Is this living hand to mouth and unsustainable?

[honourthethreat]

I've pasted actual 4 weeks' food shopping below, purchased for 2 people in March; teenager and adult. Budget is £70 per week but I've been advised this is unreasonable, their cupboards are bare, they are living hand to mouth, cannot stay within budget and do not have enough to eat.

Note: There is no alcohol purchased and cleaning products have a different budget so this is for food only. I'd like your opinions please whilst I consider if an increase to budget is justified. Thanks in advance.

06 03 - £89 incl. takeaway
Protein: Chicken thighs, bacon, minced beef, smoked salmon, chicken tikka, cooked chicken slices, sushi, pizza & dip, x2Fridge raiders, x2 beef pasties, x2 chicken bake, x2 tikka slice, doner kebab & chips takeaway.
Dairy: 6L milk, x2 butter, cheese, mayonnaise, x12 fromage frais, milkshake.
Carbs: x2 large loaves, garlic bread, wraps, rocky biscuits, choc biscuits, Jaffa cakes, x12 crisps.
Fruit/veg: Onions, potatoes, coriander, stir-fry mixed veg, peppers, spring onions, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, coleslaw, apples, avocado, clementines, apple juice.
Other: Stir-fry sauce, mineral water, Large L’or coffee.

13.03 - £75
Protein: x2 pizza, fish fillets, beef mince, 1kg chicken breast, cooked chicken slices, x2 chicken bake.
Dairy: 8L milk, cheese, oat milk, yoghurt, soured cream.
Carbs: Large loaf, garlic bread, cereal bars, x 2 cheese pasties, x2 pasta types, rice, pasta sauce, tortilla wraps, x6 crisps, Jammie dodgers, lettuce, peppers.
Fruit/ veg: Mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, coleslaw, spring onions, broccoli, cauliflower,1kg carrots, cucumber, apples, bananas, grapes, tropical juice.
Other: Volvic water, hot chocolate, Large L’or coffee, 2L Pepsi, X4 Mars bars.

20.03 - £79
Protein: x4 burgers, diced steak, beef mince, medium chicken, salmon fillets, 1kg chicken legs, 1kg chicken thighs, smoked salmon, cooked sliced chicken, x2 tikka slices.
Carbs: x12 crisps, spaghetti, x2 cheese/onion slices.
Dairy: 4L milk, large tub butter, eggs, x6 yoghurts.
Fruit/veg: Plum tomatoes, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, stir fry meal deal, clementines, bananas, grapes, apple juice.
Other: x2 large coffee, vegetable oil, BBQ sauce, x4 Twix, x9 toffee crisp, x5 peanut butter cups, 2L mineral water.

27.03 - £71
Protein: Chicken kebabs, x2 pizza, beef meatballs, chicken breasts, salmon fillets, beef mince, x2 packs cooked sliced meat, medium chicken.
Carbs: Yorkshire puds, biscuits, Naan, garlic bread, flatbread, fries, noodles, rice sachets, x3 biscuits, cereal, x6 crisps, Lge loaf.
Dairy: 6L milk, cheese, yogurt.
Fruit/veg: Veg medley, chopped tomatoes, coleslaw, peppers, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, mushroom, onions, carrots, potatoes, kidney beans, bananas, apples, clementines, grapes, cherries, tropical fruit juice.
Other: Chocolate, 2L mineral water, Large L’or coffee, Bolognese sauce, pasta sauce, curry sauce, stir fry sauce, squash, salad cream, ketchup.

Prices have gone up a lot since March.

But I don't understand why you can't just pay them a better wage and not control what food budget they have. You're an employer so it's not a residential placement of vulnerable adults.

I thought the veg and fruit was ample, just heavy on the protein - and milk!

I think then you need to consider that they’ve recognised there’s a potential shortfall and approached you about it which is positive and shows they can ask for help where needed. Could they identify how much extras they need and explain what they might spend it on ?
Teenagers do eat a massive amount - are weights within normal range and no obesity - if they are eating this amount and need more and are healthy then I think you should consider it as if there’s assessments taking place during the residential stay it’s actually positive that 1) the teenager is being fed 2) they have approached you about the issue.

Are they managing the budgets appropriately in other areas ? If so then I would consider increasing the food budget

Oh, is this an au pair?

It’s a bit cryptic isn’t it !!!

Can't be an au pair because it's for two people - and the op isn't one of the two she said.

It's really odd

They earn £30k/year, that isn’t the problem - they don’t spend their salary to eat at work. I could be an employer of vulnerable adults though, I don’t understand why you think I couldn’t? I know many who are.
This thread is only about managing a food budget though.

I would say they need help learning how to meal plan, batch cook and prioritise what they want/need more, no one needs bottled water in the UK if you have a running tap.
Buying take away is not living hand to mouth, that's actually really outrageous to me.

You could be - but are you?

If you're an employer of vulnerable adults I'm the Queen of Sheba.

There aren't many vulnerable adults that are teenagers. For a start.

Second. The op would've mentioned it.

Third. The op wanted a conversation in one of her replies about "any room for an uplift" (paraphrase coz I'm on phone) and no employer of vulnerable adults would expect them to talk like that.

I thought this was for a family! That's a ridiculous array of meat & fish for just 2 people. They're having different types of meat every night of the week? Probably cheaper to buy one type in bulk and change up the cooking method. Or just skip a few nights and cook vegetarian. We don't live hand to mouth and don't buy close to that variation of raw meat & fish.

The budget is fine, not generous but fine, but they are buying a lot of cheap food of low to a average quality, including junk and processed food, fillers and ‘treats’.

They aren’t having to stretch the budget with beans on toast, lentils and chickpeas are they, but it would be healthier and more satisfying if they did.

They are making poor choices. Saying they have bare cupboards and live hand to mouth is just offensive.

I think £70 is fine if they have at least one meal a day as part of the job. Even at only £2 for both of them that would equate to an extra £14 a week.

What ever the position very unprofessional for the OP to ask MN the home of the small chicken feeds a family of 10 for a week for their advice.

If you're employing vulnerable adults, isn't there some sort of safeguarding protocols that mean you shouldn't post this sort of personal stuff about them on the internet?

In what world does an employer have in their remit the responsibility of judging their employees shopping choices.
If you want honest answers instead of trying to be proved right, which is obviously your position, Instead of being cryptic about what the actual situation is, rather than not explaining everything.
Context is everything.

Thank you, if it had been approached in that manner it would have been conducive to a professional discussion, as it was I was irritated by the exaggeration to begin with.

It's a bit unfair to expect vulnerable adults to conduct a professional discussion op

Vulnerable adults to the extent that they can't manage their own budget or buy their own food and have to be provided for.

We're not on a strict budget but I do a £50 a week Tesco delivery shop, £10 for Simply Cook box (which helps with meal planning) and maybe £20 in top ups from Lidl. So thats £80 for 2 adults, 2 kids and 1 cat including cleaning products!

I meant to write employer of care of vulnerable adults. My employees are not vulnerable.

So if they're not vulnerable adults (including one teenager) why are you controlling their food?

Of course you did, if you have multiple employees then you should have a procedure in place for this situation and you should both follow this procedure- not ‘get irritated’

One poster accusing me of posting personal stuff and you suggesting I give far more detail!
I don’t have a position insofar that if everyone said it was stingy and impossible to manage, I would accept it but so far no-one has.

Why are you controlling their food? Because you can pay them less if you provide food?