£800 pm on groceries for a family

[popsickle555]

recently had a conversation with my DM (lighthearted) but I explained our weekly shop is now around £200 for a family of 2 adults and two teenage children during summer school holidays. She said she thought me ‘overspending’.

Anyway here’s what we spend:

£150 ish weekly shop (has to be weekly during the holidays as they eat so much)
£50 on top up shops fruit and veg and occasional extras eg wash powder and such things. This also includes cat food (1 cat on cheap food).

this includes lunches for me and DH (wfh) and also packed lunch stuff for DC’s who have been on a drama camp.

AIBU to think it’s actually quite hard to eat reasonably well (I do cook most days and I am buying decent ish ingredients but also plenty of ‘basic’ range options) for less than this sort of price now for 4 full portion people eating 3 meals a day? We hardly ever eat out unless on holiday.

For reference my DM hardly eats a lot now she’s older and when she does it’s really simple and generally quite boring stuff eg omelette, jacket potato etc. My DH and DCs needs more protein than that as are all very active.

I just came away feeling like I’m wasting money but genuinely can’t see how I can do it for much less without really scrimping on ingredients and protein.

You are doing really well as you are doing. Well done.

Pay no attention - she’s massively out of touch with the cost of food/ living and the realities of trying to feed healthy, young, active people (and a cat!) and the costs of running a busy home. I bet your machine is on loads for than hers, for example. That’s much more laundry liquid, isn’t it. More washing up liquid/ dishwasher tablets, more bin liners, more cleaning fluids etc etc.

Ignore the comment. Your households’ needs are incomparible.

We spend a lot too but swapped over to Iceland deliveries. Finding it a lot cheaper.

Texture! Everything starts to look and taste the same. I made a casserole to day and binned it. Sorry Mea Culpa. It smelt bad and tasted bad.

Economy tastes bad. Where are the seasonal, local fresh things?

We spend about 150 per week for two adults! It sounds like your family eats very healthily, you’re doing a great job.

We pay around £80 to £100 occasionally more on our weekly Tesco delivery and probably £50 on a top up at Lidl. That's for 3 adults, one ,me, has a small appetite. The others eat much bigger meals but no snacks.

I'm spending £120 a week, not £200

I spend £100 a week without top ups for two adults and two cats, DH works away all week and I don’t feed him Monday to Friday. We do eat very well though, lots of high quality food, have a chest freezer and house hold freezer full to the brim.

i could spend a hell of a lot less and still eat healthily, but I like to put into the basket whatever I fancy.

Sounds pretty standard!

We are 2 adults, 1 teen and 2 X younger kids. I would say that on average we spend £150 per week in the school hols, including washing powder and fabric conditioner.

I do keep it down my buying chicken thighs instead of breasts etc and lots of own brand/basic range (pasta, rice). I also plan well in advance and reduce the amount of meat I use in, say, a spag bol by bulking it up with extra veg.

But food just is really fucking expensive!

I never have a week the same. I posted up thread some tips.

Download cherrypick app and do a trial. Basic is free but I find it so useful I pay for pro. I think that’s just under 100 for the year but it saved me that in the first week.

Yes it was a real headache to begin with and I just couldn’t crack it. But the app saved me a lot of the legwork and freed up time to then focus on each expensive thing.

It’s linked to Sainsbury’s so that is more expensive. But what’s good about the big stores is you can still buy singles. So buy the number of carrots you need rather than a whole bag in Aldi. If things aren’t cheap in sainsburys; like sauces and crisps. Make a list for those and buy the dupes when you do the Aldi sundries shop.

You can do it! And you will be so impressed.

Yes but that's approximately £40 per person compared to the OPs £50 and if you had one extra person like the OP you'd be spending £160. So very similar to the OPs pricing. Unless you also have a partner at home that you didn't include?

YANBU.

could it be cheaper? Maybe….. (not sure how though with prices like they are, bulk buying meats and freeze the meat If you have a friend with a cosco card get them to get it and pay them only thing i can think of) But like you said you're cooking most days and its not cheap. You’re probably cooking a variety of meals too which is way better for them than the same meal for a week.

BUT teenagers eat you out of house and home especially in the summer holidays. They eat more anyway, coming downstairs like “omg whos in the house!” Looks like a grown man but its just a kid in a dressing gown eating a massive bowl of cereal at 1am in a dimly lit kitchen😅 and when they grow they ask for more “i need steaks to hit my goals” “i need x type of yogurt”.

Especially with the protein needs and costs! Tbh id live on jacket potatoes etc because i cant be bothered to cook if its just me. But kids dont work like that, they need the variety, for nutrition and so they dont get bored and put off, and youre doing that💖

it sounds like you are shopping for your family meeting all their needs nutritionally and taking into account they're growing. Lunch wise, if not doing so already, for you and DH, left overs? And just pack out the dinners a bit. Like id make bolognaise with lentils as well as the meat and it goes further so theres lunch for 2 adults the day after. Lentils can pack out most things if cooking with mince😅

budget wise i think youre probably bang on, you could be spending wayyyy more.

You’re doing fab keeping your families nutritional needs at the forefront front of your mind💖.

£150 a week here, 2 adults (DP is 6ft6 and a regular gym-goer), a 3 year old who eats almost as much as me and a 9 month old who eats 3 meals a day (and literally as much as an average 3 year old 😳).
Big majority of our spend is meat and fresh fruit, the children go through thousands of berries a week!
Can totally see us spending £200+ when DC are teens 😭😅

Yes, berries are expensive aren’t they! DH is on a restrictive diet which involves huge amounts of yoghurt and berries and has found the cheapest way is buying in bulk frozen. Fresh is extortionate. We also go berry picking locally and freeze them but obviously they don’t last long, And the same with apples, in the freezer for crumbles etc.

Casseroles can taste lovely if properly made - they can also be served alongside fresh ingredients.

It sounds reasonable to me. Good quality food costs and you’re all at home/on school hols.
It’s not up to anyone else you know irl what you spend. If that’s your priority then spend it, eat well and enjoy xx

Thank you! Lolz at the ‘who is in my house’ when it’s a teen having cereal!

yes i do cook a good variety and everyone is happy with my cooking so I suppose that’s a good way to think about it.

I’m aware of the stats and I agree how they sit but no one should make statements that it’s all older people.
Now if a statement said demographically older people voted for Brexit then that’s different. But sweeping statements fuel hate and discrimination

Sorry @GleisZwei , I can cook pretty well. And coming from a Nothern heritage, I can do a casserole. That's my point! It's tasty and can be cheap but it starts to taste the same.

There are days when I wish our favourite breakfast was cheaper than greek yogurt, berries and almond butter but I find it fills us up so well and we all enjoy it!

Exactly what I thought!! No way

Ours isn't far off, two adults, toddler, new born twins. It's the 3x children in nappies and 2 x formula which is the killer for us. Luckily our twins like the Lidl formula. Have a friend with twins who has to buy Aptimal at £13 a tub every three days

I spend around 100 and there's just me🙄

The cost of food in France is even higher, so I don’t think Brexit is the culprit.

Sounds normal to me - we spend that for 2 adults, 2 kids and 3 cats.

I was telling my dad this the other day - he’s 79 and lives alone, also eats very little these days. He wasn’t massively shocked although he does recognise that’s its a lot of money.

Change your supermarket !!