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Legal, pensions and money

Grocery budget for two... now .

(144 Posts)
Sandytoes Sun 02-Oct-22 15:51:34

There are lots of threads about grocery budgets , but they are mostly out of date or are for a family of four or more . Just wondered what other couples spend now on food , basic toiletries and cleaning products. We are now spending £80-90 per week ( which includes about £7 of pet food ). It seems a lot for the two of us , especially as I home cook most meals and this doesnt include any alcohol.

Sandytoes Tue 04-Oct-22 12:12:59

I feel much better now ! . I had read a few mumsnet threads where anything above £50 for 2 was deemed extortionate. Like another poster we rarely eat out or have takeaways so I like the food we buy and cook at home to be the best we can afford.

LizzieDrip Tue 04-Oct-22 12:13:22

On average, for the two of us, we spend about £90 per week. That includes food, toiletries, cleaning goods etc, and a couple of bottles of wine. I don’t think that’s excessive. We eat well, though not extravagantly; have a proper, balanced, home-cooked meal every evening. I believe a good, healthy diet is something we should not scrimp on.

HillyN Tue 04-Oct-22 12:15:53

I think we spend about £90 a week on food, drink and other household stuff. This includes feeding my DD's family once a week and a takeaway for 6 once a fortnight. We do notice it is increasing though, so may be nearer £100.

Albangirl14 Tue 04-Oct-22 12:21:47

Also when you calculate three meals a day plus hot drinks and toiletries and so on it doesn,t work out very much per meal . I justify spending on home cooked good food as eating out is so expensive so we rarely do that.

Purpledaffodil Tue 04-Oct-22 12:22:37

Ouch just checked! Two of us. omnivores . Was £60 a week in August at Aldi ( up from closer to £40 last year) now closer to £80 in Tesco as need to have delivery for health reasons. No alcohol and usually cook from scratch and make own bread. Rolls are especially cost saving.
Just bought 48 loo rolls from the awfully named “Who gives a crap”. But they do good works with their profits.
Try to buy ethically: bird friendly olive oil, higher welfare meat in small amounts and free range eggs. But will be looking to reduce Tesco shop cost.

Merryweather Tue 04-Oct-22 12:24:04

Me and DP plus three rapidly growing children we only have £80 per week. I’m in a gluten free diet too so really difficult to buy cheap staples of flour, gravy any sauce is made from scratch. Our heating won’t be turned on again this year and Christmas will be a dire affair.

anna7 Tue 04-Oct-22 12:28:53

I am another who is amazed at how little some people spend. I spend around £120 a week on food, drink and cleaning stuff. Even if I have a ' cheap' week it still ends up costing me the same somehow! I do a big roast for all the family about every three weeks and always make a couple of puddings or cakes. I usually cook from scratch and nothing is wasted. I do shop in one of the more expensive supermarkets (not Waitrose or M and S) because I take my very elderly mum who refuses to shop elsewhere but I do need to cut back.

We do eat fairly healthily and we enjoy our food and eat well. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes but I do need to cut back.

annsixty Tue 04-Oct-22 12:33:14

I am finding this thread so depressing I will have to stop reading it.
Where will it all end I ask myself.
Not long now to the haves and the have nots.

CleoPanda Tue 04-Oct-22 12:38:08

Gosh you are a frugal lot! Admirable.
I’m afraid my weekly shop for 2 now averages at £80 to £100. That doesn’t include loo rolls, kitchen towels and tissues which come on subscription from “Who Gives A Crap” ( fabulously ethical company!), washing capsules from “Smol”, multi vits from “Feel”.
We only eat meat once a week; chicken breasts or bacon. Buy wine only prior to visiting friends for a meal. Rarely eat out. Have 1 takeaway per month. 1 ready meal a week. Don’t buy biscuits, salty snacks etc.
I try to buy local, British, free range, sustainable, organic and ethical wherever possible. I think that puts the costs up.

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 04-Oct-22 12:43:44

I agree annsixty. I’m out.

hilz Tue 04-Oct-22 12:50:37

Hard to say but I am far more concious since lockdown of what I buy. Think it must be from the days of online ordering and only being able to utilise what we had in.
I try to plan meals and only shop weekly for our fresh fruit and veg. I visit a farm shop for our meat every couple of weeks and pop things in the freezer. Supermarket about once a month now. I bake more and eat fewer processed food. I never buy bottled water, rarely buy carbonated drinks or ready meals now and think thats probsbly helped. But Oh dear...budget or not, nothing stops me buying chocolate

Grantanow Tue 04-Oct-22 12:54:50

Hard to say because our supermarket purchases vary a lot depending what we have in the freezer and the cupboard. We do eat a fair amount of wild venison from online suppliers but I'm dubious about overpaying for allegedly better welfare meat. We do however buy non-nitrite bacon.

