Just had a shock, how much do you spend on groceries a month?

[FluffyUnionSocks]

For March so far not including tomorrow’s shopping delivery of £230, I have spend £970 on groceries this month. Including tomorrows shop the last of the month the grand total will be £1200! Wtf this time last year it was about half that amount.
How much are you all spending? We are a family of 5 the 3 kids are aged between 11-16.

We do a monthly shop at Costco. Probably spend an extra £50 - 100 now compared to 12-18 months ago. Still cheaper & better quality than Tesco/Asda.

@angela99999 😂We look for reduced items. Often the meat and fish counters are better than half price. If you're getting salmon for £12/kg it's a pretty decent price. We got a small piece for around £7.50/kg last time too!

We can't get to a Lidl any more but used to find that their salmon was fine, and their chicken (including free range), pork medallions and matured beef roasting joints were all great. I did shop online from Waitrose for a while but gave up because all the meat and fish were just that little bit more expensive. And I do like to actually see what I'm buying so don't buy them online unless I have to (also no offers of course!).

I think we were probably edging towards being similar to the OP but I have recently made changes to improve the nutritional benefits as well as reduce spending.

The fruit bill is massive - can you switch to apples/pears/banana? Berries and pomegranate out of season are extortionate and not needed nutritionally.

The chocolate and cereal bars could easily go - just empty calories and burning cash.

The waffles could be replaced with homemade pancakes (just flour eggs & milk - make a batch of batter and it will keep in the fridge for a few days). Add some chia or flaxseed for added nutrition.

Overall your diet is incredibly sweet. Can you switch for more savoury snacks? You might find that people naturally eat fewer of them also. Like a plate of cubed cheddar cheese, cucumber, houmous & crackers rather than a fivers' worth of berries.

Ours is about £850 for family of 5. Son eats 3 meals are nursery 3 days a week and usually I do too
Teenagers (16 and 14) eat a lot especially 14 year old as she does loads of sport. I haven't included weekly takeaway in that amount either so it's probably closer to £940. How depressing, same amount as my nursery fees!

I spend what you spend and more. 2 adults 2 children. But that’s at sainsburys and their prices have rocketed recently. More Lidl’s shopping needed I think!

We also eat a lot of fruit and things like mango melon and berries. Tomatoes and salad items have gone up a lot recently too. And even apples I noticed the other day have significantly increased in price.

Big shop 800 a month. A few small top ups in the week. So roughly 1000 a month for 2 adults and 4 children. But that includes all food and school packed lunches, cleaning and hygiene products

I’m really taken aback by the number of posts on this thread telling people to cut out foods (e.g. berries, good quality cheese etc) to save money. Maybe I missed it, but I’m not aware that anyone asked how to save money on their food bill. Certainly, the OP didn’t! We could cut out berries and other foodstuffs that “aren’t necessary”, but we don’t want to. We have made some concessions, but we’re fortunate enough not to compromise our diet too much. There is a difference to complaining that the cost of groceries is outrageous and seeking to cut good foods we enjoy out of our diets to save money!

@AnnieSnap

You didn't post an OP in shock at a massive monthly grocery bill. You've made your choices, and you're happy with them.

The OP has made choices, or rather drifted into certain purchases, and can't wrap her mind around the cost, which imo is too much, and she clearly thinks something is amiss too or she wouldn't have posted.

I posted earlier in the thread with a comment about teenagers and their bottomless appetites - but the example of daily lunches given by the OP included a lot of fruit sugars and empty calories which are not ideal for growing teenagers.

The OP expressed horror at how much she's spending, with the explicit point that she was clearly spoiling her kids. That says she is looking for ways to reduce it, though not necessarily make huge concessions. She wanted to know where 'normal'was.

In terms of cheese, having luxury cheese in kids sandwiches is too much imho. It stops those things being appreciated and valued. Alternative options won't necessarily be a massive step down, if nice cheese is still bought albeit not as regularly.

