Do you think £400 a month for groceries is too much

[emodi]

We are a family of four, two adults and a 14 and 11 year old . Since the lock down our grocery and household bills have increased to approx £400 a month. I have tried to explain to my hubby that the kids are not eating in school so it’s 3 meals , snacks no restaurants or takeaways and he thinks I’m being extravagant. I think this is perfectly reasonable as this includes all food plus cleaning products etc . Is this reasonable or am I being hopelessly extravagant?

prices have gone up ! i spend 300 a month on 2 adults and 3 cats! and that no alcohol and no brand names just salads and meats, cat food and own brand litter...we have also been eating more being at home like more milk, coffee drinks during the day.

id be happy if i was spending 400 on 4 people

We are a family of 6 and I spend £300-350 a WEEK!

£400 a month is very low imo.

Prices have increased and their are fewer offers.

This is so true. Lots of things we usually buy on offer are now more than twice their offer price.

We spend at least double that. I do a big shop every week-10 days and top ups in between. 2 adults, a 17yr old boy who eats like a horse and 9yr old dd.

Dd and I are vegetarian. Ds is following a very high protein low fat diet. We all eat very well and don’t buy alcohol.

I shop at Marks and Spencer food and Asda. I would be scared to work out the monthly amount.

Op I suggest you send your husband to do the food shopping for the month and see how he gets on. My dp didn’t relaxer just how much his packed lunch for work was costing every week, or the cereal bars he eats and then has another, he does now.

Lockdown has seen our food bills rocket but we’ve saved in other areas so I’m not worried. Also agree that groceries in general have gone up in price.

That's £25 per head a week on food.Less than that probably as I guess some of it goes on toiletries, cleaning products, etc.

I think that's pretty good, we're spending the same, but only 3 of us (two boys on their late teens though who eat loads!)

Spending about £180 a week here, 2 adults, 3 teens and 1 small child. That doesn’t include nappies/wipes/toilet rolls/cat food or any of the other stuff I buy in bulk once a month.

Yup that sounds very reasonable to me. We’re a family of 4 with two adults and two girls who are 5 and 2. Plus the cat. We’re averaging around £140 a week and then little extra bits to top up during the week. It’s crazy how it all adds up.

As a PP suggested - maybe get your DP to do the shopping and see if he can manage any better?

That’s less than £25 per head per week on food, as you’ve included cleaning products and toiletries in that total.

Or if he really needs it laid out clearly for him

£400/30 days/4 people = £3.33per day! Or £1.11 each per meal. Including non food items!

His head is in the clouds if he thinks that’s extravagant

That’s not much less then I spend for two adults and two cats so you are definitely not being unreasonable!

*not much more sorry!

We are still ending that much on a family of three. Prices have definitely gone up - we were spending £60-70 per week prior to lockdown, and we aren’t eating any more (DH has always wfh, I am still working, DS is still in nursery). Less alcohol.

About £45 a head a week including toiletries. We eat very well.

It's less than ever been spending for two adults and a toddler. If your husband thinks it's so extravagant how about he does the shopping for a few weeks and realises what would be missing

That's what I'm spending for a family of three (adults) at the moment. Prices are higher, I'm not shopping around like I normally do, it's just what it costs to eat unless we were seriously prepared to eat very cheap and not as nutritious food.

Prices have rocketed - tell him he's free to go shopping himself if he doesn't think you're being careful enough.

tbh we are 3 adults and spend about £150-200 a week on food, house cleaning and human cleaning type stuff.

I don't think we buy anything too special and definately don't eat convenience type foods so I am never too sure why our own spending is so much higher than many others

Family of 4, one preteen, one child. We're averaging about £130 per week from the supermarket, as well as monthly bulk buys of loo roll etc from Amazon totalling about £100 p/m. I have nothing to compare it to though as I was very much a shop daily on way home from work type before this. We're saving hugely on petrol though.

That's very low imo. At the moment with me WFH, DS 22 home from uni and 15 yo DD I'm spending at least £180 a week though that includes everything. I wouldn't get your H to meal plan, shop etc, it leaves it open to eat even less.

That's pretty good for a family of four.

We're spending that for two adults and a 5 year old.
It does include alcohol though.

Next time you do the shopping show him the bill and ask him to mark what he thinks you shouldn't have bought. Then hide it somewhere (or seal it if fridge/freezer stuff).

Then watch him moan on day 5 when you've run out of food...

Normally spend £100pw, currently spending £120-150 pw, two adults, toddler and a primary aged child.

Not having the kids in wrap around childcare, nursery and school dinners means we have to provide an extra 18 meal portions a week at home for the kids.

In case we can't get a delivery or click and collect or become ill we also keep a constant stockpile in the pantry and freezer so that needs replenishing when it runs low.

We're finding lots of our usual cheaper brands aren't available, so instead of buying Asda own ketchup at 83p a bottle we're forking out for Heinz at £2, or Baylis and Harding handwash at £2 a bottle as that's all that's available for delivery instead of stocking up at B&M for 50p, and that adds up.

I think you are doing very well feeding four on £400 per month.

If your husband moans, get him to do the grocery orders and cooking, buy toiletries and cleaning materials. He'll soon see how far £400 goes.

We spend about £700 a month. Family of 5 (children are 6, 4 and 1).

If you can afford it, spend it.

Me and the DD spend about £40 a fortnight, but that's all I can afford.