food budget

[cosmobrown]

Hi. Can people tell me how much they spend on food please?
Family of 4. Mum, Dad, 18yr old boy, 15 yr old girl.
I'm having to start budgeting for the first time.

Two adults and a six year old used to be 60 tops a week, now it's teetering between 70-90 for the extra meals and snacks (and wine) However, this includes everything and only topping up bread and milk midweek. I'm also ceoliac so certain things are just more expensive.
I loosely meal plan each week, based on what's in the freezer and cupboards.
Tonight was risotto, and there's enough to reheat for lunch tomorrow for adults. DS will have his usual toastie.
Tomorrow is a roast (leftovers for lunch on Monday)
Monday is fritatta and salad
Tuesday homemade lentil soup
Wednesday egg fried rice with chicken/tofu
Thursday baked cod with veg (frozen fillets)
Friday pasta with pesto
Saturday pizza

Breakfast and lunches are what's in the cupboard/fridge. We go through a lot of bread/wraps/cheese/ham so always have those on hand. Theres always fruit and Yogurt, biscuits, crisps and crackers. Not necessarily exactly the brand folk want but tough.

It helps to know exactly what you need to you're not tempted to just chuck things in your trolley. Online delivery slots were great for this but obviously not doable at the moment.

Since the second week of lockdown we’ve been doing intermittent fasting. In our case it basically means skipping food at breakfast and eating between 1 and 9pm.
We were going wild with snacks, treats, alcohol, full cooked meals twice a day, baking...
And doing very little to burn it off!

I’m on a low carb regime anyway so I slipped into it quite easily. As long as I have black Italian coffee and black English tea at breakfast I’m happy. DH is still suffering after 3 weeks as he likes variety at breakfast and he’s counting the minutes to lunch. He looks on it as a deprivation diet rather than a change of lifestyle.

We now have a salad and toasted sandwich/omelette or soup lunch (cheap) and pasta or meat for dinner. Frozen vegetables when the fresh run out, potatoes, dried beans or chickpeas (pasta e ceci this evening). Two sausage meals, one roast chicken, 12 eggs a week, bacon, cheese and cold cuts for protein. Fresh fruit for every meal (not me). Wine or beer only in the evenings.
We still have treats (crisps are in great demand, mini chocolate eggs or good dark chocolate bars) but in lockdown you want some light relief!

I’ve seen benefits in sleeping, energy and attention levels. No weight gain for either of us.

And we’re spending approximately €6 per person/day.

I know I’m probably not someone you expected or perhaps even wanted to reply but I hope I can help.

I’m disabled and on benefits and raised dd alone and have been on a tight household budget most of my adult life.

Meal planning is key usually but it’s very hard to do at the moment as there’s no telling what will be available in the shops.

To someone new to food budgeting I give the following advice:

1 Shift the “brand level” you shop at by at least one level eg if you normally buy well known brands step down to supermarket own premium where that’s cheaper - it may seem counterintuitive as it’s not a huge change but moving down to cheaper brand levels, especially with possibly fussy kids, is easier and more sustainable if done gradually. Once you/they are used to that, normally takes 1-2 weeks step down again to supermarket “normal” range and then again to budget range. Some items it won’t work with and you can go back to the level that is accepted by your household but you’ll find for many items you don’t really notice the difference.

It’s an mse tip I first followed after leaving last job due to my ill health and is now seen practiced with “blind testing” on “eat well for less”

2 eat seasonally - we’re used to everything being available all year around now and people rarely check the prices of the things they buy regularly but particularly fruit, veg and meat, fish & poultry are very much priced seasonally. In addition to being cheaper it stops you getting into ruts and is healthier too, the “natural world” provides food according to need at certain times of year eg comforting root veg in winter, salad veg in summer.

3 seems obvious but sometimes the obvious needs to be said. Cooking from scratch is generally cheaper than buying stuff ready to go - not always but mostly. Cooking sauces in particular are much cheaper, tastier and healthier made from scratch. Batch cooking to save cooking costs is good to do too and knowing the best way to store your efforts. If you’re not already experienced/practiced in doing so op there’s a great thread I’m on at the moment aimed at keeping food waste to a minimum which I and others are finding very useful

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3874368-Frugal-Foodies-thread-2-Favourite-leftover-dishes-avoiding-waste-menu-ideas

I was out of the habit of much of it and I’m quite enjoying getting back in the swing.

