weekly food shop cost saving to offset higher mortgage

[concernedalot]

I've just had a new quote for my mortgage which has gone up by £190 per month - so i'm looking at cutting back on food costs. I currently mainly shop at Morrisons and do an occasional top up at Tesco. on average I am paying about 670 for monthly food and wine, which based on a 4 week month is costing me about 167.50 per week. I'm a single parent with 1 hungry teenager. I need to get these costs down to around 120 per week so am planning on generally being more frugal, cooking from scratch, and probably shopping mainly at Aldi. Is this doable do you think?

What do you spend on average per week for a 2 person household and do you have any tips on how I could get the cost down please? I know a lot of us are in a difficult position right now, but was hoping for some inspiration that i'm not facing a disaster with my increased mortgage and of course, the dreaded fuel bills. Thankyou

Oh 5x cat foods (pate) and some passata .

I spend way less and I've got three kids. Things I've discovered are cheap/go far. Life has dealt a few blows and I'm on very little money.

Rice.
Eggs.
Milk.
Cheese.
Apples.
Bananas.
Onions.
Carrots.
Potatoes.
Pasta.
Lidls pasta sauce.
TinnedTomatoes.
Bread.
Satsumas.
Grapes.
Frozen peas.
Crap chicken

Make things like:
Pancakes - cheap and filling
Eggs all ways.
Rice with a stock cube and veg and egg and spices.
Cake.
Occasional lamb/ beef steak. 2 between 4.
Grapes and cheese.
Slow cook meals. Batch cooking. I do use the freezer.
Mac and cheese.

Expensive:
Pizza.
Anything pre made / processed

You can make cheap nice meals with basics and herbs etc

I've found a few really quick, cheap (an old jack monroe curry in the guardian) and cheapish but really tasty vegan curries mainly made from chickpeas and veg which are less expensive due to no meat but really tasty and have protein from beans, chick peas and peanut butter.

I double the quantities and add more veg or chickpeas sometimes so that we can save around 4-6 more meals for two (Sadly kids won't eat most of them.) we generally have 3 a week so I've now got around 4 I rotate. I'll add some fresh spinach sometimes. Defrost and cook in microwave so really quick after a long day at work.

Stir fried rice with peas, veg and bacon or turkey.

A tray of Chicken thighs is a few quid and generally lasts two meals (I only have one, if kids have they only have one or 1/2.) can be roasted in half an hour with veg and water with rice or potatoes.

£167.50 is insane for two people.

You do not need to visit Aldi to get this down. Look at the price of the items you are putting in your trolley to begin with.

Two adults and 3 kids here, plus a cat - ours USED to be ridiculous like £200 a week but for the past 7 months we have managed to be really careful and have cut it now to £140 a week and that's in Tesco. This includes nappies for my youngest, all cleaning supplies and any extras we might need that month like socks or a present for a kids party we always keep it to the £140. I've found meal planning really helpful and not buying lots of different things for us and the kids - sticking to one big family meal each night has helped! Tesco have good Clubcard prices I've found and we end up saving about £20 every week by shopping and using Clubcard

I spend about £40-£50 per week for me and ds although ds is only 9 so doesn't have a massive appetite and I get a take away once a month so say £250 a month. I shop mainly in Aldi and Tescos for a few top up bits. I have no pets and I don't really drink alcohol anymore. Every now and then I will pop to home bargains for cleaning supplies and probably spend £30ish but that's every 3/4 months. I would most definitely have a look at what you are buying and shop around.

Wow that's a lot, 6 of us and a dog and we spend £75-£85 per week and that includes laundry tablets and toilet roll nappies etc. we also buy a take away at the weekend so that's on top.

I have dropped down the level of brand we are buying and going for supermarket own and using the slow cooker for meals which also gives us lots of extra portions for lunches.

OP I just did my weekly ASDA shop it came to £60 for me, 8 year old DS, 40 cat pouches and a £12kg dog food bag for the mastiff.

So that's the big pay day shop done to feed the animals for 2ish weeks, and me and DS for a week!!

This is 7 evening meals, and lunch box "stuff" for DS, plus cereal, Weetabix for breakfast.

It also included 3 different types of fruit apples, bananas, ripe at home peaches, plus cucumbers, baby tomatoes and carrot batton for his lunches. A bag of frozen mixed veg to have with dinners.

Next week it will drop to about £40 then back up to £60 and then back down to £40 for the week before payday.

You can get it down, honestly you can!

2 adults and one baby . £150 a week. No booze !!!

