How much fruit & veg do you buy per week?

[Heythereorangehead]

And have you had to cut back?
Sort of related to a thread on here already.
Our food shop has gone up around €30/40 per week (live abroad) we both work and have one Dd and a dog. I used to buy lots of veg, salad, fruits etc.
This week I got brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, 1 avocado, tangerines & apples. Dd eats nearly all the fruit and has one fruit for school dinners, I don’t tend to get any fruit now. We used to have fruit for breakfast and after lunch/dinner and lunches & dinners filled with veg, I really feel I’m not getting enough.
How much do you buy and how can I get more fruit/veg in without spending even more?

Fruit is insanely expensive.

I spend £200 a week on a food shop (just me). About half of that is fruit and veg. BUT I like ‘nice fruit.’ I haven’t had to cut back simply because I prioritise my diet above all else - I don’t eat meals out, have fast food, buy lots of new clothes etc. if I did those things I’d have had to cut back.

I get frozen fruit for smoothies (huge packs of frozen mixed berries rather than frozen smoothie mixes) and mix with a banana and some milk. Sometimes add oats. That’s relatively cheap. Usually makes 5-6 smoothies. Or I do banana pancakes with topped banana and yoghurt. Again, quite cheap.

On weeks I can’t get the fruit I want I’ll do things like chilli con carne with cauliflower rice etc, to bulk out my veg I take instead. Or sausage casserole bulked out with lots of peppers and onions etc

I buy a bunch of bananas, 6 apples, a melon, broccoli and carrots each week.
luckily I have an allotment so we have onions and a freezer full of runner beans and peas from the summer. In the summer/autumn I don’t have to buy any fruit or veg.

We use frozen veg a lot of the time and tinned stuff

And seasonal veg as that tends to be cheaper

And cheap - lots of cabbage and carrots and more carrots and cabbage - lots of coleslaw

In my big shop typical order would include

1 x bunch banana
6 apples
bag of easy peelers
punnet of grapes
punnet of strawberries
punnet of pineapple chunks
punnet of blueberries

then veg wise depending on the meal plan but something like a broccoli, green beans, red and white onions, potatoes, carrots and a bag of kale/spinach. I also keep a stock of frozen peas, sweet corn and mixed veg.

Throughout the week I end up buying 2 more bunches of bananas and at least 2 more punnets of berries.

We are a family of 4, 2 kids are 10 and a toddler. We rarely eat out and all take packed lunches/breakfasts with us.

We are a family of 2 adults and 3 teens. We don’t eat that much processed food, and I feel that most of my shop is fruit and veg, unprocessed meet or basic store cupboard ingredients. However, our shopping bill is really high.

This week I bought:

Red onions
Brown onions
Sugar snap peas
Leeks
Two bags of tenderstem broccoli
Another kilo of normal broccoli
A cauliflower
Garlic
Baking potatoes
Baby potatoes
Carrots
Two packs of fine, green beans
Spring greens
Bag of spinach
Bag of rocket
Cos lettuce
Bag of herb salad
Pot of basil
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Bananas
Two dozen apples
Cherries
Satsumas
Mango
Melon
Frozen butternut squash
Frozen peas
Frozen smoothie mix
Frozen Mediterranean vegetable mix
Tinned tomatoes
Dried mango
Mixed nuts
Dried cherries

It will all be gone by the end of the week, and I’ll probably have to do a top up shop two days before the next job is due!

We buy a fair amount. Also abroad. Approx €140+ a week I would say now on shop for 2 adults and 1 3 year old.

Ds has to take a snack box with raw veg and fruit every day to nursery so I try and give him a variety. Mixture of cheaper and what’s on offer. This week he’s had cucumber and yellow pepper, apple, banana and blackberries.

The frozen mixed berries we always have in stock for having hot on homemade waffle or pancakes at weekend. In summer we picked lots of strawberries at local pick your own which was good value, I cut and froze loads for the autumn/ winter.

At estimate I would say €30-40 ish from our €140 weekly spend is fruit and veg. Depending on whether we already have longer lasting things like potatoes and onions.

Carrots are the only cheap veg here I think. A 1kg is less than 1 cucumber. Unfortunately Ds won’t eat raw carrots yet ( but will cooked). Frozen green beans and peas I also use a lot

I think we are really lucky in the UK to have access to cheap fruit and veg - I have relatives in France and a cauliflower costs £5! So I feel your plain.

I buy frozen berries (Aldi) they are excellent value and there is no waste. We eat them like sweets while they are still frozen, obviously you can cook them up to make a compote too.

Frozen spinach/peas also really good and last ages.

I tend to go for the cheaper veg e.g. at the moment Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, broccoli - luckily we like all those.

Two of us. We buy and eat a lot of fruit and veg but mainly (not not always) stick to seasonal veg or tinned/frozen.

so this week i bought:

6 satumas
12 apples
bag of cherry tomatoes
head of broccoli
pack of tenderstem broccoli
lettuce
cucumber
celery
green beans
sugar snap peas
two peppers
spring onions
2 brown onions
head of garlic
frozen peas
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tin of chickpeas
jar of olives
2 courgettes
1 aubergine
small bag of carrots

Tub of Blueberries

Strawberries or raspberries or grapes or bananas (only one & usually rotate weekly)

Satsumas or mandarins if available but usually only those awful easy pealers are available.

