Gransnet forums

Food

Weekly spend on food?

(196 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.

Blossomsmum Fri 25-Jan-19 11:59:25

I spend between £60 and £80 . That is for 4 adults breakfasts lunch dinner and snacks , plus 2 dogs , a cat and at least 3 grandchildren who are bottomless pits here weekends and school holidays . That includes cleaning stuff and treats .
I do cook from scratch most of the time and could cut it down a lot if they ate less meat , I am veggie .

sarahellenwhitney Fri 25-Jan-19 11:55:40

Lily65.How much do I spend ? far TOO much.

jusnoneed Fri 25-Jan-19 11:53:36

3 adults here and I spend between £70/80 a week usually, occasionally less or more. That is for everything food/drinks/cleaning/laundry etc. Cook from scratch nearly every day, very rarely eat out.
I split shopping between Asda and Lidl probably about half and half.

grannyactivist Fri 25-Jan-19 11:45:47

I couldn't give even an approximate figure because it changes week by week. We make our own bread and yoghurt (well, The Wonderful Man does grin). We also buy a deer about twice a year that he skins and butchers himself. Our fruit, salads and vegetables mostly come from the allotment, although I haven't quite managed to grow bananas or citrus fruit yet hmm. Our son is a grand fisherman so I often have a crab/lobster and some fish in the freezer courtesy of his spear gun.

Sometimes I'm feeding an army and (rarely) it's just the two of us (or one if TWM is away on a business trip). I spend a lot on cleaning products and as they're mostly 'Eco friendly' ones they're quite expensive. TWM does quite a lot of the shopping as he's the one with a car and I 'fill in the gaps' from the local Co-op. I make soups all the time with whatever veggies are around and a handful of lentils. We eat very little meat other than (free range) chicken and venison. I probably have a bottle of wine a month and TWM has a dozen or so beers in the same period.

I remember being permanently hungry as a child and I'm always conscious of the privilege it is to be able to put food on the table without worrying about the cost.

Jayelld Fri 25-Jan-19 11:38:14

I spend around 30 a month on meat, tins, dry goods and household then another £5 - £10 on transport. Weekly I will spend around £5 on milk, chocolate, and fresh fruit and veg, so I guess about £50 a month is my monthly spend. This does not include coffee shops, yarn or lunch out with my daughter and/or grandchildren.

hillwalker70 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:22:48

£20 to £25 a week. Another one who does not buy meat or alcohol or processed food. There is just me, I buy lots of veg, a little fruit, milk, cheese and eggs. No loyalty to any supermarket, tea, eggs and cheese come from village shop. I loathe cooking but can just about manage veg. soup or roasted veg or egg on toast, otherwise it’s salads with egg or cheese.

Lancslass1 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:15:54

We are lucky in that we have both a Lidl's and an Iceland close to where we live but I do an online shop once a month for cat food and toilet rolls.
I am fussy about the loo rolls and I buy the quilted ones because I reckon you don't need to use as much
If it wasn't for the empty cat food pouches we could get away with a bin collection once a month because we can recycle tin,glass and paper each week.

Bernie123 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:15:42

2-3 adults, £140 supermarket plus £40 butchers..per week... no wastage, no frozen,

Craftycat Fri 25-Jan-19 11:11:55

About £60-80 not including alcohol which DH buys. TBH he is a real pain as he goes shopping & buys stuff he fancies regardless of whether I have it in the house already or not & if it is perishable it can go to waste. I have told him so many times to check with me first! He also buys biscuits etc that we do not need & I'd make them if we did.Most of the bits he gets are unhealthy which is why he likes them.
I cook everything from scratch & the only convenience meal we ever have is the occasional pizza.
I buy all my meat from a local butcher so I know it is all free range & no Halal. It tastes amazing & I can buy exactly what I want as it is not pre-packed & he keeps his prices below Sainsburys. He can tell me which fields in the area the animals are in.
I also buy sausages from Supreme Sausages online- have done for about 15 years when we saw them at Ideal Home Exhibition. Proper sausages.
I have to say my spend goes up when DGC are staying for the weekend which is often.
DH is younger than I am & has a good few years to work yet so I do not yet have to budget too stringently.
Cat food is included in this & we have 4 cats.

Rachand Fri 25-Jan-19 11:09:38

Just come back from supermarket £90 for weekly shop plus I bet we spend about another £30 easily during the week, just the 2 of us! I don’t know how we manage it. I don’t drink, husband 2 - 3 bottles of wine a week, so I know that doesn’t help (cheaper than going to the pub of course)

DotMH1901 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:08:40

I shop for myself, my daughter and three grandchildren. I usually pay for the end of month/beginning of month shopping as I get my pension before my daughter gets paid. My DGC have very healthy appetites and I reckon to spend at least £100 for each shop. I usually watch for bargain prices on dishwasher tablets and non-bio detergent which helps reduce the cost a bit, I am also a yellow label shopper/reduced items buyer, lots of those in the freezer! All helps the money go further!

sluttygran Fri 25-Jan-19 11:05:03

I find myself wasting a lot of food.
I often cook for my AC and DGC, as they have such busy lives, and I enjoy their company when they come to me, however, I always over-cater and have lots of left overs which sometimes go to waste.
I also plan healthy meals for myself when I’m alone, but I have such a poor appetite that I waste a lot of that too!
I think I need to have a good think about my wasteful lifestyle - I spend £80-100 weekly, which is way over the top for one and a few visitors.
I don’t buy alcohol, or meat, and don’t have to buy laundry products. My friend brings his shirts round for me to launder, and in return he buys all my washing powder, fabric conditioner etc.
I shall be interested to see what tips you all have for saving a bit!

