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Cost of living

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Original poster

How much do you spend on this?

83 replies

CrownMe · 14/08/2023 20:37

How much is a reasonable monthly budget for a family of four (two adults and two children under five) for food (including meals at work), household items, and toiletries? Not-so-DH and I don't see eye-to-eye on expenditures. I'm curious to know what you spend on this and the size of your family.

OP posts:
BiPolarBabe · 14/08/2023 22:43

Spelling errors.
Ok that's enough mumsnet for tonight. I give up.

GarlicGrace · 14/08/2023 22:45

Grocery, non-grocery and personal care: £260. It's just me.
I don't have lunches out, and haven't included healthcare because I have huge expenses on that. I average £23 a month on coffees out (with the odd cake).
My figures are accurate: I keep spreadsheets!

GarlicGrace · 14/08/2023 22:50

fancyfrogs · 14/08/2023 22:21

Around £350 a month. Family of 4 (2 adults, 3yo, 7mo). Includes toiletries and cleaning things and both kids in nappies also included. DH often buys lunch at work so that's generally the only extra food.
I meal plan every week before the shop which massively helps.

Bloody hell! I bow to your budgeting supremacy!

cocksstrideintheevening · 14/08/2023 22:54

£800 to £1k all in

Bellabluea · 14/08/2023 22:54

Probably more than 1k a month. Too much. But I have 2 adult dc and two teens plus a menagerie of animals.
I really should budget better.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2023 23:09

The national average for the whole population that is not disproportionately skewed upwards by affluent Mumsnetters who only eat organic protein and high end fruit and vegetables is probably around £5/600 pm, going by Eat Well for Less and adding about 30-50% on for price rises.

But what's important is what you can afford and what shops you have available. You probably could manage on £3/400 pm if you had to, likewise, if you have a high income and can afford a lot more, there's nothing wrong with spending more as long as you're meeting all your other expenses including savings and personal spending money.

What's the exact disagreement and how likely could a mutually agreeable figure be reached, ie if you're in a situation where your DH thinks 'shopping' should cost £50 pw, but he wants steak every night, then that's going to be difficult.

AnnieSnap · 14/08/2023 23:18

I don’t understand how many posters manage to spend so little on food. There are only 2 of us and, deducting pet food, I’d say we easily spend £130 per week on food. We are vegetarian and don’t drink, so there is no meat or alcohol in that. We don’t eat ultra processed food, so no ready meals, pizza etc. We cook from scratch. Before the horrors of food inflation, we bought the organic version of nearly everything. Now we buy organic milk, but not much else. We do eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and like fresh, rather than dried pasta etc.

NoSquirrels · 14/08/2023 23:18

More than £600 on food alone, and depending on if it’s a 5-weekend month more again. My DC are older though.

But -

(including meals at work),

this could be a big spend. Are we talking subsidised canteen as a work perk, or Pret sandwich, coffee & a treat 5x days a week rather than taking a pack-up?

and -

household items,

could be toilet roll and cleaning stuff and lightbulbs, or it could be extras that aren’t strictly necessary. What’s included? I reckon I spend another £35-40 on top of food costs each month easily.

Toiletries again could get basics shower gel and soap, or it could be cosmetics and fancier stuff?

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2023 23:24

Plus all the other variables @NoSquirrels

If you're one of those Mumsnetters whose constantly bleaching, washing and cleaning and showers every hour on the hour, there could be a lot of bleach, shower gel etc being bought.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2023 23:28

AnnieSnap · 14/08/2023 23:18

I don’t understand how many posters manage to spend so little on food. There are only 2 of us and, deducting pet food, I’d say we easily spend £130 per week on food. We are vegetarian and don’t drink, so there is no meat or alcohol in that. We don’t eat ultra processed food, so no ready meals, pizza etc. We cook from scratch. Before the horrors of food inflation, we bought the organic version of nearly everything. Now we buy organic milk, but not much else. We do eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and like fresh, rather than dried pasta etc.

Sounds like you're buying the expensive version of everything.

So fresh berries, asparagus, sprouting broccoli, avocadoes etc, rather than bananas, carrots and normal broccoli, at a third of the price. Plus the fresh pasta.

It's not people 'spending so little on food', it's you that's spending a lot.