Stuff like fancy bread, makes little sense on a daily basis. You can have a bloody nice sandwich without needing to break the bank, but you can save a bit here and there and it's worth knowing how to do it.

Genuinely I do think you can eat amazingly well but for cheaper with just a few swaps. Most of which aren't really a huge deal and won't have a massive impact.

You don't have to give up everything.

I'd say explore freezing / frozen fruit as a cheaper alternative too.

@mathanxiety and @RedToothBrush she did not ask for advise on cutting back and she didn’t ask “what normal was”. She was shocked at what her shopping costs (aren’t we all?) and she simply asked what others spend. We buy expensive cheese because it organic, so we know that the dairy cows spend much of their time grazing (on organic pasture), rather than imprisoned in barns in intensive farming. We don’t want to eat cheaper cheese at the expensive of animal welfare. Maybe others buy expensive Ham for the same sort of reason. One person’s ‘unnecessary’, is another persons important. If someone here was asking for advice on how to cut their budget (rather than just express their feelings about the cost of food).

I don't think you have to compromise too much if you do want to cut back and it's just working out what matters to you and trying different stuff, food shopping you can get in a bit of a rut

I shop at Aldi and get the specially selected extra mature cheddar for example which is lovely, and cheap compared to say buying Booths £££ cheese. Gherkins I will only buy one specific type and refuse to compromise

Berries - yeah I love them. But I'm not paying for extra special when the wonky ones are just as good. Strawberries out of season - I would rather wait until they're in season and eat an apple instead
Within my budget it's spending on what matters - a carrot is a carrot, same with onions, but I won't give up my Sainsburys gherkins I've tried every brand

..she was shocked at what her shopping costs (aren’t we all?)

No, I'm not. This is because I don't buy expensive, nutritionally unnecessary foods.

Additionally, I don't feel the need to virtue signal or signal my income bracket using food to broadcast all of that.

Berries costing an arm and a leg are the most middle class identifier you could possible fling into your trolley. Nobody needs berries for health.

@mathanxiety well pardon me and a few others on here for choosing to spend money on berries. My car is 9-years-old, but yes, I am middle class by education and profession, but retired, so not on a large income. People can make different choices to you and it’s okay you know!

Over $1500 a month (we’re in the United States) for two of us and three dogs. Looking at the most recent receipts, it costs more to feed the dogs than us. But we spoil them with homemade food, fresh salmon, steak, duck. We don’t eat out much. We enjoy cooking.

I agree no corn, but livers sound unnecessary and grim.

Finely chopped chicken livers are delicious in a lasagna or bolognese. Chicken livers are cheap too.

Glad we aren't big fruit eaters here! £43 a week on fruit alone - amazing! Pomegranate seeds! And all the snacks - I don't feel so bad now for some of the things we buy. Maybe try and give the kids more veg rather than fruit - carrots, peppers, cucumber (regular type not expensive baby ones) would save money and same health benefits (or better as less sugar). Who needs a choice of 5 different types of biscuit? Depends if you want to save money - obviously if you're buying the finest range of everything, money isn't an issue for you or you'd have swapped by now.

Hurrah, I’ve finally made it to MN middle class status. And after all these years, who would’ve thought it’d be raspberries that did it. If only I’d known!

I spend about 1,600 for 2 adults and 2 cats who eat well.
I don't live in England but prices are high here.

They are not that nice actually, I always think this is a foodie myth. Nice bolognaise depends on the quality of the meat (and a splash of red wine doesn't hurt).

I must say I rarely buy berries! They are like very expensive sweets.

No, I need them to put in my Prosecco.

We are a family of 5. But that’s 5 adult appetites. Plus my father eats with us 4 nights a week. And DD1’s boyfriend does too. We also have pets. I struggle now to keep the spend below £200 pw. That’s no booze at all. Only meat 2 or 3 times a week. Previously £200 would have been a “treat week”. Now it’s decent, fresh food, but nothing extravagant.

Raspberries are middle class now?!

Best tell WW and Slimming World they've gone up in the world.

They love a raspberry