how the hell am I spending £200 a month on groceries

tinkerbell84

Burlesque_Babe wrote: »

wow- that's a lot of eggs!! Omelettes a la tinkerbell a speciality

Chegworth have opened a farm shop in Notting Hill as well as their farmer's markets - might be worth checking them out but being in Notting Hill is probably going to slap a premium on prices!

And it's completely the wrong side of London!

Never mind. I'm okay with the food budget.

Omelette anyone?? :rotfl: :rotfl:

Burlesque_Babe

yes please

tirlittan

twirlypinky wrote: »

Cooking is something i do when I'm happy, I used to bake a lot, people at work miss me bringing cakes in. When I was happy with ex-H i used to make us both packed lunches of interesting things (until I kept finding his uneaten in his car because he'd gone to KFC). I wouldn't have dreamt of buying a ready meal, I always cooked from scratch. At the moment though, I really don't enjoy it, i see it as something I have to do unless I can avoid it.

.

Hi twirlypinky, this thread has really struck a cord with me. I'm 30 and due to circumstances, I've been back sharing with 4 other poeple for the past 2 years and atm,can't see an end to it. I do actually get on with the people I live with it, but I can't stand the mess they create and it really has affected my eating/cooking. All the mess just stresses me out. And I just can't get motivated to do the cooking unless I cook for my bf or the occasionally friend I dare to invite in.I don't even live with students, they're all in their mid/late 20s and everyone's working, so there's no exuces!! It really gets to me, but if I ever want to get rid of my debts, I have to suffer it a bit longer. Was supposed to move in with a uni friend, but she lost her job and is moving back home and with boyfriend, we (=he) are just not ready for it, though we've been together for a year. Sorry, don't want to high-jack the thread, but I know exactly how you are feeling. I'm sure we'll get it together. All the best.

twirlypinky

tirlittan wrote: »

Hi twirlypinky, this thread has really struck a cord with me. I'm 30 and due to circumstances, I've been back sharing with 4 other poeple for the past 2 years and atm,can't see an end to it. I do actually get on with the people I live with it, but I can't stand the mess they create and it really has affected my eating/cooking. All the mess just stresses me out. And I just can't get motivated to do the cooking unless I cook for my bf or the occasionally friend I dare to invite in.I don't even live with students, they're all in their mid/late 20s and everyone's working, so there's no exuces!! It really gets to me, but if I ever want to get rid of my debts, I have to suffer it a bit longer. Was supposed to move in with a uni friend, but she lost her job and is moving back home and with boyfriend, we (=he) are just not ready for it, though we've been together for a year. Sorry, don't want to high-jack the thread, but I know exactly how you are feeling. I'm sure we'll get it together. All the best.

Thanks, it's really nice to know there are other people going through a similar thing. My lot aren't students either, they're doctors for heavens sake, and cleanlinesswise, they should know better.

Because I've had my own place before I use all my own crockery, cutlery and pans etc, and it's a good job because the "shared" ones are revolting. I don't think they wash up, they just re-use the same pans. And the fry everything they can. I know I'm just having micro meals, but I always buy the "healthy" ones.

I had a look online yesterday to see if there was any cheaper shared accommodation, but I'm struggling. I live in a university city, so most of that kind of let is for students, and you have to share a bathroom, something that I'm not willing to do (call me fussy, but if this is how people leave the kitchen, i don't want to know how they leave the bathroom). I found somewhere yesterday but it's £545pcm, and I'm only paying £479, so I think I'll stay put for now.

