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.

The boys needs to start cooking/doing food prep themselves. They are fully capable of this, you need help, you can't do it all yourself. I used to have to cook when I was a young teen as my mum worked very long nursing hours, it wasn't the best cooking but you learn, and they HAVE to learn at some point or else they'll have no idea how to function as adults.

They're teenage boys. They need protein, not lettuce.

@YouJustDoYou protein can be found in a vegetarian diet. Lots of professional footballers are now vegan in fact.

ThisOldThang
Thanks, will give it a go!

What a good idea. Give your dogs away op. Don't know why you didn't think of it already. There are loads of dog shelters with empty kennels just waiting for dogs to fill them. You could always put a child in to care too. That'd save a huge amount.

They're teenage boys. They need protein, not lettuce.

Red meat (or any meat) isn't the only thing that's got protein in it.

Why are the British not more like the French? Instead of PPs advising more and more ridiculous economising, we should be righteously angry that two adults working full time can't afford fucking butter!! It's not exactly caviar or black truffle!

I think it can be more complex than that, I totally understand what you are saying though if you haven't tasted something how could you need it? In this case I imagine the family bought Lurpak when it was more affordable or it's a result of trying many spreads until one is tolerated.

IME it sometimes depends on texture, sometimes taste, saltiness etc. So for example a child who will only eat Tuna mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch every day, for moths. Some might know the difference in taste between one mayo and one tuna and tolerate no other mix, but not so bothered about texture. Another might not care which mayo or which Tuna but the one day that they have a sloppier tuna mayo mix is the day they stop eating tuna mayo forever. Then the struggle is on to find another filling and see how long that lasts.

We're a family of 5 op (+ dog and a cat), and I spend about £160 a week on groceries which includes some alcohol. I never buy beef mince as it's so pricey (pork mince is only £2.39 or something like that currently in Aldi, and I'll bulk it out with lentils), and with pork mince you can quickly make burgers, spag bols, burritos, rice dishes etc. Rarely buy chicken unless it's for a roast, or when I do I buy the bone in fillets which are only a few pounds and spend a bit of time on the weekend taking the bones out. It's time consuming but very much cheaper. I also buy a lot of different pork for the protein for a variety of quick meals - pork belly slices which I airfry til crispy and pair it with rice and veg, pork fillets for things like quick fajitas/curries or whatever. A lot of spab dishes as pasta is very cheap. Aldi ownbrand lots of things, never branded stuff. It's doable, might take a bit more time but for a lots of things some time on the weekend does need to be sacrifced to bulk cook a load of stuff ready for the week.

@AnnieSnap Organic dairy has no impact on the welfare of the cows. Its about things like their milk not being used for longer than standard after a course of antibiotics and types of fertilisers used on the grass they eat.

Obviously.

If it’s obvious why make a stupid comment about lettuce.?!

Op I get it. I have an autistic son with diagnosed ARFID and his food alone costs over £100 a week. Try Iceland for your branded food - they often have good things in the 10 for £10 offer

I take your point but if you want any kind of standard of animal welfare and for farmers to run financially viable businesses, then products like butter aren't going to be cheap.

I have been vege for 38 years and DH happy to eat many vege meals a week - my Kids like meat so usually have a meat based dinner but the youngest will eat vege meals such as mild curries.
We are all healthy weights, portions suitable sizes.
As for affording the dogs, they are small and part of the family. I CAN feed them id just like to get my bill under 1k a month!!!

Hmm I found they were quite greedy and selfish.
Eating all the " nice" stuff that had been bought to share, 3 fillings such as bacon, cheese and chicken all in one roll, eating meal ingredients, demanding nice stuff like pizzas .
Complete bollocking sorted it plus I gave them their own food allowance for lunch stuff and snacks-they had toast after it had been spent.
They were horrified at how quickly it went and turned into bargain hunters 😂
This is not sustainable Op and you need firm words

@Icannotbudget Loads of helpful replies on here! Trying to add some tips to the mix too. I also have 2 teen DS and they descend like locusts as soon as I do a shop, and moan on about getting enough protein, so I've had to get creative with filling protein-based food, too. [Edited to add - I'm also a single parent and work a very intense FT job, but I do the cooking at weekends or evening. Can't deny it's a ball ache sometimes!].

