How much should we be spending ?

quintwins

i can't understand why people think n.i is dearer not taking into account aldi fruit and veg and farmfoods i acually think it's slightly cheaper here for example spuds are very cheap and milk is cheaper here if you buy in the right places


see i make a point of eating together at tea time because i feel it's better socially, we spend about £200 a month if i spend £130 a week i wouldn't be able to put it all away we're already filled to bursting

ALIBOBSY

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

Me too

It doesnt help im in NI where costs are roughyl 15-20% higher than the mainland - or that the kids eat early and me and the wife later (I get home 5 ish, and the kids are already having T, as there in bed for 6.23 to 7).

But - we still spend between £130 and £170 per week for 2 adults and 2 kids. That includes all household stuff mind, but still.

No Aldi/Liddl within reach so its Tescos. We do meal plan, do cook most things from scratch (less so for kids) - we do bulk buy and freeze, and also make bigger means and freeze half for another day. Still

Alot of the sort of bulk cooking type meals lend themselves well to kids eat early parents later. Things like pasta sauces/chillis/soups/stews etc can either be kept warm or warmed up for later. You can even do a version the kids can eat then adult it up-more chilli/spice/veggies the kids don't like etc for later. I love my slow cooker for one pot dishes that can feed the kids early and us later-plus meat cooked in there is lovely and tender even cheap cuts.

My kids love it if i get one of those cheap gammon joints from Aldi (think most supermarkets/butchers do something simular). cook it in the Sc on a bed of chopped onion/carrot/celery/veggies and some liquid-whatever is to hand so home made chicken/veggie stock or stock cubes/leftover gravy/wine/apple juice/water to about halfway up the joint. We have a slice each with egg and chips or mash for that night tea. Some is sliced and either frozen for another nights tea or used for sandwiches (or split and do both depending on size of joint). Then the end bit and any bits that broke off with the leftover stock/veggies go in a pan with some extra fresh veggies-whatever is around/cheap/in the garden plus some peas/beans. Makes a huge pot of ham and pea type soup-throw in some potatos and it really fills you up. Soda bread is cheap and easy to make at home and goes well with this or a good way of using up the ends of loaves that get left dunk em in a thick tasty soup.

So minimum 3 meals for 6 of us from one joint and a few veggies-if stretched 4 or 5 meals.

Its all about streching what you have and avoiding waste.
On average in the uk they reckon we throw one bag of shopping in 3-very often this is fresh produce. Most people should be able to cut say 20-30% off food bills just by reducing waste to a minimum.

Really try to avoid one shop shopping if you can. I know you said no Aldi/lidl, but surely there must be some local shops of some kind-butchers/farm shops etc can work out better value than the big stores and less tempting to fill the trolley with stuff you don't really need.

One to try to at least cut the bill fr one week in the month is make a mea plan based just on what you have in the fridge/freezer/cupboards aready. See how many meals you can do from the stocks you already have-you may well be really suprised. Then meal paln for the meals not covered and do a list. Buy only the list nothing else no matter how good the deals/offers and see how much you can drop your figures down. Even just doing this once a month would reduce your waste and slash one weeks bill-this then brings down the bill for the whole month.

Bit by bit is the best bet.

Good luck
Ali x

YORKSHIRELASS

My grocery bill including all cleaning/toiletries/washing powder for a family of four (with older kids) is £60-£70 a week. I have spent about a year getting this right and I could do it for a bit less if I really had to but this figure is about right for us.

We eat meat every day (going veggie just wont happen with my OH) and we live in a rural area so food shops are limited. Its a 50 mile round trip to the nearest Tesco and the local shops and markets arent that cheap. For me the more times I go shopping the more I spend so I get two big online shops a month and have them delivered.

My biggest saving has been meal planning. I plan out what we are having for our main meals 2 weeks at a time and only shop for exactly what we need. I couldnt imagine not doing this now.

I am also a bit of a stickler for everyone sitting down together (unless hubby is late from work) and all eating the same. I agree with Alibobsy that food is too expensive to waste, all leftovers get frozen or made into something else.

creditcard123

Hi
We are a family of 7 though they are a bit older than yours our children are 19,15,12,11 and 10 so really 4 adults and 3 childrens portions but the 2 wee ones eat just as much as everyone else

I spend on average about £100 - £130 per week occassionally will spend £85 but have been known to go over £200when stocking up on soap powder, toiletries, tins etc

I have started buying cereal in bulk from Amazon when they are on offer usually get 4 packs of cheerios for £3 something Also I keep an eye on their deals I once got 12 boxes of 4 pack oreos so 48 snack packs for under a fiver.

