Food budget help.

[WithaPickleOnTop]

I'm obsessed, I spend all my money on food and can't afford to live. Any tips?

Put the cash aside at the begining of the week for your food budget. Only spend that. Takes a bit of disipline, but you'll soon see the results, and its a good challenge to make it last. Make a menu for the week, stick to it and go shopping with a list. you can do the same meals over and again coupe of weeks. Tweek the menu and tweek the list until you get the best binge for your buck. Keep it simple and only buy what you'll eat. No waste.

Go to the supermarket near closing time & grab reduced bargains on meat, fish, bakery products & fruit & veg. I go a few times a month & get plenty to feed my household (currently 4 adults & 2 small DC) for 10%-25% of original prices!

My main problem is buying food on the go. I usually buy things for packed lunches but end up buying lunch out anyway. I can't resist a sandwich shop

Take a lunch, a drink and a sugary snack.

Leave the purse at home.

Yes don't carry cash. Also remember that no sandwich shop will produce a sandwich as fresh as one you make yourself and its half the price if you make it.

Use up the contents of the freezer and cupboards, rather than buying more. Sounds obvious but it's easy to think there's no food in, when there actually is, you just might need to get inventive.

I kept a spending diary for a few months. Having to write down the price of every little thing you buy is really useful as then you can track exactly where your money goes. I also found that I started to spend less as I became more aware of where I was frittering away money.

Food out is such a waste, but I think you know this already!
Leave cash at home.
At the supermarket take a calculator around with you and take you budget in cash and leave your cards at home.

Think leaving cash at home may be the only option that works. has no willpower

...That was meant to be in brackets. Bloody iphone.

yes, you can resist a sandwich shop. You just won't.

so I'm brutal. You said you need help.

Thanks Special, you are so right, but the truth hurts.

Have you made progress op?

I sort of forgot to meal plan for a couple of weeks - just slipped my mind when I sat to do online shop. Couldn't believe how the prices had 'gone up'. About four days worth of shopping seemed to cost £100. This week I sat down properly carefully and did the meal plan, working out what I had in already. I had to really think hard to get it above £40 for a family of four.

I build weekly meals around the 3 for £10 meat deals in supermarkets. Then add some fish, veg and carbs. Enough fruit for one or two portions a day, some nice breakfast stuff and it's possible to spend around £60-£80 a week average on a family of four

Don't waste money on sandwich shops. The profit they make on a couple of bits of flabby bread and some suspect fillings is obscene.
make yourself a really fresh sandwich in the morning. Even using the very best quality fillings it would be hard for it to cost more than £1. My Dc have really nice packed lunches, (chicken breast salad wraps, Innocent smoothies etc) and they are far cheaper than school dinners.