How are people spending so little on food?
Posted by glasses4catsndogs@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1119 comments
I’m seeing people on the internet saying they spend 20, 30 pounds on food a week as one person. I’m in my 20s, living in London and spend on average £50-60 a week. This is while shopping at Lidl, with very few “quick trips” to smaller stores.
I almost never eat out and don’t get coffees out, so everything I eat is purchased at home (I make my coffee at home, lunches at home, etc). I eat relatively healthy but not a lot of meat — maybe 3 times a week. The only thing I can think of is that I like to cook for people, but this might be 2-times a week so shouldn’t make a big difference on how much I spend. I also buy snacks and some healthier foods (yogurt, granola) but I don’t see how that would make a big difference.
So — what am I missing? How are people spending so little on food in the week?
Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit
The secret is spending all your time cooking and a giant freezer.
Superb-Ad-8823@reddit
Yes cook once eat twice.
Wiggles114@reddit
A couple of years ago I found a pricing error on a la creuset 6.7L casserole dish and got it. I cook damn near everything in that mofo. cook once eat ten times baby
WordsMort47@reddit
How much was it?
Wiggles114@reddit
£70
Namiweso@reddit
As opposed to £700. Nice!
Wiggles114@reddit
I want to say they're usually ~£300 so instead of being 270 which would have been 10% off it was incorrectly priced at 70
Namiweso@reddit
Haha nice one! Was a little joke at the fact how crazy the price is!
ScriptingInJava@reddit
Buy a slowcooker, prep once, barely cook once, eat 6 times!
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
my secondhand £15 slow cooker has been a game changer, especially through the pandemic years.
ShineAtom@reddit
Trouble is that I find after the third same dinner, I don't want to eat it again tomorrow. Better to freeze portions so that you can have some variety over the week. Says she who eats the same breakfast day in and day out. But dinner? I do need variety.
ScriptingInJava@reddit
This is one of very few scenarios where autism is actually really useful, I love eating the same chili for 6 months in a row (unironically)
Superb-Ad-8823@reddit
This is the way. I forgot about that and as its myself who does all the cooking I should have remembered.
joylessbrick@reddit
This is mostly it, basically.
The time you don’t spend cooking/doing dishes is the time you spend going from store to store searching for offers or doing this online. If you have nothing better to do, it's time well spent if doing it online, but if you're shopping in person, the amount of petrol wasted should be accounted for.
When I had spare time I used to batch cook, but it's so time consuming and I felt it wasn't worth it anymore because I was drained of doing a full shift in a kitchen on my day off.
I've now switched to 2x a week cooking in smaller batches because it's less mentally and physically draining.
Another thing to consider, not a lot of cooked meals freeze well, so if you can't fast freeze, your food is going to taste sub par.
1CharlieMike@reddit
I batch cook a month’s worth of meals in one afternoon.
I don’t have a huge freezer - just two deep drawers.
I don’t shop around, I buy almost everything from Tesco.
In my experience most things I want to eat freeze well. Eggs don’t, and some cooked potatoes don’t.
Acrobatic-Set9585@reddit
Yes not everything freezes well but some things do freeze really well! Sauces freeze well, as do homemade pizzas, curries and I froze Mac and cheese once and it turned out just fine but I added some milk to the sauce to thin it out a little as when I researched freezing Mac and cheese, people said the sauce will thicken. Saucy things and bread freeze well as a rule of thumb, anything else I'd suggest googling or searching on reddit. Either it's awful frozen or it can be frozen but in a particular way.
mcmanus2099@reddit
Some things like veg are hard to get the knack of freezing, but fortunately there's plenty of these frozen for you in the freezer section that have been done pretty well.
LambonaHam@reddit
I stand by frozen veg over fresh.
A bag of frozen veg is frozen basically as soon as it's picked. Fresh veg spends several days in storage and on trucks before it ends up in your pantry.
rositree@reddit
Where it spends a further few days being moved around because I don't fancy it that day, until it eventually gets composted or I force myself to cook it because wasting food is absurd.
jolittletime@reddit
Have a look at thr Batch Lady recipes (she shares a lot on IG too). If you have a bit of freezer space she has weekly meal plans that take about an hour to prep and a load of student and budget recipes too .
joylessbrick@reddit
I've saved your comment but will take it with a grain of salt at the moment due to my experience with batch cooking. I might be enlightened and sure hope so, because I dread cooking when I'm not in the mood.
jolittletime@reddit
I hope it helps! Even of you aren't doing the full batching process, her recipes are solid and easy to make with minimal prep work. Her lentil dhal and chicken shawarma tray bake are good and her baked gnocchi with pesto and veg is a regular on our rotation!
cocomasheroo@reddit
Yes this. I literally live in my kitchen. I have plenty of things I could be doing but my family needs to eat, and I agree freezing food when it's reheated isn't the same as when it's served fresh. And it's not just the meal, the cooking time and the amount of dishes after! Sometimes I look at the food I made and think, wow 3 hours of my life and THAT'S all I made?
joylessbrick@reddit
I completely relate, even though I'm not living in the kitchen anymore. If you don't have kids, my advice would be to stop living in the kitchen...
I've done it consistently for years on end and I started to hate food. I'm at a point where I'm just cooking and eating for sustenance; I basically burned out on cooking, which is weird because I love to cook, but if not in the mood, I will fuck it up. If I'm in the mood, I'll do the savoury equivalent to croque en bouche in no time, if I'm not, I can even fuck up chips.
gnufan@reddit
Also just storage, 10Kg bags of rice mean we get the nice rice for months at a very sensible price, but a single person who worries about food prices isn't going to want a 10Kg bag of rice in their cupboard.
keishajay@reddit
Something like that. Meal prepping, meal planning, and repeating meals. I’ve been able to shop for around £30 a week but I had help lol
LambonaHam@reddit
You don't need a giant freezer, just a regular size one.
Buy a kilo or so of chicken or mince, make several meals on a Sunday, then freeze it. Defrost one meal a day.
locklochlackluck@reddit
I thibk spending all your time cooking is over stating it.
I've recently rediscovered a joy for very basic meals including mushrooms on toast, chicken and rice, sausage and mash, jacket potato, soup etc.
I think for a long time with very cheap food it was just easy to cook a proper meal from fresh every day but in reality it's hardly necessary. A bowl of cereal often fills me up to dinnertime.
My simple point is you don't need to spend lots and lots of time cooking to eat frugally, there are lots of easy and simple meals that take minutes and taste good.
TRFKTA@reddit
This.
When I was a student, years ago, I invested in a large slow cooker and at the time it was one of the best investments I made. I would cook up a week’s worth of food at a time and portion it all up. This worked out much cheaper.
Batch cooking in general is the way forward if you’re looking to save money.
imtravelingalone@reddit
Cooking for you, freezer for the bodies. /s
chaotically-pumpkin@reddit
This
eurosummerer@reddit
Just finished uni and basically ate 1 meal a day and the meal would be 4 quorn nuggets or a bag of microwave rice or a bowl of raman, you just have to suffer in your 20’s im pretty sure
Dwbtn@reddit
I’m convinced people who quote 20-30 a week on a food shop are those who are content with chicken dippers and curly fries for dinner
reverse_mango@reddit
Curly fries are expensive! Straight oven chips, please.
TickleMaster2024@reddit
Cheaper still buy some potatoes and make your own chips.
daneview@reddit
I just grabbed a very cheap generic pack of lids chips from the freezer and there are literally no chemicals in there except dextrose which is a sugar substitute.
Why would they put chemicals in frozen chips, they dont need any preservatives. And also, chemicals dont by defenition = bad.
aembleton@reddit
Why would they put dextrose into oven chips?
daneview@reddit
Flavour presumably, like many meals add a pinch of sugar
TickleMaster2024@reddit
I think it is just better to make your own. They have to put some kind of preservatives for them to stay and keep good frozen.Maybe they dont tell you on the pack which is illegal but why would they tell you. Half the time you can't even read the ingredients on stuff. They make it so small that you need a magnifying glass. In my opinion how long does it take to peel a potato and fry them to make your own beautiful chips. They even taste better. It is of course your choice.
sideone@reddit
Maybe you need better glasses, I've never found a packet I couldn't read.
super-mich@reddit
I have to eat the plsin straight oven chips or I get heart burn. Then id spending all my saved money on rennies or bottles of gaviscon.
Bigglez1995@reddit
Guilty, thats my autistic meal
tylersleeds@reddit
You too, huh? 🤣 to me, content autism = a 7 year-old’s diet
double-happiness@reddit
This is what I spend:
Oct 28 £37.86
Oct 9 £40.98
Sep 28 £46.65
Aug 24 £57.64
Jul 31 £43.07
Jun 1 £31.64
...and this is a an example of how I eat: https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/1ooli6r/its_late_thread_04_november_25/nn515i7/?context=3
any_excuse@reddit
With respect you ate sausages (without actual meat), potatoes which you grew yourself, and some green beans. It isn't exactly extravagent.
I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to expect more than having to be a subsistence farmer in their free time to keep food costs down.
WordsMort47@reddit
What’s wrong with sausages and veg??
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
Ah, they forgot to include a ribeye steak for you. You're just a snob.
Ok-Notice-6092@reddit
Bet he has his steak rare to show off how manly he is despite deep down hating it.
EducationalZombie538@reddit
it's doable though?
1kg of mince is like £6, 2x canned tomato £0.9, garlic/peppers/broccoli/chillies £3.5, rice 50p, pasta 40p.
1kg of chicken thighs £3. peppers/broccoli £2.50, potatoes £1
12 eggs £2.80, cheese £2, milk £1.60, bread 80p, jam 90p, tea £1.80
4x tuna £2.60. extra tomato sauce 43p
Total: \~£30.80
gives you like 8 portions of spag bol or chilli with rice (potentially more), 6 or so chicken/veg/mash, pasta tomato sauce+tuna+cheese, 6 omelettes, toast + jam, teas.
not the most exciting, but doable.
double-happiness@reddit
I used to walk past an Indian vegetarian restaurant that said something like, 'people don't need meat to be healthy and strong'. Entirely true IMO.
Oof. If someone pulled that on me they wouldn't be invited back. I was brought up to eat what you are given without complaint.
Now here you are being entirely unreasonable.
1) It is absolute NONSENSE to describe a few hours of gardening a week as even remotely comparable to being a subsistence farmer. Holy hyperbole Batman! On the contrary I enjoy gardening, love getting out in the fresh air and enjoying nature. I talk to my neighbours while I am at it and benefit from not having to pay to go to the gym as others do.
2) Did I at any time say what anyone else should be doing??? No I did not. I purely discussed what I personally do. You don't wanna garden, don't garden. At no time did I prescribe or even recommend any course of action for anyone else. OP asked how people are able to spend so little on food and I said how I do it. End of story.
any_excuse@reddit
And id be glad to not be invited to dinner with arch-redditor the part time potato farmer.
double-happiness@reddit
https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/Vic_Bob_Handbags.jpg
Dwbtn@reddit
100% this is the difference between the frugal folk and the rest
gentleheart-lamb@reddit
Tbf that's 30-60 pounds a week. Not 20-30.
double-happiness@reddit
Hunh?
£37.86 + £40.98 + £46.65 + £57.64 + £43.07 + £31.64 = £257.84
From June 1 to October 28 is approximately 21 weeks.
Here's the breakdown:
June 1 to October 28 = 149 days 149 days ÷ 7 days per week = 21.3 weeks
So it's 21 full weeks (or 21 weeks and 2 days to be precise).
£257.84 / 21.3 = £12.11
gentleheart-lamb@reddit
Sorry I just was assuming that each was a week, and those dates were just the weeks you had logged. I didn't realize you were just listing like all your food shops in that period of time. I'm surprised you were able to have such big gaps in between buying more food lol
double-happiness@reddit
I keep a lot in the freezer and use UHT milk. I would have likely done some smaller shops of £5-£10 on my way home from work now and then. I wasn't saying that is all I spend, but those are my main shops.
Greenehh@reddit
ASDA 72.6p/l normal milk https://www.asda.com/groceries/product/semi-skimmed-milk/asda-british-milk-semi-skimmed-4-pints-2272ml/165468
ASDA £1.27/l UHT milk https://www.asda.com/groceries/product/long-life-milk/asda-long-life-semi-skimmed-milk-1-litre/169736
ALDI £0.73/l normal milk https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/cowbelle-semi-skimmed-milk-000000000000416770
ALDI £0.99/l UHT milk https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/cowbelle-uht-semi-skimmed-milk-000000000000416563
This is why no one trust you lot that say you spend £5 a month on your food shop. You miss out the 'odd' £5 shop here and there and then bring up random nonsense like UHT milk?
Oh wait I found ALDI's own brand UHT milk that is 4p/l cheaper than their normal milk. 4 PENCE A LITRE. yeah that's paying for christmas, surely right?
https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/everyday-essentials-semi-skimmed-milk-000000000000534181
Clowns
double-happiness@reddit
I've no idea why the price of UHT milk is supposed to be so important in all this. Here is everything, and I mean everything I spent on food in October. If this won't satisfy you, literally nothing will.
10/10 Morrisons £40.98
28/10 Morrisons £37.86
22/10 Farmfoods £1.98
1/10 Greggs £2
GRAND TOTAL £82.82
Greenehh@reddit
You brought it up? You literally brought up that you buy UHT milk in multiple different comments, when on the topic of a weekly food shop.
double-happiness@reddit
Yes, I brought up that I use UHT milk. I did not bring up the price of UHT milk. Please read it back again:
Meaning, I am able to have such big gaps in between buying more food, because I keep a lot in the freezer, and I have stores of UHT milk in reserve, therefore I don't have to buy fresh milk. It was nothing to do with the price of UHT milk, and entirely to do with the shelf life, because that is how I am able to have such big gaps in between buying more food.
Greenehh@reddit
So you can go big gaps between buying food because for 1 out of every 2 weeks you live off UHT milk.
Got it.
double-happiness@reddit
I think perhaps you are confused. I just use UHT milk for my tea etc.
Greenehh@reddit
I'm being facetious to highlight the irrelevance of bringing up UHT milk.
You yourself have just stated that it makes up such a small amount of your calorific intake.
Yet you bring it up in a discussion around what is essentially peoples £/calories.
When all of our £/calories are e.g. in the range of £1 - £5, and you bring up UHT milk that contributes lets say 0.1% of that, its a completely irrelevant point.
Where's the other 99.9%? You don't eat crisps or chocolate? No Yoghurts? Are you eating rubber cheese also? 0 meat/fish?
You're bringing UHT up because somewhere, you genuinely believe that UHT milk is an exercise in budgeting. It isnt. I showed you that.
It also isnt an exercise in shelf life: Normal milk will last you 2-3 weeks. I know, because we do it. Maybe you have 1 cup of tea a week and the UHT milk needs to last 6 months?
Normal milk is 3p/l more expensive than UHT. That is fuck all.
So UHT isnt significantly cheaper. It doesnt contribute a significant amount to your £/calories. And it doesnt really last longer than normal milk, when we look at milk being consumed vs when it goes off i.e. we use it before it goes off.
Thank you for making me spell all of this out for you. I really enjoy doing this.
You people that incorrectly believe you spend £5/week on food are my joy. Tell me more about how cheap ALDI is whilst you chow down on sawdust mixed topped with gravel. Tell me more about your £20/week budget whilst you completely ignore deodorant, toilet paper, pet food, and other anicilliaries.
I have taken our £70/week food shop and compared it to ALDI, like-for-like, and determined it is exactly the same. And why wouldnt it be? Why would ALDI be able to sell meat/dairy/fruit/veg at a discount vs ASDA/Tesco? They cant.
You people that have £5/week budgets live on dogshit food and thats okay. Some people have to. I used to have to. Some people just dont enjoy eating. Its okay.
But when you say "I spend £5/week on food" pair it with "I also eat sawdust" so people can gauge the lifestyle they're getting themselves into.
God I needed that rant you idiots piss me off sometimes.
Phoenix963@reddit
I'm curious, how did you go 2 months without buying food in June and July?
double-happiness@reddit
I keep a lot in the freezer and use UHT milk. I would have likely done some smaller shops of £5-£10 on my way home from work now and then. I wasn't saying that is all I spend, but those are my main shops.
DrinkSuperb8792@reddit
So your calculation above is incorrect, you didn't factor in all your spend.
double-happiness@reddit
I didn't say I was factoring in all I spent, did I?
DrinkSuperb8792@reddit
Just saying, you've put a lot of effort into this just to give an incorrect weekly amount.
double-happiness@reddit
So you would only be prepared to accept I spend far less than most people on food if I totalled up every single thing I bought? I'm certainly not going to all that effort of so.
DrinkSuperb8792@reddit
Nah, I don't disbelief you pay low amounts per week for food, but I do believe you have initially left some spend out to lower your weekly cost.
I just thought it weird because who cares, mate?
double-happiness@reddit
Dude, I left some out because I couldn't be arsed to go through my bank and credit card statements and count up every single little thing.
10/10 Morrisons £40.98
28/10 Morrisons £37.86
22/10 Farmfoods £1.98
1/10 Greggs £2
GRAND TOTAL £82.82
OMG you're right I could have understated by as much as £3.98 per month!!1!
DrinkSuperb8792@reddit
The fact you can even be bothered to do this daft calculation over and over but couldn't be arsed to do it properly the first time is hilarious.
Swimming_Ease_6209@reddit
Nah £20/30 goes much further than you'd think if you bulk buy and have minimal waste, eat minimal/cheaper animal products, and cook from scratch.
£20/30 doesn't go very far if you are buying beef/lamb/processed foods/snacks.
Gloomy-Pie-2536@reddit
I think a lot of people don't realize you can buy 25kg of potatoes for about £15. If you go half's with someone then you would still have so much left and you also can make all the potato variants you wish without buying frozen curly potatoes.
exialis@reddit
I spend a fortune compared to reddit grocery threads, about £15/day and that was several years ago, goodness knows what it is know. I never waste any food, but that is for all my food no eating out.
NoEstate1459@reddit
Not quite 20 but £30-40 is fine for a pl single person and no, you're not eating processed rubbish because it's so much more expensive than cooking from fresh.
Apsalar28@reddit
This is my housemate. Neither of us have a car so we do a combined food delivery order once a week. His part is normally about 20 on a large pile of whatever frozen pizzas, chips and chicken nugget type things are currently on offer plus 5-10 on his 1/2 of things we share like milk, bread, butter, a big multi packs of crisps or biscuits etc.
I eat actual veggies and will occasionally treat myself to decent steak or end up spending an extra 10 on miscellaneous bits I don't have in the cupboard to try out a new recipe and am spending closer to 40-50 on my food
Add in cat food and any other house type stuff like loo roll and cleaning products and the weekly bill is usually around 120.
Surface_Detail@reddit
That would be more expensive than healthy, balanced meals.
Leading_Screen_4216@reddit
I spend about £40. It is made easier by the fact that I very much don't care about food. I'm perfectly happy (in fact would rather) eat salad without dressing for example.
xxMegaBabexx@reddit
People bullshit when they post here. They like to play poverty olympics.
EssentialParadox@reddit
I’m shocked at the number of people saying a £30 a week budget is “BS”, or that “they must be living on rice and beans with no meat”.
That’s not a huge budget but you can easily make that stretch if you don’t buy branded items, don’t waste anything, and treat alcohol or other unnecessary buys as separate.
Here’s an example day. I’ve added in 3 meals (even though I personally only eat two), I’ve not necessarily chosen cheapest options, but I have skipped big brands (which most people should be doing anyway), I’ve bought in bulk / taken advantage of deals, and I’ve even added in a branded soft drink and dessert. All decimals are rounded up. And did I solely use Waitrose prices for this demonstration? Yes. Yes, I did.
Breakfast (Cereal) - Waitrose Fruit & Fibre cereal (30g): £0.11 - Waitrose Essential Whole Milk (125ml): £0.10
Lunch (Beans & Egg on Toast) - Waitrose Essential Baked Beans (210g): £0.28 - Waitrose Free Range Egg: £0.25 - Waitrose Soft White Farmhouse (2 slices): £0.15 - Waitrose Chocolate Mini Roll: £0.20
Dinner (Sausages & Mash) - Waitrose Essential British Pork Chipolatas (3 sausages): £0.57 - Waitrose Maris Piper Potatoes (200g): £0.22 - Waitrose Essential Frozen British Garden Peas (125g): £0.20 - Bisto Gravy (20g + hot water): £0.21
Drink & Dessert - Pepsi Max (330ml from a 2L): £0.29 - Snickers Ice Cream: £0.57
TOTAL: £3.15 per day
I could easily do cheaper days but I think this serves as a good example with meat.
So this comes out to £22.05 per week, or you could even get a McDonalds, Kebab, or other takeaway dinner one night and still come in at £30 per week. You could add on other household items to bring your total shopping bill up, but we’re talking only food.
So I don’t know where people are getting this idea that £20-30 per week is unrealistic.
Impossible_Policy_12@reddit
I just ran these meals through ChatGPT to get the calorie amounts, and it would seem the total calories for the day is really low - just barely above WHO levels for a man at around 1,500 cals a day, but just enough for a woman. This is what you'd eat if you were dieting, to be honest! I suppose you could use higher calorie items (might be cheaper lol).
HankHippopopolous@reddit
Less than a fiver a day for the food budget is doable but damn is it miserable.
Giant box of cereal and have that for breakfast everyday.
Cheap bread and some filler like Jam, Marmite, peanut butter etc for sandwiches every day for lunch.
Big bag of rice or pasta combined with some veggies and a meat of some sort. All of these cost very little per meal.
Then don’t have any snacks and only drink water. Repeat every single day.
Not quite this extreme but I was close to this as a student when I was at my poorest. Food prices have gone way up since then but I reckon I could do this again if I really had to and get the bill for one person to under £30 a week.
I don’t actually track what I spend on food now. I reckon it’s probably around about £70 a week. £10 a day feels about right but it could be more.
DrFabulous0@reddit
A fiver a day per person is pretty easy when cooking for a family. It doesn't add up the same for a single person, nor does the investment of time to cook properly seem worth it. That said, when I was young, broke and single, I could make a sausage vindaloo on Sunday and eat it all week.
TofuAnnihilation@reddit
Everyone always overlooks curries and dhal as the ultimate cheap meal. They're like: "Eat raw oats with a beaker of ditch water for breakfast, a handful of plain pasta for lunch, then a piece of A4 paper and a sachet of mayonnaise for dinner"
Make a big ass curry!!
Impossible_Policy_12@reddit
If I don't have an ass, can I substitute a donkey?
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Its very true that the more people in the household, the lower the total food cost per person per week - a household of 3 or 4 people could probably manage a far more nutritious and varied diet than a single person on the same per-person budget
Regular_Map6964@reddit
Curious how?
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
Product lifetime. Loaf of bread lasts 3 days before its going obviously stale. 3 people can eat all the loaf in that time, 2 people will eat 2/3rds of it, a single person manages at most half of it. If the single person wants bread every day they end up throwing away half a loaf twice a week and thus their cost per slice is doubled.
Product variety. Its cheaper per carrot/onion/pepper to buy a bag of 6 than to buy 6 individual carrots. A family can buy bags of carrots, peppers, onions etc and consume them all within their storage lives, while the single person either buys them individually and pays more per unit, or buys bags at higher costs and risks wastage and encounters the higher price out of their single budget.
Product boredom. If both the single person and the family buy meat in larger packs, the family can buy 2 different types of meat and alternate throughout the week while the single person is left eating, say, chicken every day until the pack is empty then they get to buy sausages for every day next week.... in practice they'll end up buying the smaller, more expensive portions to get variety
1CharlieMike@reddit
I eat really well on way less than a fiver a day. Not miserable at all.
annoyedatlife24@reddit
Alternatively: 3/4 eggs scrambled/poached with or without toast - seeded wholemeal loaf. Tuna mayo sandwich. A chicken breast - literally hundreds of ways to cook, cheaply. Just add spices and/ a tin of chopped tomatoes. Or a salmon filet with some veg. Nuts are a cheap snack.
I cbf to look up prices for you but I'd wager that's around £5 a day. It's ridiculously easy to eat well, healthy and cheap in this in country. Anyone saying otherwise is lazy and wilfully ignorant. Moaning about food prices online because there idea of cooking is getting something out of a box and putting it in the oven when they can use the magical device they're using to moan to look up a step by step guide on how to actually cook something from scratch.
Specialist_Stomach41@reddit
er no chance! eggs are £2 to £3. Bread £1, tuna £1/£1.50, mayo £1, chicken breast £5, veg, another £2 to £3 depending what you get. Oil and spices all add costs. The chicken and veg and bread and eggs will all do more than one meal so you can save some there, but that involves eating the same thing every day. And chicken even with some spices is going to be very boring.
I'm also not sure what nuts you are buying as a cheap snack, theres another £2 for nuts.
Cooking in batches from scratch is always cheaper, but to eat healthy food costs more than to live on junk and crap.
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
Plenty more options as you've not actually picked something extreme.
the_almighty_dude@reddit
This sounds like normality in the 90s
xolana_@reddit
Yeah and this is why poor people are more likely to be obese
Imtryingforheckssake@reddit
It saddens me the amount of people who deny the reality of the amount of people in poverty in the UK. Plenty of people are only eating one meal a day. So £21 a week allows for a basic ready meal or sandwich and some coffee each day.
Acceptable-Heron6839@reddit
Poornography
Feeling_History8348@reddit
But everyone's on like 100k+ a year working from home 3 days a week.
AhhGingerKids2@reddit
Food, weddings, holidays, housing…it’s absolutely bizarre.
Amanensia@reddit
£200 Ocado order every Saturday plus occasional farm shop trips, freezer orders from good butchers etc. But we never have takeaways and rarely eat out (family of four.) So per head that's about the same as you - but we do admittedly get economies of scale with four.
double-happiness@reddit
Perhaps you don't relate to people like me who grew up in poverty and have often had to struggle (I was recently made redundant as it happens). I'm pretty proud of how thrifty I can be, and I don't aspire to, or enjoy luxury at all. No matter how much I had I would always live frugally because it's in my blood after all these decades of doing without.
marquis_de_ersatz@reddit
Should they relate? It sounds a kinda sad.
double-happiness@reddit
Ah, that old chestnut! It's such an incredibly common trope of the internet, isn't it? Telling people they should go to therapy.
1) You appear to assume I haven't been to therapy. It's really not anyone else's business at all but as a matter of fact I spent extensive time in therapy. Been there, done that, and I've no intentions of going back. I'm moving forwards with my life, not backwards.
2) It's so incredibly convenient for other people (and this is something that I explored in therapy) to say, 'this makes me uncomfortable. You need to talk to a professional about this'. I think there's a string case to be made that diverting people in this way is a sneaky way of silencing and muzzling them. There is actually historical precedent in that idea both in the use of therapy as a tool of political repression in the USSR and in the work of RD Laing (Google him). 3) Allow me to re-phrase. No matter how much I had I would always choose to live frugally because it's in my blood after all these decades of doing without. I can live as frugally as I want. If I don't feel like splashing out, I'm not going to splash out. Yesterday I interviewed for a job that pays £60-£67K and I'm aiming to save £100K and have the option to retire and/or go travelling. Until then, I will keep on scrimping and saving because seeing money in the bank gives me a great sense of security and accomplishment that no amount of luxury could compare to. If you can't relate to that fine, but please don't try to tell me it's pathological or unhealthy. I'm actually pretty sure my former counsellors would be thrilled to bits to see how far I've come and how much better I'm doing these days.
ThatFilthyMonkey@reddit
That was bit of an extreme reaction to a fairly innocuous comment. It came across as very angry and odd.
double-happiness@reddit
There's nothing innocuous about telling someone who says that they "don't aspire to" luxury (a verbatim quote) they apparently need therapy.
marquis_de_ersatz@reddit
You lifted the wrong quote there. I was replying to the part where you said you don't enjoy luxury at all. You can only heal from the trauma of poverty when you are stable and secure and a long time pat it though, I get it.
double-happiness@reddit
Mahatma Gandhi hardly had any possessions. Apparently not much more than his glasses, watch, sandals, bowls, cutlery, a spinning wheel, and a shawl. Was that "normal"? Was that "sad"? Was that "therapy material"? Or was it in fact a perfectly valid lifestyle choice?
Let me tell you something. I have eaten in some extremely posh restaurants, but didn't enjoy them half as much as many of the good old fashioned greasy spoons I have eaten in. Is that "normal"? Is that "sad"? Is that "therapy material"? Or is it in fact a perfectly valid preference?
Yeah. I just got made redundant and I owe circa £100K including my student loan and mortgage. So I don't really feel like splashing out now, OK???
ThatFilthyMonkey@reddit
I think that’s an assumption on your part though, I grew up not in completely poverty but money was tight, second hand clothes, most birthdays and Christmas presents were also bought second hand, I didn’t feel in any way deprived, and taught me value of money.
But now if I do ‘treat’ myself I appreciate it more, likewise I know the value of being able to buy something more expensive knowing it will actually last (lookup Vimes boots theory).
I don’t recoil in horror at the idea of something nicer despite growing up with little. That you do, and then the long rant came across as maybe not entirely healthy. That’s all.
double-happiness@reddit
Who said I don't treat myself? In the last year I treated myself so a semi-detached house, and a new kitchen and bathroom for it.
Where on earth did I appear to 'recoil in horror at the idea of something nicer'??? That is utter nonsense to be quite frank.
1) OP asked a question that I had a good deal of positive and upbeat things to say about, but much of what I saw when I opened the thread was a lot of nastiness and negativity such as "a proportion of those people will just be lying", "a lot of people don’t value food, and will be eating utterly miserable diets", "People bullshit when they post here. They like to play poverty olympics.", "people who quote 20-30 a week on a food shop are those who are content with chicken dippers and curly fries for dinner", "people humble-bragging about how little they spend. It's boring." etc. Then when I did have the temerity to stick my hand up and say 'hey I am managing to eat for very little, maybe you would like to hear how I do it' I got a huge amount of pushback saying "your sums aren't correct" and even accusing me of deliberately trying to understate my spend simply because I didn't feel like going through my accounts and adding up every single thing.
2) I just got made redundant and I owe circa £100K including my student loan and mortgage. Cut me some fucking slack.
ThatFilthyMonkey@reddit
I still think you’re overreacting to a comment on the internet, but that said I’m sorry to hear about your redundancy and hope you find new employment quickly (if you haven’t already). Have been there and was in full panic mode until I got a new job, and while it didn’t seem it at the time, am sure everything will work out.
marquis_de_ersatz@reddit
I ain't reading that but good luck
Amanensia@reddit
We must all cut our coat according to our cloth. Excessive pride in conspicuous parsimony is, in its own way, just as distasteful as the inverse. You do you, by all means. But stop trying to wear it as an external badge of honour.
double-happiness@reddit
I don't think I have 'excessive pride' in it. I don't discuss it unless someone else brings it up, like for instance asking "How are people spending so little on food?"
👍
You're contradicting yourself now. One minute you say I can live my life as I see fit and then you immediately try to tell me how to act. I am perfectly entitled to take some pride in my thrifty and resourceful way of life, just as much as I am entitled to admire and respect others who do.
Amanensia@reddit
I'm not telling you how to act. I'm saying that I personally find it tedious that you need to slightly angrily virtue-signal it. But hey, that's my problem.
Tight_Blueberry1074@reddit
Ye food is cheap in general.
sidneylopsides@reddit
We don't specifically budget or penny pinch for shopping, we're a family of 4 and get a weekly Sainsbury's delivery that's always about £80.
We don't really eat meat and don't drink. Meals are generally cooked from scratch, though we do buy frozen chips and pizzas.
From my experience, it seems odd that you could be spending so much more what seems the same situation, and other people go to extremes to cut their spending to the same per head weekly cost.
WordsMort47@reddit
They eat meat regularly or everyday.
Amanensia@reddit
We also largely cook from scratch, but we do regularly eat meat, and I tend to buy higher welfare meat which obviously has a cost. I'm also happy to spend more on unusual or higher quality ingredients - I very much like my food, and as we choose not to eat out often, I'm happy to spend the extra here. Also on things such as good cheese (which costs more per kilo these days than prime steak did not many years ago.) And far too much fruit!
If I had to tighten my belt, that would certainly be easy to do, but everyone has a choice as to where they allocate their resources. We choose not to spend money on things like expensive cars, Sky TV and so on - food, wine and travel take their place.
Vaniky@reddit
Yeah I do deliveries. I’d say average shop is around 100-200. Anything under that isn’t that much food nowadays tbh.
presterjohn7171@reddit
Some people have very little interest in food or nutrition. I'm sure my son would manage quite well on £30 a week. He's so restricted and boring with food I worry he will have deficiencies when he leaves home. Frozen chips, hash browns, etc. and nuggets, fish fingers and pies and he's done.
Equal-Sun-3729@reddit
I shopped at Lidl this week. i already had some staples (chopped tomatoes, potatoes, spices, garlic, spring onions) so bought carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, sweet potatoes, lettuce, onion, sweetcorn, a few cans of beans (not baked one, actual ones) chickpeas, lentils, three blocks of tofu, a block of tempeh, a pack of pasta, some pasta sauce, flour, bread, tortilla wraps, a bag of frozen mixed veg. I thinks thats it. but it was three bags of shopping. and it cost £27 and a few pennies. I live in Cornwall. since then all i have bought as a top up was a bag of Doritos and a vg chocolate bar, which cost me around £3.
I mostly east curries, stews (tagine etc), soups, tacos/fajitas, stir fries, etc etc. and i eat more than enough to keep my going.
lesloid@reddit
I’m vegetarian, that makes a massive difference. Most expensive things I buy are butter and cheese, so I imagine being vegan is even cheaper. Fruit and veg, beans and lentils etc are not expensive at all.
Electrical-Media5319@reddit
I batch cook. I spent £11 to make 8 meals yesterday. My average spend in total for a week is around £30 or £40. That gives me roughly 14 meals and 7 breakfasts. I live in Manchester and shop at lidl or asda.
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
To state the obvious, a proportion of those people will just be lying. A further proportion will just be incorrectly underestimating how much they spend.
And then many others probably live in cheaper places than London and are extremely careful with spending. Only buying the cheapest ingredients, bulk cooking, making use of all leftovers, being creative with cupboard ingredients and so on.
Like, I could feed myself for a week on 30 quid. But it wouldn't be as enjoyable as how I like to eat.
glasses4catsndogs@reddit (OP)
Good point, I was wondering if this is the case. I feel like a lot of people separate their “eating out” and “grocery” budgets. They might have spent £30 at the grocery store, but also £50 on Deliveroo…
discoveredunknown@reddit
Also a lot of people don’t value food, and will be eating utterly miserable diets consisting of porridge every morning with sugar, the same lunch everyday and stuff like endless rice and beans or chickpea curry’s. Which is fine. But I go to the gym, I value food and good ingredients. I’m not living like a peasant to save £20 a week on my food shopping.
I spend about £60-£70 a week on Ocado, my gf sends me £30 because as mentioned I eat a lot more than her and get more chicken, can’t be arsed cutting it more than that and I like the better quality ingredients.
Middle-Thought838@reddit
100% this. I've questioned a few people that claim to spend very low amount of food. They're usually 1) lying and 2) eating grim gym-bro-meal-prep stuff that's totally unbalanced, unsustainable and a non-starter for families.
One lad ate plain rice and sardines for dinner every night when he was on a weight cut and thus claimed it was possible to feed yourself for £30pw. I pointed out that he was omitting the cost of breakfast and lunch (for which he got lavish takeaway), and that it was a very temporary diet designed to provide insufficient nutrition, and he got all angry. With all the takeaway I think his £30pw budget was more like £150.
So yeah. If you're losing weight for a boxing match and content eating the same miserable meal every night, you can get your dinner for £30 excluding all the other meals and stuff you need.
Any sort of long term sustainable diet is going to cost much more though.
MaevaM@reddit
I absolutely love bland food. It is a little like often wanting to read mysteries but choosing new books. Wanting to eat the same dish freshly cooked a lot makes sense to me as an ASD person.
Elegant-Fisherman-68@reddit
I get your point but man why pick on porridge?!
It's an incredible food. Shoving sugar on it isn't great sure but so long as you aren't eating chocolate all day a bit of sugar isn't gonna hurt though I would recommend fruit instead 😅
But dude come on porridge?! It's oats and milk, crammed with nutrients, vitamins, carbs, protein and fats and in good ratios and you can customise the fuck out of it.
I respect your right to dislike porridge but its a very healthy food and very easy to make it not miserable, go after like quakers ready oats or something those things are a fucking abomination. Even the plain ones you can taste the insane amounts of sugar, they really are grim
ShineAtom@reddit
I jazz my porridge up with banana, cinnamon and pure peanut butter. Also: seasalt and some honey. It's comforting, satisfying, pretty healthy and simple to make. Using good oats is essential. Ready-made porridge? Ugh, you are right, grim, too sweet too ugh!
WideConfidence3968@reddit
Ooh cinnamon!! Thanks! Just about to make some (bananas, blueberries, grapes and dates added) so I’ll chuck a bit on. Hubby adds honey to his but mine is plain.
incrediblepepsi@reddit
I think they were referring to the cost. Porridge is great, but if you can only afford oats, milk and sugar, it's a cheap and nutritious meal but most people would find it boring after a while.
Lucky-Midway-4367@reddit
A cheap way to pimp it up is a third of a banana and a spoon of honey, or a few sliced strawberries. It's delicious and super healthy.
incrediblepepsi@reddit
Yes, when i have the time to prepare I can be very excited about porridge! Bananas are so delicious in porridge (i don't buy strawberries as they are expensive at this time of year).
Little sprinkle of aldi seeds or syrup and it's lovely! I'm aware that some people can't afford that tho and i guess that's what i mean. I'm not living at the lowest income point so i can afford bananas etc.
boudicas_shield@reddit
I also don’t find plain porridge very filling, honestly. Not in a long-lasting way. It has to at least have some peanut butter and ideally fruit in there.
incrediblepepsi@reddit
Yes, I agree. It would do in a pinch, but if i were planning it for regular breakfasts I'd have to mix it io a bit.
OldMotherGrumble@reddit
Porridge isn't great for everyone. I used to eat it, but found it just didn't keep me going. I'd be hungry and possibly shakey only 2 hours later. I learned that I need a different protein as my first meal of the day.
Elegant-Fisherman-68@reddit
Oh yeah porridge isn't something I'd eat if I needed a high protein breakfast, much better off having a high protein yogurt or eggs etc. My go to is certain yogurts if I need protein in the morning, I wouldn't have porridge there's way better options!!
The good thing about porridge is it's healthy and balanced, not that it's high in protein
Nastyoldmrpike@reddit
He went after porridge AND beans. Man is a savage psychopath!
boudicas_shield@reddit
I love rice and beans as much as the next person, but not for every single meal, which I think was their point. The frugal subs are always full of people boasting that they never eat anything except boiled beans and rice, and I would find that a very depressing way to live.
Confident_Board_5210@reddit
Can tell this is a UK sub with everyone jumping in to defend gruel 😅 (I love porridge, not with sugar, but with different fruit and peanut butter, or cinnamon and apple.. oats are amazing.. flapjacks, granola mmm!)
I_always_rated_them@reddit
Meh you'll find it (or its variations) defended in most places its a traditional food, gruel obviously isn't glamorous but it doesn't deserve the hate. In parts of asia things like Congee will have just as many defenders as well. Grits, Polenta etc all variations of it as well.
Also Oatmeal is hugely popular in the US and essentially the same thing, it's maybe just a branding issue where Porridge hasn't shaken off the gruel tag while all these others have moved beyond it.
Veenkoira00@reddit
Amen ! Porridge is the life saver ! I get a big bag from supermarket and weeat it almost every day. You can have it salty with butter or olive oil "eye" in the middle and fermented or fresh milk/milk-subsitute mote surrounding it or as a sweet treat with fruit, jam, sugar, honey – or any way to you like it. But if you attempt the delicacy of fermented oats kisel, get old-fashioned rough oats (steamed quick porridge oats turn into wallpaper paste).
P.S. Ordinary oats are usually good enough for NCGS, only coeliacs require certified gluten-free oats.
dmhrpr@reddit
Fuck yeah!
