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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Fussy family fed up of over £100 a week food shop

115 replies

Tattooedmama · 22/01/2020 21:18

Please please give me your tips on food shopping, if like me you have fussy members of the house.

I have a 14 year old who will live on southern fried chicken and chicken kievs Hmm
Have always had varied meals, but lately he will eat hardly anything we cook (need to be more firm)

My partner is so so fussy on alot of things which is highly irritating because as an adult he needs to start trying new things to save our finances, we cant afford over £100 a week.
He hates most veg except peas, carrots, sweetcorn.
Wont have stuff like casserole, lasagne, veggie curries etc which i want to try as the cost of chicken for 6 of us.

Whats everyone elses food budget and how do you keep it low?
Am i being harsh? Im fed up, because i will eat most things and sick of boring food or cooking different for everyone.

Theres 2 adults, 2 teens, an 8 and 2 year old.

OP posts:
OxanaVorontsova · 22/01/2020 21:52

Tbh mine don’t get a choice, we all eat the same

Pasta with various sauces, pesto or just cheese
Noodles
Eggs in various forms
Bacon sandwich
Baked potatoes tiny chopped veg and crispy bacon topped with cheese
Roasted veg with or without meat
Couscous or wraps with veg and/or meat

BettyBooper · 22/01/2020 21:54

Could you buy your meat in bulk from the internet? Looks like you can get some good deals if you have the freezer space.

hookiwooki · 22/01/2020 21:55

have a 14 year old who will live on southern fried chicken and chicken kievs. Have always had varied meals, but lately he will eat hardly anything we cook (need to be more firm) It sounds like this is a fairly new thing. There is what there is. He's 14 not 3.

My partner is so so fussy on alot of things which is highly irritating because as an adult he needs to start trying new things to save our finances If he won't budge then there's not a lot you can do, so long as he does his fair share of the cooking.

Allergies aside, because these raise our bill considerably, budget for two adults and 2 DC under 5 would be £65 including toiletries and household. £20 per adult and £10 per DC - give or take. We shop in Lidl and we Mumsnet the fuck out of one chicken each week, usually have 2 meat free days.

It would still cost me around £105 per week to feed your family.

Without seeing your shopping list, I can't really see if there's anywhere you can really cut costs, but I wouldn't be optimistic!

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 22/01/2020 21:57

No help with fussiness, but I batch cook a lot, and really bulk out things like chillis or bolognese with veg - mushrooms are particularly good in mince dishes. Agree with pp re frozen chicken if it’s going in a sauce, and I often pick up reduced things for the freezer on my way home from work. We have at least two nights a week meat-free (tonight was a harissa spiced chickpea stew which used up veg that was leftover from other things, with pitta breads), and always plan a second meal (eg, risotto, curry) after a roast dinner.

Warpdrive · 22/01/2020 21:57

i introduced several cheapo mostly vegetarian meals into our family life over a year ago and no one has noticed yet! cauliflower cheese with crusty bread and salad, jacket potatoes, egg chips and beans/mushy peas, pasta with flaked salmon asparagus and cream, vegetable curry...

my DH had a bowl of veggie curry the other day, finished it and then said, "Do you know, I don't think I got one bit of chicken in that then"

😂

expat101 · 22/01/2020 21:58

If the father is being picky, hard to teach the 14 yo to be anything else!

RoomR0613 · 22/01/2020 21:58

I find a couple of really cheap meals a week can really keep the overall spend down. So jacket potatoes and beans one night (chopped up Aldi offer veg as starter, with hummus, fruit or yoghurt as pudding). And pasta e ceci another. And then maybe a lentil soup with crusty bread or a Dal with rice and naan. Def not meat every day.

Sounds absolutely delicious. Probably not going to work for a manchild who prefers oxocube spaghetti to bolognese sadly.

Does your DP drink, smoke, gamble or have hobbies requiring money? If so I would be asking him to reduce his spending on any of those for a 'fussy tax' to pay for the extra oxocubes and cheese and let him crack on with his blandness.

Obviously he does his fair share of the cooking and you aren't the only adult in the house left scratching your head about what to feed everyone every night. Right?

Original poster
Tattooedmama · 22/01/2020 22:01

@Warpdrive cauliflower cheese with salad and crusty bread sounds lovely

Think i may also give farmfoods a look at, i dont have a big freezer but plenty room for frozen meat and veg

OP posts:
Original poster
Tattooedmama · 22/01/2020 22:05

He dont have many spends on himself, we have a few outstanding bills to pay over the next few month and really trying to tighten things where we can. The bolognese dont bother me so much, its the likes of when i do lasagne he wont have it due to the sauce and will have like steak pie with chips and mushy peas, might not seem like much difference but it still adds up

OP posts:
Oly4 · 22/01/2020 22:05

Two adults, three primary school aged kids here. Spend £130-£165 per week. I don’t even know how you do to for £100

BestestBrownies · 22/01/2020 22:11

I could not put up with a DP as fussy as that. Would suck all the pleasure out of eating and be a major turn off.

