Grocery shopping budget average cost

stoopy

Hi

I'm wanting to slash my grocery budget starting in July!

I'm going to join the July thread but don't know what to aim for.

I've just averaged out the last 5 months and I currently spend £575 a month on groceries.

This is for 2 adults, 2 children and a baby and 2 cats

This includes all groceries, cleaning stuff, cat food and litter, toiletries, nappies for baby and one child just at night, the odd tin of baby milk for childminder.

Hoping to get my middle child out of pull-ups at night soon, and soon baby will move to cows milk so these will reduce my costs.

Just wondering what is the average cost for a similar family?

Working_Mum

Hello Stoopy,
I think it is a great idea to strive to reduce your food bill!!

I keep records of all my spends and I currently spend £60 per week for myself and 2 carnivore teens!!! This figures doesn't include my cleaning/ laundry/ shampoo etc - this is an average of £8 per week for this year!

Have you done a full audit of what you already have in your cupboards etc - this way you won't buy something you already have!!

I always shop from a list after checking I haven't already got something suitable at home!!

I meal plan, cook from scratch and buy what's on my list! The Love Food Hate Waste thread on this Forum is great!!

I have an "emergency tenner" in the back of my purse for the expensive things like toothpaste or shampoo so that I can buy it when I see it is on offer!

I write all of my spends in my "spends book" to keep me on the straight and narrow! It has seen me reduce my weekly food/consumables spend by £900 compared to last year!

Good luck with your quest - small cumulative changes can have a massive impact!!!

[Deleted User]

Get a small book and for the week/month write every penny down that you spend, and I mean every single penny, and see where your overspending is coming from.Its posible to do it and cut costs but first you have to see where they are going to.Sometimes its the quick nip to the shops for something you have run out of ,or a coffee when out shoppingThese incidentals soon mount up.Menu plan for say the next three days with what you have in stock if you are spending that amount your cupboard should be fairly well stocked and freezer pretty full.Menu planning cuts out those 'Oh what do I fancy to eat ' moments.

Hope this helps a bit, but do it in 'baby steps' a bit at a time then lengthen the menu planning by a day at a time until you are perhaps like me and menu plan every Sunday morning for the coming week.

JackieO xx

stoopy

Thanks guys normally have a 4 week rotating meal plan but took it off the fridge to revamp and havent done it - will get back on it!