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Food

Weekly spend on food?

(195 Posts)
Lily65 Thu 24-Jan-19 14:45:38

How much do you spend folks? Mine is absolutely over the top as I am wasteful and disorganised.

I would like to change!

2 adults by the way.

tanith Thu 24-Jan-19 14:49:51

Well now I’m only buying for one some weeks I only buy bread and fresh vegs as I stock up the freezer when I see a bargain on meat and fish.
I’d guess that I spend £40/50 per week but I eat out at a relatives at least once or twice a week.
How much are you spending?

BlueBelle Thu 24-Jan-19 15:02:00

I spend between £25 and £30 on main shop which includes cleaning and or loo rolls etc I may buy a few more veg later in the week so £35 max

Lily65 Thu 24-Jan-19 15:03:24

I'm not sure tanith. OH wanders off and buys things so I would have to factor that in.

HildaW Thu 24-Jan-19 15:15:06

Lily65....I think you've hit the nail on the head....its much more about feeling you are being wasteful than the actual amount. What one household would consider adequate another might consider very extravagant we all have different incomes/tastes/extravagances. For example I choose to have a box of organic vegetables every week. Its not cheap but the quality is always excellent and, because its not cheap I use every bit. I also choose to buy my meat from a local farm shop....little and good and plan a meal or two in advance so as not to waste it.
A bit of planning is good...in my case I just ensure I've got enough 'main meals' for three or four days - some fish, a portion of fresh meat plus something in the freezer and then pasta and pulses etc. in cupboard for one of our vege days. I try to check the cupboard before I shop to ensure I do not add to the stockpile of staples.....suddenly finding you have 6 large packets of pasta in the back of the cupboard is a tad annoying.
Weekly supermarket (including everything) is probably about £50....but then all of a sudden I'm out of washing powder, fancy a couple of bottles of wine and a glossy magazine and all of a sudden its nearly £80!
All I know is that magically it sort of balances out once a month....I check household statement and what goes in is more or less what comes out....so hence all is well.

Nonnie Thu 24-Jan-19 15:19:45

I started a thread today about the ONS report on what we spend our money on but no one commented!

EllanVannin Thu 24-Jan-19 15:43:16

Lily65, I can relate to your post but there's just one difference--------there's only myself ! I eat enough for two !

Septimia Thu 24-Jan-19 15:48:22

I used to challenge myself to keep it under £20 as we were both mature students with a very limited income. No chance now - it's usually around £40 to £50. I have to say, though, a large proportion of that is catfood, especially since one of our cats (rescued) has a digestion problem. I really begrudge the cost of things like detergent and loo paper.

Lily65 Thu 24-Jan-19 15:51:59

Hilda, phew, I thought it was just me that wasted money on magazines and wine.

Maggiemaybe Thu 24-Jan-19 16:02:49

Money spent on wine is never wasted. smilewine

Nonnie Thu 24-Jan-19 16:06:18

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/financialyearending2018/previous/v1

Main points
Average weekly household expenditure in the UK was £572.60 in the financial year ending 2018; the highest weekly spend since the financial year ending 2005, after adjusting for inflation.

Transport was the category with the highest average weekly spend of £80.80, equivalent to 14% of households’ average total weekly household expenditure.

Households with heads aged 50 to 74 years spent almost a quarter of their housing expenditure costs on alterations and improvements.

Average weekly household spending was the highest in London and the South East (over £650), whilst spending in the North East was the lowest, approximately £200 less.

Households with heads aged under 30 years and those in Northern Ireland spent the most on takeaway meals eaten at home, £7.80 and £8.60 respectively.

Households’ average weekly spend on alcoholic drinks away from the home was less in the financial year ending 2018 (£8.00) compared with 10 years ago (£10.90), after adjusting for inflation.

Households in London spent the most on alcoholic drinks away from home, spending an average of £9.30 a week.

Maggiemaybe Thu 24-Jan-19 16:12:12

I think we only spend around £40 just on food, but we eat at AC’s house two days a week while childminding and then eat out at least once a week. Also, we have an allotment. Wine is extra!

HildaW Thu 24-Jan-19 16:34:01

Hmm...we kid ourselves we are a bit self sufficient in Vegetables come the summer ( I cancel the vege box for a couple of months) but am sure once you weigh up cost of seeds and all the time spent potting up and then planting out its hardly a huge saving but hey ho.....that's what being retired is all about....spending time on what you like not what you have to do.
And no, money on wine AND chocolate is never a waste!

BBbevan Thu 24-Jan-19 18:11:29

There are just the two of us and all in, household stuff, papers, food etc averages out at £100 a week. I do go to Lidl and Tesco. I also make a list and a menu for the week. DH comes with me shopping and adds about a third more things. Hey ho. Not stressing about it though ?

lovingit Thu 24-Jan-19 18:53:57

I have no idea but it,s less than my horse and dog eat.

FlexibleFriend Thu 24-Jan-19 19:00:42

I'm an erratic shopper, I do a monthly shop for staples and top up as and when. I'm not wasteful but nor am I frugal.

Tartlet Thu 24-Jan-19 19:04:57

I’ve no real idea either. I prefer to shop little and often rather than one big weekly shop because I think it’s less wasteful and also much less of a chore to pack, carry and unpack. (I have a back problem which is exacerbated by lifting anything halfway heavy). But guessing I think we spend around £60 - 70 for two of us with quite simple tastes.

PamelaJ1 Thu 24-Jan-19 19:05:54

I think we seem to be a bit extravagant. If we are excluding wine then it must be near £100 but this does include cleaning stuff. There are 2 of us.
I notice that one or two of you eat with friends/ relatives. Don’t you have to return the hospitality? We returned some at the weekend and it was quite expensive.

Jobey68 Thu 24-Jan-19 19:06:22

I’m hopeless and shop most days as I don’t plan meals and never know what to cook! Chuck loads out and spend well in excess of £100 a week easily for just the two of us, it’s something I’m really trying to tighten up but I never seem to have the time to shop around and really think about what I’m doing.
Alcohol and take aways are on top but hubby pays for them so I don’t count that!

emmasnan Thu 24-Jan-19 19:23:40

Usually a £100 a week for two of us, that includes cleaning stuff and toiletries. We also feed teenage dgd twice a week. Now and then I spend a bit more.

Bathsheba Thu 24-Jan-19 19:44:29

Absolutely no idea! We just shop as we go along, day by day. We have a magnetised shopping list pad on the fridge and add things as they run out or we notice they're running low. Then whichever of us is going out takes the list, but we invariably buy other things as well, e.g. if they're on offer or if we see something we'd forgotten we need and so on. We probably spend around £100 a week, but that is really no more than a guess wink

Lily65 Thu 24-Jan-19 19:59:26

£100 a week?, so if there were 4 of you it might be around the 300 mark, that seems an awful lot.

Bathsheba Thu 24-Jan-19 20:16:33

How does £100 a week for two equate to £300 a week for four? confused

Lily65 Thu 24-Jan-19 20:20:54

Just a guesstimate?

MissAdventure Thu 24-Jan-19 20:20:57

Possibly about 30 or thereabouts.
I always stock up on things like washing powder (and coffee!) when its on offer, and I don't spend anything on alcohol, so I think 30 pounds, sometimes 20, sometimes 40.