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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

338 replies

emodi · 27/05/2020 09:35

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?

OP posts:
Clutterbugsmum · 27/05/2020 10:54

A LIST even

ScreamingBeans · 27/05/2020 10:56

Tell your husband to plan and shop for the food and let's see if he can do it for below £100 per week.

Depending on where you are in the country, I think you're doing pretty well.

If your husband doesn't, then let him find out for himself, instead of trying to explain to someone who doesn't respect your housekeeping abilities.

I have no patience with men who criticise their wife's household management while having no clue how much things cost.

Quarantimespringclean · 27/05/2020 10:57

It seems like a realistic and modest budget to me. Your DH (like mine) might be a little out of touch about how much things cost in the modern world.

Equimum · 27/05/2020 10:57

That sounds reasonable. We spend more for a household of two adults and two primary school aged children. I think prices have gone up, and we are finding that providing lunches for everyone, everyday, and all the snacks they want, has really had a hit.

CarlottaValdez · 27/05/2020 10:58

I’ve just totted up our months’ spending and we’ve spent just under £600 for two adults and a 5 year old so you’re doing well I think!

Murinae · 27/05/2020 10:58

Mines about £130-£140 a week for four adults which I think is ok when you work it out for three meals per day and snacks per person. We are saving money compared to normal lunches out, meals out and takeaways which we haven’t had since lockdown started.

EmeliaLily · 27/05/2020 10:58

yes definitely. that is perfectly reasonable. I have a family of 4 and we spend around 100-120 a week, at least.

AteAllTheAfterEights · 27/05/2020 10:59

We spend that normally for 4, ours is pushing £170 a week now

Alfiemoon1 · 27/05/2020 11:00

Sounds fine to me I am spending more having both kids at home who seem to be permanently hungry. I think prices have gone up and there are less offers on at the moment

TitsalinaBumSquash · 27/05/2020 11:00

We're a family of 6, of which there are 2 adults and 2 teenagers with hollow legs and 2 younger children.

Our shopping bill has gone from around £50 a week to about £100 things have gone up in price, I can't get yellow sticker items anymore I'm at the mercy of what ever Asda have in stock when placing my order.

ScreamingBeans · 27/05/2020 11:01

Give him a list and tell him to go shopping.

No, let him write his own list.

He's an adult, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to work out what needs to go on a shopping list for his home and family

TiddleTaddleTat · 27/05/2020 11:01

Usually spend about £280, currently it is more like £400 for 3 of us. Usually DD has school lunches and I can have tea and coffee at work. We're also now shopping almost exclusively with Tesco for click and collect rather than Aldi or home bargains. My only other defence is we are buying a few extra tins every week to prep for the winter. Or we are just eating more...

krispycreme · 27/05/2020 11:01

I agree that it's pretty cheap. We spend quite a bit more than that, without alcohol too.
The problem is some people post about ridiculously low priced food shops which are unrealistic for most but cause people to worry about what they're spending. Your DH May be in that camp. If he doesn't normally do the shopping I'd let him do it so he can see for himself the cost of food to get everything that you need.

Moo678 · 27/05/2020 11:02

I spend way more. We are a family of 5 - kids 10, 8 and 2. I'm spending money on nice fruit, fancy bread, premium ice cream and expensive chocolate. Probably spending about £140 a week. I could spend half that but I don't want to.

MrsPerfect12 · 27/05/2020 11:04

He needs to do the shopping and see how he gets on! Very modest to get by on £400. Well done.

emmylousings · 27/05/2020 11:05

You are right in what you say to DH - this has to be balanced out against much reduced spending elsewhere. Having decent food at home is important all the time but maybe even more so now. DH is being a meanie! If you can afford it, it's a reasonable amount.

OkMaybeNot · 27/05/2020 11:06

We're a family of five with three kids under 10. We spend £300 a month. But I cook from scratch almost every day and meal plan religiously.

We could easily spend an extra £25 a week if we wanted to, and it wouldn't be an unreasonable amount of food. Plus at 14 your dc is eating as an adult, if not more because teenagers are bottomless, yadnbu.

Quarantimespringclean · 27/05/2020 11:06

In a 30 day month, for a family of 4 you are providing 120 breakfasts, 120 lunches and 120 dinners every month. That’s 360 meals at an average of £1.11 a head per meal

You say the budget includes cleaning products and presumably it also includes tea/coffee/squash/sugar/milk , maybe the occasional biscuit or bag of crisps so the actual cost per head per meal is actually closer to 95p a meal or £2.85 a day per per person. Considering two of those people are growing teens that seems remarkably frugal. I would hand over the shopping to DH for the next month and see how much he spends!

notthemum · 27/05/2020 11:06

We are a couple and usually spend around 80 quid a week (does include alcohol though) but I may also pick up "extras" in the week so £400. a month for every thing is brilliant. Tell him to go shopping, see what he comes back with. Course if he manages it all and has change that can be his new job and you won't need to go.

Dillo10 · 27/05/2020 11:08

Ours is easily £100+ a week and it's just me and DH. YANBU

Marble2302 · 27/05/2020 11:08

I spend around £120 a week for 2 of us myself and DD9. I sometimes spend a bit more if I buy alcohol or other bits. I don't budget I do meal plan though.

megletthesecond · 27/05/2020 11:09

There's me, a 13yr old and an 11yr old.
I'm spending approx £130 a week.
This does included gluten free for me and organic milk delivery.

I'm not going in shops for a while yet but sticking mostly to Sainsburys which costs more.

Rollercoasteride · 27/05/2020 11:09

2 adults, child and dog, we are averaging £120 per week.
We used to spend about £80 per week, but I am not buying lunches at work etc x

fortyfifty · 27/05/2020 11:10

I spend close to £200 every two weeks. That includes some alcohol. Also have milk, eggs and wine delivered and do a few veg and fruit top ups at a local shop. I heard recently the average spend per person per week is £35. You might be able to find that stat reported somewhere to show your unreasonable DH otherwise get him to go shopping if he thinks he can do better.

Lifeaback · 27/05/2020 11:10

£100 a week for essentially 3 adults and one child is incredibly good value, especially if you’re all at home all day and that includes groceries!

I suggest next week he does a meal plan and goes and does the shop. Might open his eyes up a bit!

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