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?

We were just £75 to feed 3 for a week including the extra cost of Free From range. That’s 3 meals a day plus snacks all from Asda. We are normally £60ish

If buying for 1 then it's cheaper to bulk buy and batch cook.

So mince, tomatoes etc can make a bolognaise or chilli or something that'll do a few meals over the weeks.

I make soup in my soup maker and it costs about £5 to make 8 lots which last me 2 weeks.

What I'd consider is how much you think next weeks shop will be once you've made meals and frozen any leftovers. That'll give you a better idea of the monthly cost.

I bought for £47.98 - and ate it all in 3 days! by myself.

BERRYWORLD BRITISH STRAWBERRIES 1kg - £4.31
M&S CHEESE LAYERED SALAD 400g - £4.00
M&S FRUITY CHICKEN CURRY WITH RICE 400g - £3.45
ANCHOR SPREADABLE BLEND OF BUTTER ANDRAPESEED OIL 500g _£4.00
BONNE MAMAN CREME BRULEE 2x100g - £2.70
INNOCENT ORANGE JUICE SMOOTH 1.35l - £3.60
M&S BRITISH DOUBLE CREAM 150ml - £0.80
M&S FRESH PORRIDGE 200g - £1.60
OCADO BRITISH SEMI SKIMMED MILK 2 PINTS - £1.00
RE NOURISH CALM SOUP TOMATO, BASIL &PASSION FLOWER 500g - £2.17
M&S WHITE BLOOMER BREAD LOAF 400g £1.60
CARNATION CARAMEL 397 - £2.00
HEINZ SQUEEZABLE SALAD CREAM 605g - £3.30
HEINZ TOMATO KETCHUP 50% LESS SUGAR & SALT 435g - £2.50
NESCAFE ORIGINAL INSTANT COFFEE 100g - £2.00
NESTLE CARNATION EVAPORATED MILK 410g - £1.25
NESTLE SHREDDED WHEAT BITESIZE CEREAL 370g - £2.25
SHARWOOD'S GREEN LABEL MANGO CHUTNEY530g - £2.75
VOLVIC TOUCH OF FRUIT STRAWBERRY 1.5l - £1.30
TATE & LYLE FAIRTRADE GRANULATED SUGAR 500g - £ 0.80
Offers savings
You've saved £2.82 today
Price to
pay (£)
Qty Saving
(£)
Now £2, was £2.65
NESCAFE ORIGINAL INSTANT COFFEE
100g
2.00 1 0.65
Save 25%, was £2.90
RE NOURISH CALM SOUP TOMATO, BASIL
& PASSION FLOWER 500g
2.17 1 0.7

Mines about £180 a week for 3 adults and one old teen. That has to cover lunches too. I meal plan and cook from scratch.

I'm real thrifty and have been on a mission recently with all costs going up. I genuinely spent £120 this entire month on food for me and two teenagers.
We eat well, fruit and veg each day, food cooked from scratch etc, but buy heavily discounted healthy stuff with a short shelf life, and either freeze it that day or cook and will then eat the next day too and maybe freeze some. The £120 includes cooked school packed lunches for the two of them for 4 weeks too.
I know that's not for everyone, but creative food shopping has been a way of life for me for as long as I can remember. Sometimes a case of having to, other times it's just the principle.
We will have the odd takeaway / eat out occasionally as a treat, but I just won't go over my budget for a food shop. The same as with gas, electric and fuel.

@ifoundthebread

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.

The Asda rewards app is still only on trial in a very limited number of stores in certain parts of the country. I believe they're ironing out a few blips and glitches before deciding whether to roll it out nationwide.

We spend £120 every week plus £75 every Friday on booze, pizza, crisps, chocolate (weekend shop)

I know, it's a shed load but we don't buy a lot of meat and other many 'treat' foods although do cater for 4 x breakfasts, 4 x lunches, 4 x dinners plus night shift meals within that.

Meh, we have to eat and I hate cooking. It is what it is...

I'm constantly shocked by the price rise op.and it's not stupid.because EVERY time I think my basket cannot add up to that.
And to lessen it isn't buying branded or being less wasteful.it would literally have to be lessened by whole meals taken away.i cannot take anything out.
And this is even more trouble for people who'd nutrition and health need a boost not reducing their choices.

But that's not the shopping list of someone on a budget.

M&S/Ocado, so an expensive supermarket.
A kilo of strawberries in 3 days?
Ready meals, branded juice, ready made desserts, flavoured, branded, bottled water?
READY MADE PORRIDGE [SHOCK]

Plus a load of store cupboard items that will last ages (big packs of spread, salad cream, mango chutney etc.

I still don't believe the OP will eat all the food she bought in a week, there was absolutely loads, especially as she didn't list quite a few items, like the tuna. She says she spent £60 but there was about 35 items on the list and a lot of the veg is only about £0.50 to £1 per item/pack, eg the onions, carrots, peppers, celery, spaghetti, tomato puree so there must be quite a few expensive things not listed to add up to £60.

@Jenasaurus Jenasaurus · Today 20:55
I bought for £47.98 - and ate it all in 3 days! by myself

You're pulling our legs, surely?

