Single people groceries cost

[Madammewington]

I see lots of threads about weekly food bills here but they all seem to be about families or couples.
Being single isn’t just half the cost of groceries for two people, it is more expensive than that.
I spend about £70 a week on shopping, which includes cleaning stuff etc. Not pet food as I buy that separately. Don’t have takeaways. Probably have lunch out twice a month.
How does that compare with other single people?
It seems a lot to me but everything is so expensive now.
I’m vegetarian so you might think that would be cheaper.

I'm single and I'm probably roughly the same as you - but then I currently work in a supermarket and it's horribly tempting to just buy stuff at the end of my shift rather than look through the cupboards. On the other side, I get to buy cheaper food...

I'm leaving the job later this month and it will be interesting to see how my food spend differs when I'm not being faced by racks of tempting food every day and I have to meal plan. I know I spend a lot less when I do a proper meal plan rather than just thinking 'I can't be bothered to cook when I get in, here's some nice looking pizza in front of me, I'll buy that instead'.

I am also single and do try to keep my spending to £50 per week (online groceries delivered) but often it creeps up. Last week I added a few extra non-perishable items for Christmas as they were on offer. I do have some expensive tastes and know I could spend less but would have to put more effort into cooking!

Other than my weekly shop, I don't spend on cleaning stuff as I try not to use much, relying on baking soda, vinegar and soap for most tasks. I use laundry sheets that I buy six-monthly as they are very economical and easy to store.

I don't eat out often, maybe a couple of times a month and don't have takeaways anymore. I often take coffee and a sandwich from home if I am going out for the day (I go to a lot of horse shows).

I spend between 40 and 45 a week, plus 8 a month for a delivery pass. Not including pet food. I probably eat out around 5 or 6 times a month.

Totally agree with you. I try to keep my weekly bill down to £50 if possible. I eat out about twice a month for a treat and usually only in places where I can get a deal via a loyalty app or similar. Nothing posh. I don't get takeaways either as frankly they aren't cheaper than eating out anymore. Everything is very much more expensive these days - I used to be able to eat out every Friday on a smaller salary which seems ridiculous now. I'm thinking of selling some of my nice jewellery to boost my savings pot because these days I barely have one.

There are times when I think it would be amazing to split all the bills - including the rent - and then I remember that my peace of mind is probably invaluable!

£30-35 per week for me. Plus £8.00 delivery pass. No ready meals or pizza type food, just veggie meals mainly from scratch. I gain weight so easily that I just can't eat biscuits, crisps, cakes, or pastry items 😭 so I have to avoid it, except for an odd meal out or tea with a friend.
I do sometimes buy a whole chicken or salmon fillets which is lovely.

Why are groceries for one more expensive? Does that mean you waste more food? Perhaps that’s something to look into ?

I have just been through this weeks menu for two and for one it would be half the cost and I don’t think k anything would need to be frozen or eaten for two days

Can't speak for others, but I don't waste anything. But as a single person you can't buy anything in bulk unless you can freeze/store it (and even then you have to have the space to in both situations). Lots of BOGOF offers are for perishable items and a single person household cannot consume more than one of the same product before the expiration date, so you can't buy them. Plus unit prices are often higher for single-serving sizes. And the very obvious point being that you pay for everything yourself, nothing is split with anyone else.

I think it depends why you are asking.

£70pw for one person, sounds lot to me, even more so as you are vegetarian.
But if you have that within your budget and you enjoy what you buy then it isn't an issue.
If you are looking to cut down / are struggling financially, then that does sound like you are spending a lot more than you need to.
These are regular threads on MN asking how to cut grocery bills if you want to do a search, including posters who link to websites / FB / Tik Tok people etc who share meal plans, recipes and tips.

I spend about £60 per week, not including pet food, and that is with very careful budgeting, meal planning, and batch cooking. Oh and wine too.

About £70-£90 per week supermarket shop, may sometimes include household sundries or toiletries. No alcohol. Pet food and supplies bought separately.

No takeaways but lunch from Eat/Pret three or four times a month. Eat out approx once or twice a month.

Where do you shop that lets you order less than £40 at a time?

I used to keep it to 40-50 a week enough to meet minimum order for delivery.
its crept up to £70ish now. I’m ordering in less as dieting.

Morrisons if you pay for the pass. It's a £25 limit (here in the SE) anyway and it helps me be able to plan weekly instead of buying £40 to avoid charges.

Thank you!

Around £80-90 per week on average.

Includes food for 3 meals a day
Lots of meat and fish (salmon, mackerel, prawns, chicken, bacon, sausages, turkey mince).

All cleaning products and toiletries.

although there are two of us, we don’t use much in the way of bogof - I did freeze some tofu last month

neither the greengrocer nor butcher do bogofs and the only thing we buy in bulk is flour for bread. We buy fresh food that is priced per kilo and can get any unit size we like. ( well you can’t get half carrots but you get the idea )

Perhaps the supermarkets are not the best deal ? It is more of a bind getting to the smaller stores as the opening hours are shorter - although that’s a cost saving to the store I guess which may be helping the smaller places stay competitive?

I honestly can’t see anything I have bought this month that is perishable that i could not get in a smaller size at the same per kilo price

That's loads. I can do 30-35 in Aldi if I'm organised - that means batch cooking bolognaise mince and spicy bean stew. Includes chicken, fish.

Maybe an extra 15 - 20 a month for the extras, loo roll, rinse aid etc.

Pretty similar for me, includes toiletries, cleaning and pet stuff too. It will range from £55.00-£70.00

I spend about £45 on my weekly Morrisons shop (including toiletries) and then 10 on a weekend for fresh bits from the market - eggs, bread, fruit, cheese, milk etc, so maybe £55. I also spend at least £15 a week on work lunches and meal deals do that's 70 already.

There are some toiletries that are cheaper in bulk but take a huge chunk out of my weekly budget and always feel expensive, so I save odds and ends separately - £5 here, £5 there - until I get to £20 or something and then I buy an XL bag of Ariel One pods, or a 16-pack of toilet roll etc - something that will last months but doesn't feel like it eats away at my normal spending.

Home Bargains is great for candles and cheap toiletries if you have one close by.

My foster son is at uni and spends about £75 on food each week. He eats out once or twice a week too. He eats a lot of protein and meat and it's expensive.

Don’t think you get BOGOF anymore! The government banned it !

I budget £200 a month excluding pet food & usually come in under that. Being veggie helps.
I mainly batch cook at weekends & mostly buy frozen veg for cooking with rather than fresh, it’s so much easier for multiple reasons. Spices etc come from the local Turkish grocer who’s cheaper than the supermarket & has a better range but my store cupboard’s pretty well stocked now.

My DS spends about £50, no alcohol or pets and he never eats out. His main shopping is done at Lidl.

Mine is about £45 per week (for me that’s inclusive of everything a supermarket sells - except clothes/gifts). I’m veggie, no alcohol, no pets.