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
I go to the gym a lot and am vegetarian and eat porridge for breakfast almost every day. Just saying.
gnufan@reddit
Peasant food; I eat cheap unsweetened muesli this is totally different from peasant food by the inclusion of a whiff of nuts and the odd raisin, and some unwanted bits of grain to add more fibre, at least that is what the marketers tell me.
nl325@reddit
Porridge is alright but gets so tedious when it becomes the default. Comment above will almost certainly be just on about calories and protein, which are so much easier from meat.
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
Porridge isn't a 'miserable' meal for people who 'don't value food'.
What IS miserable is getting bowel issues from eating a diet ridiculously high in meat and protein powder.
nl325@reddit
I know, I didn't call it either of those things either.
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
Sorry. That was aimed at the top poster.
discoveredunknown@reddit
Think you’re missing my point a bit, my diet includes nice cuts of steak, organic fruit and vegetables, nuts, I buy more eoxneizve quality meat. I eat porridge everyday lol. I have overnight oats every morning with raspberries, blueberries, chia seeds, flaked almonds and honey.. I don’t hate porridge I was using it as an example of having a boring diet for the sake of saving money.
TickleMaster2024@reddit
There's nothing wrong with eating porridge.
romeo__golf@reddit
I read "I got to the gym" more as "I have a larger appetite" rather than anything to do with meat per se.
StaticChocolate@reddit
This is how I eat hahaha - we don’t eat out and we still manage to spend £250 per person per month. I love my morning porridge, though I truly splash out by adding golden syrup, blueberries, chia seeds and flax (all Aldi bought like a good peasant) :D
I’m vegan and extremely active, so I eat a lot. 2500-3000 calories per day.
Leather_Strain2167@reddit
£250 per person and Vegan. That's impressively high without meat.
WordsMort47@reddit
Yeah how on earth!?
StaticChocolate@reddit
While eating awful meals too haha! We track every expense, so it’s very honest. It does include misc household items bought from the supermarket, and ‘budget’ cat food for 3 cats.
sharps2020@reddit
I'd rather feed my cat premium food and myself go for the budget food, but that's just me I suppose.
StaticChocolate@reddit
We eat budget food, too. Supermarket’s essentials and it’s still this expensive.
sharps2020@reddit
That's good then 👍 although not a cat obviously, I'd rather have cheese on toast for tea, than Stella having some ultra processed rubbish.
StaticChocolate@reddit
Awww Stella’s adorable. If you’re ever in a pinch I’d highly recommend mixed beans, they’re a bit more nutritious than cheese and ~50p per meal + your serving of bread. Look after yourself too!
Leather_Strain2167@reddit
😅 I'm pretty sure my cats are eating better than me at this point 😂
StaticChocolate@reddit
Aww!! If you’re struggling atm I’m sorry if my comment comes across as braggy or anything like that - we could eat better meals for less if we just planned them and meal prepped. When I say awful I mean we don’t buy luxuries often (desserts, prepared food, etc) but we do eat in abundance, and we do buy meat subs from Aldi which wouldn’t be absolutely necessary.
pajamakitten@reddit
You are tripping if you do not think that gym rats are eating porridge on the regular. Porridge/overnight oats are one of the go-to breakfasts for people who regularly go to the gym.
discoveredunknown@reddit
Yeah I mentioned further down in this chain I eat overnight oats everyday. Missing the point a bit.
Lucky-Midway-4367@reddit
Hey man, don't diss the porridge like that, porridge with fruit (bananas/strawberries) with seeds and honey is fantastic. Better than an cereal
Mysterious_Brush7020@reddit
sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but porridge has always been a cereal.
Free_Ad7415@reddit
This is true, though really anything is better than cereal
weatherwaxs_broom@reddit
A staple in our house is porridge with peanut butter and bananas or jam! Bloomin lovely stuff
Automatic-Yak4555@reddit
Those sort of people won’t be eating porridge. Too healthy and too much hassle to make.
DalMakhani@reddit
Lol it's not hard to make banging and good value rice and beans, porridge and chickpea curries
Lucky-Midway-4367@reddit
Yup, I've just added a Louisiana style rice and beans to my roster, and it is insanely good, extremely spicy and tasty, and comes in well under a quid per serving.
Miroesque23@reddit
I'd imagine from your username that you do exactly that lol
eairy@reddit
That's a matter of taste. Such meals would feel like punishment rations for me.
discoveredunknown@reddit
I didn’t say it was, I have a chickpea curry almost every week.
TickleMaster2024@reddit
Whats wrong with porridge?
Veenkoira00@reddit
Absolutely nothing !
TD_Meri@reddit
It’s not so much that people don’t “value” food, it’s more an issue of people can’t afford food. Given the choice I wouldn’t be living off pasta, rice and beans, but i can’t afford to eat a more varied diet.
Snoo-46104@reddit
Yeah i couldnt give a shit what I eat 90% of time I view it as fuel.
I spend £30 a week maybe less most weeks, diet consist of lots of beans rice porridge etc.
Healthy and in good shape climb 2 times a week and occasional gym.
It's not hard just have to stop viewing food as enjoyment and purely nourishment, saying this I never eat plain meals and enjoy everything I cook 🤷. Curry's are a lifesaver spices, chickpeas, onions browned for hours in oil and coconut cream are all cheap and tasty.
VoidRad@reddit
I lived with a 25-pound budget per week for food as student before. Most of the time I only spent like 15 to 20 tbh.
How did I do this? I dont eat breakfast, I sometimes skip even lunch, I eat like a whole big meal at around 3 to 4 so I dont get hungry later on.
Do I recommend this?
No. Fucking. Way. I only did this because I had a serious depression issue. Or maybe, the depression issue was because of this terrible eating habit.
Minimum_Leopard_2698@reddit
I think this is true and I feel like they don’t factor in quick trips to the likes of B&M for cleaning essentials, laundry etc. All this adds up.
I’m a single person who doesn’t drive so cheap places aren’t accessible- therefore I rely on Asda delivery. I feel like most people get food delivered so I hope I can offer a more normal perspective?
I struggle to get a weeks shop under £65. £55 is do able if I don’t need the aforementioned loo rolls, laundry stuff, cleaning products etc
omgu8mynewt@reddit
I'm also a single person shopping at Asda, I can look after myself for about half the cost to you, we must hae different eating and drinking habits.
Minimum_Leopard_2698@reddit
F*cking coeliac disease lol
omgu8mynewt@reddit
Ah that sucks, bread and toast is definitely a staple for me
gyroda@reddit
Yeah, a standard weekly shop contains more than just food. You can't compare someone's groceries budget to your entire weekly shop. Especially if you buy a few drinks or something each week.
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Almost certainly some of those posts are doing that. Tbf, I would too. If you asked me what my grocery budget was, I'd take that to mean money spent at the supermarket specifically, as restaurants and take aways aren't really groceries.
rositree@reddit
I agree on splitting them out budget wise, but when comparing like OP is talking about it becomes a bit disingenuous not to specify how many meals your grocery budget is for.
Like I could be spending £30 a week on groceries but eat out 3 nights a week (whether that's takeaways, date nights, going round mum's for tea or whatever else). Suddenly, spending £50 a week on groceries but feeding yourself at home for 7 nights and making packed lunches is far better value.
Drath101@reddit
I would also separate eating out and food shop (plus toiletries and cleaning supplies) budgets. One is a luxury we don't do often (and therefore comes under disposable monthly spending), the other is a consistent and essential budget
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Yep, our monthly budget has groceries separate from eating out. For exactly that reason, the latter can be cut back on easily if needed. The former, not so much.
Though we have a toddler, so tbh we're not often spending our eating out budget!
Drath101@reddit
We're 2 adults food wise, but our monthly spend is significantly reduced because all cleaning supplies, bog roll, toothpaste etc is split with a third housemate. One of the 3 of us minimum has always worked in retail too (used to be all 3 of us, now just them) so we've always had staff discount available.
DefconExile@reddit
Yeah this is me some days and I always regret it after seeing my bank account. £25 on dominos pizza eaten in one night when I could feed myself near enough for a whole week with that same money…
Wild_Wolverine9526@reddit
Also, some people will be like “I spend £30 on my big shop” and forget the other 5 times they pop to the shop for something they forgot spending a further £10 each time they go.
tasi671@reddit
That's what I'm thinking as well. Like my food bill includes breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks drinks (wine, pop, beer, cordial), cleaning supplies, toiletries etc for the whole week. People could be grabbing a drink everyday or buying lunches for themselves with the kids each school food and having takeaways too. I had to remind myself of that as well because it made me feel really guilty about what I spend 😂.
IcyLiterature3817@reddit
“Grocery store” 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Steve8557@reddit
They also separate their ‘grocery’ and stuff like washing powder, dishwasher tablets, shampoo etc.
Laxly@reddit
Your £50-60 a week at LIDL, does this also include non-food costs such as cleaning, health & beauty items etc?
If so, they're probably separating those visits to get £20-30 whilst you're not
LambonaHam@reddit
Most people separate those things out. Who's eating take aways frequently enough to spend £50?
Mental_dental96@reddit
Hi OP My partner and I spent £103 today on our weekly shop. We usually spend around £60 for a week. However, in today’s shop we’ve bought a months worth of cat food + cat treats, loads of sauces etc - essentials that come in handy whenever and freezer food for occasional quick snacks - not specifically for this week.
The shop involves either chicken/ meat/ fish with veg (we buy a large bag of rice/quinoa and store it) for 6 dinners and 7 lunches. It also includes crisps n fruit n snack bars to add to lunch boxes
The way to keep costs low is to meal prep. We plan and buy only what’s needed - so if someone dropped in unannounced and decided to stay for a meal, we wouldn’t have food for them and would need to nip to the shop. I reckon most people that are keeping costs low do the same. It also helps reducing food waste.
When we lived apart, we did the same thing but made more freezable recipes so some weeks the food shop was barely £10 for one person.
Puzzleheaded_Rub5562@reddit
Yeah that's exactly how it goes, in fact I recently realised that if you don't ask for details... Well, people won't give them to clarify what they mean. So for example my parents don't even know how much they spend on just food specifically, just how much they spend on food + household items, cleaning, etc. together.
Secret_Owl3040@reddit
Also potentially people remove non-food items that I would buy at the supermarket, like washing powder and shampoo etc
Effective-Eagle-2488@reddit
My partner does this and has no concert of his groceries shop bill. It's enraging. If you ask him how much he spend on food a month "maybe 200". He spends about £80 a week on uber/deliveroo and bits from greggs etc
Fine-Night-243@reddit
Yes. If you asked me how much I spend on groceries I think of supermarket shop and say about 80 quid a week for the family. But both me and wife usually buy lunch at work which adds 25 quid each a week. Then we pay for school dinners for the children which is about 15 a week for both of them.
Dunklebunt@reddit
I live in the southwest, and I could spend £30 a week on groceries for myself. I wouldn't be buying exactly what I wanted, but I would be able to get enough food to last me. £50 would get me everything I wanted for a week.
mugglearchitect@reddit
Haha omg that's me. My budget for "food" is £40 per week. That should include the occasional takeaway.
But I just checked my tracking app, adding food shopping and eating out costs together I actually average £80 per week. Didn't expect this tbh I thought I was being mindful of it lol
Drath101@reddit
In all fairness, I would separate eating out and food shop budgets. One is a luxury we don't do often (and therefore comes under disposable monthly spending), the other is a consistent and essential budget
Consult-SR88@reddit
You’re partially correct. I spend £150pm on groceries. I know this because I put £150 into a separate account & spend it solely on groceries, pretty much exclusively at Tesco. Sometimes I have money left over at the end of the month.
My circumstances are: I live alone. I don’t tend to eat snacks, if I want a snack I eat some fruit. I take packed lunches to work. I make my own coffee at home etc, basically never eat out (I have a separate “leisure” budget for grabbing food on the go when out doing life things). I stopped eating most meat because the price now exceeds my budget. I cook very simple meals which are often very similar day to day (I’m autistic, works for me). I only need to buy household stuff like Persil, tin foil, kitchen roll etc every 2 or 3 months. I often batch cook a big meal that lasts about 4 evening meals. I swapped meat for things like lentils, beans, chickpeas, eggs.
I also have a well stocked freezer, but only a tiny food cupboard so that typically empties over the month.
I do one big monthly shop on payday at the end of a month to stock up the freezer, cupboard, fridge, household, packed lunches stuff etc that typically comes to around £75-£80. Then every week I go to tesco & only buy the fresh bread, salads, fruit & veg I need that week. I mostly eat frozen veg. I budget with the remaining money I have.
I’m currently running everything down because I’m having a new kitchen put in at the end of the month. That first big shop after will likely exceed the whole monthly budget but I’ll have a huge larder cupboard to fill with dry goods & an empty freezer. Once I’ve stocked the larder cupboard & freezer, my monthly shop will likely go down cos I’ll just be topping it up afterwards. I’ll then spend that money on fresh chicken & the odd bit of minced beef (so expensive!).
Alert_Shop_638@reddit
Serious question, and unrelated so I hope you don’t mind me asking. How did you become so organised and disciplined with budgeting? Or have you always been like this?
1CharlieMike@reddit
I have a seperate bank account for food shopping.
On payday I transfer my budgeted amount into it.
Then it has to last me the month because there’s no more.
RevellRider@reddit
Like me, they're on the autistic spectrum. Quite a lot of us find comfort in structure, regime and order. Food sensitivity helps.
At one point in my life, I went through a point of only eating pasta with a homemade tomato and mushroom sauce for lunch. That lasted about 9 months
Consult-SR88@reddit
Yep, this is pretty much it. I have a varied diet in that I cook & eat a variety of different meals with varied ingredients for evening meals. But it’s the same meals on rotation quite often. Lunch is always a ‘something’ & salad sandwich, bag of crisps & a chocolate bar at work. Breakfast is always 2x tesco version of weetabix with 30g of frozen blueberries & milk.
Sweaty_Ear_9247@reddit
We are very similar. On the spectrum + food sensitivities here. I have the same meal replacement shake (vegan, no sugar, protein ones) for breakfast and lunch. No snacks. It makes planning my batched cooked evening meals so much easier. I struggled until I invested in a chest freezer. Plus I was taught how to cook from scratch from an early age, which I think might be one of the keys to keeping costs down.
Alert_Shop_638@reddit
Interesting, I guess having two meals pretty much the same makes it easier to plan. I’m trying to be more like this. Aiming for overnight oats for breakfast and girl dinner for lunch. It takes a LOT of effort though to be organised and not end up binning a shed load of healthy food.
Consult-SR88@reddit
That’s the reason I tend to only eat frozen veg. The package sizes of most fresh items are not geared towards single people & I’d struggle to eat it all before it goes off. The same frozen veg in the freezer all the time means my plan for the week is derailed by trying to use up a huge bag of carrots or something like that. I only buy something like a fresh cauliflower or leeks if I’m planning to batch cook something with it & freeze.
Alert_Shop_638@reddit
Yeah good point. I need to budget for a freezer. Only got one of those small uns at the top of the fridge right now. Or ask on Freecycle maybe..
xolana_@reddit
My brother (on the spectrum) only eats biscuits lol. How do I convince him to eat anything else?
Alert_Shop_638@reddit
Ah thanks I missed that bit.
LambonaHam@reddit
Excel.
Create a spreadsheet with your income, then track your expenditures; bills, mortgage, etc.
Then factor in savings and groceries. Set a high budget for groceries at first, say £200. Then for a month or two keep all your receipts and log the costs. Once you know what you're spending you can start making cuts. Do you really need name brand pasta, or can you save £0.89 buying stores own? Can you swap Coca Cola for supermarket cola and claw back £1.20?
Most products are all the same. SmartPrice Digestives are a third of the cost of McVitties, despite being made in the same factory.
The key is to factor in everything you spend. Get a Costa? Note it in the spreadsheet. Haircut? Write that shit down. Buy a needle and thread to fix the hole in your underwear? Factor it in.
Once you know what you're spending on, you can start making changes.
thraem0@reddit
Same for me, I spend around £150 a month for 2 people but we eat exactly the same things, I cook everything from scratch because I have the time, and I'm also autistic so I am almost special interest about saving money, keeping costs down etc. I get free bread and baked goods from Sainsbury's on olio which takes a lot of the bulk cost down. My partner can't have wheat or dairy and both of us no oats, so I've had to lock in and figure out how to make things work. Bulk bags of Potatoes are an absolute staple, along with bulk grains and root veg. I freeze and prep all of my veg too to save time and keep things fresh.
Boring-Pirate@reddit
This sounds very satisfying. I like eating simple food and like eating repetitively, so it would suit me very well. My partner has other ideas though! Enjoy the new kitchen and larder!
No_Sugar8791@reddit
To add to this, as it's accurate, it will depend on which meat you buy. 5 chicken thighs in waitrose for under £6 goes a long way. Easily 3 decent portions with veg etc. 1 steak or slither of salmon not so much.
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Exactly. Bought an extra large roast chicken yesterday for like £6. As a solo person that would probably give you enough meat for a week.
Assuming you were happy to eat a lot of chicken and get creative with using it.
By contrast, the cheapest steak they sold was £6. So about the same price for one meal's worth of meat.
1CharlieMike@reddit
Chickens are such a great staple.
I actually poach a whole chicken, shred the meat off, and then freeze it. It’s good for salads, but also for adding to British Indian restaurant style curries.
Then I make either stock or bone broth, which gives me the basis for things like delicious noodle soups or the aforementioned curry.
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
Yeah, but I dread to think about the life that £6 extra large chicken had.
sharps2020@reddit
It's dead already.
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
Yeah, sure, that's how people can justify eating it. I get that. If you didn't think that, you'd never be able to eat cheap chicken, and people prioritise their protein goals.
sharps2020@reddit
I personally only buy free range, but I reckon it tastes better than a factory one, less water loss too.
darnelios2022@reddit
Kind that you assume one chicken would last me a week 🤣
rider_bar@reddit
This. One chicken would last me 2, 3 days tops.
NoEstate1459@reddit
I mean then you eat too much
The__Pope_@reddit
Not really, half a chicken is a meal portion
NoEstate1459@reddit
No it's definitely not
The__Pope_@reddit
Half a chicken with a side is pretty standard in resteraunts
NoEstate1459@reddit
If you are restaurant portions for every meal you'd be massively obsessed
rider_bar@reddit
Half a chicken plus some veg is not some sort of insane portion for a man's dinner. It's 1000 calories tops (depending what you have as the veg or carb with it), hardly obese sized meals.
The__Pope_@reddit
Not really, eat restaurant ingredients for every meal then yeah it's unhealthy but most have normal portion sizes.
Assuming you meant obese
Profession-Unable@reddit
You have no idea of this person’s lifestyle or health to be able to comment on how much they do or do not eat. Judgmental much?
liptastic@reddit
A whole chicken has 1500-1800 calories. That's less than most adults need in a day. How is that too much split across 3 says exactly?
NoEstate1459@reddit
Do.... You eat a single chicken as your entire meal?
liptastic@reddit
A single chicken as meal for 3 days while consuming only 1 chicken but the end of it? Your question had no logic
StarStock9561@reddit
Im same as them and I am actually underweight - I just happen to workout and walk everywhere. Unless I live a more sedentary life which is also unhealthy, theres no way a chicken would last me a whole week.
NoEstate1459@reddit
A week no, more than 2 days? It should
GreyScope@reddit
You need bigger chickens
rider_bar@reddit
Yeah potentially this. I think I get baby chickens? They’re about £4
marsman@reddit
In all seriousness, that makes a massive difference too. The cost difference between the small, medium and large chickens doesn't tend to be that massive, but the amount of meat on them is. If I'm doing a roast chicken on a Sunday, I know I'll feed all 6 of us on the Sunday, will have one 'mini roast' for me to take to work, and likely enough bits for at least one lunch for everyone else, that'd be 12 'meals' (with some additions, bread etc..). If you are managing to feed a single person 3 times from the same that suggests you are getting a lot less out of your chicken. Although the suggestion seems to be that you'll 'yield' about 600-750g of meat from a small chicken, and closer to 1-1.2kg from a large chicken. If you assume a 100g portion of chicken as reasonable for an adult, then 10-12 serving from a large and 6-7 from a small seems about right (it'll depend what you are using it too I suppose and what you are eating it with). But obviously if you are eating 200g of chicken a time, it'll only be 3 meals.
darnelios2022@reddit
I might eat 300 or 400g of chicken in one meal 🤣
marsman@reddit
That'll do it!
To be fair, I really like veg, especially green veg and potatoes so in terms of sheer bulk, that's probably where it comes from (and is delicious...). 400g of Chicken is what, like 800-900 calories? That's a large meal without anything else involved.
darnelios2022@reddit
Im big boy
Independent-Top-1201@reddit
I get so much out of a whole chicken; use the carcass for stock, use some of the meat for soup, some for a roast dinner, some for sandwiches or stir fry. For another 6 or 7 quid you can stretch a chicken really far
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Yeah, we roast a chicken most Sundays and then it makes a lot of meals for the rest of the week.
lapodufnal@reddit
That’s part of it too, the portions people eat. We don’t need to budget our food money and before we got our portion control in check we would eat a whole chicken between two of us in one meal. Now it lasts at least two meals (so four portions). We were eating really large portions so spent about £7 or so on the meat for every evening meal, often double that to have a steak each. We’ve cut the portions significantly to lose weight now
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Yeah, definitely something to do. When we get an extra large chicken to roast, we only actually use one breast on the roast dinner itself. By the time we've got potatoes, Yorkshires, carrots, parsnips on there, half of a large breast each is enough.
So that leaves another breast, wings, thighs, drumsticks and whatever other meat we can get off available for the rest of the week's cooking.
lapodufnal@reddit
Yeah it’s a good idea, plus I don’t enjoy cooking so if I can get a chicken done and then use that to make a few 10min meals I’m a lot happier. I get that it’s a hobby for some people but for me it’s the same as any other chore, I do it so I can eat something nice in the same way I hoover up so I don’t have dirty feet
Mispict@reddit
This is how I used to do it when my son's were younger and i was working full time and bringing them up alone.
Extra large chicken roast dinner on Sunday, roast left overs on Monday, sweet and sour chicken on Tuesday, chicken stir fry on Wednesday. It just made life so much easier and cheaper. And because everything was home cooked, I could justify feeding them some frozen nonsense on a Thursday.
Violet351@reddit
You’d have to freeze some of it
Slink_Wray@reddit
Very true - buying offal (hey, some of us actually quite like liver!) or even just a less fancy cut of pork goes way further than buying steak. I've spent a lot of my life being a pescatarian, and discovered very quickly that tinned mackerel is far more economical than salmon, even if I did prefer the latter.
It's sliver, by the way - slither is the movement a snake does.
OldMotherGrumble@reddit
If you like tinned fish, try a local Eastern European market... lots of variety that you'll never see in supermarkets. Sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna...in sauces smoked, pickled, in sour cream/yogurt.
Veenkoira00@reddit
Mackerel is great !
No_Sugar8791@reddit
You're right, sliver is correct English but slither sounds better to me on the basis that a sliver would be the correct size. Whereas they're so small now slither is just more appropriate.
Veenkoira00@reddit
I am not a great customer of the chicken shelf. I am still not quite convinced about the welfare of the ones that end up in the supermarket. Sheep, bullocks and deer seem to have better time.
Sammiebear_143@reddit
I bought a large pork crackling joint the other week as it was half price. Split into 3, used one portion for the family, and froze the others. This doesn't happen week in week out, though. Depends on offers and how much freezer space you have, among other things.
ThanksIHateIt1994@reddit
I think thats a big part of why my budget is quite low - I'm vegetarian, so I only buy meat stuff for my partner. If we both ate meat, I'm sure my budget would go up
ChompingCucumber4@reddit
I eat perfectly well on £30 a week, including refurbishing cupboard supplies as needed and not always just the cheapest ingredients, but yes I do bulk cook and make use all of leftovers and I’m also vegetarian so that probably helps
EssentialParadox@reddit
I’m shocked at the number of people saying a £30 a week budget is “BS”, or that “they must be living on rice and beans with no meat”.
That’s not a huge budget but you can easily make that stretch if you don’t buy branded items, don’t waste anything, and treat alcohol or other unnecessary buys as separate.
Here’s an example day. I’ve added in 3 meals (even though I personally only eat two), I’ve not necessarily chosen cheapest options, but I have skipped big brands (which most people should be doing anyway), I’ve bought in bulk / taken advantage of deals, and I’ve even added in a branded soft drink and dessert. All decimals are rounded up. And did I solely use Waitrose prices for this demonstration? Yes. Yes, I did.
Breakfast (Cereal) - Waitrose Fruit & Fibre cereal (30g): £0.11 - Waitrose Essential Whole Milk (125ml): £0.10 Lunch (Beans & Egg on Toast) - Waitrose Essential Baked Beans (210g): £0.28 - Waitrose Free Range Egg: £0.25 - Waitrose Soft White Farmhouse (2 slices): £0.15 - Waitrose Chocolate Mini Roll: £0.20 Dinner (Sausages & Mash) - Waitrose Essential British Pork Chipolatas (3 sausages): £0.57 - Waitrose Maris Piper Potatoes (200g): £0.22 - Waitrose Essential Frozen British Garden Peas (125g): £0.20 - Bisto Gravy (20g + hot water): £0.21 Drink & Dessert - Pepsi Max (330ml from a 2L): £0.29 - Snickers Ice Cream: £0.57
TOTAL: £3.15
I could easily do cheaper days but I think this serves as a good example with meat.
So this comes out to £22.05 per week, or you could even get a McDonalds, Kebab, or other takeaway dinner one night and still come in at £30 per week. You could add on other household items to bring your total shopping bill up, but we’re talking only food.
So unless you’re buying expensive ready meals, expensive meat, or expensive branded items, I don’t know where people are getting this idea that £20-30 per week is unrealistic.
Ok-Exam-211@reddit
Looking at this meal plan, it looks like a recipe for constipation and scurvy with only two portions of fruit/veg. So it is low cost but very much not healthy or nutritious and so arguably not worth it. I assume there would be some variation in the week and appreciate this is one day. But I think this us important to point out
EssentialParadox@reddit
Fruit and veg cost is negligible if you want to add them to the day. Add an onion to the gravy, some carrots, and an apple at lunch and you’ve got 5 a day still well under £4. The expensive part is usually protein so I focused on that for the meal. Calling it “not healthy or nutritious” is a stretch.
Ok-Exam-211@reddit
What I mean is, that’s not a realistic suggestion because it is missing so much. As it stands, if someone did eat that recommendation of only 2 portions veg/fruit they would have digestion issues and nutritional deficiencies I don’t eat meat and always cook from scratch and in bulk. So my meal plans are cheaper, but depending on what I’m buying and what I can get frozen, I spent between £25-45 a week including cleaning supplies etc. I could do less if I didn’t have so many nutritional additions to my porridge (like flax seed etc).
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
You could replace meals with more veg and reduce the price a lot.
That's a total of £3.71 for 4400 calories which is about six main meals for £0.62 each, whilst adding loads of veg.
Fruit and meat are the expensive things. You could add cheap fruit like bananas and apples to the breakfast though
LambonaHam@reddit
Very nice breakdown.
I'm always flummoxed by how people manage to spend £50 - £100 a week and then claim that's normal.
IllustratorOk479@reddit
Because once you add kids, toiletries etc and not just some cheap main meals, it adds up.
LambonaHam@reddit
We're talking about per person here, not for a family total.
EssentialParadox@reddit
For those people just downvoting this person, why not respond with what you’re eating that you believe justifies such high spending per week? Is it because you’re aware you’re getting loads of takeaways and ready meals?
BeatificBanana@reddit
I don't eat any meat at all and I would really struggle to feed myself on £30 a week.
bangkokali@reddit
This totally the problem I have is that biy expensive ingredients like chorizo, parmesan or honey once a month but them use then sparingly during the month so one week my food bill might be£30 the next week £80 just. because of those ingredients
newbracelet@reddit
When I was a student (15 years ago) I genuinely lived off a £30/month for food. It was possible because I bought in bulk and rotated what items I was buying - one week rice, next week pasta etc, and because I had family who would visit once a term and top up my cupboards with tins etc. But mainly it was because I was impoverished and permanently starving, to an extent that I didn't even realise until I had a wage and started eating properly.
bigonebitey99@reddit
Groceries cost around the same in London though. I don’t think Lidl is any cheaper anywhere else
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
In my experience there is a small difference. Our weekly grocery shop went down a little when we left London. I'd guess that could be less about the same products being cheaper, but instead is more about a supermarket in a well to do part of London not offering as many products at the lower end of the price scale.
Reasonable-Cut-6137@reddit
London is the only place where I know shopping for food is cheaper in the UK
Veenkoira00@reddit
Depends what you buy. I buy what in different places is either cheaper or better or actually exists – do my rounds in Lidl, Morrisons and the occasional Aldi. E.g. Morrisons has my bread but quit selling cheap oat milk, Lidl keeps nothing baked that would eat and the nearest Aldi is a bit limited – need to shop around.
marsman@reddit
Depends on where you shop, anything metro is quite a bit more expensive and has less choice (so fewer cheaper items). That'll make a fairly big difference.
EcstaticAdvance684@reddit
I have 2 lidls near me one in town and 1 on the edge of a village.the one in town is cheaper and I only realised the other week when buying cases of bottled water it was £1 cheaper for 5 packs so 20p a pack cheaper than the village store I normally go to.
accountsdontmatter@reddit
Our weekly shop it £150 plus the odd top up mid week from the coop.
We buy the same things every week - minced beef, 1 pack of organic chicken breast, one freezer option of protein, plus vegan option of seitan, tofu etc.
1 pack pasta
Carrots, broccoli, onions, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, potatoes
Frozen peas and sweetcorn
Cheese
Yogurts
Fresh juice
Tins of tomatoes, baked and other beans
Then we pretty much make out meals.
We replace herbs etc when we run out.
HerbaLifeEmporium@reddit
Also eating supermarket junk food is cheaper
DefconExile@reddit
Tldr- I spend £120-200 per month on food , am relatively healthy and could spend more if I wanted too.
I can easily feed myself high protein high calorie meals every day of the week for £30-40 , some weeks less , and have been doing so for the past 2 months due to my living circumstances
But as you say some may consider it boring as it’s the same thing everyday
Breakfast - 4 eggs , 4 bacon , 4 white bread + butter Or Porridge with Nutella
Lunch - Protein shake , 500ml whole milk , 2 scoops mass gainer , 1 scoop egg white powder , 5g creatine
Dinner- 300-350g fresh chicken breast (5kg £35 @ local butcher) 75g white rice 2 wraps Mayo
Easily takes me between 3-3500 calories per day , you could remove the protein shake and survive pretty comfortably
Interesting_Bid_4173@reddit
I live on 25 a week in Southampton, def not lying. I only shop at Lidl once a week. But to be fair, the reason my budget is so low is that: I dont eat breakfast (i feel sick in the morning), and I always eat the same foods. I only have spaghetti or rice or noodles. With frozen veg/mushrooms, and mince meat or hotdogs. it's def possible to live on such a low budget, and it's not miserable, but it isnt amazing either. I eat foods I enjoy a lot but its repetitive.
Lucky-Midway-4367@reddit
I'm not lying, I live in London, my spend is 20-30 per week on food. I eat well with food I like.
Regarding OP, we would need to see a breakdown of the bills, they seem to be doing everything needed, cooking their own food, shopping in cheaper stores etc. Possibly it's the cooking for other people.
Personally, I have a rotation of about 5-6 meals I have settled on, the likes of spag bol, carbonara, pad thai, tray bakes, home made fish and chips, things like Spanish lentil stews are incredible and cost little, years of learning cooking. I bake home made cakes, biscuits, granola bars. Breakfast is porridge, eggs, lidls sourdough is my go to. I am part of a zero waste lifestyle - where possible, getting spices, grains etc in various shops. I use a variety of shops, including a monthly zero waste collection shop/club.
Cleaning products can be got a lot cheaper for everyone by getting All Purpose Cleaner in bulk, and using it as described to mix with water 1:10 for cleaning sprays. One on the biggest waste of money is houses buying different disposable sprays for every room in the house. You just need one and it can be these 1:10 APC sprays.
I don't buy red meats, except for mince.
Ekhinos@reddit
Upvote for Spanish lentil stews. Batch cook, lots of protein and fibre, cheap as chips, the biggest cost outlay is paprika.
i_literally_died@reddit
As a single guy, if I just buy the food I need per week, I can get it in at around ~£52.
That is to say: no washing up liquid, shower gel, cooking oil, big 24 pack of toilet roll; things that might be monthly purchases. Including those, averaged out, I'm probably at around £60 a week.
If I was being extremely frugal, I could get that food shop down probably to around £35. It'd mean fucking off the Kerrygold, the cauliflower rice, gluten free bread etc. But I already buy a fair amount of fresh veg, so there isn't a huge amount of wiggle room. It just means I'm basically eating lower quality versions of the things I already buy and making myself feel a bit worse to save a tenner.
I don't think many people are realistically getting a £20 food shop in without it being literally just rice and beans. And if you want to live like that: go off, I guess.
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
Rice and beans and lentil recipes could get you down to £1.80 a day roughly if you were proper budgeting.
i_literally_died@reddit
This was sort of the point. Yes I could feed myself for £20 a week, but it'd be fucken miserable. I don't need to do that, so I don't.
Similar-Storage-8378@reddit
I have literally done this recently
I normally spend at least £60 per week on my food; often more but I think that’s because I have to buy gluten and lactose free options which are legitimately more expensive
Last month I ran out of money because of a huge vet bill. I had to spend less than £30 per week on food. In addition to having to buy the cheapest version of everything (no special dietary foods), I was bulk cooking, no ready made versions everything from scratch, vegetarian no meat etc, snacks made instead of bought, careful planning, counting the pennies, tap water only….
It was, quite frankly, not very pleasant, did not enjoy the food, a lot of work and planning… Not enjoyable. I won’t be repeating that unless I have to. But it is doable.
cherrypez123@reddit
Not eating meat also helps a lot. And eating rubbish also.
burnaaccount3000@reddit
No one is eating well on a low budget with fresh fruit veg and meat. Eating tin baked beans with high sugar content because the tin is 25p isnt a healthy long term way to live.
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
You'd be more eating carrots, lentils, onions, apples, bananas, etc. which are cheap, nutritious, and fresh
Over-Cold-8757@reddit
Also, some people eat more than others.
We have an obesity crisis and by definition obese people eat more food than they should.
lapodufnal@reddit
Just commented this on someone saying a chicken lasts them multiple meals. We used to eat a whole chicken between two of us in one meal, and that wasn’t a one-off, that was the standard amount every evening meal. I bought roughly 600g of mince/chicken/steak for every meal to feed two people so my grocery budget would have been sky high. Fixed the portions now (actually works out cheaper being on weight loss injections)
NoEstate1459@reddit
That's so much food every day,.
I mean not to be mean but it's not really shocking you need them
Ammutseba420@reddit
Half a roast medium chicken with skin is 700 calories. Its hardly thst much food if you're active.
NoEstate1459@reddit
You're not meant to only eat meat, you're meant to have it with things
Mundo7@reddit
you’ve got a real issue about this haven’t you, projecting much
NoEstate1459@reddit
Not really, just think that most people in this country eat too much, which is a major reason why we have such a big issue with obesity and being overweight
lapodufnal@reddit
Ahaha no you’re right, it’s not mean. It crept up over time and got out of hand. I was about a UK 16 so definitely obese but not shockingly so
Over-Cold-8757@reddit
Yeah my partner is on mounjaro and his spending on groceries has plummeted. The jabs are expensive but so is constantly buying and eating food.
lapodufnal@reddit
One on it is the sweet spot, they don’t want the takeaways or the giant portions so the bills drop but you’re only paying for one lot of jabs
xolana_@reddit
Yeah no it’s more about what they eat rather than how much they eating. As someone who’s always been on the underweight/normal border I never understood how complex this issue is until recently.
There are many people with genetics that increase the chances and everything from how a woman is treated/what she eats during pregnancy, how much that baby/child is fed and other factors beyond their control (hormones etc) that impact the chances of obesity in later life. Poverty also doesn’t help.
Over-Cold-8757@reddit
Those factors are marginal at best.
It's calories in, calories out, 90%
Obese people who say they don't eat a lot are lying. It is mostly impossible to be obese over a long period on a calorie deficit.
Consult-SR88@reddit
Another good point, & to add to my other post. I’m a perimenopausal woman who is focused on eating healthily to lose a bit of weight, maintain my energy levels & ward off pre diabetes. My days of eating anything I want without consequence are long gone. Now everything I eat is planned & measured, which lends itself to sticking to a strict budget. Indeed, the strict budget stops me buying crap that’s no good for me.
BillWilberforce@reddit
I probably do it for about £10-£15 per week. By getting "Too Good To Go" packages from my local Aldi (£3.30), BP M+S (£4) and in an emergency Asda (£3.30) a few days per week. You get given all of the left over food that they can't sell and is going out of date. Probably need 1 every 3 or so days. Aldi has more volume than M+S but isn't as nice. Asda lacks quantity and quality.
Strivingtosucceed@reddit
I think there’s also a lot to be said for buying in bulk as well as cooking in bulk, also not buying processed foods.
I buy a 10kg bag of rice for £16ish which is about 17p a portion while a friend buys microwave rice for £1. I then eat that rice with a curry, stew or stir fry made from scratch that has about £3-5 of meat and veg and serves 4 portions. My friend buys a sauce and chopped chicken breast etc that costs £8-10 for 4 portions. In one meal alone that’s a £5 difference which adds up as the weeks go buy. Also snacks and alcohol quickly drive up the price of your shop.
Awe-_-some@reddit
The simple truth is they live in London, the food is more expensive because the cost of living in the capital city is more expensive. Move far enough away and the cost of food prices will go down.
TD_Meri@reddit
My food budget is £100 a month for me and my teenage daughter. I only eat one meal a day. Once it’s gone it’s gone. I tend to buy tins of beans so I can have beans on toast, and a bag of potatoes for a jacket spud. I eat a lot of pasta, sometimes with a tin of tomatoes on top, sometimes with just salt and pepper. We don’t have cupboard staples, I can guarantee at the end of the month (sometimes before) the cupboard is bare. We don’t eat out or have takeaways.
TheWanderingEyebrow@reddit
Food banks is probably part of it too
NoiseLikeADolphin@reddit
When I first started budgeting I used to do it too much by the costs of what I thought I should buy on a ‘typical week’, not what I actually spent. Like, say you spend £7 one week on a big bottle of olive oil and you’re like, well I don’t need to account for that next week because it will last months. But then next week you run out of coffee or whatever that you also won’t need to buy in a ‘typical’ week, but realistically there’ll be something every week.
AraMaca0@reddit
honestly i think your may be over egging this pork,mince and chicken are achievable at 30 quid. Sausage meat definitely is. agree on the cupboard staples at 20 but at 30 thirty i think your covered. onions, eggs, tinned tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, peas, sweetcorn, pasta, rice. stock. bread cheese flour oil butter. those ingredients plus imagination and you can accomplish a lot.
having said that your probably eating leftovers for lunch or dinner quite a bit and you need to plan every meal. Do your food shopping online and never eat out. Additionally if you asked this question a year or 2 ago this would have been much easier
Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit
Also depending on where you are, the yellow labels can be better or worse. I have seen my Dad survive on less than £20 a week this year using his local coops yellow labels
Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit
Yeah, I think that's the thing. The regional differences aren't in shelf price of the same products. It's in the discounts that become available and what products are available.
When we lived in London we did our big shop at supermarket in a well to do part of Islington, you don't get the same discounts or range of cheaper brands that you do in a less well off area.
cwright017@reddit
Yeah but OP is basically asking how to live on a budget in London. If you’re financially constrained the you don’t eat out regularly. Nobody said it would be enjoyable, but that’s unfortunately the price for being financially constrained.
rocketscientology@reddit
It’s also possible people are saying what they spend at the supermarket, and not counting money they spend on food while out and about. I could easily say “my food shop costs £30 a week” and not include buying lunch at work twice a week, dinner at my girlfriend’s house at least once a week, getting a takeaway on a Friday etc. It’s probably closer to £80 but my Tesco receipt would show a lot less.
beseeingyou18@reddit
This is definitely a factor. It's easy to determine your monthly supermarket spend but forget every time you pop into Tesco Express and end up spending £15 on 4 or 5 items.
Gooses_Gooses@reddit
I could survive on 20 a week but chose not to. Life is far too short and I can afford to spend more. I spend about £50-60 a week on food I imagine.
