Feeding a Family of 4 - Realistic budget

MrsTinks

I have no idea how much we spent on food before hand but it's definitely less these days. The weekly takeaway is now a treat which is so much more appreciated by us both when we do have one (usually only if I haven't had time to make a home made pizza or if I'm not feeling well...).
I barely enter Mr T's other than for the occasional top up (organic milk - still not located a local milk man grrrr stopping off at the village post office tonight to see if anyone has his details... and to occasional fruit top up - mainly organic. A few items for OH as he's a fussy so and so)
Last i was in Tesco I managed to pick up some bargains with fabric conditioner and washing powder (the cube thingies) from the reduced shelves... it was all about 75% off RRP as they were making space for a new promo and I was lucky enough to grab a couple of bottles and a box of powder things. Add that to the HUGE box of Surf I got at Costco and I should be ok for at least 6 months on the washing side...
Toiletries I think we're ok for... might need some shaving stuff for OH soon but otherwise ok...
So it SHOULD 99% only be food for the next month or three
Now I mainly buy local and organic so I'll be interested to see how low I can get it

Penny-Pincher!!

Hey!

My spending habits were similar about 2 years ago:o I used to shop at M&S or Waitrose easily spending £100++ each week plus having 2+ take-aways a week. Hubby & I were working FT and just got very lazy I suppose

Due to health reasons I had to give up work and OH is now my FT carer. Our income dropped by about 70% and we couldnt do it anymore. Came across this website at exactly the right time.

We live very well now and eat all HM meals and have a take-away about every 3 weeks. This is normally an Indian or Chineese at about £15, but is something to look forward too and a Macdonalds would cost this!

OS has helped me to be more organised with buying/using and stretching food and not wasting food. Before when I was spending tons of money, I used to just empty the contents into the bin and stick nthe new stuff away...I must have wasted thousands:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

There are 3 of us and over the past 12 months we have spent on average £35 per week. We eat healthy and have our daily intake of 5 fruit/veg per day each.

My advice is to:

(1)Make a list of what food you have in
(2)Meal plan for a week and just buy what you need
(3)Buy bread/milk/meat/poultry/fish when yellow stickered and freeze
(4)When making a meal, make double and freeze for the following week
(5)Still enjoy some luxuries. We still have butter, decent bread, decent ham, Nescafe, Tetley, Heniz soup, ketchup, decent loo rolls etc etc
(6)Enjoy yourself!

Good luck.

PP
xx

patentgirl

I am new too posting this is in fact my first post i have been browsing since stumbling onto this website after a massive overspend at christmas and if i am honest with myself overspend every month, I am exactly like you Ex-Spendaholic not budgeting properly using switch and even credit cards for food, running up similar totals to you using excuses of working full time but with spending easliy £680 per month if not more some months on 3 adults and 1 teenager although other daughter and partner and boyfriend/girlfriend of those that live at home often eat at home but it is still an embarrassing amount I am ashamed to say after reading posts of how good some people budget. I am going too change following all the advice you had have and I will join the monthly challege for March and for good measures have just cut up my credit card. So if you dont mind Ex-Spendaholic i will be trying to change my ways and cut back with you.

larmy16

Oh Ex Spendaholic thank you for posting - this is my very favourite kind of thread and I never tire of reading about people's food budgets etc, so that must make me doubly sad!!!!!!!!;)

belfastgirl23

I always like to hear about people as bad as I was Still feeling a bit ashamed of how much we've wasted over the years. Still not over the M&S addiction (see signature!) but now only buy stuff there that is genuinely nicer than in other places (esp bread).

I think the planning element is the biggest part for me. I don't plan in as regimented a way as some others but for next month I know roughly what meals I'll eat, although not exactly what day. i've just done a big online shop for all the basics (I also buy longlife milk and freeze bread to keep me out of convenience stores). After this I'll go to marks about once a week but keep spending down to about £10 a go and will also use local fruit and veg shop. Staying out of supermarkets is V important for me Good luck. Being organised takes a bit of effort at the start but is really well worth it in the end up

h_roberts

One small but useful saving I have is on potatoes.
We have a local g/grocer who stocks the variety Marfona, grown in Lincs, which we find are just about THE best spud for all-round use (but especially for jackets).
Point is, I buy 'em by the sackful which works out at HALF the loose per-pound price, and all for a short walk with a bag on my shoulder!
Looking forward, as ever, to the beginnings of fresh stuff from the garden - now that's the way to really save!

vfairbrass

We are a family of two adults and one teenager and our food budget has dropped from almost £650 a month to about £250. I now can't imagine what I spent the money on but know I just threw the same things in the trolley each week.

