To ask you what you spend on food each week for two adults?

[TheListingAttic]

DH and I are finally settled in full time jobs and getting finances in order! Going to have a joint account for important stuff, and a pocket money account each for frivolous stuff. We share all money, but he's DREADFUL at managing finances - constantly 'surprised' by gas bill/council tax/car insurance and can't pay it as blew entire paycheck on shoes and DVDs - so I'm we're setting it up to constrain what he's able to spend! Currently working out numbers and I'm just not sure what to budget for food. In our old house we tended to shop daily as there was next to no storage, and what we bought varied wildly - depending on my employment situation at time, who was shopping (DH is magnetically drawn to Waitrose finest gourmet branded stuff despite us not being millionaires), and whether he'd made a mess of things and we were digging small change out from down the back of the sofa to keep us in value pasta for the last week of the month!

So what do you/did you spend for two adults? (We're sort of Sainsbury's-level comfortably off. Not Waitrose rich, but not Netto skint iykwim).

[Chwaraeteg]

We spend about 60 quid a week and we always end up picking bits and pieces up from the shop throughout the week. I don't understand how you can spend less than this. We meal plan and check the best prices very carefully.

[Ruebarb]

am going through a 3 month period of recording all spending just to see where money goes.
in January spent £108 on food and household stuff (loo rolls, cleaning etc) including stocking up freezer after Christmas. Doing 1 big shop a month then just buying perishables such as fruit, veg, milk etc. Just dh and I

[TheListingAttic]

Have to say, I'm very impressed by the people who keep it at £50 and below - but that may be because I've got used to DH's dubious ways.... Think I could probably manage this if I took on ALL the shopping and cooking - but frankly I don't want to, so I think we'll be looking at the generous end of average in order to incorporate his inability to do anything basic!

[Ruebarb]

Forgot to say that does not include alcohol (around £10) or takeaways/ eating out (around £40)

[yourlittlesecret]

Wow I think a lot of posters are very frugal.
Two adults and two teenage boys here, so more like 5 adults, plus a cat.
I spend about £150 a week. That includes toiletries, laundry stuff, packed lunches and wine.
I shop at Tesco, Aldi and market.
I also cook everything from scratch so it doesn't include convenience food. Those boys must be costing more than I thought.....

[endofnowhere]

We spend about £30pw inc household stuff. Lots of reduced items as our local store is great for this. We don't drink much alcohol and make a lot of cheap slow cooker meals. No money on lunches though as these are free through work.

[angeltulips]

It varies a LOT, but around £120 every 10-14 days, all-in (household goods, alcohol etc). Although we don't budget at all & i am reasonably good about making sure we have fresh/healthy stuff in the house, so that will usually include some top-grade beef, salmon etc, the expensive free range chickens and loads of fresh veg & fruit. Staples tend to be the (more expensive) whole meal pastas and breads etc.

We do eat out a fair amount, but on the savings side I keep a small herb garden (mint, basil and spring onions on the kitchen window sill + thyme, rosemary and chillis outside) & freeze a lot so that helps.

If we needed to cut back we could do so pretty easily - would stop buying branded ice cream, Lindt chocolate, yummy expensive cheese etc.

[SoulJacker]

I would add that our budget relies on us bulk buying some stuff.

For example we buy 25kg of potatoes from the farm shop for about a fiver and 2kg of organic beef mince from the same place for 6 quid. We'd struggle to do this if we had a weekly budget rather than a monthly one.

[Littleen]

£50 per week, including £10 in catfood and cleaning stuff/toiletries etc.
We plan meals for the week and have it all delivered to avoid impulse buys! Most is made from scratch, and I bake bread :) Alcohol is a rarity, but we like meat! This includes lunch for both so we don't have to buy it elsewhere.