Reasonable food budget for two adults and a teenager?

[CareBearClaire]

I spend far too much money on food every month. I try to eat UPF and scratch dinners but it’s expensive. What do you think is a reasonable budget for two adults and one 16 year old DC? What suggestions do you have to keep food costs down? Thanks!

What sort of meals do you enjoy? Maybe you can eat similar and make it more cost effective (and healthier). Eg add a ton of diced carrot, celary, onions, mushrooms and green lentils to mince when you make a ragu to make the mince go further and freeze portions for another day. Serve the spag bol you make from it with peas and broccoli so you need less ragu overall on your plate.

Buy frozen veg, frozen berries, frozen fish because it's cheaper than fresh and you avoid any food waste

We average out at about £400, to £450 a month for the 3 of us. Cook from scratch, eat meat or fish every day. The most UPF we get is cereal and bread.

I was spending £80 a week for shopping for two students and one adult, one other adult 4 days a week for dinner only

Its now more, with the price increases.

I plan meticulously and am considering purchasing another small three draw freezer to keep costs down.

I follow a few budget, non UPF people online - they make dinners, bread, pitta, pizza and freeze. Im pouring over recipes at the moment planning - so will pick out 7 recipes, if the recipe is for 4 people I will make 4 x the amount and freeze 3 portions for the next 3 weeks of the month. If you do that with the other 6 meals/recipes - not only do you have the following 3 weeks with of meals - you don't have to cook for another 3 weeks.

I also make bread, so 8 loaves will do us for the month and 4 bathes of rolls - I use ether the bread maker if being lazy or the no knead method which is easy to find on YouTube - I slice the bread and pop in the freezer for toast.

I make pizza dough, divide into 4 & coat in semolina and part bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes - put all the toppings on and then freeze between baking paper and into large food ziplock bags. As they are smaller they fit either int he oven or air fryer. I make batches and get all the topping on and freeze. My favourite is garlic mushroom.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a29573080/sausage-pasta-bake/. this feeds 4 so make 4x the mount

• 75g gruyère, grated
• 3 tbsp capers, drained

Im not purchasing these - so got a block of cheddar and a parmesan and used those - put in food processor to grate to make life easy. and omitted the capers, not needed. I didn't have sourdough so used normal homemade bread - it works fine

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarragon_chicken_79640 this is something else I would make - again id buy a big pack of Sainsbury chicken thighs 2kg and then portion out for 2/3 dinners

https://www.jadesbites.co.uk/char-sui-pork#google_vignette. rice freezes and this is cheaper than a takeaway, pork is economical and its quicker than a takeaway when you don't want to cook.

I purchase extra milk, freeze the milk - this saves a dash to the supermarket and the milk costing £20 as you've picked up other stuff

frozen fruit and tinned apples (Sainsbury own tinned apples haven't got anything added - great for later in the month on porridge with cinnamon)

Spending £400 on a shop but it last 3/4 weeks is far cheaper and easier - but you have to be very organised.

I like the fact I get 3 hours back, as im not spending an hour each week in the supermakert shopping - but instead spend that time cooking in bulk but then don't have to cook for the rest of the month

£100 to £150 a week

Same - that does include the occasional bottle of booze for me, steaks on Friday, and a ridiculous number of muesli bars for eldest (I'm 1 adult and 2 teen boys). Most meals are home cooked, cereal or toast for breakfast, lunch at school (so only lunch for me)

My most recent shop yesterday was milk/chicken/chips/fruit and veg as a top up from a bigger shop I did last Saturday (120quid - included a bottle of Rum though) and was 60quid. , and I'll probably go out for more milk and bits on Monday - but it evens out to somewhere between 100 and 150/week.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bhuna_murgh_masala_90385

This is a staple in our house every month - I might change other recipes but this and the crunchy broccoli and tuna pasta is on repeat (by the way I don't buy tender stem bro - just normal broccoli as its much cheaper)

I then make up 4 x the rice - I use basmati rice and put in turmeric and salt and pepper and cook in chicken stock - then freeze the rice in large zip lock bags flat. this way I can just microwave the rice and chicken bhuna which saves time and effort.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quick_flatbreads_43123

flat breads freeze really well - so I make up around 24 and pop in a zip lock bag to pull out and microwave to go with the rice and bhuna - or use as a wrap with tuna and mayo

Frozen curry from a big batch is a life-saver - I'll often catch eldest defrosting one for breakfast!

I spend around £125-150 a week for dh, dc (young adult) and myself.

Batch cook - cook double portions of bolognese and freeze one.

Offers - If your favourite pasta, coffee, shampoo etc is on offer, buy extra .

I can certainly recommend the BBC bhuna recipe and what a great breakfast!

I've had Japanese students who have said they are used to having last nights left overs for breakfast the next day - this did cause a commotion once when one girl ate the previous evenings banoffe pie for breakfast as it was all lost in translation! poor girl

https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/cheeseburger-meatballs/

this is also on my plan - not made this before and shall not be cooking the lettuce - but the meatballs with cheese inside I think will go down a treat with students - plus is a recipe for 6 so easy to double up and get 4 portions for the month