Someone who spends £70-£100 per week on food, here is a thread of our Easter shop/ meals

[IncessantNameChanger]

6 people in out family. No pets. Three adults mum, dad 19 year old teen. 3 kids 15, 12 and 8

This could be eye opening as sometimes I do really spend £250 on food and sometimes maybe I'm a bit dillusional!

It's Easter do not a typical week but here goes.

Yesterday we had

Cereal milk, fruit loaf or egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

Lunch was ham cheese and salad sandwiches ( 2 slices of bread, one slice of ham kind of thing
Roast dinner, Cauliflowercheese, Sweetcor, Yorkshire puds, stuffing, cheese cake for afters.

Today is the same but aubergine x3 and chicken 1kg frozen breasts, 2 jars of currey sauce and 6 harn breads with rice.

So far that's come from this list which hasn't been used up. I will add as I use up or buy more. From lidl so far

Snacks 12 from age frais 80p

6 apples 99p

10 mini pears 95p

6 bananas 1.26

Fruit loaf 99p

Milk 4 pints 1.65

Honey nut flakes 95p

Choco shells 95p

Back bacon 10 slices x2 packs 2.80

Bread thick toasties x 3 2.37

Buttery spread 500g 99p

Ham 14 slices 2.49

Cheese extra mature 900g 4.80

Coleslaw 99p

Lettuce 99p

Plum baby tomatoes 325g 89p

Extra large chicken 4.99

Potatoes 2.5kg 1.25

Cauliflower cheese 1.79

Stuffing 46p

Sweetcorn 1.49

Yorkshire puddings 50p

Cheese cake x2 1.89

2 aubergines - 1.30

1kg frozen chicken breast 3.99

Rice 1kg 1.75

2 korma sauce jars 1.40

Pashwari 6 mini narns 95p
Total £31.79

i freeze fresh basil/coriander

i buy frozen fruit
used to buy frozen sausages too
i buy frozen filets of fish

@IncessantNameChanger I’ve not read all the comments yet but I just wanted to say that we get frozen mince and onion from ASDA essentials range, it’s £3.45 for 650g. We use half the mince with a tin of lentils (carrots, more onion and celery) for a family of 5, so the protein portion of the meal costs £2.28. You’d get two meals for less than the price of one of yours.

You could also batch cook the mince and lentils to save money on energy (we use a large slow cooker)

Beef and lamb roasting joints are half price at Tesco if anyone has the cash to take advantage of the offer. I've bought lamb for the weekend and two one kilo beef joints for the freezer. £6.50 a kilo is the same price as mince!

Right I succeeded! I have got roast lamb today! One school trip paid off so being careful has paid off literally. Good shout about the beef and lamb I might stock the freezer if it's still on tomorrow.

Day five

Breakfast
Weet biscuits 1.89

Lunch
Lild beans x4 1.70
Bought more apple 95p
Bananas 92p

Dinner
Straight to wok noodles 85p
Stir fry sauce sachets x2 1.05
2 bags frozen mixed veg 1.44
Beansprouts 70p
Left over roast chicken ( frozen)
Total 8.65
Running total 51.96

Day 6
Breakfast as before
Lunch beans as before
Dinner
Mash with existing veg and potatoes
Sausages 1.60
Carrots 40p
Total £2
Running total £53.96

Day 7
Breakfast as before
Lunch eggy bread and salad
Dinner lentils and carrot sheppards pie, salad
Milk 1.75
Eggs 1.40
Lettuce 99
Cherry Tom's 89
Salad dressing 1.00
Red lentils 1.40
Tin of green lentils 58
Potatoes 1.59
Total 7.60
Running total for 7 days 61.56
One school trip paid off

That really is basic food at those prices. Nor great. 🙄
Sarnies for breakfast AND lunch and cheap white bread n spread.
That's why people over-eat because there's no nutrition in most cheap food.

I'm impressed tbh at that cost. My main question though is where are the snacks?? My dc seem ravenous when home from school. Also do you usually have puddings (even if fruit/ yoghurt), or is it only occasional treat?

We only budget hard on the weeks we have to @LoisLane66 And none of the kids are overweight. The teens are over 5 8 and weight well under 9 stone so the odd week of budget eating hasn't made them overweight. My 19 year ds old weighs 8 stone so he is actually underweight and eats lots of lentils.

@Imnotdrinkingmerlot I buy lots of the cheaper apples and whatever oranges are the cheapest. I normally buy 12 banners at a time loose. The teens have a wrap which they melt cheese and chorizo into in a frying pan or something like that when they get home or breadstick and hummus. Dd gets one pack of crisp as a school snack. I tend not to buy crisps or chocolate at all as the kids just eat it all immediately.

@IncessantNameChanger

I must apologise for the somewhat harsh comment. I really don't know what prompted that stupidity however, it was really generous of you not to reply in the same manner. You are the better person. Thanks. 💐

Don't worry you wasn't rude at all.

It wasn't posted as an ideal shop for the week, but food is one of the few things there is some wiggle room to cut the budget. Great when something unexpected goes expensively wrong. April was a hard month for me. I think writing it all down showed me we eat too much meat and I eat too much bread.