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?

That's one of the things I bought. Shopping came this morning so we haven't tried it yet. I'm hoping it'll be good in a cottage pie.

A bit annoying to post a fake title for ‘ traffic’

Wow. We don’t live in the UK, and our weekly shop (2 adults, 2 kids) costs in the region of £200-£250.
I would much rather be in your shoes 😂

I just go later on in the day to the shops on a daily basis when they do the reductions especially at Marks & Spencer’s, co op and Morrisons and go on apps like olio that give away free items. I find Asda expensive it’s awful today as every thing is so expensive. I hope you manage to get some bargains

And the OP says she was shopping just for herself, but later posts say there are 4 of them and a dog.

So her DP does shopping too.

Very confusing and misleading.

I think what she got for £60 was amazing!

I spent £61 this week which included big pack of loo rolls, washing up liquid, chicken, mince (enough to make spag bol and a chilli) cod, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, butter, yogurt, juice, bread, milk, tuna, bacon, eggs, squash, some chocolate for GC who were here for the weekend, bottle of soy sauce. Can't think what else, enough for 3 of us for the week plus 2 GC for the weekend. Love Lidl.

I spend between £80 and £100 from Asda for 4. This week we have 4 sirloin steaks and 4 pieces of salmon in that order.
We will run out of bread and milk this week, as 3 of us are at home (half term)
I plan dinners and order according to what I've decided to cook. Cook 95% from scratch, 6 days per week.

Quorn mince is bloody expensive. If you're making a veggie spaghetti bolognese/cottage pie etc. then lentils are a much cheaper option

If you store those correctly, you've got enough veg and food for around 3 weeks+ there.

For everything that you've decided to have soured cream/creme fraiche/yoghurt with, you could opt for one of the above (I'd go for whichever is full fat and cheapest). Or buy one pot of double cream and add a couple of drops of bottled lemon juice to a portion for the same effect.

Passata can be cheaper than tinned tomatoes, especially when if it's in a glass bottle, it'll keep for 3-4 meals in the fridge (adding a very large squirt of tomato puree improves the flavour).

Take the peppers, cabbage, etc, out of the plastic so it doesn't sweat and go off and put them in the bottom of the fridge with a piece of kitchen paper wrapped around to absorb any moisture. If the peppers start looking a bit sad, slice them into strips, freeze on a tray covered with baking parchment and then empty them into a bag.

£200 to £250 for 4 of us no pets

Our shop is usually £150 per week for 3 adults & 2 dogs, but that includes things like toiletries & alcohol as well. Having said that, I was shocked this week to see that a 2L carton of Tropicana has gone up to £4.40, so I’ll be more mindful re shopping prices going forward. Also, I’ve recently acquired an allotment though, so hoping I’ll be growing a lot of my own fruit & veg eventually. I feel for you OP. I’ve sometimes arrived at the till & been utterly incredulous at the bill. Like I said, I’ll be more careful & do the scan & shop thing in future.

I was shopping for myself this time. All the food I bought was for me and me alone. I only mentioned i usually the shop is for four people which DP does because someone asked what is usually spent

Bloody hate a clickbait. Most posters are shockingly bad (good?) at choosing a relevant and accurate title for their thread. You are meant to add your title after you've finished the body unless you are exceptionally specific or clear of mind.

Sorry that I didnt murder my neighbour or run over someones cat for your entertainment

I've spent too much money without realising how much it would come to. My reaction is normal.

I genuinely don't understand.

You say you have a DP and that there are 4 people in your household.

So from your update, you are saying that your partner does the food shopping, not you.

Does this mean you are out of touch with prices?

And how does it work shopping only for yourself? Do you eat different meals to the other 3 people in your house?

Aldi or Lidl. That's all I'm saying here

Yes I didnt expect it to come to this much. I've shopped for myself this week. Everyone else is irrelevant

I’m single and my shop yesterday was £35
i plan my meals for the week and included some baking so bought golden syrup and Demerara sugar .
most of it was vegetables and I buy frozen fruit for smoothies and on top of muesli etc as it lasts longer .
so that saves money .
indid but some coffee pods and laundry detergent and washing up liquid too .
i think planning meals helps save money
i shop in sainsburys and use the nectar card which once you’ve shopped a couple of times you get offers on the things you often buy which makes for more savings ..
you have to use the smart shop which means you scan and pack as you go with an app on your phone which makes it easier too ..
plus you get nectar points which converts to actual money which I save up ..
ive tried other shops but find sticking to one easier .
I do trips to local greengrocer for odd extras .
im not veggie but this weeks meal plan turned out to be veggie .