4 Avoid food waste - the focus of aforementioned thread.

Keeping an eye on perishable foods and ensuring they’re used while still safe to do so, but also being aware of the differences between use by and best before and knowing how to assess if foods are ok to use and how long they tend to last.

This is something I struggle with slightly as I have ocd which includes some anxiety over using food past date, although I’m comfortable from years of experience doing so with foods I’m familiar with and confident using.

Also knowing/becoming confident with using food past it’s optimum quality in certain ways eg using up “old” veggies in home made soup, using meat leftovers to make stock.

And knowing/feeling confident in “stretching out” dishes to go further/last longer eg using lentils in mince dishes to make mince go further.

5 as a vegetarian I have to say having at least one meat free day a week is likely to save you money too. I’ve been veggie all my adult life but dd was omni although I didn’t tend to buy the more expensive meat products just for her as the portion sizes tended to be too large and although omni she didn’t eat red meat (didn’t like it/it upsets her stomach), when I’ve occasionally been shopping with friends/family who are meat eaters I’ve been stunned at the price of meat!

6 again SEEMS counterintuitive but actually doing decent, filling, “proper” meals cuts down on snacking. Snacks are generally more expensive than meals. But I understand with dc they can want snacks sometimes but if you’re on a budget you need to look to cheaper ones. Toast,sandwiches with cheap fillings (jam, marmite - or rather supermarket yeast extract goes a long way, sandwich paste, cheap cheese), fruit, biscuits (yea yes I know they’re not the healthiest but not the end of the world either and they are cheap! Especially plain rather than chocolate ones) and also if there are certain chocolate bars and sweets they like and you let them have on occasion - buy in “bulk” it’s cheaper to buy a 4 or 6 pack of a beloved chocolate bar from the supermarket than it is to spend up to £1 per bar at corner shop.

7 As pp said drinks can be crazy expensive! Water, milk, squash are the cheapest options. If you and dc really love the fizzy then it can be cheaper to flavour fizzy water - either bought or made if you can afford initial outlay for a soda stream.

8 variety is key - if your family get bored of what you’re feeding them they’re less likely to be supportive and co-operative with keeping the budget low.

9 don’t be too parsimonious - occasionally treats boost morale and ensure co-operation.

10 shop around! Again easier in normal circumstances but not impossible now. You need to know what your regularly bought items/brands normally cost you to start with - for years I’ve kept a note on my phone as I always have my phone with me.

Prices vary not only among the supermarkets (I’ve certainly found that the “special offers” tend to rotate, eg a product I won’t compromise on is fairy liquid but I NEVER pay full price. I only ever buy when it’s on special offer and when I’m able - I’m restricted due to being housebound just now - I vary where I’m buying it from according to where’s cheapest and as it’s a non-perishable if I come across it being on an especially good offer I’ll grab it!) but in non supermarket stores. When I’m not restricted to online purchases I’ve found b&m, home bargains and Wilko tend to be much cheaper for paper products (loo roll, kitchen roll, tissues) and cleaning products. Body care and semi Chem are good for toiletries and skin care.

“Make own cleaning spray for kitchen and bathroom out of stardrops.

Can someone explain this please?”

Doesn’t have to be stardrops, any disinfectant Liquid will do I prefer dettol myself. They have directions on them for use. Just dilute as directed, put disinfectant into an old spray bottle now empty and top up with water. Also things like white vinegar and soda crystals can be used for various cleaning jobs.

Bulk buy cleaning materials wherever possible and if you can store (remember you can use garage, shed, car boot, under beds for storing such items). Even though it’s just me now I still bulk buy/buy the larger options of (usually, bit harder at the moment) items like loo roll, kitchen roll, sponges for washing dishes, latex gloves (I get boxes off amazon they’re crazy expensive in supermarkets), toiletries & skin care. Now it’s just me it just means they last longer.

ALL that said...I have to say as someone who’s been managing on a HELL of a lot less for years it’s somewhat...interesting that you’re asking for advice when you normally earn £50k a year?! I have to wonder why you didn’t have SOME kind of emergency contingency planning? I don’t mean just for a pandemic but for ANY emergency. Don’t you have any savings set aside? Hugely irresponsible if not. Life can turn on you at any time, illness, accident, divorce, bereavement...and yes global and political change can happen out the blue.

