Grocery bill getting out of control

[Gardencentrevoucher]

I've just had a major row with DH over the credit card bill. Its his card that I don't see the statements for and he is really bad at letting me know what the bills will be. The money comes out of a joint account and this is the third month in a row the bill has been way higher than I expected. Apart from a one off big purchase the entire bill was food shopping and petrol. DH does a weekly online shop at Asda and also drops into Aldi most weeks after his football practice. I need to somehow get the next bill much much lower without another huge row!

I've worked out we are spending £20 per day on food on average, or £5/person per day.

We're a family of 4 (2 adults/2 kids at primary school) and I just can't believe we need to spend that much on food. We don't drink alcohol or eat out often. It seems like a crazy amount of money for just normal family grocieries.

What is a reasonable amount per person per day or per week to budget for spending on food? Ideally I'd like it to be £10-£12 max to get the credit card back under control

Check out the book series "one pound meals" from Miguel Barclay. I've seen people rave about them and for anyone who "can't cook, won't cook" they should be ideal as in addition to being cost controlled they have very short lists of ingredients!

This seems quite reasonable when you break it down. £5 pp per day isn't a lot really. We spend around £120 per week as a family of three.

£10 to £12 per person per week is not possible, let it go.

£35 per person per week gets you a reasonable diet, if the cook can cook.

Try a box delivery thingy like Gusto. Even just for 3 days a week for a fortnight.
Teach him one recipe a week. With the kids, you are the captain, they are the workers.
Encourage the use of vegetables, spices and pulses.

Approx £60-£70 a week for 2 people. One online shop for £55 and maybe extra milk/bread or fruit as top up.

I've discovered the shopping list on the Tesco app actually sorts it into aisles. I put everything I need for the week on it and go straight to what I need in what aisles. No browsing needed - has saved me a lot of money I think!

I confess that my dog get a fresh roasted chicken. It probably costs about £6 a week . My son does ask permission from the dog if he can have a taste…we are all vegetarian BTW 😂

You don't have a 'grocery bill problem' - there are 2 other issues:

1. The way you choose to pay for the groceries. My strong advice is that whilst you are on 1 income is that you do NOT use a credit card and switch to a debit card - then you know in real time how much money you have at your disposal.
2. A partner that (refuses?) chooses not to cook from scratch when they are not working. When you are not working it is the perfect time to learn this skillset as you have more time. He needs to pull his socks up.

Agree with pp, you don’t have a food/bill problem, you have a DH problem. Won’t cook, home all day with no work, opaque about bills and finances in general, won’t try or engage on any of it. Sounds shit for you, OP.

It is possible to feed a family a nutritious, balanced diet on less money, but it takes work and planning.

I'm a SAHM to a 5yo and 2yo, we also have my brother living with me, so 3 adults and 2 young kids. We have pets, both kids wear nappies at night. I'm gluten free, one child and two other adults are dairy free, so we have to buy alternatives. We don't eat a lot of meat, one adult is vegan, but we do tend to have chicken once or twice a week, sometimes a roast.

Our weekly spend, including dog food and all household cleaning stuff, nappies, laundry etc, hovers between £90-£100/week. My brother will pop out for the odd thing separately and we occasionally do a little top up bringing it to the £100 mark, but it's definitely not up to the £140 mark, and I feed us all a homecooked meal every night.

We eat really well! Always get our 5 a day (we spend a lot on fruit as snacks) and I really pride myself on making sure the kids have plenty of protein and veg. We don't do a lot of freezer food or filler carbs, no ready meals etc. Both kids and I eat lunch at home together daily, husband takes a packed lunch. It takes so much work and planning, but I see it as part of my role within the household as I have the time to do it around parenting.

It is possible, if somebody cares enough to put the time and effort in. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like your husband does. But he should, as it would make a huge difference to your bank balance, your enjoyment of food, and your family's health. I'm not trying to be preachy in any way and I am totally on your side. It just doesn't sound as if there's any good reason why he can't inform himself better and try harder.

In case this is helpful, this is my meal plan for dinners this week:

Tues: rocket & pea pesto spaghetti with butter beans and/or mackerel, cucumber salad on the side

Weds: chicken, apricot and chickpea tagine with couscous/rice

Thurs: sausage, root veg and mushroom casserole with garlic bread

Fri: veggie stir fry with rice noodles and satay sauce

Sat: lentil & veggie mince Shepherds pie, sweet potato mash on top

Sun: chinese style baked Cauliflower with orange & sesame sauce, egg fried rice

Mon: mushroom & spinach risotto

Breakfasts are usually porridge, muesli or granola with yoghurt, eggs, toast

Husband takes leftovers or wraps for lunches with salad, chickpeas, tuna etc. Kids and I will have soups, omelette, quesadillas, sandwiches, usually with fruit and yogurt.

We shop carefully but not counting pennies - Aldi for nearly all shopping but their Finest range for most things - few specialist items from health food shop / online deliveries. Not much booze. Spend between £450-£550 a month 2 adults 2 DC age 11 and 9 who are increasingly eating adult portions!

Can you access the statements online or via an app so you can keep an eye on transactions?

We're 3 adults living at home, and 1 at uni who pops back home now and then. I'm away anything from 1 night to 12 nights a month, so add a lot of freezer stuff. At the moment I aim for £300 a month with dc2 mainly being away, and that includes all laundry, cleaning and body care.

I do two food shops one at Tesco and one at asda, and I literally spend two evenings going between both stores for looking to see who has the cheapest/offers on each item to add to the basket.

I do rely on a lot of jars of sauce, like bolognaise, pasta sauce, curry sauce etc and big bags of pasta and rice. I always make sure there's bags of peas, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, peppers, green beans and sweetcorn in the freezer, and boxes of chicken steaks, mince beef, veggie mince and chicken breasts. Then I add things like veggie burgers, meatballs, kievs, gammon steaks, steaks etc depending on what's on offer.

When dc2 comes home for the holidays then I'll probably be looking at £350 a month. I really need to get to farm foods for my frozen items, I wish they done home delivery! Aldi's another I should go too. It's just finding them time to get there, and I like the ability to see what I'm spending with the homes delivery, so no surprise at the checkout, I can add and take out as I go along. Unfortunately my closest Aldi's don't do click and collect.

DH and I are about the same. Perhaps a tad less, £400-450, and we hardly drink. But two dogs as well, so £1.50 a day between them. DH has mobility issues so we don't go out for meals and the nearest takeaway is miles away so what I spend in the shops is it. Petrol has shot up in the last fortnight which worries me.