How much do you spend each week on food?

Not sure what we spend really, but it doesn't seem any more than it was ten years ago,around £90 on a supermarket shop I think, then another £20 or so on bits and bats at local shops.I will have to study the receipts to really find out.

So many names on this thread that don't usually comment, had no idea that Gransnet had so many members!

*Mamie

Yes I think prices for consumer goods are cheaper in Germany than in the UK or France.
I'll post some items + price on here in the next days so you can compare.

Shopped this morning in Tesco, went out for lunch, shopped at Morrinsons on the way home, not a clue what we spent

Having read some of the comments I am feeling better about my weekly spend at Waitrose for just me. £60 - £70/week. I am also mainly vegetarian with chicken and fish and I think it probably is slightly cheaper. I feel overall I eat well. Unfortunately for young families the parents and children are so busy these days that they do not have time to think carefully about what they are buying or paying therefore and buying in a hurry causes them to spend more.

We spend around £90 - £100 on our main shop (less if we don't need toiletries) and top up on milk, bread if we need it in the week. That is for four of us - we don't eat meat and I mainly cook from scratch.

"Like a few on here I'm stunned by the amounts being spent on food, especially by those claiming to be frugal."

Me too Hallgreenmiss.

I'm spending about £21pw for 2740kcal/day, so that would be about £15pw for 2000kcal/day.

Wow! I like a set amount of housekeeping each week, just for the challenge really, and I find I can get by with £ 50 for two of us plus the dog! I shop at Lidl mostly for everything, including loafs of fruit and veg, occasionally go to Wilco or Tesco for household things. I buy food, mainly meat, with 30% off because of 'end of sell by date' is close and mostly I cook frgom scratch. We eat out every now and then but always st places where we can get discount voucher- this is extra. Sometimes I might have a fiver over which goes in my pocket!

And yes, we always cook from scratch!

Go to Lidl. I cannot tell you how much we have saved since I stopped walking round the corner to Waitrose. I hop on the train with my Freedom Pass. 10 minutes to Clapham Junction and Lidl. Only have a basket not a trolley (so I can judge how much I can carry-usually 2 full shopping bags) back on the train, all done and dusted in 90 minutes! DH goes in the car once a month for heavy stuff; tins tomato, tins butter beans etc. Food is excellent quality and there is no comparison on price. How to eat really well for a lot less. ?

Again just two of us plus cat - average £80-90 pw for everything including lots of fruit and veg, wine, household & cleaning products, toiletries etc. Most weeks I go to Tesco but every 4th week to Waitrose to stock up on their excellent "3 for £10" offers and their ground coffee. I cook mostly from scratch, we have a veggie day once a week and 2 days when we have fish of some description. DH bakes all our bread, we seldom eat out, but we do quite a bit of entertaining; I love to put together a menu which has maximum oomph for minimum cost!

Like a few on here I'm stunned by the amounts being spent on food, especially by those claiming to be frugal. For 2 of us I average £45-50 just on food. We eat well, sometimes entertain the family, 6 adults and 4 children and make most,though not everything, from scratch. I would struggle to get through the amounts some are spending here. I waste very little.

Same as original post but that includes washing powder, shower soap, loo rolls, toothpaste and cleaning materials etc There are two of us.

I live on my own and eat nutritious home cooked meals or salads. I usually shop at Waitrose and regularly spend about £35 a week, plus an £80 monthly delivered online shop for all the heavy things.

Interesting deMichael. On the whole I find the UK and France work out roughly the same with some things cheaper, some more expensive.
Is food in Germany that much cheaper?
We never have convenience food which does seem to be more popular / available in the UK.

Don't stick to a budget but would think I spend about £40 at Lidi a week, and once a month spend about £40 at either a butcher or Iceland on meat. This all gets frozen in portions if not frozen already, some of this will be over for the next month.Very rarely have takeaway, I like good quality food and like to cook from scratch. CAN'T ABIDE WASTE. It amazes me the amount some people throw away. Like to keep a well stocked food cupboard and freezer. If family come (which they do very often) I have plenty to fall back on. There are the two of us mainly and 2 large dogs. The dogs food is bought in bulk as it is so much cheaper. We like our treats and usually eat out once a month. Rarely drink alcohol. Basically we get what we want and think we do well for food.

I checked prices from Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and compared them with prices in their shops here. Any item I check is more expensive on the English island.

I do the shopping and cooking cos we share the work that's needed to be done. We have fish 2x a week, 2-3x and meat. We seldom have pork never lamb but smoked fish in the evenings 3 to 4 times a week. I cook a variation of Italien-, French- and old German cuisine with a lot of garlic, onion, celeries, beans, peas and others up to the season we are in.
Prices vary at the time of the year of course.
During spring and summer I spent less than in fall and winter.
All the veggies we want is been bought from the local farmer and we do the same with the meat, eggs a.s.o.
For the two of us we need about € 65.00 and € 85.00 a week.
We have the beef broth with green beans, tomatoes and sour cream for two days f.i. depends on the temperature we are in.

