Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

joanne79

Interested to know what people spend on weekly shop for a family of four ? Ours is normally about £80 pw :-/ though browsing some of the threads it's seems a lot ?

amcg100

joanne79 wrote: »

Interested to know what people spend on weekly shop for a family of four ? Ours is normally about £80 pw :-/ though browsing some of the threads it's seems a lot ?

£80 per week is a lot, although £20 is barely achievable

~Chameleon~

joanne79 wrote: »

Interested to know what people spend on weekly shop for a family of four ? Ours is normally about £80 pw :-/ though browsing some of the threads it's seems a lot ?

I'd say £80 per week for a family of four is very reasonable if you're eating a healthy and wholesome diet

However, if you're buying lots of processed food you might want to consider where you can change/replace the stuff you buy for your family. It's incredibly difficult to give an opinion without knowing the types & quantities of food you buy

amcg100

If a family eats 1/2 kilo of meat a day at £6 a kilo and 1 kilo of veg at a pound a kilo that's £28 a week - to get up to £80 you got to be buying ready meals, crisps etc

~Chameleon~

amcg100 wrote: »

If a family eats 1/2 kilo of meat a day at £6 a kilo and 1 kilo of veg at a pound a kilo that's £28 a week - to get up to £80 you got to be buying ready meals, crisps etc

Not necessarily. I could spend that amount very easily on just two people by buying fresh meat/fish/vegetables etc. But I have a budget, as do most of us, so I'm selective with what I buy and when I buy it to take advantage of special offers/reduced items etc to ensure we still eat healthily within my preferred budget. I'm also a very creative cook so can turn produce costing pennies, or bottom of the fridge items, into an incredibly healthy and tasty meal

HappyMJ

amcg100 wrote: »

If a family eats 1/2 kilo of meat a day at £6 a kilo and 1 kilo of veg at a pound a kilo that's £28 a week - to get up to £80 you got to be buying ready meals, crisps etc

Not many veg come in at or under £1/kg. Onions, carrots, parsnips, swede, squash, cabbage...and that's about it for the fresh ones. Sweetcorn, peas, cauilflower, sprouts and broccoli also are about £1/kg when purchased frozen. Apples and banana's being the only fruits I can find.

A family does not just eat meat and 2 veg in a day. There is also bread, cereals, milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter....etc...all much more expensive items.

Fire_Fox

amcg100 wrote: »

If a family eats 1/2 kilo of meat a day at £6 a kilo and 1 kilo of veg at a pound a kilo that's £28 a week - to get up to £80 you got to be buying ready meals, crisps etc

That is not a balanced diet, aside from the many missing nutrients it's only a few hundred calories a head! :eek:

A family of four would need at least twenty servings of fruit and veg a day to meet the minimum for health (at least five a day) that is 2kg a day assuming some waste with peel, stalks, topping and tailing. To meet all the healthy eating guidelines you need the full rainbow of colours and a wide variety of different foods so eating carrot, cabbage and onion daily is not going to cut it for any length of time. Then there are the twelve servings of dairy products a day and the eight servings of fish a week - again based on the official healthy eating guidelines. And we haven't even considered wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and general flavourings.

joanne79

I have never fed my children a ready meal ....they have things like chicken nuggets occasionly (don't know if that counts) that cost includes everything, everything for cleaning etc the bathroom...we do buy some treats like crips etc... I did notice yesterday actually, I buy fresh chicken legs at nearly £3 per pack,strip them down and make homemade curry, but I noticed a bag of frozen chicken portions £3.50, of which I reckon I could make 3 chicken dishes .....so a little saving there,my family complain that I cook to much chicken...:-/, I do try and bring it down..always look out for offers etc...it depends what we need that week really...this week we needed washing powder etc (won't by own brand in that as daughter has sensitive skin) so it was more £80, week before it was £62. I do tend to use frozen veg..But we spend quite a lot on fresh fruit, wasn't very detailed as I have trouble remember what I did yesterday lol

joanne79

Yes we get through a lot of cereal and yogurts...and normally have to buy for my daughters packed lunch,but she has decided to go on to hot school dinners...which is pants,as I can't control the cost of that £42 pm :-( I can do it a whole lot cheaper ....im hoping she will get bored and change back lol

joanne79

I will buy four packs of meat for £12 ...mince,chicken breast,whole chicken,pork steaks, sad to say I have gone the way of my mum, and generally have set meals...which is a little boring :-( but I'm not the greatest cook