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food bill for 5 - is £35 a week unrealistic?

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ok then - so i am gonna sort my freezers and cupboards today and plan a few meals [turkey for sunday lol] but was wondering what sort of budget I should set myself when i go shopping?

the last couple of weeks i have spent around £50 - but that has included a couple of bottles etc as christmas presents.

Prior to me taking over the shopping i was putting £50 a week into the joint account [from my wages] so don't want to spend more than this - also i spend about £12 a week in petrol [well i don't but i fill up one car DH does the other] so would rather like to include this in the £50 if i could manage it.

there are 5 of us at home at the moment - 2 adults and 3 children aged 12, 4 and 2. I am currently pregnant with number 4 [due april]

I tend to do 2 meals at night - one for the children at about 5pm then another for me and DH at about 7pm [cos that is the earliest he can eat due to work and it is too late for the littlies]

I have been cooking 2 seperate meals - but friday i made 2 cottage pies - one for the children then another to put in for us later which worked quite well so am thinking this would be an economical way to go at least part of the week.......

I would also like to invest in a slow cooker - am i right in thinking that i would be able to take a meal out for the children leaving the rest in for us to have later? If so i might get one for after christmas.

so anyway - after all that ramble - do you think with careful planning i could feed us all on a budget of £35 a week?

thank you for reading :snow_grin
:rotfl:five children? I must be mad........ :rotfl:
aug grocery spend - £166.45
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Comments

  • jcr16
    jcr16 Posts: 4,185 Forumite
    will that include nappies for your 2 year old ( if wearing them ) or just for food. as i would imagine , if you planned your meals and stuck to a shopping list . then yes i would say u could. just think jacket spud and beans for everyone once a week is a very filling cheap meal. also bulk out meals. ie add carrots grated and baked beans to a shepard pie. as many a post will say planning is the key. i still working on that one. but at mo i can doing really well. so with more planning i reckon i could be well on the way to more money saving.
    i budget £50 a week and that is for everything , cleaning etc. i have 2 children one is 2 the other 5 months both in nappies and i buy formula milk wipes etc etc. if i didn't buy these then i could very easy manage on about£30 a week.
    one thing i would suggest tho , if you do go over one week , don't stress about it , like i used to . what i do now is budget £50 but try to spend about £40-£45 so if i do go over a little not a prob.

    hth
  • i use cloth nappies and will do on the new baby too - I have all the nappies i need so i don't have to worry about those on a week to week basis. I also use flannels as wipes most of the time [DH doesn't like them so weekends he uses disposable ones] we stock up on disp wipes when they are on offer.

    I am also planning on breastfeeding the new baby and making my own breastpads - have fed the last 2 successfully so hoping not to have to buy formula - plus i made my own breastpads last time which were fab - very comfy :D gave them to a friend in need tho so need to make a few more..... at least i still have my home made sanny pads and mooncup!

    thanks for your advice - is appreciated
    :rotfl:five children? I must be mad........ :rotfl:
    aug grocery spend - £166.45
  • jcr16
    jcr16 Posts: 4,185 Forumite
    what is a moon cup ? i didn't have one of those and never seen one for sale. sorry am i being really thick here ?
  • mooncup is to use when you have your periods - is a reusable silicone cup that collects the blood as it falls

    costs about £17 - think boots sell them now or you can buy them on line - they last for about 10 years so a good investment :D
    :rotfl:five children? I must be mad........ :rotfl:
    aug grocery spend - £166.45
  • CharleneUK
    CharleneUK Posts: 3,206 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Sorry to butt in, but what do you make the breast pads with? I'm spending a small fortune on them!
    "I did then, what I knew then. And when I knew better, I did better"
  • I make mine out of old flannelette sheets or pillowcases - beg them from my mum when the middle goes thin

    instructions should be on this link http://www.!!!!!!.com/biz/mothershelpinghands/mypatt.html

    if not - i cut about 5 circles of fabric then sew round with running stitch about 1 cm from the edge to hold them together - then zig zag round the edges to stop them from fraying.

    worked well for me - they don't look too pretty but they do the trick :D
    :rotfl:five children? I must be mad........ :rotfl:
    aug grocery spend - £166.45
  • jcr16
    jcr16 Posts: 4,185 Forumite
    that just sounds frigtening. thank god i have the contraception injection. no more periods for me. yipee.

    would the moon cup not spill then ? it must be uncomfy having a cup in your knickers. sorry that is just boggling my brain.

    i never knew u could make your own breast pad's. i also spent a fortune on them. but it was nice just being able to thrown them away and then get a fresh set out.

    but it sounds like your very clued up on ways to save money. well done you.
  • wigginsmum
    wigginsmum Posts: 4,150 Forumite
    The cup is worn internally, and you can't feel it once it's in. Emptying it is an art though ;)

    Jules
    The ability of skinny old ladies to carry huge loads is phenomenal. An ant can carry one hundred times its own weight, but there is no known limit to the lifting power of the average tiny eighty-year-old Spanish peasant grandmother.
  • jcr16
    jcr16 Posts: 4,185 Forumite
    ahh thankyou that makes a bit of sence. i think i shall just hang my head in shame tho at being so dim today. lol.
  • all i can say is thank you lord im a man :beer:
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