Iwantedalbino@reddit
To your point I used to feed myself daily as a student on around a pound a day. It was just a packet of pasta and a tin of beans - not exactly exciting or nutritious but the beer wasn’t going to drink itself.
CyGuy6587@reddit
Live on my own, and I reckon I could spend 20-30 a week on food if I wasn't so impulsive. I'm very frugal, so I usually go for the cheapest variant, and am also vegetarian, which kinda helps.
Background-Job7531@reddit
Completely dependent on where you live, I'm in the north west in a pretty big town and £15-£20 is enough for me per week, but then I also do everything I can to minimise costs. Buying from the reduced section, lots of frozen & tinned food & supermarket reward cards so that plays a part.
SuperSwan7291@reddit
Many live on noodles and ready to eat pasta.
Hence!
mazdacx5eyelids@reddit
I live up north. Family of 2. Vegetarian, and we cook pretty much everything from scratch. Nothing fancy, and we spend about £35-40 a week, but don’t keep many snacks in the house. And we eat out maybe once a month.
I think a lot of the reason the budget is low is because we don’t eat meat and I avoid pre packed stuff. Meal prep helps, but it takes way more time than most people have in a day. If I didn’t already like cooking, I’d not be as keen to let it take up so much of my evening after work. Deferent stokes for different folks.
1CharlieMike@reddit
I mean, I made 20 portions of beef and lentil chilli con carne last week for about £14.
2kg of potatoes turn it into jackets with chilli and that’s £1.30.
Grated cheese for the top £3.00.
Medium sliced bread is under £1 a loaf and with ten slices of cheese for under £1.50 there’s a weeks worth of sandwiches for under £2.50.
1kg porridge oats is less than £1 and that’s breakfast done.
That’s £13 for more than a weeks worth of food. You can add fresh fruit, vegetables, and treats with the remaining few quid.
nubianfx@reddit
In mk and my grocery budget for the week is 45 pounds. But thats only part of what i eat cos i work in office and get lunch there, and i also get take out on occasion. I also certainly dont order lobster tail and such. This only covers grocery and household basics. I dont know how youd go much lower and not be eating some sort of prison/struggle meal.
AdonisCarbonado@reddit
It's a class thing.....
Class A. Class B.
pettingpangolins@reddit
Excuse me?
AdonisCarbonado@reddit
It's all a cultural thing. Class A & B users will have not only a supressed appetite but also an allocation of finances where food can generally come lower down on the 'essentials' list. So in turn many users of drugs if not for financial reasons but general suppression of appetite means that less is spent on food/ groceries. Same I guess could be argued for alcohol, which I actually think if it was 'discovered' tomorrow would also be a Classed drug..
The other cultural aspect is base ingredients & their pre prepared counterparts.. Coming from both a white english & black caribbean background - the shopping & overall spending habits are worlds apart from opposing sides of my family.
StormNo1963@reddit
50-60 a week is a good average but idk how u aren’t getting meat in? I buy a kg of mince every week a kg of chicken thighs two-3 packs of eggs and a case of beans a week which is usually less than 40 quid at lidl. Every so often I have to buy another big bag of rice or pasta/ spaghetti. I get meat everyday around 2.4k Cal a day and I don’t get too bored of eating cuz I just rotate my meat seasonings or cooking style. I might be getting my numbers wrong a tad cuz I do side shops to get milk or butter but I reckon it’s about 50-60 a week.
Say10sadvocate@reddit
Our family of 4 shopping bill is like £150 a week. 🤷🏽♂️
Regantowers@reddit
Whenever these questions pop up it’s a weird race to the bottom, people will suggest eating broth and sawdust because that’s smart, as an example I spend around £130 to £150 a week just at the butchers and veg delivery then a small shop for cleaning products and bits, that’s a lot for one person but my meals are all clean and prepped which suits me.
No_Pen_5742@reddit
I spend £30 on lunches and boyfriend has £60 to spend on dinners. We eat the same lunch & he changes up the dinners. We eat out once a month & no coffee trips!
Lady_Emms@reddit
I'm single..live by myself and spend no more than £25.00 a week on shopping. I shop at Lidl. I buy frozen vegetables and fresh chicken legs, sometimes potatoes. I eat the chicken and veg every evening for dinner. I buy eggs (I have a boiled one each day for lunch at work), bananas, apples , oranges and plums....I have these for lunch at work too. I buy porridge for breakfast but only eat that at weekends. I don't eat breakfast on a work to pay. Tea and coffee...I buy when needed, milk when needed also. I have one pizza £4.00 also from Lidl (stone baked sourdough) and it lasts two evenings. I eat chocolate once a week on a Friday. I rarely eat bread but if I do..i buy a pk of 6 wholemeal rolls from lidl also. I buy cheese once a month...it tends to last that long..the same with butter. I also buy frozen blueberries and a tub of zero fat Greek yogurt for dessert every evening. Most of my food is healthy. It can be done.
Comfortable-Place237@reddit
They are either deluded liars or are consuming a diet lacking in adequate nutrition. It isn’t possible to spend £20-£30 a week on grocery shopping for one person and have a healthy diet, in the UK.
Sevyen@reddit
If I didn't have my gf I would've gotten by with about 20/30 a week. I generally buy those 10kg packs of rice and I have a more rice>veggie/sauce mixtures. Buying packs of frozen veggies and you're quite fine. I also barely eat meat. But this is generally only breakfast/evenings. I generally spend more if we look at also lunch as I get something near work or by work.
unproblematic_name@reddit
Family of 5 - spend about £160 on weekly shop and usually need to top up through the week. That's also without add ons from the local shop like topping up bread/milk etc.
ThanksIHateIt1994@reddit
My partner and I spend about £50 - £60 a week. The odd week may be more (say, £70) but normally it's around £50 - £60.
I'm vegetarian, so we don't buy as much meat as other couples.
We don't drink, so we never buy alcohol.
We live outside London, so it's going to be less expensive.
We don't buy everything branded (although I do buy myself Twinings Earl Grey, but a big box will last me about 2-4months)
We RARELY cook for others, just ourselves (we're introverts so we're really not into dinner parties and that stuff)
I budget £300 a month and I always have a bit leftover to get us a takeaway at the end of the month as a little treat.
Everyone's circumstances are different, hence why everyone's budgets are different.
No-vem-ber@reddit
People are bad at assessing the real amount they spend. If I tried to guess how much I spent on food in the last month, in my mind it feels like about €200. Like €50 per week?
When I actually look in my banking app, it's like €400.
Where did that extra €200 go? I have no fucking idea
Longjumping_Eagle822@reddit
I live in chelmsford with my partner and a 21 month old, no pets. Including things like wash pods, toiletries, nappies, wipes etc etc, we spend £300 a month, id say about £80 of that isn't food and that includes pretty expensive baby snacks. It's just knowing how to make the most out of all ingredients
Silent_Avocado_95@reddit
My work provides catering for me (usually breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner depending which shift I’m on) and sometimes I can take any left over sandwiches and snacks home, so then I only need to buy food for one meal a day and my days off. Jacket potatoes, pasta, veggies etc are cheap. I mean I spend an awful lot more on food a week (prob around £250) but then we are a family of 5 (with 2 teenage boys who eat like they’ve never seen food before). But if I was on my own, £30 should be easily possible
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
You have London tax so not surprised.
I live in a town just outside Manchester and I put away £20 onto a virtual card every week, and that does my weekly shop for me, I then put £10 away for a cheeky takeout for myself.
I find a big one is drinks with people... I buy a £1 bottle of squash and it lasts me at least 2 weeks... but on Reddit when I see people showing their weekly shopping there are multipacks of cans of fizzy drinks etc that are £3.75 at a minimum, then a few £2+ smoothies or juices and they wonder why their shopping price is high. Not to mention everyone buying branded stuff when the store versions are sometimes a third of the price, if not less.
ChompingCucumber4@reddit
yeah probably true on the drinks, I’m a ~£30 week spender and basically all I drink at home is water / sparkling water / tea / coffee (I buy a 1kg bag of grounds every month or so for £28 and freeze most of it)
Double-Use4816@reddit
Weekly shop will be a bag of onions, garlic, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, eggs, bread, pasta, tinned mackerel, milk and porridge oats. That’s about £15-20 and then a few extras will be good for me for the week (so probs about £30 in total. I don’t eat out. Is the £50-£60 including takeaways?
himit@reddit
Family of five (three adults, two kids) and we average £600/month on food.
Feeding extra people will definitely put your bill up...
Marquisdeluca@reddit
2 adults, one 7 year old and a cat. £200 -£250 a week. I just can’t get it lower.
BettieShiver@reddit
Woah! What on earth are you eating?
Super_Ground9690@reddit
2 adults, 2 children (6 and 8) and 2 very spoiled guinea pigs who probably eat more fresh veg than the rest of us combined. We spend about £150 a week, plus maybe another £40 in small shops in between.
We don’t go mad but I do buy things like pre-packaged snacks, lots of fresh fruit, and occasional booze. On the flip side I think we save a lot because we only eat meat once or twice a week. I don’t think what you’re spending is unreasonable tbh, but if you’re desperate to get it down it’s just a case of figuring out what you’re willing to go without. Would you reduce premade food in favour of homemade batch-cooked meals that’s bulked out with rice and pasta? Would you cut the berry budget and get only apples & satsumas? Different people have different ideas of essentials.
himit@reddit
I didn't include the cat food, actually, but hmm.
Are you cooking from scratch or getting lots of ready-made stuff? Do you shop around?
I get toiletries from Savers. Meat is generally a combo of LIDL, Aldi & the reduced stickers. For fruit & veg we often hit up the markets at Upton Park & eggs we get from the big Bengali supermarket. Big things like flour & oil we head up to Costco for. I tend to double-up on toiletries when they're on sale, and excess reduced sticker stuff goes straight in the freezer.
I'm self-employed & retired grandma lives with us, though, so between us we have the time to run around to all the shops! If it was just me & hubs I'd probably do a big list shop where the Bengali/Iceland/Lidl are once a week, still get toiletries from Savers, but would end up spending more on veg if I can't get up to the market.
I do think we can spend a little less if we meal plan properly but grandma's not much of a planner (when she's away & it's just me I stick to plans & lists & we do save about £100/month, but it's also one less mouth to feed...). I need to get on her about that though as my income's tanking.
Marquisdeluca@reddit
We shop at Tesco or Morrisons. I know where our problem lies and it’s that we all eat different meals. I lift weights and follow a particular diet.
My wife is originally from India and likes her foods.
Our son is on the autistic spectrum and is very fussy. If the meal doesn’t look right or feel right he refuses to eat it and we have to make him something else. He may have eaten the same thing before but if on that night there’s something not right he won’t eat it.
Fortunately our mortgage is paid off so we have a decent amount of spending money but it still feels like a lot each month.
himit@reddit
Have an autistic son with picky eating too - the other two are from asia but we do put the same thing on the table at least, so that saves some cash!
With the little one, how about trying to serve food east asian style? 'Make your plate at the table' style. It gives him control over what he eats while slowly familiarising himself with the option of other foods with no pressure to try - eventually his curiosity will kick in & he'll try a sniff here, a lick there, maybe a nibble or two. (I had arfid as a kid & this is how I slowly got out of it, so it's what I do with my kids too.)
Tesco & Morrisons are actually our two closest shops but I go there the least as they're the most pricey! so that's part of the problem, too...
If there's a massive indian supermarket a lot of staples will likely be cheaper there.
himit@reddit
Oh, also: waitrose is surprisingly cheap for some stuff, especially rf you get the own brand stuff & discounts
sparklybeast@reddit
Are you feeding your cat caviar??
Marquisdeluca@reddit
Haha he wishes, I think he’d prefer fresh rat.
devleesh@reddit
Yeah family of 4 and we average £600 To £800 a month. And it still feels tight sometimes. The kids just don’t stop eating, all day every day. Chomp chomp chomp.
WordsMort47@reddit
I’ll start saving now for when mine reach the stage of constant hunger
marsman@reddit
Although that comes to around £30/w per person.
glasses4catsndogs@reddit (OP)
True, I might just have to accept it. I love to cook for others and it’s not something I’m willing to scratch!
himit@reddit
You can always start asking guests to bring sides or desserts, cut the bill a little that way!
BettieShiver@reddit
I don't know the exact cost of everything individually as I don't have the receipt to hand but we are a family of 3 which is 2 adults and 1 toddler age 3 and our weekly food shop at Aldi this week was as follows:
X3 oat milk X2 loaves of sourdough bread X1 pack baby wipes (normally we buy in bulk but we just needed a pack for our bag there and then) X3 packs of tofu x1 family pack mushrooms X1 pack white potatoes X1 pack sweet potatoes X1 pack mixed peppers X1 pack tenderstem broccoli X1 pack courgettes X1 small pack coriander X1 organic broccoli large X2 avocados X1 pack easy peeler satsumas X1 pack wonky blueberries X1 pack Specially Selected cherry tomatoes on the vine X1 pack pasta, the more expensive one this time a fancier shape one! X1 pack organic oats X1 pack mixed seeds X1 pack cashew nuts X1 can coconut milk X1 pack of 6 organic eggs
Total: £42.54
We are shopping at Aldi this month to save money but some weeks we shop at Tesco and some weeks we shop at Ocado and buy everything organic. For comparison a similar shop with as many organic items as available at Tesco is about £75-£85 and at Ocado is about £100. Some weeks of course we will need things like washing powder, rice, shampoo etc which can drive the price up or down but that's a fairly average weekly shop for us and I imagine £30 would do me fine as a single person. It helps we don't eat snack bars or ready made packet food and cook everything from scratch I guess. Food is significantly cheaper in Aldi and Lidl for sure, especially Aldi which I find cheaper than Lidl. Oh and I forgot hummus, we buy 2 pots of hummus every week so lets say another £2 on the £42.54 😂
LordLuscius@reddit
I mean, I live off one can of monster ultra, 1 pack of cheap ramen and a £1.25 pizza a day. I'm starving myself but I need to get out of debt
surreybased@reddit
I was shocked when read similar a while back. I roughly calculate how much I spend but it is around £100/£150 weekly, I am single and food is important to me so I always buy organic stuff.
Creative_Recover@reddit
Anyone telling you that they're living off £20 a week in food is either severely downplaying the real amount they're spending or is severely malnourished (or both).
ImABrickwallAMA@reddit
I mean, it is do-able but depends what your goal is. If I’m in ‘training mode’ (yes, cringe) my weekly shop can look like:
£18.50 for all of my ingredients to make 10 meal prepped chicken, rice and veg (including some seasoning).
£3.30 for large eggs x12.
£5.50 for snacks like fruit etc.
So, just over £27 to feed me for a week. Obviously other things like pepper, salt, other seasonings aren’t factored in because they are bought so infrequently over several months that it doesn’t really come into the cost unless you want to be pedantic about it. But like I say, depends on what you’re looking to cook, but £1.85 per lunch and dinner ‘meal’ is far from malnourished and with snacks it is more than adequate to fuel that lifestyle.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Three meals a day over a week is 21 meals.
So on your budget, that’s ten meals of chicken and veg, plus say another 6 meals of two eggs each (say that’s scrambled eggs for six breakfasts). Sixteen meals total. Are you usually eating two meals a day plus snacks, or is this meal plan only for weekdays?
Genuinely interested not taking the piss.
NoEstate1459@reddit
Not op but I normally only eat twice a day where that's breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner.
Betaky365@reddit
Same, I’ve basically never eaten breakfast, the odd times I do I end up feeling awful and bloated all day.
WordsMort47@reddit
I’ve found staying hydrated in the morning keeps me from getting that shakey hunger quite early. If I were to eat a big breakfast I get hungry quicker strangely. Possibly carbs doing it, a fattier protein rich breakfast might keep you from feeling like crap.
ImpossibleOil8427@reddit
Same. I’m a two meals a day (and rarely snacks on top) kind of person. Don’t know how some people manage 3. I’m not even skinny to justify it. I just never really get hungry until lunch time.
ResidentLimit7459@reddit
Silence is deafening after this. People just keep misreporting their intake
Beneficial-Dot--@reddit
You skipped over them saying "rice" as well. I usually spend a similar amount or less as long as I'm not buying booze as well.
It isn't hard to stay healthy and well-nourished on that amount as long as you can cook and you know where to get quality protein.
I will say I do live in a lower cost of living area and do have one of those electronic pressure/multi cookers though, which makes it all a lot easier.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Still the same number of meals, I don’t think me forgetting to write rice changes my point at all.
I’m just interested because a lot of people are saying they spend very little money but when you add up what they’re saying, they’re usually skipping meals. That’s absolutely fine, I just want to understand how they are spending so little.
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
I spend £20 a week and I'm at fat fuck. My last blood results came back perfect.
It's all about prep, buy fresh ingredients, prep, and freeze. People buy stuff like silly multipack cans of drinks etc and complain their shopping costs a lot.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Can you provide a sample meal plan/shopping list?
alurlol@reddit
They can't because they don't do it for £20.
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
I got two loaves of wholemeal bread, 16 eggs, 2 litres of semi skimmed milk, 4 tins of beans, 2 tins of chickpeas, 2 tins of 5 beans, 2 big bags of frozen mixed veg, a pack of stock cubes, a bag of oranges, a bag of apples, a bunch of bananas, a carton on OJ, a carton of AJ, a bag of rice, a bag of spaghetti, a jar of Bolognese sauce, a block of tofu, a couple red peppers and two large white onions.
I'm vegetarian. All store branded, Asda Just Essentials when possible, zero brands. £19.97.
I barely get through all that, in fact I usually have some left over.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Thanks! Yeah that’s what I expected and seems to be the theme for a lot of people spending cheaply - lot of beans and lentils as the main protein source, and being veggie or vegan without meat and dairy substitutes. Not having a go, just noting how it’s possible.
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
Also reply to the comment below. They've done a very thorough post detailing how it can be done.. I'm sure you'll ignore it though as it goes a giant your judgemental opinion.
CuhJuhBruh@reddit
I managed to live off under £20 a week, but I was only eating two meals a day + drinking water 99% of the
On an average day I’d have about four slices of bread with whatever toppings I had usually Marmite, ham, or cheese. Later on I’d just throw together some basic tuna pasta or rice dish something equally as boring and fast to make.
I didn’t even do it to save money. I just genuinely enjoy eating like an autistic man child. It’s so much easier making quick 5-minute meals than actually cooking proper food.
lizzie_robine@reddit
I’m always so caught on these kinds of posts. On the one hand, I absolutely spend way too much on food and genuinely want to know how all these people are spending so little and ‘eating well’. On the other hand, I think people are remembering what they used to spend for the same food twenty years ago and haven’t checked what they actually spend now.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
Not the person you asked, but I spend <£25 a week. I'm vegan, I batch cook and then freeze my meals. For example last weekend I made a giant pot of chili:
Bag of onions - 79p
Garlic - 22p (1/4 a pack)
Red chilis - 25p (1/2 a pack)
3 tins chopped tomatoes - 1.29
2 tins kidney beans - 74p
Black beans - 49p
Pinto beans - 49p
Peppers - 80p (1/2 a pack)
Courgette - 56p
Rice - 89p (1/2 pack)
All ingredients bought at Tesco prices because I can walk there.
That comes to 6.50 for the essentials for 5 servings or about 1.30 a meal. I then make it more like 1.50 a meal by adding probably 50p worth of spices (paprika, cumin, chili flakes), 25p worth of oil and a 50p bag of coriander.
I'll batch cook at the weekend, but then defrost other meals and have 7 different things a week. Lentil dahl, chickpea curry, lentil pasta sauces are all a little cheaper than the bean chili, and then tofu stir frys, vegan bolognese pasta and Thai curry are all slightly more expensive.
They all average out to about 1.50 a week, so £10-11 a week for dinners. I spend about £1.50 a week on breakfasts (toast and marmite/jam) and then lunches are the most variable. But I always have beans on toast 3-4 times which is about 60p a lunch, so then I can have some slightly more exciting sandwich fillings (usually).
Hope this helps in some way, it's totally possible to eat for £20 a week although I usually buy a couple extras like the fresh coriander or some vegan pesto that sends it to more like £22-23 a week.
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
Exactly, this shows how it's done... I swear most of these people don't know how to shop or are the stuck up kind who refuse to buy anything that isn't the most expensive version of something.
Funnily they won't reply to this comment because you've worked it so well and it defeats their opinion.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Thanks for the drive-by insult lol, I guess.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Thanks that’s helpful!
It kind of sounds like what I expected - a lot of beans and lentils as protein sources, and batch cooking. I’m not having a go at all, I think that is pribably the only way to eat that cheaply and sounds balanced.
A lot of this will come down to personal taste and I’m happy to spend more on food for the kind of food I prefer to eat. As long as there’s not some magic shop or discount code that I don’t know about, so I don’t feel like an idiot!
Creative_Recover@reddit
None of the protein sources you list contain complete amino acid chains, meaning that you are long term becoming malnourished in various amino acid that'll cause you issues such as slow healing, low moods and low energy levels. Your meal plan is also completely devoid of calcium, putting you at risk of developing problems such as early onset oesteoporosis.
You can survive of a diet like yours (as in, you won't starve and you can generally live for years off diets like these) but not thrive.
Hopefully you are taking a wide range of supplements.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
The protein thing is completely untrue. Yes different protein sources contain different amounts of each amino acid, but its ludicrously easy to balance out. For example if I were to hit my protein goals with just lentils, I would get enough of each amino acid except for methionine, where I would only get 60%. Luckily, tofu is a great source of methionine, and if I hit my protein goals with tofu I get more than 140% of my RDI. Easy peasy. Just vary your protein
Calcium thing is an actual issue, but it's one thats easily solved. 400 calories of tofu is your RDI of calcium. Leafy greens are a great source, so is okra and various other vegetables. I'll always buy a carton of fortified soy milk weekly which is another brilliant source.
I supplement for B12 only.
How long do you think someone could survive on this diet? Because I've literally gone my whole life on it and I'm perfectly healthy.
Creative_Recover@reddit
There's literally zero tofu listed and none of the bean types you listed in your weekly diet list "balance each other out".
To get the weekly nutrients ideal, you'd need to add a lot more ingredients to your list , and that's just my point; you've underestimated the trust cost of how to live healthily for -£30 a week.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
I listed the ingredients for one meal mate. I clearly state some of the meals I have in rotation, and that I freeze them all so that I have 7 different meals a week. I don't have chili every night, obviously that would be nutritionally imbalanced.
Creative_Recover@reddit
If every meal type requires £25-30+ investment of ingredients but only lasts a week or so (and you're eating 7 different meal types a meals a month, then to create that diversity you're spending a lot more on ingredient investments per month than you seem to realize (to get started you're actually buying £210+ worth of ingredients), especially when you start to factor in all the sauces/seasonings and the more expensive ingredients (like the tofu) left out of your cheapest meal plan example.
I'm not arguing against your veganism (it's possible to go vegan and be healthy), but my original point is that most people underestimate how much they really spend on food or aren't eating a nutritionally well-balanced diet (or both) and if you provide not nutritionally well-balanced weekly diet plan as you only example (as you did), then you aren't exactly disproving my original point.
Anyways, I dunno what time it is where you are, but I gotta sleep now.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
Your maths doesn't make any sense. Why have you randomly assumed each meal costs £25? I gave you the costings for one meal. It was 6.50 for essentials, and then I accounted for the extra seasonings to make it 7.50. 5 servings at 7.50 = 1.50 per dinner = £45 a month for dinner, not £210.
The chili isn't my cheapest meal plan. Please re-read my initial comment where I covered this. I make several cheaper meals - the cheapest is lentil pasta sauce which costs me about £5.50. So that perfectly balances out my tofu curry, which costs about 9.50 for a big batch because of the additional cost of tofu (just like the lentils and tofu balance out the amino acids lol).
The reason I'm arguing this hard is because I literally broke down my food budget today for the last two months because I wondered if my switch from Aldi to Tesco had impacted my food shop much. So I know precisely how much I've spent on food over the last two months - £190 or just over £23 a week.
I agree that lots of people do underestimate how much they spend on food, and certainly the majority of people don't eat a very healthy diet. But with good planning, batch cooking and freezing it's totally possible to eat flavourful, nutritional meals for <£25 a week. And if you sacrifice a little flavour and a little diversity, you can make it £20 a week.
hkw240595@reddit
So 7 days a week 3 meals a day you spend less than £1 a meal? I spend around £115 a week for me and my partner and this includes lots of fresh veggies and meat, no microwave meals or freezer food. I would rather spend more of our monthly budget on food and eat well and enjoy our meals.
Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit
Breakfast and lunch can be dirt cheap. Cereal and an apple for breakfast. Bread, butter and jam for lunch. Means you have a couple of quid to spend per meal for dinner. Especially if you live in an area that is really good for yellow labels
hkw240595@reddit
I still stand by my last comment, bread butter and jam is not what I want to eat for lunch 7 days a week. I would rather spend more of our budget on good food than eat like I’m competing in the frugal olympics.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
A cheap lunch needn't be flavourless tbf. Beans on toast is a brilliantly cheap and nutritious lunch (60p at Tescos for a tin of beans and a couple of slices of brown bread), and easily jazzed up with whatever flavourings you fancy, cheese, hotdogs, whatever.
Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit
Oh I agree, but there are periods in plenty of people's lives where that is what they have to do
AndorElitist@reddit
Nah 20 quid is a lie but 115 is absolutely insane, you definitely do not need to spend that much for two people. That’s like a family of 4
Bluecomp@reddit
Are you Lee Anderson?
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
£20 is about as low as you can go whilst still having a really well balanced diet. You'll have to skip almost all meat, shop cheap, but £20 on food is fine
Creative_Recover@reddit
The thing is that all the people I've seen so far here put forth their £20-30 a week diets are all living off very nutritionally unbalanced diets i.e. virtually no calcium sources, too few complete proteins, too few sources of vitamin C, Etc.
These are anti-starvation diets, but anti-malnutrition ones. Surving, not thriving.
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
I mean there's cheap sources for all of those, milk and yogurt for breakfast for calcium, eggs and cheap meats have complete protein as does soy and tofu. in fact you can mix lentils and pasta, rice and chickpeas, milk and oats, all of which are incomplete but balance each other out. Vit c is super easy, tinned tomatoes, oranges, broccoli, potatoes, etc.
An anti starvation diet would be rice and lentils for every meal. It'll be cheap as fuck, costing £3.50 a week or so, but you'll want to blow your brains out from boredom and you'll face malnutrition.
£30 a week is enough for a well balanced, nutritionally complete set of food.
Creative_Recover@reddit
Yes. But when you truly diversify into all these extra additional ingredients you've mentioned to consume a balanced diet, you quickly find the food budget easily rockets to over £30 a week (and that's my point).
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
Not really. Here's a budget spaghetti Bolognese style dish that satisfies the vitamin c and complete proteins.
That's a total of £3.71 for 4400 calories which is about six main meal for £0.62 each.
Here some breakfast for the calcium...
That's 481 calories for £0.48.
That's about 1100 calories per day for £1.10, or £7.70 a week. What's missing that'll take up £22.30? Add a varied set of lunches, some cheap fruit, etc. you'll be reet.
It only rockets up if you don't stick to cheap meals. The spag bol, made with the budget range, is the same price as one premium tin of tomatoes
tradandtea123@reddit
I think a lot are, but it is possible to make very cheap large meals for not much. A bag of flour, 2 bag of lentils, a bag of onions, 500ml of oil, a few spices and about 10 tins of tomatoes and I can make enough dhal and chapatis to have every meal for the week for about £15 and definitely not be malnourished.
I don't think many people are doing that for more than a couple of meals a week though.
Creative_Recover@reddit
There's absolutely no calcium in that weekly meal plan though, plus depending on the kind of lentils you're using insufficient protein too (not all plant proteins sources contain complete chains). You can survive off that kind of diet for a long time, but eventually you will end up malnourished, lacking in energy and setting yourself up for a variety of health problems such as early onset oesteoporosis.
double-happiness@reddit
Oh really?
Here is my recent delivery history:
Oct 28 £37.86
Oct 9 £40.98
Sep 28 £46.65
Aug 24 £57.64
Jul 31 £43.07
Jun 1 £31.64
tepig37@reddit
I mean, some people do get food at work. If i really wanted to, I could live off food and snacks I get for free at my job.
Separate_Rise_8932@reddit
I don't spend much more than that, but I live outside london
nickstep@reddit
It's possible
Fit-Earth-7993@reddit
We only have 2 people in our house and spend at least 100 on food every week, when we first moved to where we are now, around 8 years ago, we spend around 30 a week. Energy is also crazy, our bill is 330 a month. (2 people. 3 kids every other weekend, 3 bed house with single storey extension.
SwimmingTheme3736@reddit
I was talking to my son who is at uni, he can do £25 shop a week but in his words if fucking sucks. Its the same meal every day
sukiswaterhouse@reddit
I’m not in London so that’s probably why mine is considerably cheaper, but I buy a lot of vegetables which are very cheap, including potatoes. For drinks all I buy is squash, and then a couple boxes of veggie meat which is moderately priced. Every 3 weeks or so I buy cheese/butter/snacks/cereal
LibraryTime11011011@reddit
Most people only consider the cost of their “big shop” and ignore the fact they go to the smaller stores 3 times a week or buy their lunch at the train station every morning etc etc and don’t include that.
Altruistic-Ask-2969@reddit
I also spend £60 a week of food, only buy non / minimal processed food and barely ever order online
Low_Tax5607@reddit
To be honest, when most quote £30pp they are breaking down a bigger overall spend. For example, my partner and I spend about £40-50 a week between us. So yes, you could say £20-25pp but it’s not true, as if one of us wasn’t here we’d probably still spend a similar amount as I think it’s a lot easier to budget spend for 2 people than 1.
Hiraeth90@reddit
Did a big shop for myself and the food portion was around £90. Should last 2 week perhaps.
Iamthefirestartaa@reddit
I only eat grass fed, organic food and I’m spending £250 a week. I’m in the north of England as well.
Expert-Let-238@reddit
You living in London for one. Imagine living in the most expensive city in the country & having to ask why your cost of living is more.
RemarkablePair_@reddit
Its called living in london.
Im a bit further north going to lidl and asda and i still only spend 40 quid a week and thats only 40 because im buying cat food too.
Rick_liner@reddit
I probably spend about £40 in a good week.
Cool a whole chicken at the begining of my the week, then eat it over the week with a combination of pasta or rice with frozen sweet orn, peas, or spinach.
Then I sit munching my dinner reminiscing about the days when I could afford to eat out 3x a week and not even think about it.
I don't live in London though imagine that helps.
Randomn355@reddit
London is expensive
the convenice sector is even more expensive
bulk buying stuff is far cheaper where possible (rice, dried beans/lentils, spices etc)
Throwawayhey129@reddit
Honestly people talk crap online
Legitimate-Whole1760@reddit
I’m spending close to £100 a week at Aldi now for one person, eating healthy with meat/fish every day. Food prices have gone crazy
sly_sally28@reddit
We're a family of four living in SW Scotland. I spend about £150 a week on food at Morrisons. No ready meals but we do buy some treats such as beer and smoked salmon.
Salzus@reddit
I eat food that goes far, egg fried rice with gyozas.
Chicken with mash and broccoli. Mushroom omelette because mushrooms go far in cooking (too much adds moisture so you want to use the right amoun)
Whole chicken that you then use as chicken broth (save scraps of veggies in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer) the meals you get of this is plenty and the chicken broth is healthy. Normally costing between 5 to 7 pounds each packet.
Porridge with syrup and bananas.
For fruit I avoid berries as they cost a fortune and you don't know if it will be good so I go for watermelon, mango, apples bananas.
Eat, healthy and within your caloric needs. Booze is expensive, so are berries, premade meals etc
Glittering-Law4114@reddit
I think living alone contributes to the expense too, you can’t always buy in bulk (which is often cheaper) and end up paying more for certain things. £20-30/week sounds like there’s barely any meat (or maybe the cheapest boxes of chicken) and larger portions of carbs/beans etc.
Also if you’re buying granola bars, protein based snacks that quickly adds to the expense!
BlackCatWitch29@reddit
I'm not in London and don't shop at Lidl. I spend about £95 a fortnight on my food shopping.
Tesco has everything and delivers for me so I don't have to worry about getting a taxi home since I don't srive, loading up the taxi and then getting everything in my home (it's a faff I don't need to deal with). Plus delivery for both my shopping deliveries only costs £4 per month.
I buy vegetables (frozen and fresh), meat (pork not beef, chicken), pasta, rice, cupboard stuff (tinned foods), lactose free cheese (£2.50 a pack), soya milk (UHT/longlife is cheapest), dairy-free/vegan chocolate (own brand mainly as it's pretty expensive).
I also buy my cats stuff from there so their litter, wet food and dry food. That all gets delivered to my door on a day of my choosing and at a time that suits me.
I'm also getting some gifts with my next couple of deliveries but even that is only adding £10-15 to each delivery.
I am following a particular plan so I have recipe books of meals I can cook that only need 5 ingredients so my diet can be varied but affordable for me.
I plan my meals up to a month ahead and stick to it. I don't get bored of my meals and usually, if I don't feel like cooking what I planned, I have enough ingredients on standby that I can cook something else instead.
ILY_Mrowka@reddit
Yeah, London is excessively expensive but there are a few things I do to keep costs low (live outside of london though.
1) markets - buying veg at a market to only buy the weights I need keeps my veg groceries low as I can buy 2/3 carrots instead of a whole kilo.
2) midweek shopping, do that at like 7/8/9/10 when shops have reduced stuff and I can get a discount on things.
3) bulk buy meat for the month - so you budget a meat allowance for the month and then apply it to only one week. then portion it out. (even better if I can find reduced meat and freeze that).
4) loyalty schemes and apps (find out what freebies are available for what brands - if there's a birthday discount, I set my birthday to different months of the year)
5) cans are king. Always have a bag of lentils, cans of tomatoes and chickpeas/beans.
6) batch cooking - make enough to spread over two days. Then, you're only really budgeting for 3 dinners instead of 7.
7) lunch in our house is just putting leftovers, or homemade jams (when we buy fruit from the market sometimes get 2kg) onto bread.
8) Vouchers. Can you sign up to any get paid for surveys/ internet searches - can realistically get like 2 amazon vouchers a year which you can buy snacks from. I know buying snacks from Amazon can seem weird, but they are partnered up with Morrisons.
9) review your subscriptions, do you have access to any discounts from work? From your streaming sites or others?
20 pounds is unrealistic though.
KuiperNomad@reddit
I wonder how many people who say they spend £X a week on food are thinking what they spent two years ago. Food inflation has been wild. I no longer see chicken as a cheap meat, for example.
TickTackTonia@reddit
I spend about £20 a week on food, and I don't even eat it all.
...but then again, I am on Mounjaro.
floralaurora@reddit
The way I do it is I typically shop at Aldi sometimes I shop around if I know something is cheaper elsewhere like in Poundland. This week I spent about £32 pounds for around 5 days but £5 of the budget went on energy drinks so I'm sure I could have made it last for 7 days had I used the 5 fiver on actual food One way to stretch the money is to make food from scratch but if your shopping at Aldi even buying frozen can work but it will be more expensive for example buy frozen burgers and chips that's dinner for 4 days then you could buy packet rice and frozen fish that's two days then pizza or noodles on the last day I stretch the money by meal prepping I have the same dinner for 4-5 days This week I bought fruit for breakfast one small watermelon 6 persimmons eggs and juice Lunch avocado tomatoes smoked cheese on wholemeal bread Dinner is going to be broccoli feta soup My tips are meal prep saves you from decision fatigue and spending too much Cook from scratch Buy minimal snacks usually expensive and not satiating Buy filling foods Stick to your budget Look up recipes and write a grocery list before leaving the house Minimise impulse buying Also you mentioned that you like cooking for people nothing wrong with that but it probably does add to your food budget since you have to buy more food because you are not just feeding yourself I think one of the ways my budget is low is because I'm cooking for one person only so the money stretches Also I didn't use to distinguish between Aldi or lidl for a budget food shop however I feel like Lidl has gotten expensive compared to the last so try to find an Aldi if you can
Lmao45454@reddit
I order all my groceries off Uber eats and I think I can feed myself for £30-40 a week.
£20 a week means they might be eating absolute junk/garbage food or barely eating at all
szalonykaloryfer@reddit
Bear in mind that there are people who don't count eating out as eating but entertainment in their budget 🤣
AdThat328@reddit
It also depends on your diet. How much food do you consume? It could be more or less than others. What type of food? Again it makes a difference. The other people may eat nothing but crisps and toast.
The_Deadly_Tikka@reddit
I shop for 8 days as I work weird shift patterns. 8 days of food comes to £50 almost exactly. However I eat really simply. Chicken breast, white rice and peas. Pick a different seasoning and hot sauce each block.
All pre cooked weight 400g chicken breast 125g white rice 100g peas 6g of Cape Herb Seasoning 28g of Sriracha
Eat that twice a day. This is slightly cheating though as I go for two walks a day to my local Tesco to get my 10000 steps in and grab a bottle of flavoured sparkling water. This is £1.50 extra a day.
I cook that all on my first day off and then putting it in a big chest freezer helps me stay consistent.
I normally will eat out on that first day as it's the one I don't have anything planned. Usually another £25.
So over 9 days it comes to roughly £90 or £10 a day.
When I wasn't earning as well and trying to put on as much muscle I did it alot cheaper.
My most common meal was chilli. Kidney beans and minced beef. The cheapest of both you could get along with passata and spices. Was around £20 for 7 days but that was 5+ years ago now.
Traditional-Tea-6045@reddit
When I was at uni, I spent £25-£35 on food a week, but that was when I mostly lived on pesto pasta, quorn chilli (kidney beans, tinned toms, chilli powder, paprika, quorn mince, and cheese), Tesco pizza deals (those were the days), or ramen. I never ate breakfast, didn’t buy snacks apart from some brioches or crisps, and also relied on a lot of freebies from my o2 app or similar.
I also slept a lot and wasn’t eating the healthiest. Now, I don’t spend loads on food, but I’ll make nicer options that are slightly more balanced. Works out to maybe £50-60 a week.
two-girls-one-tank@reddit
For me, being vegan really keeps my costs down. I average £40 a week. Single and living in London.
Kara_Zor_El19@reddit
£55 at Lidl for me is about 2 weeks worth of meals with top ups during the week for more salad bits or more fruit (I eat Greek yoghurt with apple for breakfast but since it’s a long shelf life I buy 2 or 3 tubs at a time).
I buy the chicken strips from the fridge section, a couple packs of fish and maybe some chicken breast and then portion it out into bags and freeze it so lunch most days is a wrap with chicken strips
MountainMuffin1980@reddit
Where are you seeing people say this? And what is it you tend to buy?
20 seems very r/UKfrugal
lizzie_robine@reddit
You’ve not seen everyone online and in this thread saying they live off one chicken a week lol. Even if you just buy one chicken for £5-6, you still need to buy veg, milk, eggs, bread, potatoes or rice etc. and then you’re already at £20 for maybe half your meals as a single person?
I am genuinely baffled and wonder if I live in a different country or something. At least when people say they only eat two meals a day that makes sense.
MountainMuffin1980@reddit
Defo people just being massively frugal I feel like. Sure I could buy a 5kg bag of rice and a 2kg bag of froze mixed veg etc but that's not always convenient. Or as tasty as fresh veg.
Squire-1984@reddit
I spend £15 a week on food. Used to be 10 but gone up since inflation madness.
Don't live frugaly but others would claim I do, simply due to delivervoo and all the extra crap people eat.
Am confused why people think this is undoable/ massively frugal. I basically just eat normal food, I just don't eat any crap bar a few biscuits. A Sandwich for lunch and a cooked dinner.
Also you'll find it "averages out" at £15 a week. So I'll get a 900g block of cheese for a fiver but will get 10 sandwiches worth of cheese out of that which I'll have once a week (50p) like I may have spent £20 that week or just done a month's worth for £60.
The trick used to be to use meat that was less than £5 a kg. This could get you 100g for 50p and so allow you to get a decent meal for under a quid. Meals like a three egg omelette and lentil dhal and rice are also incredibly cheap and filling.
Now it's about £2 a day which is comfortably achievable.
Typical day.
Porridge, 200ml milk, sugar - 20p
4 bread+margarine (10p), sardines (50p) lettuce, carrot sticks (10p) 70p
Pork chop (60p) 250g potatoes (15p) 50g frozen peas (5p) cabbage (5p) carrots (5p) - 87p
Day total - £1.80
For snacks I'll have two rich tea biscuits with a cup of tea, or if I'm really hungry ill have bread and butter with dinner or something on toast.
