Food/grocery budget

boglehead

I am posting this as i have been tracking my monthly food budget for the past 24 months and it averages around £540 per month. This was a big shock to me, esp since its just for the 2 of us, my wife and I (new baby primarily eats formula for now).
What shocked me even more by looking at the details, there is no frivolous spend and doesn't look like there much savings to be had in that spend bucket (nor do i intend to cut on healthy food)

We shop at our local butcher and fishmonger for meat and fish, the rest at tesco most of the time (waitrose for special needs we cant find at tesco). We eat fresh veggies everyday, and arent drinking much (1 bottle of wine per week on average).

I cannot imagine what it might look like if/when we are a family of 4...

Out of curiosity how much do you allow for you monthly grocery budget?

[Deleted User]

For my household it's £100 a week for 4 people and savings could be made, we don't eat pre-packaged food, fresh vegetables, fish etc. The only way I have ever managed that high of a food bill for a low number of people is when I lived alone and consumed a lot of takeaway. A couple of takeaways a week can easily inflate a food budget that much, but I can't imagine how you could spend £130 a week on 2 people without eating out

forgotmyname

£100 a week buys a LOT of fruit and veg.

One bottle of wine. £99 bottle?

Do you buy your fruit in little packages instead of buying a whole apple for 50p You spend £3.99 because its sliced and packed on a tray?

How much food do you throw away?

ColdIron

boglehead wrote: »

waitrose for special needs we cant find at tesco

I've never heard Heston's Macaroni Cheese with Truffle Oil called that but I know what you mean, it is jolly nice

~Chameleon~

This question has been asked hundreds of times on this forum but it's a completely subjective topic based on the type and quality of food you eat. If you enjoy top of the range organic meat, fish, poultry and veggies then you're not going to appreciate advice from the pot noodle and pasta brigade.

What I've recently done is switch the bulk of my shopping (in fact almost all of it now) from Waitrose and the Co-op to Aldi and I'm saving a fortune without compromising on the quality of food I buy.

Why not make a list of your regular purchases and we can suggest cheaper alternatives and ways you can save money.

bigadaj

It's just a cost of living thing, if you live in central london you're going to be paying a huge mark up for the privilege.

I'm not so sure eating healthily adds that much, and organic is often a marketing term rather thane diene of a better product.

For comparison in the midlands for two people we probably spend less than £200 a month. We get a fair bit of fruit and veg from our allotment, but if shopping form a green grocer rather than the supermarkets then that wouldn't save a huge amount. On top of this might be a meal out and/ or a takeaway a week which reduces the supermarket spend I suppose.

I don't want to appear unfair but as the OP is an additional rate taxpayer with a near seven figure mortgage then the fact you might be paying an extra coupe, of grand a year doesn't really matter I would have thought. It does of course make more sense to spend more on food as if you earn a reasonable amount it's a relatively cheap thing. People will spend huge amounts on rent or moral age. Tens of thousands on cars and many thousands on holidays so I think food might be a relatively good investment.

CreditCrunchie

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

without compromising on the quality of food I buy

Not sure it's possible! We tried both Alsi & Liddl yesterday and found that
A) they do not take credit cards
They do not sell any decent pet food or cat litter
C) they have no vegetarian food
D) no ethical choices (only toothpaste/ toiletries available are all Colgate-palmolive

I also had a squeeze of the bread and every loaf felt stale. Not meaning to be a snob but I can't imagine their food is the same quality as other supermarkets.

~Chameleon~

CreditCrunchie wrote: »

How exactly have you managed this? We tried both Alsi & Liddl yesterday and found that
A) they do not take credit cards

This is the major downside as I hate using my debit card.


They do not sell any decent pet food or cat litter

The Vita Cat Healthy Balance Complete is absolutely fine and on comparison with the Purina Pro Plan I usually feed at three times the cost, I found the ingredients and nutrition base to be almost the same. And trust me, I don't feed my 23 year old cat on any old rubbish!


C) they have no vegetarian food

It depends what you call vegetarian. They certainly sell a wide range of vegetables, fruit and other non-meat/dairy items. If you're talking about ready meals then I would never buy those anyway.


D) no ethical choices (only toothpaste/ toiletries available are all Colgate-palmolive


You won't find many ethical choices in Tesco either! If you want ethical then you need to shop somewhere other than a supermarket.


I also had a squeeze of the bread and every loaf felt stale. Not meaning to be a snob but I can't imagine their food is the same quality as other supermarkets.

No, their food isn't the same quality as other supermarkets. It's actually far superior. Don't judge that which you haven't tried. Can't speak for Lidl products as I've never stepped foot in one of their stores so wouldn't know.

PasturesNew

Spending £540/month of food is clearly "OTT" and if you're not wasting anything you buy (I have a zero waste policy - if I buy it I have to eat it all) then you must be choosing expensive items for your own reasons.

Last week I bought a reduced loaf of Tesco long-life bread for £0.45, usual price £0.90. This is "cheap" as it lasts me 10 days. If I'd bought nice, crusty, organic, loaves at £1.50 each, one every 3 days because "they go stale", then the cost would have been £4.50.

That's the difference - I don't buy reduced bread and longlife bread because I prefer it - buying £4.50 of bread is a preference.

For everything you pick up there are alternatives: Buy it elsewhere, look on the shelves for a cheaper brand, don't buy it at all as it's expensive. And that's how you cut down.

There is need (food) and want (expensive food).

evenasus

citricsquid wrote: »

but I can't imagine how you could spend £130 a week on 2 people without eating out

Me either.

For the two of us, I spend on average around £250 a month. I could easily afford 2 or 3 times this but there is no need. We eat very well and healthily.
We eat plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables. Chicken is our meat of choice.
I don't buy alcohol.

What would scare me more is the debt of the OP.
What will they do when/if interest rates go up to 5% or more?

~Chameleon~

PasturesNew wrote: »

Last week I bought a reduced loaf of Tesco long-life bread for £0.45, usual price £0.90. This is "cheap" as it lasts me 10 days. If I'd bought nice, crusty, organic, loaves at £1.50 each, one every 3 days because "they go stale", then the cost would have been £4.50.

It also comes down to a health option. No way would I buy plastic bread from Tesco no matter how cheap it is. I buy Artisan sourdough type breads and freeze what I don't immediately use. I also have a no waste policy for food in my household. It's extremely rare I throw anything away but I do ensure I buy the healthiest options available to me, even if it does mean spending a little more.