Page 9 | Weekly food shop… AIBU or is it still costing more?

Foodshopthoughts · 2024-10-04T10:07:31+00:00

Can’t get it under £100 for two of us. We shop at one of the cheapest supermarkets. That does include every meal though, and all toiletries etc. I don’t eat meat and DH rarely. Family of 3 but baby won’t be adding to the cost us for a while due to breastfeeding. I thought prices were supposed to be coming down yet it seems to be going up and up?!

Superworm24 · 04/10/2024 16:16

Maybe it's because I'm breastfeeding but there is no way I could live on some of these meal plans. I can eat my way through £10s worth of fruit each week and where is the protein?

Fluufer · 04/10/2024 16:17

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 15:09

@Missmarplesknittingbuddy less smug, more disbelief. 2 adults, 3 children. I don’t even try hard to not spend much. I really don’t get how people are spending so much. I know you’re taking the piss, but thought I’d have a go at pricing anyway….

Literally just made tea just now for later. Tuna pasta. Will make enough for tonight plus lunch for adults tomorrow.
tin of tomatoes 59p
2 cloves garlic 10p
mixed herbs 15p
bay leaves from garden
tbsp olive oil 10p
tom puree 15p
2 tin tuna 2 * 66
pasta 30p

Total £2.71 for 7 meals…

Might go nuts and add some cheese… third of a block is about a £1.

So let’s assume I spend more than that each night. Sometimes will be less for a JP or egg on Toast. Sometimes might have a roast chicken. So let’s assume £6 a night on average, a lot more than the above, it’s still only £36 ( we eat out once a week).

Kids usually have wholemeal bread and eggs for breakfast. Assume 2 loaves at 79p and 6 mixed weight free range eggs (only 99p in Aldi). We are on 2.57 for the week. Husband and I usually have porridge, so let’s assume a whole bag of oats 90p and 2pints milk 1.20.
4.67 for everyone for breakfast.

kids eat at school. We’ve then got 100- 4.67-36 = 59.33 for fruit, lunches, toiletries, cleaning, snacks etc.

I don’t really find it hard to stay under. We aren’t strapped for cash but still wouldn’t want to be spending more than 120. Some of the comments in this thread re spends are eye opening.

Edited

Now imagine you were paying for the 15 extra lunches (or include them in this budget) and add in the cost of the meal out. It's not really that hard to work out why some people spend more.

LoftyEagle · 04/10/2024 16:22

mrsm43s · 04/10/2024 14:38

I shop in Sainsbury's and spend about £100 per week when it's 4 adults at home, and about £50-60 per week when it's just DH and I, and we eat really, really well. This is 3 meals per day each, plus all household and toiletries except toilet rolls (WGAC Subscription), it excludes wine (except for the odd bottle) and it excludes most of the pet food which we bulk buy (but does include pet treats).

There's a skill involved in meal planning, budgeting and scratch cooking, but sadly many people are just too rushed off their feet and don't have the time to invest in proper planning.

Breakfasts we have cereal (own brand fruit and fibre) or porridge (from oats) or egg, or toast.

Lunches are leftovers or homemade soups or cheese/egg/tomato/mushroom/bbeans etc on toast or omelettes, salad, avo on toast etc in summer.

Meals are a variety of meat meal and veggie meals, all planned and nutritionally well balanced. Cooked leftovers (in the dish, not plate scraps which are binned) are saved for another meal, leftover ingredients are used to make soups or frozen as appropriate. We waste nothing!

Fruit and veg is in season and basics - oranges/apples/bananas are a good price all year round - berries/plums/peaches etc get added only when in season. Ditto with veg, I'll meal plan around seasonal veg, but frozen peas/broccoli/carrots are a decent price year round.

I'm also fortunate enough that I have plenty of funds available to buy in bulk if something is on a fantastic deal, which works out cheaper overall.

We buy own brand and basic unprocessed ingredients where possible.