1 large onion
1 bulb of garlic
2 peppers
Mushrooms
Sweetcorn/Mangetout
2/3 potatoes

Just looked at last week’s receipt. I bought Onions, 2 courgettes, green beans, whole kale, chillies, salad leaves, tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, 2 avocados, a cabbage, 2 red peppers, 2 bag of frozen peas, an aubergine, leek, potatoes, sugar snap peas, carrots, celery, a packet of beetroot, 6 bananas, bag of clementines.
Got some onions and cabbage left but that’s it.
Family of 3 adults/older kids. I love vegetables but if I buy more fruit it doesn’t get eaten ( until berries come in season)

Most of our shop is fruit and veg. I don't buy any exotic fruit or berries unless frozen or tinned. Lots of apples! And whatever veg is on offer.

Out of season soft fruit is the budget killer. This time of year we pretty much only have apples and oranges.

I think we are really lucky in the UK to have access to cheap fruit and veg - I have relatives in France and a cauliflower costs £5! So I feel your plain.

We are in France for much of the year. We buy fresh organic veg from a farmer in our village - a week's supply costs €15 - €20. Yes cauliflowers are expensive in supermarkets, but it's easier to buy other in season produce or buy locally grown food cheaply. Plus it tastes so much better than a tragic looking strawberry grown out of season and flown thousands of miles so we can buy cheap in the UK.

Per week on average I'd say we get through (and replace)

2 punnets of strawberries
1-2 punnets of either raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or grapes (not all)
6 green apples
6 red apples
Bunch of bananas

Then for veg I'd say weekly:
2-3 peppers
3-4 onions
Broccoli head
1-2 bags of carrots (for both us and the dog)

Frozen stuff which we replace fortnightly or monthly:
Peas
Green beans
Sliced carrots
Leeks

We have a toddler which is where most of the fruit goes.

Punnet of grapes
Bag of tangerines
Bag of apples
Possibly strawberries/a melon/pineapple

3 x cucumber
Lettuce
2 x red pepper

Carrots
Frozen broccoli
Frozen green beans
Frozen peas
Tinned sweetcorn
Maybe a packet of sugar snap/baby corn

DD eats fruit and veg but DS only eats veg. I luckily in that my work provides a weekly fruit basket so I get berries etc in work to go in my yoghurt and granola

Buying pre prepared fruit is also a killer, you can buy a whole pineapple for around £2 in Lidl but if you buy it pre prepared it’s around £3 for what’s probably less than 1/4 of a pineapple, same with melon and mango. Trouble is if I buy the cheaper option it often sits in the fruit bowl until it’s no good because I’m too lazy to chop it up. Dd loves melon and I probably pop into Lidl a couple times a week to buy it pre prepared.

I don’t think vegetable's are expensive, out of season fruit/berries are which is why we grow them (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, black currents) and freeze them to last all year.

Dd will happily eat a whole cucumber a day if I let her 😬

carrots, onions, potatoes, cabbage and cauliflower are very reasonably priced (would cost me more to grow them).

I buy at least 4 punnets of strawberries( can easily do one a day) , 3 of Raspberries, blueberries and grapes. 6 pink apples and 6 green and some easy peelers. Sometimes a melon.
6 peppers, 4 courgettes, large bag of carrots, 2x bag baby corn, 2x bag green beans, tenderstem broccoli, standard brocoli, asparagus. Large bag of potatoes and a cauliflower, 2 bags of salad and one of baby spinach. Vine tomatoes and a cucumber.

I do a fortnightly shop with top ups but usually buy:
6 peppers,
2 aubergines
3-4 courgettes
Bag of onions
Bag of sweet potato
2 x packs of mushroom
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Green beans
Either spinach or Kale
Cherry toms
Cucumber
Melon
Grapes
Strawberries

I usually pick up another pack of tomatoes, more fruit and maybe a bag of salad during the week depending on what we're having.

I’m getting nowhere near the same amount I used to
Are frozen berries as good for you as fresh ones, do you just defrost and eat?

Nutritionally, they are as good, but they tend to go mushy. They're great mixed into porridge, baking or smoothies buy I wouldn't just eat them.

All those buying apples now-aren’t they sort of mushy at this time of year? I only really buy them in Autumn.
I got upset last couple of years when it was so hard to find British apples in the supermarket right in the middle of the season- God knows why they import apples from New Zealand to the UK, which grows the nicest apples!
I’m learning that other people buy tons of fruit which we really don’t.

600 g (3 packets) each of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.

Bunch of bananas.

7 apples

12 easy peelers

kiwis

a couple of avocados

3 bags of salad leaves/rocket

2 packs of tomatoes

spring, brown and red onions

frozen peas

cauliflower

carrots

parsnips

beetroot

cucumber

6 peppers

2 big packs of mushrooms

3 courgettes

Sprouts

mango

water and honey melon

I love fruit and veg.

I also agree with you, I find food in general very, very, VERY cheap in the UK. And there's always offers and specials on stuff. That doesn't exist in my home country.

OP is veg expensive where you live, it’s pretty cheap here and eating more veg than fruit makes getting your five a day more affordable?

@PontiacFirebird - I hate mussy apples. But the last two years we have been able to get really good local apples. They must be in storage also but it says on Google they are picked October, and ready to eat December to March. They are a crunchy slightly tart apple which I like.
They translate to ‘crown prince’ apples if you can find in uk