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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is £35 weekly reasonable for a single person's grocery shop?

136 replies

AbsentmindedWoman · 04/04/2019 12:29

Out of interest, as I think prices are continuing to steadily go up. On average I spend £35 - so some weeks less and others more. Includes convenience foods like soups from the chilled section and 'easy' things like prepared trays of veggies as I have chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

What range would you say is reasonable for a single person's grocery shop?

OP posts:
RestingBitchFaced · 04/04/2019 12:31

Is this just food, or does it include shampoo, washing powder, dog food etc?

Fiveredbricks · 04/04/2019 12:31

I spend £45 for two adults, an almost 2yr old with hollow legs and a dog.

But reasonable is whatever you can afford.

Friedspamfritters · 04/04/2019 12:31

Sounds like you're being fairly frugal to me. You could probably do it a little cheaper but you'd be compromising on quality, health and convenience.

Lazypuppy · 04/04/2019 12:34

I used to spend about £15 per wrek whrn i was single.

We spend £40 per week for 2 adults and a 1yo

DIZZYTIGGER87 · 04/04/2019 12:34

I'd say reasonable. We probably spend about £200 a month with 2 adults, a toddler and a dog.

We are on a tight budget so this covers pretty much everything, wash stuff, cleaning, dog food, food, takeaways, drinks etc.

GaGaMummy · 04/04/2019 12:34

Hiya, we are a family of 5 and a weekly shop for us £60-£70 and that includes some cat food and also nappies. Some weeks we spend more depending on what needs replenishing like laundry stuff.
When it was just my ex and I, we would live on £20 a week but that is 10+ years ago now and we didn't really eat a great deal back then.

femidom12 · 04/04/2019 12:35

This reply has been deleted

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AbsentmindedWoman · 04/04/2019 12:35

It's mainly just food, and things like hand wash or bin liners. I shop at Aldi/ Lidl mostly.

It doesn't include shampoo /conditioner/ shower gel etc.

OP posts:
NoCardiganWearers · 04/04/2019 12:35

I spend between £50 and 70 for me, DD aged 3 and a cat but it includes cat litter, nappies, and fresh fruit as DD eats a lot of that.

AbsentmindedWoman · 04/04/2019 12:37

I can't figure out how people do it on £15! Is that a lot of pasta or rice?

OP posts:
Babuchak · 04/04/2019 12:37

as above, what do you include in there?
If it's food, I don't think it's that much, but if you also buy house essentials, it's very low.

What's reasonable should be healthy food and not spending more than you earn - so someone on minimum wage should spend less than someone on a 6 figure salary.

SileneOliveira · 04/04/2019 12:39

Do you need to be frugal? £35 seems low to me, it's just £5 per day.

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 12:40

Batch cook and use leftovers you lazy sod.
Confused

I am sure you are only being sarcastic, but just in case, £5 A DAY is not much!

It's great to tell people to batch cook, but not every single person has a massive freezer to store all the extra meals.

Motoko · 04/04/2019 12:40

I'd say that was more than enough for 1 person. I wouldn't have spent that much if I was single and healthy, but as you need to get ready prepped veggies etc, due to your illness, that will bump the cost up.

Can you afford it, or would you like to get the cost down?

mummmy2017 · 04/04/2019 12:41

Yes £35 is an easy do.
The £15 wow... How?

HollowTalk · 04/04/2019 12:42

@femidom12

I feed a family of 7 for less than that.
Batch cook and use leftovers you lazy sod.

Did you actually read the thread? The OP says she has chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

I don't know how you feed a family of 7 on less than £5 per week each. I don't think that can be done.

Motoko · 04/04/2019 12:44

Batch cook and use leftovers you lazy sod.

Did you miss the bit where OP said she suffers from CFS and fibro? And are you always this rude to people?

JustAWaferThinMint · 04/04/2019 12:44

Depends how many decades ago the £15/week was. I probably lived on that as a student 25 years ago.

BloodyDisgrace · 04/04/2019 12:44

That seems quite cheap to me ... How would alcohol and meat come into it? That definitely isn't possible in London.

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 12:45

I can see how you can survive on next to nothing, if you buy pasta and rice in bulk especially, but the challenge would be to give healthy meals to everyone.

And it must be so time consuming to have to budget for every cent, and plan everything to the last gram, that can't be fun at all.

ClaudiaWankleman · 04/04/2019 12:46

I feed a family of 7 for less than that. Batch cook and use leftovers you lazy sod

This website is crazy.

Batch cooking is boring (if you don’t have to, who really wants to eat the same meals over and over again?)

I think it’s reasonable. Two years ago I was spending approx. £25 on myself a week, and things have really risen in price over the last 18 months.

JustAWaferThinMint · 04/04/2019 12:46

And I am pretty sure femidom was taking the piss out of the MN competition for who can feed the most on the least e.g. the magic chicken that can feed a family for a week, as long as everyone only eats a teaspoonful at a time, and as long as you don’t count all the other extensive ingredient list you need to enhance that teaspoonful.

showgirl · 04/04/2019 12:48

I must do something seriously wrong when I meal plan and food shop. We spend 100 a week on food, household items and toiletries for 2 adults and a 5 year old. At least 30 if not more is just on fruit and vegetables? What am I doing wrong?

Rubusfruticosus · 04/04/2019 12:49

I spend about the same for a adult and teen. Not all pasta and rice, fairly balanced with plenty of fruit and veg.

EssentialHummus · 04/04/2019 12:51

Fine I think. I find it cheaper to feed more people on less money per person iyswim, because unless you are willing to eat repetitively packaging sizes etc work against you.

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