Grocery Shopping budget thread

suzybloo

My budget is for £65.00-£70 per week this doesn't include cleaning and toiletries as I get these at the start of the month when we are paid which is another £30.00, The £65.00 is broken down into £12.00 for butcher £5.00 for farm shop veg, £5 for bakers and roughly £40 for Tesco. This is for my husband and myself, my eldest DD and her toddler come for tea twice a week and I have him overnight twice a week so have his breakfasts too (porridge and toast), and also my youngest DD and her partner also come for tea twice a week. Hubby has sandwiches for work everyday, and we have no takeaway meals other than fish suppers maybe once a month. In total I would say £300 sees us clear each month. Next month will tell as I have got a new diary and EVERYTHING will be noted in it!:j

ottytotty

Hi,
hoping someone can help me and suggest a weekly shopping budget to attempt to stick to if I give some details as I spend over £100/week at the moment and want to seriously cut back but don't know what would be a realistic budget to try and stick to!

Some background:

2 adults
1 x 4yr old (big appetite)
1 x nearly 1 yr old

all vegetarian but kids eat fish (like to give them oily fish once a week minimum, mackerel or wild alaskan salmon - one of the few things I won't be willing to change/compromise on!!)
only buy organic milk
budget must include toiletries(not make-up), cleaning products, disposable nappies.
I was thinking maybe trying £50/week, what do you think?

Thanks

lil_me

otty I think the first thing I would consider are

waste - keeping a record of it, seeing if this is an area of cost
cleaning products/toiletries - which you use & where you can compromise on or use cheaper alternatives
suppliers - for everything, can you buy what you are buying cheaper/easier
babycare - disposable items are really expensive, reusable nappies/wipes etc

No point setting a budget if you don't know what you need to buy, there is no point being unrealistic so it's usually best to cut down by 10% at a time, see how it goes.

abby1234519

mrs_moneyspinner wrote: »

hello abby as you mentioned you want to watch your weight and your wallet, I would suggest you use some quorn mince sometimes as it is incredibly filling but lo fat and not just for vegetarians - at about £2 a bag you can get a good 3 portions of something like bolognaise, curry or (my favourite) spray oil the pan and fry up with mushrooms and peppers/onions flavoured with Jamaican Everyday Seasoning which I get in Sainnsburys it's in a red pot and is like a dried powder - if you mix this with rice, couscous or pasta, you could make yourself some nourising, cheap meals and cook them for a few days ahead. hope it helps.

I love quorn, especially the "chicken" pieces. I boil them for 10 minutes and eat them with noodles.
I have no idea what to budget myself on. Someone said I could live on £10 a week but I am yet to work out how!

ottytotty

lil_me wrote: »

otty I think the first thing I would consider are

waste - keeping a record of it, seeing if this is an area of cost
cleaning products/toiletries - which you use & where you can compromise on or use cheaper alternatives
suppliers - for everything, can you buy what you are buying cheaper/easier
babycare - disposable items are really expensive, reusable nappies/wipes etc

No point setting a budget if you don't know what you need to buy, there is no point being unrealistic so it's usually best to cut down by 10% at a time, see how it goes.

Thanks,

yes waste is a big issue for us so I'm going to do a meal planner and cook extra to put in freezer for days where I don't have time to cook.
unfortunately reusable nappies aren't an option for me, had them for my first baby but my washing machine is constantly full and I'm struggling to get everything dried so it has to be disposables.
I tend to use own brand cleaning products anyway, apart from for my clothes washing as I find the only stuff that makes my clothes smell fresh is the gel stuff.
So I think the key for me is reducing food waste and also stopping going out for coffee quite as much!!
Thanks agsin, your post made me aware of my problem areas and the ones that are feasible to tackle!

Rebekah24

Anjelika wrote: »

WOW! you have my absolute admiration - but watch out for the sugar in squash - consider fruity herbal teas which are as nice cold as they are hot - just let them brew for a long time to get the best value out of them



.

Sugar free squash all the way!

Oh we drink tonnes of tea- proper tea pot Chocolate truffle, Citrus tea and Coconut chip..all gorgeous without any sweeteners

Realised over xmas how much people eat ..and waste! - tea and squash can keep you going for a long time lol

Mrs_Optimist

We average £300 pcm for 2 adults, 2 children, 2 cats. This includes all toiletries/cleaning products/loo rolls etc. I admire those on smaller budgets but we easily spend £80 on bread and milk a month alone, without even taking into account fruit and veg and meat. I have also bought a daily diary and will try to remember to write all purchases down next year as we want to try and clear ourr mortgage so we have something to aim for !

mumoftwo

Rebekah24 wrote: »

Sugar free squash all the way!

Oh we drink tonnes of tea- proper tea pot Chocolate truffle, Citrus tea and Coconut chip..all gorgeous without any sweeteners

Realised over xmas how much people eat ..and waste! - tea and squash can keep you going for a long time lol

Where do you get your lovely sounding teas? coconut chip sounds lush to me..

abby1234519

Mrs_Optimist wrote: »

We average £300 pcm for 2 adults, 2 children, 2 cats. This includes all toiletries/cleaning products/loo rolls etc. I admire those on smaller budgets but we easily spend £80 on bread and milk a month alone, without even taking into account fruit and veg and meat. I have also bought a daily diary and will try to remember to write all purchases down next year as we want to try and clear ourr mortgage so we have something to aim for !

Have you ever tried making your own bread? I used to have a bread maker and the smell was gorgeous, I think it works out cheaper, just set it up to go overnight. Only problem is it can be SO nice you eat the loaf very quicky :rotfl:

mardatha

I'm doing bread every day but trying to find the cheapest place to buy flour! I don't know where best to post it though !