cut down food spend

lilmoi1985lm · 13 January 2008 at 4:08PM

Hi all

im wanting to cut down my spend on our food shop. We current spend around £150.00 per month on all food, detergents, toiletries etc. Thats for two adults and one child(for half the week).

We both take packed lunches to work which is usually sandwiches, soup or last nights dinner which we always make a little too much!

Do you think £150.00 is a high amount? I know people who can spend this in one weeks shop and ours is one big monthly shop....

Mice_Elf · 13 January 2008 at 4:31PM

Sounds a lot to me, but then it depends on what you're buying. We're 2 adults, 1 child (2 1/2yr old), 4 cats, 3 rabbits & 3 fish & our regular shop costs about £150 but lasts for anything up to 2 months. Usually have to buy fresh fruit & veg though as husband eats at least 2 apples a day in his packed lunch, so we get through no end...

What does a "normal" shop constitute for you?

Becky_2 · 13 January 2008 at 4:33PM

Hi lilmoi1985lm!

I am living on my own and I spend around £110 per month. I am impressed that three people can spend only £150 per month. Well done! How do you do it? I used to spend even more on food but a few months ago I started to keep a food diary where I wrote down everything I bought to see what I bought in a month (perhaps this will help you to reduece your spending further). At the moment all I do is to divide 110 with 4 weeks and that amount will be my weekly spending and I tend to stick to that. This year I will make an effort of shopping once a month in Aldi and hopefully that way my food spending will be less this year.

I tend to eat a lot of tuna and mince meat with lentils in order to save money. Frying potatatoes with lots of onions and mushrooms and eating this pickled beetroot is another great money saver. What is your best money saving meals?

All the best.

Becky 2

lilmoi1985lm wrote: »

Hi all

im wanting to cut down my spend on our food shop. We current spend around £150.00 per month on all food, detergents, toiletries etc. Thats for two adults and one child(for half the week).

We both take packed lunches to work which is usually sandwiches, soup or last nights dinner which we always make a little too much!

Do you think £150.00 is a high amount? I know people who can spend this in one weeks shop and ours is one big monthly shop....

miserly_mum · 13 January 2008 at 4:33PM

Hi, £150 is good but i'm sure you could shave a bit off it without trying too hard.

I'm aiming for £240 this months for 2 adults and 3 kids.This includes food, toiletries/cleaning stuff plus wipes and nappies. But next month i'll hopefully get it down to £235 and so on.

How about joining the Grocery challenges on MSE and trying to knock say £5 a month off it over the next few months?

Everyone eventually hits a level where they can't go any lower without depriving themselves. Much easier to do it gradually though.

TITEASCRAMP · 13 January 2008 at 4:35PM

I think it sounds fine. I spend about £50 a wk for 2 adults 1 child 1 dog.

purpleivy · 13 January 2008 at 4:41PM

I decided to put £200 in a separate purse last week and see how I get on. I plan to reduce it, but at the mo haven't a clue how much I spend (food, household, toiletries) but I know that I'm already decreasing my food costs. Also using up stuff I have in the house as Dee did. Will see what's left at the end of the month and then make a cut next month.

Also trying to avoid wasting anything at all. definitely not in the group that is alleged to throw out 1/3 of what they buy, but there was room for improvement.

lindauk · 13 January 2008 at 4:48PM

I have decided to do that. on the first of the month take out x amount and put it into a purse then that is the food spend for that month. I'm going to try £150 for 2 people, hoping to get it down after a few months. My problem is I grew up in really nice lovely expensive food and I find it really hard to not shop in the way I know! good luck

Becky_2 · 13 January 2008 at 4:54PM

I forgot to mention that I saved £2.99 today by returning a packet of smoked salmon which I bought on Friday but when I tried to eat it today it tasted off eventhough the expiry date was next weekend. I did something that I have never done before. I put all the salmon in a bag and took it back to Sainsbury's where I asked for a supervisor and I told her about the salmon. I asked for a new one and to my surprise I also got a full refund (I can only assume that is because I brought the salmon back). So a new packet and a full refund not bad! Next time this is happening to me I shall do the same. So If you are not happy with the food you have bought, bring it back and if you are lucky you have just got yourself free food. :j :T

lilmoi1985lm wrote: »

Hi all

im wanting to cut down my spend on our food shop. We current spend around £150.00 per month on all food, detergents, toiletries etc. Thats for two adults and one child(for half the week).

We both take packed lunches to work which is usually sandwiches, soup or last nights dinner which we always make a little too much!

Do you think £150.00 is a high amount? I know people who can spend this in one weeks shop and ours is one big monthly shop....

crawley_girl · 13 January 2008 at 5:07PM

I think £150 per month is really good for 2 adults plus a child for half the week. I usually spend about £40 - 50 per week ish for me and foster daughter and that includes fruit, veg, main shop, cleaning stuff and my toiletries.

I could easily spend more but planning meals and having staples (rice, pasta etc) in stock means that a meal can always be knocked up - even if it doesn't appeal to everyone's tastes! I buy the bogofs etc only if it is something I need/ use and if it saves me money.

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

liz545 · 13 January 2008 at 5:14PM

I think £150/month for the 2.5 of you's pretty good, but you probably can pare it back a bit. Do you have much left in the cupboard/fridge/freezer at the end of the month? If so maybe it's worth emptying everything onto the kitchen table, making a list, and planning some meals using the stuff that gets pushed to the back of the cupboard. Are there any items that you always buy brand-name versions of? You could try substituting the own brands and seeing how that works out. Any ready meals or convenience items you buy regularly, it's worth searching the index thread for recipes and trying to make them yourself, this almost always works out cheaper. Finally, there are some things that you just don't want to compromise on; be honest with yourself - what are they? Allowing yourself to have some quality/indulgent items means that you won't feel deprived, even if you cut back in other areas - for me it's good quality coffee, bread, cheese and meat (I'm happy with cheaper cuts but no value bacon or sausages!:eek:)

lilmoi1985lm · 19 January 2008 at 6:02PM

thanks all! fell a little better knowing we arent going too overboard! I would liek to cut this down even if just £20.00 less - we do tend to have things left in the freezer that never get used or odd tins in the cupboards.

I always buy fresh ingredients which is probably why i cant cut down, i dont like ready meals and my partner loves to cook so its best for the both of us. I do buy supermarkets own brands and we normally pop into our local aldi once a month to replenish the cupboards! i love their cooked meats and they have really nice cheeses and cooking sauces - though i would like to make more from scratch and store it.

along with the ready meals we dont buy a lot of crisps or sweets etc simply becasue we prefer cheese and pickles!!! hehe

buy one get one free is not usually a big one for me as i never find anything on offer that we eat! lol though i find that tuna is always bulk packed and cheaper than buying singular for good brands.

we also usually get a few bottles of wine when on offer (3 for £10 etc) though im not allowed to have any anymore!!!

going to visit farm foods next week and aldi - im avoiding asda as they keep movign everything and i can never find what i want and end up buying biscuits!

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cut down food spend

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