Singles - How much do you really spend on groceries?

missychrissy

I have my supermarket shop down to £10 per week including cleaning products. I live on my own, though I have 4 visiting sons with partners and families visiting fairly regularly. I can cater for them within the budget but they do also feed me occasionally.

I don't go shopping every week but it averages out at about £10 per week. I make my own wine so I am able to cater for large family get togethers. I made 16 galls of elderberry last autumn. I have bottled 10 galls and have 6 galls 'on draught' until I acquire some more bottles. It's very good and will rival most good red wines. I also do a good white using cartons of apple juice and white grape juice and costing approx 32p per bottle as well as a good rose using cartons of cranberry and red grape juice at the same cost.

I am a big slow cooker fan. Aldi do a beef joint and a lamb joint for under £5 that I cook with lots of veg and pulses that last me several meals. I can do a big family dinner with one of these joints and still have left overs. I like to cook one for today, one for tomorrow and several for the freezer so that I have lots of ready meals for taking to work.

I keep my bread in the freezer and only take out exactly what I need so there is absolutely no waste.

I can't remember the last time I bought any toiletries. Apart from toothpaste it must be several years. My sons and partners seem to keep me well stocked with these at Christmas and birthday.

My store cupboard and freezers are very well stocked and I can go several weeks without shopping. I buy long life carton milk and orange juice and once I have used up fresh fruit and veg I then use frozen and tinned. I do grow some of my own veg as well. If I run out of one source of carbohydrate such as potatoes I then use rice, pasta or bread.

I eat really well on under £10 per week but I rarely buy cakes, biscuits pop etc.

LumpyCustard_2

Generally I allow myself up to £100 per month, which in the non-OS world is reasonably low, but seems rather extravagant after reading most of the posts above!

Actually I'm spending less than that (£80 these last two months, for example), but I've not had any income for a few months now and would like to cut down further. I am loathe to ditch my milkman, which is a service I like supporting, and anyway, it would only save a couple of pounds a month.

I do a bit of bulk cooking, but maybe for February I need to plan a bit better and make more stuff in advance. I don't think I could manage £10 a week though - I enjoy going to Tesco's and getting bargains far too much.

NB Mine includes all groceries, household cleaning, toiletries, alcohol. It doesn't include any rare occasions where I have a friend visiting and we get a take away or a drink out.

Skint_Catt

I'm a single during the week but have OH home at weekends. I haven't spent any great deal since before Xmas as we were away for most of that and I've been 5 months without an income so it's had to be cut back on. Am trying to run cupboards & freezer down at the mo.

candygirl

I try and spend £90 per month maximum on all food, toiletries, vitamins and dog food.I feed DD and DGD quite often too, and thought I was doing well, till I read this thread:eek::eek::eek:

SueC_2

I take my hat off to you all, and feel quite humbled by some of the posts above. I must just be a greedy lard !!!!!

The only possible excuse I can come up with is that I have to follow (for health reasons) a diet which means I can't eat starch... no spuds, no pasta, no rice, no noodles, no pulses, no wheat products etc etc. But still....?

BitterAndTwisted

No carbs is harsh as that's quite a large proportion of what I eat in total. Replacing that with fresh fruit, veg and protein would inevitably make your shopping more expensive, I reckon. Don't beat yourself up! We do what we can and if we can't we try to enjoy every single mouthful nonetheless

freakyogre

Mine varies each month as if something is on offer, i'll stock up, but I suppose it averages about £50 a month.

I don't eat breakfast and only tend to take a packet of crisps and some fruit for lunch, so no doubt that saves me money.

I bought a new freezer on Sunday, so have already spent a bit more than usual 'stocking' it up with some bits, but have a lot to make many meals from now!

SueC_2

Thank you! Thinking about it, BF stays most weekends, and he eats enough for 3, so maybe I can blame it all on him!

BitterAndTwisted

See? You've probably dropped right down into the "really effing cheap" spending category now

SueC_2

Yeah, but he's just gone on a 'diet', what am I going to do now........?