How do I figure out how much to spend on groceries?

Suffolk_lass

Someone already mentioned that the British Heart Foundation has some good information. I find their information on the proportions of the different things you eat on your plate and what is a portion, using your hands is easy to follow and remember. Here's a link (the other links from this page are straightforward, too).

Once you know what a healthy plate looks like, you can begin to meal plan, compile your shopping list, and shop at your chosen location - I sometimes just write "meat" on my list, and let the item in my basket be what is on offer that week, or is reduced.

I know someone suggested 500g of mince will make 3 good meals (for 2 people), and mixing that mince with diced vegetables like onion, celery and carrot is both cheaper and gets those vegetables into your diet. Add tomatoes, garlic and some spicing (curry paste or mixed herbs for examples) and you can take it towards an asian on Italian dish really easily. Get yourself a slow cooker and you can just add the ingredients all together, turn it on, give it a stir and then a few hours later, your meal is there.

If you want some recipes, the first few posts of the monthly grocery challenge (on the Old Style Money-saving part of the forum) has lots of cheap recipes. Here's a link to July's - I wish you success

plaguedbyfoibles

kimwp said:

For a rules based diet, look up how many calories you should be eating for your weight and activity - compare this with how many calories you are eating now (and whether you are gaining/losing weight) to calibrate this.

Aim for 2-3 portions of veg with your lunch and dinner and 2-3 portions of fruit each day. You could also try for the 30 plants a week.

Look up the fibre amount you should be eating and the NHS guidance of what to eat for the different vitamins.

Cooking at its basic level is chopping things up, mixing them and stirring at intervals - is this manageable? 

I struggle with knife based skills.

kimwp

plaguedbyfoibles said:

kimwp said:

For a rules based diet, look up how many calories you should be eating for your weight and activity - compare this with how many calories you are eating now (and whether you are gaining/losing weight) to calibrate this.

Aim for 2-3 portions of veg with your lunch and dinner and 2-3 portions of fruit each day. You could also try for the 30 plants a week.

Look up the fibre amount you should be eating and the NHS guidance of what to eat for the different vitamins.

Cooking at its basic level is chopping things up, mixing them and stirring at intervals - is this manageable? 

I struggle with knife based skills.

Ok, so maybe buying pre-chopped frozen veg, or asking someone in your family to do some chopping is the way to go. Also there are electric choppers and manual choppers as well. Mince doesn't need chopping, neither do beans, lentils, chickpeas, which are healthy sources of protein and fibre.

Is it something you can safely practice? 

Would something like this help?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Upgraded-Holder-Slicing-Stainless-Vegetable/dp/B0DBQH13Q1/ref=asc_df_B0DBQH13Q1?mcid=22a010dc17e53bf594d744a5c7b61912&hvocijid=11415724726100980495-B0DBQH13Q1-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11415724726100980495&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9211061&hvtargid=pla-2281435177618&psc=1&gad_source=1

Katmg

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

Exodi

Unfortunately this is incredibly variable between people.

You'll find snack and processed foods are very cheap, whereas fresh meat, particularly leaner meats, are very expensive. A lot of starchy carbs are extremely cheap (e.g. Potatos, Rice, Pasta, etc) and some fibrous carbs can be quite cheap (e.g. legumes) but others are more expensive (e.g. fruit). Frozen produce is usually cheaper than fresh produce.

Someone who's diet consists of things like frozen chicken dippers (where chicken usually only makes up half the ingredients), chips, crisps and biscuits would be able to spend significantly less than someone who is eating chicken breasts, or fresh fish and lots of fruit. And that's not to patronize people that do shop like that, I understand for some it's not a choice.

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

Katmg said:

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

That's incredible! I track ours very closely and we spend ~£500 per month (~£115 p/w) as 2 adults, so 4x what you spend, however we eat very well - lots of lean meats and fish, tons of fruit and veg, only frozen item we buy is ice. We don't go down the aisles with biscuits/chocolate/sweets/etc (out of sight, out of mind).

kimwp

Exodi said:

Unfortunately this is incredibly variable between people.

You'll find snack and processed foods are very cheap, whereas fresh meat, particularly leaner meats, are very expensive. A lot of starchy carbs are extremely cheap (e.g. Potatos, Rice, Pasta, etc) and some fibrous carbs can be quite cheap (e.g. legumes) but others are more expensive (e.g. fruit). Frozen produce is usually cheaper than fresh produce.

Someone who's diet consists of things like frozen chicken dippers (where chicken usually only makes up half the ingredients), chips, crisps and biscuits would be able to spend significantly less than someone who is eating chicken breasts, or fresh fish and lots of fruit. And that's not to patronize people that do shop like that, I understand for some it's not a choice.

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

Katmg said:

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

That's incredible! I track ours very closely and we spend ~£500 per month (~£115 p/w) as 2 adults, so 4x what you spend, however we eat very well - lots of lean meats and fish, tons of fruit and veg, only frozen item we buy is ice. We don't go down the aisles with biscuits/chocolate/sweets/etc (out of sight, out of mind).

I believe that frozen fruit and veg usually has higher nutritional content than fresh btw, as the nutrient deterioration which starts at harvest is slowed by freezing. Texture though, is variable!

Emmia

Exodi said:

Unfortunately this is incredibly variable between people.

You'll find snack and processed foods are very cheap, whereas fresh meat, particularly leaner meats, are very expensive. A lot of starchy carbs are extremely cheap (e.g. Potatos, Rice, Pasta, etc) and some fibrous carbs can be quite cheap (e.g. legumes) but others are more expensive (e.g. fruit). Frozen produce is usually cheaper than fresh produce.