Toiletries and household items tend to be unbranded and bought in the bigger value sizes (although I check the per KG price as bigger isn't always cheaper).

Drinks are dilute squash, water, tea or filter coffee.

Hmm night have to give Sainsbury’s a go. 2 parents, 2 adult kids here and we spend £170/week. And the fridge is bare on the 7th day. We are dealing with Surrey prices though

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 16:32

Fluufer · 04/10/2024 16:17

Now imagine you were paying for the 15 extra lunches (or include them in this budget) and add in the cost of the meal out. It's not really that hard to work out why some people spend more.

Show quote history

Most of the people on here are not paying for kids lunches in their weekly shop. My comment was against the woman that was paying 250-300 for her shop.
my original post stated I pay 100, without kids lunches and 1 meal out. I’m not ignorant of that 😂
kids lunches would cost 12/15 for the week.
People can spend whatever they like. But when similar sized families are spending 250- 400 a week on food that is a lifestyle choice, not something to complain about.

PayYourselfFirst · 04/10/2024 16:33

Some of these meals sound very basic
That tuna pasta recipe is just tomato sauce with pasta and tuna stirred in 🤮

Mine is much nicer with mushrooms,green beans, cream, tarragon, decent tuna, cream cheese and whole peppercorns, wholewheat pasta topped with cheese and breadcrumbs

I could cut my costs in half but it wouldn't be as nutritious or nice.
I don't waste food or money, we have stopped buying fresh berries and peaches as they aren't nice out of season so frozen big bags or citrus, pears, grapes and plums

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 16:38

PayYourselfFirst · 04/10/2024 16:33

Some of these meals sound very basic
That tuna pasta recipe is just tomato sauce with pasta and tuna stirred in 🤮

Mine is much nicer with mushrooms,green beans, cream, tarragon, decent tuna, cream cheese and whole peppercorns, wholewheat pasta topped with cheese and breadcrumbs

I could cut my costs in half but it wouldn't be as nutritious or nice.
I don't waste food or money, we have stopped buying fresh berries and peaches as they aren't nice out of season so frozen big bags or citrus, pears, grapes and plums

Yeah, it is a very basic recipe to feed the kids ready steady cook style before we head out to the dentists. I forgot to mention the onion I put in, but I’m not sure that would help your much more advanced palette 😂. I wasn’t planning on writing a recipe book or going on Saturday morning kitchen😂

Comedycook · 04/10/2024 16:44

I'm at £250 a week or maybe more but dh WFH all week and both DC have packed lunches...so that covers pretty much all meals for everyone

Boomer55 · 04/10/2024 16:47

Ariela · 04/10/2024 13:15

You haven't seen the end of it - wait till the chancellor puts the promised 5p back on fuel duty, or worse decides to opt for 10p. Add in VAT that's 12p , add in filling station profit + speculative how high dare we go and the price will creep above £1.50/l.
It's already waay above the price it should be at the pump -= our company fuel card price is about £1.26/l
Then we'll see the supermarkets adding a random further 10% for fuel profit margin on top of current prices.

If Israel do what they say they will, and bomb Iran oil producers, oil prices will rocket- adding costs to home energy, pump prices and shop prices. 🤷‍♀️

Superworm24 · 04/10/2024 16:49

PayYourselfFirst · 04/10/2024 16:33

Some of these meals sound very basic
That tuna pasta recipe is just tomato sauce with pasta and tuna stirred in 🤮

Mine is much nicer with mushrooms,green beans, cream, tarragon, decent tuna, cream cheese and whole peppercorns, wholewheat pasta topped with cheese and breadcrumbs

I could cut my costs in half but it wouldn't be as nutritious or nice.
I don't waste food or money, we have stopped buying fresh berries and peaches as they aren't nice out of season so frozen big bags or citrus, pears, grapes and plums

I completely agree. I've seen a few similar threads on here. Posters come on and acted shocked that someone is spending double or triple what they do, but then it turns out they are eating stock cube broth and splitting a small pack of mince into 50 portions. And I get it, if you are skint and need to live off beans on toast then do it. Been there and done that. But let's not pretend it's a normal meal plan or a nice way to live. I would much rather spend more on decent food and cut back in other areas like eating out.