MountainMuffin1980@reddit
It's not undoable (obviously!) but it is quite frugal. However if I lived a lone I'd probably be the exact same way!
NoEstate1459@reddit
£20 is too low, unless you're only budgeting for one meal a day but £30 is perfectly doable
Drummk@reddit
But a big bag of rice or pasta is very cheap, and a single person probably won't go through that in a week. Plus herbs, spices, etc can go on for months. Ditto spreads. Ditto diluting juice. You can also get big bags of frozen veg. Most people aren't literally emptying their fridge and cupboards every week and starting afresh, they are just topping up the perishables: bread, meat, milk, fresh veg, etc. You could get a lot of that for £50-£60.
lizzie_robine@reddit
Absolutely I agree! I’m not even thinking about the ‘once a month’ buys or store cupboard ingredients. But £20 a week (which is the figure that we’re talking about here) on perishables just seems impossible. The only way it seems possible is if you are a ‘proper’ vegetarian or vegan who does a plant based diet without any meat or dairy substitutes. I know you can do wonders with lentils and rice.
Low-Captain1721@reddit
You live in London but still seems excessive.
I live alone in Midlands. My girlfriend stays weekends so I cook for 2 then but she buys some food to contribute.
I live near a city centre and take advantage of the selling off times in Tesco, Little Waitrose & M&S food hall. The rest of my food comes from Asda or Lidl. We also have a visiting butchers van once a week.
Not counting booze or anything I spend eating out (I rarely do as such a flop most of the time these days) I probably spend £40 - £50 pw.
I'm a big solid beefy 6ft 240 pound guy who works out regularly. I like my fresh meat, veg & fish. Like to think I eat 'proper' grub. Rarely processed. Safe to say I'm not underfed..
gettin-swole@reddit
I feed a family of four on about 80 quid a week. Easy
Warm-Net-6238@reddit
Our meals for the coming week:
Gumbo Fish pie Chicken, bean and chorizo one pot Seafood stir fry Tuna burgers Sardine arrabiata Lasagne
The lasagne doesn’t count as we batch cooked that tonight. We eat breakfast and lunch is home made.
We (there are two of us) had to buy some extra meat to take the balance over £50, otherwise Tesco would charge for delivery.
All our meals are home made, and we have veg with all of them, and fresh fruit with our lunches.
We live in East Sussex, so cheaper than London, but I’m not sure that particularly affects Tesco prices!
irv81@reddit
You can buy about 75 tins of baked beans for £20.
That's just over 10 tins a day (around 2000kcal)
A doable but utterly depressing lifestyle...now pass me that Iberico Ham at £10.25/100g from my local deli!
romeroy2908@reddit
It’s possible! Last month I only spent £98 on food. The thing is I live in Liverpool and I can eat repetitive meals for weeks. My main meal is usually rice + minced meat with fried shallots + potato/cabbage soup with cucumbers as a dessert, if I don’t feel like eating it and want something more unhealthy, I would buy chicken drumsticks for £3 and make fried chicken.
ADDandCrazy@reddit
Some supermarket own brands are better than branded and a 1/3 of the price and cheaper than the branded items were before the cost of living crisis.
E.g. Sainsbury's Onion and Garlic spag sauce is way better than Dolmio.
Cats_oftheTundra@reddit
I eat rice and beans 6 days a week, and pasta on the 7th. Rice and beans is very cheap, tasty, nutritious, easy to cook... I don't do takeaways, just cook fresh each day (well, the beans are tinned but I'm okay with that).
But it is getting tougher to stay under £20. I'd say it's more like £25 now, and that annoys me.
jmh90027@reddit
Theyre not eating balanced meals.
A female housemate a few years back would eat ramen noodles that cost 60p with an egg (the tasteless battery farm eggs) 3 dinners a week. Something like like pasta or rice with ketchup and grated cheers the other nights
And something like marmite on toast for lunch and supermarket own brand cereal for breakfast.
The only thing she ate that was vaguely nuturious was occasional beans on toast but shed still buy the cheapest sort and the shittest bread.
I'd be surprised if she'd be spending even £30 a week on food even at today's prices - and she wasnt even trying to save money - she just had the palatte of particuarly unhealthy toddler from half a century ago.
Designer-Computer188@reddit
They don't. Any they are talking shit. People talk shit and lie a lot, life lesson no 1.
CreativeChaos2023@reddit
As someone who has done debt advice and seen a lot of people’s budgets, most people have no real concept of how much they spend and what it adds up to. Pretty consistantly we’d complete the budget and say “Ok so this shows you have £x a week left” and they’d be shocked and say they never had anything like that left.
Kind_User_1@reddit
£20-30 pound on their shop but eating takeaways 5 nights a week
zmeikei@reddit
Hmm. I guess for my family is because I don't count in the bulk buy. Like the 5kg back of rice that were still using 5 months and counting, the 500g of butter, the 1.5kg of flour I bake with etc. so my weekly spend is really only meats + vegetables+ eggs + fruits + dairy. We also eat chicken, pork or seafood and red meat cost more than these
Lord_Jez@reddit
It's doable but not fun or likely very healthy.
Aldi does ready meals for £1. And high protein ready meals for about £1.30. A loaf of bread is about 65p for the cheapo one. Porride oats are very cheap.
So you could (I did worse as a student) live on: Breaky: Porridge Lunch: cheap made sandwiches Dinner: a ready meal Drinks: water and tea
Oats: £1 (last more than a week) Bread: 65p Cheap margarine: £1 (last more than a week) Cheap ham trimming £3 7 x ready meals £7 Tea bags £1.85 for 160 2 pints milk 99p
So about £15.50
Add a packet of digestives and a bag of apples and your still under £20
batch1972@reddit
Beans on toast and pot noodles. Only water. It's doable but boy would you be miserable. Food banks and charity donations as well.
MeRichYouPoor@reddit
Both of those meals taste great.
Cereal taste great, jacket potato, peanut butter sandwiches. I don't see what you'd be miserable about. Quick, easy, cheap, no mess. And you can afford milk coffee/tea on a budget no problem.
batch1972@reddit
you'd be miserable if that's all you had week in week out. trust me on that one
MeRichYouPoor@reddit
I've lived it, it's no problem, you ever tried overnight oats? It would be on a restaurant pudding menu if it wasn't so easy to make at home
Thread-Hunter@reddit
For £60 a week you can eat like a king. If you just buy steaks, eggs and butter you will be sorted. Nutritionally you have everything you need. To mix it up you can have other meats. You will have everything you need nutritionally. Don't waste money on crap junk food at this will be a waste of money and won't actually fill you up. You get more bang for buck buying meat as you will find you only Need to eat once or twice a day.
Objective_Adagio_724@reddit
You do you, but I would hate that diet. It also seems more expensive.
Thread-Hunter@reddit
In principle what I'm saying is eat high protein high fat diet low carb. Avoid eating junk food that is high in carbs and sugar. This is by far the best for you and when cutting out junk food then it becomes relatively cheaper to buy good quality meat cook what you enjoy, it doesn't have to be boring.
As an example, take a look at my last post. I shared a picture of a curry I made using two whole chickens. It's enough food for 3 days, healthy and not boring. It's lunch and dinner, no breakfast or snacks needed in between because protein and fat keeps you full for longer. So you end up needing less over all. Just seems more economical. Additional benefit that's quite under rated is more mental clarity and no brain fog.
OldMotherGrumble@reddit
People who switch to a diet like yours often find that they spend at least a bit less. Good fresh food is also more satiating, so snacking ends. I think most diet approaches that eliminate sugar and filler carbs can be more satisfying.
Milky_Finger@reddit
Agreed. Chicken, Steak, Eggs. Add a bit of Avocado and some other cheap af veg/tomatoes and you can craft plates that sustain you.
Sometimes I use cheap packet ramen and add poached egg or meat to it, so at least there is some easy carbs in there. These meals never cost more than £3 and it means I eat well twice a day.
Thread-Hunter@reddit
Yes exactly these are all relatively quick and cheap options. If you have time and enjoy cooking then you can take it a step further. I recently posted on reddit a dish I made - two whole chickens curry. Can easily last 3 days in the fridge. Up front investment of time to cook it but minimal time required to plate up so it feels effortless overall.
Doing meal prep and freezing feels like more effort to me lol.
ultraboomkin@reddit
Since when is steak a cheap option?
Thread-Hunter@reddit
When you don't waste money on buying junk food and takeaways you all of a sudden have budget to buy good quality food like steak.
I prioritise my food budget to buy fresh meat eggs and butter. Anything like frozen pizza, cereals, coke etc all these things are not good for you and frankly a waste of money.
If you want cheaper options I would look at game meats as these are quite nice and quite healthy. Pigeon breast and venison are good meats to buy, cheaper deals to be had if you can butcher your own joints. Check out your local butcher shops and support them. Don't give all your money to supermarket giants.
Otters_noses_anyone@reddit
Batch cook. Rice and pasta every other meal. Baked potatoes. Cheap meat and eke it out with vegetables.
Quit the quick trips. They are putting up your bills. Don’t snack - if you do, buy them at the same time as you do that one big shop.
Write a menu for the month or week. Estimate exactly what you need and stick to it. You’ll save money, your diet is likely to be healthier if you home prepare and freeze and you’ll keep a decent weight easily.
Kitchen_Procedure641@reddit
I could live on 20 quid a week if I just ate potatoes and sadness. 🤣
Complex-Meringue-293@reddit
You can add rice to that sadness
Kitchen_Procedure641@reddit
And beans.
releasethekaren@reddit
I probably pay about 35-45 a week in Manchester and I only buy food for myself. Seems pretty reasonable? I do get Tesco meal deal every day which is included in that price, and I’ll admit I don’t eat the healthiest or cook elaborate meals. I cook one meal per week that gives me 2-3 days of leftovers, maybe 1 microwave meal a week if it’s busy and the others I just throw something together. As I house share my main issue is not money but space as I don’t have a lot of fridge/freezer space so tend to do mini grocery shops 2-3 times a week and top up mostly
CosmicAlienFox@reddit
The small snacks do add up, so if you want to go really cheap it's best to just cut them out.
To eat incredibly cheaply, stock up on things like flour, oil, grains, legumes, oats, and pasta. Then every week you only really need to think about buying a few fresh items, like carrots, parsnips, onions, the occasional meat, etc.
Spend a day a week cooking or so, cook cheap things like stews and casseroles that are nutritionally balanced and filling, and then freeze them. You can then eat bread or oats for breakfast and then defrost your meals for lunch and dinner. Say I eat toast for breakfast, leek and potato soup for lunch, and then a cabbage and sausage casserole for dinner, I will barely spend any money.
If you like to snack, you can also bake your own snacks (like biscuits) or grow your own tomatoes which even work on balconies and things. If you see any deals on food, like reduced carrots at Christmas, buy them in bulk and preserve them in jars which you can put in a cool place and eat later when they have become expensive again.
I promise, if you eat like this you can even go two weeks only spending £10 on food.
ACNH_islife@reddit
I spend £60-70 but I am gluten free. Last year my shopping was £30-40 (i wasn’t gluten free at the time) but I had to go out and buy lunch most days because that only really covered dinner and some lunch/breakfast.
PixelPoppah@reddit
In my head I'm like 'yeah I spent £80 for a week's shop' (just me and 5yo) but in reality I spent the £80 for the big shop and mid week popped into coop because I forgot 1 thing and spent another £10 and then on Friday to get a treat I'll pop to Aldi and that's another £25.
I'm guessing people either have big pantry's that are already full or they are doing the same as me and constantly topping up without realising they're spending an extra £40 plus on quick trips
WeirdStudy2338@reddit
Because meals are getting expensive and people are preferring home cooked food more
travelavatar@reddit
We are 4 people and spend at least 400 in a month on food but most likely 600.... it sucks....
SC92_@reddit
We spend about £70 a week for two adults at Tesco. Delivery costs around £7 a month.
Breakfast: porridge with a banana. Or egg on toast. Lunch at work: Jason’s sourdough toast with mashed avocado and hot sauce, a pack of Kettle crisps, an easy peeler orange, and Fridge Raiders for when I get hungry. Dinner: chicken and halloumi wraps with peppers, spaghetti bolognese, chicken or meatball rice bowls with tenderstem broccoli, pitta bread and tzatziki, or fish with potatoes and vegetables. Evening: a sweet snack with tea, usually dark chocolate or biscuits.
We keep extras like sourdough crumpets, bagels with cream cheese and hot sauce, or cheese toasties for when we want something more, though we try not to over-snack. I’m 6 foot 5 and could eat the whole fridge, but I actively try to stick to my main meals and avoid crash outs.
We eat mostly the same meals each week. We’ve stopped buying steak, cut back on takeaways, and avoid expensive chocolates or food we won’t use. We don’t include alcohol in our shop. Sometimes it’s closer to £75 if we need toiletries, but it stays within £65–£75 weekly.
HelloSummer99@reddit
Never mind that, I’ve had someone claim they can spend £1 per meal. I find that bizarre. Even frozen fish fingers with mash cost more than that.
sorax0315@reddit
Honestly no idea, easily £200 per week for a family of four with a toddler and baby who recently started eating. We are in London.
Iarehealer@reddit
I spend on average £200 a month (£50 a week) on food. This feeds my stay at home wife, our 2 year old boy and myself. We have a newborn but he's breastfed so doesn't count as a mouth to feed yet.
We shop at Aldi and buy almost exclusively own brand. We bulk buy at Asian superstores for meat, spices, flour, rice etc. "Luxury" buys are almost always bought on reduced stickers (I swear it tastes better!).
I have a cash in hand side hustle that largely covers this expense, and I always feel like whenever I can pay in cash, it's basically free as my bank balance hasn't changed. I know this is stupid but it genuinely helps with my overall morale when it comes to being the sole breadwinner.
Upstairs_Wait_1113@reddit
You sacrifice variety.
I eat the exact same meal plan every day, and it's incredibly cost effective. I wouldn't generally recommend it to others as most people tend to need variety in their dining lives. I have very utilitarian relationship with food; it's just fuel, so it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's nutritionally effective (which my diet is).
Practical-March-6989@reddit
I am very fortunate not to have to try but I can only imagine eating for 30 quid a week noe must be incredibly difficult.
Interesting-Mode-401@reddit
I spend £40 per (adult) person per week by meal prepping 56 meals once every two weeks. That makes breakfast - usually toast with eggs or cereal/porridge + 2 meals form the meal prep per adult a day.
That process could be brought down to £30 quite easily by doing cheaper meals like beans and spuds or more pasta. And then again to £20 by making the portions smaller and really going to town on the more budget food options and canned foods.
So for example for this upcoming two weeks I have prepped
14x portions of pulled gammon, mash and peas 12x portions sweet and sour chicken and veg noodles 14x portions of meatballs, tomato sauce and kale pasta 6x portions of ramen with chicken breast, pak Choi and egg 6x portions of homemade pizza 12x of curry with homemade naans
A lot of these inherited overlap making buying those larger value packs of chicken breasts or veggies cheaper.
Each portions is around +-500kcals, husbands portions are bigger at 700kcals.
I know this sounds like snoot of work, and it was at first but now that I’m used to the routine and we have 20 or so recipes on a rotations we split the cooking between us as a couple etc. So it’s just easier.
LaughingAtSalads@reddit
Olio, Too Good To Go, and subscription food larders are the best.
mikolv2@reddit
You can eat cheap if you don't care about variety or taste. You can bulk cook stew type dishes fairly cheap if all you care about is satisfying your caloric requirement every day. Life is too short for that.
OkTechnician4610@reddit
Maybe they r stealing the rest 😂 or it’s click bait to get views. If u have access to a street market try that it’s generally a bit cheaper. My local one sells it much cheaper especially at the end of the day.
True-Combination-859@reddit
Anorexics or brlmic 😂😂
BadAssOnFireBoss@reddit
I spend around £50 per week up north and I eat proper free range and organic mostly.
Ancient_Aardvark_376@reddit
My husband and I monthly average bill from grocery store is about £150 per month (per person) this year. So i think that comes up to 37.50 per week.
We typically shop online at Sainsburys/recently Ocado, and otherwise Tesco Express or some asian/oriental supermarkets nearby. We don't even shop the cheapest things, but we don't typically eat snacks and cook most things from scratch. The only snacks we buy are things like carrot sticks and fruits. I try to shop around based on what's on offer (especially things like meat) though and plan our food based on that. I would say we also eat meat like pretty much 80% of our meals (lunch/dinner).
This doesn't include eating out meals though, which I typically maybe do \~1-2 times a week when meeting friends so that bumps up the number a lot!
(London Based)
Reasonable-Cut-6137@reddit
£60pw on food is VERY low budget student type of life.
marijnbaby@reddit
It just depends what you eat. I just graduated, and on average I'd spend £20-30 a week, normally buying everything at Lidl except produce, which I'd get at another supermarket with a price match deal on (because from my local store it would go bad within days). Have gone and found a receipt from a more expensive week a few months ago: tuna, oats, 1kg chicken, yogurt, tiger bread, wraps, cream, mushrooms, peppers, blueberries, naan, avocados, tomatoes, bananas, stock cubes. This came to £22.60 from Lidl, in a more expensive city, but not London. Some things like meat, dried goods, tins etc. I would buy in larger quantites, rarely needing to replace several at the same time. However, I have no car so how much I could buy was also reliant on how much I could cycle home with - you can get things cheaper per kg than I paid. Freeze meat in portions and bulk it out with beans and chopped mushrooms. When budgeting, remember not everything needs to be replaced every week - eggs, onions etc. would usually last at least two for me, coffee maybe a month, and sometimes if you're just not planning on a specific meal you don't need the ingredients. I purchased food outside of this budget maybe once a fortnight (nothing crazy, normally a Greggs lunch).
DMMMOM@reddit
Last week we bought a huge fuck off pumpkin for less than £3. Made a huge vat of pumpkin soup and then made some flat bread and cheese to go with it, which lasted a week. Total cost for 3 of us was well under £15 for main evening meal for the week.
ZoteTheBastard@reddit
I cook everything from scratch, avoid luxuries, batch cook and freeze, shop at Lidl and I’m vegetarian. I also only have people round for dinner once a week and they are students too so I don’t do anything super fancy.
grogger133@reddit
As an American, I'm always struck by how much more affordable basic groceries seem in the UK compared to my local stores. I suspect the key is a combination of strategic meal planning with simple ingredients and consistently shopping at the most budget-friendly supermarkets.
Neat-Ability1715@reddit
Less fresh food and more carbohydrates.
MeRichYouPoor@reddit
By being smart
Deepfriedcyanid3@reddit
I eat pasta for almost every meal. I got pasta autism, I buy 3kg bags
Fwoggie2@reddit
On the one hand
On the other hand
double-happiness@reddit
Here is my recent shopping delivery history:
Oct 28 £37.86
Oct 9 £40.98
Sep 28 £46.65
Aug 24 £57.64
Jul 31 £43.07
Jun 1 £31.64
No bullshit. Will screenshot it for you if you don't believe me.
Ok-Exam-211@reddit
Are you getting a lot free on apps like olio or too good to go or your garden (in which case have you factored in costs of gardening)? Or eating out with friends? That just doesn’t sound right cost wise, unless you were eating such minimal foods. I used to be able to do £15-20 a week per person as a student five years ago, before inflation. But now it’s impossible and I spend more like £25-45
double-happiness@reddit
I wish mate, I fucking wish.
double-happiness@reddit
Those are all my deliveries. Once or twice a week I will typically get a small shop via public transport of £5-£10. So if I average £16.04 per week on the deliveries I reckon I must spend a grand total of about £30p/w.
Negligible. I might spend £100 per year on the garden or so. A packet of seeds is like £1. All my tools etc. paid for themselves a long time ago. Fruit and veg gardening is mainly upfront costs; once you have the basic kit it is not an expensive hobby and in fact much equipment can be had for free if you have transport and look on Freecycle etc.
Ok-Exam-211@reddit
£30 a week sounds much more accurate!
double-happiness@reddit
As I was just saying to someone else, I couldn't be arsed to go through my bank and card statements for every little thing. For the record, this is everything I can find for October:
10/10 Morrisons £40.98
28/10 Morrisons £37.86
22/10 Farmfoods £1.98
1/10 Greggs £2
GRAND TOTAL £82.82
Worth mentioning that I got made redundant in August, so I am on economy drive.
Can_not_catch_me@reddit
The first couple points are exactly it. I don't drink, snack, or eat meat every day, I cook a lot and spend maybe £20-30 a week on food (not counting things like salt and herbs which are pretty cheap and only need to be restocked occasionally). It's honestly not bad, I probably would spend a bit more if I had the money but realistically I'd still be cooking a lot of the same stuff
NoEstate1459@reddit
Some is, chicken is very cheap
HelpDaren@reddit
They don't. That's the trick.
Me and the missus spend around 60 quid a week for food for the two of us on our Sunday shopping.
Yes, that does sound like 30 quid/person, but it doesn't include milk every 2 days or bread when it runs out.
It also doesn't include long shelflife stuff we buy occasionally like beans, pasta, sauces and the lot. 60 quid is enough for 5 days of cooking for 2 but it also requires cooking every single day.
Realistically, we spend more like 90 quid a week so we don't starve to death (even with her being vegetarian so we don't really cook with meat too often).
There is this thing where you buy the cheapest 1kg pasta with 2 packs of the cheapest sauce, water it up, cook all of it and you can eat that for 3 days and only spend 6 quid on it, but let's be honest, it's fucking disgusting. It tastes like shit and it isn't nutritious at all, so it's barely enough to survive on.
There are two things I refuse to save money on; food and stuff I use daily. I can save a lot on water by taking quick showers, I can save a lot on electricity by switching everything off and turn the heaters off when I leave for work, I can save a lot on fuel by walking whenever I can, I can save a lot on smoking by only vaping, but I will never cheap out on what I eat or the stuff I use daily. Like my breakfast isn't a slice of bread with a slice of cheese and some crisps on it, it's some kind of bake, cheese, meatballs and some dip, because I hate being hungry all the time. Or my fridge isn't top brand but still cost me £450 because I don't want to buy a new one every 3 years when the cheap shit dies. The desk I sit in front of every afternoon cost me £150 6 years ago and doesn't even creak yet. I spent £350 on a fucking chair because that's what I sit on for hours and I don't want to live with backpain for the rest of my life. I bought my microwave for around £80 in 2016(!) and it still works perfectly. I bought
Whoever claims that they run on £10 worth of food a week either lies, constantly starves, or eats shit food all the time.
CelesteJA@reddit
I spend about £50-£60 per month. But that includes toilet rolls etc. I'm not sure if you're counting that or not.
Le_Fancy_Me@reddit
I don't spend a ton on food, less than £35 a week. And the likely reason is that I barely buy any processed foods. That isn't me being a snob or pretentious. I'll buy things like bread, pasta, etc. But personally I find I just tend to prefer things I make myself. So rather than spending a pound for something like a small pot of hummus I'll spend the same amount on buying canned chickpea and other add-ins to make a large amount of my own. Same with dinner. I prefer marinating my own meat or rolling my own meatballs, making my own sauces, etc.
Im like that only because I grew up like that so I just prefer it. I would save a lot of time if I didn't have to do it all myself.
But I do find it's often these kind of things that add onto my total quickly when I decide I'm in the mood for a shortcut. Ingredients tend to be cheap. But things that are pre-made like soda, snacks, Crisps, protein shakes, etc usually add up.
In summer I bought bananas for smoothies. I was using 1 or 2 every day and found I still came out below 2 pounds for like 10 of them. Meanwhile a single bag of Crisps from a name brand can easily run that much and I can polish it off in a single sitting.
So I don't tend to spend a ton of money. Until I have people over. The snacks, drinks and treats add up so quickly. Especially when you are buying name brand or nice varieties when you have guests. A single can of lidl brand energy drink is 45p. Which is about as much as they charge for their store brand Bread.
People who are spending £20 on food are spending less than 3 pounds a day. Definitely they don't have the budget to spend 50p a day on snacks or drinks alone. I assume they are having 2 large meals or 3 small ones at most.
Lastly I'm a small woman who doesn't work out. My housemate who is very active and a man consumes easily twice the amount of food then I do. So not everyone has the same caloric needs.
Striking-Bridge-4973@reddit
£60 a week is hard to live on for food
Born2Play2@reddit
Depends on how much you eat and boring you're willing to get with it.
Bread and a sauce is £5~ Chicken, peas and rice is like £13~ /week
3 slices of bread&sauce and 125g/125g/120g of uncooked rice/peas/uncooked chicken a day. (Ofc you cook it) Is this good for you? No. Does it kill your mental? Yes.
Do you spend fuck all on food? Yes
I'm doing this to lose weight, the money is just a side effect.
NorthDeparture7969@reddit
I spend £40-£50 per week for 1 person. Vegan batch cooking and preparing all meals from scratch. Healthy nutrient-dense foods. This budget also includes any cleaning, laundry, toiletries needed etc
coolpavillion@reddit
Believe it or not people come on the Internet and lie.
AmbitiousAd8332@reddit
I spend like £15 a week on food in London, but then again I eat ready meals from Iceland. So 7 ready meals (one for each day) Milk I large bottle of fizzy (either cherry pepsi max or coke) And then whatever I fancy.
But then again I tend to eat once a day so thats why its so low for me 🤷♀️
testytown@reddit
Most people are lying, just to make others feel low and make the viewers follow them.
Thalamic_Cub@reddit
I spend £30-£40 a week on groceries but every other month I spend £90-£120 on a stock up shop. Weekly I mostly buy fruit and veg, maybe one protein source and some bread and milk. My big shops include the brand items, the storecupboard items, cleaning products ect.
I also spend maybe £15 a week on coffees and little treats but its not consistent or every week.
So yeah we seperate our budgets, dont live in london and I strongly suspect people are not accounting for their occasional more expensive shops or cleaning products.
TheJourneyingOne@reddit
As someone who usually spends about £30 a week, a lot of it is the fact I don't live in London so everything is significantly cheaper.
Ataralas@reddit
I feel like people are separating their ‘food shopping’ from meals out/takeaways/coffees etc.
We are a family of 4, 2 adults a toddler and a just weaning baby. We spend around £150 on food shopping but then also have takeaways, meals out etc. we do use hello fresh for the 2 adults so that’s around £70 of the weekly cost for 6 meals (12 portions) the toddler also has some food issues so we have to buy certain things that make it more expensive than if they ate ‘normal’ food 😂
bestboyholland@reddit
What 50-60 for one person? Thats quite alot of money, i guess alot of people are trying to save so will buy the cheap items and eat simular meals everyday. Pasta is a good one, one bag is cheap and has almost enough for the week, pasta sauce or cbopped tomatos are like £1 or less, a few tins of those do a few meals. Veg is fairly cheap too
chloeew___@reddit
Personally, I have 40 pounds to spend for two weeks of shopping for only myself and then another 40 for the other two weeks of the month. (This includes snacks, porridge for breakfast or if i’m feeling hungry). I shop at iceland then get baked beans, cucumber and side stuff from lidl. I don’t usually spend the full 40 and am able to get dinners and lunch through doing this!
I get bags of things like bbq chicken so there’s about 5 or so different meals i can make with one cheap iceland bag. I get 2 pizzas for the 2 weeks and cook them in halves with salad bits on the side and maybe something like £1 lidl mozerella balls on the side. I also have this which i use with milk (as it tastes better than water) but i usually have it when i’m not hungry but need to eat. This drink with food will make you gain weight and you should not replace food for it! But it’s a great quick drink for all the good stuff you need and it fills you up! It comes with a scoop and i’ve had it for AGES. Works for me hope i was able to help!😊
Krzysiekef@reddit
I spend around £400-500 on food for a single person, but I'm picky and love to eat! All my food is unprocessed/organic which tend to be expensive. Also I eat meat everyday and exercise everyday therefore I need way more calories than the average person. Honestly I don't mind spending that much, because my health is great and I would rather spend more on food than on medicines/healthcare later down the line :) People who say they spend £20 on food a week definitely undereat protein. The new studies show the minimum amount people should eat is 1.2g X their weight in kilograms and this is without even exercising.
euphorixina@reddit
I know my way doesn’t work for everyone, but il share it anyway, I buy 700-800 worth of food every 6 months. As in bulk wholesale, I tend to mainly buy meat. Il package and portion in the freezer and deciding what veg il pair it with is cheap. This saves me money buy not spending 100+ every single shop where food lasts just two weeks. Plus I know what meals I have, I can pick n choose, and I’m not overwhelmed decided what’s for dinner tonight and it also saves me tonnes of time in prep
ThatsNotVeryBacon@reddit
I spend about £15-£20 a week on food for myself, but that is mainly because I don’t have breakfast or lunch, I just have dinner and then some snacky bits throughout the day (I don’t get hungry until mid afternoon and feel sick if I eat when I’m not hungry). My weekly shop normally consists of cans of soup, microwave pasta pouches, broccoli, cauliflower, a big tub of own brand yoghurt, a few varieties of fruit to go with the yoghurt, a few frozen ready meals. Once every week or two I’ll also pop in to Holland and Barett and pick up some packs of beef jerky for extra protein. About once a month or so I’ll buy the ingredients to make a bean chilli and that normally makes 4-6 portions for me and is super cheap to make
VolCata@reddit
Some lie; some underestimate.
Some are lucky and live with parents/ some account for things differently.
When we want to drive down food costs in our household, we look at stuff such as TooGoodToGo etc.
We do a lot of freezing in order to reduce food wastage and creative in the kitchen.
Available-Nose-5666@reddit
Really? I would say I spend £30 daily on food. Not for me, my autistic son with a limited diet.
UniqueLady001@reddit
I live alone in London and tend to batch cook. I too do most of my food shop in lidl and make most of my meals from scratch. Brekky usually consist of their shredded wheat or porridge made with chia seeds and milk. Lunch, I buy a 12 pack of Warburton baps and either use tuna and sweet corn or the pack of cooking bacon for less than £2 with a bottle of water and a homemade muffin/fruit. Dinner is a meal I have batched cooked and take them out of the freezer on days I'm on lates or nights for work. Basically, it all depends on your eating habits and your cooking ability. So spending £20-£30 a week is easily done even when cooking meat. The question is is the items you are buying are already prepared or actual raw ingredients?
Complex-Meringue-293@reddit
Made an account to comment as this is something I care about quite a bit - assuming this account doesn't just get deleted...
2 of us and shopping is consistently £20-30 a week. I cook everything and plan meals in a way that ingredients can be used between different meals, ideally cooking them differently but not always. Also I'm not perfect, sometimes we mess up.
Roast chicken is crazily cheap if you insist on eating meat, stock from the bones as well. We can easily get 3 days of meals from 1 chicken and that is with fairly nice portions. Plus the stock that I often cook rice in. Made lemon chicken with some of the meat before and rice too, that was pretty nice.
Also buy a lot of root veg, most are pretty cheap. Most people love a good roast potato and they are so cheap to make! Steamed or mashed carrots, parsnips, swede are all nice options too.
Rice I often add frozen peas and sweet corn to, adds some veg to the meal so it isn't just carbs and both are pretty cheap options. Sometimes do pasta with a tomato sauce (made from chopped tomatoes) which is also very cheap.I
I often combine breakfast/lunch together and make a large bowl of porridge, possibly one of the cheapest foods in cost/kcal short of guzzling cooking oil or lard.
n7shepard1987@reddit
I live off milk and Weetabix and don't eat everyday so I spend less than a tenner on food, but yeah shit looks expensive nowadays
molgab@reddit
I think it sounds like you are already. I live in Yorkshire and easily spend that a week too. I think people straight up lie.
Hot-Box1054@reddit
Combination of reasons:
They’re lying
They’re using credit card and won’t admit to how much they put on there
They’re genuinely eat less
Or the main culprit
molgab@reddit
I think it sounds like you are already. I live in Yorkshire and easily spend that a week too.
Usual_Ladder_7113@reddit
Family of 4 and a dog. £600 a month.
j5shxx1@reddit
Life’s too short to be spending less than £50 a week, unless you physically can’t obviously
Notsurewhatlol@reddit
It's not that hard really, I'm a student and spend less then 30 pounds on all food and snacks per week.
Buy oats in 1kg bags, mix with water to make porridge. Those bags are usually under a pound and last a few weeks. Stockwell's honey is cheap, or just take sugar packets from cafes. You don't need to buy anything, they don't care. Bananas are cheap and a good topping.
Lunches is rice, maybe with eggs and frozen peas, soy sauce to taste. Bulk rice is cheap, as is eggs and peas.
Dinners I make daals. I only have garam masala and then splash out on curry pastes when I can. A 1kg bag of chickpeas cost me three quid, about 20 servings for my portions, and I'm a big eater. Chopped tomatoes, onions, and frozen peas are cheap. Whatever veg on reduced gets chucked in.
I plan meals around what's in the reduced section, if there is cheap pork I'm having that with rice, chips (buy potatoes whole and makes yourself for best price) etc.
It's really not hard to budget minimal food, and my monthly food shop is around 80 pounds, as I do my big 30 pound shop every two weeks, then a top up shop in the in-between weeks for bananas and reduced stuff.
GrassExpress9023@reddit
Its your body why trying to save some money if you can just eat good
Ananakoya@reddit
London is more expensive for everything to be fair!
Foreign-Score-346@reddit
£50 a week for one is reasonable I think, especially if you're entertaining twice a week, I'd say you're doing well. I'm single, and shop at lidl, make everything at home, breakfast lunch and dinner, my weekly spend is about £50, and I never have others to feed.
KimonoCathy@reddit
By buying fruit and veg at the market, make a lot of soups, meat (often bought frozen) 3-4 times a week, usually chicken or minced beef. No alcohol or coffee. The advantages were having a small freezer and having been able to buy a 5kg bag of rice, 3kg bag of pasta and some herbs/seasonings upfront which means the rest of the weekly budget goes further. Today I made 9 portions of chili con carne for £4.64, 1kg of bacon sliced up and in the freezer for future use £2.69, 6 portions of carrot & beetroot soup £1.59. Loaf of bread 75p. Bag of oats 75p, bag of lentils 50p, lettuce 89p, milk 1.69, potatoes £1. Bag of pears 50p. Note £25 a week is food only - toiletries, cling film, cleaning products etc are on top of this.
truncherface@reddit
I live alone
I spend a maximum of £20 a week on groceries
I'm vegetarian which helps, I don't drink or smoke
I batch cook for the freezer
I only buy what I need to make the next batch of food. I tend to have around 3 different meals in the freezer
When it comes to fresh veg etc there is no way I can use a whole bag of onions etc before they go bad. So I get single portions vacuum sealed and in the freezer. Even things like bread that I might not use in time goes in the freezer
My freezer is just a standard one. I cook when I have 5 freezer containers clean. This means I'm only cooking once a week
AlwaysTheKop@reddit
You must be lying according to everyone on here... how dare you know how to budget and prepare.
truncherface@reddit
My friends don't believe me either. Then they show their baskets with processed food, wine and brand name goodies
Buying a decent recipe book with food from all over has been a god send. This means I'm not living of the same 3 standard meals every day
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
This is exactly what I do. I don't know why so many people in this thread refuse to believe its possible. It also goes completely against the whole idea that a vegan diet is expensive - meat is a huge huge part of most people's grocery shops!
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
My wife and I can easily live on £45 a week for all food and drink supplies, but that doesnt mean a single person can live on £22.50. Economies of scale come into this. If we buy a small chicken to roast, thats enough meat for both of us for 2 or 3 days, but a single person buying that bird will end up freezing most of it nad living off just chicken for a week, or throwing a lot of it away.
Also, cooking costs - if it takes 5KwH of electrical power to cook that chicken and the associated vegetables and roast potatoes, thats 2.5KwH each for us, or 5KwH each for the single person.
Being single is expensive
sharps2020@reddit
The cost of eating in the UK is mental! The same food in South East Aisa for instance is a 3rd of the price (as long as you push aside your morals I guess)
anthroplea@reddit
Lol I can spend 50 quid in a day if I'm not careful.
bluepizzabooks@reddit
The cheapest foods are highly processed. You can buy a bag of chips for £2 in Aldi, and a pack of 4 southern fried chicken steaks (frozen) for £1.69 where I live, add two tons of beans for 40p each and you’ve got 4 week night meals for less than £5. Cereal for breakfast and things like Aldi brand super noodles (45p a pack) for lunch and you could do it but you’d be eating crap and most probably feel like crap!
ItsDominare@reddit
I spend about £80-£100 a week for a household of two if that makes you feel any better.
AstroBlush8715@reddit
Because you live in London.
Hugo shopping every Sunday I buy the food for both of us for a week and it comes to about £80.
We eat lots of salads in fresh vegetables which are cheap. I also make my lunches for work in bulk from this shop.
I hear about what some people are spending and I just don't understand what the hell they're eating to be honest.
The last time I had a conversation like this with someone on reddit who couldn't understand where his money was going it turned out who is eating steak two or three times a week "because he needed it for the gym".
Pauczan@reddit
I spend £0, I send my teenage kids shopping, they take whatever they want snd whatever we need and just leave without paying, security can’t stop them. Saved me hundreds.
Gooseuk360@reddit
People lie - don't forget. But, if you are cooking from raw veg and don't bother with meat it's probably doable. We spend about £60 a week on food and thats 3 people. It includes all the shopping too. I make everything that is feasible e.g. pastry, cookies, every meal, nachos etc
15 years ago and I spent over a year with a diet that was the cheapest 80p frozen pizzas you could get, and then anything with a yellow label I could top it with. I'd eat one a day and do leftovers for lunch. Then same again unless there was anything decent on discount, sometimes a jacket potato because they cost nothing, or soups etc.
Needless to say it wasn't too healthy, I lost a lot of weight quickly but then just stayed the same, still managed a few mile run every other day too. And at least I could pay the bills I guess.
EssentialParadox@reddit
I’m shocked at the number of people saying a £30 a week budget is “BS”, or that “they must be living on rice and beans with no meat”.
That’s not a huge budget but you can easily make that stretch if you don’t buy branded items, don’t waste anything, and treat alcohol or other unnecessary buys as separate.
Here’s an example day. I’ve added in 3 meals (even though I personally only eat two), I’ve not necessarily chosen cheapest options, but I have skipped big brands (which most people should be doing anyway), I’ve bought in bulk / taken advantage of deals, and I’ve even added in a branded soft drink and dessert. All decimals are rounded up. And did I solely use Waitrose prices for this demonstration? Yes. Yes, I did.
Breakfast (Cereal) - Waitrose Fruit & Fibre cereal (30g): £0.11 - Waitrose Essential Whole Milk (125ml): £0.10
Lunch (Beans & Egg on Toast) - Waitrose Essential Baked Beans (210g): £0.28 - Waitrose Free Range Egg: £0.25 - Waitrose Soft White Farmhouse (2 slices): £0.15 - Waitrose Chocolate Mini Roll: £0.20
Dinner (Sausages & Mash) - Waitrose Essential British Pork Chipolatas (3 sausages): £0.57 - Waitrose Maris Piper Potatoes (200g): £0.22 - Waitrose Essential Frozen British Garden Peas (125g): £0.20 - Bisto Gravy (20g + hot water): £0.21
Drink & Dessert - Pepsi Max (330ml from a 2L): £0.29 - Snickers Ice Cream: £0.57
TOTAL: £3.15 per day
I could easily do cheaper days but I think this serves as a good example with meat.
So this comes out to £22.05 per week, or you could even get a McDonalds, Kebab, or other takeaway dinner one night and still come in at £30 per week. You could add on other household items to bring your total shopping bill up, but we’re talking only food.
So I don’t know where people are getting this idea that £20-30 per week is unrealistic.
Swiftix@reddit
This is a great example but bear in mind it only comes to 1650\~kCal which isn't enough for many people. You could easily add some fruit and another snack to make it more univeral without changing the cost notably though!
If anyone looks at this example for inspiration I'll just add that the macros are a decent baseline too with around 70g protein, 200g carbs, 50g fat, 30g of fibre and 6.6g salt (a little high but only just over recommended, could switch to low salt gravy to reduce). If you added 50g\~ Waitrose mixed nuts you could get an extra 300 kCal in with 8g protein, 30g fat, 4g fibre for an extra 73p per day, or £27 per week.
