In despair at how much I spend on food

notional

Started a new thread as all those 'I feed a family of four on £20 a week' threads make me want to cry.  I am single, live alone and I have tried and tried to get my food spending down but I still spend over £60 a week. I need help!  This is going to sound whiny and entitled I know...please don't mock...

1. I live in London zone 2, I have a very very small kitchen, with a biggish fridge but just a tiny freezer (about 2 cubic ft probably). Limited cupboard space.
2. Lifetime struggle with weight.  Put weight on at uni on 'healthy' diet of pasta and baked potatoes.  To keep my weight down I now have to keep the fat and carbs right down (30g dry weight per meal maximum, some meals carb free). For carbs I only eat wholemeal - brown couscous, brown rice and buckwheat.
3. Breakfast cereals are my nemesis, I snack on them if I have them in the house, so I don't.  I eat cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast most days.
4. Bread makes me feel sick, like I have eaten a tennis ball. Thrifty beans and lentils, although I like them, give me terrible IBS cramps that ended up in a hospital investigation, as does hot spicy food.
5. I've had depression so l need to eat oily fish twice a week.  Hate smoked fish so I bake salmon. ££££
6. I don't have a car, so I shop at the local Mini Sainsburys and Costcutter which are walkable.  I did a costing exercise and worked out that Mini Sainsburys food is 10% more expensive than Big Sainsburys, but for what I spend, it's not worth the bus fare (£3 return), time and hassle, based on shopping twice a week.  I tried shopping in the outdoor market a bus ride away, but they sell stuff in £1 bowls, and I don't want 25 tomatoes or 5 cucumbers that go off in 2 days because they don't have a refrigerated supply chain.  I do occasionally make a trip to Big Sainsburys for washing powder and a few bits eg spray oil, dried herbs.
7. I plan and meal prep usually 6 or 8 meals, and try to make the most of using my oven.  I used to have a slow cooker but it went bang and now I don't trust them to be left unattended. I don't believe that with the current price of fuel, buying cheap cuts of meat and casseroling them for hours in a electric oven actually saves money.
8. I prefer fresh veggies, but now I plan and prep I don't over buy quantity or throw food away. 

Is it me or is it really really expensive to live in inner London and eat 2 meals a day consisting of 1 meat or fish, 2 or 3 fresh veggies and 30g of brown carb?  I don't want to be poor but I can't bear being fat either.

Tink_04

Hi, I think for where you live and your dietary requirement your doing well, don’t be to hard on yourself. 

Is there a need to reduce this spend? If food is the main cost can you cut costs on other grocery items such as cleaning/washing products? 

I live in the NE so no idea the price of London! Can you maybe get a small freezer and plug it in another room out of the way to get so extra storage? 

Wishing you well 

Tink 

sallywallydoodlealltheday

Like Tink I live up north so maybe can’t appreciate the living costs of living in London. Is there a Lidl anywhere near you? Much of what they sell is comparable in taste and quality to more expensive supermarkets. Obviously their range of foods isn’t as big, but if there’s a store within walking distance I would urge you to give it a go.

helensbiggestfan

Given your situation I don't think you are doing that badly at all.  I guess it depends on your finances, whether or not your food spending is sustainable.  Although I don't live in London I do have similar dietary problems and weight issues so I eat mainly paleo. And yes, it does cost more than filling up on cheap carbs. 

i managed to lose almost 3 stones but like you realised I was spending a lot on food, probably a similar amount to you.  I cut back and managed to get it down to around £45 a week.  Then the pandemic struck and I have been restricted to shopping once a week, so have been eating more carbs such as pasta, potatoes. Yes I've saved money but I've regained a stone and have had some nasty stomach problems and IBS flareups.

I have decided it's just not worth it so now that lockdown is easing a bit I'm going back to my preferred way of eating, fresh fruit and veg, meat and fish.  I am going to try and keep costs down a bit but I have decided my health and well being has to take priority.  I also have to watch my blood sugar levels so again I do need to cut the carbs.  I would like to get it around £120 a month but I'm not sure that's possible because I think food prices will increase anyway.  I think £150 a month is probably more realistic for me but that would include cleaning materials and basic toiletries.  

It's a tricky one for you. I can well imagine London prices are steep.  Rather than trying to slash your budget maybe try stepping it down gradually. If it's currently £60 a week, aim for £50.  Then take it from there, you might be able to shave a bit more once you've got used to that level. But, as you say, unless you eat a lot carbs then £20 a week is a non starter. 

I think maybe look at your storage so you can take advantage of offers, reductions.  A second freezer would be a real help if you could swing it.  Also make sure you have zero waste, and maybe see where you can make savings on items like toiletries, cleaning materials. 

