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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How much do you spend

289 replies

tidytidy · 14/01/2015 12:28

A week on food, clothes and petrol?

OP posts:
cagsd · 14/01/2015 17:05

Ooh interesting.
We spend around £100 a week on what I would loosely term food shopping, but which includes toiletries, cleaning stuff etc too. That's for 2 adults, a hungry 15 year old and two primary school age kids so includes lunchbox stuff too.

I spend on average £20 a week on petrol. (We get paid four-weekly so on payday I fill up the tank, usually around £65 worth. Then that runs out towards the last week or so, so I'll top up with another £15-ish.)

And clothes?? Wow. Barely anything. I go to Primark maybe every 3 months and buy a few basics for myself. Hubby tends to get new jumpers/shirts for Christmas and birthdays but that's about it. The younger two wear 80% handed down clothes so they just get new things as a treat. The teenager gets new stuff each summer / winter as he grows, but nothing expensive.

So I'd say on average over the year it must work out at around £5-£10 per week on clothes for us all.

yanniwoo · 14/01/2015 17:05

£120 a month on food for me and DD (10), £70 monthly on my bus pass and dds occasional bus fares and I guess £5 a month on clothes (I will recycle anything clothing wise and like to think I'm nifty in the charity shops)

MrsHathaway · 14/01/2015 17:06

former I don't know how you do it! Are you eating organic/free range and out of season? Tiger prawns and asparagus rather than brisket and carrots?

Helphelphelps · 14/01/2015 17:15

£80 pw on food shopping for 2 adults, 2 children and 2yo mindee who stays for lunch.

£80 pm on diesel (recently got a more efficient car, and thank god we did as we were spending that a week before!)

I'd say about £20pm on clothes, but certainly not every month. DP is lucky enough to get M&S vouchers for his bonus, so we tend to stock up in the sales.

Pensionerpeep · 14/01/2015 17:16

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ThatDamnedBitch · 14/01/2015 17:17

About £100 to £120 a week on food. £20 on petrol. Don't buy clothes that often and when we do it's usually Primark or Asda so probably averages at around £10 a week on clothes.

pigwitch · 14/01/2015 17:20

Me, DP and 3 DC's. Around £100 a week on food. Nothing on petrol as we get it free through work. Around £100- £200 a month on clothes.

Artandco · 14/01/2015 17:21

Mrs - it's difficult to get any meal under £5 really.

X3 meals a day =£15

£15 x 7 =£105.

So I think anyone spending around £100 is around spot on.

louisejxxx · 14/01/2015 17:25

We spend probably about £100 on all food, drink and random sweet treats (including a couple of alcoholic drinks each a week and a red bull a day for me); about £30 a week on petrol; and about £10 a week on clothes, if that.

HighwayDragon · 14/01/2015 17:26

£40 food, 20 petrol, clothes are bought as and when, usually in bulk twice a year.

youngfish · 14/01/2015 17:35

Food: £40 pw

Clothes: £10pw

Petrol: £0 (no car, free bus passes)

Figures are taken from my spending spreadsheet and averaged through the year, though food doesn't include eating out, just groceries. Two adults and a teenager here. Free meals at work and school for DH and DS.

QueenVick · 14/01/2015 17:35

Our DDs both have free school meals and both go to breakfast club which is 30p each so £1.50 a week for breakfast club, although thats not in our food budget.

MrsTawdry · 14/01/2015 17:38

artandco 5 pounds for breakfast? Really? We just have toast...or redybrek.

MrsTawdry · 14/01/2015 17:39

For us a meal is probably less than a lot of people would think adequate but we're used to it....we have meat twice a week.

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 14/01/2015 17:43

£170-200 a week on food.

I don't drive so no expense there.

I buy clothes every few months, I'm not so bothered these days, hair, skincare and make up is more important to me at 46.

HowCanIMissYouIfYouWontGoAway · 14/01/2015 17:45

currently about £60-80 a week on food etc (2 adults, 2 teen boys), plus half lamb from the farm every few months £80, and 25kg sack spuds as required £6, milkman 3x week monthly bill about £25. periodic bulk buy of rice and pasta a tenner for a big sack of each
petrol is £70 - 80 a week
we dont have a weekly clothes spend, just get some new ones when what we have is too tatty.

HowCanIMissYouIfYouWontGoAway · 14/01/2015 17:46

oh yes, £15 a week each for the boys' school dinners

MrsPiggie · 14/01/2015 17:48

About £70/week on food for 2 adults and 2 children (at most another £10 on top for toiletries, washing powder etc), the kids have free school meals
No car, but ~£50/week on transport
No idea about clothes, probably £25/week

roughtyping · 14/01/2015 17:51

2 adults & 1 child (11) here.

Max £100 a week for food & cleaning (usually around £60, can do it easily for £45)
£30 a week for petrol
I'm not sure but would guess about £20 a week (averaged over a year??) for clothes? When you take into considerations trainers, boots, jackets etc

I was in debt for a long time (single parent, uni etc) so I can get a bit panicky about money at times.

Artandco · 14/01/2015 17:51

Mrs - maybe not but its evens out over the day. Porridge and eggs breakfast =£3. Baked potatoes/tuna/ salad lunch =£4. Lamb tagine dinner =£8

DoristheNovice · 14/01/2015 18:06

There's 4 of us 2 adults, 2 kids. About £120 a week on food/household stuff but not any booze as we don't drink. £15 a week on petrol for my car but my husband gets the train so he probably only puts in £30 a month. We don't spend a vast amount on clothes so it's hard to say.

I know food shopping for many people is a chore but I love it. I really enjoy meal planning and then going shopping for it. My husband thinks I'm odd.

CoffeeBeanMonster · 14/01/2015 18:09

I spend approx £50 a week on food, £40 on transport and £10 a week (averaged out) on clothes.

I make savings by doing a meal planner, buying value products and cooking with more vegetables than meat.

I don't think there's a problem buying value products. I rarely buy heavily processed food and I normally cook from scratch. I make my own bread, cakes, pastry etc and I always buy value flour.

CoffeeBeanMonster · 14/01/2015 18:11

The only thing I don't scrimp on is coffee. I love my coffee Grin

Purpleflamingos · 14/01/2015 18:16

Am I spoilt that I've never really added it all up? We're not superbly well off either. We did a budget when we first moved in together and stuck to it roughly having upped it a bit over the years to accommodate dc and cars.
Without DH at home, food probably £40-£70 ish, petrol £20, clothes etc £20, maybe more, plus perhaps £10+ for coffees and cakes. That includes 3/4 meals a day for 3 of us.
With DH home - up everything by £40 easily.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 14/01/2015 18:17

Porridge and eggs for breakfast? Even so that's not £3. 6 organic free range eggs are £2 so that's 66p for 2, plus even a big bowl of porridge can be done on about 20p worth of oats. Plus a slice of toast and butter, 5p?

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