Spending on Groceries and Household Items

Bouncybubbles

we used to spend £250-£300 between two adults as we impulse brought didn't plan meals and basically lived on takeaways due to having to throw out so much fresh food we had brought on a whim. So including takeaways that figure was probably closer to £400 (no wonder I never had any money for bills!)


We have now go that down to £50/week maximum which is still a lot however we now have a takeaway once a month (if that) we eat proper meals with veg! we do a lot more cooking which also uses up herbs etc that we were hoarding. However if we are having a tight month particularly towards payday we can get that £50 figure down to £30 by cutting back on luxuries and using stock cupboard items.


Just a hint as well I take note of everything I already have in and write what extras I would need to make a meal. E.G. spaghetti & tinned tomatoes from stock cupboard if I buy a pack of mince then I have a spag bol etc. I then write down my list of things I need and go online and compile a list from morrisons or Tesco of whats on offer (from the list) and how much it is. Then I do an exact shop with my list which has every items price on it. for example recently 750g mince was reduced to £4 a pack whereas 350g of mince was also £4. now if I had just written mince £4 on my list I may have accidentally got the smaller one but I write the weight and brand to ensure its accurate.


It sound really longwinded but if you have a spare hour that's all it takes and you can get it down to £30/week but still shop in 'branded stores'.

Faust7

I live alone and spend about £20/£25 per week on groceries at Aldi - it does help that I don't eat meat or fish as those can be a bit expensive!

I'd say the most important thing to do before you go shopping is plan your meals. Have a look at what's already in your cupboards / fridge / freezer and think about what meals you could make with those during the week, and what you'll need to buy. Then, write your shopping list according to your meal plan - try to use the same ingredients in different meals during the week.

On the topic of eating healthy, it really doesn't have to be more expensive! Don't be fooled by the 'Finest' ranges, and don't worry about buying fancy stuff like organic quinoa. Just eat fresh (and frozen is fine too) vegetables, fruits, and beans and legumes are super cheap as well and really nutritious! A tin of chickpeas at Aldi is about 30p, and you can easily make two or three meals for one out of it. Like nomorecreditcards1973 said above,

Potatoes, pasta and rice are cheap filling staple foods

, and they're perfectly healthy as long as you control your portions and have them with plenty of veggies.

Finally, keep your receipts and analyse where you might be overspending - for me it's always things like snacks, which I really don't need - and cut back on these.

Hope that helps!

National_Debtline

Hi Ben


Some great tips above and I would definitely say that £150 or less is feasible for a singleton. Shopping on a full stomach has always worked a treat for me...


Dennis
@natdebtline

PasturesNew

Ben75 wrote: »

.... I live alone ... spending about £250, ... don't eat very healthily....

I live alone, I don't eat healthily ... e.g. today I've had 2 bits of toast and some cake

At the start of the year I started keeping a spreadsheet of everything I bought and breaking it down into categories. There's food, drink, household and some others.

My food spend, food alone, for the whole of 2016 is £220 (5 months, so under £50/month).

I've only eaten £150 of that, there's £20 of food "started but not finished yet", and £50 of stuff I've bought and not eaten yet (stocked up) .... I have stocked up on a few things, obviously ... although that looks horrific and I need to check to see what I should be eating soon!

Food is everything from bread/marg to a takeaway ... but doesn't include coffee, which counts as drinks.

Drinks I've spent a LOT on as I have a bit of a Pepsi addiction. Drinks this year are: £14 coffee, £39 Pepsi, £1.50 milk, £0.39 juice.

Household is stuff like loo rolls, kitchen rolls, which I've got a HUGE stock of right now. £10 so far this year on loo roll, with another £8s worth under the stairs.

My total spend on "everything" this year - food, drinks, household items, 'hobby' items (crafts), random car boot buys, some new kitchen items, a couple of small garden items .... is £330.

suki1964

PasturesNew wrote: »

I live alone, I don't eat healthily ... e.g. today I've had 2 bits of toast and some cake

At the start of the year I started keeping a spreadsheet of everything I bought and breaking it down into categories. There's food, drink, household and some others.

My food spend, food alone, for the whole of 2016 is £220 (5 months, so under £50/month).

I've only eaten £150 of that, there's £20 of food "started but not finished yet", and £50 of stuff I've bought and not eaten yet (stocked up) .... I have stocked up on a few things, obviously ... although that looks horrific and I need to check to see what I should be eating soon!

Food is everything from bread/marg to a takeaway ... but doesn't include coffee, which counts as drinks.