EssentialParadox@reddit
You could be right about calories as I’m usually trying to cut down on calories to lose weight but your suggestions are great and still barely increase the price.
Still not sure why so many are disagreeing with this example. I’d love to see what they’re spending 3x the money on eating… what a life that must be…
Neat-Ostrich7135@reddit
I spend about 100 a week, but that is food for three adults. I buy myself 1 or 2 lunches on top of that. I know my son doesn't buy anything, daughter might pick up a few things.
6-foot-under@reddit
They are probably eating pot noodles and other poor quality food.
LateOutcome8256@reddit
Depends on where you are. 2 years ago I was able to spend £60 a month just buying meat and then there was a charity scheme called "waste not want not" where I could go up to a church once a week and they'd stock me up on pasta, rice, bread, veg, fruit and often cheese and sauces and things (sometimes they even gave me croissants). I've since moved back to my home town and there's nothing like that here.
duvagin@reddit
fasting ?!
scienceandfloofs@reddit
I spend £50-60/week for one. I eat healthily, don't buy named brands, and don't buy ready made stuff. I can't even imagine now someone could only spend £20-30.
Dd_8630@reddit
That's your issue right here: you're believing what people say on the Internet.
cinematic_novel@reddit
You can easily make a nutritionally conplete + tasty meal for under £3 (but even for much less.
It's just that you may have to invest some time in preparation and over time it would get boring
AlmostGummyRat@reddit
Google Sheet of everything I've eaten and purchased this year I am vegan coeliac who has been encouraging myself to spend more on food this year and I average £32 a week (Also spent £32/week in 2024, and £27/week in 2023). In addition to the sheet I spent £72 on food and alcohol for 'nights out'
UvUOlim@reddit
I don't eat breakfast. Bake bread in the oven. Yeast is cheap and flour is cheap I repeat the same 2 meals and take multivitamins. One with spaghetti, vegan mince, tomato sauce and peas. Rice, mixed beans and sauce Then spend nothing else. I'm on benefits so I have to pinch pennies :3 I'm also very autistic so the repetition doesn't really matter
Away-Activity-469@reddit
You can buy a whole chicken for about £12 (free range one from lidl). Bag of spuds and veg is another £5. It gives 3 or 4 meals before you use the carcass scrapings and so on in a risotto that can see you through the week. Bananas for breakfast and a loaf of bread and block of cheese for lunches needn't add more than another £5.
ImpressionMediocre74@reddit
Look for bargains and then cook in bulk/freeze in Tupperware boxes. If you see something cheap but aren't sure how you'd use it then Google a recipe. Rather than thinking "I want to have so and so for tea" and then going out and buying all the ingredients no matter the price.
This week I got the ingredients for 12 portions of lentil curry and 4 portions of Bolognese sauce and all in paid £6. A few years ago it would have got to 19:00 and id have thought "I want curry" and I'd have paid £25 for 2 portions delivered.
Mr_Rage666@reddit
I always wonder how people spend so much. I spend £70 per week at Asda/Tesco as I currently don't have very much income due to being out of work as my 12 year old daughter has cancer. We are a family of four which equates to £17.50 each and that isn't a complaint as we feel to be ok at that.
Diligent-Raccoon2231@reddit
I think a lot of those people probabl buy snacks, coffees, sandwiches, fast food, meals out etc. and are failing to count that... they're possibly doing one or two extra top-up shops here and there - as well as the odd take-away they're forgetting about.
Shirohana_@reddit
hi, im one of those people, i usually buy a set of ingredients/items i can eat/use by the end of the week. things like butter, coffee or oats i dont need to buy every week because i dont eat it all in 7 days. also sometimes i buy cereal instead of oats or beef instead of chicken. i always aim for around £30 a week and then get creative with what i bought. so for example, ill give you one of my lists. this is for asda. just for me:
italian fresh penne £1.97 brown onion 1kg £0.99 asda garlic £ 0.88 growers selection carrot 1kg £0.69 (nice) parsley £0.52 asda 12 eggs £2.80 semi skimmed milk £1.20 asda salted butter £1.99 quaker oats 20 sachet £3.75 greek yoghurt £1.87 asda leaf salad bag £0.94 baby spinach £0.98 basmati white rice £1.85 chicken breast portion £2.14 6 pork sausage £2.95 8 wholemeal wrap £1.18 asda strawberies £3.87 asda blueberies £1.48.
this comes to a total of £33.04.
so you see, i give myself around £30 stopping point and check what i can afford. and if you noticed i said somethings i dont have to buy every week, like oats or butter, ill get some different stuff like potatoes, mushrooms, or some snacks. it its always around the same price point.
this is just an example by the way. i have bought this exact list before but i always try to get different things, and greens and veggies for some balance, and when i have some extra budget to spare i get a few nuts and snacks, and these sometimes will last more than one week so i dont have to buy more next week of shopping. if im feeling naughty i even get a redbull or 2 for the week hehe. you reallly dont have to eat frozen foods or cheap take out.
DoomPigs@reddit
i think if you're pretty happy eating the same stuff all the time, £30 would be light work, I don't track my spending but it's definitely a lot more than that because I basically never eat the same food two days in a row
OMGItsCheezWTF@reddit
My weekly food shop costs exactly £47.95
But then I only ever eat exactly the same thing because I take absolutely no joy in day to day food. I might eat a nice meal maybe once a month but day to day it's just sustenance.
Ill_Respect7232@reddit
you live in london
IdiotBearPinkEdition@reddit
We spend 30-40 a week as two people. We eat a lot of bread and cheese, barely ever eat meat and if we do, we buy it from the reduced section and freeze it straight away. We don't really snack or buy fizzy drinks. I buy cans bulk online, resulting in drinks that will end up costing about 50p overall
I do notice that it really is a small difference in the shop that makes it either tiny or massive, so it might literally just be that extra bit you're cooking for others
I guess it must just be what we're buying. It could just happen that what I like costs less, who knows? We shop at Morrisons, by the way
the_uk_hotman@reddit
I spend between £30 and £50 a week for one plus 2 dogs shopping in Tesco on the expensive week it's mainly because ive ran out of things for the laundry or chips and frozen dog food that kind of thing. If like me I shop online then click n collect you only get whats needed and not splurge on those supposed bargains and end up spending a fortune. I could actually cut down my bill considerably if I did have the luxury of having magnums and chocolate too.
just_some_guy65@reddit
Pasta is cheap and I don't eat meat, my cat's food is more expensive than mine by weight.
Olista523@reddit
The problem with shopping for one person is that it’s cheaper to buy in bulk rather than just what you need. You can get around this by cooking in bulk and freezing extra portions. See what’s reduced and plan the meal around that.
Dried beans, pulses etc last forever and are great for bulking things out. Red lentils can be easily added to most pasta sauces.
Vegetable scraps can be frozen and used elsewhere: broccoli/cauliflower stalks are great for soup; carrots/celery/leaks/onion&garlic skins/parsnips (essentially, any non-brassica vegetables that aren’t too starchy, although RRD onion skins may turn it pink) can make vegetable stock that you can use to cook up rice and frozen peas if you’re especially broke or just used to add flavour; Mushroom offcuts can be cooked until fairly dry and blitzed in a food processor then added to anything you use mince in - they absorb the fat and the taste/texture becomes just like the meat.
If you find you’re throwing away a lot of things half finished, find a way to reduce waste. Sliced bread can be toasted from frozen, go for none-dairy milk as it lasts longer or turn some of it into a white or cheese sauce which freezes just fine.
Try to buy meat and dairy on sale whenever possible and eggs tend to stay good long past their best before date - if they don’t float in cold water they’re fine.
Also, yeah, no one includes eating out or takeout in their grocery budget and living outside of London definitely helps.
Ekhinos@reddit
Bulk buy and cook for the week. Chicken, onions, lentils, any and all cheap veg (sliced and bulk-roasted in the oven), orzo pasta, turkey mince, canned tomatoes, stock cubes, sweet potatoes and canned beans, look for near-best-buy-dates on salmon or other oily fish which are often on sale, nut butter as a thickening agent in stews or on pita bread, splurge for sliced mixed nuts to add to salad leaves for protein. A few standard spices for flavor.
RockinRobler@reddit
You're in London, so that pretty much explains it. I'm in the North, and £30 is my average unless I treat myself or need to restock on cupboard essentials. £30-£50 is my range.
Furok-Lankmondo@reddit
While most people absolutely downplay the amount they spend, knowingly or not, there's a few things that really help. If you have a big freezer you can buy certain things in bulk for lower prices, also really helps if you work somewhere with any kind of subsidized canteen. At the peak of money saving I was taking overtime solely to get cheap meals from work.
Rasberrypinke@reddit
I spend probably close to £100/week on food, as a single person. To be fair I shop at the Tesco next to my house mostly, just to save time, but I wonder if it's that those people aren't prioritising nutrition? Like, I make sure that I'm getting nutrients with most meals, including fruits and veggies and that's actually really expensive I've found. I COULD live on like £30 a week if I just eat carbs and protein, but I wouldn't feel good in my body if I did that.
Adept_Deer_5976@reddit
I think you could eat for £30 a week, but it wouldn’t be enjoyable and you’d have to be very strict with your leftovers. Tinned fish is a cheat code for eat cheaply and (relatively) healthy. Batch cooking too
riotgrrlmaria@reddit
i work at a cafe where i get lunch for free and often make myself a sandwich to take home for dinner!! so i spend VERY little on food but my diet is rubbish 😭😭
Usual_Ad_340@reddit
we spend 150 every 2 months on food shopping 2 adults one 2 years old, cook food every 3-4 days
carlbernsen@reddit
If you know how to make good soups and stews and keep a pot going for a week you can feed yourself pretty well for not a lot.
You can literally eat a very healthy stew for every main meal, varying the flavour with different herbs, spices and stock.
That alone will save a lot of money since the bulk of it is the cheaper vegetables and pulses.
Frozen fish/chicken etc is typically cheaper than fresh, as is frozen fruit and veg like spinach.
CME453@reddit
Honesty £20 a week is lying. For the month as a single person, a spend around £200 for the month. That’s £50 a week. And I almost solely shop at Asda. Great deals and great own brand items.
ArkofRathalos969@reddit
£20 is absolutely doable, but its gonna be basic stuff. I can make a whole batch of Tuna Mayo Pasta that has 5 portions and that only costs me somewhere between £2-£3 to make. I also like a ceaser salad and per portion id say that is also maybe £2. Cereal is quite cheap for how much you can get from it too. I don't believe people are spending £20 or less every week unless they're skimping out on stuff and making sacrifices.
I think if you're looking to save money the best advice would be:
A) Don't bother with branded products. Personally I find some 'value' products better than branded. But if you care about buying brands then go ahead.
B) Make sure that whatever shop you are shopping at, if it has a club card, get it. I've saved so much at Tesco and Co-op alone by looking out for club card prices.
C) If the shop is nearby and you can go as daily as possible, shop in the reduced section. I live near a co-op and I find it's worth the five minute walk to see if I can't get some reduced goodies.
rightgirlwrong@reddit
Granola isn’t healthy and is extremely expensive compared to the raw ingredients . Yoghurt is often very overpriced .
BeerAndABurger@reddit
I batch cook, my weekly shopping workd out at about 25 quid, I'll make 9 portions of lasagne, 9 of bolognese, 9 of maybe a chicken in white sauce type meal, then 4 of curry and then I'll serve all of it either over rice, potatoes or pasta. I eat basically the same meals on rotation every week, for lunch I'll have eggs on toast. It's maybe the autism that allows me to eat the exact same things over and over but it works for me.
JonathnJms2829@reddit
I used to have a budget of £4.50 a day and it basically boils down to not getting enough protein and eating the same stuff all the time.
Choice-Confection-76@reddit
My partner and I probably do around £70-80 each a week but we use a food delivery service which is £48 for 5 dinners and then just shop for our lunches and fridge/ cupboard essentials.
longlivedeath@reddit
1 kg frozen meatballs from Iceland = 6 quid. 3 kg spaghetti = 3 quid. 1 litre ketchup = 2 quid.
This is like 2 weeks of dinners for a single person. Porridge for breakfast and yoghurt in the evening. Sorted.
Chunky_Monkey4491@reddit
It’s possible but relies more on time invested in batch cooking and buying own-brands stuff. Most of your ingredients (often poor quality) would be cost effective. Less meat, more veg, carbs etc - that sort of thing.
My problem is I like to snack and that’s where price rockets up. Snacks and treats are expensive compared to meals.
mrbill1234@reddit
Eat rice and lentils for every meal.
ShinraJosh1991@reddit
I'm in Yorkshire, two of us I can't get the bill below 80 quid unless I just eat shite and don't cook anything fresh. Meats gone up stupidly and you pick up something that looks nice as a treat it's probably 3x more expensive than it should be.
user67658@reddit
We spend £50-£60 a week two adults outside of London (Aldi)
dazed1984@reddit
How are you spending so much? I spend £50-60 for 2 people per week. No we don’t live off pasta and everything reduced.
Triordie@reddit
£14 for 40 packs of noodles on Amazon you have to basically eat noodles from most meals and jam sandwiches
DebtMindless6356@reddit
Mainly frozen, large pack goods. Imo
ettuA2@reddit
I'm a first year university student, and I do my food shopping for about £30 a week. The way I do it is through compromising on potential nutrition and variety. For example this week I'm doing a pasta bake for 4 days, a curry for 2 and a more picky dinner of freezer bits.
It is definitely possible, but not ideal.
Icy-Hand3121@reddit
Probably just doing bulk prep meals. You could stretch a pack of chicken thighs over 4 days and just do one pan meals, lots of rice and pasta stuff etc
I usually spend about £60 a week if there's no alcohol bought.
Aware_Lifeguard_2157@reddit
I just spent 60-70 quid on what I expect to last me a month if not longer. I only shop at Iceland and lidl (Iceland for frozen and lidl for everything else). I think the key is just shopping quite basic and taking advantage of offers and reduced stuff. A lot of the items I buy from iceland are from their basic kind of range and cost a quid, great for filling the freezer. I go to lidl for everything else, cheese, milk, bread etc.
I don't eat three meals a day, I only eat one larger meal. Also when I'm on the night shift we get provided with a hot meal. Cheep eating for 20 quid a week can easily be done just temper your expectations and be prepared for some fairly basic meals
Turbulent-Shoulder93@reddit
It really depends on what you eat and how much you cook (has additional cost) and how much you hint for bargains.
When I was a student I was surviving on a pound per day.
Now my wife and I get along on 100 per week, but this is with all organic food. If we downgraded the products we could do 35-37 per week per person.
Excellent-Resort2955@reddit
NOODLES
ElvenMagic888@reddit
If it makes you feel better I spend around £400 - 500 per month easily. Just one person, never eating out, never order food, also cooking regularly, eating very healthy and plant based.
I never care about how much what I want costs when it comes to food.
I grown up in poverty and promised myself that the first thing I accomplish will be not settling for less when it comes to feeding myself.
So I don't care about saving on food. Instead I save on other things like clothes, buying them in charity/second-hand shops.
I choose to focus on my goals & dreams not on what others do and don't do.
To me, making the most out of my life includes not counting pennies when it comes to food. I worked hard to be in this position and it's okay to spend a lot on your groceries. You deserve the best meals!
Revv-it@reddit
Batch cook, same meal for 5 days. E.g. if you like curry, cook one type of curry and rice. Downside - becomes boring to eat the same food. Upside - meets the budget.
MaxMouseOCX@reddit
I'm sitting in a B&M car park waiting for my wife and girls to finish, I went in, had no expectation of getting anything as I don't need anything, and I still somehow spent £14 on my own.
Now, if I were eating beans and rice all week I could maybe do it for £20, but I'd be miserable.
CJFarrelly01@reddit
As a single man 32 who lived buy himself I easily spend £75 a week on food for myself but admittedly that includes junk like fizzy drinks and the odd McDonald’s.
I purchase my meat from butchers as it’s cheaper than most supermarkets (joint of beef was £35 in Tesco’s) but will get my fresh stuff from supermarkets.
The price of certain items had definitely led to me dropping recipes altogether or changing them to accommodate what I can afford.
Normal-Ear-5757@reddit
Avoid name brand - Supermarket own-brand stuff is a fraction of the price
Stock up on non-perishables from time to time, so you spend less per week (yeah it is kinda cheating, it also helps with inflation)
Get used to the taste of UHT milk.
Avoid junk food. Crisps, breakfast cereals, and white bread are out. Eat wholemeal everything that can be wholemeal. Eat potatoes and fresh veg Use your freezer and microwave strategically. Never ever eat ready-meals , tinned soup, etc except in emergency ie if you are ill.
Fish, mushrooms, and pulses are a lot cheaper than meat
BUY THE CHEAPEST VERSION OF THE THING! e.g pesto can be £2.50 or £1. So get the £1 one.
Single-Position-4194@reddit
I know· I was on very short commons for a time during the early 1980s, and the lowest I could get my food bill down to was £13 a week, so probably equivalent to about £50-60 a week in 2025 (and I got very sick of liver, though I'm OK with it now).
BroccoliSubstantial2@reddit
Rofl!
I spend £280 a week for four people! £70 per person, oh that's about right.
LazyBarracuda@reddit
You have to eat quite a boring diet to spend that little but it is possible and I used to do it when I was starting out in London on a salary of just £17k. Porridge for breakfast (1kg of oats for £1) and a jacket potato with beans for lunch every single day. For tea, something cooked in bulk to last a few days or freeze.
Simple-Baker6890@reddit
We do but only because we’ve already spent the money on the non-perishables. We have hundreds of recipe cards left from doing hello fresh and Gousto ages ago, so we pick a bunch out and just get the ingredients for that. We invested a load upfront into what is now actually a very busy spice rack and every so often buy bigish bags of rice and onions etc, so sometimes the weekly shop is very small because we have most of the stuff already. I know it’s not technically the same because it wouldn’t be factoring in the real costs per week, but most weeks when we don’t have to stock up, is around £20-30, and there’s 2 of us (non London). Could be the people saying this are only factoring in the money leaving their account / week, and not what they’ve already spent on what’s in the cupboard.
alico127@reddit
I buy a medium whole chicken and cook it in the air fryer. Serve with potatoes or rice. That’s at least 4 meals, more if you make soup from the carcass. Firm tofu is under a quid in Aldi so that’s another cheap dinner (curry, rice bowl, noodles etc.). Pasta with a veggie sauce another night.
Lunch is leftovers, salads, sandwiches or soups (use chicken carcass to make soup).
Breakfast is fruit with porridge or yoghurt or eggs/avo on toast.
This all comes in under £30.
Smart_Amphibian5671@reddit
You live in London.
cwright017@reddit
My wife and I bulk cook. Pack of mince, carrots, onions, some mixed beans and some spices does us for 5 meals and costs £6-7 or so ( with carrots, onions, and spices left over for other meals ). We do the same with things like Thai curry etc.
So yeah 30 quid individually sounds about right I guess. It’s not hard to eat without breaking the bank.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
Unless you have very small stomachs, how do you make one pack of mince (even with veg) stretch to 5 meals?
Vargol@reddit
One pack of Mince, 750g A tin of chopped tomatoes. Some chillies or some sort, I tend to use half a pack of those, adjust to taste chopped frozen chillies, I have just used chillies power on occasion. A tin of cheap beans or pulses, I tend to favour chickpeas. Some frozen peppers and onions, I guess I use a quarter or a pack of those. Whatever you want to make it tasty, I do a dash of Red Wine Vinegar and a Dash of Dark soy and throw in half a squeezey pack of concentrated to tomato paste.
Brown of the mince, throw in the onions and peppers, until the onions are starting to brown, add the tomatoes, and chickpeas, using the chickpea water to rinse any remaining totmatoe douce on the tin. Add in the rest to taste cook for however look you feel.
Spilt in 5 portions, stick 4 in the freezer eat the other with some brown rice or pasta or whatever takes for fancy for a large meal, or on its own for a small meal.
Adds up to ~ 7 quid for 5 portions + a few pence for rice or pasta.
cwright017@reddit
Sorry I forgot that we also include some broccoli and peas with it on the side so add another quid or so for that.
I don’t think it’s about the size of your stomach, it’s about how much food you actually need to sustain your activity. We both gym and keep active, but both work pretty sedentary desk jobs so you really don’t need huge meals to sustain that.
I don’t personally snack.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
Yeah people are different
If I make food for me and my parents, 9/10 my dad will end up eating the majority of it and there won’t be leftovers haha! Even if the portion seems huge
NoEstate1459@reddit
Sure but if you're trying to save money on food you need to try and reduce how much food you eat.
cwright017@reddit
Yeah I get that, and obviously sometimes we get takeout and pig out like everyone else. But OP was asking how people can eat within a budget and the answer is really: cook your own meals, don’t eat out regularly ( basically budget and live within your means ).
Jolly_Garbage3381@reddit
So 30 quid is for dinner. You don't seem to be including breakfast, lunch, drinks, snacks....do you eat only one meal per day?
Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit
I did when I was a student. Drank only water. Snacks consisted of cheap supermarket biscuits (now days 30p for a pack)
I just priced up my old Bolognese from my student days. It lasted me 4 days of dinner and would cost me £6. So that would be £1.50 a day on dinner
cwright017@reddit
Name fits. Comment below explains it perfectly.
Drummk@reddit
£7 for meals for dinner for two people for five days. If you allow another £7 for the two remaining days, that's £14 for dinner. Leaving £16 for breakfast and lunch which is likely much cheaper.
Any-Research5662@reddit
Because most people online are full of shit and don’t tell the full truth
Gostelee@reddit
Eating disorder ✨
Complex_Box_7254@reddit
We're a couple who do a weekly online Ocado shop. The average is £60-£70 week.
Ashcashc@reddit
Always ALWAYS go by the price per kg/ml when buying from the supermarket, most places will display this next to the price of the item.
Quite often even if things seem on offer, they can be more expensive than buying a lager pack which works out cheaper per KG
Tiffiilils@reddit
We spend £45-£50 a week as a couple, outside of London. We plan before shopping and don't buy much additional outside of that, unless I've forgotten it or Aldi didn't have it in stock. We also have leftovers most meals which we can have for lunches or I will make a batch of soup or lentils (Spanish style) for lunches which is cost effective and tasty. Meals that stretch usually include pasta or rice dishes.
Happy to share some meal ideas if people find it of interest:)
This week we have: Homemade Katsu w/ rice and quinoa Creamy lemon salmon and spinach pasta Stuffed chicken breasts with mash and broccoli Kofte, cous cous and salad Chicken piccata meatballs
We have 2 days where we know we'll eat out or have a big lunch so won't need a huge/proper dinner
Kikifantastico@reddit
I only spend about 30 a week however I do a BIG shop every 5 or 6 weeks and get all of my freezer and pantry stuff like pasta rice spices meat etc. So my 30 a week is on vegetables and replacing stuff I've run out of and need right away.
Alpine_Newt@reddit
I could live off £30 per week on groceries. But only because I have a big stockpile of dried herbs and spices. You can can make pretty much anything taste great with the right herbs and spices.
AvatarIII@reddit
I could probably live on £3 per day, but that would be a pretty horrible existence. But even so there are ways to eat cheaply. I probably spend less than 50p per meal for breakfast and dinner, but then easily spend £4 on dinner, I tend not to snack much in the week so my only "snacks" are cups of tea (pretty cheap per teabag and a few pence of milk)
As for breakfast, you can get instant porridge pots for 37p in lidl, that's 7 breakfasts for under £3
Lunch? A loaf of own brand sliced bread is under £1 and should last you a week, then buy things to go in it.
nobody_you_knowof@reddit
I spend £30ish per week on food, it's not that unreasonable. I do cook from scratch and batch cook a fair bit, and tend to avoid beef and fish as they're pricey. Usually get an uber eats or something once a week but I don't include that in my food budget :)
CicadaAmbitious4340@reddit
It's going to depend of what you eat. We are couple who spend about £600 - 700 on food, we never order takeout, we make coffee at home. I have digestive issues. Most of our meals are meat, tofu, vegetables, eggs, little fruit. I can't eat almost any carbs which would bulk out meals or legumes. This also includes our toiletries, cleaning products.
Jordanomega1@reddit
I would love to just spend 20-30 on food a week. Unless they are really really shopping around and buying reduced stuff near closing time at the supermarket. I can walk into Morrison's and easily spend 60-80 and only come out with a bag sometimes 2 bags.
Food portion sizes have dropped so massively I end buying 2 of some items. I try and get the own brand stuff and reduced items. The tinned stuff even seems to be shrinking.
If anyone is managing to shop for 20 I'd like to know how. My guess is they could be eating at mum n dads house a few times a week.
korgscrew@reddit
It’s £30 for just popping to the shops for a few bits these days.
srm79@reddit
I spend about £40 per week. I go to M&S for ready meals, I can get 6 for £20, and I then go to Sainsbury's for bread, butter, sliced ham & beef, cheese, milk and some biscuits and an apple pie. That does me for the week, although it can be a bit boring
LickRust78@reddit
Family of 5, multiple dogs and cats and we are at about £100 a week. Mostly aldi, we eat mostly chicken, pork or beef once a week and try to have a vegetarian meal at least once a week. I make a decent breakfast once a weekend, like eggs and bacon and such. We do a lot of leftovers as well, since I wfh, I just nibble on those. I only drink water and the kids only have a soda once a day, squash the rest... that's not a rule, just something we've done since we started letting them have soda. Coffees at home, leftovers for lunch or sandwiches.
poshbakerloo@reddit
I spent £40-55 per week in Aldi, in Cheshire
vientianna@reddit
Batch cooking, buying non branded items, buying non processed foods. Not buying lots of meat
ButtweyBiscuitBass@reddit
I dunno about this. We are veggie and don't drink and always cook. Our friends spend much less than us on a weekly shop and we couldn't work out why. Essentially they're eating processed food more than us and it's way cheaper. If Lidl chicken nuggets or sausages are your protein that's not something you can really match cheaply at every meal with non-processed food.
vientianna@reddit
I’m talking about ready meals, pre made sandwiches, things where the work has already been done for you so you’re paying for it
im-just-confused--@reddit
I don't know how much lidl chicken nuggets cost but if they're cheaper per 100g than a large bag of legumes that's pretty depressing.
ButtweyBiscuitBass@reddit
I don't think that's really a fair comparison. It's possible to eat incredibly cheaply by eating lentils, rice and mixed bags of frozen veg. But it's not what most families can do on a long term basis.
im-just-confused--@reddit
I didn't say rice and frozen veg, I was reacting to you talking about someone's source of protein being lidl frozen chicken. Why wouldn't it be possible for most families to eat a variety of legumes instead of frozen chicken nuggets? It's not impossible or unfair to compare, it's just that most people don't want to cook or change habits. The comparison is completely fair financially and nutritionally. Most people choose convenience and habit over health and cost. Most people could absolutely do it long term, we've just normalised UPFs as the default and most people aren't willing to trade convenience for a bit of effort.
fulloffungi@reddit
Yea. Veggies, pulses (dried), yellow sticker meat and bread are very cheap. Non brand condiments.
As an experiment we're doing a month of no added sugar diet which pretty much excludes any processed foods. We make exceptions for things like condiments because we don't want it to be miserable, or to avoid food waste at home. Anyway, we're now very limited in what we buy. There's 1 type of cereal we can get for instance (shreddies). But our shops have become very very cheap. And not miserable at all, if a bit difficult at times. But it turns out that lots of the tasty trash we buy ends up being rather expensive!
vientianna@reddit
How are you feeling so far? I have done Whole 30 before (effectively whole foods only for 30 days) and i definitely felt better but it was hard to sustain
ahhwhoosh@reddit
Non processed foods? Are processed foods more expensive than buying fresh stuff?
Hot-Efficiency7190@reddit
As a general rule yes, processing adds cost. The basics, veg, rice, pasta, simple breads will always be the cheapest foods. Branded process foods are a lot more expensive. Often own-brand, part-processed or frozen items can be cheap.
OddlyDown@reddit
Yes, easily.
You can make a lot of vegetable curry are dhal for very little money.
NoEstate1459@reddit
Tbh you can make a chicken curry for beer little money too
BigBeerLover@reddit
Yeh you can get 4/5 portions of a lentil chickpea curry for probably £3
NoEstate1459@reddit
Massively.
vientianna@reddit
Things like ready meals are, yes
ahhwhoosh@reddit
Interesting. I assumed it was more expensive to buy all the bits and make it but I suppose you can make it in big bulk if you buy the bits
BigBeerLover@reddit
Generally yeh. At uni last year I used to live on a whole foods diet (lots of lentils etc) and could get by spending £25 a week on food. Ate zero shit but just took more time throughout the week to prep and cook
Alpacatastic@reddit
This. I don't eat meat but when I do happen to look at the prices for some of the meat products it's ridiculous. Other than fat not much in meat that lentils don't have. Maybe if there's a really good sale on meat products go for them but switching to plant protein (that isn't ready made meals at least) will save you quick a bit. Lentils are my ride and die. Canned beans are good too but dried is really cheap.
tutike2000@reddit
Non processed foods tend to be more expensive as they have a much shorter shelf life.
If you mean "less ready to cook" as in not buying ready meals, that makes sense
togtogtog@reddit
I notice that the stuff that costs more is the more processed stuff.
So for example, Ben's mexican style rice is £6.60 per kg, and that includes water.
Basic plain white rice is 52p per kg, and that is equivalent to 18p per kg of cooked rice
So if someone had rice for tea, they may have spent
NovelStand9027@reddit
I lived in Bristol with no takeouts on £20. It’s possible with really good planning. I got a too good to go for 3/4£ once every 2/3 weeks maybe but only after a few months of living there and never ate out. I planned a LOT of meals but I’m also a woman and smaller and don’t have a massive appetite I ate 2 big meals a day. It’s just tight!!
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AdAdministrative7315@reddit
Honestly, here's something I keep telling myself I should do, just make simple meals and freeze leftovers, but I still end up spending way too much on food. I always think I’ll be organised, but somehow I end up grabbing takeaways.
Muted-Resist6193@reddit
Probably by budget cooking? Here's a budget spaghetti Bolognese style dish:
That's a total of £3.71 for 4400 calories which is about six main meal for £0.62 each.
Here some breakfast.
That's 481 calories for £0.48.
That's about 1100 calories per day for £1.10, so let's just double it. That's 2200 calories for £2.20, or £15.40 a week.
I personally spend way more than that, but when I do need to budget, I'll do something like the above.
TomatoChomper7@reddit
I spend about the same as you (and I’m not in London), but at times when I want to save money I just get strict and only do whoopsie aisle and Too Good To Go. I can do a £20 week then.
Malteser_soul@reddit
I live alone, not in London, and currently spend £120-150 a month on food. I very rarely get takeaways or eat out or cook for others. I track all my spending in detail so this is an accurate figure, not an estimate. If I eat at a restaurant that gets categorised as 'going out' spending rather than food spending anyway.
Tbf I have a very pasta-heavy diet, which is a relatively cheap food, and otherwise don't eat a huge amount - cereal for breakfast, banana/cuppa soup for lunch most week days - but my spending does include snacks and I will buy branded food, the luxury version of sauces etc and not often the budget versions of ingredients. I also don't eat much meat. I don't often cook from scratch and I don't batch cook.
If I have visitors even for a couple of days in a month then I find it does dramatically push my supermarket costs up, so I really think that's contributing more than you think as to why yours is higher.
Cressyda29@reddit
If you make food yourself it’ll cost more, but also be better for you. If you are spending £30 a week on food it’s 100% frozen.
FigureSubstantial970@reddit
If you don’t eat out or takeaways it’s actually easy to only spend 30 pound a week on food.
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
Some people are likely lying and there's also that whole performative frugalness angle you see a lot online as well (see any time a wedding thread comes up)
But some people likely just are that savvy and able to budget super well and stretch food out and are the sort of people who don't mind basically living off the same thing for ages and don't have dietary restrictions and so on
magicbluebear@reddit
I uploaded a £20 Lidl shop on here recently, 1 person for 1 week. I had done a £60 shop the week before so still had plenty of ingredients leftover. I also eat the same thing for breakfast/lunch/dinner a week at a time to save money and mental energy (I’m not bothered by eating the same thing each day.) I also had a takeaway one night that week.
singeblanc@reddit
Being mostly veggie/vegan
Batch cooking.
Billions of people eat delicious frugal meals every day around the world. Copy them!
For me: a weekly big batch of 3 bean chilli-non-carne, eat some, freeze some, fridge some for lunches/nachos/chilli burgers later in the week.
Cook up a big curry! Thai with aubergine, Indian with chickpeas, Jamaican sweet potato. Buy a 25kg bag of long grain white rice to last you the year.
Dried beans and lentils are very cheap, but with increasing energy prices tinned can be better.
Subject_Ear_1656@reddit
People just aren't counting all of their spending. 3 meals a day , 7 days a week would mean you were spending a quid a meal. Making dinner for one night (with some leftovers) with normal ingredients can easily cost a tenner when being frugal.
NoEstate1459@reddit
I just did a shop from Morrisons
1kg of chicken breast £6.90
Greek yogurt £1.10
3 mixed peppers £1.89
3 large onions £0.95
2 Romaine lettuce £1.09
Pitas £1.20
3 Red Onions £0.95
Chopped Tomatoes £0.85
Ciabattas £1.20
Garlic £0.89
And I have a few bits and pieces like rice, spices etc already at mine.
That's two portions of chicken Caesar salad, two portions of chicken kebabs and probably 3 portions of a chicken curry for £17.
So £2.40 a meal, that's cheaper than most ready meals and you can stretch that out to a couple more meals if you really needed to by adding potatoes or other carbs to the kebabs/salads.
And that's not exactly trying to be frugal, it's just a random shop I did recently.
Subject_Ear_1656@reddit
The few bits is exactly what people aren't counting. Oil, spices etc.
3 peppers and some chopped tomatoes as your only fruit for a week is also bringing the cost down a lot.
NoEstate1459@reddit
Onions as well. And it's just my main meal of the day, veg is really cheap anyway, you can buy like a kilo of carrots for less than a quid
Subject_Ear_1656@reddit
Fruit is what is missing moreso. Punnet of blackberries 150g at lidl is 2.15. I have 75g with breakfast most days so blackberries alone cost me like 8 quid a week.
Ok-Exam-211@reddit
Frozen is where it’s at! Or foraging when it’s the right time of year and freezing them - blackberries grow everywhere in the uk. They aren’t as nice defrosted as an alone snack but if you usually eat them with something you will not notice the difference
NoEstate1459@reddit
You can buy a pack of like 5 apples for £1.20 or so or a bunch of bananas for like 70p
double-happiness@reddit
I budget £1 for lunch and £2 for dinner, max.
minelli42@reddit
Do you have an Aldi? Aldi is cheaper Thant Lidl. I didn’t realise this until my Aldi was closed and I had to go to Lidl x
TheKhaos121@reddit
I have bulk of things I use often, rice, pasta, tinned foods, frozen chicken, cheese. Then weekly il buy a couple of bits to be used for several meals.
Let's say I buy peppers, mushrooms, Minced meat, along with what's in my cupboard I can now make chilli con carne. The mushrooms can be used to bulk out the chilli saving me some Minced meat for the next meal. The chilli can be put over rice, nachos, in wraps to make burritos or enchiladas, spread over toast with cheese on top, or even in pasta. It won't make all of those but with enough chopped tomatoes, beans and spices it could do two. Then I still have two whole peppers, half a pack of mushrooms, and the Minced meat to make something else.
It's all about getting the most out of everything you have. I never plan a meal, I look at what I have and what I could potentially buy to turn what I have into two or three more meals.
Just to add I skip breakfast as I find I get more hungry if I have it, I usually have one big main meal after work then maybe something small in the evening. I also work at a supermarket and the amount of times I hear a customer complain about the price of a branded product then proceeds to buy it anyway is infuriating. Compare prices, buy cheap brands, really think if you need 2.50 dorritos over 90p store brand nachos, it doesn't sound like much but picking and choosing cheaper items is how I spend so little.
Downtown-Bullfrog435@reddit
I spend roughly 125-150 a month as a single person. I’ve always wondered why I spend far less than others. I shop mostly at M&S and Tesco and the occasional Lidl shop. I eat out a few times a week-maybe 3-4x. I tend to buy gift cards to supermarkets using Jam Doughnut to get around 4-5% cashback. Apart from that, I’m able to keep things low by bulk buying (detergent, toilet rolls, etc), choosing protein that’s versatile and fairly low cost (minced meats, chicken wings/thighs instead of breast) and fully utilizing what I have before doing my big food shop.
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
These threads always go like this:
"They're lying and they're also sickly weaklings living on gruel."
"I actually eat reasonably well. Here are some examples of my diet and spend."
"Well I don't want to eat like that."
Ok? Don't then. No one is making you put any effort into reducing your food budget. If you're happy with what you spend on food, keep spending it. Why do you care that others spend less than you?
DevilsAdvocate1662@reddit
My weekly shop is £90ish for a family of 4. Meal planning saves so much money
Nanocon101@reddit
Being in London probably doesn't help.
LegalSet211@reddit
It may come down to how much of a dry store they have. For example I have a great dry store of spices / pasta / rice / tinned food. Which means that to feed a family of 4 my weekly bill is around £70-£80.
Now to add more context my wife will do top up shops which includes a lot of the “luxuries” and things we don’t really need. I also meal plan very heavily and things like a roast chicken will turn into 2 meals plus sandwiches. I also cook most meals from base proteins + vegetables. We also live in the midlands which makes it a lot cheaper.
It’s definitely doable with scale but as a person on your own you loose the economies you get as a family so I’d agree that these people don’t likely know what they really spend!
No_Preference_2761@reddit
Definitely budgeting, meal prepping, massive freezer types.
2 adults in my household, no pets, and we probably spend a good £100 per week.
That does include alcohol, toiletries, cleaning products etc, but not take aways. If we needed to cut down I could slash that drastically but we don't need to, so we spend on what we fancy.
Dull_Method_2572@reddit
It is doable but you aren't eating well. I'm losing weight at the mo, and through work I tend to only eat twice a day. Breakfast might just be bread and jam, a bacon sarnie or overnight oats, mostly store cupboard things with just topping up bread/milk/bacon.
Dinner might be one of those quick pasta things, could buy small portions of mince or chicken drumstick fillets and make 2-3 portions of dinner, might be soup, or some frozen fish etc. Helps that my cupboards are pretty full, but fresh produce tends to be very little each week
Nonzeromist@reddit
I used to spend just under £30 a week for one shop on food, but I live in the midlands and this was 3 years ago. Not sure I could do it now but what helped keep the cost down for me was cooking in bulk.
I'd buy a big pack of chicken breasts, veggies (frozen and fresh), rice and chopped tomatoes cans and every now and then I'd buy some spices to add to a collection. I'd get rice, egg, butter, milk, cheese and bread as well as longer shelf life stuff I'd ran out of (tuna, coffee, freezer food, oil etc...). I'd make chicken curry, enough for 6 portions and freeze them. Do plenty of rice and then for breakfast/lunch id have scrambled egg on toast (usually 3-4 eggs a go) and then I'd snack on cheese and stuff if I was hungrier throughout the day. I'd also have a takeout once a week (so really I suppose I spent £40 a week). I noticed you can get stuff cheaper in some stores too like I could get 30 odd eggs at an Asian supermarket for cheap as well as a big bulk bag of rice.
That being said this was just on food, usually I'd be buying other things like soap and shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste, toilet paper and etc etc... so in total the cost per week was more like £60 as a whole, so I suspect that's what a lot of people are not including when they say they spend £30.
Worldly_Wash9281@reddit
So we’re a couple living in London and we spend about £40-50 per week I would say. We spend £60 on meat from the butcher once a month (so £15 per week) and then do a weekly shop at Lidl to get the rest of the items such as salmon (£5 for two pieces), eggs, fruits etc. most of the money goes on fruits and vegetables as everything else costs much less or is insignificant. Of course things like laundry detergent and dish washer soap and olive oil, toilet paper etc costs a lot so try to get these in bulk. I think people that say they spend £20 a month, firstly I find that hard to believe but secondly you need to see how much they’re spending on Deliveroo to get a better idea of how much / little they eat at home
Subtifuge@reddit
I manage to spend very little and eat relatively well, but I do not eat meat, which saves a huge amount of money, and I used to be a chef so I know how to make good food using either few ingredients or can easily see marked-down produce and work out a way of using that in a recipe etc, however the main thing is I have a well stocked pantry of essentials, as I grew up super poor I am aware of the value of having a huge range of spices and simple staple things like onions, garlic, potatoes, and cheese, condiments and things like flour etc so that no matter what you can always cook something that tastes resonable and has some calorific value, so due to this, I literally am only buying random items as and when I need them, and shop daily due to this, which leads to catching more marked down products etc.
