Sick to death of grocery costs (1k/ month)

[Icannotbudget]

Our grocery bill has slowly increased and is now around 1k per month. This is for two adults, two very active teenage boys, and two dogs. This includes everything you would get from a supermarket eg personal care and laundry/ cleaning stuff.
Both kids are neurodivergent one in particular is very fussy and would rather go hungry than eat ‘cheap’ food. The older one just seems to need constant protein.
I am vege and pretty unfussy but don’t like freezer food. No alcohol and i shop at Aldi as much as poss but do use other supermarkets too.
DH works long hours and Ive just gone back full time and really struggling its impossible to cook from scratch every night.
Not sure if I want sympathy or strategies to be honest, its crippling me and im feeling really down.

TheSpoonyNavyReader · Today 12:14
i don’t know anyone who spends 400 quid a week on shopping, that’s ridiculous. Even for a family of 5.

OP's children are diagnosed just as yours are.

I didn't say her children would starve, but I did say that getting rid of Lurpak would likely cause more problems than it solves - probably by limiting their diets even further.

The comment about hospitalisation was a more general point, not necessarily related to OP's situation.

Neurodivergent can include everything from mild dyslexia or dyspraxia to severe autism. The OP hasn't said what her kids have only one is a fussy eater.

The advice here to apply for benefits is not necessarily relevant.

@TheSpoonyNavyReader the title of the OP is "sick to death". When someone says they are sick to death of something that usually indicates a situation that is either incredibly stressful and upsetting or no longer tenable. So I take that to mean that this situation needs to change. So what do you suggest the OP does?

As an aside, although Lidl prices have gone up, I think they are still cheaper than Tesco etc, especially for meat or fish

Yes they usually are, and that's why I wondered about the suggestion of doing a scanned shop at the likes of Tesco to keep an eye on the spend - easier, surely, to take a calculator and shop somewhere else?

Apart from anything else, if you take the DCs along to the huge places with their endless choice, there's much more risk of them spotting something - inevitably a very expensive something - that they've GOT to have if they're not going to starve

A parent held hostage to Lurpak.

What a mad world it's become.

Did the Op say her child had a diagnosis?

I'm wondering what vast quantities of Lurpak PPs think OP's family is consuming per week that they're latching so strongly onto the idea of swapping it for Lidl's finest to make massive savings...

[yes, yes I know it's the principle of extending it to every item in her list but it's getting a bit tiring seeing the same argument trotted out]

Well put, DiddlySquatSquat, especially for noticing that OP didn't name any condition her DCs have

However on here others doing the diagnosis for her is an absolute given ... and this on no knowledge at all of the individuals concerned

@fieldsofbutterflies so she should take on even more stress and labour and spend even more time on trying to save the family finances than she does now? Great advice.

She does say they're ND - she doesn't need to explain their medical history if she doesn't want to.

Where did I say it would be more stressful or laborious?

Our normal shop is about £250 a month (family of 4)
I do though do a bookers cash and carry every other month which probably adds another 300 to the bill (so 150 a month)

So at a guess we are at around 400-500 a month

@fieldsofbutterflies you said it right here:

Make cutbacks elsewhere, not try and change the limited safe items that she knows her neuro-diverse child is guaranteed to eat.

I've already made suggestions re. dog food and there are loads of other recommendations on here for bulk buying and cheaper sources of protein etc.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a bill that high!

My bill is pretty much the same. I have 3 DS (20,18 and 13) and I try to shop at Aldi but they just need so much food! I need 2 trolleys now just to fit everything in. I can't cut down on what they eat as they are skinny as it is despite eating about 3-4 times what I eat in a day.

Your teenage boys need to learn to cook and each be responsible for one meal a week. It’s fine if it’s the same thing every time.

Okay? I don't see any of that as being particularly laborious. It seems completely normal to me if you're trying to save money. I know I would much rather buy certain items in bulk than cut back on my favourite brands.

Did you ever think of sending them (18 and 20 yo) off to the supermarket with a set amount of money and get them to shop for their likes/dislikes etc. in budget? I am kind of lighthearted saying this, but it would be a lesson in food costs even if they did it only once!

I’m only buying groceries for me and one DS (7- but eats like a champion) and it’s easily 350-400pw all in.

What on earth are you buying and from where to spend £400 a week for you and a 7 year old?

We are a family of three adults. We eat a lot of fruit and veg and quite expensive meat and have a bottle of wine a week. Our weekly bill for all food, cleaning products, toiletries etc is in the region of £110-£130 and that includes keeping a well stocked cupboard of tins and basics, bought when on offer.

Try putting the fake lurpack in a lurpack container you may get away with it 😊
Also look at ocado m&s and sainsburys online, even though food prices are mad i am finding a lot of good deals on these especially if you sign up online and show some interest they send some decent vouchers every now and again.
I find you spend less when you're not walking round the store too.
Make a monthly visit to home bargains / b and m type shops and get cleaning products and toiletries much cheaper there ,i refuse to pay full price for these.

Shrinkage definitely does mask the price rises. I do buy some ready meals for instance form Costco for days when it's life 1 v Me 0. Their prices are all the same. However we used to get 2 meals out of their lasagne. Now I have to add more to the dish to make it into 1. So cost is actually arguably 100% higher. More filler ingredients have been added too.

It's one example but there are so many in every store.

I'm lucky in that they will eat pretty much anything so their likes are not dictating what I buy. They will happily fill up on toast and 2 min noodles, but I also want a fair proportion of what they eat to be healthy and fresh food doesn't always come cheap! Doesn't help that their part time job while at uni is labouring for a landscaper so they come home extra hungry those days.

Ah, the infamous teenage "hollow legs" @Splat92

I made that mistake myself before having one of my own, when I hosted a family with three and laid in a genuinely huge amount of treats
"Don't ask, just help yourself if you're hungry" I blithely said - and promptly learned why they call them locusts!!

Apologies if you have done all this but have you talked to school about the lunchbox issue? As your child is ND they may make allowances e.g putting it in the fridge if that would help them eat it.

We gave up though on packed lunches as so much went to waste when it was out of favour. The school staff helped in achieving some more balance to diet.

These threads are always really eye opening as to the difference in lifestyle.

Spending £200 a week on one person must be a miscalculation. Surely. I feed a family of four for £70 a week and they fills the length of the conveyor belt in Aldi.

I think it's fine for OP to seek advice but those saying £200 a week is normal are on another planet. It's most of a salary for many of us.

What protein do you buy and offer? This could be a big source of savings