To think that DH is being totally unrealistic about the weekly food bill!

[goingeversoslowlymad]

Am getting a bit stressed out about my DH and the grocery shop. Our weekly bill is usually between £80 to £100, we would do a top-up shop of about £20 midweek, so max £120 all in for a family of 4. We do not use nappies, this includes everything including toiletries and cleaning products.

Money is pretty tight at the moment and I can appreciate he wants to try to cut down a bit but I seriously can't seem to get it much lower than this, there are no luxuries in this either i.e wine, magazines etc. Everyone I talk to in our situation seems to spend a similar amount but DH seems to think it excessive.

I'm going to give a veg box and meat pack delivery a try. Also going to order online to avoid being seduced by the offers instore. I don't see it being much cheaper but hopefully he'll stop moaning if I prove he's being unrealistic! What does everyone else spend?

Dh just spent 20 pounds on a top up and he got a whole chicken, 4 pork chops, bread, 2 milk, 12 eggs, biscuits, salad n the shape of lettuce, cucumber and peppers, he also got 2 bags apples and oranges and 3 broccoli, 3 packs of cream crackers, butter, mushrooms,

I think that's good shoppng for twenty pounds....it's not a weeks shop though. We use Tesco.

I spend about the same as you OP, maybe a bit more.
That is for 4 of us, the DCs are only preschoolers but eat a lot! I buy lots of meat and fresh fruit, nuts etc which is what bumps up my bill. That includes lunch for all of us all week, as i'm at home with the youngest and DH and DS1 have packed lunches. No wine in ours either, we buy that separately.

Prices have gone up a lot. 3 years ago I was spending £70 ish per week. I do have one more child, but they don't eat £45 of food.

I spend about £320 a month for 3 adults and that includes the occansional take away. The food bill has gone up as we are spending the same amount now on 3 people then we did on 4 a couple of years ago,

You aren't being excessive. We spend a similar amount to you for 4 of us (with nappies and wine) and it isn't lavish stuff that I'm getting.

I know that menu planning would make a difference to our bills but every time I'vedone it life has got in the way with guests or invitations out or whatever so in the end I found menu planning just inconvenient. I've had more luck with batch cooking though.

Get him to plan the meals for a few weeks, he gives you a list, you buy it. it has to be over a few weeks becuuse there's those cleaners, spices, sauces, pasta to replace. Ask him to what extent he's wiling to change? Less meat, more lentils? sausages cut up in a casserole, rather then xx each.

My dp had no idea what food cost until I went back to work and he also had to share the shopping. Yup, that is the bill.

I think DH is having trouble getting his head round the fact that prices have shot up dramatically in the past 2 years. I think we get a lot for our money tbh as imagine what we would be spending if we were paying for school meals and buying lunch at work!

We spend around £80 per week on our weekly shop then another £10-£20 per week on bits and pieces - that's for 2 adults and a 3 year old. We meal plan and make our meals from scratch. We probably could cut it down if we really had to. It includes a bottle or two or three of wine.

''£45 per week on 4 adults including nappies'' - please I need your meal planner !

If money is tight and you really need to, then you could cut it back. However, if what you're asking is am I excessive, then no I don't think you are. I spend about £140-50 for 5 of us + 2cats including wine , cleaning/beauty, free range meat, shopping at Asda
If we were really struggling I would do what I do sometimes if it's the last week of the month-meal plan with all the stuff from the back of the cupboard/freezer, not much meat, lots of omlettes, jacket potato, homemade pizza, pasta...

It isn't excessive. But I think you could cut down quite a bit on that and still eat well and healthily. Not sure if veg box would help. We tried that a while ago. It was a complete waste of time. But buying in bulk meat for the freezer works for some people. (not us) Also agree with everyone who says let him do the weekly shop.

I did a huge shop this week and it was £79. This included, wine, nappies and meat. I shop in Morrisons and regardless of what I buy I cannot spend more than £90. We eat well but buy everything own brand including toilet rolls, bread, cereal,nappies and wipes. The only branded products I buy are hell mans mayonnaise, heinz beans and yorkshire tea. I buy a fair amount of value products too; pasta, rice, yogurt, cereal bars, breadsticks and biscuits all of which are more than fine. I also look for special offers on everything, I am not loyal to any cheese or butter as the offers on them, change weekly. I also buy tinned tomatoes, beans and pulses in the ethnic aisles as they are a fraction of the cost.

You should both put together a trolley on mysupermarket and see where you each feel savings could be made. Also might give him an idea of how much things cost and what the cheaper options are. Also gives you the chance to see if its cheaper in other shops.

We probably spend about £175 per week although we eat little meat that includes wine, treats, magazines and other alcohol.

That's the thing that drives me mad, he's there! We mostly do the shop together every Saturday. If he goes on his own he makes a big thing of getting it £10 to £15 cheaper but always omits forgets the more expensive things like washing powder and toiletries. So no cheaper as I then just have to go and get them!

