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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how people can afford a takeaway for a family?

784 replies

MaknCheeese · 15/04/2023 19:51

We haven't had a takeaway for a while and I was thinking about ordering one for the family as a treat tonight. I decided not to once I worked out the price, I just couldn't justify paying 1/3 of my weekly groceries budget, £30 on a curry for 4.
When did you last have a takeaway?
How much did it cost and how many did it feed?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
16
thefamous5 · 15/04/2023 20:19

00100001 · 15/04/2023 19:55

They probably can't. But see it as a cost of living and get in with it and don't spend as much on other things like shoes for their kids, so they're running round in shitty £12 trainers from ShoeZone that fall apart after 8 weeks.

No, my four kids don't run around in crap shoes.

Blaueblumen · 15/04/2023 20:19

We never have takeaways. I don't think I've ever even had one.

It much cheaper to buy ready made food at M&S than order a takeaway. But generally I prefer to cook myself - I enjoy it and know what ingredients we eat!

HollyFern1110 · 15/04/2023 20:19

Try living here - Midlands, a village but not particularly rural, where you only have 1 Chinese, 1 Indian & 1 pizza/kebab/chicken place who will deliver to you. Boy do they charge for the privilege.

£65 for a family of 4 adults & 1 child.

PlasticSheetingRTÉNews · 15/04/2023 20:20

My most recent takeaway order came to €86 for two 😭

Means the children must remain shod in flour bags for the foreseeable.

I don’t know if I’m impressed or horrified that you can get a takeaway for four people, with leftovers, for £30. Was there meat in the curries?

EyesOnThePies · 15/04/2023 20:20

I live in a much derided not-posh area of S London, and ponder the same question about the many huge expensive cars on the road.

Because the COLC is not felt equally and many are raking it in, because some prioritise different spending, and because some / many accumulate debt.

Personally I see takeaways as coming from fun / leisure budget rather than grocery, and very rarely indulge.

But we do have excellent local Indian takeaway food and the last, over Easter, one meat curry, 3 veg, I pilau rice and one naan cost £22-50. It fed 2 for dinner, 2 for lunch, and 1 for dinner on day two, with additional rice cooked for the 3 leftover meals.

Really good, and good value.

Original poster
MaknCheeese · 15/04/2023 20:20

LemonPledge555 · 15/04/2023 20:07

@MaknCheeese to be honest, I think for 4 people £90/week these days is really low, we’ll done on keeping it that low. 4 adults or some younger ones?

Three adults and one teen.
I'm a good cook and was taught by my frugal mum and gran! This time lasts year it was about £75.

I would rather pay to eat in a restaurant than a takeaway but most of my restaurant meals are as a secret shopper so don't end up costing me anything!

OP posts:
Blaueblumen · 15/04/2023 20:21

£96.70 for a Chinese for 4 last weekend.

For a takeaway? Shock

Do you realise how much luxurious food you can buy for that...?

Wexone · 15/04/2023 20:22

Have a takeaway most Saturday nights. bloody hate cooking and thinking of what to cook every eve. only two of us and we have small stomachs. tonight was chineese. one sweet sour chicken and bolied rice. one portion of chicken balls with sauce and a portion of prawn crawlers. total 18e. we are stuffed after that. similar on chippers and one bag of chips between two of us is enough. so about 15e to 20e a week. we don't go out often. himself doesn't drink me the one glass of wine at weekends. nor smoke. Work long hours so it's our small treat every week and we lucky live near nice takeaways

Lasouthpaw · 15/04/2023 20:22

We usually spend under £20 for 2 of us. Either a Chinese or Maccy Ds as they're the only good options near us! Usually about once a month.

Before we had a child and I was working too, we used to spend about £30-40 (we lived elsewhere with great choices) and had one about once a week. I find this eye watering now!!

Lilacsparkles · 15/04/2023 20:22

we have a good family income ( normal not mumsnet) but very rarely get takeaways. However I will often go for coffee on my day off or we sometimes go to the pub erly evening for couple of drinks n maybe a meal for the kids. Everyone is going to prioritise different things with their budget so you cnt compare . we do love supermarket fakeaway though!

Yogity · 15/04/2023 20:23

We spent £37 on an Indian takeaway on wed for the 2 of us. 2 x mains, 1x rice, 1x naan and a starter to share. It was my birthday so we got from a nice restaurant after DD went to sleep.

