AIBU to think people begrudge weekly food costs but spend more freely elsewhere?

[IlovePhilMitchell]

People will spend money on subscriptions, takeaways, the cost of a weekly shop on a meal out, £10 on a candle but begrudge £80 on the week shop.

Food is one of the most important things to us as humans, it nourishes us and keeps us well. It should be a priority above most things we spend money on, not just an annoying necessity.

We have been lucky in the past with extremely cheap food costs and yes I know things have increased a lot and not in line with wages, but it’s not actually that bad if you don’t buy brands and cook.

I do appreciate a lot of people don’t have have room in their budget for any increases. I think my post is more aimed at those who whinge when they spend freely elsewhere.

t was common for 50% of household budgets to go on food before we got used to cheap food prices

But 50% wasn’t going on housing then…

Tesco collect details on what food you buy, in what quantities and tie that data to postcode. They track which areas buy more or less healthy food. They can tell which households have more disposable income and sell that data to other more expensive brands.
They know what car you drive (from your car insurance, postcode and surname, what pets you have from pet insurance and buying g their food. They know where you travel via their petrol station and the currency you exchange.
They probably know more about me than I do.

Well yes, obviously. But do you thinks that is a “ton of data”? You give them data on what you buy and they use it to make marketing decisions. Hardly the Chinese governement.

I agree, OP. I think part of it is that when we have a Netflix subscription, for example, it just comes out of the allocated bills budget and also comes out automatically, so it’s a bit out of sight, out of mind.

I think it’s also because a Netflix subscription is only £10 per month or whatever (mine is included in Sky, so not actually sure of the exact number), whereas £80 is obviously a lot higher on a weekly basis.

I think what I’ve noticed is, there’s a feeling that because food is something essential, the higher prices are begrudged because it’s not necessarily the price they would choose to pay, but we all need food. Nobody is going to die without Netflix.

I do prioritise food and I’m not a frivolous spender - I don’t get my hair or nails done, rarely drink alcohol and don’t buy tat because I hate clutter and waste, but I’m also very lucky that I’m in a position to be able to buy things like smoked salmon and the Tesco Finest oranges if I fancy them.

I’m also very lucky that I love cooking and know how to, so I can meal plan, and cook economically. A lot of people aren’t able to do that for various reasons, so I see it from both sides.

Those are just my thoughts on the matter, but I could be talking complete bollocks and maybe none of those reasons are true 😂.

I do agree with you, though, and I really wish there was better early education around things like cooking and budgeting, especially with the rise in prices and infiltration of UPFs.

The worrying thing is that she’s not stupid.

But that pack of frozen peas lasts a month or more, the bulb of garlic gets used up, clove by clove. No-one buys a meal, a portion at a time unless you eat out. If that is people's expectation, no wonder they are finding life expensive.
I feed myself and a hollow legged 17yo boy for about £60 a week.
For that I serve a good mix of meat, fish, fruit, veggies and dairy. All home cooked.
Yes, It is getting more expensive. It was £55 a year ago, but it's still £8 per day for the two of us (plus a school lunch).
That's less than an hour's work at minimum wage.

You can’t budget your way out of a COL crisis though, that’s the point. It needs geopolitical/ systemic change. Not working class people judging each other about it

It is bootlicking, you are right.

I don’t know how your costs are so low. My weekly shop for me and two hungry teens is £150, and that’s at Lidl. This isn’t a thread about how I should get my costs down as I think £50 a head for a week is about what you’d expect but I’m genuinely amazed at families who spend less than £100 on a weekly shop.

100% agree. In fact, the % of household expenditure on food has declined over the last few decades.
I agree people seem to resent it, which is weird, given its fundamental!

It's just practice. Buy frozen hake rather than fresh. Buy chicken legs rather then breast. Buy whole duck when it's £7.50 on offer. Roast one day, with pasta & brocolli another. Pork shoulder steaks rather than pork chops. Eat veggie, maybe mushroom risotto, once a week. Meal plan. Make veggie soup with end of week veggies. Don't waste anything.

Bit difficult for the person having to pay over a grand a month for a room in a flat with no garden.

Food costs being low is a key factor in maintaining law and order - even in the riots a few years ago (don't tell me what it was like, I lived right in the middle of it), although some people were going for high value items or burning shit, there were huge numbers of looters taking sacks of rice, beans and oil.

I think we all need a reality check and re-think our attitude to food.

think about the huge variety of food most of us eat - that is a huge privilege. Obviously that is going to have a cost associated with it.

In the UK a lot of people are spending freely elsewhere. The shopping centres are busy, a lot of restaurants are full.

I have friends and family from different incomes and they are spending freely, not every penny or pound is being pinched in the UK.I appreciate that for some people they are not spending freely but not everyone is skint.

Ubereats/ just eat drivers are in every takeaway and driving around city centres.

define privilege in this sense though? Comparable wealth nations also import food. Do you mean privilege in comparison to low
income countries? Famine? What are our expectations here?

Famine? What are our expectations here?

The bar is very low. 😆

In the UK a lot of people are spending freely elsewhere. The shopping centres are busy, a lot of restaurants are full.

@IlovePhilMitchell but is this based on data or feels?

Yep we spend that on the 3 of us ( adult dc)with a veg box and Waitrose shop which includes a bottle of wine and a lot of organic, Ecover products.

We don’t have meat every day which is better for you, cook from scratch and don’t waste anything. Work full time.

I’m happy with that as we don’t have take aways, eat out or have coffees out regularly. Just for treats

Cooking well and cleverly is key. We should all be cutting down on UPFs and fast food.

I can think of one immediately 😁

not suitable for children though!

Yeah 'wasteful coffee' is just 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️.

I wasn't talking about people getting into debt, nor was the mentioned anywhere in the OP. People are allowed to spend money on nice things but still grumble about the increase in the weekly food shop.
What is so baffling about that?

Exactly this

It is though, it’s massively overpriced with waaay to much sugar,often shit and you can make better at home for a fraction of the price.

I was talking about my experience of those in debt and that I had frequently seen the mentality the Op described.
On all the forums the lightbulb moment is when they flip this

Consumer debt stands at £14600 on average , obviously some have zero and some far more.

People can spend what they like, I didnt say it was baffling to spend if they can afford to but ultimately its their responsibility if they cant

There isn’t any sugar in coffee.

you realise people who buy a daily coffeee aren’t all buying an oat milk caramel flavoured frappe? That’s neatly as daft as thinking anyone who buys food only buys chicken nuggets and sausage rolls.

oh, wait…..