John_GOOP@reddit
Cost 20 quid per shop run for the essentials and one base meat item.
In a month's I prob spend 300 on food.
LambonaHam@reddit
I spend around £20 - £25 per week.
Every couple of weeks I'll buy things like curry power, or paprika, but most of the time it's rice / pasta (~£1.50) / chicken (~£8) / frozen veg (~£1.50). Milk and cereal are less than a fiver. The rest is mostly snacks, a frozen pizza once a fortnight or a packet of bacon once a month.
London may be more expensive, but I struggle to understand how someone can spend £50 as a single person unless you're shopping at Waitrose.
Eliaskar23@reddit
Two people, we spend about £85 a week on food. That's our weekly shop.
rileyvace@reddit
Those quoting that either have a very unhealthy quality of life or are live Ng with mum and dad still.
My weekly shop for myself and my wife comes to around 70 - 120 a week, depending on what we need to re stock on. Like, if we need to get stuff like baking paper, foil, bleach etc one week it will be higher, but if it's just food and essentials it can be less. Shopping at Aldi helped for sure. Tesco was our normal and the prices are getting absurd. It's just simply corporate greed honestly.
Live_Bag_7596@reddit
I buy all my veg and half of my protein on discount
Obsidiax@reddit
I feed myself and my wife for about £60-£80 a week (not including takeaway which we get when we're feeling lazy).
It's much more doable and a lot less miserable than people here are making it out to be. I cook a lot of Mediterranean dishes which are very affordable due to being veg heavy. Chicken and salmon are our go to meats at the minute, a few dishes use halloumi instead.
I like very simple lunches, usually just eggs. My wife will usually have sandwiches and a few picky bits (probably the least cost effective part of the shop for us)
I'm planning to cut down on the takeaway by planning for a few lazy nights and making sure we have pizzas in or very low effort recipes.
The trick is to make a plan and buy only what you're definitely going to use for the recipes you're going to cook. I used to spend a lot more when we had no plan, even a loose plan never seemed to work out right for us, it needs to be written down.
Phil24681@reddit
£42 at Waitrose this week 💪
Rr0gu3_5uture@reddit
I honestly don’t know how people, even when skint, can regularly eat bland povvo food without going completely barmy. I get that some folk (even ones with money) see food as just fuel, but I’m not one of them, lol.
I’m single, currently long-term unemployed, don’t smoke, rarely drink, and cook all my meals from scratch. I spend about £200 a month on food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. After paying my fibre broadband, energy bill, and council tax from UC, I’ve got £240 left. I keep £40 aside for incidentals—clothes, books, the odd Blu-ray or DVD, or a large fish and chips once a month as a treat or when I’m feeling down. I save a fortune on energy thanks to my multifuel stove and free wood from a neighbour.
I do a lot of batch cooking, and my favourite is spaghetti Bolognese, but I refuse to make “poverty versions” of my dishes because, although skint, I love food too much. I try to use mostly fresh ingredients, except for some of the mince, which is frozen: two-thirds British beef and one-third fresh pork or turkey, since it’s cheaper. If I see something like Linda McCartney veggie mince for £1 in a discount supermarket, I’ll grab it to bulk things out. I also use proper Parmigiano-Reggiano and a cheap but decent red wine for the ragù- stuff like Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Morrisons- which I decant into smaller containers and freeze. It works out at around £2.60 per portion, and they’re pretty generous portions too.
In winter, I’ll make a ham hock or chicken broth soup that’s so thick the spoon stands up in it; it costs about 42p per large bowl. Over the years, I’ve built up a bunch of signature dishes, and now that I’m out of work and skint, I’ve found loads of workarounds to still eat really well on a tight budget.
For example, I go to the supermarket after 7:30 pm most days to grab the markdowns. Last week I picked up a 1 kg Wiltshire cured smoked gammon on its sell-by date for £3.40. I stuck it in the freezer for an hour so it’d slice easier, sharpened my knife, and got five 200 g gammon steaks out of it—70p a portion. Normally a 200 g gammon steak costs £3.50 each. Wrapped them in cling film and chucked them in the freezer.
I’m in Scotland, near the coast, so from June to September I save money by going fishing—mostly for mackerel and pollack. In spring there’s loads of wild stuff like garlic and elderflower, and around now you can find mushrooms too. I usually get a decent haul of ceps and chanterelles.
MCRBusker@reddit
A pack of 2 cod and a pack of airfrier meal chips is £10.00 . That's £70 per week.
IllustratorOk479@reddit
Because those sort of posts bring out the bores who think making a shit stir fry everyday or batch cooking mince and veg is how life should be.
£100 a week not including bits and bobs and takeaways etc is about right for me. That’s a mix of meal prep, normal dinners and some frozen stuff.
double-happiness@reddit
Have you ever heard of a thing called "poverty"? Some of us have had to endure it for literally decades.
When my mother was pregnant apparently she used to go round the market after it was finished and pick up the fruit and veg that had fallen off the stalls. And yet you have the gall to shame people like me as "bores" for having the temerity to live within our slender means.
IllustratorOk479@reddit
Ok….. clearly my post doesn’t relate to you
double-happiness@reddit
It's not clear to me at all. When you say "those sort of posts bring out the bores" it seems a swipe at those of us who have the temerity to stick our hands up and detail our experience of poverty and frugality.
We'll need to keep away from the dreaded P-word due to rule 2 but please allow me to remind you of a relevant sociological concept - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/punch-down
That's pretty much all I have to say on the subject. Much of what I've read in this thread has made me quite angry and I'm going to need try and step away and get back to my job-hunting. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
IllustratorOk479@reddit
I don’t need to be patronised thanks. If you want to take a post personally when it’s not aimed at you, then by all means crack on.
double-happiness@reddit
Who is taking things personally now??
Can you understand how money and food is a personal and touchy subject for many people including myself?
Come on, meet me half-way here... OP has simply asked "How are people spending so little on food?" And yet this thread is full of ad hominem attacks such as "bores", "a proportion of those people will just be lying", "a lot of people don’t value food, and will be eating utterly miserable diets", "People bullshit when they post here. They like to play poverty olympics.", "people who quote 20-30 a week on a food shop are those who are content with chicken dippers and curly fries for dinner", "people humble-bragging about how little they spend. It's boring." etc.
Try to put yourself in my shoes and imagine how that could come across as a bit of a kick in the teeth when you have spent almost your entire life in poverty. A little bit of empathy and respect is all that's being asked for when we are all living in a cost of living crisis with food banks etc.
Anyway I don't want to labour my point; I've said my piece. There was no intention to patronise. Have a good weekend.
Drummk@reddit
I would not say that people should eat that way, but I would say it is much easier to economise on food than it is on housing, energy, etc where you have very little choice over what to pay.
double-happiness@reddit
Strongly agree!
Mocinho@reddit
They consume food shaped objects with negative nutritional worth. It's not difficult to eat on that budget once you let go of your dignity.
Also most are lying, rounding 50 down to 30 to play pretend-benefits-class
JivanP@reddit
Family of 3 in Southeast London, spending a total of £250/mth, so about £20 per person per week. We shop mainly at Asda and Sainsbury's, get some specific things from Lidl and Aldi, and only rarely go to Tesco for specific items or when there are specific discounts, as the nearest Tesco is a bus ride away, whereas the other 4 stores are all in a single area.
Breakfast is simple (e.g. cereal, porridge, toast, tea), lunch is homemade (traditional North Indian food, so we are buying things like flour, pulses, vegetables and prepping them, which admittedly takes time), and dinner is usually light, so I suppose you could say we're each having about 2–2.5 meals a day rather than 3, compared to your average person. So add 50% to compensate for the average, but that's still only £30 per person per week.
Other people I know well in SE London, but that are far enough that they shop at different stores (English families, not Indian, not making as much homemade food, but still making some meals regularly from scratch, e.g. 5–6 times a week), are spending about £30–£40 per person per week depending on specific habits and preferences.
If you really want good feedback, show us your weekly shopping receipt. Plenty of stuff is cheaper in Asda, Sainsbury's, or Tesco depending on the item, and Lidl's loyalty scheme isn't great. Sainsbury's absolutely floods you with discounts and extra points through Nectar, and Asda gets close with Asda Rewards. Take advantage of these offers. Yellow-label ("reduced to clear") items are also great when you can find them, as long as you're not opposed to processed food.
supa-dan@reddit
Just spent £61. Family of four, planned meals and chicken dinner tomorrow..also nappies and pull ups.
Admittedly had some stuff in the cupboard allready. Kids eat lunch at School.
Gunboat_Diplomat_@reddit
My friend spends double what I spend. She is a fatty mind
cocomasheroo@reddit
I don't get it either!! I'm a family of 4, and I know one meal can cost £20. For example if we have salmon. That's pricey, so the fish, then the sides etc. I can't eat shite. It's not sustainable, buy a £1.50 pizza and bag of chips for £2 and my family meal could cost £5, but then everyone will be hungry an hour later and groggy and nobody is getting nutrients. It's getting so ridiculous now the price of food, if you actually want to eat proper food. It's really ridiculous that people can justify saying oh well you can buy a bag of CHICKEN NUGGETS for £2 and that's a MEAL. My eyes water at my grocery bill, but what can I do? I want my family to eat well.
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
Try cooking some meals without meat if you can. A big batch of three bean chili (enough for a family of 4 + leftovers) comes to about 7.50. Similar prices for making a chickpea curry or a lentil pasta sauce. It makes a huge difference, and you can cram what ever veg you like into those dishes, either chunks or blended into the sauce.
happy_smoked_salmon@reddit
£60 per week on groceries in London is about right if you eat high quality food and don't save on food.
The answer is that food in the UK is actually very, very cheap compared to the rest of Europe (more specifically France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and very likely many others).
xcxmon@reddit
Stop buying meat. Being veggie/vegan is way cheaper (and better for the environment, for your health, for the animals…)
Belle_TainSummer@reddit
This is what we call "a lie".
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
Which bit's a lie? It's certainly cheaper to use lentils/beans/tofu as your sources of protein than meat
imtravelingalone@reddit
Stop telling people what to do and making assumption about their nutrional needs.
imtravelingalone@reddit
Stop telling people what to do and making assumption about their nutrional needs.
Educationalidiot@reddit
For myself? A bag of rice, red lentils, oats, cheapest bread and 3 tins of basic baked beans will do me for the week and leave plenty of money spare to spend on other crap, the only big purchase I do every month is multivitamins
NGeoTeacher@reddit
I don't spend that little on food, but I could if I wanted to while maintaining a good diet.
You can cook a meal like a vegetarian chili for less than £1 per portion. You can introduce meat if you like and still keep in budget if you opt for cheaper cuts (e.g. thighs).
You can buy a chicken for £5-6 (personally, I wouldn't buy one this cheap, but they do exist). That, along with veg (which is cheap) can do you several portions of a roast dinner. Leftover meat can used for sandwiches, a chicken curry, coq au vin or whatever else you fancy. You've then got the carcass which can be boiled up to make stock or soup. You can get a lot of mileage out of a single chicken.
Making large portions keeps the cost down (both in terms of food purchases, but also in gas/electricity with cooking). Having a big freezer helps.
Alcohol is expensive. My secret is making my own. You can buy the basic equipment for brewing for about £25. When you're just starting out, you can buy a kit beer for £20-30, which will yield 40 or so pints. It doesn't take you long to start making savings against buying alcohol from the supermarket or the pub.
europaMC@reddit
My partner and I spend between £120 and £160 per month on food, we haven't gone over £160 in any month since January when we started to look at what we were buying and nutrition. That means we average £30-£40 per week in total.
Small chest freezer is a must, were only have a small flat.
It's very possible and you can eat very well on that amount, we regularly eat fish, chicken and pork but we also regularly have 100% vegetarian days
Quinacridone_Violets@reddit
Well, let's see. We shop at Aldi's. In a typical week, we buy about £8 of minced pork, £10 of chicken, £2 of flour, £3 of spices, £2.50 of coffee, £0.75 of tea, £1.50 of bread, £2 of butter, £4.50 of milk, £1.00 of oats, £2.50 frozen vegetables, £3.00 of frozen fruit, £3.00 of rice, and £15 of fresh vegetables and fruit, £2 of cheese, and £3-5 of biscuits when we're feeling too lazy to bake our own. That's for two of us, and we are not in any way undernourished. We've been cooking for two for 30 years; we know how much we eat; we basically don't throw away any unused food unless someone messes up and forgets to put the leftovers in the fridge.
Certainly, there are other things that are not purchased every week. So I didn't include the £0.08 of salt or £0.15 of sugar for tea, or £0.25 of jam that we might use in a week. But we're buying small portions, not in bulk (there are no shops near us that sell bulk sized products), so we don't have a large stocked "pantry" full of staples. We don't buy packaged convenience foods (aside from biscuits); they are, indeed, quite expensive for what you get.
We don't live in London. Maybe that's the key?
Also, deciding that one day we're going to have steaks or a nice beef roast will literally, *literally* double the grocery costs for the week. We don't do that every week. But we do it when we want to.
We moved to Scotland from Canada recently, and from our viewpoint, grocery food prices are UNBELIEVABLY CHEAP. Canadian food prices are shockingly high, even when you buy in bulk (and in Canada we *almost never* shopped at regular grocery stores), so you learn habits that make shopping in Britain seem ridiculously frugal.
afcote1@reddit
My wine bill alone was more than that when I lived in London
GayAttire@reddit
Well, I eat generally the same thing most weeks and spend 40-45 including feeding my son on the weekend. However, my diet is uninspiring. I usually do two curries a week (Thai green, Japanese, indian, £2-2.50 per paste) with chicken thighs (boneless, skinless £6.50ish/kg which lasts me four days), £4 on veg, £1.50 on two coconut milk tins. The remaining dinners i will do something with lentils, maybe £2 per meal. So that's about £23. Lunch i have a pot of skyr or some other yoghurt £1-1.50/ day so maybe £33. I don't eat breakfast but may snack on a protein bar or nuts totalling about £1 a day. £40. Extras for my kid are things like pain au chocolat, apples, hummus, cheap crisps, popcorn, cereal.
I consider that pretty barebones, so anyone saying they spend less is likely full of shit. I guess i could do lunch more cheaply with bread and jam or something, and making curries entirely from scratch or without coconut milk could save some pennies. Also, I could eliminate chicken and replace with lentils or chickpeas or something, but the farts wouldn't be worth it imo.
InexperiencedAngler@reddit
Its just too personal to say, but if it makes you feel better I also probably spend £60 on food a week.
glasses4catsndogs@reddit (OP)
This is reassuring, maybe it isn’t a problem for me. I keep wondering if I’m doing something “wrong” with my shop but I also thinking cooking for 1 person can be pretty inefficient!
BertieTheDoggo@reddit
This is why batch cooking is absolutely the answer. Buying one onion for one meal is inefficient. Buy a bag of onions and make a big meal with them that can be frozen and eaten over a period of a month - much much cheaper per meal. And don't fall for the trap that batch cooking means eating the same thing every day, it really doesn't - so long as you have access to a decent amount of freezer space.
TheHootOwlofDeath@reddit
Me too. I don't eat much meat at home (maybe once a week, I just prefer other things) but I do eat lots of fruit and vegetables. I bake a lot and make soup and meals from scratch but I don't always think this saves money. Sometimes the outlay for ingredients is quite expensive, even if you then batch cook to save money in later weeks.
Sea_Pomegranate8229@reddit
I'm in Scotland and retired on a limited budget. I do a 'monthly' shop when I need to. This can often stretch to six weekly and is basically when I am getting low on meats. I am spending about £80 on this 'monthly' shop. I shop at TEsco because I detest the customer service at Aldi/Lidl. I buy large 20% mince and larger size sausages, pork chops, chicken, etc. and then split these into freezer bags for individual portions. I but cheapest beans, frozen veg and the like. Have found that it takes no time for taste buds to adjust. A bit of worcester sauce, mustard or other additives can improve the taste test. Cheapest pasta and speg for same reason. I buy bulk instant mash online. Pennies a meal. I also bulk but UHT milk, again my taste has adjusted to it. I only choose premium brands of tea and coffee. Instant coffee but do not drink much and so taste does not get a chance to adjust. My luxuries might be a joint and some nuts or snacks. They may last a week or more. Then nothing till next shop. I homebrew mead at a cost of about 50p a litre. I smoke rollies at £150 / month. I choose to smoke and eat less. I could not smoke and eat nicer and better choice.
ItsShaneMcE@reddit
My weekly shop is £35-40 but I only eat twice a day. I bulk cook something and get 10-14 portions, it costs me £10-16 per dish depending on how much ingredients I use and freeze it I have a dedicated freezer for my bulk cook pots. Making each meal £1.50-2 when you include rice/pasta/potatoes Most of my shopping expense is milk, fruit juices, yogurts and cereal. I shop almost exclusively at Aldi because it’s cheap and I cook it the day I get it so there’s no fear of short shelf life. The money I save on shopping covers my one treat day every 2 weeks where I go for a carvery, Toby breakfast or a cheap pub grub meal.
I grew up poor so we learnt really fast how to make food stretch while also having plenty of veg.
artemusjones@reddit
Planning a routine of dinners can help. Asda do 2Kg of chicken thighs/legs on the bone for a fiver. Which I can get about 5 dinners out of (or breaking down a whole chicken) with veggies for 1 person. Usually stir fry/rice, pasta, some kind of braised or fried chicken and a soup with the bones. Bags of carrots, potatoes and onions are usually cheap. Add a couple of brocoli and a cabbage or 2. Maybe a box of mushrooms. A pizza off the counter or out the freezer and maybe a ready meal to round out the week.
Lunch have a 2 egg omlette. Ive never been one for a breakfast but occasionally have a bowl of cereal/porridge. Yoghurt after dinner and a couple of biscuits with a cup of tea later on.
Awe-_-some@reddit
Okay first things first, you're living in London so all your prices should at least doubled. Secondly it varies, some weeks it's a top-up shop where I will just be buying the fruit and vegetables and that's it, it'll come to around £10-£15. On an average week my shopping bill will be around £20-£25 and then there are those big expensive weeks where the shopping bill can be over £50+
This is based on myself; a single adult living alone.
The prices vary from week to week based on needs. I would budget £35 per week and try to spend less each week so that I've saved up a big of money for those big shops, for you again you live in London and it would take a few weeks to get a feel for a typical shop budget but I would start with a weekly estimate of £70 and take it from there.
readerclub@reddit
1 week within 30 is completely doable. Provided you cook everyday and buy from tesco, aldi or lidl.
Eggs- 12 eggs ~ 4£ Rice/Spaghetti/ Pasta ~ 4£ Chicken - 900g ~ 7£ Fish - 1 pack of salmon fillets ~ 5£ Veggies - salad pack, onions, tomatoes, peppers ~ 5 Milk/ Yogurt ~ 3£
Please note- rice, spaghetti, pasta can last you longer than 1 week. Once in a while you may spend a bit more as you have to buy porridge, but still less than 40£ on food
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barkingsimian@reddit
I hope this doesn't come across wrong, but I feel you aren't actually asking: "how is it possible to do a food shop for 30 quid" , but rather "how is it possible to do a food shop that suits my needs for 30 quid"
You absolutely can feed yourself for 30 pounds with a diet from a supermarket like LIDL and Iceland , but it wont hit the mark in terms of some of the constraints you put on your diet. You start off with statements such as "i don't eat a lot of meat" and "i eat relatively healthy". Unfortunately, that is actually more expensive that eating cheap. A 30 quid a week diet is going to look exceedingly grim to you, featuring lots of beans on toast, and chicken nuggets drowned in cheap ketchup.
If you know anybody that are actually cash constrained , and who are shopping on those sort of budgets, i'd wager its because they have to, not because they are trying to be more frugal. You'll see lots of frozen stuff in their freezer from island and such. My SIL is on part time minimum wage (and UC) and have 2 kids. Lets just say, she isn't rolling in disposable cash. Her freezer if full of stuff from Iceland. And she hunt offers. Like, for example, right now (i just checked), you can by 8 packages of frozen food for a tenner. all about 250-400g , things like chicken nuggets, chicken bbq griddles, etc. Or go for a 3 for £10 offer on larger bags of 1kg.
I know there are some suggestion that the people claiming they spend very little on food are "just lying" or aren't calculating in their 50+ quid weekly deliveroo. Personally, I don't think this is the case at all. The people that spend that little, simply don't have the option of going "oh, but I dont like to eat beans on toast twice a week for lunch" and for who, deliveroo is a rare treat that isn't even a monthly occurrence.
TL;DR - you absolutely can feed somebody for 30 quid a month. But wont pass as what you classify as a reasonable diet.
slendsplays@reddit
Im a student in leeds I spend 10 pound a week on food from Sainsbury's I get: - 2 * the cheap 1 quid pizzas - 4 * of the 40p beans - frozen chips - the cheapest bread I can find - the cheapest butter I can find
Then I just eat one meal a day sometimes I don't eat on weekends the my weekly shop is cheaper. it's not a great diet but it is pretty cheap
Gavcradd@reddit
I'm in the midlands and just done our weekly shop at Alid for 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids) and it came to £71. That's including a joint if beef fof Sunday lunch tomorrpw and a bottle of wine. We just plan out what we want to eat for the week, stock up on cheper staples (rice, pasta etc) and buy mostly undbranded.
Is the cost that much different in London?
EducationalZombie538@reddit
I mean I reckon I could do it if I had to.
1kg of mince is like £8, 2x canned tomato £1.80, garlic/peppers/broccoli £3, rice £1.
650g of chicken £4.50. peppers/broccoli £2.50, potatoes £1
12 eggs £2.80, 400g cheese £2.50, milk £1.60, bread 80p, marmite £2.40, tea £2
Granted that's £34 or so, but some of those staples like the tea and marmite would last more than a week.
laladitz@reddit
You live in London which is always going to add another 50% to prices. But on top of that people can either be straight up lying, or buying from farm shops which are MUCH cheaper, or even have their own veg gardens so they just need things like milk/meat.
Carneirinha@reddit
It depends on what you buy. I don't buy cookies or sweet treats. I only buy meat, veggies and fruit.
TheLuxeSpaExperience@reddit
I live in the United States and I am single. I use ChatGPT to create a weekly meal plan that fits my budget and dietary needs. I shop exclusively at ALDI, and my plan covers three meals a day for seven days on a $65 (£49.47) budget. My actual grocery total often comes in under that amount because prices fluctuate and some ingredients last for multiple meals.
I only eat out when my parents visit usually twice a month and they cover the cost. Aside from that, I do not dine out due to my food intolerances and allergies, which make eating at restaurants very exhausting.
People spending only £20–£30, I cannot help but wonder how many meals that actually covers and for how many days.
Past-Anything9789@reddit
To me it seems that you can either eat cheap (carbohydrate heavy and processed/ fatty meat) or healthy (fresh fruit and veg, lean meats etc) but you can do both.
I go to Slimming world and ideally I would eat high protein, minimal carbs, lots of fresh fruit and veg - but honestly the price of lean protein is ridiculous.
People who only spend £20/30 are shopping based on cost rather than quality. Bulk buying of large amounts of rice / pasta / potato and sticking to veg / fruit that is in season might help you save a bit.
Lxcafont@reddit
People saying that we are lying are underestimating us frugals 🤣 I am one person, 5'6 and eat twice a day, I tend to keep away from sweets and crisps, Yes it's possible.
Additional-Ask-5512@reddit
Let me introduce you to Spanish style home cooking. Make a big stew of chick peas, chicken on the bone, meatballs, (any other meat on the bone you feel like optional), loads of potatoes, carrots, green beans, celery, salt. Stew for an hour or two, add salt and more water as required.
Potatoes, veggies, chick peas and meat enough for 2-3 meals depending on the quantities used.
Use the broth, meat, veggies (no potatoes unless you want to oven bake the rice), chick peas to make "paella" style rice. Maybe add some more frozen veggies for variety. Another 2-3 meals can be frozen.
You can do the same with more broth, meat etc. To make fideos, tho they're hard to find in UK (fine, short type of pasta). Another 2-3 meals can be frozen.
Cheap as chips and enough to keep you going a while. Varied, delicious and healthy as well. Use the biggest pot you have.
Objective_Key_2616@reddit
A lot of people will tell you they spend 20 on food , not mentioning they have another 100 worth of essentials in the cupboards at home already
anti-sugar_dependant@reddit
I eat once a day and because I'm unable to cook nowadays I live off ready meals. And because I'm poor I live off Iceland ready meals. They do ready meals for £1, and they're fine but the range isn't huge so I supplement with the 3 for £10 meals in a bag range. 2 meals in a bag = 6 meals for £10. And they have veg in and they're quite nice. I always have a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen sweetcorn so I can add a couple of spoons of each to the ready meals for more veg. And Iceland have a bonus card which you top up and get 5% added, so when I top up £20 I get a free £1. And because I do that regularly I top up £100 in a year and get a free £15 for Christmas.
I'd like to eat better, eating like this is harming my health and shortening my already short life expectancy because I'm supposed to be on a special diet, but the reality is I'm too sick to prepare food that'd be suitable for my health and I'm on benefits so I'm too poor to pay anyone to help.
_Starpower@reddit
It depends on what you eat and if you cook I reckon. I tend to make Stews or soups, mainly veg/pulses etc… a make a big pan that will last a week as a base, and then each day do something slightly different with it. A hand blender is essential.
For shopping, I mainly go to 2 local fruit & veg shops and get stuff from the bargain basket. What I get determines what goes in the food, often apples, I prefer cooking with them than eating raw. There’s often grapes, cabbages, peppers, sometimes ginger/garlic, and carrots are usually cheap anyhow. In the summer growing tomatoes is great, make chutneys & sauces to freeze. Also, I often get a large quantity of bananas that are turning for £1, I slice them out the on a tray in the freezer and then move them to a bag. Delicious with ice cream (Tesco raspberry ripple £1.89)
As for pulses/dried foods, these are much more of an upfront cost if starting out with none, but go a long way in usage. Favorites for me are mung beans, buck wheat, lentils, yellow split peas, bulgur wheat. Veg stock cubes, some herbs/spices (ginger, dried basil, dried oregano, dried chili etc…). Turkish/continental shops are great for dried foods, there’s an abundance around me. Oh and generic Marmites are good to use in food. Cooking style, I just improvise and keep going until it tastes nice.
I don’t eat meat often, so that’s probably a money saver. I do eat some frozen convenience food occasionally, like oven chips etc… but try to keep it to a minimum. I also have porridge for breakfast and probably more cheese sandwiches than I should.
I have no idea of a weekly cost, but I’d guess I average around £10-£20 a week. Frugal shopping requires learning your local shops and which have avenues to take advantage of, and being prepared to use lots of different shops. From a supermarket, I will get coffee, bread, olive spread, cheese etc…). I couldn’t afford to eat well without doing it these days. You can also eat very cheaply, but badly via the cheap home brand frozen food route, but there’s no nutrition in that… I do live Hull though, not London, so there is probably a location ‘tax’ for you compared to what I pay. Hull is a cheap place to live.
shiggyhisdiggy@reddit
ALDI, reduced sections at places like Tesco can get you some pretty great deals. If you buy only produce, cook everything yourself and don't obsess too much over variety you can keep things pretty cheap. I don't know exact numbers for myself but £50-60 sounds high. You can get a kilo of chicken drumsticks from ALDI for £2.15, go after 7 for cheap bread, whole baguette for 35p etc. Cans of beans, rice, basic veg, super six at ALDI.
Captain_Kruch@reddit
I'll admit, I probably spend a bit too much on food. But, I do try to minimise spends as much as I can, and batch cook the majority of my meals. I buy meat from the local farm shop, which, while expensive compared to the meat you get from ASDA or Sainsbury's, is top quality, and tastes incredible. I then make this meat stretch by cooking it in stews, soups, pastas etc.
Jon_holland27@reddit
I used to spend little money. Porridge for breakfast, then bacon and cheese sandwhich for lunch, then made carbonara for tea, every day without change.
Not healthy! But cheap, using the same ingredients in two meals especially.
Eating the same thing every single day saves a lot of money imo, rather than buying new ingredients for each day
Marutks@reddit
So little? I spend at least 200 per week 🤷♂️ ( I am from Latvia ). I live in Hampshire.
Embarrassed_Park2212@reddit
If you cook, then it is possible to make your money stretch. So last year I spent £38 and made enough dinners for the month. But I only used one meat, beef mince, and made lasagne, cottage pie, spaghetti Bolognese, keema rice, taco soup, pea soup and savoury mince. The soups I'd have for lunch. I also have nearly every spice and herb you could imagine, which helps, and stock cubes. So then that only left breakfast.
There are a huge amount of resources online for budget meal etc. BBC website has a meal plan for one, I haven't tried it as it has food I didn't like. There is also the meals for a month for a family of 4, I think that was costed at about £40 for the month the last time I looked at it but I doubt it would be that cost now. There is also thrifty Lesley that has very frugal meal plans. She even has one for if you have no electricity, oven, kettle, fridge or freezer.
I don't have an fancy palette and just like good old fashioned comfort meals. So I would suppose it would depend on yours if any of the meal plans would interest you and how much effort you are willing to give to save a few pennies.
TheYetaaay@reddit
Couple of things. If your store cupboard is well stocked then you won't be needing to buy everything once a week. If you have the space make use of it and you'll save money by buying larger amounts of oil, rice, lentils etc. You'll want a range of spices, sauces, condiments etc to make cooking easier and open up options to you. The stuff I'm buying weekly is the stuff that only lasts for a week. Even with all of this, I don't think £20 a week is doable in 2025 really. That's 21 meals, including breakfast and lunch. £30 is doable but you'd have to be a pretty great chef to get the variety you want from a limited supply of base ingredients.
Glowing102@reddit
I managed on £35. I only use olive oil, mixed herbs and salt from my store cupboard. People overcomplicate cooking from scratch.
TheYetaaay@reddit
Sounds pretty plain to be honest. What about sugar? What about vinegar? What about cornflour? What about soy sauce? These kind of things are just the basic elements of food. (Also if your on a tight budget you can Defo avoid olive oil).
Glowing102@reddit
I have a palate that doesn't need excess seasoning. I don't crave sugar or need it. I'm not a fan of vinegar. Yes, I have cornflour, which is pretty cheap. My diet is relatively healthy, so I wouldn't exchange olive oil for a cheaper oil. I used to cook with stock cubes but didn't really notice a massive difference in taste so I stopped using them. I really enjoy my food and meals and don't feel like I'm missing out.
TheYetaaay@reddit
The smoke point of olive oil is low which is what not everything cooks well in it. Better to have different oils for different scenarios. Also the flavour of olive doesn't mesh well with every cuisine. Anyways, if you're happy then you're happy.
Glowing102@reddit
Thanks for the advice. I value simplicity above having multiple oils in my cupboard. We all value different things and my taste buds, budget and need for simplicity mean my recipes work for me. I have ADHD so I simplify everything otherwise I can get overwhelmed and end up eating nothing or eating lots of junk food.
pumkin_head__@reddit
I think batch cooking and freezing leftovers is a key here. I spend about £30-35 on average I’d say per week for just me. I batch cook on the weekends, eat leftovers for the first half of the week, and then break out a frozen meal or 2 in the second half of the week! Honestly I do think cooking for other people each week, even if it’s only twice, would add that extra £20 or so
pm_me_your_amphibian@reddit
Batch cooking, grab reduced meat when I see it and sling it in the freezer or plan a meal around it. Lots and lots of vegetables - basic veg are so cheap. Simple ingredients, no ready meals or pre prepared stuff. Have a bread machine so make bread in that (but to be fair the machine probably hasn’t paid for itself yet!)
We do splurge on really good coffee though.
Intrepid-Focus8198@reddit
I can feed a family of four for around £80-90 a week. I rarely do because it’s hard work and not really do able if you want to eat any meat or fish other than chicken or cheap pork
Stinkinhippy@reddit
20-30 weekly here.. it's pretty simple.. i just eat less than you probably. what i do eat is also cheap shit.. no fresh veg or healthy things like granola or yoghurt.
lancer-89-@reddit
They're either lying or have a really poor diet or are skinny af. The £20-30 a week thing can be done but you would need to be buying cheap raw ingredients to cook from scratch. And eating the same meals multiple times a week.
Craic-Den@reddit
I spent £34.97 this week at Aldi.
That covered: 2kg chicken breast, 8 tins of tuna, 400g mature cheddar, 1double cream, 4 tubs of cottage cheese, some frozen spinach and strawberries, almond milk, and red onion.
Physical-Reaction-41@reddit
I don’t eat meat but I eat fish and I spend about £350 a week ( not including eating out ) for me and my husband.We eat only organic .
Gullible-Hose4180@reddit
50 a week is very good. I spend double that when I make an effort to save
Tell2ko@reddit
You guys are still eating???
Dapper_Morning_9670@reddit
Homie called granola a healthy food 🤌🏻
DancingAppaloosa@reddit
I can say truthfully that I spend, at the absolute most, £90 a month on food for myself, which works out to about £22 a week.
And the key is having a shopping list that is itemised with prices next to each item, underpinned by general meal planning so you know roughly what you are eating at each meal and can ensure you have enough on your list so that you are not making ad hoc trips to the shop to "top up".
It also depends a lot on your food preferences/tastes. I follow a basic principle of simple, nutritious food for each meal with small treats, and maybe a couple of "gourmet" or "luxury" meals per month. Plain fruit and vegetables are always going to be a lot cheaper than dishes where they are chopped up and/or prepared with sauces, spices etc. So buy whole fruit and vegetables and chop and season them yourself.
Sandwiches are also a great shout for lunches, as a loaf of bread and buying your own cheese, ham, lettuce, etc. in bulk works out much cheaper and will give you multiple lunches. Same thing for buying yoghurts in bulk packs, rather than individually. For treats, buying chocolate biscuit bars in packs also works out quite cheaply. So that will give you a lunch of a sandwich, a yoghurt, a piece of fruit and a treat for multiple days (at least 6 or 7) at very low cost.
For dinners, I also buy my meat/fish in bulk and I opt for the frozen options as this works out cheaper and allows me to store multiple meals worth in my freezer. eg. 4 frozen breaded chicken steaks at Tesco is £2, so that's meat for 4 dinners for me.
It's doable, you just have to do a bit of research on meal options, plan/write lists, and budget.
Scary-Spinach1955@reddit
Batch cooking, big freezers, yellow sticker food
CapnSeabass@reddit
We definitely under-report what we spend. I spend about £70-80 on our weekly ‘big shop’ unless I’m buying occasional like washing powder/laundry detergent/nappies which pushes us up to over £110. (2 adults and a 9mo).
I try to buy as unprocessed as I can, because I like cooking, and also there’s no tax on unprocessed foods iirc. So tends to be more cost-efficient (although obviously it costs more in time).
But I couldn’t tell you how much we spend on run-in trips to mini supermarkets if we’re out and about. It used to be a lot worse though tbf, when we lived in the city. Now we’re at least a 5-10min drive from ANY shops so we’re less impulsive.
im-just-confused--@reddit
On average I spend £45 a week on food for two people and I'd say I can do it cheaper because I buy in bulk, large bags of legumes and grains, stock up once a month at the Asian supermarket, meal plan so nothing goes to waste, no animal products, no convenience foods, £25 always for fresh produce from the market on Saturday.
I never did ready meals and in my culture it's "shameful" for a woman not to cook so it's just second nature to me to always have cooked food at home. I don't have extra free time for this, just an efficient system of planning and prepping for the week.
Cazza_mr@reddit
I work 40-50 hours a week in a hotel so get my meals provided for me and only eat at home one or two days a week, I'll still spend £60 to fill my fridge/freezer but it will last me about 2 weeks
throwaway_ArBe@reddit
I couldn't imagine spending that little. For two people at it's worst I was spending £100 a week. I don't track it anymore.
TeamLeeper@reddit
Canned vs fresh.
Thighs vs. breasts.
Veg is insanely cheap here.
But honestly, it sounds like you’re just buying more than others. Money spent on eating at home is money saved on going out or meal deal lunches or whatever.
Feeling_History8348@reddit
Probably depends where too I'm in the north and spend like £100 a week for 2 adults and a kid. I live in the north somewhere like London it'll be loads more.
Nublar_Repair_Man@reddit
One good thing about being autistic and having food texture issues is you don't spend much on food.
£20-£30 a week eating the exact same things every day
Carrots, baby potatoes and chicken nuggies for a meal
Eat fruit while it's cooking (2 small oranges and a pear for lunch, a banana and apple for tea)
Drink mainly water, just get the cheapest orange juice to sip on (ASDA value OJ has a lovely aftertaste!)
jarvi123@reddit
It's actually very easy, just buy cheap food, nothing else to it.
Warburk@reddit
You need to cook and Tupperware and freeze. Bulk buying, flexible around the sales & rebates.
Nothing possessed just raw ingredients.
Think in calories, nutrients per £
You get the cheapest stuff meat/fish you can buy, usually mince/roast and frozen fish outside of daily sales or expiring.
You get 5-10kg bags of rice or oats or flour or pasta depending on your cooking background. Potatoes and bread are filling and can work but often overpriced for the calories and overall nutrition.
You get veggies on sales, frozen, wonky ones or free when they can't sell them (tiny ugly carrots, ripe tropical fruits, delicious ripe pears that of course don't look perfect or can't bare any pressure... ) Squash is usually super tasty and quite cheap.
Bananas are super cheap in some stores and great pleasurable snack and source of carbs.
Bulk buying oil it's pretty cheap, it's stable and calorie dense, for your health try to prefer coconut, ghee, olive oil, butter in smaller quantities , but the other cheaper stuff is better than starving. Buy it by 5L
Just make sure you know the smoke point and what not to do with each, some oils are not to be heated up and become toxic.
Increasing the oils to be 30% of your calories can already greatly lower your food bill.
Bulk Sugar is also pretty cheap and a staple if you make pastries and sweets but should not be relied on as there is just calories an not much nutrients so think about it as comforting baking ingredient and not a reliable source of calories like oils or grains.
Dried foods are excellent, beans, lentils,...
Buy salt, spices and herbs in bulk.
Some can be time consuming others are not but yes you have to cook and no you don't have to be miserable.
A rice cooker, some green veggies and some smashed 25% fat burgers with olive oil and some herbs and garlic is really fast and tasty to make.
Make a good bunch of staples meals, improvise depending on what you have : protein > country of influence > types of oils and spices used there + carbs then add the veggies.
Example: mince + Italian so oregano, cilantro, basil, garlic,... Oils probably olive oil and butter, carbs probably home made bread focacia or pizza base or pasta, vegetables whatever you have, braised Bruxelles sprouts or frozen Mediterranean veg or canned tomatoes, broccoli, the ugly eggplant or zucchini they were giving away at the organic store...
You can be happy and creative and healthy.
Buying raw ingredients and taking opportunities of sales is the secret. Anything processed, packaged,... Add a middle man and a price raise usually for a worse product for your health.
Buy smarter, freeze, and become a better cook in the process.
Away_Conference_9865@reddit
I spend so little but I had big set up costs. I'm now at a point where my freezer is filled with meals. I batch cook two or three times a week to keep it topped up, and when I decide what to batch cook I see what's reduced in the supermarket. Because I'm buying food for three dinners a week instead of seven my costs are a lot lower than average 😊
marsman@reddit
Likely all of those factors to be honest. London is expensive, I assume you can't buy in any quantity to reduce cost, smaller shops will be more expensive proportionately, and it'll depend on what you eat.
My per person costs are quite a bit lower than yours, but that's presumably because I'm spreading the cost across 6 people and generally cooking fresh combined with previous batch cooked things. I also take cooked/prepped food to work.
What you eat will also be relevant, if I look at an expensive week, I might spend £160 and top up £40 of other stuff. That's £30/head, and some weeks it'll be quiet a bit lower because we have left overs etc..
Looking at the last week, we spent £113.78 at Aldi, £5.50 at Sainsbury's (looks like my partner forgot lunch...), and £21.95 at Tesco. (so £141.23 for the week.
The week before it was £6.85 at Tesco, 16.15 at a local butcher, £89 at Aldi, and £25.15 at an Ozemen. (so £137.15 for the week).
