How much should weekly shopping cost - 2 adults and a baby

[YellowSun12]

I'm trying to cut back expenses big time, but the place we always go wrong is on the groceries. DH cooks most things from scratch so we should be saving money already, but we're not. He tends to pop to supermarket after work a few nights a week, and that's how it all amounts up. He also likes a glass of wine every night and a whisky when he's in from work. So I want ideas of how much our weekly/monthly shop should cost with a breakdown between food, cleaning and alcohol. Then I'm going to hopefully get DH on side to start cracking this debt!

Best advice would be to meal plan to avoid having to be in the shop every day/night. Drop named brands and use stores own or value ranges.

Sorry, had to go lol alcohol for me is a luxury and would do without for the sake of saving money. In terms of breakdown, I have myself, DP and DS who is 3 and our regular budget would be £100pw for absolutely everything except house and car expenses. While thats manageable for us, Ive taken it down to £50 this week and have to say Ive managed fine with that too.

I think you've really got to look at the alcohol. Check out subtly whether it's really 'a' glass of wine every night and 'a' whisky when he's home from work. It's so, so easy for one glass of wine to stretch to two or three by just 'topping up' - and then having to finish the bottle to avoid it going off. Likewise whisky - just one could really end up being two or more.

And alcohol can be expensive: £7-£10 a bottle for wine and £16+ for whisky. (If he likes good whisky, though, you could be talking big bucks.)

Could you maybe take over the shopping by doing it with him online? That way, you can both see what money is going out.

PS - maybe just be a tad careful about tackling the alcohol issue/cost ?

Well we spend £35-37 a week at Aldi for both if us. Alcohol isn't included in that. That's a personal expense not a family one.

We cook from scratch, I have one night a week of southern fried chicken n chips when I want a night off.

Other than that I shop around, eg I get astonish cleaners because they are cruelty free unlike major brands, made in the UK and work well. They only cost a pound in the pound shop too.

We spend 50-60 a week for a Sainsbury's shop including alcohol and household items.

You chould look at it over a month, so one week do a big shop (first week of the month) with your toilet rools (12 pack) washing powder, teabags, pasta, nappys and anything else that you can buy in baulk. Then the next 3 weeks you should manage between £30/£50 easily.

Gosh my spelling and adding on extra words is atrocious. I am not illiterate.

I spend £100-110 a week for me and 3 dc's age 10,13 and 15...all boys.

£15 is on cat/dog/rabbit food

I online shop at Sainsburys weekly...and I meal plan. I rarely buy alcohol as cant afford it.

On payday at end of the month or a CB day I may pop to Iceland or Aldi and buy treats etc...spending £20-30

I've tried to spend less but I just can't

We spend about £30 a week for 2 adults and 2 children but we eat basics foods and slow cooked very cheap meat

About £70/week for us, almost no alcohol but more prepared food than I'd like, as I'm often too in pain to cook from scratch.

2 adults & a 14 mo DS generally (plus 2 teenagers every other w-e) and I spend £90-100 weekly on-line at Tesco.
That includes a couple of bottles of mid-range red wine and a 4 pack of bottled lager + Pampers nappies and wipes so not a frugal shop. Only meat when the DSC's are here but lots of fresh fish.

It includes household items and nappies, but were the same size family. I have an every other week shop, one shop is very frugal and costs £50, the next weeks shop has a few treats and household essentials and is £80. I've tried but can't get it any less, without a grumpy moody husband. Men!

I buy Sainsburys own brand nappies rather than pampers. Also tend to use cotton wool and warm water for nappy wipes, except when out and about. Only buy wipes when on offer. Would never spend more than a pound for a packet of wipes.

I spend £100 per week for 2 adults, 2 teenagers and 3 children.
I meal plan each week and stick to it.
I check it each night so I know what we're having the next night and I take food out of the freezer to defrost accordingly.
We don't have meat with every meal and when we do I bulk the meal out with the accompaning food.
Apart from essentials if we run out of anything then we go without until I next do a weekly shop on the Friday.
I try and buy supermarket brands but some food I have to have brands like tomato sauce.

Managed to come in under my £50 budget this week, very happy. If I could do that 2 weeks in the month thats an extra £100 into the savings pot

We have a £70 groceries budget for two.adults and a baby. The only things not included in this is toilet roll, cat food and soap powder which I get bulk from Costco once every six.months (total £45 per 6m).

We get six evening meals, toiletries. Nappies and milk, lunch sandwich fillings and a box of cereal, plus bread milk eggs etc.

We have "pocket money" each (same amount each) which wr use for take aways and booze and clothes for ourselves etc

We are in Active Saving Mode at the moment as we need a new kitchen.

£60 ish a week here, 2 adults, 2 toddlers. Shop in Waitrose, one bottle of wine usually

Two adults one toddler. We spend about £45/£50 a week in asda. This includes all food, nappies, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, toothpaste... Everything basically.

Two adults and one toddler. Will be one toddler and a baby on the new year.

I do the weekly shop at Aldi and rarely spend over £30. I don't buy meat or alcohol, so that makes it cheaper. Aldi shop includes fruit/veg, cereals, tinned toms etc, most toiletries (unless I know I can get them cheaper elsewhere), baking supplies, snacks...so most things.

Toddler is in reusable nappies during the day but disposals at night. I usually spend £5 or so every few months on them (Aldi Mamia brand).

I usually have to get a few things at Coop or Sainsbury's during the week that I can't get at Aldi, so probably about £40/week total.

Cat food is £7ish every two weeks.

Oh and I cook pretty much everything from scratch. I don't necessarily meal plan but won't cook something that I know I'll have to make a special mid-week shop trip for.

Our house is 2 adults and 2 rabbits outside. One cat but he is on a special diet so it is bought online every three months or so.

I have been doing all my shopping online from Waitrose for about the last 6 weeks and it is coming to just over £50 per week to get the free delivery so a few pence over.

We do an occasional shop at Aldi to stock up on washing powder, bin bags etc plus beans, pasta, rice and mostly store cupboard things.

Before I seemed to be in and out of the supermarket every other day so I cannot understand myself why the most expensive shop (for me) has turned out to be the best economically. No alcohol though.

Because when you're online, you tend to buy less on impulse. If you need to put something on the list, you go back in and add it - but in the meantime you've often found something that can be taken off. I rarely go into a supermarket without adding a few 'Oh I might be able to use that for the freezer/store cupboard' purchases which I don't really need.

Hence 'Weird November' - this is the month when we eat up all the strange purchases I've made for the freezer or store cupboard. Truly memorable (if not necessarily for the right reasons) meals!

We seem to be eating a lot better too - I do agree that there are no impulse purchases. I never buy any junk food either, no crisps or biscuits, but we do have treats but that comes from personal allowance.

The thing with me is that I find most supermarkets overwhelming, so to just pick it online makes it much easier. I did try Asda online about five times, but every time I was missing a whole load of groceries - I got tired of ringing up and in the end it must have sounded like I was a problem customer. They made about £40 out of me! Never again.