AIBU to ask how much you spend a month on groceries?

[dreamingaboutcheese]

I'm trying to budget for an incoming mat leave/new baby and don't know if I'm budgeting too much for groceries. I currently spend around £500 a month (in London) on 2 adults, 1 toddler and 2 cats. Is that about normal or do you think I could do it much cheaper? Would love to know how much everyone else spends on groceries for context...

£200 / month on 1 adult and 4 kids (2 nursery / 2 primary). Does not include lunches Mon-Fri though.

Watching with interest as I'm currently planning the same. So far I've worked out we spend £130 a month on toddler and £120 on dog food.
I hate trying to work out how much we spend for ourselves as we shop with different cards, some shopping is done online, many small bits bought on the way home from work etc. I find it really complicated

I average I'd say £75 a week for 2 adults and 1 toddler with a big appetite. No booze, but lots of fruit and organic meat, and food for everyone's lunches too. So £300 a month, probably £350 with the midweek bread and milk top ups. I am a massive budgeter and also meal plan, so nothing at all goes to waste. I really don't think I can get it cheaper at the moment without switching supermarket (currently Sainsbury's), and I already use own brand nearly always.

I don't think yours, for London, sounds overly big. Does it include lunches or are those bought out?

About 350, 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog.

Shop for meat in farm shop, greengrocers for veg.

£80 ish a week for two adults and three kids and a dog.

£160 a month for two adults (we rarely spend it all), we're due with our first DD in May and have suggested increasing it to £300 to be on the safe side.

How on earth do people spend so little? Please tell me how you do it!

We have a budget and we stick to it and watch what we're spending.

We don't buy unnecessary crap or branded products all the time. We buy a lot of reduced things, especially meats and freeze them.

About £125 a week for 2 adults and 2 young teenagers from Ocado. But there is milk, 3/4 of school lunches on top of that. Plus a few treats - not much. It includes most toiletries etc.

I could spend less if I needed to, but we don't. I think it is more than average but less than most people in our income bracket and family size. We don't eat huge amounts of meat which I think naturally keeps it lower.

Probably about £500/month for two adults and two dogs. Buy a lot of fruit and in general try to buy organic, free range etc wherever possible, so that makes our shopping more expensive, but good quality food is something we prioritise. Neither of us are drinking at the moment (I'm pregnant and DH has gone booze-free in solidarity), but previously, that would probably have added another £50/month.

£500 a month for such a small family , what are you buying?
We spend £350- £400 and I consider it too much. It used to be much less but has increased due to our youngest being two now and rising food costs. We have four dc ,three toddlers and two adults.

300 a month for 2 adults (one pregnant!) and 1DD. Includes DDs morning and afternoon snacks which she takes to school and both of our meals for work. Pay extra for DD to have hot lunch at nursery. Both DH and DD are skinny rakes and eat like bloody horses... DH on a weight maintaining diet where he has to have 5 meals per day minimum. If it were just me I think I could live on 100 easily!

I think about 350-400 for one kid, two adults and a cat. I could do it cheaper, I know. I think that's probably average.

Many people I know do no cooking at all-just assemble ingredients on the plate-ship at Marksies and their bills are obviously higher.

I'm halfway between a home cook and a grab a snack in the supermarket person.

About £350 per month for 2 adults and a 9yo. We cook most weeks, with the odd takeaway or meal out once a month or so. DH and DS take packed lunches to work and school everyday, and I low-carb so spend ££ on meat and veg.

It doesn't include lunches except weekends, or much meat, but I do wonder how much is wasted or whether I'd be better off switching from Ocado to a cheaper supermarket. I've stopped meal planning as well as I used to and I think that's had an impact. I do buy organic food, and pets are on vet diets for allergies (so that's £40 a month). This is so interesting... thanks for sharing mums.

Ha ha I love these threads. They always start off with the roast chicken brigade who spend tuppence ha'penny on a months shopping including organic meat and then there's usually a swing of people who spend a grand feeding one adult and a dog.

Remember all shops base their prices on their location first of all. So if you live in an area where houses ate cheap then your food shopping will always be cheaper. So for those of us in the south east we are going to always be paying more. Second of all it depends where you are shopping. I shop in Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland at various times throughout the month. I tend to get my veg, meat and ready meals from Lidl/Aldi. My branded goods and fruit from Tesco and frozen stuff from Iceland. On average I must spend about £125 a week and that is feeding 4 of us and we don't drink so never includes booze.

I find Ocado expensive, then again I shop at Sainsbury's which isn't cheap either. I like their own brand stuff though which is why I've stayed.

I do think meal planning makes a huge different, especially if you can buy a joint of meat which will either do for two dinners, or a dinner and a lunch. Or mince which you can spread over a few portions of spag Bol/lasagne etc. It's how I managed to shave off about £20 a week from my shopping about 6 months ago.

I agree with pp re. rising food costs though. For example the 500g mince pack I buy has since Jan increased from £3.50 to £4. Times that by say 10 items and suddenly it adds up.

£200-£250 a month

2 adults, two children and 1 cat

About £400 per month, 2 adults and 3 under fives. Occasionally also 2 teenagers. Includes all nappies/wipes/food & cleaning stuff. Doesn't include dog food.

I shop mostly at waitrose with the occasional trip to lidl to bulk buy bread flour and passata.

Our bills could be a bit lower...

About £90 a week (around £360 per month) that's 2 adults and 2 toddlers. That includes toiletries etc.

I spend about £50 average per week. 2 adults and 1 preschooler.
I found that basically becoming vegetarian meant I didn't have (sometimes expensive) meat that needed using up or expiring soon.
Basically my food would last much longer as I had mostly long shelf life products or they were frozen and in turn my shops were cheaper.

Yes Ocado probably is quite expensive. But it's super convenient which suits me. And I make good use of their offers, which can be easier to sift through online than in store.

2 adults, 1 toddler and a medium sized dog.

We spend around £300/month on our main shop, that includes dog food, nappies, cleaning stuff etc.

Then probably another £100/month on top up food and lunches and random hungry trips to Morrisons to buy £20 of junk and a token banana

We meal plan so minimal food waste.

I spend about £130 a month on 2 adults. I meal plan and get 2 online tesco shops a month, top up shops from aldi. Snacks for DH for work days but no actual lunch, and lunch for me. We could spend more but if we did that it would eat into our limited "fun/unplanned" budget.

£60 a week mainly in Lidl. Two adults, DH who works in a physical job so takes a massive lunch, and a binge eating 9 months pregnant wife.

I'm really strict on not leaving any waste and freeze or eat food left over the next day.