The most expensive week I can see is about a month and a half ago, spend was a little over £180, but included nearly £70 of spending at Costco..
And again, we cook every day, don't really scrimp and save, but we do plan meals, don't really have lots of snack stuff, tend not to bother with particular branded foods (some exceptions where we prefer it) and so on. Tea yesterday for example was burritos, the cost of that single meal was:
Beef, £5.19, Onions, £0.35 for the onions, maybe £1 of spices of various types and tomato paste etc.., £1.58 in various beans, £1 in Tortilla wraps, maybe £2.50 for the guacamole and the salad that I'd made the day before, and £1 in rice, and another £1.50 in cheese and mayo?.
That's £2.35 for what was a fairly big, very satisfying meal, with enough left over for at least 4 lunches etc.. So call it £1.42 per serving.. And it's not like I was going for a cheap meal.
I suppose I should probably technically add some sort of cost for the chilli's I grew too, but..
What I will say is that I very loosely budget (we set aside an amount for food and fuel each month) and track spending, so I suppose that'll help, and planning meals in advance makes a fairly major difference.. Plus, I feel like things get cheaper in winter as I'm doing more stews, bakes and pies etc..
salty_wasabi69@reddit
I think people dont include staples and toiletries in that - things you dont buy every week.
I spend around £30 per week on food but every month or so I will also have a larger shop for toiletries and staples like rice and pasta, seasonings, sauces- things i buy that typically last longer than a week. My weekly shop is usually my meats, fruits, vegetables and biscuits. Per month my spend is probably around 200-250 per month.
I do my weekly cooking on a weekend, and pre-portioning my groceries and freezing helps maintain variety. For example if I buy beef mince in week 1 I will split it into 3 or 4 and freeze them so one meal per week is beef mince based.
Flying0sprey177@reddit
Up north we grow our own food in our 1/2 acre gardens
HolbeckMax@reddit
I start at the reduced to clear shelves and build meals from there. Bulk cook veg stews and curries. However I would add I don’t live in London.
RaishaDelos@reddit
True scratch cooking is very cheap, but it costs time. Often a lot of time.
Squirrel_Worth@reddit
I probably spend that sort of money, I put all my groceries on a credit card and pay in full by 1 DD a month and it’s rarely over £130.
I have a terrible diet. That’s probably the key.
You can cook budget meals, frozen veg, bulk buying, meal prep, but it’s a balance between enjoyment and need to budget as well.
I don’t including eating out, but probably go out for meals 3/4 times a year, don’t drink coffee so no takeout drinks, and live in the middle of nowhere so no deliveroo etc. so it’s pretty much an entire budget.
Calm_seasons@reddit
My wide and I have a budget of around £220 a month on groceries. We do big batch cooks. So we cooked all our dinners back at the end of July. And will need to cook again next weekend.
It is a full weekend of cooking. But we've found it fair more painless than cooking every single night. And buying ingredients in bulk is a cost saver
brtrzznk@reddit
I almost never eat out or get food delivered and my spend in supermarkets (Lidl and Tesco for groceries, M&S for impulse snack purchases) as a couple cooking all meals at home, mix of veg, fish and meat, mainly chicken or mince, was roughly £100 a week last month so your £50-60 a week pretty much checks out. If someone says they’re spending less than that it’s most likely a rage bait lie.
TRFKTA@reddit
I track all of my spending in a budget in Excel (yes, I’m a nerd).
Currently it’s saying that over the past 3 months I averaged £68.10 per week on groceries. That’s just for myself.
ElectricalInflation@reddit
I do spend £60-£80 every 2 weeks between my husband and I. We don’t eat meat so this massively helps and we don’t just shop at one place. Lidl/aldi for most the big shop, Iceland for frozen and b and m for household.
crazygrog89@reddit
I guess maybe some people’s diet consists of mainly vegetables and they can make many portions in one go? Or maybe people use pasta in many dishes which can be cheap, together with a basic tomato sauce. There are ways to spend less with the above but if you buy them for example from whole foods then they’re going to be even more expensive than having meat daily from Tesco.
darybrain@reddit
They're spending £20-30 of their own money and a whole bunch of someone else's which they don't mention.
ClaireVieEnRose@reddit
I meal prep on a Sunday, I'm on a 1400kcal a day diet as I'm short and trying to stay in a calorie deficit. I probably spend about 30 quid a week. My partner on the other hand is 6ft tall and eats far more, don't think there's any chance of him only eating 30 quid of food a week 🤣
whoevenareyou1998@reddit
So I have £100 for food for the month, it’s hard as hell but it works for me.
I only really eat 1 meal a day, never have breakfast I only eat lunch on my office days (2 x weekly) so it’s easy just to make extra the night before.
Also meal prepping is a big thing - I live alone and buy 2x 1.6kg Chicken breast and cut it into 150g and freeze them & use as needed. I do tend to eat the same 6 meals over and over again but I don’t mind that.
If you eat 3 meals a day 7 days a week, my budget would probably not be enough but it’s enough for me alone. So a part of this could be down to different eating habits.
Goblin_Deez_@reddit
Just eat one big meal a day. Frozen chicken, frozen veg, spaghetti and cheese. Costs less than £20 for a week.
Aromatic-Still1987@reddit
I buy 2KG of chicken in Sainsbury for £12.49 1KG of yoghurt for £1.95 Eggs 10 for £1.84 Veggies and fruits are not that bad. I cook everyday at home, no snacks no granola.. I spend 40-50£ weekly
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Vintage_Winter@reddit
Taking pride in not heating your home or buying decent food is not the flex so many people think it is. As a family, we hardly ever go anywhere. A couple day trips here and there, but we mainly stay home. My heating is on year round at a steady 25 and we drop about £1100 on food every month. If I can eat good, be warm and access medical care when needed, why TF am I even alive? Just take my ass out and call it a day. 🤷♀️
Former_Elk_7690@reddit
I spend 250 a week minimum for 3 eat good quality food tbh
espresom@reddit
Slow cooker.
Make enough for a couple of days at a time.
Works out cheap.
Mithent@reddit
We spend around £60 a week for two. There are economies of scale there compared to one, but other than buying exclusively own brands and no alcohol, I think it's primarily that breakfast and lunch are cheap (porridge/cereal and sandwiches, mostly), which leaves a reasonable budget for dinners.
longshins@reddit
Beans on toast, some bananas, squash, pasta, pesto. That kind of stuff you can do on the cheap
BeenReported@reddit
Hey, someone who spends £30ish a week on shopping from ALDI...
My shopping is £30ish a week and I live alone, what people dont tell you is I dont eat a lot of meats nor do I eat much fresh food, this HAS impacted my physical health by making me more tired as well as visually making me look more tired, that been said im currently drowning in debt an ex left me and working on getting through it all 6 months left!
Shopping list, all prices are ish
2x packs of mince £7.00 1x pack of fusili £1.00 1x block of cathedral city cheese £3.00 2x packs of sausages £3.00 1x bag of frozen chips £1.50 2x of nuggets £3.00 2x loafs of bread £3.00 2x bottles of bolognase £2.00 1x jar of jam £0.50 2x frozen pizzas £4.00 3 or 4 packs of biscuits £3.00 1x pack of sliced chicken £1.00 3x tins of Tuna £2.00
This is around £30 and will feed me most of my meals for a week
Breakfast
Sausages sandwiches or toast with jam or cheese
Lunch
Tuna pasta or a chicken sandwich and maybe biscuits and tea
Dinner
Bolognase or some chips and nuggets and pizza on the odd night
Once or twice a month I will spend an extra £10 on cereal, tea bags and sugar from ALDI and ill also get two bottles of cravendale from Tesco for £4.
marquis_de_ersatz@reddit
People on the internet lie.
Alarmed_Ice_272@reddit
Me and my wife put aside £100 a week for food shopping and we go to Lidl, even there it seems £100 doesn’t go to far anymore.
Dyalikedagz@reddit
Some of us aren't bullshitting.
The trick is to batchcook, make veg heavy meals, and use a chest freezer. Pretty much everything we make is designed to have at least a second helping later.
A good example is our spag bol. We use only the smallest packet of beef mine (pork, or mixed mince is fine too) and go for the highest fat. Make sure you throw a shit load of veg, including heavy mushroom use, and mix the pasta into the food in the pot. The higher fat ensures you get the most of the beef flavour without having to buy a big expensive packet of mince. Cook this on a low simmer for a good while (couple hours at least) and those flavours will be amazing.
The best best textures come from the mushrooms and onions anyway, so the mince content isnt all that important once you get the flavour right.
This way you can easily make enough for 6 portions minimum, and everything is ready to go once it's defrosted with no extra prep.
MistifyingSmoke@reddit
I lived with on about that when I was in Uni 2016-2019 in London. Basically I bought a MASSIVE bag of pasta- I'm taking about 10kg from Costco. That lasted me about 7 months of eating that almost daily (I'd eat out once a week at spoons with uni friends). I just had it with various vegetables, puree, garlic etc. Probably ending up being less than £20 a week tbh. I also only drink tea so, my weekly supermarket shop would be: milk, bread, some veggies largely.
Annebotbeepboop@reddit
Heyo! I'm in the US, and I live in one of the more expensive states. (I actually didn't know that until this year because I grew up here).
But even though I live in an expensive state, I spend a lot less than a family of four on average. This is with dietary restrictions, and my youngest has ARFID.
However, I used to live in the sticks. Aka the country where we didn't have convenience. Now, I live closer to civilization. But when the grocery store is an hour trip, you really have to plan. I still do it where I live, though. I meal plan 2 weeks at a time. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items. I utilize one grocery store that prides itself on affordability (Aldi). I make almost everything at home. Having pantry staples is essential to avoiding unnecessary buys. There's a substitute for practically everything. I also use multiple ingredients for meals. If I buy an 8 pack of chicken breasts, that will be enough for two weeks for us. If you use one ingredient for one meal, make sure you use it for at least one more meal. I'll buy a bag of potatoes and make potato curry than use the other potatoes to make potato mochi and the leftover rice to make stir fry. Also, use all of your food if you can. I use veggie scraps and chicken bones to make stocks and broths. Preserve your fruit and vegetables so they last longer. All of this definitely adds up and saves you so much. I'll say rice, beans are wonderful fillers. Protein shakes can also be a meal substitute. For breakfast items, I usually aim for oatmeal because it's cheap and filling. Plus, I can use it to make other foods.
I don't know what my budget looks like in your currency, but I spend $450 a month for a family of four. The average family here for my size spends $600, if not more. I'm the budget baddie in my friend group, lol With all that said, I do have a separate budget for takeout. This is anything outside of the store that's food/beverage related. I give us a max of $200. We don't always reach that, but it's there. So if I counted that, then I'd spend what my friends spend on one grocery trip for one week. I primarily have a separate budget for the takeout because it doesn't always happened and if we do eat out, then that meal we would have rolls over to the next night and so forth.
Unfortunately, people probably are lying, which sucks. But it's still their loss at the end of the day.
TikiKie92@reddit
Show us a recent receipt from your weekly shop
Public_Fire_Hazard@reddit
I would preface this with the fact it is probably not enjoyable and/or healthy for the average person, but my standard daily shop at the moment is a ramen noodle soup for lunch (65p), then something from the frozen ready meals section at Sainsburys (anywhere between 85p and £2, call it £1.50 on average), plus whatever I can find with a yellow label in the baked goods section for a snack (75p over 2 days). Pretty much rounds out at £2.50 a day, remaining from the £20 usually ends up being spent on a couple of bottles of pop.
Problem is this all processed crap, only covers 2 meals, and has literally no fruit or veg in it. I haven't keeled over yet but it doesn't seem healthy at all. I would probably be well served spending an extra fiver over the week on a couple of apples a day.
RealisticL3af@reddit
it depends on the person 🤷🏻♀️ I'm a small woman and my food shop is £18 exactly. I'm also vegan so I just eat a lot of veggies which is cheap.
Sloppypoopypoppy@reddit
I was spending £30 on food for myself 15 years ago and that was me eating the yellow label reduced stuff.
£50/£60 a week is more than reasonable. For the two of us, we spend about £130 and it does tend to be at least slightly cheaper per head when you are feeding more than one person.
Scared_Cricket3265@reddit
I guess they are only classing their grocery shop as money spent on food. Then they buy their lunch out everyday and regularly eat out & have takeaways.
menthol_patient@reddit
I'm eating shit food. Cans of cheap own brand beans. The cheap, crap bread and so on. I spent £130 last month and that included buying sweets for in case I got trick or treaters. Normally I get antsy if it goes close to £100.
Lessarocks@reddit
I spend about £35 a week on food . It’s easy. I do t eat meat every day and make full use of other protein sources like eggs, lentils, chickpeas and beans. I cook from scratch and don’t buy ready meals, pasta sauces , packets of ham etc. Batch cooking saves a lot too.
Having a wide range of recipes at your fingertips allows you to take advantage of special offers. Eating seasonally is usually cheaper too.
Useful_Piece653@reddit
Same. I am solo and I budget £35 a week and that includes chicken/salmon or beef on some weeks at Sainsbury’s occasionally Waitrose. £35 is completely doable. Without starving yourself or having the same meal everyday it just means you actually need to know how to cook and have an eye and hands for recipes. I keep a lot of recipes on hand.
The only caveat is £35 does not include the weeks where I have to buy the stables (especially olive oil, good salt) and also for me it doesn’t include toiletries and cleaning products.
will10000@reddit
This is exactly it. Vegetables, beans, pulses are incredibly cheap, filling, and nutritious. It's a no brainier. Buying these along with some cheap cuts of meat and decent seasonings/herbs means it's quite easy to make nice meals relatively cheaply.
Away-Ad4393@reddit
Being able to cook is the key I think. I know some people think they can’t cook but if you can follow a recipe you’re cooking. If you can’t read there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube.
double-happiness@reddit
Yep, much the same here. This is the way!
ichikhunt@reddit
Junk food. A healthy balanced diet currently costs me about £75-100/week for around 3000kcals/day (i should be eating 3500-4000). If i just get pizzas and sandwich meat + cheese i can bring it down to about £30-40/week.
S_o_c_k_a@reddit
My food shop (weekly) is usually about £60 (for a couple). If I stick to the meal plan I make, I shouldn't go over that (but honestly, I do go over it because I get lazy sometimes and want something quick).
Typically we will have......
Breakfast - I have yoghurt with fruit & nuts, he has granola with milk, nuts and fruit & OJ
Lunch - I have a pasta salad, cous-cous salad, homemade wraps, he has chicken wraps or sandwiches
Dinner - Whatever we fancy but usually a red lentil curry which I can make 4 portions worth of so we have it for two night (with naan & rice), some dish including mince, maybe one portion of fish for the week, something like fajitas, or whatever we fancy that isn't too expensive.
He has snacks like oat bars, yoghurts, fruit. We will have some chocolate or crisps.
We always buy own-brand, we shop at Tesco and use our clubcard, take part in clubcard challenges for more points as well, and try to work within a budget. If I really want steak but it'll add an extra £20 to the shop I won't do it. Take advantage of offers. Have meat free nights. I live on an island as well so prices are usually a little higher for us
leafleafn@reddit
I double up my meals- make enough to do 2 nights Buy frozen veg, use chopped tomatoes as sauce base, shop at lidl, use micro rice or airfryer for a lot, buy reduced goods and freeze them, buying cooked meats so I use oven less. These are some ways I save money.
AppointmentWhole4300@reddit
£20-£30 a week? I thought I could get away with spending around about £50 a week but every time I go to Tesco’s or Asda I always end up spending in the region of £60-£70, that isn’t always including meats. Then I end up at B&M’s and Home Bargains and spending like another £20-£30 usually on cleaning products or topping up on other things that are often cheaper at those stores.
I wish I could be that frugal when doing my grocery shop. Fruit, veg and fridge section alone costs me more than £30.
nicksan@reddit
They are either lying or happy to live a joyless life of only the bare essentials. Both uncool.
hannahridesbikes@reddit
Those “little” things you mention, like cooking for others, could easily push a bill up by 30% or more. Assuming you want to make guests something nice, that could be £3 per portion. And readymade snacks could be £2 per portion vs. 50p for something made from scratch in bulk. It seems like the extra expense is worth it to you because you enjoy those things - to stick to an extremely low food budget I do think there’s an element of accepting that you won’t always enjoy it.
NeeloGreen@reddit
Meat is the big cost for me
No_Dot_7136@reddit
I eat 1 Lidl pizza a day, I think they are like £1.50. on days when I don't have pizza I have baked beans on toast or a tin of soup with toast. Most days I only have 1 meal a day. Can't say I'd recommend it if you can afford to not eat that way lol. I sometimes buy the 8 sausage rolls for £1 for snacks for the week.
xolana_@reddit
Honestly food is one of those things I think we should spend on. Quality is so important.
Some-Air1274@reddit
I’m in London and I made a similar post a few weeks ago. I tried incorporating some of the recommendations and it only reduced my shopping by a few pounds.
I still spend about £60 a week if not more, with shopping in Lidl, Waitrose and Tesco in person.
With not doing delivery, my shopping is maybe £10 cheaper.
I’m convinced the people who have cheaper grocery bills only eat main meals or eat the same thing everyday.
HanAVFC@reddit
Lidl with a Lidl plus card. Honestly best thing we've done, the coupons are great. They base it of what you normally buy so most weeks I get a free fruit or veg item, and a free bakery item (they don't specify which but it's the cheapest thing however my daughter loves raspberries and strawberries which are the same sort of price anyway). 15% of coupons on certain products so I will stock up on one product then I know I don't need to get it for a few weeks (particularly things like cat and dog food). Also they do 5%, 10% etc off your whole shop sometimes, and you get in store discounts.
We eat fresh food but I make food go far, for example last sunday I slow cooked a gammon joint which we used for Sunday roast, then I did a meal Monday, sandwiches for partner at work, and the cats had the scraps left.
We budget £80 a week but some weeks it's slightly more some weeks it's slightly less.
Family of 4: Two adults, 7 year old, 4 month old formula fed which we buy on our shop, one dog and two cats.
Haibarai@reddit
I'm that person that spends around 30 pounds on groceries and how I do it is I personally don't cook meat at home so my money is spent on lots of vegies (onions, carrots are very cheap at lidl), white rice, frozen roti and frozen seafood. Sometimes I do spend over 30 but that's usually when I'm buying fancy pasta or ingredients. I don't really snack or buy soft drinks so I think that's the main reason I can keep the cost low (shopping mostly at lidl) because I notice when I do buy snacks, the prices creep up fast.
Special_Flower_9255@reddit
Huel about £30 a week, if all you want to exist on is a liquid nutrient porridge.
Green-Ad5007@reddit
Honestly it's not difficult.
No takeaway or fast food. No restaurants. No starbucks. No ready meals.
Shop in ASDA, Lidl or Aldi.
Try to always buy the cheapest option. It's usually the same food in different packaging.
Reduce meat consumption.
Batch cook.
mcmanus2099@reddit
A small chicken or small meat joint <£5. That's your Sunday dinner & your sandwich meat for the rest of the week. Pair it with pitta for the sandwiches as bread that last the whole week £1. Bag of rocket or other leaves to go with it £1.50. I don't have crisps myself but it you want some to complete your lunch it's typically around £2-3 for 6 bags on offer. In total it's around £10 for your meat for the week and Sunday meat. Loose root veg is still cheap, you can have your Sunday potato & veg for £1. £11 for sandwiches and Sunday dinner.
4 frozen fish fillets & frozen chips will set you back £7 max - there's always one variety of fish and one of chips on offer. You'll prob only eat one of these a week, so let's call that a cost of £2 a week to be generous.
Total at £13.
Small mince is £2.50, frozen pees are £1 bag of potatoes £2.50. With this £6 you can make 4-5 small Shepards/Cottage Pie for one. Thats £1.50 a meal. Fish Pie is a bit more, £2.50-3 unless you get fish reduced to clear. Let's say we are just having one of these a week.
That's £17 and we've covered all weekday lunches, 3 evening meals, Sunday Roast. Pasta and sauce is cheap, you could do it for pence. Chunky Pasta, handful pancetta, garlic paste, butter. Those 4 ingredients will create amazing tasting pasta for less than £1 but even if you want to grab some fresh pasta and run your garlic butter (garlic paste+butter) through it that's £3 max for fresh pasta (2 portions). Garlic paste + butter you should have, but it will take 2 months to go through a £3.50 tub of lurpak. Garlic paste is £2 max and will last all year.
We've covered all evening meals and Sunday roast within £20 without really needing to eat substandard or budget food.
Weeks worth of squash is £2.50.
I don't typically eat two meals on Sunday if I am doing a roast, I will just do it for around 3pm and make it one large meal of the day. But here you have plenty of room to have something nice on Saturday. Waitrose One or M&S Gastro or even a Steak.
Other mentions: - frozen pizzas range from £1 basic to £3 each if you go for the Crosta Malloca 2 pack for £6 - the nicest Pizzas there are - and perfect single portions - Sainsbury's do individually wrapped frozen veg medley single portion multi pack. Great for Sunday roast, you just grab a bag out and either microwave or boil (they are steamed and then frozen). It makes it pence for a Sunday roast veg portion. - sausages are still the best value and most versatile, big pack will give you 12 for £3.50 often (always on offer) or you can go for better quality at still great value. - a standard £2.50 bag of spuds will make 5-7 mash potato portions. You can do this in bulk and freeze the mash. Pair with sausages or pie.
SnowflakeBaube22@reddit
I’m gluten free. The idea of a low price food shop is unthinkable.
Dry_Action1734@reddit
Some are lying, some eat very boring food repetitively, some are very very heavy on cheap veggies.
Fickle_Hope2574@reddit
Personally I spend £70 a month for myself but I only eat jacket potatoes, beans, cheese and some nutritional years that's my meal for the day sometimes twice if I notice I'm hungry.
The average person isn't spending that unless all they are getting are too good to go bags or buying everything when it's got the yellow sticker so costs virtually nothing.
chaochao2426@reddit
For the past 2 years I’ve spent in London, we (my brother and I) had a weekly shopping budget of £36-£42 (I’m struggling to recall) and we only went grocery shopping to Sainsbury’s and M&S for the milk and pasta. But this was totally doable, if we did go over the budget a bit, we would pay by nectar points or just spend less the next week. We managed to do this because we made a new bank account basically just to dump our grocery money and if we went over, we’re doomed, but we saved a few pounds at the end of the month, we carry that over and have more freedom. We basically looked up what was on sale and got those meats (a lot of minced beef, and pork depending which part was cheaper, and no chicken cos I don’t like chicken), and parmensan cheese, veggies, fruits, bread etc, sometimes we have enough to even buy some desserts for a day.
Also to add, before my sister moved away, I find that cooking for more people is actually better and saves money too because it’s not too much of a difference when we all eat similarly.
Puzzleheaded_Rub5562@reddit
First off - height, weight, sex, age.
I'm 64kg, 1.75 F under 30 yrs of age. I don't need to spend a lot to maintain this weight. I choose to buy some products pricier because they taste better which usually means they contain more essential nutrients - this applies to Fruit and Mushrooms. I don't skimp on fruit quality.
I need to spend more when I'm more physically active (running, bouldering, bla bla).
I also used to get specialty items, such as forest honey blend with polyfloral, or smoked and cured meats and cheeses, fresh walnuts, etc. sent from Romania or Greece, and they're cheaper bought from the producer there than than if bought from the 3rd Middlemen in the UK. I also buy in bulk and that reduced my spending, and also grow a few things in the garden that are easy for the british weather: kale, spring onions, rockett, wild garlic, rosemary thyme etc., apple and medlar. So that reduces my spending. I also know how to forage a few things, maybe 30ish diff. common plants and shrooms.
Err0@reddit
Family of 3. Seem to average about 70 a week. We never eat out and eat meat maybe 50% of the time.
Richard__Papen@reddit
I'm not sure London had much to do with it. It's what you eat.
Breakfast - if i have 4 supermarket brand 'Weetabix' . That's like 25p. Quarter a litre of soya milk. Another 25p. A banana 15p. That's 65p for breakfast that'll keep me going for hours.
Tea - beans on toast. Full tin 40p. Toast (nice bread) like Lidl bloomer, 3 slices probably maybe like 15-20p. Bit of spread , maybe some mixed herbs, 10p?
That's £1.30ish for the two main meals of the day.
Just an example of how cheaply you can eat.
Astronaut_Level@reddit
If you’re going to have beans on toast as your main meal I’d suggest swapping the bread for potatoes and throwing in a veg or two, just a suggestion for a more nutritious meal
Richard__Papen@reddit
Fair comment and wouldn't be that much more expensive
acomaf@reddit
Being vegetarian and using frozen veg. £25 give or take for a 4-5 day shop for two adults, including snacks and cupboard things, but not including cleaning supplies
FudgeOffDarling@reddit
My partner and I live off stuff we buy in the reduced section or anything that's on deal, cook in bulk and freeze most of it. Because we do that a lot we have plenty of different meals in the freezer. Also, neither of us tend to have two meals a day, let alone three, but that's just us. I imagine how a family with kids or an appetite do it at that cost.
Apart_Log_1369@reddit
I don't think you want to live on a weekly food shop of £30.
Ramen, pasta, potatoes and questionable frozen meat. I think this is the way, but it wouldn't be fun.
anchoredwunderlust@reddit
We probably spend closer to a hundred a week between 2 people. We do eat out also and I buy meal deal lunches. Sometimes we spend more if we are topping up herbs and spices and pasta and bathroom and cleaning stuff, and some weeks we just grab some vegetables/bread from the Turkish shop instead of grocery shopping.
In the end though we don’t live alone. We have one drawer in the freezer and 2 in a small fridge. We can’t really fit Tupperware of leftovers in there, and if we made extra food we would probably eat it for brunch or else it would go to our adult nephew. We share snacks and he cooks sometimes.
Never had a lot of freezer space, fridge space, cupboard space (also a lot of the cupboard space goes UPwards, so would have to use a chair if I wanted to store a big bag of rice/pasta that’ll probably fall out onto my head anyway).
Also vegan, which can be cheaper if you have a simple taste. But idk, I tend to use a bit of every vegetable. If I make a lasagne you’ll find that I’ve used mince and veg and whatever else. A wellington means I’ve made a nut roast and used veg and used mince and used stuffing…. And the thing is, if you don’t have time and space to make everything from scratch, things like lasagne sauce from free-from are a bit more pricey. Buying all the ingredients to make from scratch is often more pricey, but vegan convenience foods are often more expensive or just smaller. I’ve seen meaty freezer lasagnes for 4 people whereas most vegan lasagnes could use a side dish. So on occasions where I’ve bought salad or sides I’ll generally have them with that meal. We don’t waste much at least.
terahurts@reddit
We spend, on average, £18, a day for three people, so that's £6/day each. But... It's only one main meal a day plus a couple of packs of biscuits or crisps or a bag of sweets each per week. None of us eat breakfast and lunch is either not eaten or it's a sandwich/take-out left overs. No alcohol, and I'd say 40%-60% of the meals are heavy on cheap frozen foods from or BOGOF deals and the ones that aren't are heavy on pasta or rice instead or are just something in a couple of bread rolls. We have a big freezer (for three people) and, most weeks, I'll be using the remains of a bag of chips and sausages or something from the previous weeks for at least one meal.
SilverstoneMonzaSpa@reddit
I can make a nice meal that feeds 4 people, twice for £3 or so. (Orzo, roasted peppers, salad cheese) However those kind of meals are rare and are meat free.
Basically - how much are you willing to sacrifice for cost. If it was essential I could easily feed my family for £30 a week, but it would be terrible food.
Soft_Resource1086@reddit
Too good to go is an app. But usually unhealthy food
Many_Lemon_Cakes@reddit
I just priced up my old Bolognese at uni. It lasted me 4 days of dinner and would cost me £6, so that is £1.50 per dinner. I snacked on biscuits, which cost 30p a pack now days and didn't eat breakfast or lunch for the most part. Only drank water during the day.
PatientConversation6@reddit
I’m seeing a lot of “people are lying” comments but do people not realise that we all live in different areas with different shops and eat different things… I buy 30p pasta and use that for 3-4 meals, buy a £7 pack of chicken and use that for 3 meals. Name brands are very expensive (sometimes even brands like morrisons or Lidl’s own) so we go to different shops for different food. No one wants to be broke or budget like this so why would they lie.
AprilBoon@reddit
Being vegan keeps my food bill max £30 a week. Went vegan for the animals but save money is a unexpectedly benefit.
Significant-Photo-44@reddit
£30 is plenty for food as long as you don't eat meat and fish and you're not eating out or getting takeaways, which I don't. I make a large pan of vegan 'mince' using lentil vertes (£2 for bag at Waitrose) and then turn it into multiple dishes, like shepherds pie, spaghetti bolognese, and chilli con carne, which keeps me going for days. I also make things like chick pea curries, lentil 'risottos' and hearty legume-based soups.
The vegetables I always get in are carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes, which can be used in all the above dishes, and none of them are expensive. Depending on what I fancy, I'll also buy green beans, brussels sprouts, rocket, spinach, peas, parsnips, rocket, as and when.
For breakfast, I have homemade muesli, made of own brand oats, pecan nuts, sultanas, peanut butter, seeds, and yoghurt. Again, all cheap ingredients.
If I ever fancy treats like, say, a pizza, I can make that myself for minimal cost, as flour, yeast, tomatoes/tomato puree and mozzarella aren't expensive, and I also like to make ice cream from time to time, which is significantly cheaper than any decent brand in the shops.
My other regular grocery items will be cooking oil, cheese, olives, milk and tea bags.
So yes, £30 is very doable, and it doesn't have to mean you're going to be eating a miserable diet.
FancyNancy871@reddit
Why are people acting shocked? I consistently spend around £140 a month (so averages £35 a week) on my weekly shop as a single person. And I buy meat too like chicken thighs, minced beef, salmon. You just have to batch cook and so you're not buying ingredients for just one meal but that can be mixed and match. That is my entire food budget for the month, but the occasional splurge on eating out with friends, again limiting myself to £30 per meal.
Venus_Gospel@reddit
I keep costs down by having the same lunch every day (WFH)
Pack of rice is 47p, box of chicken that does 2 meals worth is £1.69, curry sauce I buy powder boxed for £1.29, which does about 5 meals worth from it.
Each day’s lunch costs me less than £1.50 and it tastes amazing, same thing every day exactly, and I love it.
Saves having to think about what to have/cook which is tiring, and much, much cheaper than going out for Lunch
Pifun89@reddit
Where do you buy this £1.69 chicken from? And the 47p rice ?
Venus_Gospel@reddit
Aldi and Lidl, see my other comment for the chicken.
Rice is microwave pouches of plain long grain rice from Aldi
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
Any supermarket own basic long grain rice will be about that price for a kilo.
Dwbtn@reddit
what box of chicken is £1.69?
MacR_72@reddit
Morrisons 3 for £10 gives you 2 chicken breasts for £3.33 which is £1.67 each. One chicken breast would do 2 lunches.
Venus_Gospel@reddit
Unfortunately theres not a single Morrisons in my city
Venus_Gospel@reddit
Aldi and Lidl, 4x frozen Chicken steaks, come in Tempura Batter, Southern Fried or Hot and Spicy variants, so I can mix up which one I get
Choice-Standard-6350@reddit
I spend on the lower end of food. I have porridge with frozen blueberries and chia seeds added, all bought from Aldi. Lunch is leftovers, soup or sandwich. Sandwich typically Aldi hummus and avocado, tea includes things like frozen breaded fish and veg, home made soup with pulses, carrots and mushrooms, baked potatoes with beans, roast veg and potatoes. It’s when you start buying decent processed food the cost soars.
Clear-Warthog5655@reddit
I don't live in London and I can feed myself with the food i want for £30. However this is an average over 3months with stocking up and deliveries with multi buy offers. Apart from my Slow cooker it can be quite time consuming batch cooking but using supermarket offers lowers the overall price for batch cooking and freezing. And tge whole stay out if the supermarket as much as possible works wonders to stop impulse purchasing.
Also leftovers for lunch .as everyone knows pasta for dinner means pasta for lunch same with potatoes make potato salad it will also lower you energy costs.
You find most people also overspend on convenience products as this budgeting per week is sooo time consuming.
Also DO NOT use contactless payments unless you have a firm grip on your spending its pretty much designed for us to forget we have ever paid for anything ( try paying your Rent in cash its heart breaking counting it out lol)
I started this when I totalled up my latte everyday in contactless payments. Also where I am for an average ready meal once a day it works out as £100 a month
Bluecomp@reddit
Don't use supermarkets for a start - if you live in London there'll almost certainly be a international store nearby that will be cheaper for 90% of stuff and will let you buy veg by weight rather than a pre-determined, plastic-wrapped portion. Tesco didn't make £3 Billion last year by doing you a good deal.
SlightChallenge0@reddit
Because you are not cooking for one person.
If you are cooking for others twice a week that is:
2 extra meals if you invite one person over
4 extra if it's 2 people
6 extra if it's 3 people
8 extra if it's 4 people
Maleficent-Jelly2287@reddit
I spend very little. Good relationship with my butcher - he'll often chuck something in for me just to try and i buy cheaper cuts. Market for fruit and veg - it will last for a week in the fridge and i have very little food wastage. I also buy a massive sourdough at the market - slice it, freeze and that lasts a week.
grimseverrr@reddit
Not enjoyably - pre pregnancy I was spending £60/70+ on shops but now it's down to about £30ish in Aldi for essentials for meals for two people to save a bit extra and that's about it (expecting it to go up to the old amount when baby is born but that's a given)
Another thing is bulk buying, my friend buys in bulk once a month for the 'staples' like pasta, some tins, cereals ect. For some reason she doesn't factor this into the weekly cost spread across so when she says how much she spends she says it's like £20 - never mind the fact that she's already got all her staples and is just buying snacks or something else to add to her meals or another dinner if she doesn't want what's in the house.
m0s_212@reddit
Spend about £15, I make a dish called keema aloo basically mince and potato.
anabsentfriend@reddit
I spend an average of £120 - £130 per month. I keep a spreadsheet to I know what all of my outgoings are. (single person household).
That doesn't include eating out that I only do about once every 4 months and I only get a takeaway once a year.
I batch cook as often as possible. I try not to eat tok many pre-prepared things, but sometimes I do. The only snacks I ear are a packet of crisps from a multi-pack.
I make a lunch for work, and don't buy coffees etc out.
I shoo almost exclusively at Lidl and Aldi.
formallyhuman@reddit
When I've been broke broke, I've been able to eat three times a day for three days for about £6.
How? Literally ham and cheese toasties x 2 three times a day.
I've gone off of them now.
salmonboy5@reddit
i cook with my flatmate which absolutely saves money, i used to do everything individually but it was way more expensive and meant eating the same meals for days in a row which i loathe. plus it stops food going off so fast. we do one £30-40 food shop at lidl and do end up having to get extra bits throughout the week.
i used to budget £25 for myself a week and struggled with that but ive had other flatmates on even lower budgets, they were just better at meal prep which i think is what it comes down to. it would technically be possible to do it on £20 a week but would take so much more time than i think most people realistically have.
Belle_TainSummer@reddit
They lie.
They take prices from 20-30 years ago when they actually were living on a low budget, and then just transpose them right onto today. But they are all such middle class tossers, that they no longer live on that strained budget, so they no long know what the prices were. They also take the budget from 20/30yrs ago and then knock ten percent-ish off for extra virtue signalling/judgementalism power to make themselves seem more superior than the filthy poors of today.
That is how.
double-happiness@reddit
Here is my recent shopping delivery history:
Oct 28 £37.86
Oct 9 £40.98
Sep 28 £46.65
Aug 24 £57.64
Jul 31 £43.07
Jun 1 £31.64
Will screenshot it for you if you don't believe me.
Leading_Law_783@reddit
My boyfriend shared this thread with me and I just find it hilarious. As a student living in zone 2 London, I do a £20 bi-weekly food shop at lidl. Then during the week I might spend up to £10 on a coffee or some random bits on reduced from Sainsbury's.
Bringing my "weekly total" to about £15.
I find it absolutely crazy that people spend more than £20 per week on a food shop as STUDENTS in London and I honestly don't understand what you're buying.
To be fair I'm an absolute pycho when it comes to budgeting so I understand that some people give themselves a lot more freedom than this, but here is my breakdown of my bi-weekly food shop at lidl:
Spaghetti - 28p x 3 Tuna - 55p x 2 Chicken mince - £2.79 x 1 (if I get tuna, I don't buy this) Tomato paste - 59p x 1 Cheddar cheese (mild) - £2.79 Salad cheese - 85p x 2 Brown onions - 95p x 1 Tomatoes - 99p x 1 Garlic - 40p x 1 Crackers - 45p x 1 Eggs - £1.79 x1 Spring Onions - 69p x 1 Banana - 10-15p x 4 Butter - £1.09 x 1 Porridge oats - 89p x 1 coconut milk - £1.45 x 1 Buscuit spread - £1.75 x 1
Total: £20.66
Sometimes I have to buy oil spray or coffee which might then boost it up to about £25 but that's usually only once every month or 2 months.
To keep costs low I also buy my staple items back in my home town before coming to London because the prices are a lot lower. These are usually:
Salt, pepper, mixed herbs, curry powder, chilli flakes, chicken and veg stock and cinnamon.
I also buy 6 packets of miso soup (30p each) from my local Asian grocery store back in my hometown and ration them for lunch by putting the paste in a sealed pot in my fridge. Then when I go home for Christmas half way through the year, I usually stock up again.
To make sure I'm using up everything I buy, I meal prep every Sunday. I cook cinnamon and banana oat pancakes which I store in my fridge to then eat for breakfast every morning. I then also cook and store Spaghetti pasta in bulk. I try to cook for 3 days at a time so that I alternate veggie pasta with meat pasta to keep my diet balanced.
My uni also provides free food monday till Friday for lunch (this is usually some rice and vegetable curry) so I usually try to eat this for lunch on the 4 days that I go into uni per week.
cavergirl@reddit
I genuinely spend very little on food. I have a low income, so go to the local food pantry. £4 gets 8 items (tins/jars/packets) plus unlimited fresh fruit and veg that is near it's sell by date. I supplement that with stuff from the reduced section. I'm vegetarian and trying to lose weight, so that helps. I attend a couple of mental health support groups which give out free coffee and toast, so I count that as lunch. My weekly treat is coffee and cake in the local cafe, which costs £7. Otherwise, I cook batches of soup, curry, chilli, pasta bakes etc and freeze the spare portions for another day. It's not the way I would choose to eat, but it's the healthiest I can afford.
Interesting-Past-778@reddit
I meal prep most of my food. I buy big bags of dry chickpeas, cook them and freeze the portions. Then when I need to make a dish or hummus (I eat too much hummus, paprika hummus, so good), I defrost a portion or 2. I get the 3kg pasta bag from Asda. Frozen veggies/spinach/onions and so on. For spices, I go to the Asian store and buy the big bags of spices and then sort them in my own spice jars. Buying spices in the small jars from grocery stores is a scam.
The most expensive stuff I buy is the mixed nuts and mangoes. (I love mangoes)
The downside is that I had to learn how to cook, but luckily with meal prepping, I do it once or twice a week.
So usually I spend around 30£ a week on food.
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Ch3ks@reddit
We spend £50-60 a week as a family of 3 (and one cat)
We keep costs low by making most things from scratch and trying to keep ingredients to a minimum. By that i mean, if we buy carrots we use them in each meal. If we buy courgettes, we make sure to use them in meals. We limit our waste to as little as possible.
Kiddo gets snacks and fruit weekly - we'll buy ourselves something every other week.
We can go over our budget so its not strict and the budget will most likely need to be increased shortly as prices are creeping every single week.
Popular_Sea530@reddit
I think also people are averaging out their shop. We spend £100 ish a week but sometimes that’s £50 and sometimes £150. Depends on the week!
_a_m_s_m@reddit
It could be people categorise supermarket trips & takeaway spending separately & don’t add them up?
curry_in_my_beard@reddit
I don’t spend a huge amount on my weekly shop but that’s because I spend a lot more on pantry essentials. I eat an Indian vegetarian diet so twice a year do a big shop for lentils, rice, spices, beans, flour. And then my weekly shop will be vegetables, dairy and treats. It’s therefore pretty cheap if you’re not buying large quantities of ingredients every week.
