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Original poster

How much do you spend on food every month?

57 replies

MixedFamily · 04/02/2025 19:47

Where do you shop and what are you food habits like? Do you eat out a lot, do you meal prep?
We are a family of 3 and spend around £400 a month in food (Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose) but DD eats most meals in nursery and DH and I are in the office 3 days a week and tend to buy lunch out (a bad habit we are determined to cut). We have a meal out once a week or so, like a brunch or a pizza.
Our fridge is never that full although we never go without anything but I wonder what everyone’s shopping/food habits are like.
We usually just have the essentials at home and weekly ingredients for some key meals but we very rarely keep lots of treats/drinks and nice things stocked up, for example.

OP posts:
Whimsicalgrape · 04/02/2025 19:48

Approx 100 a week, family of 3. Packed lunches for school and work. I include cleaning products and toiletries in my shop.

Pre covid, it was about 60-70 pw.

Overthebow · 04/02/2025 19:50

We spend £400-£500 a month on food shops, then extra for eating out, take away, snacks on days out. Family of 4.

Joddlebod · 04/02/2025 19:51

About £550 per month (incl all toiletries and cleaning)

rach7979 · 04/02/2025 19:52

£400-£500 Per month plus take aways and eating out. 2 adults here full time, ds when he's home
from uni and my dp on a weekend.

Pickandmixusername · 04/02/2025 19:54

About £500 including cleaning stuff and most toiletries (sometimes I get something fancier than what the supermarkets stock)

Ghostsmindgate · 04/02/2025 19:54

£50-60 every 10 days.
I meal plan every meal.
1 adult, 2 teenagers (one has afrid).
Dc1 has school dinner 5 days a week, dc2 has school dinner 2x week, pack lunch 3x week.
Tend to cook from scratch.
Have a tesco online delivery.
Some things I buy ready prepared (onions, peppers, frozen veg) as I have disabilities.
I buy regular things when they're on offer. Bulk buy where possible (including rice, pasta, herbs and spices).
I always have a few extra tins, extra bread, milk, emergency meals, snacks as we tend to get snowed in or incase Tesco don't bring something (very rare).

Theextraordinaryisintheordinary · 04/02/2025 19:54

£800

Completelyjo · 04/02/2025 19:56

I think it’s lower because I don’t always view it as everything that is actually spent but really it’s at least £700 for a family of 2 adults and 2 preschoolers.

  • Food shop of around £70/80 which lasts about 5 days including household items.
  • Then DH spends about £7 a day x 3 days on lunch.
  • I maybe spend £3 a day x 4 days on lunch.
  • At least one proper meal out which is maybe £80 including one or two drinks each
  • and then easily £20 on each weekends for coffee & pastries or a glass of wine and olives out.
Sheepareawesome · 04/02/2025 19:56

About 1000. Family of 5, of whom 4 are home all day including 2 x teenage boys. That includes food for 2 dogs and 2 cats too and a shit ton of snacks and packed lunch for work.

ginmakesitallok · 04/02/2025 19:56

Quite a bit more than pps. About £110 per week on Tesco shop, £70 on takeaway and about £100 a week on eating out.

Lovebirdslovetea · 04/02/2025 19:57

What’s the point in comparing everyone’s needs are different

Mysleepingangel · 04/02/2025 19:58

£500 per month, including toiletries. 5 adults and 1 pre schooler.

We tend to cook from scratch a lot and use meat too.

Very less wastage which is probably why we can manage this.

Eileen101 · 04/02/2025 19:59

My budget us £200 per month for 3 of us -
1 adult, 2 in infants.
The children are on free school dinners as they are in the infants. They have a proper dinner each day, so often have a quick tea - omelette, beans ok toast or similar.
I make my own bread, cakes, biscuits as much as possible.
I batch cook meals where possible. As I work full time, the slow cooker is my best friend! Chillis, curries etc.
It helps that my kids are small rather than great strapping teens needing lots if feeding. We're also broadly veggie, one child is the exception but I buy very little meat.
I also don't drink and have low beauty standards which lowers the bill!

No meals out unless it's a family celebration. Helpfully my mum often insists on paying for those...

I do one large shop per month for tins etc, then a top up mid month for fruit, salad, bread flour, milk. I prefer Asda because fruit etc which we use a lot of, is cheaper, but they still deliver.

MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel · 04/02/2025 20:00

Around £200-£220 a week for 5 people.

We shop at Tesco, we don't meal plan at all and we do buy nicer foods like Tesco finest fruit and branded foods but we can afford it. Having lived for a long time where we couldn't afford even the cheapest food, we are now choosing to put money to our food budget and buy things we prefer now that we can.

Lovebirdslovetea · 04/02/2025 20:02

Eileen101 · 04/02/2025 19:59

My budget us £200 per month for 3 of us -
1 adult, 2 in infants.
The children are on free school dinners as they are in the infants. They have a proper dinner each day, so often have a quick tea - omelette, beans ok toast or similar.
I make my own bread, cakes, biscuits as much as possible.
I batch cook meals where possible. As I work full time, the slow cooker is my best friend! Chillis, curries etc.
It helps that my kids are small rather than great strapping teens needing lots if feeding. We're also broadly veggie, one child is the exception but I buy very little meat.
I also don't drink and have low beauty standards which lowers the bill!

No meals out unless it's a family celebration. Helpfully my mum often insists on paying for those...

I do one large shop per month for tins etc, then a top up mid month for fruit, salad, bread flour, milk. I prefer Asda because fruit etc which we use a lot of, is cheaper, but they still deliver.

Edited

According to the NHS website you should be getting 2 portions of oily fish a week each. And meat contains nutrients that you can’t get from a vegetarian diet, once you have factored in the cost of supplements you might as well just buy the meat. If you don’t your children will be deficient in certain nutrients like omega 3 and suffer health issues later in life

Dr13Hadley · 04/02/2025 20:02

I would say about £500-600 a month. Two adults, two boys (8 and 11) on packed lunches who never stop eating and a cat (who also never stops wanting to eat)

Shopping delivery from Ocado as Morrisons became too expensive in comparison (honestly) and a small top up shop in Tesco midweek.

That also includes hosting my widowed FIL every fortnight who insists on home cooked meals ie roast dinners etc plus we rarely have takeaways and practically never eat out.

Jk987 · 04/02/2025 20:05

Yeah our weekly shop is always more than £100 and then we do top ups. I'm sure with more thought we could get it down. 2 adults, 1 pre schooler.

HayleyBean · 04/02/2025 20:06

£700-800 a month for 2 adults, a toddler and a cat. I have no idea how we spend so much. The week's food shop is easily £120 plus a top up shop during the week. We get through a lot of oat milk - probably £50-60 a month. I have an app to track our spending and it's a shocker

Lovebirdslovetea · 04/02/2025 20:08

HayleyBean · 04/02/2025 20:06

£700-800 a month for 2 adults, a toddler and a cat. I have no idea how we spend so much. The week's food shop is easily £120 plus a top up shop during the week. We get through a lot of oat milk - probably £50-60 a month. I have an app to track our spending and it's a shocker

You can make a big pot of your own oat milk if you have the time.

weatherissweetenough · 04/02/2025 20:08

Only two of us and I probably spend about £60 on the main shop (including toiletries etc) but we buy fresh stuff a couple of times a week on top of that.

I'm not very efficient at using up what's in the freezer, I think that would help matters.

nahthatsnotforme · 04/02/2025 20:17

About £120 in Sainsbury's then another £20-30 on top ups

Only 2 of us but we do have extras for dinner at least once a week.

I don't know where it goes tbh

MyNewLife2025 · 04/02/2025 20:17

Around £500 per month. 2 adults.
It includes ALL food so we have no take away,lunch etc…
We also have meat or fish everyday.
All food made from scratch which is actually more expensive that the cheapest freezer options.

CoastalCalm · 04/02/2025 20:52

2 adults one dog £500 a month , £100 a week for grocery shop and £100 at start of month for a B&M / dog supplies chews / tradewinds order or visit to Indian supermarket.

Eat out or takeaway maybe once a month

Quitelikeit · 04/02/2025 20:58

£70 every ten days! Now that’s rare

Raindropskeepfallinonmyhead · 04/02/2025 21:03

Funnily enough l decided this month to actually log eberything l spend on food cos l had no idea. Am horrified that since the 24th Jan l have spent £200 already. Family of 3