I never buy convenience foods except ice cream but even noodle and bread are made by myself.

We found we are spending less at lidle / aldi. Meat and fish very cheap !

On average £100 for two of us and two cats Mostly Sainsburys with an Aldi visit about once a month for cereal,cleaning stuff, wine etc .I have been meal planning for 35 years !When working I did not have time to shop around and life is too short...
The above does include at least £20 a week on wine,all cleaning materials and most toiletries, sometimes make up ,the odd clothing purchase and the odd book,magazine or CD. Food only probably about £60.We do have M and S £10 deal most weekends but rarely a take away (very occasionally fish and chips).If we eat out (maybe once every three months or so), it's usually for a celebration with family so wouldn't 'count ' that under normal expenditure as it could easily be £30 a head
I could easily cut it down but have no real need to . We eat eat well ,most meals from scratch, lots of vegetarian, chicken and fish.Have stopped buying cheese as we both love it in an attempt to lose weight and that alone probably saves
£10 a week .

we spend around £80 but that does include the cat food and toiletries and cleaning products. I find shopping online to a menu plan helps as I am not tempted by packaging or offers. not much red meat but a fair bit of chicken and fish. No alcohol. Good quality coffee is my vice!

Between £20-30 a week with an occasional large shop - maybe every 2 months - of £50 just for one. After finding myself still cooking for 2 for a long while and wasting food I learned to freeze portions rather than eat over two days and now eat a balance of freshly prepared meals and my own freezer meals. Some weeks I only need milk, bread and fresh produce and others a larger shop as stocks run down again. I use the freezer to the full so take advantage of offers on foods I enjoy and reduced items along with gluts from the garden or shared by friends. I still have stewed apples for a few pies or crumbles in the freezer from four huge bags of fallers donated by a friend last year.

Yesterday I was talking to someone in a similar situation and she raved about supermarkets not catering for single people but she never froze any meals or uncooked meat or fish, simply using her family-sized freezer for bought frozen food. To me the freezer is friend ensuring I have milk, bread and other eseentials on hand in bad weather as the nearest shop is a six mile drive with no public transport option. I suppose it is all down to perception.

We live in an urban village with 4 high street size grocers, COOP, Sains, Tesco and Waitrose within walking distance. So we shop every day AFTER eating breakfast and it's our 'walk'. Going on a fully tummy keeps the impulse buys down, and I usually get good 'reduced' items that are high-end.

Only at holidays and BDs do I stock up of special stuff with a home delivery fr Ocado (better use-by dates than Waitrose). That way I get things that are not normally carried in the small high street stores. I have not driven to a grocery in about 3 years. If I need a lot, I take a shopper trolley thingy.

If you live close to stores... it's an easy way to get fit as you have to walk to eat LOL !

Well, Ariana, it does seem that you are quite normal in line with quite a few on here but personally I'm shocked at the price some of you are paying for your food shops. While I don't penny pinch and don't particularly have a tight budget at present, I do smart shopping. This, as some have said, is buying at the right time, bulk buy when on offer if they can freeze or are non perishable. Smart shopping pays for the treats and the "Dine ins" I do occasionally buy. I particularly like Tesco's as I like their Moscato and they have a good choice of meals, sides and puds.

I also have an allotment so grow/freeze loads of veg and have an abundance of fruit. I make my own pasta sauces with courgettes, onions, tomatoes etc. I also make jams and chutneys too. This also keeps food costs down.

I suppose it depends on you, Ariana, and you need to ask yourself, and answer honestly, some questions to see if you want or need to change. eg

Do you have a lot of waste?
Are you eating too much and need to adjust for health reasons?
Are you eating a few too many unhealthy treats?
Do you need to save some of that money to go towards a holiday or special treat?

If you answer yes to any or all of these then, Yes, you are spending too much.

Good luck and enjoy.

M&S have just sent an e-mail in which the spokesperson says, if like her you have bbq's booked every weekend until September, why not try their Dover sole for a light midweek meal. £30 for 4 portions. Any takers?

Around £70-80 per week, I shop mostly online from Ocado and do the basic order the week before, editing it as I go through the week, adding things I need or subtracting things if I change my mind. I think that I do less impulse buying this way. Also go the a Farmers' Market at the weekend for bread and deli stuff, then call in at the local Sainsbury's to pick up odds and ends that I think of.
This doesn't include wine which I buy by the case online when the fancy takes me - I'm guessing this would add around £25 per week or so.