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Is £50 a week supermarket spend for 2 people ok?

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  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,336 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'm someone that doesn't count alcohol in my £50 a week budget for two. That's entertainment;). So similarly I wouldn't count paintbrushes or other miscellaneous items. Plus, while DH and I share the food bills I wouldn't expect him to pay for make up or tights or other clothing items I might pick up.


    If you want to be strict with yourself to get into good budgeting habits just separate the food from the other and pay in two lots or do the maths when you get home.
  • LiveSimply
    LiveSimply Posts: 63 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Like everyone else says it's reasonable but if you need to save money you clouls definitely get that down by shopping around, avoiding treats, reducing booze and meat, etc it just depends if you want/need to.

    No alcohol or meat but there are plenty of treats included. They are not good for my purse, heart or general well being so they should definitely come down a bit. My default setting is 'lets buy some chocolate'.
    Very, very poor. 
  • LiveSimply
    LiveSimply Posts: 63 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Photogenic Combo Breaker
    HOWMUCH wrote: »
    Do you throw food away? either too much on your plate or out of the fridge
    Do you pay over the odds for your food? eg corner shop
    Do you want/need to reduce the amount?

    Yes, both, not really and yes.

    I hardly ever get anything from a corner shop, it's all supermarket cheap stuff, I use the savers range a lot of the time but I am working on getting better. I went shopping a few days ago and as I was putting stuff in the trolley I was thinking 'oh I'll have to update my signature when I get home' and the thought of adding it all onto my April shopping budget was enough to put some things back on the shelves!
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  • LiveSimply
    LiveSimply Posts: 63 Forumite
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    Goldiegirl wrote: »
    If you can afford it and you are happy then it's fine.


    If you can't afford it, then you could probably find ways for reducing the weekly spend.


    But it's all individual - I don't think people should try to compare themselves with others, as we are all different, and our circumstances are different

    I agree mostly BUT for me, if I can compare with someone else it spurs me on to make more changes, oh if they can do it like that then so can I, etc. Not in a competitive way but in a 'it's clearly easier than I thought' way.
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  • LiveSimply
    LiveSimply Posts: 63 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Ok I've read all the replies now, it's so interesting to see other people's shopping lists!

    I have not included non household consumables, so it includes toothpaste, washing powder, soap etc but not clothes. And I do try to cook from scratch most days. Anyway I'll report back at the end of the month and then hopefully will adjust the budget for next month.

    And I'll try Aldi/Lidl.
    Very, very poor. 
  • meg72
    meg72 Posts: 5,164 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped!
    :eek: Wowzas! I think I'd struggle to find £250 worth of stuff just for me that I could eat my way through in a month! My food budget (also just for me), is £60 a month.




    Me too £250 was a third of my annual total last year.
    Slimming World at target
  • saterkey
    saterkey Posts: 288 Forumite
    we have reduced to £60 a week, inc milk (used to have milkman) plus £2 for an extra 8 pints later in week.


    I have stocked up cupboards by using vouchers etc from surveys so we have a healthy tin selection and storecupboard, if like the other week I get easter eggs it comes within the 60 and I reduced elsewhere.


    This is for 3 adults and one almost adult! we used to spend 80 odd, but being more conscious for instance would never get full price cheese now, there is always one or another that sells it at £2.00-2.50 in t..cos, never pay the £4 plus for cathedral now, only get it when on offer, know you can get cheaper at farmfoods or aldi but have a weekly delivery from tescos so its better for me to get the best deal from this shop.
  • SeduLOUs
    SeduLOUs Posts: 2,171 Forumite
    Cornucopia wrote: »
    I tend to agree.

    It would be interesting to know where people are shopping, and what kind of shop they are aiming for - is it veggie or meat-based, alcohol or not, convenience or scratch-cooking?

    Very good point. My £75 per week (for 2 adults and a dog) includes general house cleaning products, but no expensive household air fresheners so only the absolutely essentials on that front. Everything other than the loo roll is supermarket branded. Our budget also includes deoderant/toothpaste and shower gels/shampoos, but again we don't buy to excess and tend not to be picky about brands and get whatever is the best deal at the time.

    We buy very little alcohol, and when we do it would not be included in the grocery budget.

    Our biggest downfall is probably treats and convenience foods - we buy too much crisps, biscuits etc, but probably still well under £10 a week as most of it is unbranded and I'll quite happily spend £2 on a bag of mixed fresh veg for a dinner as and when I need it rather than buying individual veggies (partly because it's convenient, and partly because when I buy it all separate a lot of it ends up in the bin before I get around to using it all).

    We also tend to buy Dolmio etc sauces and those shake bags for chicken - we do very little cooking from scratch.
  • rockm87
    rockm87 Posts: 847 Forumite
    Wedding Day Wonder
    I dont know how people can afford to shop at tesco, even a basket full of value stuff is a rip off!

    Lidl or Aldi all the way...!!
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  • cyantist
    cyantist Posts: 560 Forumite
    Our nearest aldi is 9 miles away but takes an eternity to drive to at any time of day due to it being on a busy road opposite the underground station.

    Lidl is only 4 miles but I find they don't sell almost anything I want there. It's a tiny store which doesn't help.

    So I don't have much choice but to shop at tesco for most of my stuff.
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