How much would you spend to feed 1 adult per week now?

[Teaandcaaaaake]

Just curious really, as I don't live in the UK anymore and keep reading how food costs are rising. When I left 5 years ago, I spent between 20 and 40 quid per week feeding myself, depending on how much meat I bought, what store cupboard items needed replacing, etc. I ate extremely well on that and while I did keep an eye on costs, I basically ate anything I fancied.

I did live near M&S where I got great yellow stickers hauls every now and again which kept my freezer full.

What sort of budget would you estimate you need now for a good, varied diet for one person?

Which nutrients ? I do note there is no tea/ coffee, milk, bread, butter or herbs, spices and stock. I would personally have bought Celery and Carrots but I can't see that it doesn't sufficient nutrients.

I think we spend about £30 per adult pw. But that doesn't include milk, wine, washing and dishwashing tablets and toilet paper, all of which are delivered separately. It does mostly include lunches, and only DH buys food/ coffee on the go.
I mostly cook from scratch, we do eat meat and fish regularly, probably eat out/takeaway once a week. Working DS pays his way for this, or sometimes treats us all.

I spend about £30-£50 a week. I live on my own 50% of the time the other 50% I have ds here. That includes the odd take away, bottle of wine and cleaning/beauty products as well. I will have the occasional shop at home bargains every couple of months for treats and normally spend about £40 doing that. I'm eating really well, mostly cook from scratch at the moment.

I reckon about £50 for a middle of the road weekly budget. Not luxury but a couple of meals of meat and fish, plenty of fruit and veg.

Yes, I'm always dubious. Or it turns out that the person gets a free meal at work and goes to their parents for Sunday lunch every week or something. Or they are not counting stuff they already in the house and don't buy every week.

I don't see how you can literally feed yourself for £20 a week without getting stuff for free/very cheap and still eat a reasonably balanced diet. Or at least not a diet that you would want to keep eating for a long time if you didn't have to.

I accept that foods like dahl are pretty cheap to make. But I personally wouldn't want to eat dahl day in week out for ever.

As a student I spent £20-25 a week on food and drink, but that was many years ago. It didn't include any alcohol but did include the odd soft drink at a pub and the odd bag of chips from the chippie. I'd say being able to do things like this occasionally should factor into a food budget!

£20 on a budget

@Dyslexicwonder without doing a proper dietary analysis it’s not possible to be sure but at first look I’d say fat and therefore fat soluble vitamins.
potenrially iodine, some b vitamins and calcium depending on the quantities of the foods on the list consumed.
As you’ve pointed out there are is no flavourings, herbs, oil, spreads etc. The poster must only be drinking water, having crumpets dry and not using any fats to cook with.

ld argue it’s also lacking energy as the quantities that would need to be consumed of those foods would need to be high (therefore increasing the budget) but it’s hard to eat massive quantities of purely vegetable foods due to the bulk (especially with no fat added- I know they said they use mayo before anyone points that out). I guess that person may be very sedentary and need less energy . There’s no fruit on the list and nothing no foods high in fat/sugar which provide pleasure in the diet for most people.
Also nearly all the food on that list requires some form of cooking so increased energy costs and they must be using more than 1 supermarket because crumpets are not 42p in M n S.

Im not saying it’s impossible to have a £20 budget but I do believe there may be the element of the Mumsnet roast chicken lasting a week truth economy going on with some (not all!) posters

My weekly shop ranges from £35 to £70 depending on where i shop and how much I stock up on basics such as pasta, rice, cereals etc which I don't buy every week (I tend to buy these and tinned things in bulk at Aldi). I eat meat but usually only a pack of 2 chicken breasts a week and maybe a pack of fish. I do eat a lot of fruit and veg though and I take packed lunches to work so other than maybe a coffee and bacon roll out at weekend that covers all my food outgoings.

I think there's a difference between spending low amounts because you have to, and spending low amounts on an ongoing basis because that's what you're choosing to do.

I personally think never having any food or drink "treats" (whether that's a chocolate bar at home, or a drink out) is a pretty miserable existence and would want at least some of these costed into my budget, which would instantly push the cost up.

I don't understand the people saying their food costs £20 a week. That's less than £3 a day.