Drinks I've spent a LOT on as I have a bit of a Pepsi addiction. Drinks this year are: £14 coffee, £39 Pepsi, £1.50 milk, £0.39 juice.

Household is stuff like loo rolls, kitchen rolls, which I've got a HUGE stock of right now. £10 so far this year on loo roll, with another £8s worth under the stairs.

My total spend on "everything" this year - food, drinks, household items, 'hobby' items (crafts), random car boot buys, some new kitchen items, a couple of small garden items .... is £330.

PN, I know you aren't a big fan of lidl or Aldi, but like you I'm a Coke/Pepsi addict. Last week I tried the freeway cola from lidl. 57p for 2 litres and you know it was pretty darn good. Even DH drank it, and he really doesn't do own brand cola.

Bouncybubbles

PasturesNew wrote: »

I live alone, I don't eat healthily ... e.g. today I've had 2 bits of toast and some cake

This sounds so much like me I love it! :beer:

PasturesNew

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

This sounds so much like me I love it! :beer:

My full food consumption yesterday ended up at:

2 bits of toast
Cake
Chips & mushy peas.

Total cost 40p

Hey - there's "2 a day" in there. The peas are one and there were some sultanas/currants in the cake!

suki1964 wrote: »

PN, I know you aren't a big fan of lidl or Aldi, but like you I'm a Coke/Pepsi addict. Last week I tried the freeway cola from lidl. 57p for 2 litres and you know it was pretty darn good. Even DH drank it, and he really doesn't do own brand cola.

Most of my shopping is at Lidl as it's closest/walkable. I don't do Aldi as it's too far (but opening a new one close this year).

I don't buy bottles, just cans - 2 litre bottles don't fit in my fridge + it goes flat. Cans are also portable, so I can throw 1-2 in my bag if going out, and they fit in the cup holder in the car.

I buy 330ml cans at a cost of 75p/litre, so only ever when on offer, NEVER full price. Lidl sell individual cans of Pepsi at 29p, if I buy individually I drink fewer, making the saving greater than buying more/cheaper.

I do try to "get a grip" with my over-drinking I do have days without it ..... but it just "hits the spot" taste-wise.

suki1964

PasturesNew wrote: »

My full food consumption yesterday ended up at:

2 bits of toast
Cake
Chips & mushy peas.

Total cost 40p

Hey - there's "2 a day" in there. The peas are one and there were some sultanas/currants in the cake!





Most of my shopping is at Lidl as it's closest/walkable. I don't do Aldi as it's too far (but opening a new one close this year).

I don't buy bottles, just cans - 2 litre bottles don't fit in my fridge + it goes flat. Cans are also portable, so I can throw 1-2 in my bag if going out, and they fit in the cup holder in the car.

I buy 330ml cans at a cost of 75p/litre, so only ever when on offer, NEVER full price. Lidl sell individual cans of Pepsi at 29p, if I buy individually I drink fewer, making the saving greater than buying more/cheaper.

I do try to "get a grip" with my over-drinking I do have days without it ..... but it just "hits the spot" taste-wise.

I went cold turkey a few months back and I just couldn't quench my thirst, ever. I was drinking pints of water, glasses of milk, squash by the gallon, and still felt I had a dry mouth and throat

I drink around a litre of the diet stuff a day:eek: I know it's not good for me but it's really the only thing that hits the spot

PasturesNew

suki1964 wrote: »

...

As you're on the big bottles.... could you "pay for your habit" by making these and selling them?

http://www.brudiy.com/blog/posts/maceta-gatuna/

Call yourself the Crazy Cat Lady .... and set up a stall at the car boot, with them planted up and cheery

Sharon87

I'm also trying to get my food budget down. Last month I spent £194 just for me! and £188 the month before!

I do have enough food in the house to last me a month. It won't all be fresh after a few weeks though!

A few things I'm trying to do to reduce my food spend and wastage...
- buy veg in bags, then chop and freeze them for use in curries/sweet and sour/bolognaise sauce.etc
- Make meals in bulk and freeze them - so whenever I feel like I can't be bothered cooking and have the idea of a takeaway I can use one of them instead. I try to have a variety of my own 'ready meals' in the freezer.
- Try not to buy lots of fresh ingredients at once (unless I want to freeze those items). I used to buy loads of veg and fruit and then they'd go to waste. Fruit especially, now I only buy it for consumption within a few days.

This month I'm going to try and use up my food that's already in my freezer/cupboard. I've done a £40 shop at the beginning of the month for fresh items and things I had run out of like pasta. My aim is not to go shopping again for 1.5 more weeks except to buy fresh fruit or milk. I'm really bad at doing an online shop or just buying things randomly.