to spend £280 a week to feed a family of 5?

[TempleOfBlooms]

I spend about £280 a week on food. This includes my work lunches which tend to be salads from places like Leon plus coffees etc. The rest is food eaten at home.

Breakfast for all five of us tends to be things like Bircher muesli or chia based stuff with fruits and nuts. Fresh juice too.

Lunches in summer are usually a selection of dips and cheese and meats and salads.

Dinner is usually fish or chicken with a selection of salads and grilled veg.

So fresh food but not caviar or ridiculous indulgences.

It seems like everyone else on here can feed a family of four on tiny amounts. How? We certainly could eat more cheaply but that would mean fewer veg, fewer fruits, less fish etc.

Is it really so unusual to spend so much on food? I never see anyone else admit to it.

To be fair I can often taste the difference between “brands” and stores own - often preferring stores own though!

No one should feel anymore "proud" of the fact they shop in somewhere like Waitrose than the people who shop in places like Aldi or Lidl, they are all feeding their families not matter what the expense!

No one said that, though. All that poster said was they were proud of their hard work in changing their circumstances so that they could have more choice over what to feed their family. Not that Waitrose was morally superior to Lidl or Aldi!

Whatshallidonowpeople
Exactly, when my OH was young he used to work in a factory where they, I'll say "prepared" chickens etc. for the shops and guess what.... They supplied to all different places, all coming from the same factory, same chickens just different packaging! I would feel like a prize prick paying an extra fiver for a pack of chicken breasts knowing that information, but hey carry on

NoSquirrels
Do you know what reading between the lines is?
That IS what they ment by that comment wether you wish to believe that or not. That was the discussion at the time and they clearly stated they felt "proud" they could spend a "decent" amount on food for their families, meaning they spend a lot on pretentious crap and they are happy about that because they can boast about it to their middle class friends

How can you be PROUD that you buy expensive food?!

It is a bit odd. I squander a lot of money on extravagant food, probably a similar amount to the op, and feel quite ashamed about it. This thread has made me feel determined to make some changes.

Hmm I used to work in food manufacturing and food for M&S was not the same and had better quality raw materials than the other supermarkets. Obviously they were paying for this better quality and also more special treatment but it was certainly different to the others

I can understand paying more for better quality items. But I'm not convinced that certain so called quality food items ARE any better. The only things I can really taste the difference in with better brands are things like coffee. Certainly can't taste the difference in meat or fish.

When will rich people realise that 'hard work' is not the reason they're rich. I speak as someone with a degree. As someone who scrubs toilets and looks after other people's children rather than putting my own to bed myself most nights. I work hard. I consider myself very lucky indeed to be able to feed and clothe my children. To have a Husband to hand the children over to as he gets in from work and I go out to work. To have children at all in fact. As should you.
(Husband is a very successful chef. You can definitely eat much, much better for much less than op spends)

We spend £120 a week on food roughly. Not extravagant or outrageous and yes, when I buy the weekly shop I am proud. When I cancelled our tax credits and housing benefit I was proud. In January when we buy our home, I will be proud.

Three kids, severe mental health problems and I’ve managed to support us well. I am PROUD of that, whether it’s something you agree with or not.

LightAsTheBreeze
I didn't realise there was M&S farms where they reared their own livestock and grew their own veg etc in better ways than the rest of the farmers!
you have certainly opened my eyes!

M+S, Waitrose etc have different choices like free range sausages or lamb

CantankerousCamel
So you are proud of the fact you have come through a difficult situation in life, that's different to someone saying they are proud they spend rediculous amounts of money on food every week and believing they do it because they are buying "better food" and treating their families better in doing so!

CantankerousCamel
I'm pretty further places have these aswell

I agree with a few pps on here who said some people do underestimate what they spend on food, and, more specifically, how much things cost to make.
There have been a couple of posters on here who have airily declared meals or recipes cost 'pennies'. They might get a surprise if they costed out eg asparagus risotto - I cost it out at at least £3.50, and that's assuming the asparagus is not n season, herbs are free from the garden and stock is from a chicken previously cooked. I have not accounted for butter, seasonings, cheese etc.
Obviously this is not a lot, but it is more than pennies.
A coupme of years ago, when I was really skint, I costed out every single meal I made, and the results were quite an eye-opener.

*sure

So you are proud of the fact you have come through a difficult situation in life, that's different to someone saying they are proud they spend rediculous amounts of money on food every week and believing they do it because they are buying "better food" and treating their families better in doing so!

Yes exactly

Not sure about livestock but the ingredients were definitely different and had their own place in the factory. Where I worked wasn’t any meat products so I wouldn’t know about them

I couldn't imagine spending that much personally, but I see how you could.

We're a family of 4 with two disabled children so their food preference is different to mine and DH's.
I'm not sure exactly how much we spend on food alone, but I do a Sainsbury's online shop every week and it usually costs us max £120 (this week it was only £85)

But that includes:

Dinners/Lunches/Breakfasts
Cat food
Nappies/Wipes/Bath stuff
Cleaning products
Ice cream/snacks
Juice and lemonade
And 5 cartons of 6 pint milk

I buy a mix of Sainsbury's own brand range and normal range. Lots of fresh fruit but veg is frozen. Mix of fresh meat and fish but also a 'throw in dinner' which is usually a Sainsbury's family ready meal (which I highly recommend btw)

We could probably spend less if we cooked from scratch more, but with two high needs children we usually need food that can cook without our attention.

But that’s not what I said (ever) I said there seems to be a weird sort of pride on threads like this (not this one so much) where people are super proud they only spend £30 a week on a family of 5. I don’t get it. It’s good there is such a variety of choice so people can afford to eat so cheaply but if you can afford fresh, varied, healthy foods then it should be a priority to provide them!

CantankerousCamel
You have literally just said that it's good there's a variety so people can eat cheaply but basically you need to be able to spend a lot more to eat fresh, healthy foods! Are you deliberately being insulting or are you just stupid?
Why do you presume that if people eat "cheaply" they are eating crap!!

Of course you spend more to eat fresh, varied, healthy food. Why else would you spend more?

You seem to be saying that people who feed their families on £50 a week eat the same quality of food as people who feed their families on £120 a week, which is quite obviously not true

CantankerousCamel
Why do you presume this?

I’m not sure ‘presume’ is the correct word to use there. Could you tell me what it is you’re trying to say?

Should I presume that when you weren't earning as much as you do now you were buying crap food to feed your family?