Food shopping costs

Savannah31

How much roughly do you all spend each week/month on shopping? and how big is your family?

We are a family of 5 (3 children). 2 dogs and 2 cats.

We spend far too much on food, I would say in a month it is £500-600 and I need to cut this right down as we just can't afford it anymore.

Any advice?

rachbc

2 adults, 1 teenager (eats more than me) 1 5yo, 3 cats and 3 hens - £250 per month for all breakfasts, packed lunches x3 (hubby buys lunch out of his own money) and evening meals.

flippin36

family of 4 two kids over 10 + medium dog £300. We are on a mission to cut this a little, would love to do £250

emmamed

we are a family of 2 adults, 2 children, 1 dog, 2 cats and a big tank of fish. tbh i couldnt say what i spend each week/month. i just stick it on the tesco CC and pay it off when the bill comes. some weeks arent as much as others, like atm we have said we will try and run the freezers down. if we just need milk/bread basic things, i will try and send the husband to asda as if i go in, i end up buying loads more. ive been known to pop into iceland for just milk and spend £30.

advice would be to get yr veg from one of the cheaper shops aldi/lidl, its normally half the price of the big supermarkets. try and downbrand you and the animals and buy when on offer. months back tesco had 3for2 on pet food, i brought 6 months dog and cats food. for years my cats would only eat pouches, so costing me £10 a week just for them, but last week i brought a can of cat food and they have eaten it, so i going to start buying cans instead of pouches. buy cheaper cuts of meat and slow cooker them. i find doing an online shop is cheaper as i am not seeing all the offers, but sticking to what i just need, i still make a list and go by it.

helen_jelly

Savannah31 wrote: »

How much roughly do you all spend each week/month on shopping? and how big is your family?

We are a family of 5 (3 children). 2 dogs and 2 cats.

We spend far too much on food, I would say in a month it is £500-600 and I need to cut this right down as we just can't afford it anymore.

Any advice?

Come and join in on the Grocery Challenge for October - lots of help and advice on there

Helen

helen190390

helen_jelly wrote: »

Come and join in on the Grocery Challenge for October - lots of help and advice on there

Helen

Oooh challenge? where can i find that? i'm a newbie, so not to sure where to find those x

helen190390

Savannah, i suggest maybe just setting out meal plans for each week, work out what you need to buy, and what you can cut down on.
Then shop around! i find if i go to Tesco later in the evening, they are putting things in reduced sections, i buy alot of bread and freeze it.
So instead of paying £1-£1.50 for a loaf, i get it for under 40p. sometimes even 10p!

Also, if you get very smart with saving money, you could even grow your own veggies! we grow potatoes carrots and onions, and i we even have left overs to go feed the horses down the road as a treat for our little 2.5 year old girl xx

tessie_bear

making your own bread is a good money saver but needs time to do it....we spend about £35 a week for 4 of us....2 adults 2 kids....sometimes a bit more but that is an average....im liking aldi at the moment as i seem to get a lot for my money...also less stuff to buy

hth

ixia

we are also a family of 5, 3 veggies in my house though so that cuts down on meat costs.

Join the grocery challenge it makes you think about what you are spending. I budget for £400 per month, Sept is the only month I have came in under budget but I have only went slightly over the other months.

I think it is good to meal plan and use produce which is in season. Take advantage of ald1's fruit and veg offers. Try to pick up reduced items when possible.

good luck!

helen_jelly

helen190390 wrote: »

Oooh challenge? where can i find that? i'm a newbie, so not to sure where to find those x

Hi

Old Style Forum - we're top of the list - come and visit

Helen

Tracykim

There are 5 of us and I spend no more than 250 a month! We eat good home cooked meals every day and I do packed lunches for the younger children!

I plan my weekly menu and this helps massively! I also do my shopping after 8 on a Saturday stock my freezer up with fresh bread and rolls, rarely pay more than 20p a loaf! Also you can pick up fresh fruit and veg at cut prices, I have strawberries and raspberries frozen that cost 10p per pk! Market stalls are a good source of cheap veg too!