If you didn’t save and didn’t plan I would urge you as soon as you practically can to organise yourself so you’re not caught out in the

and cannot claim anything. are you for real?! You don’t - or shouldn’t - NEED any govt assistance!!

There are families your size managing on 5-6 TIMES LESS than you do.

So while I’m happy to still post the advice, maybe it will help others too but quite honestly?

A - get a grip!

B - check your PRIVILEGE

C - appreciate what you have!

You say you have high commitments - pretty sure most of them can be negotiated and reduced at least temporarily and that this won’t cause you any real hardship.

I do wonder about some folk I really do!

The stardrops cleaner

Buy a bottle of stardrops original cleaner not the stardrops pine. Put 1/6 of the stardrops into a old spray bottle add a dash of your favourite zoflora if you use or like zoflora but can be left out if you don’t. Then top up with water. Give it a good shake and use as you would any other surface cleaner.
A bottle of stardrops will cost £1 and will last ages.

Things like cleaning products, packaged food like instant noodles and tinned soup can be much cheaper in places like pound shops, B&M or similar so maybe worth taking a special trip to stock up every few weeks. Similar for Aldi and Lidl even if a little further away than the shops you mention.

Be aware of what is more expensive and look for cheaper alternatives. Eg frozen fish much cheaper than fresh. Normal broccoli, carrots or cabbage much cheaper than purple sprouting broccoli or asparagus. Don't feel the need to have a constant supply of fresh berries in the house. Apples and bananas are much cheaper, as are frozen berries, which are fine for cereal, yoghurt etc.

Don't fall into the trap of having endless snacks in the house to feed bottomless pit bored people. If they're actually hungry tell them to have something like beans on toast.

Be aware of what you use a lot of and try to use less. Some people mention using what seems to me like astonishing amounts of toiletries, cleaning products, kitchen roll, cling film etc and are buying things weekly that I find last for weeks or months.

Make sure you look into the mortgage payment holidays etc to ease cashflow. Also read the Moneysavingexpert Coronavirius help sections for information and signposting to anything relevant.

Also, check how much you're spending on soft drinks and juice, and endless supply can add up to a lot. Maybe buy one bottle of diluting juice a week and after that, it's plain tap water.

Family of four, two toddlers. We spent £160 yesterday which included a 24 pack of toilet roll, wet wipes, dishwasher tablets, e.t.c... I would expect a top up shop of £40 next week so I guess we are spending £100/week.

It’s way more than I’d usually spend but DH is doing the shopping as I’m pregnant. He’s not good at thinking of the alternatives when there aren’t things and as the shop was low on certain things he bought the expansive varieties (Andrew toilet paper, gluten free burgers, e.t.c...).

Also worth doing things like switching your broadband, any TV packages, gas and electric if you've not done this in the last year. Look at the moneysavingexpert money makeover for a systematic way of going through your budget with signposting to ways to reduce costs, increase income and available help.

Normally do a big shop once a month of about £100, £40 a month at our amazing meat place, and say £20 a week on top ups for a family of 4 including 1 bottomless pit tween boy and a 1 year old. Plus 2 step kids on the weekends. So around £60 a week average.
Atm it's a bit higher as were all at home all day plus lack of offers in the shops, but I'd still say no more than £80 a week. I do use a lot of frozen veg, beans and pulses to bulk meals out and utilise the slow cooker by making big batches and freeze leftovers.
We were spending way more than we could afford on food so we started looking at ways to save where we could. We also eat quite a lot of vege food which definitely reduces the overall costs of meals but can be just as packed with flavour.

We're spending about £100 a week atm, 2 adults, a 4 year old, and a baby in nappies (but no formula)

It used to be about £60 a week pre-lock down but I'd do a top up shop for fresh stuff mid week, DS would eat some meals at nursery or I'd buy him snacks in cafes, plus anything else essential also gets bought at asda with the food shop (eg, bigger baby vests, bigger trainers for DS1)

We are eating better these days as DH is wfh so there's more time to cook.

We are sending about £50 a week, we are a family of four and the kids are toddlers. I do a big meat shop every few months and freeze, so count that separately. Meal plan for the week, get everyone involved in choosing a dish so that they have all been thought of.

£50 to £60 per week for 2 adults.

That's no booze. We really don't drink much.

Tesco or lidl for us.

I normally spend about £80 per week, but at the moment it’s more like £130-160. Everyone is at home eating!

we’ve also spent more on alcohol than we normally would and have been buying it with the food shopping, so that’s pushed it up. It’s nice to be able to have a drink in the garden in a sunny afternoon, when you can’t go anywhere.

