Food bills - How much?

Happy_bunny

I'm a single, meat eating but teetotal chap looking for some advice on how much is reasonable/average to spend on (Just) food each week.

I Generally seem to be doing most things right - Own brands, buying the right deals and only cook meals rather than ready meals or pre - packaged stuff.

What are other peoples thoughts? I don't want to go down the eating for £X amount per day or feeling like i MUST only spend a certain amount - Rather a guide on what's sensible to allow me to save a few quid yet eat well - Hope that makes sense?

Advice appreciated! :T

maman

If you're just buying food and not booze or toiletries/cleaning stuff I'd say you could eat very well on £25 a week. Over time you could probably get that down a bit. You need money up front to get in a stock of things like tea, coffee, basic herbs & spices, sauces etc but you won't need these every week.

I cook for two of us and I find that as I split packs of meat and freeze some and cook meals and freeze portions for HM ready meals then what I have to buy each week goes down. Some weeks it's really cheap as I only need some veg, bread and milk to go with what's in the freezer. I suppose you could acheive the same thing by making a big pot of something and eating the same meal for days but it would get boring.

sirbrainy

If you want to save a few quid then mix a couple of savers into your weekly food choice. Eg

Pasta with pesto & cheese
Baked potato with baked beans
Eat muesli for lunch or dinner
French baguette with pate
Soups + bread
Pot noodles - buy when they're on offer as in now 3 for 99p Tesco's

Gothicfairy

It really depends on your store cupboard..You might have to spend £100 every 6 months say ( for example) to stock up on things like worcestershire sauce, mushroom ketchup , vinegars etc but that could mean you can live perfectly well on £10 to £15 per week as you would use stock items to flavour cheaper things.
Also a freezer shop ( peas, sweetcorn etc) can help as that will also add bulk to your weekly shop.

I buy my meat from the used by section at my local co-op and I can get things like sausages for 50p and a whole chicken for £1.30 so with store cupboard and freezer items I might spend as little as £4 a week.

freakyogre

I'm pretty much the same as you (single, don't drink etc...oh, but female) and I spend around £55 a month.

I joined the grocery challenge on the old style board last year and found with trial and error, this was the average amount I was spending most months. I tend to buy a lot of things in bulk when they're on offer which last me for months, so some months I will go over or be under, but it levels itself out so it doesn't matter if I want to stock up on something one month. I know you said you don't want to stick to a certain amount, but I find this good for keeping an eye on what I spend.

I use my freezer a lot and find it so useful for leftovers/batch cooking and of course any bargains I find. I think I eat pretty well and very rarely have takeaways/ready meals.

SpottedLeopard_2

Also same as OP but female, managing on average £15 per week so far by shopping at Aldi and Tesco combined. Being a girl, will probably eat less than a guy? Only eat meat about 4 times per week, the rest is vegetarian, with lots of kidney beans/lentils/chickpeas! I buy some fruit too (apples/oranges only though, not so much grapes or blueberries etc). If I went later to Tesco I might be able to reduce the cost further, but probably not enough to make a massive impact (although 'every little helps' hahar )

VestanPance

I'm a male meat eating non drinker too and I average about £25 per week which also includes making soup for lunch at work and fruit I take in for lunch.

I cook from scratch, but I do tend to add a few treats too. Sweet tooth! I find it pretty easy to eat well on that budget and not feel like I'm missing out on anything.