How much do you spend on food each week?

[Champ]

Because I think it’s a huge amount of money for a less than extravagant lifestyle. On paper Mrs Paul and I have a very good income. However, at the end of every month there’s nothing left and little to show for it.

 

Or maybe your idea of 'a very good income' is out of step with the actual cost of stuff.

 

I think that about our life. We have a reasonable income but after bills and day to day living I find myself  a couple of weeks into every month checking the calendar for when we're next paid

[Bobby Hundreds]

Between 70 to 90 quid a week if you include midweek top ups. Two of us me and the missus. We take turns on who buys the food each week and everything else is just joint account we both pay. It's usually 70 quid when it's her turn and 90 quid when it's my turn to pay. She does all the actual shopping though.

[Anubis]

Where do you live, Razor?

Monaco.

[Oh Buoy]

Disagree with this. Bought a 6 pack of mixed Belgian beers from Lidl; all glorious, the weakest being 7.2%. 2 of them were called Piraat. Aldi can't compete with that.

This sounds like an item in the world food/special buys section. If so, we can discard that comparison as Lidl have a superior section in that area.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

I remember my Mum rummaging under the couch for money for shopping when my dad would be off work, rained off or I'll in the 70's.

Now that was organic.

[Furmedge]

I'd hate to add up our monthly spend on food. Two adults, two kids. The kids are generally very fussy and don't eat the same meal as the adults 95% of the time. We can easily spend close to £100 a week and then have ad-hoc trips to the shops throughout. I work close to a Morrisons, Tesco and Asda so tend to wander over on lunch and then pick something else for tea. We don't generally have much time when we get home so a lot of what we eat is prepared, so the trays of chicken with vegetables already sliced and diced, pre-peeled spuds etc which all adds up in comparison to preparing it all from scratch.

 

Been thinking of changing to Aldi but previous experience told me I end up having to go to another shop anyway to top up, plus the ease of having food delivered from one of the big supermarkets trumps them.

 

For those who spend sub £60 a week for four people, what's the shopping list look like?

[Anubis]

For those who spend sub £60 a week for four people, what's the shopping list look like?

 

[Numero Veinticinco]

Between 150-200 per month. Weekly can vary quite a lot but if I buy extra one week then I buy less the next. That does include all household items too. That’s just for me, although I tend to spend around the same when my boy is here. Just closer to the upper end.

[Chairman Meow]

About a tenner a week. Meat from the local butcher who is very reasonable and decent quality, everything else from Aldi, except cereal, I tried to convince myself that own brand corn flakes are as good as Kellogs but they simply aren't. 

 

I only feed me. Food is just fuel as far as I am concerned, so plain and filling does for me. Pretty much live on cereal, bread, chicken, pasta and rice. The odd bacon or sausage sandwich or beef burger aside.

 

Before you ask, it's very rare that I will have a take away and I don't drink. Probably haven't had a take away in at least a year probably more and not drank for about four years. 

 

Yes, the long winter nights do fly by in my house.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

£10 a week? Is your Butcher Jeffrey Dahmer!

[Numero Veinticinco]

I don't think I could live off a tenner per week without really cutting down on the quality of things I put into my body. I guess cheap simple carbs could fill me up, but I'm not sure I'd want to do it.

[Greycellgreen]

I used to live off £10 when I was a student, but I had zero responsibilities and didn’t give a fuck what I ate. If I were on my own I could probably do it, I wouldn’t bloody want to though.

[Mook]

Aye, I like fruit & vegetables, I probably spend at least tenner a week on them alone.

 

Looking through this thread, I'm really thinking I need to cut down on our food spending, I can't believe people can do it with a family of four on £60/70 a week, are people including the stuff they eat while at work & takeaways/eating out?

[Oh Buoy]

Last four weekly shops at ASDA: 

£64.19 - £15 more due to needing the added stuff like bog roll, she needed hair stuff which costs a fucking fortune. 

£41.23 - Standard shop for us (5/7 meals a week)

£52.63 - Standard shop but added a few items like toothpaste/shower gel etc. 

£62.26 - As above. 

[Hades]

Bags of beans and rice + dumpster diving means you can live on next to nothing.

[Champ]

Aye, I like fruit & vegetables, I probably spend at least tenner a week on them alone.

 

Looking through this thread, I'm really thinking I need to cut down on our food spending, I can't believe people can do it with a family of four on £60/70 a week, are people including the stuff they eat while at work & takeaways/eating out?

No. Me neither.

 

The most recent figures I could find (2014-15) showed that the food allowance for prison inmates was £2.02 a day

[Greycellgreen]

Bags of beans and rice + dumpster diving means you can live on next to nothing.

Not sure I’d take my kids dumpster diving, might leave them in a dumpster though.

[Chairman Meow]

Aye, I like fruit & vegetables, I probably spend at least tenner a week on them alone.

 

Looking through this thread, I'm really thinking I need to cut down on our food spending, I can't believe people can do it with a family of four on £60/70 a week, are people including the stuff they eat while at work & takeaways/eating out?

 

Local farm, dirt cheap and pretty much fresh out of the ground. They have stuff out of season as well, no idea where it comes from but it's still way cheaper than any normal supermarket around here, other than some Aldi stuff.

 

I've got this cheap thing nailed.

 

Although if someone starts a "how much do you waste invest on oil and car parts" thread then it will be a very different story. I pay £25 a gallon for screen washer fluid for the rally cars and that's trade price, then oil at about £30 a gallon trade which at most will do about 200 miles. 

[Elite]

Bags of beans and rice + dumpster diving means you can live on next to nothing.

But you don't do it?

[Oh Buoy]

Anyone spending £100 a week on shopping is one of the Marks and Sparks beauts buying a loaf for £3.50. 

[Tony Moanero]

Anyone spending £100 a week on shopping is one of the Marks and Sparks beauts buying a loaf for £3.50.

Marks and Spencer beauts are the people who fill their trolley with yellow stickered items. Bad mingebags and selfish bastards.

[Greycellgreen]

Anyone spending £100 a week on shopping is one of the Marks and Sparks beauts buying a loaf for £3.50.

Not at all, with a family of, say, four it’s a reasonable amount. I often spend £100 the bread I buy is less than £1.

[Jairzinho]

Is it healthy stuff or shite that makes it cost £100?

[TheHowieLama]

Healthy stuff is far more expensive.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Anyone spending £100 a week on shopping is one of the Marks and Sparks beauts buying a loaf for £3.50.

 

Errr no.