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Original poster

Whats your average weekly shopping bill???

50 replies

SHHHH · 27/03/2006 11:41

Out of curiosity.....

Dh has given me a budget of £40. I have been trying to do the weekly shop (for dh,dd (10mths) and I) on this budget and seem to go over from between £10-£40.

I personally think it's unrealistic esp when I have a dh who will eat "some" store own foods but not all. ie mince has to be best and not "value" range, bread "Hovis" and not tesco own..etc.

I have challenged him to next weeks shop..all with £40 .

Is anyone else the same..? Is it men..? Do they not realise the cost of everyday items.?

OP posts:

MamaG · 27/03/2006 13:13

We budget at £50 a week but that includes £10 a week on dog food. We manage ok, sometimes we go over if we run out of a lot of cleaning stuff at once, for example, but mostly we stick to it. That's me, DH and 2 kids.

katyp · 27/03/2006 13:16

I take my hat off to anyone who can manage on £40-50 per week including nappies! I would be really interested to see a sample shopping list/meal planner to give me some tips.

Original poster

SHHHH · 27/03/2006 13:17

mmm maybe it can be done. Suppose I better tighten in the belt! or the purse strings . Thanks everyone.

OP posts:

MamaG · 27/03/2006 13:20

I buy fresh fruit & veg, and tend to make meals from scratch rather than buying any processed food - it's a lot better for you and cheaper. One thing I just realised, we don't eat a lot of meat, so maybe that is one reason how we manage on a smaller food budget, or maybe not as we tend to substitute it with fish (think i'm waffling now). I also bake every week as it costs hardly anything to rustle up some muffins!

schneebly · 27/03/2006 13:24

We only spend about £60 per week in total for Dh, ds1, ds2 and myself and both sons are in nappies. I think that is quite good - I make the most of special offers and dont buy many treats. We have some own brand and value ranges and some premium stuff for example - own brand baked beans but premium steak mince (less fatty so more meat for the money!)

schneebly · 27/03/2006 13:31

typical meals could be -

shepherds pie
tuna pasta
cous cous with roasted veg
homemade soup and homemade bread (lots of it)
chicken pasta bake
stir fry
spag bol
`

yomellamoHelly · 27/03/2006 13:32

Used to spend £100ish. Now spend about £70 a week (for dh, ds and me). I buy budget everything and very few treats. Do buy fruit and healthy snacks for ds (which aren't cheap), though, and on 3 or 4 days a week I cook for ds at lunchtime as well as me and dh in the evening which adds up I suppose. Does include one easy night of either pizzas or a pre-done sauce and filled pasta etc. Everything else gets cooked from scratch which can get a bit wearing after you've been doing it a while. Do not know how we'd cope on £40.

rumtumtigger · 27/03/2006 13:44

Show him the receipt and ask him what it is that you shouldn't have bought! I fhe can't answer then this is agreement that you need a bit more. If he can answer and you agree with him then at least you will know how to spend less!

We spend under £100 a week on average(me, dp, 1 child) including all food and beverages consumed outside of the home - school meals, lunches at work, coffees, meals out. Also includes cleaning materials and 2 or 3 bottles of wine. This could certainly be improved upon if we cooked from scratch more.

sunandmoon · 27/03/2006 13:46

No clue ... DH does it all, he is the one who cook and everytime I went food shopping I got it wrong so now he is the house shopping spender! It doesn't really matter how much he spends, the most important is that we all like and eat his wonderful food...

Tortington · 27/03/2006 13:49

i did a shop today for 5 of us. which includes 3 teenagers who eat adult portions. it cost £60. this will last over a week and includes some cleaning stuff and bog rolls.

tbh. i think you could manage on £40 for 2 adults and one baby. the issue i have it what others have mentioned - that he said you must only spend that much.

Auntymandy · 27/03/2006 13:55

mine is over £100

MrsRecycle · 27/03/2006 13:59

same as Schneebly along with:
Beef stew;
chicken fajitas;
quesidillas (stuffed with lots of veg) takes 5 mins to prepare and 10 to cook;
jacket potatoes;
sweet & sour chicken with rice.

Tortington · 27/03/2006 14:00

what are quesidilas?

iota · 27/03/2006 14:01

quesidillas are wraps such as you use for fajitas, with cheese and veg in

iota · 27/03/2006 14:03

\link{http://nwfolk.com/2004/12/quesedillas.html\e.g.}

MrsRecycle · 27/03/2006 14:07

Thanks iota - I get a wrap, fill it with loads of veg/cheese/meat - whatever takes your fancy. Fold it in half and just bung em under the grill 5 minutes each side (til brown). Then cut into half quarters and serve. My kids love em!

Auntymandy · 27/03/2006 14:09

Ds's favourite pic nic or lunch is a wrap with cooked chicken (esp. tikka) and salad.

MrsRecycle · 27/03/2006 14:16

Mine also like the "make-your-own" wraps. Just give them some small bowls of cheese/veg/sauces/meat and they have great fun "wrapping". A bit messy but they love it.

Original poster

SHHHH · 27/03/2006 15:27

good ideas given..!! Don't get me wrong dh doesn't demand I only spend that amount..he just gives me an idea of what he expects it to cost. If I go over he doesn't go mad but I feel bad for not being able to keep within the budget!!
He is actually a very generous guy but we obviously are not made of money..! I blame me for being a sahm, fancy the footballers wife lifestyle to much .!!!!

I have spoken to him via text and we have agreed to review the budget.!

OP posts:

elclose · 27/03/2006 16:35

just worked out have spent over 400 since march 7th!!!! that is very bad think i better take a look and try and cut back

MartinJarvisFan · 27/03/2006 16:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

myermay · 27/03/2006 17:06

shhh, i find that my dp always moans about how much i spend! when he goes, which is rare he will usually spend about 60pounds and thinks he's done really well, reality is that he forgets loads. I spend about 80 - 100 a wk and usually go back to get extra fruit/veg bread though. That's with me (whose vege) dp, loves abit of junk food and 2 ds's, nappies, formula

Original poster

SHHHH · 27/03/2006 17:54

our dh's sound similar..! DH can go and easily spend £60..! On NOTHING..!!!

OP posts:

jamese · 28/03/2006 17:21

Crikey, I was chuffed with myself for getting the shopping down from £150 to about £110 per week for just me, DJ, DD and 2 dogs..... Just shows that I can do better.. And I need to if I want to stay a SAHM... I buy ours online so I can see if I have gone overbudget (set myself at £110) then I untick things that I don't really need.. Better unclick some more then...

Mercy · 28/03/2006 17:52

SHHH, I think it's fair enough to want steak mince and not value mince. But £40 a week! Will be interesting to see how his turn at shopping next week works out - will you let us know please!

btw we spend anything from £50 - £120 per week, it really does vary (me, dh, dd and a ds still in nappies)

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