bones; cubes are mostly salt and flavour.
I never use foil for a roast. Sear at high temp initially in the oven and then lower the oven temp and you will have a nice tender roast.
The DCs bring warmed up leftovers to school for lunch in flasks. I only have goodies that are home baked or else the cheapest I can find.
I reuse shop bags as bin bags, reuse tin foil and wash out freezer bags. I swore I wouldn't turn out like my mum but there you are...
I never buy cling film as it can't be reused easily. I reuse plastic tubs and keep leftovers in those.
I spend far less per week than 120 quid about half or less in fact, and I have me, DS, and the three DDs here. When DS returns to university the bill will be even less he accounts for about half of all food consumption right now. I use milk in cooking and in my tea but they drink non -dairy milk as they have intolerances/allergies. I have only one non-teen among the DCs. And there is the cat.
We don't buy coffee or alcohol or fizzy drinks. If I buy the odd bottle of wine it is plonk. The DCs are welcome to buy their own treats themselves, same goes for anything beyond basic toiletries. I terrorised them when they were younger about using only a pea sized dab of toothpaste so it lasts quite a while.
Outtolunchagain:
Keep a jar of peanut butter handy for people who can't be bothered coming home for dinner or telling you their plans. And a sliced loaf in the freezer.
Sit them down and have a meeting -- they don't respect you, your time or your work if they fail to communicate about meals, eat what you have out for the evening meal before you have a chance to cook it, or eat on the train and don't feel like the meal that you have prepared. I suggest they all get involved in meal planning, food shopping, and that you assign a rota of meal preparation so that they start to appreciate what you are doing.