You can't possibly eat 500gms butter/ spread and complete bottles of ketchup and chutney etc in 3 days.

One thing I do find is buying bigģwr packs of meat.and doing a base of say mince and having different variations for a few days.
Learning how to make your own naans and flatbread.
Going to the foreign food isle in supermarkets can get big discounts on certain things.
And if online always chanfing the list to lowest to highest price but being cautious as they are cheeky in trying to add high price deals items in their.

Bloody hell. Is this just to make the op feel better about her shopping?

Why would anyone buy ready made porridge for £1.60 when a kilo of porridge oats is £1 at Tesco?

Answers on a postcard please @Jenasaurus 😛

There are good fruit and veg offers at this time of year. Start with those and then work with what you've got. Free your creativity!

@KermitlovesKeyLimePie

We have always bought fairy dishwasher tabs, usually when on offer. But last year someone recommended Wilkinson's own brand which are £3 for 30. They are absolutely excellent, everything comes out clean and sparkling and we have used them ever since.

My weekly shop is about 60 pounds.
I'm single but feeding two cats as well so I think that's OK.

I spend about £100 a month for a family of five and I think we eat pretty well. The youngest two don't eat a whole lot tbf.
Breakfast usually porridge or pancakes or toast.

Lunch, sandwiches, soup, salads, eggs bread, beans on toast, etc.
Dinner, salmon potatoes and greens
home made pizza and salad,
Spaghetti bol
Roast chicken, potatoes and veg
Chicken stir fry
Sausages, potatoes and veg
Veggie curry

This was our meal plan for last week and I spent just over £100 with ocado.

I guess our meals are fairly light on meat but high in veg and we eat quite a lot of potatoes. I make my own bread in a bread maker and I don't buy much prosessed food.

I knew it was on trial for a while, but it's just extended to more stores as my local is now promoting it where as it wasn't when we (I work in a depot) were first made aware of it.

To be fair to OP, cooking for 1 or 2 people never made a massive difference on my weekly shop massively. I don’t think £60 is excessive but probably could do it slightly cheaper.

Our shopping is about £100-120 for 3 of us. We grow all our own veg so just buy drinks, meat and toiletries really. I know it’s a hassle but I really recommend growing your own vegetables - it’s literally saved me so much money and you don’t need a garden, most you can actually grow indoors in pots.

I average out at about £80 pounds a week for 2 adults, 2 teens and a dog. That's including toiletries, cleaning stuff, and dog food - but doesn't include alcohol, or lunches for the 2 teens who prefer to eat school dinners.

I'm very fortunate in that I have a decent sized chest freezer, so I can bulk buy on offers.
I do my main shop in Aldi & Lidl, and a very small amount from Tesco's.

I also do shift work so, on the 4 evenings a week I finish a late shift, I always pop into the Co-op to see if there's any yellow stickered items. Often there's nothing worth getting - but, perhaps once a week, I'll come out with a full carrier bag of stuff that's been reduced down to pennies. I generally meal plan around the bargains that I pick up.

I've always been thrifty with my food budget. Historically through necessity, but now out of habit/choice.

It helps that none of us particularly bother with breakfast too. DH works from home and generally eats egg/beans on toast for lunch. I take two sandwiches with me to work. The teens no longer eat much fruit (despite my best efforts) but both eat plenty veg.
I also have a well stocked store cupboard, so I don't have the added cost of herbs/spices very often.

you guys make my 13 to 20 pound weekly budget for food, cleaning mats etc look soo paltry...........

How do you manage that?

we ration like mad one meal a day most days, skip a few, drink a LOT of water, cheap washing up liquid cleans most things, lately even hair and handwashing clothes.... when you have no choice you do what you can and get creative

It shouldn't be like that. You say 'we' so it sounds like it's more than just one of you, and that's nowhere near enough, as you will already be aware. If it's debt or utility bills that are leaving you short for food, help is available.

1. Have you done a benefit check?
2. Don't prioritise unsecured debt and talk to Stepchange or similar about a formal solution and help with budgeting. Feed yourself first and the creditors get what is left, however little it is.
3. If you can't afford utility bills, talk to your supplier too. There are extra grants and special tariffs available to those in hardship.

Apologies if I've misread the situation, but a lot of people often struggle on without seeking help, which often is available.

Plus don't take any notice of the 'we spend £200 pw and couldn't possibly cut down' crew. They haven't got a clue and are just blinded by their own privilege. Eat Well for Less always quotes the national average spend for a certain family size and it's around £100 pw for a family of 4, so if you're spending twice that, it's obvious there is quite a lot of scope to spend less if you needed or wanted to.

What all these threads have shown me is that there are an awful lot of people who've simply never thought about how much something costs before and whether or not it represents value for money, if an item is affordable or which items are treats/can easily be substituted or omitted.

I'm a lot more financially comfortable than I've been in the past, but that doesn't stop me looking for a cheaper version or something on offer if an item has gone up in price. I'd never pay £6 for butter (wtf?) when you can buy it anywhere for £1.75, even today.