TheGoddessMinerva · 04/10/2024 16:55

We are a family of 6 (4 older teens). I spend about £200 in the supermarket (mainly Aldi and Lidl with particular products from Sainsbury’s). On top of that, the children have school lunches, and we have milk delivered. that covers everything, including toiletries and cleaning.

We eat a lot of chicken thighs and mince in various dishes, all padded out with lots of veg. We always have a batch of soup freshly made as the children can come in from school and have a big bowl, which stops them snacking as much. They sometimes take it to school in a flask.

I meal plan and shop on a Saturday, and batch cook on a Sunday. Having food pre-prepared
means we’re less likely to want takeaway. We only really use the oven on a Sunday. Using a pressure cooker or slow cooker brings down the price of cooking.

We are lucky to have the cash flow to stock up when things are reduced. Especially meat - either yellow label or at celebration times when joints are cheaper.

RB68 · 04/10/2024 17:01

Yes I find its 100 quid for us and that doesn't include dogfood, washing up liquid, cleaner, wash powder, dishwasher tabs or loo roll. I try to vary what I am buying but every week its the around 100 quid mark. I generally do click and collect and you missout on yellow stickers but also don't have to drag yourself round every week, but also can't shop at aldi or lidl - wings and roundabouts. At the moment my time is worth more

PayYourselfFirst · 04/10/2024 17:06

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 16:38

Yeah, it is a very basic recipe to feed the kids ready steady cook style before we head out to the dentists. I forgot to mention the onion I put in, but I’m not sure that would help your much more advanced palette 😂. I wasn’t planning on writing a recipe book or going on Saturday morning kitchen😂

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Clearly 😂
My point is we could all eat very basically so all the posts aghast at the budgets are disingenuous , it's not like for like.
Personally I would just serve tomato sauce, pasta and parmesan and just leave out the tuna , there's nothing wrong with that.

christmaspudding43 · 04/10/2024 17:10

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 15:09

@Missmarplesknittingbuddy less smug, more disbelief. 2 adults, 3 children. I don’t even try hard to not spend much. I really don’t get how people are spending so much. I know you’re taking the piss, but thought I’d have a go at pricing anyway….

Literally just made tea just now for later. Tuna pasta. Will make enough for tonight plus lunch for adults tomorrow.
tin of tomatoes 59p
2 cloves garlic 10p
mixed herbs 15p
bay leaves from garden
tbsp olive oil 10p
tom puree 15p
2 tin tuna 2 * 66
pasta 30p

Total £2.71 for 7 meals…

Might go nuts and add some cheese… third of a block is about a £1.

So let’s assume I spend more than that each night. Sometimes will be less for a JP or egg on Toast. Sometimes might have a roast chicken. So let’s assume £6 a night on average, a lot more than the above, it’s still only £36 ( we eat out once a week).

Kids usually have wholemeal bread and eggs for breakfast. Assume 2 loaves at 79p and 6 mixed weight free range eggs (only 99p in Aldi). We are on 2.57 for the week. Husband and I usually have porridge, so let’s assume a whole bag of oats 90p and 2pints milk 1.20.
4.67 for everyone for breakfast.

kids eat at school. We’ve then got 100- 4.67-36 = 59.33 for fruit, lunches, toiletries, cleaning, snacks etc.

I don’t really find it hard to stay under. We aren’t strapped for cash but still wouldn’t want to be spending more than 120. Some of the comments in this thread re spends are eye opening.