Family of six here although the youngest child is one and eldest is ten.

We meal plan every week including lunches and just buy a selection of different cereals plus always have porridge, waffles and crumpets in for breakfast. We obviously don’t want to go to the shop anymore than we have to atm so we spent £200 on Wednesday and hope this food will last a fortnight. We shop in Aldi which helps save a fortune. Also don’t eat meat which I think saves an awful lot. I get recipes online from Jamie Oliver’s website and BBC good food.

Family of four here with two kids under 4 and a dog. Before lockdown we were spending between £70-£120, including household cleaning, nappies etc. Now it's a bit more but not drastically so. Sure we are having to pay more for brand name stuff when the supermarkets own brand is out of stock but the children and I were already at home for meals every day and DH was buying lunch for work too. Meal planning really helps as you aren't over buying, there's less wastage and less spent. Ive been meal planning and writing shopping lists that are stuck to since we moved out of our respective parents' houses back in 2011 when our money situation was much tighter. It's a lifesaver.

Family of 4, used to be around £90 per week on everything. We.'really now buying and cooking 10 extra lunches a week as they aren't at school so it has gone up to about £110 per week.
I'd only just topped up their school accounts too...it will get used eventually.

We're now buying

2 adults 3 children. Meal plan and veggie. We mostly shop at lidl and it's around £50 without alcohol. You'll be fine. Read lots of threads like this and get on money saving experts forum. We used to be on a very tight budget and now have much more spending money however if I can eat well for less I will.

Forget Sainsbury, Tesco, or Waitrose OP, although they all have their offers they’re expensive. Find a Lidl, we do most of our shop there & get loads for under £50 for 2 adults. Try batch cooking, someone’s already mentioned the minced beef thing, as well as adding loads of veg add beans to bulk it up & you’ll get an extra few meals out of this way. Use soups for sauce mixes, the condensed type are good & cost 45p from Heron. Or I get them for as little as 10p from a shop called Best Buy’s or Better Buys rather than £3 from Tesco. Not out of date before everyone screams. Buy pasta, add tuna, chicken, whatever you like, mix whatever you fancy into it, I like mayo. You can prep, cook, & ready to eat within half an hour. Do you have a slow cooker, if not get one. I cook Curry’s & stews in these. Have a look on MSE, sorry mums) there’s loads of stuff on there of how to cook & budget. Buy fresh, cook from scratch if possible. Avoid foods that you can just grab from the fridge, then you won’t spend £200+ a week.

Budget for £200 a week to include all family expenses so clothes, treats etc would come out of that so maybe £170 food? Family of 4 2 primary school age kids. But we all eat different things and I'm on keto diet which is expensive.

Could trim it a lot if I needed to

2 adults, 2 primary aged kids. used to be below 100, now closer to150 as there are barely any offers and have to buy what is available (m&s organic milk instead of morrisons etc)

Grab & eat I meant. I was once offered something called a Fridge Raider by my DIL, it was not pleasant.

ALL that said...I have to say as someone who’s been managing on a HELL of a lot less for years it’s somewhat...interesting that you’re asking for advice when you normally earn £50k a year?! I have to wonder why you didn’t have SOME kind of emergency contingency planning? I don’t mean just for a pandemic but for ANY emergency. Don’t you have any savings set aside? Hugely irresponsible if not. Life can turn on you at any time, illness, accident, divorce, bereavement...and yes global and political change can happen out the blue.

The OP has made a comment about rainy day money further up the thread, so I took that to mean savings. But if they’re now not earning anything from their business and not likely to receive any help from the government then they still need to be careful with their savings?

You need to compare like for like as many people will budget for a supermarket trip rather than just food, and depending on the other items can almost double. Especially if you choose to include or exclude alcohol.

We spend as family of 4 with two teenagers £150 a week but includes everything, including cleaning products, clothing (socks, underwear, gym clothing, tights etc...), alcohol ( only OH who has a couple drinks Friday and Saturday), beauty items (pads, razors, shampoo, gels etc...) and other occasional things, flowers, books, magazines, cards, bed linen, etc...

We are not big eaters.

You need to get to Aldi. High quality food at half the price of other supermarkets. You may need to shop somewhere else to source some things. Go with a meal planning list and don't get pulled into buying stuff you don't need.