How much do you spend on groceries?

gerrag

Ooooops!!.....I forgot to add that I'm a single adult in London.

MattMattMattUK

One adult, I eat healthily (mostly chicken and fish, not much red meat and a lot of veg), no processed snacks (I eat olives or fruit as snacks), no ready meals, I bake my own bread. Costs include all household products for cleaning, laundry, deodorant, kitchen and toilet roll, toothpaste etc. and my average this year is £173 pcm, which includes some entertaining and also taking food to other people's homes (for BBQs etc.). That does not include alcohol apart from the occasional bottle as a gift to others as I do not drink at home. 

pumpkin89

Don't feel bad about it, as it's easily done.  We are just a couple and spend about £700 per month - given that teenagers often eat more than adults, it makes sense you'd be spending double that.

However - we consciously spend this much because we are fortunate to be able to afford it and we choose to prioritise really good food (and wine...)  I don't think it's crazy to spend £1400 if you want to and can afford to, but if it's coming as a surprise then it's worth having a look at your receipts and working out what is contributing most to your spend.  You can then decide if you want to cut back on certain things.

Brie

The only issue I have with the amount we spend (2 adults £100 a week?) is the amount we end up throwing away.  I've been trying to rectify this by always checking what we have, what needs to be popped in the freezer and what needs to be prioritised before it walks out of the frig.  

The other side of this is we very rarely have a take away of any sort. Once maybe twice a month?  Fish and chips from the chippie (which we pick up) or a KFC.  Never used a "justeat" or other delivery service except those restaurants that have their own driver - the chinese or a pizza.  Can't understand work colleagues that will pay whatever to get a latte delivered from Costa.

pumpkin89

Brie said:

The other side of this is we very rarely have a take away of any sort. Once maybe twice a month?  

This is really important to factor in - a lot of households spend more on takeaways than grocery shopping and they often don't realise, as it's relatively small amounts several times rather than one big payment at the checkout.

It's also something where there is a very wide range of views on what's normal.  I was surprised you described once maybe twice a month as very rare - we've lived in our house for over 5 years and had 2 takeaways in that time.  But then again, I have colleagues who routinely buy 3 meals a day from delivery apps.

Longwalker

Brie said:

The only issue I have with the amount we spend (2 adults £100 a week?) is the amount we end up throwing away.  I've been trying to rectify this by always checking what we have, what needs to be popped in the freezer and what needs to be prioritised before it walks out of the frig.  

The other side of this is we very rarely have a take away of any sort. Once maybe twice a month?  Fish and chips from the chippie (which we pick up) or a KFC.  Never used a "justeat" or other delivery service except those restaurants that have their own driver - the chinese or a pizza.  Can't understand work colleagues that will pay whatever to get a latte delivered from Costa.

I do my very best not to throw anything away. Food is just so expensive now I honestly cant afford to. I have my freezers well organised and my fridge isnt so full that I cant see at a glance whats there. Every extra portion thats left over from a meal is boxed and frozen. They might only be a small portion, but when you save up for or five small portions, you end up having a free meal night - last night I pulled out small 2 tubs that had curries in them and a bag of rice, with a couple of naan I fed three of us 

We spend around £70 a week now for 3 adults and a dog

We no longer go to the pub, which has always been part of our lifestyle but we just don't have that kind of money now. We are cutting back on everything we possibly can whilst we still can to get a buffer in for the winter fuel bills

I shop in Lidl, home bargains, savers and then Tesco.  Our menu is governed by the cost, I buy whats best value. Whilst I try not to rely on mince or sausages, we are eating them more often then we used to. 

We don't get take out often and its a real treat when we do. It will be a McD's or a KFC if we have to go to the big town for a shop and we share a meal deal usually or use a code from the app 

GillyLucy

WE spend approx.£80pw for 2 adults and 2 dogs - this excludes alcohol as I have a separate budget for this . It also excludes any cleaning type stuff as I tend to bulk buy a few times a year. I am lucky that I have many shops within a few miles so I tend to check offers on what I need. I previously lived in a rural location with very limited choice of shops (Coop & Spar) so really appreciate now how lucky I am now to live so close to a vast range of stores..

ossie48

I tend to bounce Tesco off Asda...any meat comes from Tesco but that tends to be chicken nowadays, we don't eat much red meat. They're both close so i'll snap up any offers at each. We also have a Lidl and Aldi but every time I go in (if I can get parked) its sheer bloody carnage with heaped up trolleys and tills that open on a whim. Not ideal if you want to cherry pick a few items.   

Langerhan

Single vegetarian adult in London, £60 a month. I'm lucky to live within easy walking distance of both a Tesco Extra and an Asda, and I know what times things get yellow stickered. I've also got a market on the way home where I can sometimes pick up end of day veg. I tend to meal plan very, very carefully; I don't think I've ever had something go off before I can eat or freeze it.

sarah1972

Myself, my husband and a small pooch. We spend on average £100 a week