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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

£50 weekly shop!!!!

97 replies

user98765797837 · 01/05/2017 15:59

Back story.... I'm a sahm, hubby works, 2 kids and a cat.

I do online shopping as I don't drive and hubby refuses to go to the supermarket on his days off. So I did our usual weekly shop this morning, asked for his bank card and was asked how much it was,I said £50 and was greeted with "WHY is it so much?"

AIBU in thinking £50 isn't that much to feed 2 adults, 2 children and a cat, (It includes packed lunches for hubby and child)

OP posts:

AdoraBell · 01/05/2017 17:33

Cancel the order, tell him the website didn't work, no idea why, so can he go and get a few things. Give him the whole list and tell him you'll have a cuppa ready for him he gets back because sweet tea works for shock

joannegrady90 · 01/05/2017 17:35

That's great op

I spend £40 a week on me and dd.

user1489675144 · 01/05/2017 17:42

Wow I'm impressed. £50 is really low (IMO) Tell him to do the shop next time.

WritingHome · 01/05/2017 17:45

annandale I don't think the people posting on these threads are all keeping chickens or growing their own veg. I could be wrong.

But I do wonder if some of the meals are eaten in work / school?

I really can't see how you can provide:

28 breakfasts
28 lunches
28 dinners

including fruit and veg and pet food for £50 per week and that is not taking into consideration any friends calling round etc

It seems impossible to me

WritingHome · 01/05/2017 17:47

That is 84 meals per week (ignoring pets) for £50 - working out at 60p per meal - how is that even possible?

AgentOprah · 01/05/2017 17:47

Op did say its not always £50 as she already had mince and sausages etc.

WritingHome · 01/05/2017 17:50

OP stated in the opening post that she did 'the usual weekly shop which came to £50'...

AgentOprah · 01/05/2017 17:55

Well I just did a typical weekly shop and it came to £60. Obviously I have some things like rice, pasta, mince already in the house. I don't know what it works out per meal but I never spend more than £80 and we manage fine.

Coffeepleeeaase · 01/05/2017 17:58

I think that's about right. I'm a sahm, it's me my partner and 1year old at home. I shop in Aldi and spend £40-£55 a week. We also made a rule that we weren't allowed to pop to she shop during the week as it all the spending adds up ! 😊

howtofixme · 01/05/2017 18:02

@writinghome

That is 84 meals per week (ignoring pets) for £50 - working out at 60p per meal - how is that even possible?

you are maybe assuming the cupboards are bare and there is not anything in the house.

I know in my house there is always staples like bread flour pasta rice potatoes to make a meal with along with beans tomatoes soups etc in tins. It would be very unusual to find a kitchen with nothing in it and have to restock each week.

Etymology23 · 01/05/2017 18:12

Porridge - 15p (5p porridge, 7p milk, 7p jam)

Toast and butter/jam/marmite (2p per slice plus topping - under 20p for breakfast)

Cereal - 3 value wheatabix is 10p, plus 7p of milk.

So then you've got £1.60 for lunch and dinner.

Which is tight tight tight, but probably manageable if you bulk buy, and cook a lot of veggie or nearly veggie food. Pasta, tinned toms, onions, garlic, carrot, peppers and some chopped up sausage with cheese on top is cheap as chips. A night a week of just soup. Lentil dahls. Bolognese made bulked out with plenty of onions (eg 3 plus to 500g mince, with several carrots and celery as well) can cut that down to 60p a portion.

Cheap relatively uninteresting fruit - bananas are 13p, apples about 14p. Etc etc.

Mooey89 · 01/05/2017 18:14

Uh. He sounds like my ex.
Before I moved in he bought one box of cereal every couple of weeks, milk. One economy box of fish fingers. One giant bag of frozen chips. One Goant bag of peas.
Giant bag of pasta and bottle of oil.
Cereal for breakfast, plain pasta with oil for lunch, fish fingers chips and peas every night.
Used that - same food every single day for him and DD who stayed with Grandparents during the week.

When I (and DD) moved in, he couldn't believe and used to scrutinise every penny. Thought I was completely OTT wanting to have a different meal each evening.

Unsurprisingly, part of a much bigger controlling picture.

Your OP made me unsettled and set my red flag - dar beeping.
Why do you feel the need to justify your spending? Why do you value your time so little that you are willing to accept that 'hubby' just doesn't do the food shopping? What would happen if you just decided you didn't want to do it either?

GerdaLovesLili · 01/05/2017 18:18

I aim at £30 for 2 adults an 8-yo and two rabbits. I don't often hit it anymore. £50 sounds just about do-able, but very hard work.

(Farmfoods, Approved foods, Aldi and Lidl are my friends)

blueteapot · 01/05/2017 19:36

My goodness is he deluded? I am very frugal, always looking out for offers, vouchers etc - I budget 100 pounds a week to include DS school meals at £14, and the very least I could manage on a healthy varied for our family of 4 for the week would be about 60 pounds, if I needed some money for something else that week. Youre doing grand, OP.

Original poster

user98765797837 · 01/05/2017 20:25

chicken dinner, then day after chicken curry (sorry i use a jar of sauce), then any leftover chicken we may make a pizza and have chicken/ham on it. or could be pasta with leftover chicken in.
kids love bolognese.... basic onions, garlic, tin tomatos, mince (buy and split into 3 portions,or buy frozen and use as needed) and tomato puree. bulk it out with carrots. same recipe with added chilli/beans to make chilli.
shepherds pie... mince, onions, gravy, potato, carrots.... pretty cheap.
lasagne with above bolognese sauce and homemade white sauce.

cheaty meal is usually sausages and mash, or with rice (kids love plain rice)

lunches are usually sandwiches and a yogurt and piece of fruit.
breakfasts are cereal.

I meant usual weekly shop as in a main shop not a top up.... it was slightly smaller than usual but it is usually under £60.... so not huge.

list is written....he's off to aldi tomorrow x

OP posts:

Original poster

user98765797837 · 02/05/2017 13:09

so Shopping at aldi....was all of £2 cheaper!! Dont think it was worth him getting in a strop over the tesco shop though!!!!

OP posts:

annandale · 02/05/2017 13:15

User is he acknowledging that he was being unreasonable or is he preening himself over the £2?

Original poster

user98765797837 · 02/05/2017 13:58

I think he realises that the price was reasonable and there wasn't much difference. But we do both agree that the quality of the fruit from tesco has gone downhill so if aldi is better he is happy to go there on his day off....

OP posts:

SecretNetter · 02/05/2017 14:27

I find Tesco fruit awful, never buy from there now. I didn't realise quite how bad it was until we did a shop at Lidl and realised bananas don't all go black after 3 days and strawberries and blueberries shouldn't grow stuff after 2 days in the fridge which is what always happens with the Tesco version.

SnowinApril123 · 02/05/2017 14:33

YANBU We have 2 adults, 1 toddler and 1 baby and our weekly shopping inc. formula, bread and milk top ups is averaging £120 per week! and that doesn't include lunches.

What is very unreasonable is having to ask for HIS bank card so he has control, why don't you have joint access to money?

Cagliostro · 02/05/2017 16:21

Must vary by location - there are two Lidls near us and I refuse to get fruit from either as they have both only ever sold quick-to-mold stuff. We don't have Aldi though. Whereas Tesco is generally pretty good really, for us.

Cagliostro · 02/05/2017 16:22

Glad he has agreed to potentially actually DO the shopping OP.

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