Get used to looking at unit pricing on the shelves when shopping.

The most important thing for me was a price book. I kept a month's worth of receipts and used that as a basis but it now goes everywhere with me and if I see something allegedly on sale I just check against my price book. If it looks a good deal I will buy.

I do main shop in Sainsbury's with forays into Aldi (try it it you haven't done so already, you'll be surprised) for certain items (their St Etienne lager for instance!!)

I sat down with the family and discussed what were our favourite meals. We aren't adventurous and found we had about a dozen that we liked and were happy to rotate on a fortnightly basis. I listed the ingredients for these meals and each month I ensure I buy enough to allow me to make each meal twice.
I don't meal plan rigidly but keep the list of our favourite meals on the fridge and the day before I decide what we are going to eat for the next dinner and ensure the correct items are defrosting/in the cupboard.

We agreed to eat out once a month.

I stopped paying for school dinners and make packed lunch. Saves about £8 each per week.

I stopped buying any sweets, biscuits, crisps, fizzy drinks. I now do a lot more baking and we drink water/milk/ or juice.

I now make my own bread - make three loaves on Sunday and these last the week. I slice them as soon as they have cooled.

I batch cook some meals at weekends and freeze.

I make a conscious effort not to waste things but to use everything up that I have paid good money for.

I buy Sainsbury's basics for many things - there are a few things which the family baulked at (their weetabix is bizarre but can be used for weetabix brownies) but many items are perfectly acceptable.

I read postings on this site every day.

I bought the Complete Tightwad Gazette - this has been a true inspiration to me.

Crazychik

Ex-Spendaholic wrote:

Thank you everyone. I am really delighted at all the advice you have given me. I'm determined to make this work. I'm really pleased that yesterday I spent no money. Today I shouldn't need to either. I'm going to start this week as I get paid on Friday. A week for me will run Saturday to Saturday as I have time on a Saturday morning to do shopping etc. Here's my plan:

1. Do weekly menu plans - this will really sort out my life. The pressure of coming home from work and wondering what to make for dinner is awful hence the continual trips to M&S.
2. Buy all meat/poultry in one go
3. Buy all fruit/vegetables/potatoes in one go
4. Make a list of what is in my cupboard and then create another list of what I need - this weekend I'll go and buy that stuff so that I'm sorted for the month
5. Invest in stardrops. I recent won £90 of Unilever vouchers so this will take care of a load of toiletries etc for a while.
6. When I need milk/bread I'll send my son so that I don't come back with a load.
7. Look into the slow cooker option
8. Avoid M&S
9. Still have a takeaway on a Saturday night. The family like it and hopefully what I save during the week will take the sting off.
10. Shop with cash and use a calculator.

I think I'll set a budget of £70 per week (although this week may be higher with the stocking up for the month on store items) to start off with the hope of getting it down to £50.

I'll let you know how I go.

:T :T Well done! Start as you mean to go on. By the way you've listed things, you cant go wrong!

I hope things work. Good luck!

lil_me

Send your son with limited cash, same if you have to go yourself, don't take a lot extra with you Other than that looks like you have pretty much sussed it. Best of luck.

With takeaways we do have the occasional treat but I buy less now, I looked at how much we were ordering, which was huge! Loads was wasted/went in the dog. Now I freeze any left over rice etc and order less. If you order things with for example pitta breads, or bread rolls having some in might save you a bit. Pizzas, kids might enjoy making their own. As always I would say cut back on these treats gradually, we all need a little luxury in our lives and if you cut back too much you end up rebelling

nodwah

Don't think anyone's mentioned the slow cooker yet, loads of stuff on the forums about them. I saw some kids TV programme where they were mocking the 70's and my slow cooker was there I was outraged at what they're teaching the children!