How much do you spend on food per month?

[lollypop29]

Morning everyone.

I have recently split from my child's father and I'm sorting out my budgets etc...I was thinking £300 a month for food including baby milk. Is this reasonable? Is it too much? How much do you spend on food a month?

Thanks

@Foodcosts

Just had a look back and had 7 different fresh fruit today, and 3 frozen fruits too. That's not including dried! Also had 4 different veg. We are on a calorie restricted diet so obviously you get to eat more if you eat low cal f&v but certainly not cheap in other ways!

That's an excessive amount of fruit. No-one needs that amount to be healthy. Your bill is high because you're buying a large amount of luxury.

Fine if you can afford it, but unnecessary if you can't or would rather not spend the money. Or you could cut it down by buying cheaper fruit, eg bananas cost almost nothing. You can eat cheaply and healthily but it doesn't include a lot of overseas produced and/or out of season fruit.

I agree it's a lot of fruit, but the question is what would you eat instead? I could eat rice cakes or something but not very filling. Already eat bananas every day. My point was that this is what we have been buying for two years and the price has shot up, if that makes sense.

asda is good, and for me, less temptation.
that and lidl

I am quite interested in this thread.

I was spending huge amounts on multiple supermarket visits, including Waitrose, Marks and Spencer as well as Morrison's.

I feel I am wasting money for no good reason.

I started planning carefully, checking cupboards and now do 1 online Waitrose shop. I am spending around £100-120. Buy meat, veg, fruit, healthy snacks etc. I included a half bottle of champagne (my only alcohol this week).

I am looking at eating less meat too.

For me, my DD, 1 dog (who eats Burns food/fresh chicken) & I cat, I spend approx £350 per month(although I could cut that down if needed) - mostly Aldi but always get something nice from Waitrose for Saturday tea! I think if you try to keep costs down during the week (I have beans oin toast 1 night & cheese sandwich & soup etc but also salmon too) then it’s doable.

Just to add though, my DD eats terribly (not my choice!) cheap chicken nuggets, chips etc & no fresh veg - we do get fruit each week though (bananas, apples & strawberries)

We spend aprx £600 a month on our weekly shop, so toiletries and household products included. There are 7 of us in the house.

I find the Waitrose essentials range good value and quality.

Also worth a try- Waitrose 'a little less than perfect' apples, and potatoes..nice and fresh just a little wonky!

On the fruit could try one of the fruit and veg stalls, they do bowls for £1, less at the end of the day. If you can get there that is.

About £500pm for a family of 6, 4 of whom eat adult sized portions. That includes the odd takeaway, but we also don’t drink. £300 for one, baby and dog should be ample!

Four adults - £350 a month.

You could try raw carrot sticks, cucumber, peppers, celery, baby corn, sugar snap peas etc. I think a lot of those veg would work out cheaper and would be less natural sugar for you too.

I actually don’t know.

Spent £87 in Sainsbury’s earlier for two of us for a week - but that did include a shirt for him, which was £15. So I guess about 300 a month?

We spend £400-500 a month for two adults plus a cat. Does include booze and most toiletries/toothpaste etc, cleaning stuff, cat food and a weekly organic veg box. Meat is organic and free range, if we wanted to cut back I’d go veggie I think and eat meat more occasionally. I have definitely noticed prices rising a lot so we are batch cooking more and trying to waste as little as possible. We both get lunch in work too Mon-Fri DH and Tues-Thurs me.

£200 a month. Adult and teen boy. No idea what formula costs but I could easily feed myself for £100.

£100 a month all in. Very little meat and dairy.

Everybody’s responses have made me panic. There is just me and my partner and we put away 400 a month for food/ toiletries / cleaning products etc and I can’t say we ever have any money left in that account.

We do eat a lot of fresh fruit, veg and meat etc. Maybe one frozen meal a month. Are people just solely referring to food? Not accounting for everything else? I think I need to get better at planning meals for the week and saving somewhere!!

300 euros a month exactly. Me and a teenaged girl (who DOES NOT STOP EATING) I honestly don[r eat much, but we eat well and very heathily.

This is for everything, toothpaste, loo roll, dishwasher tabs etc They key is meal plans and shop online (when you have eaten!)

I am lucky, alcohol is cheap in Spain, however, things like potatoes are absolutely not. Fruit is. Ready meals don[t really exist. One can of baked beans is 1euro20. A treat.

I use alot of pulses.

I only buy free range, so meat is once a week, personally I would be fine being vegetarian.

Family of 4 plus dog. £800 including supermarket shop, farm shop top up, takeaways and alcohol.

Are people just solely referring to food? Not accounting for everything else?
Everything except cat food which is bought online, I also bulk bought white vinegar online. Includes loo roll, toiletries, cleaning stuff.

I do a home bargains run monthly for things like shampoo/conditioner/toothpaste/cleaning products etc. Which I find cheaper than the supermarkets. The poster above who suggested buying formula nappies and wipes when your child benefit comes in is a genius.

With regards to your food, batch cooking is your friend, things like pasta bakes and dahls are cheap to make and can last for a few meals (can be baby friendly too if you're at the weaning stage)

Ours is about £125 a week total for everything (top up shops, main shop, all lunches and snacks, cleaning products, toiletrees).
2 adults and a toddler that eats at nursery 4 days (but has a pricey berry habit).

We spend about £80 per week for 4 adults/older teens including lunches except for one teen who eats at the canteen at lunchtime.
Even without our economies of scale one adult and me toddler/baby can live well for £50 a week on groceries.

Family of four plus 2 cats. Our entire shopping (so everything from food to cat food to floor cleaner), £400.00 a month. Aldi. I even have a spreadsheet.