Food bill for two people - what is too much.

Cocobay71

Somewhere around £30 a week. Some weeks you could spend a bit more due to household items out, treats if staying in at weekend etc.

chesky

Polly (today) has resurrected this thread from 2011, so a lot of it is pretty irrelevant to today's prices. I think it's always better to start a new thread, rather than dig something up from years ago.

Callie22

chesky wrote: »

Polly (today) has resurrected this thread from 2011, so a lot of it is pretty irrelevant to today's prices. I think it's always better to start a new thread, rather than dig something up from years ago.

Thank god you mentioned the date! I was reading this and thinking that some people were spending very little on their shopping. Reading that the thread was from 2011 makes me feel a little better!

maman

happy35 wrote: »

i have never had meals from Farmfoods but have had bags of prawns and fish, these were good value IMO.

I don't know what meals you mean but I can't imagine any processed meals being better for you than cooking your own from scratch. Ready meals are ok now and again but generally bulked out with very limited protein and often a great deal of fat/carb in batter etc.

I use Farmfoods but selectively so for basic ingredients to cook my own meals. Favourites are fish, some meats, bacon, frozen veg, bread, cheese. Also toilet rolls and kitchen roll are very good.

honeythewitch

maman wrote: »

I don't know what meals you mean but I can't imagine any processed meals being better for you than cooking your own from scratch. Ready meals are ok now and again but generally bulked out with very limited protein and often a great deal of fat/carb in batter etc.

I use Farmfoods but selectively so for basic ingredients to cook my own meals. Favourites are fish, some meats, bacon, frozen veg, bread, cheese. Also toilet rolls and kitchen roll are very good.

I think Polly33 meant "Wiltshire Farm foods" who deliver ready meals.:)
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/

BitterAndTwisted

meg72 wrote: »

Very reasonable I would say, some people do spend less and some people do spend more, but why worry, if you are comfortable, and you appear to be, then that's fine. It's your budget.

I agree with this. Your "reasonable" budget is whatever you're happy to pay. What other people spend is neither here nor there. It's not sensible to get into a competition about who can live well on fourpence h'penny a week unless you have no other choice.

[Deleted User]

I can and do manage very well on my £60.00 per month budget ,but then I can make a meal out of almost anything to hand.Growing up during rationing, and a very canny little Scots mum made me very careful with shopping and I never overspend on silly things that I really don't need.I keep my food purse seperate from the rest of my money, and when its gone then its gone until the following month.Several years ago I too used to shop in almost automatic mode, but now I only go shopping when there is at least 7-10 things 'needed' on my list.I do cook from scratch which helps I suppose and my freezer is stacked full of stuff at the moment and I couldn't get anything else in there yellow stickered stuff helps no end I have found that reduced items from M& S great value as the quality is good and they do give a decent mark down.Bulking out mince with lentils or veg is good as it helps to streeetch the meat content.I suppose about a third of my budget is spent on fruit and veg and I also make my own soups for starters as they are so easy and cheap to make out of very little.
I think its what makes you feel comfortable when you fix your budget helps I have just over a tenner in my food purse left over for this month and have no shopping to buy at all this week.So come Saturday the tenner will go into my holiday fund and I'll start again with my £60.00 budget.It works ok for me but then even my children call me Frau Frugal :) as nothing is ever wasted

maman

honeythewitch wrote: »

I think Polly33 meant "Wiltshire Farm foods" who deliver ready meals.:)
http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/

Oh thanks. I've just checked out the website and on average a meal is about £3.50. So for 7 dinners for 2 people that's £49. Then they'd have to buy in lunches, breakfasts, any snacks plus drinks. Unless they are spending huge amounts at the moment then I can't see that's a cheap way of doing it. DH and I eat really well on about £50 a week.

margaretclare

Polly333 wrote: »

The price of food is too high and my husband and I are now considering having our meals delivered by a company, so we don't have to prepare them. Farmfoods, looked reasonable on the website, and they all seem to be balanced meals. As we are now on a tight budget, but want to stay healthy and not waste our money are we doing the right thing? Has anyone used them and can confirm the meals are as tasty as the pictures?

What's the difference between what you're planning, and living solely off ready-meals from the supermarket?

You want to stay healthy but none of these, whether delivered or bought in the supermarket, are fresh. Wouldn't you be better buying fresh ingredients and making your own?

Ken68

I suppose you could work it out scientifically. From the nutritional data on the packet. So you would be looking for the the least cost of calories and protein per 100g's.
And you would need a range of foods to get the vitamins and trace elements.
And although I grow most veg and fruit (a nice hobby) I doubt that it is cheaper.