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.

Have you tried?

My sons pip goes mostly on the food he will eat.

HOW do you only spend 80 pw? We find a simple shop like bread milk eggs cheese yoghurts and some fruit now £20 plus - and we are not buying premium brands!

I think it's Nigella that has a recipe for pasta with butter and marmite.

@Newestname002

that op has a valid point - the weather has been shit for this time of year

God forbid when OP dies or can’t care for child anymore how they will cope?

I mix and match between healthy meals and some frozen stuff (not ready meals) and quick meals.
We're a family of 5 (2 adults, 2 teens and 1 pre teen), no pets and I've started shopping in Lidl.
I'll do one big shop a week around 120-130 but I'll still have to top up in the week so I reckon about £200.
I don't buy meals for myself though as I just have left overs and rarely eat a full meal.

M&s and Aldi are the same, different names but same food. Come from the same place.

Adding i could be lying it may be Waitrose.. pretty sure it's one of them.

What wars are we funding?

The global security threat is critical. Fine, get rid of our military and see how long we can live in peace for 🤷🏼‍♀️

If people brag we have no military we won't last long, bit like the news recently "secret weapons"

Not very secret anymore eh?

I'm not sure why Bolognese or chilli is considered to be expensive/unaffordable.

Sainsbury's prices:
Mince £3.30
Mushrooms 89p
Loose brown onion 15p
Red pepper 59p
Celery 69p
Jar of sauce 65p
1kg spaghetti 56p

£6.63 for four adult portions (£1.66 per portion) with left over pasta for the next meal.

I really can't see how the OP cutting back on that is going to save much money.

I’ve got the same size of family as you plus two dogs and daughters boyfriend 3 nights per week and we spend about 600 max per month. The dogs are about £100. I don’t really scrimp but I do make a list of what I need and pretty much stick to it. I don’t buy a lot of rubbish either, crisps, biscuits and stuff. The £600 doesn’t include if we have takeaways or alcohol, which we don’t have that often, maybe twice per month, so maybe add another £150 for that.

What is it that’s pushing your costs up? For those days you mentioned where you’re not having the bolognese/chilli/wraps what are they having that’s so expensive? Also, ready meals are expensive. You could probably have baked potatoes a couple of nights for the cost of one ready meal.

Per my previous post. It was a typo. Meant pm not pw. It’s pretty obvious in context 🙄

Urgh! Totally feel your pain OP. We spend about £180 per week for two adults and two little children, without eating decadently - that's three meals per day with snacks for the littelies as we all take packed lunches. No alcohol. Not much meat. Won't scrimp on fresh fruit and dairy though for the children, despite the exorbitant prices 😱I won't have them living on toast, would rather get into debt.

I get posts trying to be helpful about stewing your own fruit to put in plain yogurt, but there's the time element too!! Some days I don't have time to shower, let alone cook everything from scratch...! Plus working extra shifts etc due to CoL, there just aren't the hours in the week.

Maybe there's a regional element too - the difference in spending between families always seems massive on threads like these. Presumably Tesco charges less in cheaper areas?

I get frozen mixed berries a lot, quick microwave and add to yoghurt or porridge

My 450 shop came today. Once it was all on I was acutely aware how little it seemed to what I was expecting. 2-3 years ago and it would have easily been about 300.

You must all have massive houses for a £450 shop. Where do you put it?!

We were 9 days after a shop so got more in Lidl than usual and it still only came to £72 - which still seemed a lot as we used to budget £50 per week.

My 12 year old boy is starting to eat more but if he needs supper it's porridge or Weetabix (own brand) with frozen fruit or a banana.

There seems to be a real trend for more protein. All the women are on extra protein at work but it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference other than to make their lunches look very odd.

I love frozen veg and fruit. So much less waste. Chuck a handful of raspberries in breakfast or mixed veg in a cottage pie. Less prep and exactly the portion you need.

@UPALLNIGHTMNETTING what fruit and dairy are you buying that's so expensive? In my tesco shop this week I've got apples ans satsumas foe 90p a bag. £1.80 for grapes, avocado for 69p ans loads of other veg/fruit, including salad, toms, cabbage. I've also got whole milk £1.45 for a big carton. Greek style yogurt for about £1, cheddar cheese for £3.

Can’t see the comment now re not using detergent with towels, I wash them on a hot water cycle.

I don't know which Tesco you go to by my local "big" Tesco is much more expensive. Which is why I go to Lidl or Aldi.

I hear you, my early 20s ds has 6 eggs for supper after a big tea 3 hours before. Yes he’s built like a brick shithouse because he spends a lot of time in the gym…he needs approx 180g protein per day

On a side note, I read another thread on Mumsnet where almost everyone was claiming to have insanely cheap mortgage/rent like 400-700 a month. While also saying their monthly income is £3000+. Now I'm seeing some of the same folks on here claiming they can't afford food ??? 👀👀 How in seven hells when most people I know irl earn half as much as you and pay twice as much rent?

Not being snarky btw. I'm genuinely curious

@LynetteScavo I order online, with a club card.

@Seaside3 - ah, I missed where you mentioned the Clubcard! I generally find Tesco and Asda overprice for what you get. I do buy things in Sainsbury's just because of the Nectar price.

OP do you use Nectar/Tesco cards? (sorry if you've already covered that)