I've had to ban cereals as the price is extortionate, same with yoghurts and any dinky snacks as they are just overpriced. Breakfasts are porridge (cheap) or a tortilla omelette (cheap tortillas, mix up eggs (cheap), grated cheese (cheap) and chopped frozen peppers and onion (cheap). I also make protein egg muffins (omelette mix in a muffin pan, take on the go, plus a banana - filling and cheap).

I also second Costco if you can get membership, the fruit and veg is really good quality and tomatoes/bananas for example significantly cheaper.

If I need to do the meaty protein that is always demanded, I bulk it out and often do a cheap French dish with puy lentils (green), cooked in onion, garlic and stock, AND chopped potatoes and carrots (so really filling) and I'll add just two smoked sausages that gives flavour and the 'meat'. Costco does big packs of Italian sausages so this works out well.

I also do tray bakes of chicken thighs with frozen peppers (cheap), and potatoes (cheap) and I'll stir through a load of quinoa too (protein and cheap), so again its really filling, and there's leftovers for school lunch.

These may be relevant to your non ND son or husband.

Are there any markets near you? Household market stalls are good for £1 deals on cleaning products, bleach, bin bags, deodorants, cheap snacks etc. I also do markets at the end of the day when they are doing deals on big bowls of fruit, bananas etc. Poundland also has all the basics are cheaper prices, and I've also made my own cleaning products with baking soda etc. Waitrose own brand and packs of 3 for £10 are better value and quality than elsewhere.

I manage to keep costs down, but I do trek about to different places.

AND your DH needs to step up.

Protein is being banded about to young people on social media. Lean towards eggs and pulses rather than meat for a cheaper alternative.

I am going to save this and see how I go doing veggie equivalent of your meal plan ☺️ thank you for sharing!

I read your title and thought 'woah, that's a lot' then added ours up and it's about £180 per week, so not miles behind you.

Also buy Aldi firm tofu in recent weeks. Use it in pad Thai style meal. Aldi sometimes have pad Thai noodles in middle aisle. We all take lunch from home. I make a salad with added protein such as tuna or boiled egg, chick peas etc.
Forgot to say I also buy a pack of smoked mackerel that I use for lunches and soft cheese( Philly style)

"I take your point but if you want any kind of standard of animal welfare and for farmers to run financially viable businesses, then products like butter aren't going to be cheap"

My point was not that products should be cheaper or that farmers do not deserve a good price for produce that can be sustainable and ethically sound. My point was that wages have depreciated to a point where other countries would be up in arms about how employees are treated. My salary for the job I did 20 years ago, adjusted for inflation, would now be 75k. That role now pays about 55k. The salary for that role has been eroded by almost a third in 20 years but people accept this and say and do nothing.
Erosion of salaries is a major cause of the COL.

They can afford ‘fucking butter’ just not the most expensive one on the shelf. It’s not indicative of poverty that you find eating red meat and the most expensive butter going every day, pretty pricey.

It’s strange people are saying it’s impossible to get to £1K. It really isn’t. Food is just so expensive. We can easily do £150 minimum on a Saturday and then a couple of top up shops at £50 each. It all adds up. A few years back when one DC had just started school, I remember doing a ‘big shop’ and thinking wow, I’m up to £80+ here. I’d bought loads! It was hard to spend that much! Now that’s a drop in the ocean. I don’t even shop anywhere exciting, Tesco and Sainsbury’s and Aldi 😬

They do need protein. Adding cheaper and often more sustainable sources of protein such as beans, lentils, nuts and nut butters, choosing oats over cornflakes, adding seeds, drinking milk rather than fruit juice, etc. can contribute to their protein needs and may also pay dividends for their overall health due to the higher fibre content of many of these foods compared to a diet rich in red meat.