2 people food budget help please

Bracelovers

Hi money savers,

Long story short. Financially we are tight. I lost my job and have had to take a job with far less hours and hourly pay. I'm tracking our spending and we currently spend £50 a week on food.

There is just 2 of us, we have a roast on a Sunday and I use whatever is left for the following days, we have no takeaways neither of us drink alcohol (with any regularity).

What would you expect a couple to spend on food per week? I do batch cook and use all leftovers, we will be growing vegetables to help reduce our spending but atm the garden is very much a working progress. We purchased our house in Mid December and I lost my job end of December.

Any advice on saving will be very much appreciated :beer:

bexster1975

Hi

Sorry to hear about your job situation. I bet you could buy food for £30 a week for two. Depends what you eat and where you shop. I'd recommend lidl and Aldi. Also, if you are working less you may be able to take advantage of yellow sticker times at supermarkets.batch cooking and meal planning both help too.

I hope your job situation improves soon though.

Bexster

Bracelovers

Meat eaters, I've started a job in sainsburys 12 hours a week and yellow stickers aren't as good as I thought they would be have started shopping at lidl. I'm trying to do 2 meals with no meat a week and we are already eating basics range of food except for coffee and surf washing powder (don't buy cleaning products).

MandM90

Cutting down meat a little might help, maybe try some meat free recipes e.g. Paupers Pasties


What are you currently eating each week other than the roast? Roast what? We may be able to help you with some lower cost alternatives.

Do you currently by the cheapest brand available? How much are you spending on drinks (i.e. juice), snacks and cleaning products? Could they be pushing up your bill? Also, do you have anything in that you could use to streeetch out your budget this month to give you a bit of breathing room?

I'm sorry you've lost your job, but you're in the right place!

Bracelovers

Washing powder large box approx every 3 months cost £10

Roast chicken normally £4 or pork £6

Large pack mince £2 expect 4-6 meals done in slow cooker and frozen.

Fridays always fish battered or fish cakes £1.50 per week

Eggs 15-30 per for night £4

Snacks homemade buns/cake.

Veg normally frozen so no waste. Also use spuds for everything no pre cut chips etc

Cleaning products - white vinegar and washing up liquid or lemon juice.

Freezer stock currently half pack mini chicken fillets, frozen veg, some bread, small portion chicken curry.

Have one tin kidney beans, spices stock cubes etc.

Tomorrow will be the left over chicken if dh doesn't eat for lunch.

Bracelovers

We do consume a considerable amount of milk for 2 people considering we don't eat cereal 4-6 pints every 3 days. Tea and coffee lovers

Bracelovers

And cheese but had lent so none for 40 days and nights - have some left from easter Sunday still

bexster1975

Hello

Sainsburys one of the most expensive IMHO. Do you meal plan? Washing powder will take a chunk out of your weekly budget for sure. I agree with MandM90, what you roast will have an impact on cost. Do you take lunches to work both of you? Meals can be padded out with beans etc to stretch the meat.

I hope Lidl is helping. It certainly should compared to sainsburys.

Bexster

Bracelovers

I don't shop at sainsburys I work there. I am topping up on milk bread etc when required but don't buy my weekly food shop for there. Currently shopping at lidl once a fortnight. Meal plan is weekly roast dinner, then left overs, fish Friday eggs once a week at least, mince meal normally does a couple of days (use oats and beans). Toiletries come of of this but I don't wear make up and the only brand is lynx deo for himself.

I try not to top up, (only buy essentials) although my baking cupboard is quite full atm.

Will be food shopping this week.

We don't buy food for lunch at work we eat at home as we work odd shifts and have the option to do that. Same for drinks out.

Bracelovers

I do buy 2 blocks of butter a week though. :eek::)

suki1964

Soap powder - I have to buy persil as Im allergic to everything else, its always on offer for £5 a 45 wash, lasts me months as I only use half a scoop, supermarket brands are a lot cheaper as long as you buy at special offer time and they come around every few weeks

I shop in lidl, my average spend is £35 a week for 3 adults. I don't have to buy eggs as we have hens. We don't eat fruit , I just get bananas or a bag of apples for DH lunch box so thats a big saving I know

When I go into lidl I head straight for the £2/£3 weekly offers on the meat and fish. They will be the basis of my meal plan - I plan when I see whats available

These are the offers I had to choose from this weekhttps://www.lidl-ni.co.uk/en/super-savers.htm

As you can see, its a lot of pork this week, doesn't matter, Ill buy and stick in the freezer to spread around the month so we don't get too bored. And Ill change how I cook things, the turkey - half would be in a pie with lots of leeks ( its called leek and turkey pie, not turkey and leek for a reason ), the other half would be a stir fry or curry. I would even cut the chops into strips to make into a Chinese pork and spring onions or sweet and sour - two chops easily feed three of us

Then I have a rummage in the reduced section, usually pick up a pack of sausages or a pack of cooked meat. Cooked meat like turkey is fine for a roast dinner for two - just warm it in gravy and serve with piles of veg and if really hungry make a bit of stuffing or yorkies

I also buy the supersaver veg. Might not use it right away but when its so cheap, it gets bought. It all gets used eventually, even if I do end up making a soup ( which I will be making tomorrow with half a broccoli, plenty of stem, very little florets but its good for soup )

Red lentils, butter beans, etc are cheap and are great for padding dishes out. A fav dish here is a sausage casserole, one or two sausages each ( Ill even use reduced priced cocktail sausages for this dish) tin of butter beans and a tin of tomatoes, herbs and spices, served on brown rice - its a rib sticker yet costs pennies

You can shave a good lot of your grocery bill with a bit of thought.

In the meantime, have you said in work that you are available for any overtime going? I remember when I worked for JS, there was always OT as the evening staff would often not show up

Good luck