To ask how much I should spend on shopping?

[Confusedandhot]

Hi, so I love reading mumsnet for recipes and money saving tips so thought I would ask how much would you spend as me?

I’m a single mum with a 11 year old who eats me out of house and home and a 1 year old. I’m trying to cut my spending right now and have a no spend month apart from essentials.

So my daughter eats at school, her dad pays for her meals. How much realistically could I spend weekly on a food shop for us? I’ve got an Aldi click and collect and that’s £53 currently without any other essentials. Please help

If you're talking food only, and your 11yo having lunch at school, I'd have thought £40-45 would be possible without buying too much cheap, non-enjoyable stuff?

It really depends on how much you cook and what you like to eat, though, doesn't it?

I agree that it depends on what you eat and what you buy really.

I shop in Aldi occasionally and can definately get a full weeks shop in there for quite a bit less than £50 and that's for two adults.

Your daughter may eat at school, but I would not assume that it is a substantial meal.
First stop would be to look for websites that have cheap meal recipes and there are lots. For groceries all be very doable most weeks for under £50, but I assume we are talking nappies etc.

To be honest if you're including nappies in that price then you're doing really well! Do you like baked potatos with beans? You could have them every other night.

What kind of food do you and your kids like?

An easy way to cut food costs is to have a couple of meat free meals, things like jacket potatoes, pasta bake with a tomato sauce and plenty of veg baked into it, mushroom, onion & pepper omelette and salad.

£40. Cost of one year old possibly same as cost of school lunches? I was spending £35 for the two of us when DS was around 11 to 13 years old. It's been £40 to £45 now he's 15. We eat well on that.