AIBU to be annoyed at this suggestion that £50 per week for food for 4 is realistic?

[MageQueen]

This article about feeding a family of four on £50 per week has annoyed me a lot. https://www.thetimes.com/money/family-finances/article/we-earn-six-figures-but-feed-our-family-of-four-for-50-a-week-fx8w5t9lw

If you can't see the piece, here's a picture of her shopping list.

I mean, the piece is about how a family on more than 100k might still struggle which is fine, although I'm sure some people would take exception to it, but if they're going to profile a family that are a good example and doing a complicated job of managing, surely pick one whose food bill bears some resemblance to reality? That would feed our family of four for about 3-4 days. Tops.

I get that there's a whole narrative about people who seem to earn well but dont' feel rich. Hell, I'm ONE of those people. But this just feels so ridiculously stupid it has irrationally infuriated me! (And don't even get me started on the weekly cleaner and nanny for a SAHM who is skimping, supposedly, on food....).

The only point made in this article is MC people can't feed their family on £50 a week. But MC influencers can make money out of pretending it's possible.

Poverty cosplay in 2026.🤬

Thanks. I ca easily do 7 meals on £50 - significantly less in fact. But its a constant whinge of mine that I can do the weekly shop for dinner, topped with store cupboard or freezer but its all the rest of the bits that crank up my shopping. Breakfast, lunch and then non food things from cleaning products to tin foil. Which true here too. Its not 7 meals for £50. Its 21 meals.

I'd love to feed DH and myself on £50 a week but unfortunately we like to have three meals a day and this list simply doesn't cut it.

These things annoy me but my big bugbear is this-
(and I really do like Jamie Oliver but) I get so annoyed when chefs say this meal is .89p per person.
Then lists
1 tablespoon of mustard 6p
2 tablespoons of olive oil. 8p
Half an avocado .50p
Etc etc.
Last time I checked I had to buy the whole bottle of olive oil!!

I follow Thi S Mum Cooks on FB. She shares great meal plans and shopping lists, all from m&s. 7 meals for 4 for £35 last week and delicious (IMO). I do actually find m&s well priced for basics, it is the treats and luxuries (Percy pigs!) that it's so easy to throw in your trolley that ruin us. Her meal plans are generally for main meals only, but they are clear that that's what they are.

I don't mind them not pricing up store cupboard ingredients, most of us have a bottle oil and a jar of mustard already, it wouldn't accurately reflect the price of the meal at all to include a whole pot of salt and pepper in every meal.

I had a bit of a giggle to myself that the creator in the article popped in Waitrose for sushi & fancy crisps on the way home from work. It looked like yellow sticker sushi in fairness.