Good luck.  

 

notional

Thank you so much @helensbiggestfan @sallywallydoodlealltheday and @Tink_04 you've made me feel a bit better about it and thank you for your suggestions.  It's enlightening (and kind of awful) to read about other people trying to make trade offs between health and spend.

In respose to your specific comments:

I can't fit a freezer in my flat, it would have to be in my sitting room!  I guess I could stock up on tins and dry goods in a cupboard outside the kitchen. I do buy tinned tomatoes on multibuy offer but I hardly use any other tinned food, and I don't eat much carb, so I think the savings on this would be very small, ie probably only worth buying a big bag of basmati rice. It's the fresh stuff that eats the money. I am also wary of storing dry goods in bulk as my downstairs neighbours have a persistant mouse problem, and they climb up the ducting into my kitchen if there is anything for them to eat that's not in hard containers (the mice not the neighbours lol).

There is a Lidl and I think Lidl is perfectly OK, but it's a train ride away (peak £4.80 return, off peak £3), there's also an Asda which is a 30 minute walk away.  I do sometimes go over to Asda with my big backpack for washing tablets and dishwasher tablets, rinse aid etc on offer and in bulk. I also buy cleaning products on offer, although it's things like vacuum bags and water filter cartridges that really eat that budget. I spend on average £30 a month on all forms of home supplies, including loo rolls but not including toiletries.  I shop at Superdrug for most of my toiletries, I don't buy the super budget shampoo that's like washing up liquid, but I do use a lot of their own brands and look out for offers, especially on expensive consumables eg razor blades and electric toothbrush heads. I don't impulse buy toiletries and cosmetics to treat myself.

Thinking about it last night I did realise that I'd compared the prices on specific items between Mini and Big Sainsburys.  I didn't factor in that the Basics line isn't available at Minis. So I guess I could pick up some dry basics when I go to Asda (have done occasionally), but realistically, I am not going to make a one hour round trip carrying a ton of heavy stuff on my back every week.

You are right that I could prune other budgets, and I am trying to do that.

-taff

Well, if you don't want to be carrying things, you need a shopping trolley. You can fit allsorts into one of those and you might be able to pick one up from Freecycle/Freegle, take your pick. If you are of a mind to, you could also register with Asda for a home delivery. You won't find YS stuff obviously, but their fresh veg is still cheap and saves you a journey. There's a minimum spend I think but I reckon you could probably get your deliveries down to one every two weeks.

What if your kitchen area like? Can you get more stuff on top of the kitchen cupboards, do they go all the way to the ceiling? Do you have kickboards under the bottom cabinets? Can you remove them to have slide in trays for example?

Aliliva

I second what others just said: considering your health issues, your budget is very reasonable. I live in London too, and know how hard it can be to find decent fruit and veg if you don't live close to a big supermarket and can shop only in the evenings.
One thing you could do is sign up for one of those veg box deliveries services. I use Oddbox and personally they work the best quality/price for me - in the past I used Abel&Cole, they're more expensive but you can actually choose the content of your box and this might suit your diet a bit better. Obviously there are plenty of other services, maybe ask around for feedbacks on them.
As for the meat, some colleagues used to get it from Muscle Food, but they deliver quite in bulk. Maybe check if you have a local butcher, they might work cheaper and better quality than a mini sainsbury's.
Finally, at least until lockdown lasts, you could try get the exercise you need with a walk to the further shops. Try plan a route through some park/common and back roads, and go when it's off pick for groceries (we found out that Saturday before 10.30 is the best shot for eggs and flour and no queue) - just trick yourself into thinking it's not a walk to the shops, but a walk to get some fresh air

greenbee

I mostly live on fresh food too, as I eat low carb - the dried stuff I do have takes up a lot of room for the value I get out of it! I'm lucky in that I have lots of freezer space (although I don't have a proper kitchen as it was the last thing on the renovation list - it came out nearly 7 years ago and I've only just ordered the replacement!) so keep it full of frozen fish, meat and cheese, homemade ready meals and anything that looks like it might not last. 

Lockdown was a bit of a shock for me, as I had to go into isolation at the same time that everyone else was panic-buying, and had been away for work for a couple of weeks so was low on food. The first few weeks of relying on the random contents of the veg boxes (which included potatoes and fruit that I was trying not to eat too much of!) really focussed my mind on meal planning and cutting waste. All the ends/outer leaves/ribs etc that I used to bin now get turned into soup (I make a big batch at the weekend and freeze half, but you could do this as you go along). Even dry ends of celery, wilting herbs and ends of rhubarb go in. It usually gets me one or two more meals that I would have got otherwise, and the compost heap won't miss it!