Breakfast: overnight oats with plain yog and frozen berries
Lunch: rice cakes, cottage cheese, hummus, veg sticks
Dinner: roasted tenderstem broccoli, piece of salmon or tofu stir fry.
Snacks: Fruit, veg, boiled eggs

That's an example of a typical food day for me. Easy on £20-£30. And it's all stuff I enjoy.

@Yerroblemom1923 I would be severely underweight on that diet but I am very active so it wouldn’t be enough carbs or energy for me by a long way

I reckon I could feed just myself for much less than a quarter of the cost to feed all 4 of us. I wouldn't have to buy options to please everyone, I'd just cook 3 meals and have them over the week. I'd cut back on fresh fruit and eat veggies in soup etc because I prefer them that way, and it's much cheaper. Not sure what the actual cost would be because I've not shopped for just myself for a long time!

@Hobbitfeet32 @Dyslexicwonder
I did say that those items were my staples and that it varies week to week. Yes (but not every week) to teabags, oil for cooking, stock, pepper and milk/biscuits if I have visitors. No to bread and butter. I work a 45 ish hour week, largely at my laptop so very sedentary I would agree, but I don't drive so walk everywhere and know exactly what to get from which shops.

I think it's perfectly do-able if you have porridge for breakfast, home made veg soup and a piece of bread for lunch and evening meals like jacket potato and beans or dhal, pasta etc ... but would that be enjoyable or sustainable long term? Most of us enjoy coffee, tea and the occasional piece of cake at the very least.

Actually I have a friend who eats like that ... not for budgeting reasons but she just likes very plain, simple food and is a life long vegetarian. She grows her own veg and makes her own bread. She would NEVER indulge in a piece of cake or even a delicious artisan cheese. If we meet for lunch she just has a glass of water (we meet for coffee now .... she will have a coffee if out !). When she used to come and stay with me she would bring her own potato to bake and veg . She is very healthy and slim .... I am not....

I’m struggling to keep food spending under £100 pw for myself, dp and 4 year old. I’m fine for creating cheap meals for dinner, but then when I add in the extras we need for lunch and snacks, it gets quite expensive. Dp is slim but eats more than the general portion size because he’s quite tall. Ds also eats a lot for his age, though is also slim.

I love good food but forced to be frugal now ( mortgage increase, massive bills,etc). I buy mainly 70% reduction yellow / 50% reduction fresh counter stickers in M&S / Waitrose. I spent £50 per week minimum including salads/ fruits / meat/ fish /occasional desert for two people( adult and child). Small/ medium portion sizes, so no overeating here. I only eat two meals a day( my choice), my child eats three meals a day, plus snacks. I cook mainly from scratch. So I assume, if it wasn't for yellow stickers , it would be £100 per two per week with current food prices ( meat, diary, fish, fresh fruits).

If I were to live on my own, my menu would be:

Breakfast: two boiled eggs or oats and apple/satsuma/banana/pear. Or various S Asian breakfast dishes made of semolina, flour, rice etc, if I could be bothered or was feeling slim.
Coffee
Lunch: usually stirfry with noodles and egg on top, or vegetables with rice, or vegetable wrap.

Coffee with nuts or a biscuit
Dinner: Another vegetable/ lentil/ beans/paneer dish with rotis. Yoghurt.

I don't eat much cheese or bread.

Chocolate or cake maybe once every two weeks. I think this would come in around £20.

You wouldn’t do that on £20-30 a week @Yerroblemom1923. I’ve just bought smoked haddock, samphire and half a dozen eggs because that’s what I fancied for dinner. A poached egg, 100g samphire and a smoked haddock fillet works out at £4.59 for one portion.

Fish has shot up in price. A bag of five salmon fillets is £12.

£50

@FernFairy I don't eat salmon every day! Sometimes I'll have pilchards (in Tom sauce in a tin)or sardines. A box of FR 12 eggs is usually £2.50 max and some days I'll have 2 and others 1 or none. It's the protein element that bumps up the price, I agree. I also make a lot of veg soups and freeze portions.

About £30-£35 a week. Vegetarian diet, no alcohol.

I spend almost £30 a week on Gousto/HelloFresh boxes - which does me 6 evening meals.

Then prob about another £30 on groceries (although does include cleaning products and toiletries) and meal deals when in the office.

I feed 3 adults on £25-30 a week. I buy in bulk and cook from scratch and use lots of ‘wonky’ vegetables.