Average cost of family grocery shopping

Rachie_B

we are a family of 4 (kids are 10 and 4)and ive got it down to approx £60 online tesco shop every 2 weeks,this includes all toiletries and cleaning products etc

in between i sometimes have to restock on juice,milk,bread,yogurts,salad etc but no more than £5 worth

we used to spend between £80 - £100 each week !!! and very often not have " anything to make a meal with " !!!!!! lol

menu planning is a must IMO even if not set in stone just a vague one so you can plan the weekly shopping list / budget

corey

I have 3 kids and would usually spend about £120 a week on food etc. I feel this is too much and would like to reduce however my kids eat constantly. They are great eaters and eat near enough anything but love fruit and veg which can be expensive. We would generally use a whole cauliflower, a couple of sprouts of broccoli and a few acrrots every dinner time, swapping with different veg every night but I can't keep up! Anyone any tips on where I can get cheaper fruit and veg? I go to Lidls at minute as much as I can but am still spending roughly £30-£40 a week on fruit and veg.

Rachie_B

grow some of your own? salad ,pots,herbs etc are easy enough so im told lol

they only "need" 5 portions a day so could you try and maybe substitute ? instead of them snacking on eg 3 portions in a fruit salad etc use just one and blend it with some fruit juice and or milk to make a smoothie

dried fruit is cheap and can be used as one of the 5 a day
frozen fruit and veg can be cheaper and just as good for you

bulchy

corey do you have a local market you could shop at? I went to one on saturday, hadnt been for about a year as its a bus ride away, I had forgotten how cheap it was. Got a cauliflower, spring greens 2lb carrots and 2lb onions for £1.50, picked my own too so they were lovely and fresh.
Also my local, very cheap greengrocer will sell me a sack of carrots and a sack of onions, usually works out a lot cheaper, but storage is a problem at the moment due to hot weather,dont think I could use them up quick enough. Buying spuds by the sack will work out cheaper for you too.
Sue

corey

Hi there. Thanks for replies. Yea I bought a smoothie maker last year but I find that I need a lot more fruit for it as you would if they were just eating it. But I will try again and maybe bulk it out with more milk. I don't think I have a market near me that's the only problem as I would be more than willing to go. Will ask on the Northern Ireland board I think. I live in the country so it couldnt be too hard to find! Thats a really good price for veg bulchy. It would be great if I could find that! Yes Rachie B I might try the herbs as I would use a few of them too. Don't have any land so growing my own wouldn't really be an optio. I wish I could! Could maybe try tomatoes though. Would be a bit wary of nuts. I would only eat them myself but I have an 18 month old and I would be scared of the older ones leaving them lying around. Thank you for advice. Any more would be welcomed!

Rachie_B

i make a kids "energy" banana smoothie with 1 banana, some plain yogurt ,milk and a spoonful of peanut butter ( not as gross as it sounds lol) blitzed up it makes enough for 3 glass full

also do one with about 3 strawberries instead of the pnut butter

some more smoothie recipes here http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/Recipes/SimpleSmoothies.aspx

corey

Sounds lovely! Will try and see what happens. Thank you.

Prudent

I spend £90 per month on myself, teen daughter and two picky cats. I shop mainly at the time when Morrisons are reducing things to 9p! Cats are resistant to any economies on their part - they expect the servants to provide a good meal ( no corner's cut) twice daily. I think around £25 of this is spent on them.

Kelinik

I'm currently spending £300-£350 a month on 2 adults, 2 kids and 13 rodents, but as a newly joined DFW have set myself the challenge of getting this down.

starwok

you will have to shop around we do our bulk tinned food from aldi and pasta large bags at asda look for the bargains of the week and i have started buying only what we need 2 adults well 4 if you count 2 grown boys at 21 and 23 thankfully no pets to worry about. have the other problem also of different times for meals