Edited

But either the kids have plain toast most days for breakfast and eggs once (a box of 6 a week and you have 3 kids) or you actually buy more eggs than that. Either way is fine, but it does feel like another example of what people say they're buying/spending not being what they actually eat and spend.

There was a poster on MSE years ago who costed out a 'healthy' meal plan, i.e. including 5 portions of fruit and veg a day etc, it would be interesting to see how the costs of that have risen. Though even there, I'm pretty sure she was including fruit juice as a portion and I'm not sure how that stacks up from a nutrition perspective. A diet with adequate protein, carbs, good fats, fibre, from a variety of quality sources isn't cheap and plenty of people have no option but to disregard some of those factors I know, but it might be there are two parallel conversations going here about weekly costs and how low it can be.

Lifeofthepartay · 04/10/2024 17:15

Meadowfinch · 04/10/2024 11:56

I shop for me and DS(16 & hollow legged).

It has cost about £55 a week for the last year, which seems to be holding steady. That covers everything except his school lunches. A typical week would include

Two large loaves decent wholemeal
Two pints milk, eggs, butter, creme fraiche
Breaded cod, chicken breasts, pork chops, good quality butcher-made sausages, frozen seafood, beef mince etc.
All the normal pasta, couscous, rice etc herbs & spices
30% spent on fruit & veg
Ds' endless snacks
Basic toiletries

I don't buy brands or alcohol, cook from scratch, bake occasionally. Shop across Tesco, Waitrose and our local butcher. Strictly no top up shops.

Edited

That's nearly £30 in just the meat/sea food items so numbers don't really match if you are saying you spend 30% in fruit and veg that'd be around £17, surely you don't spend only £8 in all other groceries?

outforawalkbiatch · 04/10/2024 17:16

It's also what you want to eat too
I mean I could feed myself cheaper probably on ready meals and porridge but I don't want to eat that for life and my wage isn't changing!

So I try and fit in the stuff I actually want to eat like berries, avocado, meat etc within my budget. 90% cooked from scratch apart from frozen steam veg, oven chips and chicken dippers

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 17:31

christmaspudding43 · 04/10/2024 17:10

But either the kids have plain toast most days for breakfast and eggs once (a box of 6 a week and you have 3 kids) or you actually buy more eggs than that. Either way is fine, but it does feel like another example of what people say they're buying/spending not being what they actually eat and spend.

There was a poster on MSE years ago who costed out a 'healthy' meal plan, i.e. including 5 portions of fruit and veg a day etc, it would be interesting to see how the costs of that have risen. Though even there, I'm pretty sure she was including fruit juice as a portion and I'm not sure how that stacks up from a nutrition perspective. A diet with adequate protein, carbs, good fats, fibre, from a variety of quality sources isn't cheap and plenty of people have no option but to disregard some of those factors I know, but it might be there are two parallel conversations going here about weekly costs and how low it can be.

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A poached egg and two slices of wholemeal for each child is exactly what they have been a ten every day this week.

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 17:33

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 17:31

A poached egg and two slices of wholemeal for each child is exactly what they have been a ten every day this week.

Show quote history

So 3 kids, 7 days a week, 21 eggs. Your post implied one box of 6 eggs.

Phonicshaskilledmeoff · 04/10/2024 17:35

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 17:33

So 3 kids, 7 days a week, 21 eggs. Your post implied one box of 6 eggs.

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Yes it did 😂 Apols - recovering from dental work- feeling very sorry for myself and apparently lost basic comprehension skills!!!

MissMarplesNiece · 04/10/2024 17:55

@Lentilweaver I love chickpeas too. Another thing DH and I make with them, besides curries and homemade falafel etc, is chickpea loaf: Tin of chickpeas mashed up and mixed with onion, mushroom, grated carrot, any other veg you fancy (some chopped up red pepper this week) and favourite herbs. Bind together with an egg (or vegan alternative) and baked in the oven until set. We serve it with gravy, some mash and green veg like cabbage.

