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How much each week do you spend on food shopping per person?
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AlyTab · 07/11/2017 12:42
Hi there, sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I'm just wondering since my friend says that between her and her boyfriend, they can spend about £300 a month on food. This made me wonder if I actually pick up enough food. Me and my bf have only been going out for a few months, so he buys his own stuff when he comes over and we don't live together just yet.
I'm new to the whole living by myself thing, its my first flat, so sorry for sounding thick, but I spent £12.65 on shopping this week, so just over £50 a month on food and TP. Is this too much, too little, or average? How much do you spend per person on shopping.
BarryTheKestrel · 07/11/2017 12:45
It entirely depends what you are buying surely? For fruit, veg, dairy, meat, cupboard stuff etc I'd say £12.65 is a little low. But it depends what you are eating, if you are cooking from scratch, if you buy in bulk and then top up etc.
For Me, DH and DD(2), I spend around £40 a week and do pretty much everything from scratch.
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 12:50
Mostly i buy pasta, soups, beans, spaghetti hoops, bread, milk, cheese, PB st. Simple things like that. I also bought a 12 pack of crisps (monster munch). Which cost £2, so without them for my essential meals and such, it would be about a tenner, and some of the spreads will last me about a month.
I don't buy meat since I'm a vegetarian. I don't really eat eggs either. My diet probably isn't the healthiest to be honest...
allisbright · 07/11/2017 12:51
We spend about £60 per week for me, DH and DD(18 months). This includes lunches for me and DH when at work. DD has breakfast, lunch and snacks at nursery five days' a week. I mostly cook from scratch.
Does £12.75 include lunches?
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:05
Yes this includes lunches too. Actually after calculating again, some of this stuff lasts a few weeks, so if pushes I could probably spend under £10 a week. This week I had to restock on some of the stuff from a few weeks ago, so it amounted to £12.65 (Butter, peanut butter and such).
It's fab that you can make stuff from scratch, maybe I'll learn to do that one day!
InDubiousBattle · 07/11/2017 13:09
£10 a week is very, very low imo. We spend £100-120 a week for 4 of us (two toddlers). My kids eat a tenners worth of fruit a week at least! We do eat meat and that usually includes some flowers, some nappies (which isn't a huge amount really) and maybe a bottle of wine.
Smarshian · 07/11/2017 13:09
Your diet sounds appalling if that's all you buy in a week. Where is your fruit and veg? Can you tell us a typical days food.
NewtsSuitcase · 07/11/2017 13:10
I'm not sure that you can eat healthily for £12 a week. That's very low.
EmmaGrundyForPM · 07/11/2017 13:15
I spend about £60 per week for dh and I including toiletries, household stuff (washing powder, dishwasher tablets etc) and cat food for 2 cats. The food element for just us is probably around £40 but we then buy meat separately at our local butcher. So maybe £50 per well which is £25 each.
However we buy a lot of vegetables - green beans, cailiflower, aubergines, courgettes etc and salad stuff - bags of lettuce, Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers etc. That addscyo the cost. You don't seem to have any of that on your list.
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:21
I didn't think my diet was that bad until I actually wrote it down. I don't even have anything frozen since I know I won't eat it.
I usually don't eat breakfast, but if I do its usually just a slice or two of toast. Lunch will probably be a sandwich with cheese, peanut butter or something like that, maybe with a packet of crisps. Or ill have soup if im not at work with two slices of bread buttered. Dinner will generally be pasta or toast and beans. Drinks wise, usually orange diluting juice.
I can afford to buy more, I just don't? I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food.
caravangirl · 07/11/2017 13:25
I'm curious now as to what your days meals are as I feel like I overspend!
caravangirl · 07/11/2017 13:26
Sorry, cross posted!
Copperspot · 07/11/2017 13:28
I live alone and spend about £150 a month on food / toiletries / cleaning stuff.
I eat really well and have loads of fresh fruit and veg.
I do tend to put leftovers in the freezer then have a cheap week in the week before payday.
As an example, last week i bought...
