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.

Also, it seems like in this thread the definition of "healthy eating" is relative.

Healthy eating for some - meat/fish, vegetables, no processed food, etc

Healthy eating for others - more carbs, smaller portions of protein.

With this disconnect in the definition of healthy eating and the varied food budget, nobody's going to win.

Totally agree Drowning

It’s all relative and nobody needs to be offended or get irate.

CantankerousCamel
No one said what you spend is a rediculous amount, If I counted up everything I bough with every trip to the shops I would probably be the sane but its not necessary.

So you’ve actually totted it up and come to exactly the same conclusion, WHALE.

Well, I suppose it beats repeats of Gilmore girls while I endlessly rock this sleeping baby

Next thing, TempleofBloomingBragging, you'll be moaning about only being able to afford Moet & Chandon at the weekend and having to slum it having to make do with Bollinger or Krug on the weekdays......

CantankerousCamel

This amounts to £5.33 a meal.
I tried to cost yesterday's meals I made (and everyone complained about).
Porridge for breakfast and a simple chicken salad for dinner.
Dinner
Half chicken £3.00
Sweet peppers £1.00
Tomatoes £1.00
Red onion £0.20
Croutons £0.25 (from old bread)
Herbs £0.50
Olive oil, salt, pepper let's say £0.05

That's already £6, and over the budget, without any luxuries.

Breakfast
Porridge £0.25
Milk £1
Yoghurts £1
Berries £2
Bananas £0.80
Honey £0.20

That's £5.25, just within the budget. A spilled glass of milk will take it over.
This does not take into account any snacks, desserts, takeaways and eating out, drinks and hospitality. A bit unrealistic.

SILVER

I’ve managed to do it (just) on £80 for 4, mind you, two of those people are small...

Cereal for breakfast

Ham sandwiches for lunch with apple

Toast and fruit for snack

Spag Bol or chicken cheesy pasta or veggie slop (tastes nicer than it sounds) for dinner, which would usually last two days.

It wasn’t my choice of food but it was healthy enough and nutritious enough and filling enough for us.

I much, much prefer having extra money to spend and extra variety along with it. Even in so much as we don’t have to have the same meal twice unless we want to.

I haven't counted anything up. I said I can see how you could spend that and I probably do sometimes but my weekly shop is around 50 to 60 pounds that has everything we need nutritionally, anything else I buy is extra but not needed so could be done withought, so probes my point you can live healthily off a budget like that but you seem to keep suggesting you can't.

Who cares? You're well off to be able to afford that so why does it matter? Your post sounds a bit braggy tbh!
By the way it's irresponsible to have so many children!

THEWHALE

Please read DROWNINGS posts

Then read them again.

Thanks.

Thought camel had training this morning

It’s done. Only takes an hour.
Now rocking impossible to keep asleep baby (there is always one)

Camel

I am totally with you. I grew up in abject poverty in the third world, with pasta + tomato sauce, or mashed potatoes often being the only choice for months on end. I'd better walk to work now than undernourish my family. Probably it is psychotic, and I definitely could make more intelligent choices - we do waste a lot of food, and my total spend is probably somewhere near OP's.
It does surprise me sometime when I see ladies picking up value range tins in the shop, at the same time sporting a new set of fake nails, eyelash extensions and fresh highlights. I do not judge, it just shocks me me how different priorities can be.

CantankerousCamel
I think drowning needs to have a proper read through your posts.

SILVER

£280 a week is loads but if you can afford it, why not?

I am just grateful that I won’t ever have to question whether or not the kids can have an extra piece of fruit because we are on such a tight budget. It’s been hard work to get here and I’m glad that we’ve done it.

The issue here is that despite repeatedly stating that I am focusing on my own experiences when I answered this post, people are still saying ‘wot so you saying we is unhealthy then’

Are poorer people unable to form sentences in your privileged bubble? You really can't see that the way you speak and think is vile. It's shocking.

‘Privileged’?

No, I am not ‘privileged’ any more than the next person.

People are belligerently misreading my posts. My post reflects that. It’s nothing to do with their cost of living.

Oh god this thread is going round in circles.

Can we all just be friends?

SCABBERS

I’m not going to stop defending myself while people are calling me names and whatnot. Sorry but why shouldn’t I defending myself against this tripe?!

Well of course that's your right I can't believe you have the energy for it with a baby.

Probably all the nutritious food!!

CCamel
At least this thread made me think about my food spend. I went through my last month's spend and was shocked how high it was. Asked out of the blue, i'd probably guess somewhere around £150. Lunching out and entertaining people is what apparently floods my bill - we usually have friends' three teenage children over for Saturday and Sunday (and a nice dinner all together when they pick them up) and my weekend food bill looks like I had to provision for an army battalion :D

SCABBERS

She’s at the adorable ‘grab your face and giggle’ phase

I’m fortunate enough to have a job that doesn’t involve huge amounts of time (but lots of energy) and It’s one of my best friends funerals tomorrow morning... tbh even the being called a bigot and idiot and all the other nonsense has been a welcomed distraction from the knawing pain in my chest

honestly I would leave it and take your lovely baby for a walk

We are off to a festival almost the second the festival finishes, I’ve spent all day looking frantically for bunting (which I’ve found)

I’m just rocking her to sleep now trying to write lists and get things ready. Getting shit together makes me anxious enough but this eeek is intense!

Can’t wait to stand on a welsh hill and breathe out the entire of this month.

No matter what is going on in your life it does not give you the right to judge people.