I am considering joining Costco as I have been told they sell really large packs of meat for really reasonable prices but not sure if its anymore economical than Tesco 4 for £12 meat packs

We also buy a full lamb every year which we freeze - loads of sunday dinners mid week chops ribs for soup and did give the liver to my dad dont think I could stomach it.:o

Soups and pastas a couple of times a week cheap and cheerful and make your sauce with loads of veg then blend them the children wont know whats in them:D

Good Luck big familes are great but feeding them is a mammoth task

Margey

write down how much money you have and how much you spend on shopping. work out insurance, mortgage, cars etc and find out how much money you will need. Plan it all out.

maman

Some very helpful contributions on here, what a clever lot you are!

I know I'm not excessively houseproud but I sometimes wonder how much people spend on cleaning materials and toiletries. I know it's a bit different if you buy nappies but I don't seem to get through cleaning stuff very quickly. I buy Asda's SP washing powder, SP vinegar for my laundry. For cleaning I have SP spray polish, a Flash (or similar) liquid that I dilute into a spray and bleach (generally a branded one on offer from Lidl or Easy from Iceland). I get Lidl's own dishwasher stuff. I also have all sorts of odd products like Brasso, limescale stuff, Ajax powder, shoe polish etc.

Toiletries are gifts for special stuff and cheapo bath gel for handwash, shampoo is usually an offer at Lidl, Lidl's deodorant is fine as is Lacura moisturiser from Aldi.

My point is I've built up these things over time and find that I don't need to restock very often so the effect on my weekly budget is minimal. Do others spend a big chunk of their money on cleaning products?

quintwins

maman wrote: »

My point is I've built up these things over time and find that I don't need to restock very often so the effect on my weekly budget is minimal. Do others spend a big chunk of their money on cleaning products?

i've just had this conversation with a friend and no i spend very little prob about £10 a month including toilet roll dishwasher tablets and landry liquid, i bulk buy my laundry liquid so it costs me about £2-3 a month because i buy it bogof once a year, other than that i use value or offers (usually amazon) i used to use morning fresh washing up liquid but i've found loads of fairy offers lately so have been buying them sometimes cheaper than morning fresh, i don't buy fabric softener i think it's a waste as my clothes smell lovely anyway

interested_81

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

Yeh. well we did well this week. Only cost £122 but included some household things, ingrediants for baking and some replacement items like oil and stuff.

i recon we should be able to get under £100 most weeks.

TBH if we could all eat together (we do at weekends) it wouldbe easier - and cheaper on elec to cook the stuff as well, but with kids bedtimes and my work times it doesnt seem possible. There not young, 8 and 6 but were not letting their bedtimes slip in schooltime (6yr goes at 6.30 and can have 1/2 hour music, 8yr at 7 with the same deal). As i said weekends are better as they go to bed at 8.

Best too cut down bit by bit ! Well me and the kids normally eat about half 5 but hubby doesnt get in till half six i just keep his in the oven and if its cold thats where the microwave comes in :rotfl:
Your lucky ur eight year old goes too bed at 7 its normally 9 before my younger three goes too bed and the teenagers its a rare night that there in bed by ten but im working on that too have turned the temp down by one it was at 21 its now at 20 so they might start going to bed if its gets colder in the evenings :rotfl:

interested_81

maman wrote: »

Some very helpful contributions on here, what a clever lot you are!

I know I'm not excessively houseproud but I sometimes wonder how much people spend on cleaning materials and toiletries. I know it's a bit different if you buy nappies but I don't seem to get through cleaning stuff very quickly. I buy Asda's SP washing powder, SP vinegar for my laundry. For cleaning I have SP spray polish, a Flash (or similar) liquid that I dilute into a spray and bleach (generally a branded one on offer from Lidl or Easy from Iceland). I get Lidl's own dishwasher stuff. I also have all sorts of odd products like Brasso, limescale stuff, Ajax powder, shoe polish etc.


Toiletries are gifts for special stuff and cheapo bath gel for handwash, shampoo is usually an offer at Lidl, Lidl's deodorant is fine as is Lacura moisturiser from Aldi.

My point is I've built up these things over time and find that I don't need to restock very often so the effect on my weekly budget is minimal. Do others spend a big chunk of their money on cleaning products?

My biggest spend in the month is prob on toilet roll and washing powder this month have spent £21 but that should do me 4 wks
I use too buy a big bottle off head & Shoulders and it costs £4.50 in tesco so everyone samed too be using it and not using the cheaper shampoo ie tesco brands so i spotted a anti dandruff in a tesco's brand last month it was 99p same size off bottle that i was using so i sneakly bought it and poured it into the head & shoulders bottle not one person has noticed yet and they been using it about three weeks now :rotfl:

tigerfeet2006

The Slow Cooker is your friend. Have a look at the SC thread for ideas.

Use half the recommended amount of washing powder and don't bother with conditioner. Lidl and Aldi do good value powder.

When you put the loo roll on the holder give it a squash so the roll isn't round and doesn't roll smoothly, you will hopefully find they don't use as much.