How much should 1 weeks groceries for a family of five cost?

craftingqueen_2

We are a family of 7 two adults and children 16 - 3,a normal week we spend about £80 and when we have to buy the more expensive stuff like washing powder then it's about £100.
Included in that is all the kids and hubbys packed lunches and the one thing we always have is plenty of fresh fruit and veg.

craftingqueen.

lil_me

Why not make chicken kebabs. I buy chicken, chop it, spice it up a bit with paprika, chilli and some ilatian herbs mixed with a little oil, leave it to marinade for at least an hour. Then grill (I use my George but can use any or fry) I then serve with pitta breads, garlic mayo (very easy to make, garlic, mayo, water and herbs) and whatever else we fancy. Cheaper and loads nicer than the ones from a takeaway. Plus you know what has been done to it, I know many takeaways who defrost frozen chicken, marinade then refreeze before cooking, big NO NO when it comes to food safety! Blighters get away with it aswell.

MortgageMamma

Must admit i've had a few dodgy kebabs in my time, then we found this turkish restaraunt that was no a take away - its a lot more expensive and I have to pick them up btu well worth it. No one makes kebabs like the turks, the greeks come a close second though

I'll have a go at making my own. I've wanted a george forman grill for ages so might go see about buying one

Thanks girls I really appreciate all your help!

MM

moanymoany

I cut down our shopping bill to about £40 a week for two of us and a dog. I only buy organic chicken, eggs and milk, so I have compensated by cutting back on meat. It does make a difference. I have learned so much from the old style threads on cooking cheap meals and meal planning. It has meant giving up a way of eating and shopping that was well established, it took effort and application, but has meant a saving of £200 a month - worth having. We are spending our saved cash on a bedroom aircon. We couldn't have afforded it otherwise!:j



Don't bother buying a G. Foreman grill, use the one you have.

lil_me

I love my grilling machine and wouldn't be without it, my oven grill cooks unevenly and uses loads of electric. Makes fab toasties too unfortunately DP is now a toastie addict.

As a warning, much more grease comes off than it does on a usual grill, makes you feel sick at first!

I've just started the May 2007 grocery challenge thread on OS board if you want to join us

ravenfire_2

Tam_Lin wrote: »

Fair enough His appetite might explain why your bills are so high I like quorn but each to their own.

I like quorn but have you seen what goes into it - nearly put me off except I like the veggie burgers so much!

I spend far too much on food for the five of us but I cook "proper" meals with all fresh ingredients with no easy food and I do find its more expensive but I would rather pay that then live on a diet of junk food. One meal that we find is very good and goes a long way is making your own chicken stir fry.

belfastgirl23

I think you need to start by figuring out what suits you and your life. Sounds like you're pretty busy if you're trying to sort out your own business as well as feed and clean up after a family of five. The OS board is fantastic and there are a lot of tips on there but it is also easy to feel overwhelmed by how amazingly organised some of the people there are and to abandon making any attempts cos it feels like you could never be one of those people so why try

The second thing to say is to try to create a little bit of space to think about this. The thinking is the hardest bit IMHO and making time to do it is essential. You need to think about what foods your family eat regularly and how you might make the food bill cheaper. From there creating a rough menu plan for a month and figuring out what you need to buy to make all this food.

Things that help me:
Having a cook up day on a Sunday and freezing a lot of stuff
Having bread in the freezer and long life milk so that I don't have to go to shops mid-week
Using tesco online at least till I got used to sticking to a list (I am bad about throwing extra stuff into the trolley )
Trying to keep out of supermarkets apart from big shop at start of month and perhaps one smaller top up (I use a local f&v in between)
I've started sometimes baking my own bread and this has helped cut down on bills.
Having a budget has really helped me to focus my mind and I've been reducing gradually.
Using mysupermarket.com also helped me to figure out which supermarket was cheaper for the type of stuff I regularly buy
Finally I decided it is worth using Lidl to top up on stuff I particularly like or find cheaper from there but I only go about once every couple of months - I realised going to many shops doesn't work for me (too keen on impulse buys and not enough time )

Figure out what works for you in your life.

Finally one other tip that i don't need personally, some other poster realised that for her DH's big appetite the best bet was to feed him up with bread alongside his meal. Might help you?

Good luck with it and don't forget it's all about one step at a time!!

Allison

We are a family of 5 also and we spend between £40/50 a week now (worked hard to get this down) I was so sick of food being wasted and going out of date.

My advice is meal plan!

patchwork_cat

Hi
What is a Raman? Also Paprika chicken - Always on the lookout for new recipes. I'll swap my pork/chicken with yellow bean!