We can afford takeaways but tbh there aren't many nice ones in our area so it's an every couple of months thing for us

Badleg85 · 15/04/2023 20:23

It's definitely a priorities thing, we have a takeaway once a fortnight, either £30 for a curry or £20ish for a Chinese

However we each have second hand mobile with £7 sim only deals and don't drink alcohol. I also pay £20 for a hair cut twice a year so it's swings and roundabouts for different people

Sammyandtheboocas · 15/04/2023 20:23

Even fish and chips is £7 per head round our way, and that's for the 'evening special'.

I genuinely don't know why we do it. We spend around £60 per month on takeaways that are always a bit disappointing and come with a free serving of guilt.

Badbudgeter · 15/04/2023 20:24

It'sa rare thing for us. Chippie is about £30, remember when it used to be the cheap option? Local Indian is about £17 for something and rice or naan so £30 for four seems cheap.

We do Indian/ Chinese nights with fakeaway from M&S I like their butter chicken. Still not cheap but much cheaper than proper takeaway.

IggyAce · 15/04/2023 20:24

£30 for a Chinese for 4.

BonnieEye · 15/04/2023 20:26

JaneFondue · 15/04/2023 20:17

Gosh @BonnieEye that's really cheap. I suppose the value of a takeaway also depends on location.

Yes it’s still a treat but not anything like cost of having a meal out.
I am quite good now about not over ordering and always get drinks from home.

This is DH’s plate, he’s late home!

To wonder how people can afford a takeaway for a family?
DragMeOutOfIt · 15/04/2023 20:26

I've found going to the local pub much cheaper than a take away! Single parent with 2 children - kids meals plus ice cream £4 each, adult main £10-£15 then soft drinks on top. So £30 max and we've been to our lovely local pub and it feels like a real treat going out! (Food is unreal too!)

00100001 · 15/04/2023 20:27

Sammyandtheboocas · 15/04/2023 20:23

Even fish and chips is £7 per head round our way, and that's for the 'evening special'.

I genuinely don't know why we do it. We spend around £60 per month on takeaways that are always a bit disappointing and come with a free serving of guilt.

Ha, you'd be lucky to get the fish for £7 here.

Last I checked the cod was £10.75! And chips started at £3.50.

mrsm43s · 15/04/2023 20:28

Just ordered an Indian takeaway for 3 and waiting for it to be delivered.
Chicken tikka masala
Lamb Dhansak
Chicken Rogan
2 pilau rice
2 plain naan
Sag paneer (side)
Tarka Dhal (side)

£42

To be fair, that's probably just under half of what we spend on a weekly shop, but it doesn't come out of the metaphorical "food shopping" budget, it comes out of the metaphorical "treats and entertainment" budget. As in I don't really consider it a food spend, but a treat/entertainment spend.

We can afford it because we're high earners and have quite a lot of surplus income. We have takeaways (or go out to eat) whenever we feel like it - generally every couple of weeks.

chocspot · 15/04/2023 20:28

Our last takeaway was from a kebab van- about £15 for a large kebab and large cheesy chips, shared between 2 adults, 1 teen and 1 child (they're really generous portions- the same from order from the local kebab shop wouldn't have been enough for for all 4 of us.)

RufustheSpeculatingreindeer · 15/04/2023 20:29

We did a takeaway for 6 at an indian that was over £100

but now we get starters and sides from asda and the takeaway from the restaurant

we have a takeaway pretty much at least every weekend and actually I think it might be 3 this week which is unusual

any amount of people from 3 to 6

00100001 · 15/04/2023 20:29

thefamous5 · 15/04/2023 20:17

There's six of us. A takeaway generally costs is around £30 (delivery included in that).

We had 14 here at Easter. Ordered takeout pizzas , cost us £65 and had leftovers from that for the next day

What did you order to feed 6 people for only £30?

Merlo · 15/04/2023 20:31

£39 for a Thai tonight, 3 starters, 2 curries and one rice. Was absolutely amazing though and super fresh. I don’t mind spending on a takeaway for a treat, when it tastes that good, I do begrudge it though when they’re disappointing…..I’m looking at you fish and chips!!

BigBunkers · 15/04/2023 20:31

We probably have a takeaway at least once a week, for the two of us it’d be £30-ish at the Indian/Chinese. If the kids are eating with us you could double that.

But it’s a treat, we can afford it (plus decent shoes for our children!) and we like it. We rarely go out in the evening anymore so it goes on takeaways instead!