Budgeting for Food for a month

TrickyCatch

Hi Everyone,

I've been looking at these boards for months now, but hardly ever post.

I've been reading some threads and am getting the impression that i am overspending on my food bill. (which i am looking to reduce as i want to pay off my credit card which is £6513 to mint)

Anyway, my budget for a month is £280 to spend on food and cleaning products. This is for me, boyfriend and our two gready cats.

What do you think is a realistic budget? By the way.... none of us like lentils lol

Thanks, Em x

pebblespop

i think 30 a week is plenty. i get all my cleaning products from home bargains or quality save

hypno06

Hi there, my budget is £50 a week for 2 adults, 3 teenagers and 2 cats. We generally manage ok with this - occasionally we go over but never by much. If it were just the two adults and the cats I would look at £30-35 a week.

Head over to the Old Style board on this site and they will give you loooooads of ideas about cutting costs for cleaning and food etc. There is a monthly grocery challenge on there too which they would certainly welcome you into!

thepinkladez_2

we are on a dmp with cccs and they allow us £60 a week for food and cleaning products for 2 adults one child and a cat!so i think you should be able to reduce your bill.

strumpet

Hi Tricky,

I've been managing for the last 2 months on £25 a week for all groceries and household stuff, although I have been using stuff from the freezer to supplement it. I reckon it should be manageable on £40 a week otherwise.
I live on my own but 2 people do eat more cheaply than 2 x 1 if you see what I mean.

You need to:

1. Plan your meals. This truly enables you to spend no more than you need to spend and avoids wastage of food. It's ages since I threw any food out because I hadn't got around to eating it.

2. Drop a brand. No more Heinz or Cillit Bang! Much more own brands - even value cheapy stuff if you can bear it. Usually it's just as good and can be half the price!

3. Set yourself a budget when in the supermarket and stick to it. SDon't go when you're hungry either - you'll only buy more. If you reach your budget then stop shopping. It forces you to choose. Bacon one week, cheese the next!!!

4. Visit the old style money saving board. Best tip I ever got from there - STARDROPS. I do my laundry with it. 67p a bottle - lasts for yonks. I have been known to clean my toilet with coca cola too!

5. Don't be ashamed to swing LIDL and ALDI Bags. Often their fruit / veg is just as good but might not keep as long. Store it all in the fridge except onions and tomatoes

6. Use your freezer if you have one. If you spot a bargain 2 for 1, and you've still some of your budgetted spend spare buy 2 and put one in the freezer.

7. Batch cook. Make buckets of chilli with the 2 for £5 mince and pad it out with grated carrot and kidney beans. Freeze it in portion sizes. I got 10 portions out of my last chilli - mince =£5, value kidney beans=78p, carrots=67p for a bag, 4 x value tinned tomatoes =80p plus old veg from fridge that was on its way out. Result = 10 meals at 72.5p each. Eat with value rice!

8. If the oven is on, organise meals that make full use of it. Eg if you're warming up a pie and are having potatoes and veg, roast them instead of boiling - saves on gas!

9. Make extra veg at dinner time and take to work for lunch the next day.
If work does not provide free coffee, take a thermos!

I do all these things and manage on less than £25 a week - see my signature for this month's spend so far. It really can be done!

Good luck

Strumpet
xxx