Chicken breasts
Bacon
Ham
Small mince
Pasta
Passata / chopped toms / tom puree
Pineapple / apples / bananas / grapes / oranges
Broccoli / carrots / lettuce / tomatoes / cucumber / beetroot / peppers / spring onion / potatoes
Yoghurts
Milk
Wraps
Porridge oats
Orange squash
Chocolate buttons
Spent about £30
Your diet doesn’t sound great tbh. I could cut back on my shopping but i enjoy nice food
RaeCJ82 · 07/11/2017 13:28
I spend between £65 and £80 a week on groceries for me, OH and DD (who is 5 1/2 months old, so includes formula, nappies etc and extra fruit & veg for her purées).
InDubiousBattle · 07/11/2017 13:29
If that's representative then there are days when you don't have any fest fruit or veg? Also it seems like a lot of bread, toast at breakfast, sandwich for lunch, beans on toast for tea. Don't you ever fancy fajitas or a veg curry? I would only eat like this if I were absolutely skint. Do you make your own soup?
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:29
My mum seems baffled at this too. She goes shopping most days and can spend up to £100 a week on shopping! Her freezer is literally overflowing.
Copperspot · 07/11/2017 13:31
Plus i do a ‘stock up’ on payday and get frozen veg (to go in stuff) tins of beans, big pack of eggs, teabags, bleach, binliners, etc.
Tend to work out at about £30 a week, then £20/30 on a stock up
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:35
I do sometimes make my own soup, however this week I just bought cans. Cringing at my diet now tbh. On the plus side, since I don't spend much in the ways of food, I have quite a bit left over to spend on non essentials.
I do like vegetable curries, I've never actually tried fajitas. I really should try to be more adventurous with my food and actually buy more fruit. This week I did buy apples! Forgot about them (like that makes it better).
suckonthatmaureen · 07/11/2017 13:38
We budget £450 per month max for a family of 4, so roughly £25.00 per person per week. I cook from scratch and it doesn't include my lunches, DD1 school dinners and DD2 who eats all her main meals at nursery(so just weekends). It usually comes in under budget tbh.
Before I saw your update I would have assumed that £12.50 would buy you processed refined carbs and very little fresh food. I see that's the case. OP I'm surprised you're not vitamin deficient or anaemic!
Copperspot · 07/11/2017 13:42
If it makes you feel any better i ate shite when i first lived alone too 
Mainly because i just didn’t really care. You can’t live like that forever though! You aren’t eating any goodness and it will have an impact on you eventually.
I used pinterest to search for easy recipes for one, then just had a go. I am now a good cook and i cook a proper meal every night. Or if i am busy i have some frozen leftovers.
Eg yesterday i had a really busy day planned and knew i would be tired so i got out some leftover homemade meatballs in tomato / veg sauce the night before.
Just heat them up, 10 mins to cook spaghetti, mix together a bit. Homemade meal in 10 mins!
Why not pick one recipe a week to try? Then over time you will naturally build up a few that you like / are confident with.
PolarBearGoingSomewhere · 07/11/2017 13:43
It does sound a little on the carby side of average. I can easily spend £20 pw on fruit and veg alone for us (2 adults, 3 children under 6). What protein do you have apart from occasional baked beans? I'd have said £30-35 pw would be a more normal spend if not completely skint. If you don't want to spend much more then porridge made with milk and some dried fruit (raisins are usually cheapest but apricots are lovely) for breakfast would at least be a slightly healthier option.
Passthecake30 · 07/11/2017 13:49
Wow, your diet is shocking, no vitamins (including calcium), iron, fibre...are you healthy on that?
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:51
The Pinterest recipe idea sounds quite good, perhaps I could give that a try.
I do like oatmeal, when I eat it it's usually as a snack. I can eat weird things at weird times. Like pasta for breakfast or cereal at night.
AlyTab · 07/11/2017 13:53
Actually as evident by a recent blood test, in all good it terms of deficiencies apart from my calcium being a bit low on occasion.
berliozwooler · 07/11/2017 13:53
I spent about £20 pp last week, but that was a bigger shop than usual and included toiletries and other non-food items as well.
berliozwooler · 07/11/2017 13:55
That was in Lidl. 6 people to shop for so some economies of scale.
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