To spend an average £125 on a weekly shop?

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We're a family of 4 - myself and DP, an 8yo and an 18mo. Pescatarians, so no meat, occasional fish/sea food. We try to eat healthy and on a budget - yet a typical shop bill comes to between £120-130 per week. However, that does include nappies, baby wipes, cleaning products, most toiletries, razors, occasional stationery.

Are we spending too much? We want to be able to save more so I'm wondering if our shopping bills are unreasonable.

What do you think? Thanks in advance xx

We want to be able to save more so I'm wondering if our shopping bills are unreasonable.

I think you could shave something off if you want to, but that is not to say what you spend is at all unreasonable. I don't think we spend an unreasonable amount but I could slash it if I needed to by buying a load less snacks. But then I'd need to conquer the marauding hoardes of teens in another way, and quite frankly I can't be bothered.

It really is meaningless to compare. If everyone's eating eggs for breakfast and snacking on raspberries all week, you're going to spend a tonne more than if they have cornflakes for breakfast and own brand cream crackers and the occasional custard cream for snacks. Neither's unreasonable.

Our food bills is like a second mortgage and it just keeps increasing. We spend at least £200 a week for 4 of us. Then dog food on top. And we eat out once a week. We can afford it so I’ve given up trying to make it cheaper. Things have definitely gone up.

That's a bit less than we spend, 2 adults and 3 teens.

We are a family of 6 (3 adults & 3 children) we have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
I shop at Sainsbury’s with a delivery every week, approx £160 with some alcohol.
Husbands pops into Waitrose of a weekend abs prob spends another £50!
Shopping has increased, no doubt.
However, my MIL spends weekly £65 just on herself! Goodness knows what she purchases. Because she cooks naff all as a lazy mare and eats crap, but that’s a whole other story!

Husband not *s, that is meant to say, I’m
Not married to 2 people 😂

Husband not s, that is meant to say, I’m
Not married to 2 people*

We’ll believe you. Although 2 husbands would explain your food bill. 🤣

I think those average food costs always seem very low. I suspect they don't include non food items that most of us get from the supermarket and also that the average family is getting takeaway/meals out some of the time.

We match your family - pescatarian, 2 kids except my older one is 4. We spend exactly the same plus bits locally throughout the week.

6 of us here-2 adults, a teen and the rest aged 4-8. We spend £90 a week in term time and around £120-£130 a week in the holidays. We don't drink. Husband is a chef so everything made from scratch and he's evangelical about no food waste.

I spend double that (2 adults, 2 teen boys) . If you can afford it, it's not a problem.

@Tuba437

To me that sounds high. We have 2 adults 2 children and spend about 60-70 and we still end up throwing alot of food away. Our shop includes nappies etc aswell as 2 lots of pack lunches.

I can’t comprehend how you can spend less than £20 per person on food for a whole week but it also includes nappies ? What meals do you make ( needing ideas ) ?

Agree that home bargains is much cheaper for things like binbags and other household products but you have to be disciplined! Otherwise you'll come out with a lifetime supply of Gold Bar biscuits and a massive fucking new patio set thus negating any savings.

I would have thought with such a big diet coke habit, that pp would buy 2l bottles, instead.

Try looking for swaps and deals rather than the same list. Bulk cook and freeze when things are on offer. Dried pasta tastes the same whatever the brand and is a cheap carb that can be eaten hot or cold, so leftovers for lunch can save money.

I like berries, but mix with cheaper food like apples, bananas and Greek yoghurt to go further.

Try to mix expensive and cheaper options to stretch your budget.

Pop tastes nicer out of cans. Or glass bottles.

@Snog

I think those average food costs always seem very low. I suspect they don't include non food items that most of us get from the supermarket and also that the average family is getting takeaway/meals out some of the time.

Well yeah because all the extra stuff isn't food, so if the question is about how much your family spends on food, non-food items shouldn't be included just because you buy them from the same place. If you asked me how much I spent on haircuts each year I wouldnt include the price of eyebrow, leg wax and gel nails just because I get those done in the same salon....

Depends if the question is "how much do you spend on your weekly shop?" In which case you might include loo roll, toiletries and household items (plus fags, alcohol, even clothes), or "how much do you spend on food per week?" which shouldn't include any of the extras but should technically include any top up shops, takeaways or meals out!

Basically I assume most people answering that question underestimate a lot! If you watch eat well for less they're usually way out!

That’s a lot we have 7 kids at home and spend around £140 including nappies and pull ups for SEN.

I currently spend about that amount on 2 x adults plus DD, including all toiletries, household stuff, alcohol etc. It’s definitely increased during lockdown. We buy almost no frozen or convenience food and cook from scratch. I’m puzzled at the assumptions (which always come out on these threads tbh) that convenience food is expensive. The reverse - I could save a fortune if we just bought ready meals and convenience food! It’s the fruit, veg and meat that is expensive these days.

It’s not the 70s any more. Veg and fruit are expensive, and cooking from scratch often works out far more expensive than convenience food. Unless you’re eating lentil and turnip stew every day, it’s the fresh healthy stuff that costs a fortune. Our biggest costs by far are on the fruit, meat (we don’t eat meat every day but buy free range chicken and good quality meat); and things like butter which used to be cheap and now really really aren’t.

I think that sounds about right tbh. DP and I were spending £35-£40 a week pre-pandemic & brexit but we've been struggling to get it under £50 in the last year and there's only two of us, and we meal plan/cook from scratch/eat healthily/shop at Aldi. So £120 for everything including toiletries etc sounds bang on given the current climate.

There's 6 of us including one still in nappies and we spend about the same. I don't think you are e excessive, but you could definitely spend less. It depends on what you're willing to compromise on I guess?

That’s a lot we have 7 kids at home and spend around £140 including nappies and pull ups for SEN.

I’m obviously just not very good at this stuff. Bread, milk, fruit must cost a fortune with 7 people. 😅

that seems pretty standard-i do3 people on less but complete veggies-so tofu/egg only..make a fair amount&freeze for week ahead-eat at different times so teens can microwave stuff they fancy if im late from work etc

I think I’m spending about £140 a week at the moment as I’m buying more salad leaves/fresh fruit/boxes of ice creams. Colder months will come in a bit cheaper at £120. That’s for 2 adults, and a 11&13yr old that eat large dinners. Every now and then I try to be a bit more frugal - jacket potato, omelette, pasta. I stock up on bits when they cycle the offers.

I track all my spending and include all household consumables (washing powder etc.) in the same pot. It comes out at 600-700 a month for two adults and a 6 year old.