Suchardchoccy · 14/08/2023 23:37

We are a family of 4 (two adults, one 21 month old and one 5 month old) we shop at Aldi and Asda and spend roughly just under £100 a week. We meal plan every week and buy mainly "essentials" products.
I have no sympathy for anyone shopping in the likes of Tesco and Ocado, or buying branded products and then complaining about prices 😂

Nsky62 · 14/08/2023 23:40

Cat and I, he’s £31 of £200 a month, litter and wet food, try to semi veggie tho, big fruit eater here

Clefable · 14/08/2023 23:41

We've honestly saved so much switching to Aldi. I was a bit sceptical about it but we are easily saving £20 a week on what we were spending previously at both Asda and Tesco. I could get a week's shop there for under £100 if I had to. Our last week's shop was £108 I think, which was all our meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and included some baby wipes, bubble bath, toilet roll, etc.

I also meal plan, not really to save money but because I hate having to think about what to eat every day so I have an app that plans meals each week from my recipe bank and I just buy the stuff.

AnnieSnap · 14/08/2023 23:42

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2023 23:28

Sounds like you're buying the expensive version of everything.

So fresh berries, asparagus, sprouting broccoli, avocadoes etc, rather than bananas, carrots and normal broccoli, at a third of the price. Plus the fresh pasta.

It's not people 'spending so little on food', it's you that's spending a lot.

Show quote history

Fair point!

Original poster
CrownMe · 14/08/2023 23:42

Thanks for your responses. To answer some of your questions - by household expenses I mean cleaning supplies, etc. Younger child is in nappies so this is included in toiletries / personal care. We try to pack our lunch for work. I think we can manage all (food, occasionally eating out, household, toiletries / personal care) with under 900 a month - he thinks it's not enough, although I see some of you with similar families are managing with significantly less, which is encouraging. I think we can shop smarter. Thank you for the tips!

OP posts:
TheWayoftheLeaf · 14/08/2023 23:44

£900 a month is massive

Careerdilemma · 14/08/2023 23:45

About £1250 a month for two adults and a preschooler I would guess, plus takeaway or eating out once or twice a week. But we do eat a lot of organic produce, buy lunches out for work and shop on Ocado.

Clefable · 14/08/2023 23:45

I don't count eating out/takeaways as part of our grocery budget; that comes from our 'fun' money, which is for entertainment and eating out.

daffodilandtulip · 14/08/2023 23:46

One adult, two teens and a dog. Around £80 per week.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2023 23:48

So what does he think he's going without on 'only' £900 pm grocery shopping? It's probably at least 50% above the national average. Is it eating out and lunches, or food eaten at home?

Or is it non food items? If he wants posh toiletries or whatever, can he buy them out of his personal spending money?

PippaAB · 14/08/2023 23:49

Did a quick tot on my banking app and £600 in the last month.

2 adults + 2 kids + 1 cat.

Even just doing a basket shop is £50.

We buy some meat in bulk on top of that.

TheChosenTwo · 14/08/2023 23:50

About £1,000 here for essentially 5 adults. Ds is 11 but eats as much as the adults.
This includes the main supermarket shop on ocado which is roughly £150 per week then £100 at the butchers. It doesn’t include alcohol (dh buys that elsewhere), takeaways or meals out or lunches when people are at work. I am only in the office once a week and make the most of having nice pub lunches!
Could definitely get it down to less but don’t need to at the moment, food is one of our biggest pleasures in life and we sit down and eat dinner together every evening (obviously sometimes people are out and it may only be 2 people eating but for the most part there are at least 3 and usually 4, it’s a bit like a lottery but it’s one reason we don’t bother meal planning).

PippaAB · 14/08/2023 23:52

I didn't include buying lunches at work (2 office days a week) in that, and we also got a few takeaways. Probably an extra £50-£60 a month for that.

caringcarer · 15/08/2023 01:42

2 adults and one sporty teen. I spend about £130 per week on food. A lot of it goes on protein so fish/meat/poultry/eggs and fresh fruit and vegetables. Not much on snacks.

fancyfrogs · 15/08/2023 08:06

@GarlicGrace haha it's definitely starting to creep up unfortunately with the cost of things and kids getting bigger. I went really strict with budgeting on my first mat leave then going part time then have just kept that up. Tricky to get into at first with a lot of swaps and planning but now the norm. Has helped recently, currently being on pennies from SMP!