Someone who's diet consists of things like frozen chicken dippers (where chicken usually only makes up half the ingredients), chips, crisps and biscuits would be able to spend significantly less than someone who is eating chicken breasts, or fresh fish and lots of fruit. And that's not to patronize people that do shop like that, I understand for some it's not a choice.

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

Katmg said:

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

That's incredible! I track ours very closely and we spend ~£500 per month (~£115 p/w) as 2 adults, so 4x what you spend, however we eat very well - lots of lean meats and fish, tons of fruit and veg, only frozen item we buy is ice. We don't go down the aisles with biscuits/chocolate/sweets/etc (out of sight, out of mind).

You buy ice? I know it's available, but isn't that what a freezer and ice cube trays are for?

Exodi

Emmia said:

Exodi said:

Unfortunately this is incredibly variable between people.

You'll find snack and processed foods are very cheap, whereas fresh meat, particularly leaner meats, are very expensive. A lot of starchy carbs are extremely cheap (e.g. Potatos, Rice, Pasta, etc) and some fibrous carbs can be quite cheap (e.g. legumes) but others are more expensive (e.g. fruit). Frozen produce is usually cheaper than fresh produce.

Someone who's diet consists of things like frozen chicken dippers (where chicken usually only makes up half the ingredients), chips, crisps and biscuits would be able to spend significantly less than someone who is eating chicken breasts, or fresh fish and lots of fruit. And that's not to patronize people that do shop like that, I understand for some it's not a choice.

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

Katmg said:

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

That's incredible! I track ours very closely and we spend ~£500 per month (~£115 p/w) as 2 adults, so 4x what you spend, however we eat very well - lots of lean meats and fish, tons of fruit and veg, only frozen item we buy is ice. We don't go down the aisles with biscuits/chocolate/sweets/etc (out of sight, out of mind).

You buy ice? I know it's available, but isn't that what a freezer and ice cube trays are for?

If you think that's bad, my guilty pleasure is https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/303001858 when I could just as easily buy https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254915364 which is within arms reach of it for less than half the price per kg. The reason (I tell myself) is it's much easier for portion control (to which you could counter with asking why I don't buy the big bag and portion them myself in the cupboard - of which I wouldn't have an answer! Laziness I guess?).

Unfortunately you could apply your argument to many things, yet ready-meals and convenience foods exist and are wildly popular.

Unfortunately given the recent weather and the sheer volume of iced drinks we're consuming at the moment, I think my freezer would be nothing but ice cube trays at the moment otherwise.

GeoffTF

Exodi said:

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

You would soon get nutritional deficiencies too. You would do much better if you added dried beans and a daily multi-vitamin and mineral tablet. You also could reduce the cost by adding some vegetable oil. That is pretty much equivalent to what the World Food Programme aims to provide for famine relief.

kimwp

Exodi said:

Emmia said:

Exodi said:

Unfortunately this is incredibly variable between people.

You'll find snack and processed foods are very cheap, whereas fresh meat, particularly leaner meats, are very expensive. A lot of starchy carbs are extremely cheap (e.g. Potatos, Rice, Pasta, etc) and some fibrous carbs can be quite cheap (e.g. legumes) but others are more expensive (e.g. fruit). Frozen produce is usually cheaper than fresh produce.

Someone who's diet consists of things like frozen chicken dippers (where chicken usually only makes up half the ingredients), chips, crisps and biscuits would be able to spend significantly less than someone who is eating chicken breasts, or fresh fish and lots of fruit. And that's not to patronize people that do shop like that, I understand for some it's not a choice.

A 1kg bag of rice from Tesco is 52p. 75g of uncooked rice is 270 calories so maybe 8 portions (~600g) needed a day, which works out to ~31p. So if you were a real masochist you could live off under a tenner a month on just rice (but it would be pretty miserable!).

Katmg said:

I spend about £25-£30 per week for 2 adults, all meals. We eat veg,pulses - dried much cheaper, own brands and cooked from scratch. We eat well and never hungry, seasonal veg and any leftovers repurposed, never used my food caddy as nothing thrown out. Treats and snacks are just that, special occasions but we do have biscuits/crackers for top up! And yes we work, don’t spend more than 30 mins preparing in the week. 

That's incredible! I track ours very closely and we spend ~£500 per month (~£115 p/w) as 2 adults, so 4x what you spend, however we eat very well - lots of lean meats and fish, tons of fruit and veg, only frozen item we buy is ice. We don't go down the aisles with biscuits/chocolate/sweets/etc (out of sight, out of mind).

You buy ice? I know it's available, but isn't that what a freezer and ice cube trays are for?

If you think that's bad, my guilty pleasure is https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/303001858 when I could just as easily buy https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254915364 which is within arms reach of it for less than half the price per kg. The reason (I tell myself) is it's much easier for portion control (to which you could counter with asking why I don't buy the big bag and portion them myself in the cupboard - of which I wouldn't have an answer! Laziness I guess?).

Unfortunately you could apply your argument to many things, yet ready-meals and convenience foods exist and are wildly popular.

Unfortunately given the recent weather and the sheer volume of iced drinks we're consuming at the moment, I think my freezer would be nothing but ice cube trays at the moment otherwise.

One could argue that the effort saved (of making the from-fresh equivalent) by a ready meal is often significantly less than the effort of making ice. 

Happily I'm not a fan of ice, so no dilemma there for me!