How little can a family of 5 manage on weekly?

niftythrifty33

Hi all,
I wondered what the lowest amount per week (ie food, spending etc) a family of 5 (2 adults & 3 big teenagers) has managed on, without eating dust! Also, there seems to be a lot of stuff for families of 4 with young children. I am cooking for 6 adults each night (and often an extra grandparent!)

We have just had a big cut in income and although I love budgeting I haven't been doing it very well so am getting back on track but need some encouragement. I am used to meal planning but I tend to stop after a few weeks and go back to buying allsorts.

Also I wondered whether anyone has made the tough decision to cancel charity direct debits. My OH has been saying we should do this for ages but I can't bear to cancel them (I also sponsor a child but there is NO way I'm stopping that!).

Many thanks you wise bunch

HappyMJ

It's up to you. There is a meal plan for a family of 4 for £100 a month. You might say that's for 2 adults and 2 children that eat slighty smaller portions than a hungry teenager so work from there. If you double that to £200 a month that should feed 4 adults and 4 children. You should have some leftovers with that amount if you are feeding 6 hungry adults and a grandparent.