When I first moved in it was only going to be for about a year until I'd cleared my debt, then I was going to borrow money from my parents for the deposit on a house. I've not decided that I don't want to borrow from anyone, I need to do this on my own, so I'm going to me here for a lot longer than a year.

tirlittan

I used to be the one who always did all the cleaning, now I just don't see the point. Sometimes I 'test' my flatmates about how long it takes them to clean some of there mess. At least I can also talk to them about it and I'm forever telling people we live in a pigsty, but doesn't seem to help, they just don't care. I used to live with my ex in a nice cottage in the countryside, how I miss the space I had...Sometimes it all just gets to you and unfortunately this is one of the times when everything seems too much. The problem is, I'm only paying around £270 a month, which includes all the bills as well, no way I'm going to find anything as cheap any other way. Even if I could've shared with my friend, my DFD would'be moved even further away.

ragstoricheswannabe

hiya, i spend £250-£300 a month for 2 adults, child and baby but that includes loads of bulk buying.

as a nurse, i have seen the accomadation and it can be pretty grim. (luckily i stayed at home whilst i trained) i do alot of one pot meals where everything goes in one pot, you just add the ingredients, stir a little bit then put it in the oven or let it cook gfor half an hour so porob only spend 5 mins in the kitchen. You would have a lot of left overs though......could you not get a small chest freezer to put in the corner of your room off freecycle maybe??

how long left before you qualify? could you poss rent a flat nearby with a friend or 2............................

Blackruby

First year was the worst for grim kitchens, because that's the year they stick you with anyone because you don't know anyone. It was so bad sometimes that things grew on the plates, I think I lived on pasta and noodles that year and I always kept my stuff up in my room because they would use it otherwise. Second and third year were much better because I was living with friends. I kinda hope my first year housemates grew out of that, not hygenic and not safe.

lawbod

Twirlypinky, I feel for you I really do - I had some similar flatmates as a student and it's a very unpleasant situation to be in. However, it looks as though you are going to need to compromise on something if you want to get out of your current accommodation. That said, I live in a university city too (and an expensive one generally) and it was still possible to rent at least a studio and sometimes a 1 bed flat depending on the area for what you pay for your room.

Have you considered getting a studio or, even cheaper, a bedsit? Both of these would have your own cooking area and you would, at worst, have to share a bathroom (that's the compromise part). My former housemates were pretty scruffy, but there wasn't much they could do to the bathroom! Even they weren't crazy enough to leave mountains of festering pans in the bathroom sink! You could even become a lodger in somebody's house - I'm sure there are people reading this thread who take lodgers who could give you more detailed information about this. Judging by things I've seen on this forum about lodgers, the landlords/ladies seem to be pretty firm when it comes to matters of cleanliness.

Ultimately it comes down to how much you hate where you currently are and the people you are living with - if you really hate it that much you'll be prepared to make some sort of compromise.

twirlypinky

Okay, well I'm not a nurse, so I'm not training. I moved into Hospital accommodation because I really didn't have anywhere else to go. I went to see my boss and said I was going to have to quit my job because I couldn't afford the flat I was renting anymore, and since all my family live 100 miles away, I was just going to have to go and live with them. My boss said "no way" and rang the accommodation office and got me sorted. I may be in admin, but all admin and nursing staff are on the same bands, I earn the same as a fairly newly qualified nurse.

I tried renting privately when I first left my husband, but rent was £600pcm, council tax over £100, gas electricity and water were coming to nearly £100, so adding on the costs of running my car, and other standard bills (i didn't have sky or broadband or anything) so i was paying out pretty much what i was getting in. This meant that I wasn't getting any nearer to clearing my debt.

My £479 is all inclusive, so i don't have to worry about any other bills. I could have a different room for £399, but that doesn't have it's own shower room and I really don't want to share that.

I've had a look at rental bedsits and studios, but they're all shared bathrooms up to £600 per month, which is where i was before.

I'll get through it, I'm just keeping myself to myself in my room. I'm not allowed overnight guests which is a bummer.

twirlypinky

allthingsconsidered2009 wrote: »

I don't consider the amount you are spending to be unreasonable. Is it causing you problems?

Well yes, it is really. I've budgeted £150 pcm, i really didn't think that was unreasonable for one person. I'm just really bad at making food last for one person. Like salad. I buy half a cucumber, celery, lettuce, radishes etc, and at the end of the week end up throwing half of it away because I've not eaten it. But I don't want salad every day of the week, sometimes I want other veg instead.

I guess it's just a work in progress thing. I wanted to find out what other moneysavers were spending to make sure I wasn't setting myself unreasonable targets.