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 17:57

I think it’s actually pretty harmful to say ‘it’s easy to feed a family on a really small budget, you just need to try harder’… it’s why the Tories managed to get away with their ‘people just need to learn to cook properly and stop being lazy’ rhetoric for so long. To feed a family adequately and nutritiously isn’t cheap, and the focus should be on ensuring families have enough money to be able to do so, not on telling people that it’s easy to eat cheap if they just eat beans on toast a few nights a week.

LadyInDecline · 04/10/2024 18:01

I track all my grocery spending......booze, food, all toiletries and cleaning.

Family of 2 adults who WFH and two older teens in college who take packed lunch every day.

My spending this year averages out at £95 per week.

I batch cook, buy things when on offer, use what is in season and don't waste anything!

Lentilweaver · 04/10/2024 18:03

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 17:57

I think it’s actually pretty harmful to say ‘it’s easy to feed a family on a really small budget, you just need to try harder’… it’s why the Tories managed to get away with their ‘people just need to learn to cook properly and stop being lazy’ rhetoric for so long. To feed a family adequately and nutritiously isn’t cheap, and the focus should be on ensuring families have enough money to be able to do so, not on telling people that it’s easy to eat cheap if they just eat beans on toast a few nights a week.

that's true as well. DH and I WFH a few days a week. Much harder for those who don't and with small DC.

Comedycook · 04/10/2024 18:04

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 17:57

I think it’s actually pretty harmful to say ‘it’s easy to feed a family on a really small budget, you just need to try harder’… it’s why the Tories managed to get away with their ‘people just need to learn to cook properly and stop being lazy’ rhetoric for so long. To feed a family adequately and nutritiously isn’t cheap, and the focus should be on ensuring families have enough money to be able to do so, not on telling people that it’s easy to eat cheap if they just eat beans on toast a few nights a week.

Agree....I can't stand all those I feed my family for a week on £20 articles....

LongLiveTheLego · 04/10/2024 18:04

WiserOlderElf · 04/10/2024 15:53

I spend more than you do for 5 people. No convenience food at all, but I do try and go for the highest welfare and quality meat possible, so farm shop/butchers etc which is expensive. I don’t scrimp on food because 1) I don’t have to and 2) what I put into mine and my children’s’ bodies is important to me.

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its important to me to so we don't eat meat.

Nearlyadoctor · 04/10/2024 18:06

anonhop · 04/10/2024 15:58

@AnonymousBleep sure, we eat pretty boring stuff but generally the bulk of the list is something like this (although we often go to parents for dinner one night):

Breakfasts & lunches:
2x packs own brand crumpets = £1
Butter or jam (whatever we're out of) = £2
Loaf of sourdough bread = £2
4 tins of soup @ 60p each = £2.40
Chicken tikka sandwich bits = £1.50
Cheese = £3
Couple of tins of beans = £2
Tub of Greek yoghurt = £1
Pack of berries = £2
Milk = £1.20
Porridge oats (every other week average) = 50p
Coffee / tea / sugar whatever we're out of = £2

Dinners:
500g pack of mince (does 2 nights) = £3
Pack of chicken breasts or thighs = £3
Chorizo sausage = £2
Salmon fillets = £4.50
2 Ready meals = £4
Big bag of rice or cheap pasta = 70p
Big bag of large potatoes = £2
Carrots = £1
Frozen peas = £1.50
~2 other kinds of veggies = £3
Chopped tomatoes, stock, sauces whatever we're out of = £3
Lentils = £1
Herbs & spices we're out of = £2
Pre-made desserts = £2
Ice cream = £2

That comes to about £55. Then there's always the odd specific ingredient and one or two toiletries / cleaning products I need. If we buy wine it's usually a £7ish bottle. Usually total comes to around £70ish total. Admittedly I do go for the cheapest brands for a lot of things.

Considering you have porridge, tea, coffee etc £1.20 a week seems very low for milk 2 pints a week.