Now food is more readily available, I'm trying to stick to the strict planning and using everything up. So I base my plan around what arrives in the box and add in items from stores - keeping within my calorie and carb limits for the relevant day (I have a couple of days where evening yoga means I don't want to eat late so I tend to have an afternoon smoothie or something similar so I don't have a full stomach for the class, and end up doing what is essentially a fast day). I don't eat breakfast, except on special occasions as I do 16/8 most days, longer if I can. I'm pretty sure this reduces costs too! I've been amazed at how long the freezer contents have lasted, and I've tried a lot of new recipes to make the most of what I've got. 

For oily fish, consider getting tins - tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, pilchards, anchovies. It's a great time of year for salads, and I've been doing tuna/egg salad this week. Have a look for some recipes and by one tin to try something out - if you like it you can gradually stock up - tins are mouse-proof and generally a fairly cheap source of protein. Eggs are also a good option if you like them - egg 'muffins' are a good way of using up all the tired veg, as is frittata or a omelette or crustless quiche. 

It's worth asking at your local market whether they can sell you smaller quantities, maybe a mixed bowl for £1. But probably only worth it if you're already passing. 

Just as an example, here's what I had on Monday - 790 calories, 29.8g net carbs:

Midday - coffee with 120ml whole milk (I know I really should swap this for cream or black coffee but I like fluffy coffee!)
Lunch - Salad (10g spring onion, 5g walnuts, 15g apple, 13g celery, 71g mixed leaves, 25g chicory, 58g red & yellow peppers, 50g cherry toms, 80g asparagus, 50g fennel, 1tbsp olive oil, 3 medium eggs, 
Pre-yoga snack - 100g full fat natural yogurt, 64g strawberries, 9g almond butter, 52g banana

I'm in maintenance now, so only do 2x 800 calorie days a week, the rest are around 1700-2000 so I'll probably have eggs for one meal and fish or meat for another, with one serving of yogurt or kefir each day. 

jonnygee2

If - like me - you are in zone 2 london, is there not a cheap asian store around to sell fresh fruit and veg? I get all of mine from one of those places with a hundred veg baskets outside, and it's a fraction of the price of the fruit and veg in the local Salisbury's. I go there every other day, buy in small quantities and everything is always fresh. Seem to be almost ubiquitous in London, so maybe have a double check of side streets near you!

I've had depression so l need to eat oily fish twice a week.  Hate smoked fish so I bake salmon. ££££

Use tinned. One of my favourite cheap and quick lunches is a tin of sardines in spicy tomato sauce mixed into brown pasta, maybe with some black olives added. - it costs <£1.20. Tinned fish is really underrated. Tinned salmon is a thing too - absolutely fine in a pasta sauce.

Eating low carb is always more expensive, though. The cheapest veggies are usually carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other things that grow easily in the UK. Try to work those into as many meals as you can. 

jonnygee2

Also - almost forgot - the incredible Jack Monroe's site https://cookingonabootstrap.com/

Just integrating a handful of these recipes into your weekly routine will likely save you quite a bit.

greenbee

jonnygee2 said:

If - like me - you are in zone 2 london, is there not a cheap asian store around to sell fresh fruit and veg? I get all of mine from one of those places with a hundred veg baskets outside, and it's a fraction of the price of the fruit and veg in the local Salisbury's. I go there every other day, buy in small quantities and everything is always fresh. Seem to be almost ubiquitous in London, so maybe have a double check of side streets near you!

I've had depression so l need to eat oily fish twice a week.  Hate smoked fish so I bake salmon. ££££

Use tinned. One of my favourite cheap and quick lunches is a tin of sardines in spicy tomato sauce mixed into brown pasta, maybe with some black olives added. - it costs <£1.20. Tinned fish is really underrated. Tinned salmon is a thing too - absolutely fine in a pasta sauce.

Eating low carb is always more expensive, though. The cheapest veggies are usually carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other things that grow easily in the UK. Try to work those into as many meals as you can. 

Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are all good if doing low carb - especially cabbage! Also kale is cheap most of the year round, and we should be coming up to spinach/chard season (ignore the baby leaves, buy the grown up stuff). Carrots are OK in moderation but avoid potatoes. I don't bother with couscous and rice either (I do have small amounts for visitors, and would considered eating them if lockdown food supplies got really bad) although I do occasionally use buckwheat as it's a seed not a grain and so relatively high in protein and low in carbs. White and red cabbage keep well, so I tend to have one or both in the veg drawer so I can make coleslaw if I run out of salad before veg box day.