Monthly food bill for a single person is £170- help!

Bookowl

Hi. I went through the budget planner ready to be financially savy in 2019. I hadn't realised I spend an eye watering £150-£170 on food monthly, that's before eating out at work £20- that's stopped as of this month and will continue.
I buy from lidl and tesco and have been down shifting my products for years. I buy condiments from b&m and home bargains.
I am on a high protein diet so its roughly cheap oats and frozen blueberries for breakfast or eggs, 2 chicken breasts or tuna and pasta and veg for lunch and 2 salmon, pasta and veg for dinner.
I live in a house share and so I've one fridge shelf, 1 freezer shelf and 1 shelf in a cupboard. Its been suggested I buy a mini fridge for my room - landlord is a live in and wouldn't allow it.

I'd be wiling to downshift diffeent cuts of meat and fish if it meant I could still eat reach my protein goals of 140g a day. I think it might be a case of my food intake leading my lifestyle?! Help! :eek:

VfM4meplse

I think O/S is a better board for this post - there have been similar in the past so worth a search.

£150-£170 is indeed eye-watering, I have upped my food expenditure this year from very little and it's now roughly £55-60pm (vegetarian). Much of it is down to your selection of animal protein - if you ate beans / lentils instead costs would come down significantly. Also bear in mind that even if you are on an anabolic / muscle-building regimen, there is only so much protein your body can handle, what is not used is excreted and long-term does not do your kidneys much good either.

redfox

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PasturesNew

There are cheaper ways to get the protein.... if you're protein-obsessed, you need to go back and research the protein values of food ... then compare each to the price ... and achievable food/recipes you fancy.

Beans, eggs, peanut butter ... all high protein and cheaper.

You're "choosing" pricier alternatives, "because you're worth it", or because things like salmon have been "normalised", or because "it's a treat" except it's not a treat if it's daily, a treat's 1-2x a year

lessonlearned

Bookowl. Don't worry you can bring that figure down.

I eat a paleo diet for health reasons. My digestive system cannot tolerate grains so I largely eat a paleo(or Stone Age diet). Meat, fish, eggs and although I shouldn't really I do cheat and eat some dairy.

Life without cheese wouldn't be worth living.....:rotfl:

I get my carbs from masses of vegetables, salads and a small amount of fruit.

I spend on average around £120 a month, give or take but I could get that down further if I had to. I am hoping to start growing fruit and veg next year so hopefully I can make some extra savings.

When you work full time and come home tired and hungry it's tempting to go for quick easy to cook foods such as salmon and chicken but you can do just as well with the cheaper cuts such as stewing meat, braising steak, mince etc. They are delicious when cooked slowly in a slow cooker. If you don't have one they are a great investment.

Casseroles, stews, bolognese sauces, chillis, curries etc can be cooked in bulk in a slow cooker and then divided into portions and frozen so that you have nice healthy ready meals for work nights and cba days. Much cheaper and better for you.

Re oily fish......there are alternatives to salmon, pilchards, sardines, herrings (yuk:rotfl:) mackerel. Smoked mackerel is delicious and very cheap.

Salmon is very nutritious though and a useful source of essential fatty oils and vitamin D so I don't see it as a once or twice a year luxury. Places like Aldi and Lidl sell it cheaply enough.

Frozen fish tends to cheaper than fresh. Frozen salmon or white fish is fine. Frozen vegetables can be cheaper too and sometimes less wasteful.

I don't seem to be very lucky with yellow stickered bargains. Where I live they tend to be things like ready meals or pre prepared food rather than raw ingredients. Some supermarkets do mix and match deals on fish and meat, usually something like 3 items for £10.

Don't forget that the humble egg is full of protein. A couple of eggs will give you the basis of a cheap, nutritious and protein rich meal, omelettes and frittatas are great. Pack them full of vegetables and a few scraps of cooked meats and a grating of cheese and you have a really substantial meal. Great for using leftovers.

Take a look at game too, especially now when it's in season. Rabbit, pheasant even venison neednt break the bank.

And of course if you can take food into work rather than shelling out for lunches or sandwiches that will help bring your bill down.

bouicca21

Surely 2 chicken breasts and 2 salmon a day is way more than 140g protein a day? I'd be looking at cutting that down.

[Deleted User]

Is your high protein diet a necessity for your health or a choice ?

Bookowl

bouicca21 wrote: »

Surely 2 chicken breasts and 2 salmon a day is way more than 140g protein a day? I'd be looking at cutting that down.

I had the 2 chicken breasts for lunch and 2 salmon I’ll be having for dinner. I still have 44g left to eat according to my fitness pal. I’ll have to think of veggie / cheaper alternatives, my budget won’t allow my current rate of eating

Bookowl

JackieO wrote: »

Is your high protein diet a necessity for your health or a choice ?

It’s a choice but also for my health. I want to loose weight and gain muscle, a high protein diet has been recommended.My diet previously consisted of crisps,chocolate and sweets. I’d happily consider alternatives or reduce my protein levels so my budget can be sustained at a lower cost.

VfM4meplse

Bookowl wrote: »

.It’s a choice but also for my health. I want to loose weight and gain muscle, a high protein diet has been recommended. My diet previously consisted of crisps,chocolate and sweets. I’d happily consider alternatives or reduce my protein levels so my budget can be sustained at a lower cost.

Reduce your protein intake - 140g just isn't necessary - and eat more salad / fibre-rich foods (carrots and apples are ideal) and drink plenty of water. You don't need to eat too much protein to fill yourself up, what you need to do is make sure you don't fill up on (cheap and tasty!) carbs.

lessonlearned

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Reduce your protein intake - 140g just isn't necessary - and eat more salad / fibre-rich foods (carrots and apples are ideal) and drink plenty of water. You don't need to eat too much protein to fill yourself up, what you need to do is make sure you don't fill up on (cheap and tasty!) carbs.

I have just double checked and apparently the guidelines for a healthy diet for the average adult woman is around 0.8g for each kilo of body weight. On average 46g for a 130 lb woman.

Bookowl unless you are either around 360lbs or a serious body builder then you don't need 140 g of protein per day.

Re your fitnesspal. Are you sure it's set right. 100 g of salmon contains 22 g of protein. 100g of chicken contains 31g.

You don't need two portions of each, one is plenty. If you don't feel full only eating one then pack them out with salad and or vegetables.