I agree costs are rising so quickly for food. I'm saw a pack of butter for £6 the other day.

We spend about £100-120 a week for a fam of 6 not including the fussy dogs expensive fancy food which is an extra £40a month lol 🙈

Not sure I've missed anything. I cant afford to spend this every week

Tinned tomatos
Tinned beans
Passata
Tomato puree
[Sriracha sauce]
[Lasagna sheets]
[Peanut butter]
Croissants
Cheese
Actimel yogurts
Milk
Chicken fajita mix - didnt buy chicken, I'm a vegetarian
Vanilla extract [buy vanilla flavoured extract]
Soured cream
Creme fraiche
Yogurt
Tender heart cabbage
Cauliflower
Aubergine
Carrots
Celery
Avocado
Spring onion
Sweet potato
Mixed peppers
Jubblys
Quorn mince
Frozen mango
Frozen mixed berries
Mushrooms
Cherry tomatos
[Spaghetti]
Red Onions

I've scored a line through the items that I would consider unnecessary and [xx] around items that you probably wouldn't buy every week.

You can make your own passata by bunging canned tomatoes in a blender.
You can make your own fajita mix far cheaper than buying a packet. Cumin, red pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne, dried coriander, oregano, salt and pepper is all it takes. These items will last you ages.

Does your shop offer large sizes of tinned tomatoes? These are sometimes cheaper per ounce than small tins, and you can freeze what you don't use.

Buy a large tub of vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt and one of plain.
Plain yog (full fat esp) goes in all recipes calling for buttermilk, sour cream, and creme fraiche.

Try to buy frozen veg - peppers, cauliflowers, celery. You can get various frozen veggie mixes in Aldi. Only buy more expensive fruits if they're on sale (like mango). There are alternatives to quorn.

For a home baker, buying pure vanilla is an indulgence. Buy a cheaper option instead.

See if you can buy rice in bulk in Asian shops.
............
Instead of buying items for a specific recipe, start developing a pantry of staples.
Buy tins of tomatoes beans and frozen fruit and veg when they're on sale.
Buy pasta when it's on sale.
Buy herbs and spices for your own flavour mixes, esp when on sale, and check out bulk prices too.
Buy an insulated mug and use water from home with a few ice cubes if you're going to be out and it's hot.
............
I second the advice to a PP to buy a little shopping trolley to carry stuff home in. You can buy one with an insulated insert or buy an insulated bag separately.

Hi what exactly did you buy if you dont mind me asking

I'm saw a pack of butter for £6 the other day

Was that in that garage in Norfolk that was charging £4 for milk and £10 to eggs according to some Mumsnetter's daft DH?

All the supermarkets still have own brand or other standard butter like Anchor for £1.75 a pack, so just buy that.

I know prices are rising but in a lot of cases there's a way round it. There's nearly always something on offer for less if you don't like the price of what you normally buy.

You lose economies of scale shopping for 1. Things tend to be priced lower per unit when you buy in bulk.

Also, the proportional cost of the few extras or luxuries forms a higher % of the bill when not split between more people. Eg vanilla extract can be relatively expensive. £3 as part of a £140 shop for a family of 4 is only about 2%, £3 as part of a £60 shop for 1 person is 5%.

While your list of stuff is fairly reasonable there were some more costly items in there (avocados aren't cheap). You also mentioned tinned tuna which isn't really cheap either - and if you bought a 4 tin multi pack thats a lot for one person in a week).

Prices vary massively depending on if you buy the budget/no frills or the "finest" or organic type options.

Mines around £100 for 2 adults, 2 teens and 2 late primary aged (In Lidl). It’d be closer to £130 in Asda. That’s with meal planning and buying cheaper meat/ some veggie days. If I wasn’t careful it’d top £130, probably £160 in Asda.

Do you eat eggs at all, @Supermercado ?