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?

We buy loads of veg and salad but not much fruit as no one has a sweet tooth in the house.

I try to buy mainly things that are in season due to cost, but also taste is better

over autumn/winter I get through 1 or 2 of persimmon per week +/- apples/pears. in berry season, i buy few boxes of strawberries /raspberries a week +/-1 box of mangoes (from asian shops) per week. I try to have 1 - 2 fruits per day during winter, ends up being more in summer.

veg - usually order 1 pack of leafy green - kale, chard or pak choi in winter. romaine lettuce, watercress or rocket in summer. then a pack of mushrooms almost every week, half kilo carrots every other week. then maybe two other veg depending on what I am making. I always have frozen peas or sweetcorn in the fridge.

I get

Broccoli
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Mushrooms
Avocado
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cucumber
Raspberries or strawberries (alternate)
Bannana
Melon or pineapple (alternate)
Blueberries or blackberries (as an extra depending on budget)

Frozen peas
Frozen sweetcorn

I use to get more or different veg, but i have to go for the staples now as it is cheaper. Can't get the persimmons, mango, cherries or more expensive veg. I use to get kale but cutbacks. :(

I sometimes get chives, spring onions, fresh basil or leeks but thats recipe dependent.

I do get frozen bags as a back up as its cheaper. Everything i cook incorporates veg so its annoying.

In spring/summer i grow my own tomatoes, and salad bits so save a bit there.

Apples
Bananas x 2 bunches
Pears 800g
Clementines 700g
Red grapes x 2 bunches
Oranges
Lemons
Chestnut mushrooms
Shallots
Cucumbers x 3
Lambs lettuce
Curly kale
Romano pepper
Butternut squash
Cauliflower
Tomatoes
True spinach
Kiwis
Mixed salad x 2
Lettuce x 2
Onions
Potatoes
Celery

Riverford are surprisingly good value IME.

Frozen veg is very good and can work out cheaper + avoiding things that are out of season.

I buy the wonky veg.... usually carrots, parsnips and potato. These go in the air fryer for roasties or baked potatoes. Also keep a big bag of bean sprouts and peppers in the freezer for stir fry or pasta sauce. I buy tins of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and freeze the other half for another day. Stir fry is a really quick and tasty meal. Also gets extra veggies into my teenage sons Lol

I tend to buy frozen veg as I’m not a massive fan of veg anyway

weekly I tend to buy a big bag of apples a bag of satsumas, a punnet of raspberries for overnight oats and sometimes will get other fruits.

I buy salad every week - lettuce, carrots, cucumber, celery, spring onions, cherry tomatoes

I usually also buy onions, peppers and fresh herbs such as coriander weekly

we seem to be spending £80-£90 a week on food shopping

We spend £100 a week for two adults and a 4 year old and two year old at Sainsburys. We buy: easy peelers, a whole melon, 6 pink apples, 6/7 pears, huge punnet of blueberries, large bunch of bananas. Mini packets of raisins. Kids have at least 3-4 portions of fruit a day. Adults have 1 fruit portion mainly because we prefer veg.

Veg wise we buy: parsnips, potatoes, carrots, sprouts, cabbage, onions, spinach, cucumber, peppers. We just buy the cheapest option and keep in the fridge. Any old bit of veg is used in stews/soups.
And we have frozen peas and sweet corn which we top up as and when needed. Tinned chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, mixed beans which we buy when stock is dwindling. So not weekly.

This week I bought raspberries, blueberries, grapes, satsumas, apples, bananas, cherries, kiwis. Leeks, aubergine, courgettes, spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, olives, beetroot, corn on the cob. For myself and my teen and pre-teen.

I haven't cut back on fruit and veg as I think it is so important to get a wide variety. Some of what I buy is frozen and a lot is on some kind of deal. We don't eat much meat and I've cut right back on buying unhealthy snacks and drinks. I spend about £100 per week now.

I also bought 4 ripen at home avocado. I had no idea we had a lot more than most people seem to.