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 04-Oct-22 13:01:46

I will return just to ask Merryweather how it is that two adults and three children only have £80 a week?

Shazmo24 Tue 04-Oct-22 13:06:53

I try to keep the budget down to £40 per week for the 2 of us but we don't have pets.
I do cook for 4 so that I always have a portion left to freeze and can be used at a later date
Also get bigger packs of chicken & freeze half

lynx Tue 04-Oct-22 13:07:42

I spend about £80 to £90 a week for two of us. I do buy meat, being diabetic I can't just bulk out with grains or lentils as they add carbohydrates! We eat a lot of various cheeses too. Also includes a box of wine!

3dognight Tue 04-Oct-22 13:12:36

In Aldi - for the dogs £25 spent on raw poultry and beef. £25 spend on alcohol. The bill usually comes to £100 so about £50 spent on food, cleaning products/ toilet paper/kitchen roll.
At the butchers about £20.

That’s every week.

paddyann54 Tue 04-Oct-22 13:15:07

We are lucky we dont have to budget but I've always kept household accounts so I know my food shop has almost doubled since the first lockdown.That doesn't count cat food and litter bought online or alcohol ,bought by the case from a wineclub or from The Whisky Exchange .
My daughter tells me her weekly spend for 2 adults and teens is around £140 a week .She cooks everything from scratch and they hoover up massive amounts of fruit and veg

Helenlouise3 Tue 04-Oct-22 13:17:58

Our supermarket shop is around £90- £100 every 10/11 days or so. This includes a joint for roasting, a chicken, liver/mince/casserole meat , All fruit and veg etc. It also includes a bottle of wine and a few cans of beer. We buy bread and milk from the instore bakery of the shop in the village as well as anything we run out before the next big shop. We do spend a bit in places like B & M buying washing powder/softener, corned beef and tuna from there.

MadeInYorkshire Tue 04-Oct-22 13:18:51

I do my Mum's grocery shopping online - it used to be around £45 - 55 a week or a bit more when she buys dog food, but now it is between £70 and £90 a week!! Fortunately I have just got her Attendance Allowance so that will help - she is paying £80 a month on electricity bills and that's not enough - just paid the £10 excess from the last bill. Storage heaters that haven't even been on for months! It's scary ....

crazyH Tue 04-Oct-22 13:19:29

shazmo - that’s my spending for one. Hmmmmm…must start cutting down.

harrigran Tue 04-Oct-22 13:36:18

My weekly grocery bill is usually £130 to £150 pounds and there is just me although I do feed others at least three times a week.
Last week my Sainsbury's bill was £140 and I spent a further £70 in Aldi on storage cupboard things.
I do have expensive tastes in wine but that is not usually bought at Sainsbury's
I do not feel the need to economise so whatever I fancy goes in the basket.

cc Tue 04-Oct-22 13:48:53

We spend about the same as Sandytoes, split between a weekly online delivery and several top-up shops.
The reason I noticed the rising prices is because I try to get the order down to the Ocado minimum order (£40) and I'm finding that my fridge is virtually empty before my regular weekly delivery and my freezer contents are definitely running down.
I've just signed up for Ocado's Smartpass delivery because I know that there are reductions on things I buy regularly. (There's an offer at the moment, two months free deliveries and a £9.99 voucher for the Christmas delivery).

Fernhillnana Tue 04-Oct-22 13:51:08

£250 per month for two adults and two dogs. Think that’s about average.

JIns Tue 04-Oct-22 13:54:47

Between £90-£100 includes everything, wine, odd bottle of gin, cleaning products etc. we still buy the coffee we like but have switched brands on some items and as time goes by am guessing there are some ‘luxuries’ that we may forgo. (Happy Retirement?) ?

Norah Tue 04-Oct-22 14:02:43

Our food, cleaning supplies, pet foods cost seems to be rising. I'm not sure of the total, I account the money monthly, not weekly.

Too many variables and bulk purchases.