I’ve started shopping in Lidl every two or three days. I find we waste less because I can meal plan better and I don’t end up running out of snacky stuff and being left with a fridge full of meat and veg.
Im a single parent too with two teenage boys, and spend about 20-30 a trip. Any wine is bought separately from the corner shop when I want it.

Things I always get in for the boys are:

Garlic breads (the 39p ones)
Fish fingers
Tins of rice pudding
Tins of soup
Cheap sausages

I make proper main meals, things like chilli (with loads of beans and frozen onion/peppers to bulk it out), shepherds pie, sausage casserole with mash and veg, corned beef hash, but they are growing lads who need to eat more than me, so they often make themselves a sausage or fish finger butty for supper, or they’ll whack a garlic bread in to share while they watch a film

It’s not insane. I shop in Aldi and we ( 2 adults one baby ) easy spend £150 a week.
£20 being toiletries / washing tablets / nappies.

We easily spend £130 then on food and no booze.

I have had weeks where that hasn’t been enough and we have gone back.

We never have takeaways and don’t go to the pub or out to dinner hardly ever

Me + 1 teen+2 older cats £75pw.This includes my wine!
Work out how much you can afford .
Then meal plan and match with your budget.
Get your teen involved too,mine is excellent at stopping me impulse buy and good at looking at the small price/kg items.Eat less meat.
Try not to do top up shops of anything other than bread,milk or veg.
If you throw any food out then rethink your plan or use your freezer better.
As you start to reduce your budget you'll feel encouraged and know you can do it.
My child has just gone to uni and learning food budgeting has been key for them.
Online shop if you need to start,find the cheaper delivery options.

Cat food ain't the issue here...

For me, meal planning is absolutely key - and shopping online with that list, so I’m not tempted to pop anything else in.

Family of 4 plus a dog - and I shop in Waitrose. £80 a week (spread out across the month and that includes all cleaning products etc).

We only drink at the weekend, so that’s an additional - probably £15/£20 per weekend?

I batch cook a lot in my slow cooker - and half of the meat in the recipe is subbed with Waitrose soffrito mix (big bags of diced veg). So this cuts the cost as well and makes everything a little healthier.

We also grow alot of our vegetables in our garden. So if you have the room, it’s definitely worth doing. Saves a lot in the summer
months.

3 adults,1 child . Aldi shop £70 a week includes beer, cleaning products etc

Apparently batch cooking and then microwaving could save as much as £112 a year.

How to cut energy and heating costs at home www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63083354

That seems a lot for 2 of you!

I spend max £80 for me & my Daughter! That includes a nice treat tea from Waitrose for sat night, Prosecco for Fri & Sat & a full cooked chicken for our dog! Plus all our food, plus treats!

We’re 2 adults and usually spend £50-£60 at Lidl each week. Plus veg box every fortnight £10. Plan all meals, reduce meat (E.g. I make chilli with 1 pack mince and 2 tins of beans), leave 1 dinner a week free when you eat leftovers or use up items going off.

We shop In Tesco, 2 adults, breakfast packed lunch and evening meal £80 a week can be up to 95/£100 if washing stuff is needed etc

We're a family of 4 + 2 dogs, I spend £80 a week including nappies and dog food at Aldi

That's insane! Switch to Lidl and try their wine, start at the bottom, the cheapest one (red, white and rosé available) is £3.29 a bottle and really nice, that's cheaper than any in Aldi.

It is insane, you must be buying only the most expensive stuff they carry or more likely throwing half of it away every week.

How?? What were you buying? Were you throwing everything left away before you went shopping again?

I remember on that Eat Well for Less programme some people were going around their kitchen worrying they had to "make room" (that's literally what they called it) by chucking perfectly good stuff out so they could go shopping again because a week has passed, I thought it was made up for TV but maybe not.

Lidl do nice wine. Cook double and eat same meal twice, saves on left overs and time. Have one night cheap eats e.g pasta, or egg and chips etc.
always meal plan so you only buy what you need for specific meals.
Asda is cheap. Get as many own brands as possible.

Single parent, one DD. Not a big eater, but tremendously fussy. I shop in Aldi, don’t drink, don’t eat meat and squeeze every penny till it cries. I’m spending £20 a week in Aldi (I do get something free and some I buy in bulk)

I’m not suggesting you DO that, or that anyone should (I’m only doing it out of necessity and would much rather not, believe me!) but just to give an example of the other end of the spectrum, and point out there’s plenty of wiggle room! I posted this weeks meal plan and shop on this thread, if it’s helpful (a few others did, too)

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4643913-to-ask-what-your-weekly-shop-consists-of?page=2