What's your weekly food etc spend??

[joster]

Do you work to a fixed budget or just see how it goes? I assumed most people at least look at the prices of what they are buying, and worked to an approximate weekly spend, but then there was that programme on recently about how to show a family they could eat better/cheaper etc and some family on it spent £20000 a year on their food?!?!?!?!?!?! (What was it called)?

We are a family of four who, apart from the occasional lunch out eat the vast majority of our food at home, don't go to the pub very often so booze is all at home and I reckon we spend between 150-200 a week, a bit more if we have friends over for dinner. I am quite careful about not being too extravagant but don't buy "value". Absolutely no ready meals in there, though can't claim we don't cheat a bit from time to time. We also try hard to use leftovers to reduce waste.
No idea if we are under or over average.... or fairly typical?

£50 we plan carefully have been since a mumsnetter helped me out. Family of five no nappies.

I should have said that the £100 a week or so has to buy everything, drynites, toiletries, laundry stuff, etc. and the 4 bottles of mouth wash my older son gets through because of his retainer. Probably only about £65 - £70 a week goes on actual food. Like Daisy, I can't actually imagine how I would spend much more than I do. I don't know what I would buy!

Before I joined mumsnet I thought £150 was a good week - in fact I started looking into saving because of the number of weeks it was heading to £200, and I too, thought I was being careful.

Now I hardly ever spend over £100, and that's for 3 adults, teenage DD, DS (3 - still in nighttime nappies) and DSS 3 weekends out of 4. Also 3 cats. Includes all household including make up and toiletries.

Meal planning and rigorous freezing of all leftovers (instead of leaving them in the fridge to throw away later) was a big thing and the other was online shopping - no impulse buys and you can check whether you've got enough of something to last another week instead of buying 'in case'.

Also it is worth trying the value brands - for some things, you genuinely can't tell - for example, I now use tesco's own conditioner which is about 90p, instead of brand ones that are 3 times the price and my hair looks better! In fact, I might start a thread about this and we can pool our expertise!

Wow, it amazes me when I read about people spending £40 - £50 a week on food. We spend £115 week on food at the supermarket for 2 adults one DD and two cats. (this does not include special vet food for cats with problems) I do buy alot of value stuff, but I also buy expensive cuts of meat (don't eat pork, only chicken breasts, no lamb, no offal). Nor do we drink or smoke. DD is now only in nappies for nighttime. However even though meat free meals would work for me a couple of times a week, my DP would NEVER accept that. All leftovers are brought as lunch by my DP so no wastage there. Toiletries are not included in this as I need to buy salon products for my over processed hair, special skin care products, etc.

2 food loving adults and 2 dc - we spend £65 ish a week if i do it online and get it delivered and up tp £80 if we actually go into the shop.

Thanks tanga tesco conditioner is now on my list There have been threads before and they have been a tremendous help to us. We have not gone without food at all since doing the £50 thing. In fact we eat better. One thing that saved us a fortune was not using much washing powder with each wash. I still use the same brand for senstive skin, but only a teaspoon of it. Sometimes, I don't use any at all. None of my washing has been dirty so far, even football kit

Two adults a toddler and a baby - £70 - £85 a week, but I always have to top up during
the week on extras such as milk, bread and veg. I must say I am sick of the supermarkets hiking up their prices all the time.

3 of us, £35-55 per week.

meal plan....strictly

Buy very little meat, its a treat every now and again

Buy fruit n veg from Lidle/Aldi.

Do my own baking.

freeze allot of left over large batch cooking

dont buy much in the way of shiote, crisps, biscuits etc.

Dont buy any alcohol either.

eat out of the freezer at least once week.

I am fairly appalling at it. I don't really know tbh.

Definately more than £100 a week for 2 adults, 1 child and 1 small dog. Almost certainly getting on for £150, if not more some weeks.

My shop comes from a variety of places: Riverford, Waitrose deliver, Morrisons, local spar.

DH drinks alcohol every day (a few cans of lager or a few glasses of wine). I used to join him but have since seen the error of my ways and only have one glass of wine 2-3 times a week now.

We do buy meat/eggs/cheese/veggies/fruit that are quite expensive. We are happy to pay though (I feel the need to point out that we also choose to run one small car between us, so we are not super extravagent in other areas!).

I spent £54 last Sunday on food for me and dd2, that includes packup and fruit, dd2 went and got me extra bits on Thursday and that was £7.

I was given 6 eggs by a mother at school as her hens are laying lots - so have had poached egg for breaky and poached egg with a tiney peice of steak bettween us

I know I need to shop again today as I need butter and may aswell stock up for next week and suppose i will spend around another £25-30

My milk is seperate as have a milk man and thats £5 per week

I have prawn stir fry and two spag bogs left over with what I have in the fridge and i have pasta with a mushroom sauce left over.

But will need to get yeast, fruit for week and andother three evening meals plus toilet cleaner and washing powder, tin foil and loo roll - I can't beleive how much loo roll we get through a roll per day..??

i don't drink at home and rarely drink out and don't smoke - cycle a lot more in the summer so can get away with £5 petrol per week

So that is £90 for last two weeks for two of us and if you include the petrol about £100 a fortnight

Family of 3 (2 adults, 1 DC in nappies with an addiction to 'growing up milk', 2 cats on iams) and I try my hardest stick to £75 pw by shopping online. Then there's usually an emergency dash to Threshers (£10) and corner shop for milk (call it £5).

I think the hardest is fresh fruit & veg. I would love to buy DD lots of healthy snacks and introduce her to different veg each week - but I usually end up with just a bunch of bananas and a head of brocolli for that money.

Protein is easy, we live on turky mince & breast, chicken legs & thighs, tuna, white fish, cheese, eggs and prawns. Plus lots of basics loo roll, foil, kitchen sponges etc

I would much rather spend £150 pw - sigh.

I have £260 a month (so sometimes that has to last 5 weeks too) for everything for 2 adults and child.

That buys nappies, wipes, soap, shampoo, shaving stuff, medicines. Spend no extra at all during week, that is what we have and that's it. Also includes cost of having it delivered as I don't drive and no very local supermarket anymore.

magicnappysack - I know what you mean about fruit and veg, we hardly have any now - it bumps the price up so much.

We have a wonderful butchers which is miles better and cheaper than supermarkets for meat.

100 a week for everything including chicken feed, bedding, dog food etc, toiletries, food, cleaning products, nappies. You name it
6 of us

its gone up recently my boys seem to eat more than me

I can do it on £20 a week and have, but now on average around £35 for one adult, one 8yr old and that's with a few treats slipping in.

I don't count booze, if I want that it's separate, but not more than £6 a week or so, ditto takeaway and that would be around £10.

I just did a big Asda online which was £155, now some of that (loo roll, cat litter and food, soap, washing powder etc) will last more than a month, but the fresh fruit and veg just a week, but meat/fish/tins/cereals etc will do the month. I stock up on special offers that will keep.

I'll then spend maybe £10 a week on top ups, again discounting treats as they come from separate money and are only bought if I can afford it at the time.

About 50-70 a week, includes 1 x coeliac, 1 x diabetic and 1 dog !

Cook most things from scratch

Mine includes £20 worth of booze