£60 a week for DH & I, DD is one so this includes nappies. I go every Saturday to Asda, Homebargains, Farmfoods and Tesco. There is a Tesco Express, Little Waitrose and Sainsburys Local downstairs from my office so i pop in to them every day and pick up reduced stuff. 10p for a cucumber and four lamb chops for £3 in Waitrose on Thursday. I am sure if i didn't buy reduced stuff then I would easily double my shop. I always check online too. Bought a chicken for tomorrow today, 3.99/kilo in Tesco and 4.58 in Asda. We have fish twice a week but meat every other day. Everything is fresh made and we take lunches to work. Neither of us drink and we never have takeaways.

Goingeversoslowlymad. Yes, prices have gone up loads.

I can remember 5 years ago and doing online montly shops of £120 - £150. That was replacing all household cleaners, toiletries, freezer food, pasta / rices, store cupboard food, spices, oils. Soy sauce etc. You get the idea. Then topping up for fresh foods weekly.

That same monthly shop now comes to £200+

This is helpful, it shows how downgrading a brand can save you money. www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/

Not read all the thread, but I buy nappies, food, wine, lagers, fags for when drinking, toiletries, cleaning products, literally everything for a family of 4 for £80 a week.

I used to spend loads, but since starting meals from fresh, using fruit and veg/butcher shops, I have managed to knock it down quite a lot. And buy much more fruit in than I ever did before from buying it from the supermarkets.

It is possible. But only if you sit down and plan your meals well.

We spend about the same op, for 2 adults and 1small dd, I shop in wait rose so I know I could save abit, but it would never be £45 , I can't imagine what you could buy for that

Then again, 5 years ago one chicken would last for 2 meals + lunch for dp. Or 3 meals. Now there's only pickings for a sandwich after a roast :(

Goolash Yes we used to do the same with the chicken, a roast and then a curry the next day but struggle to do that now.

I think if thats the case OP I would sit down with him and show him that this is what it costs when you buy your usual list to its usual standard, then show him what you could buy for say half that, as in if you absolutely had to cut costs and spend say £50 max £60 a week, what he would have to miss out on, how his toiletries, meat consumption etc would change and all the rest and explain its one or the other. I'd also be pointing out its hardly in your best interests to fritter money away and if he can go and get all the items on the list for cheaper then more power to him and its on less job for you.

I have the opposite problem in a way, we live near a food market, which sells lots of things form my DHs home country, so he will pop buy to pick things up and always goes over the top. Usually because its 'such a deal' I can't plan around this as it he never goes on a set day and never buys all the same things so I end up like I am now; enough plantain to feed the 5000 which is especially irritating as I bloody hate the stuff.

I still manage to do a roast and a curry for us with a chicken? And the chicken is always under £5.

I forgot to add, that £80 also includes dog food for a greedy large one and cat food.

The wine though, I buy in chunks. Like 3 bottles for £12 and I only have a bottle on a weekend, so lasts me nearly a month. DP gets 8 cans for £6 which lasts him two weeks, and I am the only drinking smoker so a pack of 10 for £4 lasts me two weeks. So all in all, for a month, it costs £36 for those luxuries out of the £320 we spend, so roughly we spend £71 a week on nappies, pet food, cat litter, food for ourselves and household items.

Yes, I did use a calculator to work that out after having drank that bottle tonight and my brain not actually functioning after a week of shite amount of sleep

I aim to keep our shopping under 100 for the week, especially now DD doesn't need daytime nappies. There is DH, myself (pregnant), DS aged nearly 6 and DD aged 3. At least one week of the month it will creep up to around 110, but this really does include everything - food, toiletries, medicines, housekeeping (cleaning) items, sun cream, pull ups, birthday cards. Never includes any alcohol, we buy that and any take aways separately, not regularly. we have meat in the main meal, probably 3 times a week.

I have on occasion kept it around 90 when absolutely necessary, but on weeks like that I find little joy in eating or cooking for my family. Even using crap household products disappoints me, the annoyance of a food stain which has not been removed by cheap washing powder really gets on my wick, as does seeing my little ones itching all over because I've changed the fabric softener to buy the one on offer!

I am marking my place to come back and find out what the family who spend 45 are eating! Surely that amount can't include household items or toiletries?

I swapped to Aldis about a year or so ago. For a weeks shopping for 2 adults, 2 teens & a labrador, the average is about £60. This includes toiletries, cleaning supplies, meat etc.

Last time I tried to shop at Tescos I got to £135 and put it all back.

3 adults, 2 big appetite children, 60/week at Aldi. No processed food, cook everything from scratch bar the odd frozen pizza. Packed lunches for us all too. I menu plan as it makes my life easier and my food bill lower!