Since he’s the one causing the budget issue, why don’t you make it his problem to solve? Or just bulk-buy him pot noodles and cook decent meals for everyone else...

IdblowJonSnow · 22/01/2020 22:13

Money aside I wouldnt be catering to fussy husband. Let him fend for himself!
I do sympathise though because we are all fussy inc. me. It's a massive pita.

RippleEffects · 22/01/2020 22:13

If you don't have a big freezer but have fridge space you can always defrost in the fridge and bulk cook the meat for the next few days.

Sounds bloomin obvious but when I was a student I suddenly twigged you don't need a freezer to buy cheaper freezer food. You just need one to keep it frozen. If you plan to make use within a few days fridge is fine.

YappityYapYap · 22/01/2020 22:13

I would say £100 a week for 6 people is quite reasonable. We are spending about £70 a week for 2 adults and 1 DS aged 3. It does include cleaning products though so on actual food, maybe £60? So if I had 6 to feed, I would probably spend around £120 a week

AllergicToAMop · 22/01/2020 22:14

I know some people who refuse to try foreign foods because "it got like different flavour, innit, and I won't like it"... Some people just won't see reason.
Try what pp said. Stew is now meat and veg in gravy and so on

mathanxiety · 22/01/2020 22:16

Have you tried meatballs? You can hide quite a lot of lentils and breadcrumbs in meatballs. Bake them in the oven and eat with pasta, either with or without sauce.

I agree that pastry might be your friend here - chicken pot pie, steak and mushroom pie (lots of mushrooms). Egg and sausage and potato pie.

Do they eat eggs? Scotch eggs are filling and nutritious.

speakout · 22/01/2020 22:19

Sounds like your OH is the biggest problem.

I have little tolerance for adults who are fussy eaters.

If he doesn't like what you serve he can make himself a sandwich.

tolerable · 22/01/2020 22:24

get them all to take turns..allocate spend pw(keep "20 back in case fuck it up) and...see how they do

BillHadersNewWife · 22/01/2020 22:26

Tbh mine don’t get a choice, we all eat the same

This. Both of mine are fussy teens and DH is picky in that he only likes high quality/organic foods.

I cook what I cook and anyone who doesn't eat it can fill up on apples and noodles or toast.

I don't buy tonnes of meat either...I won't have kids dictating what they'll eat because the food I make is high quality and well cooked. Of course they'd prefer Southern fried chicken to veggie curry....doesn't mean they're GETTING it though! Grin

Chocolatecake12 · 22/01/2020 22:26

How about
Chicken pesto pasta
Creamy chicken and bacon lasagne with leeks/mushrooms
Slow cooker pulled pork in rolls with salad
Turkey mince meatballs in pitta with cous cous and salad or corn on the cobs
Cheesy pasta bake with mozzarella halves
Soup and crusty bread
Fish and wedges and peas

Try and use up leftovers for lunches.
Make meals a help yourself style - so the soup served with a huge pile of bread in the middle, maybe with a bowl of croutons they can help themselves to. Or tacos/fajitas where everything’s separate and they can fill their tacos up with what they choose.

Cost wise I think you’ll save by being firmer, this is what’s for dinner - if you don’t like it have toast. No other options.
If you can get the teenagers on board by explaining that you’d like to save up for a treat day out for you and by eating all the same it’s going to help - let them choose the day out and set a date to see if you can save.

BillHadersNewWife · 22/01/2020 22:27

when i do lasagne he wont have it due to the sauce and will have like steak pie with chips and mushy peas,

So you're buying or making steak pies to supplement your fussy DH?

Randomname85 · 22/01/2020 22:32

I’d say £100 in aldi IS a lot. I’ve bought a weekly shop in there for myself and my husband and my toddler for under £30.

Whatdayisit2 · 22/01/2020 22:32

Pasta / jacket pots is maybe the only way you can do it?

Sunnyskies111 · 22/01/2020 22:35

All I can suggest is get there when they're reducing the food and get your meat and other bits reduced. You're already doing really well to be spending around £100 a week for that many people!

MrsGolightyly · 22/01/2020 22:37

I can’t stand fussy eaters, you have my deepest sympathy. That’s all I can offer, as I think your bill isn’t bad under the circumstances.

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