Food costs for family of 3

flis21

Hi All,

I went on a food course yesterday which made me realise how bad our diet is. I currently spend about £40 a week on food for 2 adults and 1 child (16 months) and we do eat a lot of (i.e too much!) processed food. I've just done my shop up for next week and decided to put fruit & veg on it etc. and less processed crap and it came to £70!! How much is average for a family of 3 to eat healthily? Am I just not budgetting enough in for us to eat healthily?

Thanks,
F xx

cheepskate_2

Hi

not too sure what prices people wil come up with.

To cut down on your fruit/veg bill i buy my fuit dependant on what aldi have on special and there is usually a variety each time.

at the moment aldi have melon, pinapple , kiwi and apples for 49p to buy this in Asda say would cost me £6.50 Aldi is £2.00.

I only make our food and dont buy processed stuff and i find it cheaper to buy real meat than processed meals.

I also dont buy lots of processed snacks and make things like eggy bread, toast on cheese for snacks at night ,

mhagster

If you take a look in the Old Style forum there are loads of threads that you might find helpful about managing on a budget.

pamelab21

I too am finding our shopping bill creeping up since becoming pregnant and trying to eat more fruit and veg and less processed food. God knows what it will be like when baby comes along!
I stopped buying fruit and veg in Lidl as I found in our local store the lettuce was crawling and the onions and fruit etc were going off very quickly. Maybe just our local store, never found this with Aldi fruit though.
Think I will get myself over the the money saving board too.

DeeDee74

im the same ive tryed to be more healthy and cook proper dinner,
my aim to become a proper good mum lol
but ive spent loads more..

Old Style forum is great for idea's and thay all seem to eat so cheap over there.
sorry im no really use , cause i spent £80 yesterday on food and i dont really have one meal:o

good luck.

RLH33

Hello

We are a family of three, two adults and one pre-schooler, and I spend about £60-70 a week in Tesco and then probably another £5 in the local shop on bits and bobs.

However I do buy organic meat where at all possible, free range eggs and fair trade tea bags etc, as well as free range chickens and own brand 'eco' washing powders/liquids etc, so that gives an indication of my buying habits. However I do buy mostly own brand, but not budget range, items on about 80% of everything I buy.

Are you sure that you aren't building up a store cupboard? If, as you say, you have been eating a lot of processed foods then you won't have been previously been buying the ingredients that you need for everyday meals. I would imagine that once you have built up your stores then you will only have to buy the 'staple' ingredients as and when they run out therefore making the weekly shop cheaper. Plus you will probably get into a pattern of making certain meals every week so you only buy for those meals meaning less waste on the fresh goods.

daveyjp

Plan your meals for a few days and buy only what you need for those meals. You can find the cheapest products for the meals and you won't end up throwing things away.

Glamazon

check out the OS board. I have made £50 worth of food make about 30 portions of chilli, bolganese, curry, sausage casserole etc all HM. That included fruit and meat.
I batch cook and use things like beans, porridge oats, grated carrot to bulk meals out and OH hasn't noticed the difference!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Ok hows this:

1) Jackets, beans and cheese - maybe side salad
2) Jackets, Tuna, mayo and sweetcorn - again side salad
3) Whole chicken (already seasoned if you like, usually about £3.50 but will last two meals), roast pots, carrots, and peas.
4) Other half of whole chicken, pasta, pasta sauce - add some peas/carrots/tomatoes or any other veg.
5) Fish, Mash (homemade) and veg
6) Sausages, mash and say liver and onions or something - add some side veg
7) Homemade pizza = base (usually about 2 for a £1), Tom puree (really cheap, like 40p or something and last a few times) Cheese, Ham and whatever veg or additional bits you fancy throwing on it. Add some side salad if wanted.

Now thats 7 meals, mix em up for whichever days suit but its just to give an idea of what we have here. If you see how far a BIG bag of potatoes go in those meals, plus chicken lasts two meals if you cook a whole one, etc. Add bread, butter, sanwhich filling, etc. Plus some bananas or other fruit. One big breakie cereal and milk, we do cheerios for me and little one and dad has oats.

Then add some other bits and bobs and it wouldn't cost too much. Where poss buy household stuff only if you really need it and big packs like washing powder, a big box of fairy non bio lasts about 6wks- i buy a dettol and a own brand spray anti bac - that litterally cleans the whole house almost- i dont go for a seperate type of cleaner for each job, that wastes money.

And thats all coming from someone who really doesnt know how to cook proper homemade meals from scratch but will happily cook basic meals like anything above.

Two adults and one 3yr old here.


Must admit i rarely ever put crisps/sweets or the likes in the trolley - if LO wants pudding there are ice poles or ice cream avail in the freezer but its not an everyday thing.

Choolate bar does get put in 'once a month' though for me when i need the comfort of it .

x

prettypoppyknickers

i started this list of say i only bought this this and this processed but now i am not sure what out of my food this week is processed and what isnt?!

help please!

my dinners from monday are :
1. giant yorkshire pudding, sausages, onions, peppers, potatoes, sweetcorn & gravy.
2. wraps, chicken , peppers again, salad, salsa, season for the chicken.
3. steak, mash, and veg
4. jacket potatoes, tuna, sweetcorn or beans and cheese.
5. pasta, tuna , sweetcorn, mayo, celeray, salad and garlic bread
6. pork joint, potatoes, gravy all the veg and stuffing
7. bbq selection at a friends house.

emlou2009

when i do our shops i buy all the veg frozen. i spend less than £3 on it in asda and theres more than enough to last a week. that veg will go into every meal, from a roast to curry. also when wanting chicken breasts i buy a big bag of them frozen, asda do one that usually has about 6 or 7 in it for under £5. i find lidl to be the cheapest for meat , i went monday and bought enough for 9 meals for £10 then got everything else at asda for £35, so our weekly shop came to £45. HTH