Singles - How much do you really spend on groceries?

flutterbyuk25

carolfunkydiva wrote: »

Maybe we need a separate thread with recipe ideas on cheap meals that we make? I'll offer up my fishcakes as a starter if anyone is interested

There are many threads on cheap meal ideas on the Old Style board - hop over there and have a lookie

x

SueC_2

lj_1993 wrote: »

What does 'nuked' mean?

Blasted in the microwave, usually.

Unless there's a nuclear war going on, in which case it could mean something completely different...!

Indie_Kid

Anything between £12 & £19. Out of that does come things such as wet wipes and cotton buds though.

SueC_2

Just a thought... are the figures everyone is quoting average figures over a year, therefore increased by weeks when you spend more (eg. Christmas, family occasions), or what you would expect to spend in a 'normal' week with no additional expenses?

Gillir2000

Hi, I've just started budgeting and have put aside £35 a week for everything - food, household items, pet food. Over the past few weeks I've noticed I'm spending less. However when I saw I had money left over I used it to go out for dinner.

I have been reading some of the threads on being frugal living today and I'm going to see how little I can spend from now on and pop the extra aside for a rainy day!

elsien

SueC wrote: »

Just a thought... are the figures everyone is quoting average figures over a year, therefore increased by weeks when you spend more (eg. Christmas, family occasions), or what you would expect to spend in a 'normal' week with no additional expenses?

Mine's a normal week - everything else takes me to £40++++++++

teabythesea

I shamefully spend around £35 a week

freakyogre

SueC wrote: »

Just a thought... are the figures everyone is quoting average figures over a year, therefore increased by weeks when you spend more (eg. Christmas, family occasions), or what you would expect to spend in a 'normal' week with no additional expenses?

Normal week for me, but I don't count meals out/takeaways as they're so rare! I'm going out next week for my sisters birthday so that meal alone will probably cost more than I spend in a normal week, so it won't be counted.

Also, my dad/stepmum and me take it in turns to take each other out every so often, so we'll go out one night and i'll pay and then next time they'll pay. It works well.

I noticed a few people count alcohol as well which I suppose adds quite a lot on. I don't drink, so that's another expense I don't have to worry about.

SueC_2

Maybe mine's not so bad then... sad person that I am I keep a spreadsheet of all my expenses. Over the whole of last year I averaged £28 per week on groceries. But that includes extra food at Christmas, weekends when I have friends to stay so feed us all for a few days, plus any occasions when I invite a group of friends over to dinner.

It completely excludes alcohol and going out expenses though - they'd change the picture fairly frighteningly!

Alison_c

At the start of the year I thought I would do a budget plan (Martins new one) and was totally shocked to see how much surplus money I could have each year if I stuck to my budget.

After going through receipts from last year i noticed I was spending about £280 - £300 on food each month - and I'm single!! This was because I was doing top up shops constantly - I was going for what I fancied instead of what I had so was waisting a lot of food.

I have now set my self a budget of £120 per month and so far its going really well - I'm a good cook but very fussy , having said that I am trying new things to use up left over chicken and vegatables etc.

Another thing I am doing is writing everything I do spend down in a book so I can see at the end of the month if I do go wrong.