We spend £800 a month on food

[Ridingoutthewaves]

Is that a ridiculous amount for a household of 4 adults and 2 children? We need to cut our monthly spending.

2 adults and 2 children and my budget for food is £400 a month. We basically spend that - I know as I use a separate Monzo pot so even top
up shops come from that same pot. All healthy appetites and eat pretty well, mostly cooked from scratch though not much in the way of expensive cuts of meat or fish or branded stuff. We do have an allotment so that helps a bit but not during the winter months! And we’re always prepared to use stuff like windfall fruit from a neighbour etc. Very rare takeaways although we do eat out a couple of times a month (which doesn’t come from the pot). Certainly nobody feels deprived of anything.

thanks I need to break it down, and see where where we’re wasting. We eat veggie more nights that not, shop at sainsburys and Lidl. Have slipped and stopped doing so much meal planning, we don’t really drink and cook from scratch every meal. That includes everything, cleaning products etc. doesn’t include cafes. Young adult does contribute a minimal monthly amount and they are moving out soon, the other young adult dosen’t as still at school but eats more than me, slo classed as an adult in my calculation! We could save more by shopping less at sainsburys and more at Lidl, batch cook too I guess but it’s already a lot of food to prepare for each meal. I like the two jacket potatoe new a week idea as I can see things like that would cut costs and seasonal fruit more than expensive. Always trying to choose healthy options, healthy snacks for kids, fruit is expensive. I think it’s the lack of planning that has pushed the bill up. Good to know it’s not wildly off from the general consensus.

How old are the kids? Two on formula but also weaning, two early years kids, two teenagers all eat different volumes.

And from where?

The first step is always to find a cheaper supermarket I'd think, then forensically examine the shopping list.

How much goes in the bin?

Are you paying out for school lunches and work food on top? Lots of take put and meals out or virtually every meal at home?

It doesn't sound extortionate to me but I'm definitely sure you could reduce it. We're two adults and five kids; three teenagers and two younger ones, and we spend around £600 a month in Lidl. That includes all cleaning stuff etc. as well.

We spend similar. Dh does buy his lunches and we tend to have a take away each week though. I try to batch cook and minimise wastage but it all adds up.

I was spending 120 a week in 2001 on to adults a toddler and a baby.

I think you’re doing really well to get it for under 200. I think I spend about £100 for one adult and one child but DS and I eat out a lot and get takeaways. If I’ve got the kids home from uni it can easily get up to £250 a week

I use Morrisons for fruit as they do 6 apples/ pears for £1:50, I usually get 18 apples. Some bannanas (about 10 or 12) and a packet of sweet clems. Then 1 treat fruit so strawberries this week, nectarines last week.

Whether it’s ridiculous or not is entirely dependent on your budget and tastes.

you appear to want to do something to reduce it it seems.

in which case - look at what you need to cook for the week, plan the meals, shop with a list, change your recipes, learn budget cooking, shop yellow stickers, pantry and frozen and look at the zillions of mumsnet threads on budget groceries and food.

FYI we are 2 adults, 2 under 6, and a dog. It’s £50 a week at Tescos including nappies and the odd cleaning item. We both work FT but I am if I may say so - a very inventive cook who thoroughly enjoys cooking made up and standard foods including from my country of origin - and I’ve got meal planning and creative cooking down to near perfection (!). So that small budget does really work with us. We always shop at tescos, always just once a week, always go at yellow stickers times and always begin the trolley with whatever is on the reduced isles and build the plan around that. it also helps that there’s no alcohol included as we rarely drink - few times a year if we go out.

Our household income doesn’t necessitate thrift thankfully - but we have shoved all we’ve got into massive mortgage overpayments to facilitate a significant upsizing in a few years time and cut back on numerous fronts. Thrifty food shopping and cooking was an unintended by product of this.

@Beaucoup I'd be interested to see your meal plan for £50/week. I spend that when I pop out for milk...

It's not a ridiculous amount but you could shave some off. Do you eat out a lot?

Are you buying the entire menu?! If we have something like that, it costs about £50 for 7 of us, and there's always enough leftovers for another meal or two.

£1,000 a month here for five of us so no, sounds about right to me. Huge amounts of fruit as well but I do buy berries, kiwi etc

Hally depends where you are in the uk I guess. A takeaway curry in my local Indian, meat dish, rice and nan bread is around £15 a head now.

Sounds about right if it includes all
your Household items and maybe a takeaway once a week.

I don’t think you spend too much.

We spend £200-250pw for 2 or 3 adults and 3 secondary aged DC. It includes all meals, snacks, some free from products, toiletries, cleaning products etc.

I now spend about 70/80 for 2 adults. That includes cleaning stuff, toiletries etc. and it's not Aldi or Lidl.

We are £100 a week (food and very occasional non food item) for 4 adults and 1 teen. Teen has FSM and 1 adult has lunch at work. We very rarely have takeaway and never eat out. I mostly cook from scratch and buy as many yellow sticker products as I can get. We have at least two “cheap” meals a week ie. Pasta and tomato sauce, baked potato, omelette/egg and toast/home made chips or soup and baguette/toastie. I hate to pay more than 10p for a loaf of bread or pack of rolls!

I think it’s the lack of planning that has pushed the bill up.

I think you are right. We generally get a weekly delivery which is £150-£170 all in.

The last 3 weeks have been chaotic for various reasons. I haven’t planned and have just popped to the shops as and when we needed something. Was shocked to find it’s averaged over £200 per week as a result.

Can you afford it? If so why is it a problem?
we are 2 adults and 2 teens and spend more than that

I imagine it’s the same for us. That includes cat biscuits, toiletries, takeaway coffees etc

Bit of an overreaction there.

Thats what we spend on 4 adults, trying to cut it down

Of course!

We use meat very sparingly and as part of rice or noodle based dishes. We don’t really eat red meat- it’s chicken - but relies on a mahoosive bag of frozen chicken which does a big Sunday afternoon chicken biriyani, or a mid week casserole etc. we also use sausages and loads of beans and lentils for casseroles. Mince is another one - the only red meat exception and my Keema Pulao is renowned :) We also make use of yellow stickered reduced salmon and haddock for Kedgeree. Also frozen chicken gets used into Pad Thais. As you’ll see All these are instances where the chicken or meat isn’t the main deal and is generally mixed into a one pot dish of some sort.

I realise this is a VERY Asian way of eating as everything except the casseroles are very Asian but that’s explained by my ethnic origin :)

In our home 3 adults and I hungry male teen and I spend between £150-175 per week so between about £600-700 so probably similar to you. I also have takeaway once a week for another £45-50.