Help me budget please! I am a failure!

[Banjolais]

I am currently spending £200 a week for a family of four. We are 3 meat eaters/ 1 vegetarian.

We spend about £30 a week on meat or fish. £5 a week on cheese, £5 on bread, £4 on milk, rest on beans, pasta, veg, fruit, cereal, cleaning products, cooking oils.

Biggest expense is £30 a week on wine I imagine.

What should I cut out? Alcohol obvious choice but it is our only hobby currently and drinking 4.5 x £6.50 bottles of cheap supermarket wine.

Does anyone use budgeting software for optimising spending choices?

Thanks!

I have no Aldi but I have now sourced a Lidl within a treasonable trek so will that this weekend and check it out. I am not a brand snob, I avoid excess salt / sugar / E numbers for various health issues across family but beyond that buy anything in a tin.

Thanks for all the support I feel hopeful rather than depressed and overwhelmed now.

It's a bit of a kick when it happens (our financial position changed significantly just before Christmas and we've had to budget tightly for the first time basically ever) but it's quite empowering once you've got a plan. I'm kind of ashamed we used to spend so much more basically out of habit and laziness. Really good luck to you op.

Most of the stuff on your list can be bought for a fraction of the price in Aldi. I now consider any item over a pound to be expensive! I do spent the extra on meat but am about to go veggie so will save even more.

You don't need loads of different cleaning products. I use a vinegar solution on the windows and as a rinse aid. I buy smart price all-purpose cleaner for the floors, bathroom and, on occasion, the kitchen tops(diluted in a spray bottle). I mostly wipe down the counter tops with hot soapy water and a microfibre cloth.
Lidl bleach, washing up liquid and washing powder are all good quality and I prefer to shop there for my food too.