Have you updated your food budget?

TwinkletoeA

We spend £200 a month with 2 ads, 2 chd, a dog (has special food or he is hyper haha) and a cat.

We haven't increased our budget but we have a chest freezer so are getting more clever by buying meat when it is on special offer and bread too. These are the main increases I have noticed.

What works for me is doing the big shop online once a month normally spend £120-£140 and then take £15 a week for milk, bread, veg and fruit. This has worked for me for many years now. I do over budget if there is a special offer but I then get it back the following week or month.

I could save more money but I am too lazy to meal plan and I dont like veg dinners, so eat a lot of meat.

SmellyOldSock

We're spending about £350. Our main expense is beer for hubbie, if only he'd cut back!:rolleyes:

rayday2

My ex would never give up the beer we were at the point where 50% of food was beer or alcohol so I gave him the option of brew his own or go without. He bought a load of secondhand brewing stuff out the local newspaper and off he went.

Pippilongstocking

Agree reduced stuff and a decent freezer is way to go - have only a wee one. But boy there is a lot in it!

What is the equitette (? spelling too lazy to look propery) on reduced stuff - I tend to be selective and not take everything (unless feeling particularily skint) as I think its a bit greedy to take the whole lot - even bread and stuff - just figure its bad manners to bag the lot!!

And does anyone else feel very silly handing over a card for 6.62 (for last night - three large shopping bags of reduced meat/bread/milk etc) I think the checkout assistants hide when i come along stickered to the hilt!!

I also kept my receipts for a month, scared me senseless, whilst I thought we were spending about £50 a week and feeling very noble, when I dug out all the receipts it was nearer £75 a week, and even scarier we spent an extra almost 100quid on eating out/takeaways - you know the oh lets just have a toastie in town, get a takeaway - just this months little treat - I was horrified.

Or as Ma Broon (from the Sunday post use to say) 'I was black affronted!!'

tyllwyd

It's interesting to see what everyone says - it seems as if most people are trying to stick to the same budget as last year, and change what they buy and where they buy it to make up the difference.

I'm a bit stubborn I guess because I don't want to change the quality of what we buy (we tried shopping in Aldi & Lidl but no one liked the food so it didn't get eaten). I'm trying to make sure we waste as little as possible, but it doesn't seem to be making enough of a difference. We seem to be shopping three times a week instead of one big shop, because vegetables were going off so quickly, and everything has short use by dates on, but I'm always shocked by how much it is costing for just a few days food.

Oh well, keep plodding on I suppose. I do feel a bit sorry for newbies on the board though, because they always get told they are spending too much on food, and I can't help thinking it is tough to get spending down to what is considered acceptable here.

tyllwyd

fayjmck wrote: »

I also kept my receipts for a month, scared me senseless, whilst I thought we were spending about £50 a week and feeling very noble, when I dug out all the receipts it was nearer £75 a week, and even scarier we spent an extra almost 100quid on eating out/takeaways - you know the oh lets just have a toastie in town, get a takeaway - just this months little treat - I was horrified.

I agree - I've got a spreadsheet with all my debit card spending allocated to categories, so 'food' includes main shop, trips to the newsagent, takeaways (not many I promise!) and that's how we found out that our theoretical budget was a third out.

Pippilongstocking

whoopsie! hit the return key twice

Pippilongstocking

my mate has the decadent luxury of having all her fruit and veg in the fridge (maybe alot of folk do?) We can't spare the room, but I guess it saves things going off so quickly.

I keep bread in the fridge seems to help, don't hold much stock by use by dates companies I think try and push more at us by giving ridiculusly soon use by dates. How do they get away with it - mind you I do have an iron consitution, must be all that OD food!!

Or is it that I freeze so much that have no idea what anythings 'real out of date date is' - lol not making sense so going home!!!!!

Hopefully not by the shop:D

rayday2

tyllwyd wrote: »

Oh well, keep plodding on I suppose. I do feel a bit sorry for newbies on the board though, because they always get told they are spending too much on food, and I can't help thinking it is tough to get spending down to what is considered acceptable here.

You know its really important that you said that and I appreciate that.

Over the last month I have had so many new people that have PMd me regretting posting SOA with responses they have.

I as a relatively "oldie" cringe at the tone in those topics and I think its good that you highlight the fact that food prices have gone up and to a new DFW person we could expect too much.

I have let my budget go up I have children and they still want "nice" things and its food, its my job to provide them and they are cheaper than random trips to local shops.

Maybe sometimes our language in SOA topics should be less hostile and a bit more encouraging, me personally, I hate "too much" it would look so much as "try cutting this back.. " etc etc much more welcoming and less demoralising.

Anyone who wants to jump on what am I saying here go find one and try to read it as you felt that very first day, yes ideas are good and essential you need help but delivery could be much more friendly.

Genuinely people have PMd me and I don't mean the odd one so there is a "silent" problem out there.

shopaholictiedtheknot

Since prices went up we have almost halved our budget!! We used to just go and spend ridiculous amounts on buying anything and everything without a thought as to the cost, it is only since grocery prices shot up that we have sat down and calculated how much we were actually spending and had an enormous shock - would have spent somewhere in the region of £600 a month for two adults, one teenager and two cats, we have cut that and now spend between £75 and £100 each week depending on whether we need toiletries and cleaning products, I am so pleased, we have more money now to help clear our credit cards!