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Original poster

To think that £17,000 a year on food is obscene

377 replies

ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 20:22

Watching 'Eat well for less' on i player. The family are spending £17,000 a year on food. I'd quite like to earn that. The bloke is saying about saving them £100 a week - my food bill is that a week (4 adults) never mind saving it.

What is really getting my goat is the mother laughing about how little fruit and veg the family eat. Surely most people would be embarrassed whatever the reason was.

Am I being incredibly judgey?

OP posts:
Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 20:45

The other week they showed a family who were so rigid in their shopping habits and yet they were unable to guess how much the trolley was

Schmoochy £153 and then numerous top ups in the week. She said she was too busy to chop carrots but not too busy to go shopping again and again.

I go shopping once a week. The only time I go inbetween is if I need to get bread or milk (or wine!). Life's too short to be paying too many v isits to a supermarket

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DragonMamma · 02/10/2015 20:47

I can't understand what she was spending money on. They must have been buying loads of everything.

I spend around £150 a week for 2 adults and 2 kids, which includes emergency wine top ups and I'm not frugal

I went back to aldi this week and spent £100 and it was like an episode of supermarket sweep.

I can only assume they were buying a shedload of toiletries as mine cost £30 a month, outside of the normal shopping bill.

Longdistance · 02/10/2015 20:48

We spend that much in a month, on two adults and a 4and 6 yr old. But, I do do my food shops in Aldi and Lidl, and some bits at Sainsbo's as it's near my work.

I haven't included Wine in this total though.

I do love a yellow sticker too Blush

LaLyra · 02/10/2015 20:48

The one the week before was awful as well. They bought the same thing every single week, including two different types of bottled water!

They also bought expensive pizzas and then the Mum chopped up ham and opened sweetcorn to top them how the kids liked. Madness.

The lady last night was frying everything in EVOO. Her face when they showed her that the bottle of oil she'd been using for the week was like 7 quid cheaper was priceless.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 02/10/2015 20:48

we eat a lot of cheese. by which I mean 1.5 -2 big blocks of mature cheddar (own brand) coming to about £10 per week. we would occassionaly have other cheeses in - a small brie or some wensleydale or something herby. and a nice selection of about 8 for a cheeseboard at a family buffet or at christmas.

I could not believe how much cheese the cheese family bought - and then when they came home they already had loads in the fridge! DD aka cheesemonster was gobsmacked.

Owllady · 02/10/2015 20:49

I watched last week. I can't believe how much pizza people eat
They eat one each, even with small children but I've discussed this with my friends and its me apparently that is unusual. Well have one pizza (2 adults, 2 late teens, 1 primary age) with a salad, garlic bread and coleslaw and there's often some left :o

annatha · 02/10/2015 20:50

I think the bigger problem wasn't that they spend £300+ a week on food, it's the fact that they aren't aware of it at all. Fair enough some people can afford to spend that much but they were moaning that they can't afford a holiday and the woman cried when they told her how much she spends on food. If one of them became redundant they would be up shit creek without a paddle.

The programme annoys me to be honest but I can't stop watching. It makes me feel a lot better about my shopping habits!

MissMarpleCat · 02/10/2015 20:51

That's more than I earn Shock

PHANTOMnamechanger · 02/10/2015 20:52

I thought EVOO was a brand name then, you had me foxed!

For anyone else who did not see the show EVOO = extra virgin olive oil. and yes, how can she not have known how much she was paying for it?

Iloveonionchutney · 02/10/2015 20:56

I don't understand how they an not know either, we don't earn that much money in a year, me and dh were working out all the things we would spend £17k on if we had it spare!
I'm due next week and properly nesting so dragged dh to Aldi today to fill our freezer and cupboards, we actually had two trolleys, one full of food and one with nappies, toilet and kitchen rolls in and still only managed £130, that's the most I've spent shopping!in years!

Mintyy · 02/10/2015 20:59

Surely that food bill must include alcohol?

Anything goes with our food bill tbh. We are one of those families for whom food is a high priority and we can afford not to worry about what we spend on the supermarket shop. I don't like waste, and we cook mostly from scratch. But we do buy steak, organic, Waitrose blah blah. We spend about £150-£200 pw (2 adults 2 teens and a cat). I just sincerely can't work out how they get to £150 more than us on a bad week??

Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 20:59

I use EVOO but buy it from Lidl.

OP posts:
Mintyy · 02/10/2015 21:04

I thought you shouldn't cook with EVOO. It is meant to be used as a cold dressing only. There are loads of oils (not to mention butter) which do a better job when frying or roasting.

MissMarpleCat · 02/10/2015 21:04

Haven't they heard of pound land Grin

Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 21:09

Have I not been paying attention or is there never alcohol in their shops?

Mintyy I like my food and like you mainly cook from scratch. We are in a fortunate position where I am choosing to shop at Lidl by choice rather than necessity. I can highly recommend their steaks.

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Plonkysaurus · 02/10/2015 21:11

I was howling with judgment laughter at the family last night. And then I felt quite sad that they'd got stuck in such a rut and ate barely any unprocessed food. The poor woman mentioned having a health scare as a catalyst for change, and yet the family were still eating expensive rubbish.

I wonder when the producers of the programme are going to get the message that no one likes marge/spread, even if it's cheaper and you get some bods on from Unilever to convince us it's anything other than vile:

Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 21:12

MIntyy I didn't know that but anyway use EVOO for salad dressing and rapeseed or butter for cooking

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Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 21:16

Plonky It is sad. The thing with cooking from scratch is it doesn't have to be that time consuming.

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ENtertainmentAppreciated · 02/10/2015 21:18

We buy steak from Lidl too and it's excellent.
I'm a profligate shopper but I do cook absolutely everything from scratch and I'd find it impossible to spend what they did last night.
There wasn't any mention of any alcohol either.

JeremyCorbynsStylist · 02/10/2015 21:21

I'm more shocked at Owllady - 5 people sharing one pizza? Bloody hell Shock

I'm genuinely shocked at how little people eat on here. I know £325 pw is a lot, I spend £225 pw no problem.

Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 21:24

Perhaps it is only mumsnetters who drink alcohol?!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
ChillySundays · 02/10/2015 21:26

Jeremy we eat alright!!!

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TalkinPeece · 02/10/2015 21:27

I shop at waitrose and we eat pretty expensively
we use olive oil for a lot of stuff
but my shopping only approaches that amount if I include booze and party catering (and we have big parties several times a year)

JawannaDrink · 02/10/2015 21:28

I spend a fraction of that, but if I was richer I'd spend a lot more than that. I'd be buying lobster and oysters and wagyu though, not crappy overpriced pizzas.

sliceofsoup · 02/10/2015 21:28

This show annoys me, but I can't not watch.

Even if I had the £300 odd a week to spend on food, I don't know what I would buy, or who would eat it. We all have big appetites and I still don't know. Maybe I will understand when the DCs are older.

I love shopping in Lidl. It has nothing to do with price either. Its to do with the lack of choice. I hate trekking to the fucking end of the world in tesco or asda for a bottle of juice, or the cleaning stuff. Stores the size of football pitches are obscene. Lidl is concise and to the point. And I love the themed food they do. Always something different to try.

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