I am being reasonable

Macca83_2

You might find the first couple weeks may be more expensive whilst you get your cupboards stocked. But your weekly shop shouldn't really be more than £30. Buy bigger packs of meat, divide into portions and freeze. Keep bread in the freezer and take out only what you need. Makes a loaf last without it going mouldy. Batch book meals and freeze. Makes those nights when you can't be bothered cooking easier and if you're anything like me i always end up cooking too much anyway. Invest in some good spices and seasoning. Makes any meal taste better. And plan plan plan your meals in advance. Nothing eats into the budget like buying food in a hurry after work!

Sharon87

I would also suggest doing a full SOA. There may be things you haven't thought of before. Including if you have any debts, as well as birthdays, haircuts, clothes.etc

Sounds like a reasonable budget so far though.

olly300

McKneff wrote: »

Take a packed lunch to work, dont be buying coffee at £2/3 a go.

Take tap/ bottled water, it is much better for you.

The vast majority of workplaces provide drinking water - employers tend to not want their staff to wilt in hot weather plus it's an easy disability reasonable adjustment to provide it.

Some but not all provide free tea and coffee.

If you are unlucky enough to work for an organisation that doesn't - and there are as many private sector ones as public sector ones that don't - then bring your own tea bags, coffee, dried milk etc into work.

If you are really unlucky you will end up working for an organisation where you have to pay for hot water as there is no kettle or instant water heater. In that case buy a flask and use it.

sulkisu

spendaholic66 wrote: »

£50 a week for food? Ridiculous if you live alone. Like the OP my food bill is approx £30 per week, and I don't go without anything.

Why is it 'ridiculous', just because it's more than you spend?

OP, you probably could shave something off of this if you want/need to (check out the oldstyle moneysaving threads for ideas), but £50 p.w for everything seems fair enough to me.
Use cheaper supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl for your basic staple shopping items and if you have poundshops nearby, they are always worth a look in. Once upon a time they were filled with tat, but many now stock branded items (food and toiletries). If you are just starting a new job, you might not find time to cook from scratch, especially at the start when you are still finding your feet and getting organised. Allow something for the odd takeaway or ready meal, and dare I say it, socialising and going out for lunch or drinks with your new colleagues, in those early days.

Having said that, lunches, drinks and snacks at work really will eat into your budget.
I saved a fortune by making my own hot drinks at work and taking my own lunch two or three days a week.

Also you mention that you will be car sharing for work. You really ought to budget as if you won't be, because arrangements can break down. The person you are sharing with might move, change jobs, get sick, etc and you may find yourself driving every week. You need to allow for this.

Gromitt

lushlifesaver wrote: »

I think here you need to think about the food choices of the OP whilst you were happy paying £20 on three pieces of meat they may have very different tastes - I definitely wouldn't be paying that much for, what I consider, a small part of three meals

Whilst I agree that £150/month should be sufficient, I was just replying to where it was stated that £50/month is "ridiculous". Like you say, people have very different tastes, and I happen to like my meat so don't mind spending money on some good sized chunks. For me, one of those slices of meat could very well be about 70% of a meal.

maninthestreet

spendaholic66 wrote: »

£50 a week for food? Ridiculous if you live alone. Like the OP my food bill is approx £30 per week, and I don't go without anything.

£4.28 a day - for 3 meals, that's just £1.42 per meal!

Macca83_2

maninthestreet wrote: »

£4.28 a day - for 3 meals, that's just £1.42 per meal!

ok a pack of mince, bag of tatties, frozen peas, gravy and an onion. Gives you dinner for 7 nights at a cost of £1.07 a meal.

maninthestreet

Macca83 wrote: »

ok a pack of mince, bag of tatties, frozen peas, gravy and an onion. Gives you dinner for 7 nights at a cost of £1.07 a meal.

What about the other 2 meals a day?

BugsyBrowne

Macca83 wrote: »

ok a pack of mince, bag of tatties, frozen peas, gravy and an onion. Gives you dinner for 7 nights at a cost of £1.07 a meal.

The thought of buying & eating a pack of cheap mince is enough to put them off.

Macca83_2

BugsyBrowne wrote: »

The thought of buying & eating a pack of cheap mince is enough to put them off.

Who doesn't like the cheap mince. The chewy bits make the meal last longer...