WTF have I done?

[Supermercado]

Posting in AIBU for traffic

How much has your supermarket shop cost including top ups, how big is your family and what do you make with it? I've just spent a small fortune on food for one person, which included fresh vegetables, yogurt, cheese, sphagetti, tinned beans and tomatos, and frozen fruit but it amounted to a bit over £60. Shopping in asda. Not including dog food, wine, or toiletries. NO lobster or anything of the sort. A multi pack of tuna. Besides a box of lollies and tea, no treats. It didnt even include the top up milk that I'll have to get and I've forgotten ingredients still. I cant afford to do this every week but is it the price you pay to have a good diet or is it possible for less?

Is that going to last you a week? Do you waste much food? Tbh I don't buy much fresh veg anymore, I go for frozen as I find less wastage

My weekly shop costs me twice that, but it's for 4 people (2 adults, 2 teenagers). I don't watch what I buy budget-wise, but I do shop in Aldi.

Is this the first time you've shopped for yourself or are you trying out a new healthier diet?

The price of a food shop has risen a lot but why are you so surprised/horrified today? What was the price of your weekly shop last week?

Our weekly is twice that for 4 people and 2 dogs.

I find it cheaper to buy Veg and food where you would cook from scratch. It’s convenience food that racks the bill up.

I do shop at Aldi though.

For 3 of us it's about £150 a week, which is loads - we need to cut back!

I really don’t think £60 is a fortune for 1 person. Often it isn’t double to shop for a couple since things are cheaper on larger quantities anyway.

I didnt buy convenience foods unless tinned beans and tomatos count, oh and quorn mince but that was it

Family of 4, plus 2 pets. varies each week but on average it’s £80 a week.

If you usually shop at asda you should get the asda rewards app, sure its active in most stores now. Its a bit like a nectar card, doesn't make items cheaper like a tesco club card but you get rewards on certain things. I did my usual shop today and got £1.50 back on my app. Doesn't answer your question but just incase you arnt aware.

How much is it usually?
Cheese can be pricey

I did my own separate shopping this time. Usually its about £150 including dog food and top ups for four people and a dog

Will it all actually be used in a week? Or will things like a multipack of tuna last a few weeks?
You'll presumably not use a whole packet of Quorn mince for one meal?
It's a lot for one but equally, it's hard to shop in portions for one so is it a case of doing an expensive shop every few weeks and smaller ones in between?

It might be better to set a monthly rather than weekly budget

Our is about £80/week for two adults and a 4 year old. DC has weetabix or rice krispies for breakfast. The adults don't eat breakfast in the week, at the weekend we might have eggs on toast or pancakes. Lunches tend to be cheese rolls, crisps, veg sticks, hummus, pittas, eggs, soup, or leftovers. For dinners, we get the 3 for £10 meat offer in waitrose which lasts us 3 or 4 meals - one helping of fish and two chicken, which are made into curry or fajhitas or something. We get some fruit, maybe some Organix bars for DC, maybe a pack of biscuits. Beer and wine we buy in bulk so never part of the supermarket shop. The list usually includes fresh fruit and veg, yoghurt and cheese, some rolls or wraps/pittas, tinned chickpeas/beans, lentils and tomatoes, three packs of fish/chicken, maybe some little ice creams for DC. Ground coffee, breadsticks, fresh herbs, rice noodles. Don't use a lot of cleaning products or toiletries so that doesn't seem to add too much to the total.

Family of 4 we spend between £60 and £80 a week (not including alcohol) but we don’t top up. We do buy a lot of fresh food and veg but then I meal plan and make a lot from scratch. We also don’t need lunch for DC.

Why don’t you put your receipt on here and we can take a look? Just cut off the card details.
Do you menu plan?

My food shop for 2 adults and a toddler (just food, no cleaning products or nappies) is normally £50-55, so for just one person assuming it is to last a week, is a lot personally.

I meal plan and we eat veggie about 50% of the week.

Your thread title is very dramatic & im not really getting your problem?

you've spent money on food, it's not exactly on a par with murdering your next door neighbour.

I live alone, I have a very restricted diet, which means it's expensive as I can't eat things like beans on toast.

it is what it is, I buy things that are expensive because they make it palatable, but if it gets to the stage I cannot afford it, I'll have to do without.

I get a delivery weekly, much the same thing, it's gone up a lot. I'm not interested in shopping in Aldi/lidl because I don't like the quality of their veg or that most of it has travelled a long way. Also I love having my shopping arrive on my doorstep!

if there's something you want help with, can you be more specific?

this. I love a receipt

I don't think that's loads, food has gone up
I spend between £40-60 on myself and a shop usually lasts 7-10 days

That would be £240 in a four week month ...plus top ups. I think that is expensive for one person unless you have some left over in your freezer at the end of the month Most packs of, for instance chicken, fish, fruit seem aimed at at least 2 people, sometimes a family of 4. So if, for instance, you were using one salmon fillet out of a pack of 2, I would think that you wouldn't need to shop for these items on a weekly basis. If you have nothing left in the fridge or freezer at the end of a 4 week month you seem to be spending a lot. We get a delivery fortnightly which averages at £150 per fortnight so £300 per month plus top ups of fresh fruit/salad items and the freezer is never empty at the end of the month. Probably packs of chicken breasts and fish still there. Maybe buying in bigger portions might work out cheaper if you can op eg 6 pack of fish/chicken breasts ext.

I find it useful to use the scan and shop so I can keep a tally of the cost up as I shop.
It's difficult being on a tight budget but possible to cut costs.

We're a family of 2 adults and two teenage boys and I keep to a budget of £85 a week.

My tips include;
Buy the cheapest value brands
Check all the reduced price sections of supermarket first for damaged/near expiry date goods. All our veg and fruit come from there.
Big sack of oats (80p) to fill up on for breakfast. I rarely eat lunch doing this.
No drinks like squash, juice or cordial
Cook a large dish and freeze portions
Bulk out meals with pasta, potatoes or lentils
Write a list based on your meal plan for the week and stick to it.

It's shit but if you're on a tight budget then you have to stick to it.

It's quite hard to gauge what yhe problem is when you haven't said how many people you're buying for, or what your food shop would usually be. I don't think £60 sounds like too much even for a single person.

A bit dramatic..?

Slightly dramatic.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4556822-a-healthy-diet-when-on-very-little-money