This week bought 6 bananas, 5 plums, 4 pears, 300g raspberries, large pack of cherries, 4 kiwis, 2 lemons, 2 tins of peaches, 2 cucumbers, I head of broccoli, 1kg carrots, 1kg onions, bag of frozen peas, 3 peppers, jar of olives.

This is a usual amount for me and 2 dc.

And 500g grapes

Just me and DS who is five. In a typical food shop I get:

Pack of lemons
Pack of apples
Pack of pears
Two avocados
Punnet of raspberries
Punnet of blueberries
Punnet of grapes
A mango
Bananas
Broccoli
Spinach
Mushrooms

I have frozen veg in the freezer, like peas and sweet corn. Fruit is so expensive.

2 adults and one 8yr old.

Potatoes
Sweet potato
2 Aubergine
2 courgettes
2 red peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
I x fresh herbs and freeze (have a stash in the freezer and top up)
3 × tinned chick peas / beans
2 x pasata
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Gem lettuce
Frozen peas
Frozen spinach

Throw in an avocado if I'm feeling flush.

We used to buy blueberries / raspberries when Ds was younger but they're so expensive and we grow both in the summer. Also grow all our own salad from May to September as its so cheap and easy, and relatively expensive for what it is.

We're vegetarian and courgettes, aubergines and peppers go in most things in various forms. I make a veg soup with left overs once a week and usually have some in the freezer.

Veg is easily the most expensive part of our food budget.

how do you spend £200 a WEEK on food? How do you spend £100 a week on fruit and veg??

Like seriously, how much fruit and veg are you getting for £14 a day?

Live alone.

Weekly buy one form of greens
2 types of fruit - say bag of apples and oranges. In summer buy seasonal fruit. Strawberries, cherries, raspberries but not out of season.
Onions
Lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
cucumber
Red pepper
And various veg for soup most weeks.
fresh herbs some weeks.

Fresh-Bananas, oranges, grapes. Onions, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, brocoli, spinach, leeks, red pepper, salad tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, aubergine, squash, mushrooms. Frozen- peas, mixed berries. Tinned- sweet corn, olives, 3 types of bean, tomatoes, lentils.
But apart from a bag of oats, rice, pasta, 2 loaves of bread and a carton of almond milk, that's ALL I've bought for my shop. The best way to afford the fruit and veg you want is to buy it instead of meat and fish.

A typical week for us - 3 adults, 1 teenager:

Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Apples
Bananas
Satsumas
Some other fruit - whatever is on offer
Lettuce - iceberg for sandwiches plus salad bags
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Peppers x 3
Avocados x 2
Green veg e.g broccoli, green beans

We always have frozen peas and tinned sweetcorn in, and other veg will depend on meals, e.g bean sprouts and pak Choi for stir fry, parsnips for a roast.
We also have frozen blueberries and raspberries for smoothies and to stir into porridge.

We only really buy berries and more exotic fruit as a treat, but I don't think we've especially cut down. I do remember a time when the dc were little (and we were skint) when we couldn't afford avocado even though the dc loved it. Grateful not to be in that position now although I know many people are.

Me, DH and DD4 for all breakfast, dinners and all lunches (except 5 if mine as they're free at work)
So
21 breakfast
16 lunches
21 dinners.

Weekly we usually buy
6 apples,
6 bananas
Bag of cheapest "easy peelers"
1 small punnet of blueberries Or 1small punnet of raspberries.
1 head broccoli.
500g carrots
3 peppers
3 onions
1 cucumber
1 x sweet potato

Monthly or so: frozen veggies
Peas, sweetcorn, green beans, spinach

Also a bag of potatoes that stays in fridge and lasts us a fair while.

Occasionally buy
Cauliflower
Aubergine
Avocado
Pineapple
Watermelon

I've saved money by buying frozen berries - I can't believe I used to buy them fresh tbh, the price difference is huge and since I microwave them with cinnamon and dump them on porridge it makes no difference.

