AIBU to think £200 is enough?

[Pauuuuuuline]

AIBU to think that £200 a month on groceries is enough?

As of next month, as a family, we'll have £200 a month left over after essential outgoings to spend on our shop.

This £200 will need to accommodate two adults, a toddler, two cats. Will also include four teens EOW.

Can currently spend (and often do) roughly £400-500 a month, so for us, £200 seems quite small but it's doable right?

Any thoughts and tips on how to do it would be much appreciated.

will be extremely tight, but probably doable, lots of pasta with passatta and frozen veg.
shops own brand of everything! good luck, and hopefully it works out fine, we currently spend around £150-£200 a week for 2 adults, 2 teens, 1 child, 2 dogs and a cat, would really like to get it down a bit , just needs good organisation and maybe some food from the reduced section

There are some great facebook sites like "feed yourself for £1 per day" & "feed your family on about £20 per week" that give fantastic advice on budget meals. Never underestimate beans, pulses and lentils (lentil chilli and lentil curry has seen me through some dire straights). They can be delicious if you have a good spice cupboard.
Short term you can do it. Websites like approved foods do cheap cupboard stuff nearing its sell by date but still fine to eat.

It’s very doable until you mention the four teenagers.

If you have to do lunches as well.then no, I don't think it's doable.

Look at some of Jack Monroe's recipes about cooking on a budget. She has some good tips but I still think it will be difficult.

Is there anyway you can free up some budget from elsewhere to give you some wiggle room?

Lidl will be your friend if you have one local. Do meal plan for the week and stick to it. Buy enough bread/milk for the week and freeze some so it won't go off, and it will save extra trips to shop where you'd be tempted to buy other unnecessary items. Freeze leftovers so you can have an evening of freezer food - possibly each eating different dinner but at least there's no waste.

you'll have to be very clear with the kids that they can't have snacks/ take what they want.

You'll have to meal plan well and stick to it.

Utilize special offers, use up what you have in the stock cupboard and freezer. Buy frozen and tinned veg - less waste.

Has your income radically decreased recently? Just trying to understand what options you have.

I think you’ll struggle. The teens need to be fed but also need to be made aware of the situation. Spell it out to them: no treats/extras/tap water to drink only/no eating a multipack of crisps in one sitting/no complaining that the food is boring.

I think it's doable but as others have said, it may not be fun. You may be eating a lot of lentils. If you are in a city or decent town then get the Olio food sharing app, it's got me out of a very hungry hole more than once.

This is not doable, really. It’s less than £10 each per week. Do you have a stash of stuff, food in the freezer?

Cats are expensive, but not as expensive as teenagers.

I don't think it's possible. You might manage it for a few weeks but it will be so joyless and miserable you'll get really fed up. I also predict a lot of arguments when the teens come and they horse a weeks ingredients in half an hour.

Sorry op I think you're kidding yourselves.

No, teens can't work. Eldest is only 15. Wouldn't expect them to work either!

Toddler isn't fussy at all and surprisingly puts away a large amount of food.

The fussiest person is probably me!

The £200 will also be including cleaning products, toiletries, etc.

The plan is to shop Aldi/Lidl.

Have made all the relevant cut backs elsewhere on all outgoings, Bills, etc. Given up personal luxuries.

You might find the teens suddenly have other plans at weekends. That's nigh on impossible. If you were spending £500 where has that margin gone and if you knew a lean patch was coming why didn't you save ask you could top up? I lived on a very limited budget as a student, but to feed that many people for that long it's got to be nutritious food, not just 12p smart price super noodles, plus cats, cleaning and laundry products. Is there any way one of you can take on a second job for a few months?

It's doable but it's going to be a lot of pasta, rice, potatoes, bread and tinned things. Which doesn't mean it will be bad, just perhaps not that much fun. Absolutely agree with PPs regarding some rather rigid meal planning as well as being VERY clear on what's for snacking and what isn't.

Do you have a market near you? A standard old fashioned market? You can save a tonne on veg and fruit if you buy what they have a glut of. At one point ours did 10 avocados for a pound (not that I needed 10!) Are you needing to feed the toddler or are they fed at nursery?
It would be doable if it wasn't for the 4 teens! Lots of eggs or veg protein to fill them up. Otherwise they will eat all the cheese which is expensive!
It is only a few months, but, includes Christmas! Don't buy cleaning clothes, use knackered towels (my mum used to use cut up boxers shorts for dusting, I don't and feel profligate!)
Most people feel treated if someone cooks them a hot breakfast - maybe do cheap sausages sandwiches occasionally when the teens are over, to break the grind!

I'm another one recommending Feed Yourself for a Pound a Day. It will be tight and a lot of prepping and cooking but there are loads of tips and advice on that page.

Good Luck

I think it is do able if you have time - time to visit different shops to get offers, time to meal plan, to batch cook, to cook from scratch.
Have you got a garden where you can grow your own veg?

How on earth will you manage Christmas?

Sounds very difficult. That's a lot of mouths to feed. Lots of planning I think and shopping at Lidl etc.

Aldi and Lidll are better value than the big 4 supermarkets but they're not that cheap, people on here are acting as though you can get a weeks shopping for £30 or something, sorry but that's not the case at all. Now you're talking about cleaning products and toiletries off that money? No, just no.

Aldi is amazing so so cheap compared to traditional supermarkets.
That said meat isn’t going feature in budget much

Anything is doable!
Slow cooker and use cheaper cuts of meat
Use frozen veg which is just as healthy as fresh
Unbranded bread is like 50p a loaf so toast and sandwiches are a great cheap snack
Also just stick with basic fruit like bananas apples and pears there's all cheap
Pasta and sauce meals are very cheap and filling
Lots of stuff u can do ! Order online tho and maybe Google some cheap recipes to help you get started but good luck

Absolutely no way we could do it - 2 adults & 2 teenage boys.

£50 per week with toiletries etc too? Wow. That certainly wouldn't be possible in my house. Look into making your own cleaning products and buy bars of soap and massive cheap shampoos. Tell the teenagers to bring toiletries from home when they come every other weekend.

Soup is your friend! Make broth from chicken bones and from the odds and ends of chopping up onions and other vegetables. Strain it out , and later add pasta or rice and little bits of meat. Slow cooked, homy, delicious.