Polremy Fri 25-Jan-19 11:04:51

150euros a fortnight here in Tenerife.
Includes toiletries, cleaning stuff - everything.
On the list are at least 14 bottles of good quality wine too.
We eat out perhaps once a week but we entertain too.
Brilliant system here - we go to the supermarket, select our shopping, leave it in the trolley at checkout and they deliver the following day.

Maggie1952 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:02:21

I spend roughly £50 at the most. Perhaps a little more when I
Have a busy week with the grandchildren.

Janweb65 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:00:58

Shopping on line is a good way to curb overspending and impulse buys as you're not tempted to buy things you don't need in store. I use Sainsbury's. If you buy a delivery pass about £30 per year and spend over £40 per week that is all you pay for delivery. It saves petrol/time and you can do your shop at midnight in your pjs with a glass of wine in your hand. Beats trawling round supermarkets and queuing at the checkout.

Skweek1 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:00:25

DH and DS are both extravagant foodies - DH has a drop of cheap OB Brandy with his evening milk drink, enjoys a couple of bottles of lager each night and insists on buying meat from an expensive quality butcher, as well as quality bronze die spaghetti etc. DS has a weekly box of 12 Guiness tins, but my food needs are relatively low - I buy some packs of cuppa pastas (5 for £2), quality yoghurts, lots of fruit and veg. But they're both night owls - DS gets up about mid-day, then helps DH downstairs about 3pm, when he watches TV or we play a video game. I'm by nature a lark, but these days find myself burning the candle at both ends, trying to spend as much quality time with my family as I can (DH is not expected to live more than a year or two longer, but we have been living on borrowed time since we first met, so we do spend "us time" together. I need to eat about 6 o'clock, and tend to have a tin of my own lager or cider with my meal. My menfolk eat around midnight and go to bed about 2 or 3. We have a luxury family meal each week with MIL, one week she cooks, one week we do, so overall our grocery bills are horrendous - around £150 weekly. If I were on my own, I genuinely don't think I'd spend more than £20 or £25 weekly. I'm veggie and more often than not eat vegan, so wouldn't buy meat, don't much like spirits, so genuinely my own grocery bill is minimal - bread, eggs, fruit and veg, cheese, milk, cereal, soup, yoghurt, one or two ready meals, tea (don't like coffee).

GabriellaG54 Fri 25-Jan-19 11:00:18

The above doesn't include cleaning/ bathroom products, toiletries or flowers...obviously. I do drink about 3 pints of full fat milk day. Good for your bones. grin

annab275 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:56:52

I am pretty frugal and cook from scratch - usual spend is around £40 for two of us, including nearly everything (OH does top up shop at Holland and Barretts for nuts and seeds every couple of months or so). We eat mainly vegetarian, with eggs, veg and beans as staples. We never have a takeaway or wine. Occasional bacon or chicken as a treat. No loyalty re supermarkets!

GabriellaG54 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:54:33

About £40 as there is only me at home.
As a teetotal vegetarian who cooks from scratch and making 80% of my own bread, crumpets, quiche and all soups, my costs are considerably less than some other singles.
I usually shop in Waitrose and M&S/ farm shops/markets for fruit and veg. Herbs I grow at home.
I do eat cod and plaice but no other seafood, fowl or game, nor do I eat tofu or soya meat replacements...or nut roast. grin
In all, I eat very well but not at regulated times. Frankly, I don't keep an eye on my food spending. If I want it I buy it but never waste any.

sophie56 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:53:02

I spend between £30 and £60 depending on whether I have extras such as kitchen roll, menopause tablets etc. I also have to buy dog food which is an additional extra.

mabon1 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:52:57

I am horrified how many of you talk merrily about wasting food, what's the matter with you? I live alone and hardly ever (can't say never) waste any food at all. I spend around £25.00 - £30.00 a week on food (no wine as don't drink) I have milk from the milkman which is generally £3.25 a week.

Lily65 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:52:45

evianers....no I'm not envious because I would be drinking all of it for breakfast!!! I am glad its expensive here.

nannypiano Fri 25-Jan-19 10:52:07

I thought I was extravagant, but I'm quite pleased with myself judging what others of you spend. I manage to keep my food bill down to 40/50 a week. It's just me and two greedy dogs. That also includes a bottle of wine for Sat night. It has risen in the last 12 months though due to price rises. I always shop at Aldi.

Nandalot Fri 25-Jan-19 10:52:04

I thought at first we were really extravagant as our online shop hovers around £100, with some top ups in the week. That includes cleaning products and some wine at times. However, thinking about it, there are five of us, adult DD and 2 DGC. They often stay over as DD often travels for work and has very early mornings. They always eat the evening meal with us. So for 5, I don’t think that’s too bad.

Lily65 Fri 25-Jan-19 10:51:27

I am going to try and use up some of the stuff I already have in.

I am not judging anybody but £100 for 2 seems a lot ie £400 a month.