I now buy a lot of frozen and tinned fruit. I’m careful what the tinned fruit liquids are ie fruit juice or syrups.

I put each opened tin in a different small tub, some frozen fruit to defrost in another. Then each evening as I cook I make up a bowl of fruits for each of us.
I’ll often add some fresh grapes, a satsuma etc or other fresh fruits that I have.

I got fed up of chucking pears and apples etc a long time ago but the price of fruit has made me do this. Not sure if it’s cheaper but I definitely don’t throw fruit away anymore.

I’ve always bought lots of frozen veg but that’s more because I like at least three plus veg with my meal (I prefer not to eat potatoes) and I can’t be bothered with heaps of veg prep. Mid week I check what veg is in the fridge, I menu plan a fair bit meat wise but generally buy random veggies, then if there’s stuff I don’t think I will use I freeze it. Peppers, cabbage, bits of onions, spring onions get chopped and frozen into bags of stir fry veg. If there’s lettuce in the fridge not to be used or a bit past it I chuck it in at the end of stir frying veggies for a Chinese.

celeriac and parsnips I peel within a couple of days of purchasing and chop up into roastie size chunks and freeze, all ready to be thrown in the pot to par boil.
same with a swede, I cook and mash and freeze in useful size portions to microwave when needed.

Fruit you have to buy seasonal, Tesco do bags of 6 apples or 6 pears for 89p which isn't bad although more than they used to be, 600g net of easy peelers is 60p standard price this time of year.

M&S yellow sticker time can be amazing. Last week I got 750g blueberries for 80p, 4 big juicy nectarines 45p , a punnet of cherries 70p and all lasted best part of a week. I also sometimes buy reduced apples and pears Tesco had the aforementioned apples and pear packs yellow stickered for 40p a pack I bought ten peeled and chopped it all stewed it with cinnamon (no sugar) and froze into ice cubes, it's lovely on porridge.

Also shop the offers, I got a melon a few weeks ago 1.20 but sliced up it was a lot of melon for the price.

I have found growing blueberries and strawberries in the summer really easy but I live in the south and they just grow in pots in the garden. Always people on Facebook or next door selling seedlings for next to nothing

Root veg is reasonable this time of year too

Last year I planted runner beans and courgettes in a flower bed which cost about £6 in seeds and kept us in two green veggies all summer. My friend grows cucumbers in her sunny porch.

This week

Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Beetroot
Swiss chard
Mixed salad

Mushrooms

Avocado
Bananas
Grapefruit

We also have tinned pineapple, and blueberries in the freezer

I buy lots of fruit and veg and feel unwell quite quickly without it.

ideas for making it cheaper:

• Pome and citrus fruits are cheaper than tropical fruits and just as good for you
• veg is cheaper than fruit so buy more. It’s also better for you than lots of fruit (no sugar)
• look for supermarket value ranges
• Cheap but very nutritious veg are cabbage, tomatoes, beetroot, onions, spring greens, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, sprouts etc.
• Aldi and Lidl are good for cheap fruit and veg.
• Near me the local market in our town centre is also cheaper than the supermarket
• frozen veg is very nutritious - I like peas and spinach best. Tinned parents food too though I haven’t tried it much
• have a look at Oddbox, a delivery box for ‘ugly’ veg that supermarkets won’t sell

Family of 4
DH tends to shop rather than me as he likes shopping (weirdo) whereas I prefer doorstep delivery. We buy the same stuff though.

Bag of onions
2 garlic bulbs
Bag of potatoes
Red cabbage
White cabbage
Celery
Bag of kale
Broccoli (sometimes fresh, sometimes frozen)
Bag of carrots
Mixed peppers
Frozen peas
Frozen green beans
Frozen sweetcorn
Salad stuff in the summer
Bananas
Apples
Grapes
Strawberries/blueberries/kiwi fruit (sometimes)
Tinned pineapple chunks in juice