To ask what your food budget is for 1 week if living alone?

[PoisedMentor]

Trying to do £40 a week and it's tough, but I want to save money, pay my debt and also living alone is expensive.

Just interested to hear what others' budgets are.

I don't know why people who don't live alone in the current cost of living situation are responding at all.

Surely it isn’t just a matter of the recipe for individual meals - but knowing how to use basic ingredients to make a variety of things - ideally without really having to think about it?

I don’t really even grasp meal planning - whether cooking for one or for several - I buy what’s in season or what looks good and use those ingredients as the mood takes me.

(Hate to ask if it’s a generational thing? I know schools don’t seem to teach Domestic Science these days.)

I couldn't do £40 unless I was forced to, that isn't much over £5 per day. I spent £20 yesterday on a little top up shop of fresh fruit (and chocolate biscuits 😋😳).

I prefer to plan but only because I batch cook to make ready meals
so if the freezer has say beef stew, cottage pie and soup in, I know I will want to make something pasta based or pork. Fridge has mozzarella, peppers and some tomatoes so I think yep pasta

it depends what you include as “food” costs too, my £60 includes washing up liquid, sponges, bin bags etc but not cat food or washing powder or toilet rolls

Single person living alone. I budget £40-50 a week for food and this has to include meals out/food on the go. If I know I'm going to a 'proper' planned for meal out that's likely to be expensive, eg birthday celebrations, I budget for that separately. Household supplies/toiletries I budget for desperately, usually about £20 a month.
Easiest way for me to do it is take out my food money at the start of the month, have an envelope for each week and spend what I have. I do get free food at work twice a week which helps.

No way would £40 be enough for one person. We spend £800 a month for two of us, so I guess £100 a week if I was single.

Probably around £40 a week on actual food and I eat well on that. Things like washing powder, loo roll etc is extra on top of that. I don't need to save money so I'm not being frugal. That's just what the average amount is.

I batch cook. Bolognaise, chili, curry etc. I even make a big pot of mash and freeze it in individual portions. It's done more from the point of view that I hate cooking! So I have lots of easy meals at hand for nights I can't be bothered.

I usually buy a couple of good cuts of meat each month. Which I then divide into portions. I'll also buy mince and chicken, which aren't so expensive, for my batch cooking.

Any top up then is usually milk, fruit & veg.

Living alone means I eat a lot of stir fries, pasta and omelettes, as well as home made soup and toasties, and I shop and budget accordingly. I do buy things like sausages, fish fingers and frozen vegetables for variety, as well as chicken portions. Having a small air fryer helps.

£40 at most, but l try not to spend that much. I don't eat meat, though, so that helps to keep it down.
That doesn't include things like loo rolls, kitchen roll, loo cleaner, washing liquid, etc, l top those up about once a month or when needed. Usually when l get my pension.

A lot more than you. You’re doing well.

Is there a community fridge near you? It’s obviously a bit random what turns up there but ours is amazing - there’s often a lot of bread and usually some sort of veg. We also have weekly food clubs where you pay eg 5 membership and can take say 15 items - again it’s a bit random as supermarket leftovers, but there’s often useful tins and sometimes some dairy things and meat.

When I lived along pre covid and before cost of living rises I dod it tor £20-£25 a week. £40 will be plenty

For me it was mainly an incentive to stop buying ready meals & to cook more interesting stuff than just pasta.

And also about ditching UPFs.

I couldn't do £40 unless I was forced to, that isn't much over £5 per day

So, it's £5.70 per day.

Breakfast normally costs 50p max.
Lunch, maybe cheese on toast, an omelette or a couple of crumpets and some fruit, about £1.50 max if a more expensive fruit. Probably a £1 if just a banana or apple.
My dinners range from probably the cheapest would be bolognaise, about £1. My most expensive would probably be the nice lamb I buy from Waitrose, comes out at £3.50 per portion, with some kind of potato and veg. So say £4.50 total. So I would say average £2.50 on dinner.
That still leaves around £1 for some kind of snack, though I tend not to snack much.

I find it's plenty, I really don't need to spend more.

Is it really about how much per day though?

Most things you buy will last for more than one day - a bag of oats, rice or pasta for instance will last ages or a tin of beans will cover a couple of meals.

£35 ish a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

However, I put £50 a month aside, to about twice a year go and go a massive freezer stock-up from Iceland or Farmfoods, to fill up my large standing freezer. I get loads of frozen veg, potatoes, meats, fish etc, and that keeps my weekly shop down.

I also try and batch cook when I can. Yesterday for example, my cherry tomato plants are producing loads, so I roasted a ton of them with a bousin cheese, put that sauce with a pasta and baked it. That made 4 portions. One for there and then, and 3 more for the freezer on another night.

I also look in the reduced to clear section, particularly for veg, before buying anything full price. Yesterday I got some lovely looking potato rostis for half the price, which will be lovely with some fried eggs and veg for dinner later.

This is absolutely the case - I fed 4 for 80quid pre-covid, and that normally included something from the middle aisles..

I spend £40-£50 a week OP and never scrimp on ingredients or eat unhealthy.

I tend to intermittent fast for weight loss so only have 2 big meals a day within a 6 hour window (don't need dinner) . Nutrient-dense and healthy.

Breakfast most days is fresh fruit with greek yoghurt and granola with a sprinkle of honey and grated dark chocolate, followed by two boiled eggs. High protein and healthy.
(Total approx £10-£12a week)

For my main mean of the day I will batch cook something delicious in the slow cooker - sausage casserole, clam chowder, chilli, Hungarian goulash, hearty veg stew, chicken and chorizo casserole or something like that. I’ll have it with rice or mashed potato or a small salad. Delicious. I’ll make a huge batch so will last 4 big portions for my main meal throughout the week. Then once eaten, I make another batch of something else again in the slow cooker to last for the following 3 days of portions for the week. Or I might do something like chicken thighs and make a huge Greek or Caprese or Waldorf salad and make three big portions of it.
(Total approx £35-£40)

Of course I do have herbs, seasoning, olive oil and things like that in already.

My slow cooker was the best purchase I’ve ever made!

It’s easy to eat well and healthy on a budget but you have to be ok with eating the same thing for 2 or 3 days.

Around £35 including most toiletries and household bits but not pets.
I use Monzo so they categorize spending into type, it's not completely accurate as I might buy a couple of bits at home bargains when I stock up on cat food for example but it is all my grocery shopping.
I don't do any big shops on top that aren't included either.
I find shopping regularly saves money as it stops me buying things that will go off before using, also being veggie and pretty much teetotal is a big help.

£20

You don't usually need to freeze it if you'll eat it within a week anyway.

Care to share more, @MaryMungoMidgley? Is that by choice or circumstance? Do you grow any of your own food, or eat meals at work, or??

Including all toiletries, cleaning products, alcohol. Shop on public transport so shopping around is difficult and also can’t buy in bulk. Live in an expensive European city.

i generally keep it to €450 per month.

Thank you for your interest 😇🙏🏻
I'm frugal by nature but especially frugal since the pandemic did a bit of a number on my small business!
Im vegetarian and I make everything from scratch using basic cheap ingredients.

Somewhere between £35 and £45 per week.
Breakfasts are usually fruit and yoghurt or porridge and fruit
Lunch is whatever is left over from the night before, or something like a baked potato, homemade coleslaw or soup made with whatever veg is left. Or beans/cheese on toast of I'm at home
I batch cook dinners, only eat meat a couple of time a week, eat a lot of veg plus pulses, chick peas, eggs.
Occasionally need to do a big shop to replace oil, herbs and spices plus cleaning products
It's perfectly doable.