To spend this much

[Cookeveryday]

DH wants to spend appx 6% of our household income on groceries (2 adults, 1 toddler & BF baby). It's really tight. I'd prefer to spend 10%. That would make meal planning, shopping & cooking everyday so much easier.

AIBU?

And, if you don't mind sharing, appx what % of household income do you spend on groceries?

It’ll depend in part on where you live and where you shop, but my initial reaction is that he’s being a prat and your figure is far more reasonable.

Is this £55 per week to cover nappies, cleaning products etc? That is low even if it's only food. We are a family of 5 and spend around 10-12% on all supermarket shopping. Around £500 per month

It’s doable with no alcohol no takeaways- when your children get older the amount will have to increase too

If he wants to spend £240, I suggest you send him out to do all the shopping for a month and see how he gets on.

I spend more than that on two adults and three pets.

We are probably around 10% but it would have been a higher percentage when our income was lower and when our income goes up we won't automatically spend more to keep it at 10%!

Oh wait nappies and formula too....tight!

Just worked it out. Solidly middle class here and food is 20%, second biggest expenditure after mortgage.

You must have an enormous income to do 6%

Probanly about 1/4 goes on groceries. 1/4 on other stuff like clothes, hobby stuff etc. The rest on bills and debts.

Ok these replies are making me feel much better. Was doing £60 weekly shop in Aldi but had to do lots of top up shops. Since lockdown I've been going to Sainsbury's as I just can't get everything in Aldi and obviously trying to limit my time out but spending £100-150. DH quite shocked to see that much coming out but I'm really not going over board. All normal food, fruit, veg etc most extravagant thing is multipack of McCoy's lunch bottle of spirits.

Even discounting the toddler, less than £5 per day for an adult at home all day? How???

We spend about £400 a month for a family of 4 but the budget is out the window during lockdown, we've been able to spend £200 some weeks. I don't understand how some people spend so much less but we do enjoy decent food, occasional Waitrose treat etc. Food planning is hard work and if it's going to fall on you I think you need to explain what the difference is. Might mean eating no/little fresh food etc, no alcohol and maybe he'd realise that's no good. As a % it's probably 10% of our take home pay.

We have so little income at the moment that whatever we have is what we spend on food - 4 adults. So 90% at the very least. DH and I have decided that whatever else, we don't need to increase shareholders' dividends when we barely have enough money to buy food, so we're going to have to let the utilities wait.

2 adults and two young children still in nappies, i think £400 is a much more realistic figure than £240.

@MrsMcGarry

5% being £1000 gives £20000 per month minimum. Would love to have seen your divorce "Form E" and hope you good a good settlement!

Sorry - that last sentence was my martini speaking. Multipack of McCoy's FOR HIS lunch and a bottle of spirits...FOR MY MARTINI. 🍸

100/week including two in nappies is far more sensible. You are also breastfeeding and need those calories and a healthy diet.

I think your DH needs to stay out of this, unless he can produce three healthy and balanced meals and snacks every day all month, including a great diet for a breastfeeding Mum all for 240/month. HE CAN'T - it's not possible, especially including nappies.

I say this as someone who has a strict food budget. It's ridiculous considering your income that he is digging in his heels about this.

Things are more expensive at the moment as the supermarkets appear to have removed most of the offers (eg I never buy washing liquid or dishwasher tabs at full price, usually there’s a brand at half price so I get that one). It’s made my bill go up about £20/ week I think. Even so, he’s being very tight and I suspect he has no idea what stuff costs (just like in my mind a Kit Kat should still be 30p!)

£240 is low. I would only stick to that if I had no choice.

I find it helpful to think about the number of meals so 3 people x 3 meals plus snacks = 10 meals a day ( if you think of snacks as a meal equivalent).

So 10 meals a day, 300 eating occasions a month. So if you were being really tight and saying £1 per meal that’s £300 - before nappies, cleaning products, drinks etc

About 15% I'd say. Never really thought about it that way.

And you have healthy income so why is he being like this ?

Less than 5%

Weird way to work it out, our monthly income is about 5k, we spend about £100 per week for two of us including a takeaway so about 8%?
As long as you have what you need and it’s affordable to you then do it?

4.7%

I think percentages is a difficult way to compare something that is an essential purchase.
I could spend the same as you but it could be hugely disproportionate.
Surely it's easier to compare it by people eating.

Me and DH spend about 300 - 400 pound a month, this includes all toiletries, cleaning products and any DIY / gardening essentials and currently stocking up on a couple of packs of nappies or wipes.