Monthly shopping costs?

[theroux21]

How much do you all spend on your food shops? How much would you say is a good target each month?

We’re currently spending an arm and a leg (I feel) on our shopping each month (including toiletries, formula, nappies, household supplies). There’s two adults, one 6 month old and a dog. So far this month we have spent £400 (food, nappies, formula, dog food, toiletries, household stuff). We shop fortnightly at Tesco, and pick up tops up throughout the week (milk, bread, fruit, veg). The two adults both need a lot of calcium due to issues with bones.

Preferably would like to try and chop that amount in half each month.

Any tips or tricks? How much would you aim to spend each month?

Thanks :)

Eat veggie
Try Aldi
Can you get a prescribed calcium supplement?
Make food from scratch

What are you currently buying?

We spend £800 a month. Only night time nappies now 2 adults, 5 year old and 2 children. We spend a fortune on Oatley milk and yoghurt and I buy too much prepared stuff so I’m not the best to ask.

If you had less income, you won't go hungry. The less money you have the more economical you become with your shopping. It's often that having more income means you are able to be lazier when it comes to meals.

We're a family of 6, plus dogs. 2 adults 2 teens (who eat bigger amounts than the adults), one tween who eats adult sized amounts and a primary school child. We spend about £750 a month.

I'm a SAHM, we have zero disposable income. Or more accurately, all our disposable income is spent on extra curricular activities for the children.

We have to economize. I cook from scratch every day. So my shopping is things like joints of cheap meat, vegetables, pulses, rather than convenience food. I always think of ways to bulk out meals to stretch it further.

Agree with trying to get your calcium from a supplement and eating veggie more often.

Things like Gobi Aloo, three bean chilli and jacket Potatoes are all cheap and filling and the baby will be able to have them as well when weaning starts

Almost forgot, Cheese & Potato Pie with a can of baked beans is another cheap meal.

Have you tried cheaper toiletries and nappies as well? You might be better getting all of your cleaning things and toiletries from Home Bargains or Wilkos.

A 1kg pack on mince can make a gazillion meals, if you're clever with it. My mince type-meals tend to go like this:

Massive vat of 3 cans tomato, 3 peppers, 2 onions, 3 chopped carrots, 1 handful split peas, 4 handfuls of lentils, beef (2stock cubes) stock, tom puree and mixed herbs. Cook and liquidize to smooth with a stick blender (my children think they don't like 80% if that veg, but they don't realise cos its blended)

(1) Take out 6 ladles and serve with pasta
= 6 portions of Veggie Bolognese

(2) Brown mince in frying pan and add to the veg bolo sauce. Remove 6 ladle's full, serve with spaghetti
= 6 Portions of Spaghetti Bolognese

(3) Use around 4 ladle's full with simple cheese sauce, layer in a large lasagne dish, top with a scrunched up packet if crisps and cheddar cheese.
= 6 portions of Lasagne

(4) Add cumin, garam Masala, ginger, white potatoes and diced carrots. Serve with rice
= 6 portions of Keema curry

You've got 24 portions there - for £5 mince, £5 vegetables and staples like pasta, rice, potatoes - maybe another £5. So £15 and that's over estimating - less than 60p a meal. I wouldn't eat those meals on consecutive days, but always cook the same series of things with my mince and serve two of the meals over 2 days, freeze the other two meals for another meal.

The mythical Mumsnet chicken is another example. Extra large chicken (£4) and nothing-fancy veg (£4) for roast dinner one day. Add cream cheese (£1) to what's left of the chicken and serve with pasta (£1) for carbonara. That would do us 12 adult portions for about £10.

I think £100 per week is about average nowadays tbh. £50 a week with baby and formula/ nappies is tight. I think I would aim for £80 per week to start with and then see from there.

Nappies and wipes wise, have you considered reusable? Buy once and no monthly costs.

@FATEdestiny is £750 a typo? We spend £450 for our family of 9. £750 isn’t economical.

£150 a week, 3 adults one child

2 adults, 1 preschooler, 1 baby.
I'd say we spend £350-£400 a month. £250 ish a month in Tesco or Sainsbury's plus usually £20-30 a week extra on milk, bread, fruit, maybe a oven pizza on a Friday, plus any household stuff or toiletries. I normally get these from Home Bargains or Savers as they're much cheaper. We're predominantly veggie which does help keep costs down overall

Nappies are about £10 a month, I use own brand and get the big boxes of wipes from Aldi when the baby sale is on. Formula is the big cost - DS gets through more than a tub a week so probably £50-£60 a month depending on if we're out loads as we use ready made milk to take out with us.