How much for weekly shop?

stroppyjock

How much do OS'ers budget on for weekly shop? Include everthing like toileteries, cleaning products etc?
I use £40/50 as a single person but feeling this will incurr much wrath/merriment to seasoned OS'ers.

Maitane

I budget about £25-30 per week for myself and my housemate, including toiletries and cleaning products but normally not including alcohol - just because I don't drink enough to put it on our food budget whereas he drinks for Wales.

It just depends on the type of thing you eat I guess and type of products you use, I use vinegar and bicarb and carbolic soap to clean pretty much everything. No budget is wrong and really, people shouldn't laugh or get angry at you - I mean, I spend between £12.50 and £15 a week on household stuff, £15 a week in coal and eleccy but then, I have a £36 a month gym membership which some people here would gasp here (although it brings down my electricity bills because me and the housemate watch TV while working out, shower and I dry and straighten my hair there).

Are you looking to cut down your budget or just having a nose at what other people do?

Butterfly_Brain

Hiya stroppyjock I usually have a budget of between £50 and £60 per week for four of us and that includes 1 vegetarian.
I use the basic soap-powder and softener
I watch for bargains everywhere.
I get milk toilet rolls and bread from farmfoods and fruit and veg from Aldi
I only use stardrops for cleaning and only buy fairy washing up liquid but only when it's on offer and stock up.
I get sugar from poundland (1½ kilo bags) and use a lot of own brand/smart price products.
The most important thing is to Meal Plan and write a list and stick to it.
HTH x

stroppyjock

Just out of general interest really, I cook from fresh and dont drink that much. I thought I was being fairly thrifty 'til I read other posts!

I'm away to start using my breadmaker again and I've started to keep a spend diary, thats opened my eyes up to how much cakes and buns I was buying, so that will bring the spend down as well, I also bulk cook chillie's etc so will just have to make more use of that too!

My attitude to money has changed drastically over the last three months and I now enjoy the feeling of not throwing away out of date food and meal planning etc, just wish I had done it years ago!!

been keeping a look out for stardrops but cannot find it anywhere!

Pink.

Hi stroppyjock,

There's an existing thread that will help you to see what other Old Stylers spend on their grocery shopping:

Grocery Shopping budget thread

Also if you join in the monthly grocery challenge you will get lots of help and support in reducing your bill if you want to. The new thread for this month began on Sunday:

April 2010 Grocery Challenge

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the replies together.

Pink

guccigoo

i spend about £50 a week for the 4 of us if im careful and stick to my meal plans. toiletries i dont have to buy every week but if there on offer i usually stockup especially on toothpaste:)

Butterfly_Brain

Stroppyjock you can get stardrops in Wilkinsons, Asda, poundland and 99p stores

stroppyjock

Thanks BB will try my nearest Asda.

As an add on question, I did see a thread here on the best time to bag reduced/whoopsied items at supermarkets, anyone have any idea timings for t*scos? Cant find the link/thread.

Thanks all.

floss2

Look after 1pm for initial 25% reductions, then again about 6pm for 50%, then about 7.30 - 8pm for 75%....at least, that's how it is in my local Tesco extra

ubamother

There are 2 adults, 1 starving 9 yr old boy, 2 cats, 1 dog in my house, plus we feed other people three or four times a week. I spend on average £12 a week at the butchers, £15 at the greengrocers and £50 a fortnight at the supermarket. My maths makes that £52 per week plus the milkman. Don't think though, that on your figures if there were four of you you would spend four times as much - it doesn't work like that. Larger groups like families tend to make great use of bulk buying and batch cooking techniques as they are more likely to have larger storage space/freezer etc. There are also plenty of people to use up fruit and veg so it is less likely to go off and be wasted.

BitterAndTwisted

I spend about £15 a week for myself and my little cat, so that includes cat food, cat litter and all toiletries and cleaning materials. Not that I've actually bought any toiletries or cleaning-materials in the last six months as I had plenty hoarded away. I had an adventure last week when I made 10 litres of laundry gloop for about £1.50 and use vinegar in the last rinse. But this isn't just me having a play, I'm unemployed for the first time in my life so I have to make what little I have stretch like elastic but I do have time to cook from scratch. There's nothing like having no money to concentrate the mind on what's absolutely essential and what's a pure luxury.