This is more personal preference than frugality. I was brought up eating dal and rice and now as an adult I enjoy dal and rice. I find it odd when it’s seen as poverty/struggle food or considered bland or boring. I had a bit of a reverse culture shock seeing the average British grocery shop because it is much more expensive than what my family spent
Due_Garlic_3190@reddit
I think those who are spending so little are either eating our a fair bit or getting take outs. My husband and I rarely get take outs maybe once every 3 months, we cook every single dinner from fresh and have leftovers for lunches the next day. Our shop on average a week is £150-200 (this includes some non food stuff) we do a mixture of Lidl and Tesco. We don’t but branded stuff either.
rbrown1991@reddit
Lots of people won't be accounting for all their food. Not that they are being dishonest just not appreciating or noticing it. For example a lot of people might get food as a part of their job (essentially a 'free' lunch) and such like. This might mean they just need to buy fewer calories from the grocery store. Or maybe they have a routine at eating at their parents house once or twice a week, and if that meal is large they might not need to eat again that day (or next morning etc).
For what it's worth I'm a single guy. My weekly grocery shop is about £70 but I sometimes benefit from a free breakfast or lunch at work (I'm a teacher so if I run a club or something I can claim these for free). I also eat out or get a takeaway once or twice a week which I reckon brings it about £120 per week. I could easily lower my spend but think I would sacrifice quite a lot of quality of life to reduce it much more.
ohnobobbins@reddit
15 years ago I was having a really tough time. I lived on £10 a week for about a year, which is probably similar to £20 now.
My standard list would be:
Milk Potatoes Beans Bread or crackers Carrots Tomatoes And then a choice between cheese and a whole chicken And obviously sometimes I’d get butter or oil and salt/pepper and tea.
It was absolutely miserable and in the end I got really ill with ulcerative colitis, from the combination of stress and shitty nutrition wrecking my health. So, it’s possible, but it’s not healthy for me to do and I now have a permanent bowel disease from it.
I feel really bad for anyone having to live on this long term.
Things have got a LOT better and my now husband and I spend about £500 a month, but that’s for everything including booze, treats, having friends over etc. (We don’t go out much as we’re saving.)
DR_95_SuperBolDor@reddit
By making a lot of big dishes and freezing stuff. I generally spend about £2-3 per day for my main meal, which is usually my lunch too. I reckon all in I'm probably under £40 a week on food. I would spend more on food, but I also smoke and drink, so can't afford to.
Surface_Detail@reddit
We spend about £70 for a family of four at Aldi each week, but there are other 'optional' things we do, like getting takeaway once a week for the kids or getting beers in if we are having guests over.
We could probably get that down to £50 or so if we got fewer processed things and more staples instead.
Carbs are so cheap as to be not even worth mentioning. A serving of spaghetti is 75g. 1kg of spaghetti in Asda is £1.20. That's enough carbs for 12 servings, or three meals for four people. Let's say you have that three times a week. A serving size of uncooked rice is 50g. Rice is about 15p per 100g so about 7.5p per serving. Flour is a similar price.
For flavour and protein eggs are 17p each from Asda right now if you buy packs of 15 (we typically get 30 per week). For egg fried rice you're looking at about half an egg per serving.
You want seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce and similar which are a bit more expensive but are typically bought month to month rather than week to week (my soy sauce purchases are from an oriental supermarket and are measured in gallons once every six months or so).
For actual health and flavour, you're going to want fresh vegetables and things like garlic or ginger (garlic and ginger again tend to be month to month rather than week to week and are cheap enough to not really be worth mentioning). Fresh vegetables are where you're going to get your variety. Also tinned products like tomatos, peas etc are just as good as fresh and considerably cheaper because they're easier to transport and store.
All told, the very basics (carbs, eggs, oils, sauces, veg) will probably not cost more than £20/week for four people and will be relatively healthy. The expensive bits will be the proteins you put on top of that (meat/fish/poultry/dairy) and all the incidentals that go into a weekly shop (toilet roll, bin liners, washing up liquid etc). Processed stuff like bread, ready meals and such are also disproportionately expensive compared to how far they will stretch.
BarNo3385@reddit
As others have said, there's likely some exaggeration going on, or ignoring depletion of cupboard / freezer stores.
They may also be talking "per person" and cooking for 2. Because of how stuff tends to be packaged eating for 2 is probaly more like 60-75% the cost of 1 person, so £30 each for 2 people is easier than £30 for 1 person.
There's also a function of what you include. Our budget for 2 adults, a child and 2 cats is about £120/week. That covers everything "Tesco / weekly shop" esque, so includes household cleaning products, laundry stuff, nappies, cat food etc etc as well as pure food.
I don't keep a running breakdown of that, but when I've done as a checkpoint, maybe 2/3rds is food, so £80 a week. Of that the cats are probably about £20, so we feed 2 adults and a toddler for £60 a week.
Karsheeee@reddit
It is possible but that money saved literally translates to doing much much more, for example, I buy flour and make dough myself now.
Much cheaper than buying bread but it does take more time, and it’s similar with most foods, if you buy the raw ingredients for cheap then overall you can maintain a good diet on a cheap budget.
I buy 3KG of pasta, 10KG of white rice, 10KG of white flour and the rest is things that will pair with these foods.
I eat tuna mayo with the naan/bread, I buy chopped tomato cans and get 2.5KG of frozen chicken from farm foods for a tenner, which then make banging curries.
I may eat the same stuff day in day out, and it does take a while to prepare but there’s no feeling like knowing what’s in your food and eating at home, and I make sure they taste damn good every single time.
Leading_Screen_4216@reddit
I'm one of those annoying people that spends £40 odd on food a week. I know what I spend because I'm very anal and budget everything. There are two tricks: 1) I I buy all of my food from the supermarket online. This stops me impulse buying. 2) food isn't important to me. I'm buying it to stay alive, not because I derive any pleasure from eating. (That's not to say I dislike food - but i don't need to spend money on things like salad dressing or anything like that.)
Point 2 is very important. I choose to spend my money on my things that I enjoy. If you enjoy food then spend you're money on it.
Pleasant-Put5305@reddit
It sounds like you are already working hard to minimise costs - just a suggestion - batch cooking really helps, assuming you have the freezer space - its super convenient having Bolognese, chilli con carne, 90% cooked risotto ready for adding parmesan, beef stew, lamb casserole, chicken curry, you can store it in portions in freezer bags and just steam some veggies, cook some spuds, pasta or rice (my rice cooker changed my life) and reheat/polish. It's much more economical and you need less of expensive ingredients like spices. Bulk out with veggies and starches.
Huge-Promotion-7998@reddit
Budget for £125 a week for two, including a few beers and wine. Regularly go over it due to buying nice bits and could probably do it a bit cheaper to be honest but there we go.
unsureaboutthis21@reddit
We spend closer to what you’ve said, but we buy things like meats, toilet paper ect at Costco a few times a year so our weekly shop for the most part is just food items. Helps us keep our costs down
originalwombat@reddit
The internet is full of liars. Their £38 shop becomes £30 etc etc
mpanase@reddit
Show your shopping receipts.
Happy to let you know the difference between your and mine (about £20-£25/week).
tinglybiscuits@reddit
I’m puzzled by this too, I’m convinced they are either lying or eat miserably! I can understand more in the region of £50/60 if being frugal.
Two adults and two kids we spend circa £200 a week. (Included toiletries and household items, never alchohol)
In theory I could spend less but we like to eat well and have lots of options and it’s what we allocate.
simundo86@reddit
I can do around 35 quid a week at Asda for a week but that won’t include cleaning products etc
Capable-Potato600@reddit
Living in London is a big part of it. My husband used to live in Ealing and I lived just outside of London. When I went to stay weekends with him I was always shocked at how much higher food shopping was.
Now we both live just outside of London and we spend about £60-£90 per week with the two of us including toiletries and cleaning products but not including any meals out (which are rare). When I later worked away in Reading I noticed it was even cheaper there, and then Cardiff which was even cheaper than Reading.
I think cooking for others will probably have a bigger impact too. Twice a week is not insignificant - when we have people over it tends to add another 10-20 quid to the usual shop. It's also because when we have people over we tend to get slightly nicer/extras when hosting.
Typical weekly meals include: Stir-fry bags, chicken/chickpea curry, pizza from scratch, burgers/veggie burger and chips, fajitas. Breakfasts for work are packaged Stockwell pain au choc or high quality oat bars, at weekends its hash browns & beans or french toast. Lunch for me is salads with pre-made bags of roses/beans/grains and a protein like tuna or egg, he tends to have left overs or skip lunch as he's not much of a lunch person. We do buy some fruits and juices and vegetables each week, but honestly I find those negligible in terms of impact on budget.
He has 3 bottles of branded pop which does get a bit pricey and I get some packaged snacks and breakfast bars which, same honestly. But we're definitely not being super self-denying.
We buy unbranded everything and I'm veggie so that does keep costs lower. We do a big weekly shop at the big Tesco. We also cook dinner to last for two days due to work and time constraints.
Also we buy a few significant things in bulk - giant bags of rice, pasta, flour, spices, chicken to freeze and toilet rolls.
Maybe splitting the cost between two people and having the option to store/buy bulk items helps keeps cost lower - economy of scale?
FlockBoySlim@reddit
£30 per week is about right for me if we're only talking about how much I spend each week.
Once per month I buy Big bags of frozen veg (about £1-£1.50 per bag), a box of cereal (£3) and a carton of oat milk (£2).
Then for a weekly shop...
Turkey mince (£3.50), 5 packets ofmicrowavable rice (about a fiver), tuna (£2 for pack of 3), eggs(£1.50ish), bag of grated cheese (£2.50), salad stuff (mixed leaves, cucumber etc) is about £2-3, salmon filletx2(£4) and potato's (£1), six rolls (£1.50), fresh gnocchi (£2), sixpack of yoghurts (£1.30).
Breakfast is cereal or yoghurt depending on how much of a rush I'm in.
Turkey mince does for 3 dinners, rice, veg, cheese and various seasoning from the cupboard help mix things up.
Salmon, baby potato's and boiled veg is 2 more dinners.
Pan fried gnocchi with veg is another dinner.
Roll filled with with cheese and salad is 6 lunches (3 of which the roll also contains tuna). Yoghurt that hasn't been used for breakfasts is used as part of lunch time treat.
Scrambled eggs or omelette is used for dinner one night or lunch or breakfast depending on general vibe and how sick I am of eating tuna/turkey.
So around 28-38 quid depending on whether or not you're including the things I buy one per month not every week.
Prestigious-Pace5915@reddit
Yeaa I've always wondered too are these ppl just eating canned beans and bread
Public-One3608@reddit
It really depends what you eat, and London is way more expensive! Your shops there have higher rents and premiums, so they charge more. I think your location is very relevant here.
NatureConnectedBeing@reddit
Home cooking from scratch or really crap cheap processed foods. Check out /r/frugal where this post would be better placed for advice on how to do it.
Glowing102@reddit
Not drinking saves one hell of a lot of money.
WritesCrapForStrap@reddit
I've been in a position a couple of times in my life where I've only had £20 a week for food, and it's both doable and depressing.
All the people in here like "they're lying you can't live on that" have clearly not seen real hardship.
PinAccomplished9410@reddit
Wafter thin ham or chicken, loaf of bed, mayo and maybe cheese. And a bag from a multi pack of crisps - lunches
Cooked pasta and your choice of meat and cut - batch cooked,.maybe with some vegs. - dinners
Small amount of wiggle room for alternating dinner with something else, also batch cooked, a chicken curry.
Breakfasts - porridge or a cheap cereal e.g. Wheaties.
It's doable and don't forget, some people don't care that much about food and are prepared to do just what's necessary especially if things are tough.
AuntyJellybean@reddit
I spend about £20 a week for fresh stuff and do a monthly shop of about £100 for 2 of us so maybe £45 a week average but 3 things happen in my house to help keep costs down
We don't buy meat. I'm veggie and SO only eats it when we're out.
Bulk and bargain buying. It's always cheaper to buy a massive bag of rice which will keep. Same with oils and tins.
Zero waste policy. I've had soup with a side of lasagne and half an apple for my lunch at work before now.
I'm lucky though in that SO is a chef so he can do wonders with wobbly carrots and shrivelled mushes and we both love cooking.
I guess it's our attitude towards food that saves us money not what we buy or where we shop, although that helps.
Tallicababe123@reddit
13 years ago I lived off £10 a week for me and my dog. I went to Iceland and bought 7 main meals for £1. Then with the leftover I bought lunch, cereal or dog food. No snacks. I lost allot of weight as I wasn't eating enough. Out of curiosity I've had a look and Iceland do still do £1 meals. But if you look they are not healthy. I don't think I could live off £10 a week now. But I think I probably could £20 but it wouldn't be enough calories. Probably no snacks or very few. However I have a family and we buy what we want and my shop is around £130-£150 a week. I also would sometimes mix it up with pasta and a sauce that was a meal for 2 or 4 and I would save half for the next day. So it is possible but not good for your health.
BudLightYear77@reddit
I have a vac packer/water bath and a pressure cooker which massively helps.
The other day I saw chickens half off on Sainsbury's online and I bought a math problems worth of chickens to dress, bag, and freeze. I then roasted the carcasses and made something like eight liters of stock.
That stock then went into pumpkin soup from crown prince pumpkins I grew and I ended up with 16 liters of pumpkin soup. That was bagged in 2 liter batches and frozen. Cost per serving is around £1.20 each.
The chickens will be pulled out and used in various meals according to their marinades, probably coming out to around £1.20-1.70 per serving each. Potatoes of various forms, rice, or breads will help there.
It's only because I have a massive chest freezer and an insane amount of equipment that I can do it to this extreme though. Without that it's a lot more 'this is on sale so this is what we're having for dinner' and it's extensive knowledge that helps there.
Even with all of that saving, we're still spending £60-70 on food for two of us for a week at a minimum. Benefit to it is it's a very healthy set of meals and sometimes I can pull everything out the freezer for an easy meal. Negative is it takes a lot of time to prep. We're spending the money on prep time instead of ingredients.
Relevant-Rich256@reddit
It's more about buying more frozen foods, and avoiding expensive meats.
If you buy frozen vegetables and chicken, along with some fruits, tortillas, frozen fish, yogurt, eggs and either bread or pasta, you should be able to find options within 30pounds in a lidl.
If you buy fresh foods and expensive meats such as lamb or beef, you're bill cannot fit within 30 pounds
New-Tough8669@reddit
£20-£30 on the weekly shop then £200 on delivery and takeout…
Glowing102@reddit
I managed it on £35 a week. Batch cooking is where it is at. Make a huge stew or soup. Freeze it. Eat it twice a day with toast. Other cheap meals, cereal and focus on seasonal cheap veg and buy them loose not prepackaged. Potatoes, carrots, cabbage. Cheap meat ... chicken legs and sausages. A few eggs. I drink oat milk ( it's normally on offer at Ocado for £1.50). I buy toilet rolls and oat milk at Ocado and everything else in Asda, Waitrose and M&S.
I never eat out or drink out. Always have a bottle of water with me when out and about.
dread1961@reddit
When I was very poor I would just make a big pot of veg soup and live off that. If I was more flush a big pot of lentil curry would last all week. If you have a good stock of spices, stock cubes and dried herbs already then you're just buying some veg, pulses and beans. Drink green tea and black coffee. Not a varied diet but cheap.
Riphazer@reddit
scan the meat as banana or potato
paraCFC@reddit
We spend 100 per two per week meal planning freezing but in general selecting quality produce. Shopping in waitrose, m&s , butcher , polish shop and Aldi . About half of weekly shopping we spending on fruit and veg . Eating meats 2-3 times a week and on Friday always big whole fish. No takeaways sometimes cheat burgers or pizza but I made everything from scratch.
Unusual-Profit4997@reddit
I spend about £25 a week on food, not including alcohol, as a single person. I shop at Lidl and about £10 of that is fresh fruit & vegetables. I’m veggie so my dinner protein is usually tofu or canned pulses. It is doable… I would say though I’m not a huge ‘foodie’ so eating the same thing for lunch most days (usually a salad with some couscous, feta cheese, chickpeas & beetroot) isn’t an issue 😅
ButterPeanutButter@reddit
As someone who does eat on £20-30 a week, these top comments are annoying me. It's entirely doable, even with eating meat every day. Batch cooking is the answer. I just made 6 portions worth of butter chicken the other night for like £10. Add a few cans of tuna and loaf of bread for lunch, around £3-4 pound, and yogurt, granola, and eggs for another £3-4 pound. Then add fruit and frozen veg, snacks, etc. to bring you up to the £20-30 pound mark. What's funny is that I could go even cheaper (e.g. I buy boneless thighs rather than bone-in thighs).
TRGuy335@reddit
Our shop for a family of three is about 80 a week, with perhaps 20-30 additional on bits, so it is possible. Some points on our shop:
1) Vegetarian household, meat is EXPENSIVE. Going even veggie half the week will save loads.
2) meal plan. Map out your meals and ingredients before you do your shopping, that way you’ll only buy what you need. We literally never really waste or throw away any food.
3) cooking 2x when you make a pasta bake, chilli etc is good. Freeze it.
LucasWesf00@reddit
Aldi and having a wife that likes home cooking, but even then £30 is the absolute minimum.
ToManyTabsOpen@reddit
learn to cook vegetables well, not just well but proper recipes, that are also ideally fairly quick to make.
Things like carrot and ginger soup, a kg of carrots is 79p. an onion a stock cube plus a loaf of bread is a few meals for a few quid.
Okonomiyaki, a cabbage is less than £1, plus half dozen eggs, so its 6 meals for about £3.
Grilled courgettes, roast peppers, jacket potatoes are sub £1 meals. If you can make the vegetable the star of the show its the difference between £1-2/kg of food and >£10-20/kg of food.
Use meats and fishes to compliment. eg. Stir salmon through pasta goes further than eating a fillet whole. Slice a steak thinly and marinate on skewers. Tasty and cheaper than a slab of steak.
ultraboomkin@reddit
Jacket potato and carrots for dinner every day. Sounds delicious.
Pargula_@reddit
It's doable if you only cook at home. Bring lunch to work and never go out.
Sounds a bit miserable though.
MasterFrost01@reddit
A lot of people don't include eating out and takeaways in that figure
TickleMaster2024@reddit
Food prices are way too high now. Cant afford to eat.
Majestic-Fail-1731@reddit
I spend on average £6/day on my food outgoings. I can do a weekly shop on £40-50 most weeks. Usually batch cook 2-3 main meals, and have them across lunch / dinner and usually a cheap healthy breakfast like tuna on toast, or non branded beans etc.
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
I live alone, batch cook, plan my meals, don't eat a lot of meat (try to do no more than two dinners a week) and typically have the same breakfast and lunch for the week, switching up between weeks. I don't generally buy alcohol or other drinks or a huge amount of snacks, and I usually just get apples or grapes for fruit so I don't spend a lot on expensive berries and such. I'm also smaller and less active than a lot of other people, so I recognise my calorie needs are lower than some others.
But contrary to what other people think, I don't eat like shit or have boring meals (ok my breakfasts are dull, but I'm really not a breakfast person – usually just toast). Recent dinners include vegetable stew with dumplings, pulled chicken black bean chilli, onion curry, chickpea and spinach curry and Thai pork mince. Plus the occasional basic "can't be bothered" meal when I don't really want to cook. I typically have the same dinner twice in a row, then freeze the rest if it's freezable. Might do some Swedish meatballs today...or maybe sausages with apple and mustard.
Background-Unit-8393@reddit
Honestly it’s shocking to me. I’m a Brit living in one of the cheapest countries in Asia and I still spend 100 quid a week on food for me and the wife . How can people spend 20??
darkey01@reddit
I budget £100 a week for family of 3 plus a cat but that doesn’t include the occasional trip to Tesco’s
double-happiness@reddit
£40 food delivery every 2-3 weeks, and the rest comes off my garden. I eat little to no meat but will eat fish and seafood.
Obvious_Flamingo3@reddit
I’ve seen people saying they spend 20-30 per week, and I think a lot of it boils down to:
They live in the countryside or dedicate a lot of time and garden space to growing and picking their own produce
They basically have massive freezers and make like 10 portions of food
They are vegetarian and beans / chickpeas / lentils are a big part of their protein
They eat the same things every day
Either way I think if you’re a busy person (especially living in the city where you don’t have much space) you’re gonna be spending a lot more
OrdinaryQuestions@reddit
I went plant based. Massively reduced cost of things. Dried lentils etc, tinned chickpeas, beans, etc all last a lot longer.
Ok-Morning-6911@reddit
People could be incorrectly tracking. I agree 20-30 is low, however, I can do a 'big shop' which I get delivered for 55 from Tesco and then the following week do a 25 pound top up from Aldi which would take my weekly spend to about 40. However, It's so hard to track whether I needed to pop downstairs to the loca supermarket to pick up any other odd ingredient.
One thing I think I do well is I don't really waste any food. Sounds obvious but for a while I was a house sitter and I was always amazed at how full the fridge and cupboards were in other people's houses and how many duplicates of items there were and I wondered how they could possibly get through it all without some of it going off. I am in a small flat so about once a month I try to eat the cupboards and fridge empty before I will go and do another shop. I also use Chat GPT to give me my recipe for the evening based on what I need to use in the fridge,
InvestigatorNaive456@reddit
I spent 100 a month usually and thats including all household stuff like detergents toilet rolls, washing up liquid, shower stuff
I batch cook everything from scratch and bulk buy offers from butchers with an industrial freezer tho lol
I recently went to 150 but still have 40 leftover, mainly just to avoid "i have a tenner" anxiety lol
InvestigatorNaive456@reddit
Oh and pasta and rice are my favourites haha and that shits bulky and a negligible cost I bulk buy it in the 5kg intervals
PvtRoom@reddit
bread, 16 slices, 75p.
eggs, £2-3.
breakfast = 1 slice + 1 egg. about £4. (with spare bread)
lunch. sandwich. coleslaw, tuna mayo, cheap salami. 2 slices bread, about £1/ filling. £7/week, plus maybe bread. alternatively: tinned soup. 70p -1.20. beans on toast
dinner: pasta, pasta sauce, chorizo (<£4 total from Lidl), cheap ready meals from Iceland £1 , frozen pizzas £1, plus all lunch options. doable at £7.
total, about £20, good for survival, not living well.
Old-Usual-8387@reddit
House of 5 and a dog and we spend on average £100 a week on groceries and we have a takeaway once a week that we spend roughly 35-40 on. So we spend on average £140 I’ll say.
Master_Tangelo_5005@reddit
Myself for example I bulk buy things like toilet roll, get it delivered, that’s out the way, done. And every single time I shop I buy hoardy items (if somethings on offer cupboard staples, cleaning items, condiments, I’ll buy a few for down the line) and I always always stock up on yellow stickers for the freezer when I can.
I join every loyalty programme I can and make full use of them when I shop including cash back apps.
I’ve been doing this a while now and now my weekly shops are very cheap (max £30 single person)
Gusacus@reddit
I can do a food shop for £20-30, but not every week. When I have to buy cleaning supplies, cat food, cupboard fillers, those shops are bigger, but probably always under £50.
That said, I’m a single person and eat very minimally due for health reasons and I budget it to be that low; I don’t buy meaty meals or snacks if they aren’t in budget for the week, and I’ll plan my meals strategically to be as economic as possible .
Positive-Locksmith21@reddit
Probably lots of rice in the diet.
Existing_Message_866@reddit
So I live in the midlands and also shop at Lidl, I do spend about 10-20 quid a week on food- BUT I don’t eat a lot. I struggle with appetite, so I mostly snack or eat pitta bread pizzas. Not healthy by any means at all, but also due to financial reasons and mental health I cannot make full blown meals just for myself, it takes a lot for me to spend hours cooking and I usually don’t have the energy or time
autobulb@reddit
I can price out breakfasts for ya, because it's my favourite meal of the day.
I buy 30 eggs from the local egg lady for 7.50. That's 25p an egg. I have 3-4 eggs with some ham or bacon, or 2 eggs with a piece of cheese on some bread. A packet of ham or bacon costs around 2-3 pound for the larger packs and easily lasts the week. A block of cheese is around 3 pounds at M&S and lasts way more than a week. Bread or rolls would come out to like 20p a serving maybe? So, that's like a 2 pound breakfast pretty easily.
But I don't eat that for every morning. Some mornings I have yogurt which is 2 pound for a 1kg tub of Greek style and easily lasts 2 weeks. A handful of cereal or granola comes from a 3-4 pound bag but lasts many weeks. A banana in that too, is about 10p. Some mornings I just have cereal with milk and banana which would probably be an under 1 pound breakfast when I am not so hungry or reducing calories.
So while I couldn't buy all those ingredients in one go to make it under 30 pounds a week for shopping, many of those ingredients last longer than a week so you're not buying them every time.
Taken_Abroad_Book@reddit
I'm on mounjaro so don't really eat much.
Kinda offsets the savings though
mindthegirl@reddit
My partner and I spend £50-£70 per week for our weekly shop which also includes other household items and any alcohol we’d want for the week ie a wine or two. This does genuinely cover us for the week for both breakfast, lunch and dinner, however it does mean that we bulk cook loads for lunches and spend 45-60 minutes cooking every day - and we also predominantly eat vegetarian and do 90% of our shop in Aldi. So yes it’s possible for very little per person but there are so many variables to why the cost is lower and I’d say the biggest one for us is probably time invested into preparing the meal definitely increases significantly. If you eat meat and have limited time to prepare and bulk cook, then your bill is also likely to be higher.
CraftBeerFomo@reddit
£50-£60 per week for 1 person is reasonable for a supermarket shop in my experience and I spend similar.
I definitely COULD get it down further as I go to the supermarket far too often as I pass 3 of them in the evening heading home and on my evening walk and often can't help myself from nipping in to pick things up that are often not really essential but I just fancy or know I'll need at some point then without fail I end up buying other bits and pieces I dont really need or treating myself to something.
Also there are things I buy that aren't really essential and I spend too much on - Espresso coffee pods, crisps every weekend, ice cream far too much at the weekend recently, side dishes to go with my meals (like if I've made a curry buying a pack of pakoras for example) and other items. Cutting these out would probably save me another tenner a week easily if I was militant about it.
Also keep in mind Reddit is filled with teenage basement dwellers who live at home with their parents and just love roleplaying on the internet as adults and getting into arguments with grown ups on subjects they have no experience in or knowledge on, so take anything you read on here with a pinch of salt.
qwop271828@reddit
Recently someone posted a reasonable shopping list and weekly list of meals in UKFrugal. This is for 4 (although I suspect two of those are children) and comes in at <£40 a week.
Normka92@reddit
They probably quote how much they spend on their ‘weekly shop’ but then don’t add in top up shops/takeaways/lunches at work etc which also should be in the budget for weekly food!!
AstronomerOutside146@reddit
It's definitely a combination of factors. A lot of people aren't accounting for the cost of staples they already have in their cupboard, which makes their weekly shop seem artificially low. To hit those £20-£30 figures, you're basically committing to a life of bulk-cooking the same few cheap meals and having a freezer full of them. It's a full-time job in frugality that sacrifices variety and convenience. Honestly, spending £50-£60 in London while eating relatively healthy sounds pretty reasonable to me.
JoshuaaQuigley@reddit
I attempt to spend £50 a week on Food, Drinks, Snacks etc
I spend more majority of the time, and this is strictly just for work.. I have food at home which my family buy they're definietly not spending £20-£30 a week on food.
Dserved83@reddit
One thing Iv'e seen 1st hand people do, is they do a massive shop, and have freezer full of "mains" then each week they just buy the vedge+essentials to accompany it and say that is there weekly amount.
Minimum_Leopard_2698@reddit
I feel like they don’t factor in trips to the likes of B&M for cleaning essentials, laundry etc. the sort of “stock up” at cheaper stores and this adds up.
I’m a single person who doesn’t drive so cheap places aren’t accessible- therefore I rely on Asda delivery. I feel like most people get food delivered so I hope I can offer a more normal perspective?
I struggle to get a weeks shop under £65. £55 is do able if I don’t need the aforementioned loo rolls, laundry stuff, cleaning products etc
PKblaze@reddit
Depends on what you eat and how you cook tbf. Also not living in London helps
Ok_Umpire2119@reddit
It is possible if you can find time to meal prep. I average at £30/week and total at around £130/month.
Mostly high protein low carb meals. And each meal would be between 500-600kcal.
Breakfast - Oats + Mixed Berries + Whey Protein Lunch - Chicken & Rice Dinner - Chicken + Rice/Pasta/Bread Snacks - Mixed Nuts (10g), 1 Banana, 1 Orange, 1 Carrot
It is repetitive but I try different recipes for my lunch and dinner keeping the macros same.
I shop at Tesco and try to get Tesco brand products instead of the expensive ones. Also try to buy in bulk.
It’s definitely possible but just needs a bit of discipline and mindset. And I try not to eat from outside as much as I can.
Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit
You live in London…
hhfugrr3@reddit
I reckon you could do it, if you eat mostly veg and pulses, if you cook everything from scratch, you don't include the cost of energy to cook the food, and you don't eat as much as a fat bastard like me.
I think you'd be spending a lot of time cooking and planning your meals.
DeirdreBarstool@reddit
I get one big shop from Tesco delivered per month. It’s around £90 and includes all my meat, Greek yogurt (breakfast), canned food like pulses and chopped tomatoes etc, rice, pasta and stuff like washing gel and foil. It also includes veg but I tend to buy stuff that lasts a while such as carrots, onions, peppers, courgettes. Spinach gets frozen as does all the meat, after portioning.
I then stock up fresh veg and bread as needed during the month in little sainsburys. It all comes in at about £130 a month.
I never buy coffees or lunch out. I batch cook. I make healthy nutritious home-cooked meals. I don’t eat ready meals, I don’t buy branded goods except warburtons bagels and Heinz ketchup.
I get a takeaway chicken kebab or pizza around twice a month when I’ve been out drinking adding around £20. So.. £150.
I don’t even feel like I scrimp. I buy king prawns, chorizo, other meats. I reckon I could get it down to £100 a month if I needed to.
fatknits@reddit
Making sure I eat well with tasty food is my one indulgence. I don’t drink or smoke or go out (other than to my mates for d&d which is free), so this is my treat.
As a single person living alone, I spend about £80 a week on groceries, this also includes toiletries and home goods like loo roll or shampoo etc. Quite a lot of my budget goes on tropical fruit, I adore mango and melon so I eat it most days.
orangandplum@reddit
Everyone's different.
My diet is simply but very healthy and low cost, I eat a lot of fresh produce and very little processed stuff (5%) of the time. And most weeks I only eat two meals with snacks
So for about £15-£25 quid each week my meals kinda look like this
Breakfast: eggs/liver, mushrooms, Tomato's, butternut squash/some other root vegetable, and some other vegetable available
Dinner - curry and quiona, fish with veggies or something along those lines
Outside of that its fruit, nuts, yogurt, dates and dark chocolate, kefir
Lunch is either lentil soup or a "girl lunch ", a concoction of small bits
Cutting out processed foods from supermarkets helped ALOT! my current diet keeps me full, satisfied and I get all my nutrients
How do I keep my cost low? Batch cooking, only buying what I really need. (this took a lot of awareness as we can confuse needs with wants), I dont like to waste food, uber fresh Mondays gives me 50% off fruit and veg, choosing low cost high quality protein most of the time like liver (£2 is enough for a weeks portion!), eggs, and lentils and not buying processed foods
I buy from Morrisons, Sainsbury's and local asian/african grocers (fresh produce can be cheaper in these places)
I purchased more food when I didn't understand my relationship with food and money, when I ate more processed stuff and when I ate in front of the tv.
I'm going to start growing ny own food from scraps to bring this cost even lower but yeh thats it!
Alone_Clothes2329@reddit
What's a girl lunch? Just genuinely curious. I'm a bloke but I just wonder if it's something my gf would eat
orangandplum@reddit
It's a lazy lunch aha the type where you know you gotta eat but got no time. I put together bits and pieces to make a meal, which could look like nuts, fruit, cheese, kefir, olives and leftovers. Still healthy, satisfying and gives me what my body needs
keerin@reddit
We are two adults and two kids in P3.
We budget for every single meal and have a separate "luxury" budget for snacks, treats and takeaway. We don't eat out. Depending on what's needed for the meals we plan, and if stuff in the cupboards needs stocked up, our weekly shop for a family of 4 is between £60 - £90.
We do have a family member's colleague discount card for Morrisons which gets us 10% off, so we do all our shopping there except for topping up on milk, bread, etc.
I think living in London has something do to with your question. We live on the east coast of Scotland. It's cheaper overall for everything I think.
It would be far more expensive if we didn't plan, didn't have a store discount card, and weren't as restrictive in what we buy. For example, we buy whatever butter is cheapest or on offer. We buy soft cheese but the own brand one, not Philly. And so on.
romeo__golf@reddit
They're underestimating what they really spend. They might spend £30 at Lidl on a Saturday, but then they conveniently don't count the family roast dinner they were invited to on Sunday, the Monday lunchtime meal deal along with a loaf of bread because they forgot it at the weekend, the top-up shop for a pizza, milk, and a punnet of fruit on Thursday, the cheeky takeaway on Friday night...
Rekyht@reddit
I probably spend £30 one week and £50 or £60 when I need nonfood items. But then I tend to cook 3 times, eat out or at a friends once, and then use left overs.
So I guess if you’re eating 7x fresh meals the it would be way more expensive
Drummk@reddit
£50 for one person seems quite a lot.
Do you ever cook in batches? For a few pounds you can get ingredients to make enough chili, Bolognese, curry, etc for four servings and pair with rice or pasta which are cheap as chips.
sangreblue@reddit
Come on. You really think those r/UKPersonalFinance posts are true?“Family of four, weekly food shop £43.75.” Yeah, alright then.😂
Aggressive_Fish461@reddit
I’m trying to spend £200 a month on food (single) and finding it hard! I do like to eat nice things -e.g. prawn stir fry, spaghetti bolognese, spice tailor curry packs, avocados, cheese, olives, kimchi, chocolate mousse, bake at home croissants. I also am quite petite so I don’t eat huge portions.
I’m going to try and intersperse with some cheaper meals, but I still want to look forward to what I eat!
Some other things that have helped save me money:
I try to avoid wasting food (I was notoriously bad at this in my early 20s). Now I see it as throwing money away.
wFH means I can go to the supermarket for Ingredients to make lunch rather than buying convenience food
I only have coffee out when it’s with other people, on a long car journey, or if I’m doing work in the cafe.
1 take away a month. I’ve moved to the countryside so options are a bit crap anyway.
W51976@reddit
I don’t cut back on food. It’s a simple pleasure in live. Cost of living or not, it’s just not happening.
Xenozip3371Alpha@reddit
5 packs of Iceland brand frozen sausages, each containing 14 sausages £10
2 packs of Harry Ramsden's frozen Jumbo Sausages, each contain 6 sausages £6
7.5kg bag of potatoes from Home Bargains £3.50
---------------
That's about a months worth of food for £19.50
I'm a very fussy eater, but the foods I do like are at least cheap.
Another good one is McCain's Fries and Home Chips, the big bags costing like £3.50
Or in Iceland, a deal of 8 packs of Smiles for £10
Violet351@reddit
They could be eating out a lot and not thinking to count that or they are just living on stuff like pasta and no meat and the cheaper veggies
WGSMA@reddit
There’s lots of things people don’t account for
For example, I get free breakfast every day in the office. That’s a massive cut to our food outgoings because I have a breakfast so large I skip lunch too.
That’s 10 of my 21 meals a week for free.
My wife’s workplace has cheap lunch which she always gets, and our kid is at a school in the free breakfast club trial. So that means our food spend is a fraction of what it would otherwise be.
W51976@reddit
We spend about £300 a month on food.
xian0@reddit
I think your food cost bracket is largely a lifestyle thing. You have people that can only see themselves eating the kind of food you get in Harrods, Boothes, M&S, Tesco/Sainsburys, right through to Farm Foods, South Asia and African style grocery stores. That's why people always seem to have an answer for every food budget. For the cost of a fancy sandwich as a posh place you could get a sack of rice for the month at a very cheap place, and that's not even the cheapest cuisine.
Total-Coconut756@reddit
I think about this a lot. No idea. I can easily spend £70 a week on groceries. I don’t buy alcohol. It’s crazy.
RiceeeChrispies@reddit
because on reddit it’s the poverty/struggle olympics
boolee2112@reddit
I spend twice that on my 2 cats.
-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit
I am a single parent of two, they live with me half eye week and we have a cat. Food shopping is generally 70-100 a week
Things I save on
I buy cheap pasta
A whole roast chicken can do several meals. My kids are actually pretty fussy so I often roast a chicken and then turn it into a curry to freeze for just myself.
I can make 5 portions of cottage pie for about £5, the bulk of that cost is the meat. Or in sumner it’s 5 portions of spaghetti bolognese for about the same price.
I do usually buy duck breasts which is the priciest part of my shopping but
Also buy steak but buy a very cheap cut.
The things that drive up my groceries is weeks where I need cat food or laundry products.
I will say that I am a pastry chef though and I largely cook fresh where ever I can and this can keep costs down. Granola for example is pricy in terms of what you get with a lot of brands. If I were to eat it I’d make my own for a fraction of the cost.
arfur-sixpence@reddit
"I do usually buy duck breasts" - Look at the cost of a whole duck for not much more and learn to joint it (fairly easy). Then you'll get 2 breasts, 2 legs/thighs and a carcass to boil up for stock/soup.
-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit
Yeh I can joint a bird, I have had the odd whole one but I don’t like it as much as a whole chicken. I must admit I haven’t checked the price of a whole one recently and just have snd currently a whole one is actually cheaper and two breasts. I am not sure how the breast size compares but when I do my shopping next week I will probably pick one up to compare. I do my shopping online which largely saves me money but does mean I miss out on browsing things like this. Thank you
brushfuse@reddit
I buy potatoes, beans and eggs, anything else is a bonus.
Quartersquatter@reddit
I live alone and spend 600£ on food per month. I mostly cook and eat at home. But I’m also a gym bro type of a guy so I spend a lot on meat and stuff.
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WeirdGrapefruit774@reddit
Batch cooking. Also, eat less meat. Bulking meals out with pulses is much cheaper, and better for you (and the environment).
foreverrfernweh@reddit
Have you thought about whether you're just eating too much? So you're having essentially 2 meals for a dinner for example?? Eg. I can make a chicken breast last me 2 meals.
BocaSeniorsWsM@reddit
This isn't a complete answer but a few tips I use:
1) Sus out peak markdowns in your supermarket of choice. This doesn't feel overly dignified, but the amount of double-markdown stuff I get from Sainsbury's that's in my freezer is crazy.
2) make your own lunches. I love the microwavable sachets by Merchant of flavoured grains and pulses; about £2.50 a pop. Then I just bought a mix up of tinned own-brand lentils and various beans, tinned tomatoes. You do need an initial outlay of herbs n spices, but with some onion, pepper, mushrooms (whatever you like/can afford) I make a week's worth of lunch, varying the flavour each week (Indian, mexican, Thai, Italian etc)
3) buy a decent pot of instant coffee for work. Milk will last the week. No buying of fancy coffee at £3+ a pop (or the occasional, we're allowed a treat occasionally)
Hope this helps!
AgeofVictoriaPodcast@reddit
My biggest savings are really around not buying alcohol, sodas/fizzy drinks, chocolates, ready meals. I try to cook everything from scratch or near to it. Frozen veggies help. Slow cooker, air fryer, and bread maker are all brilliant for making high quality meals with few ingredients. Also potatoes. So many potatoes.
I'm a single dad with 2 teens & a cat and end up spending around £480 a month on food, household cleaning, & cat food.
Youtube has plenty of cooking videos, and you might want to check out some on recipes from history - a lot of peasant food is filling, high energy, and cheap.
Even with all that food inflation is a killer. I don't care what the govt says, in the real world the cost of living crisis is still here. Butter at £1.99, mince beef at £7.99, olive oil is insane (its a basic staple across most of Europe FFS), eggs are now insane
"Since 2022, prices have surged dramatically due to bird flu, inflation and the war in Ukraine.
In February 2020, Morrisons was charging 75p for a box of six medium free range eggs.
In March 2025, the same box costs shoppers £1.65. That's a 120% increase in price in just five years."
Give how butter, eggs, flour, sugar, oil are basic core products for cooking, it hits bloody hard. (Interesting that sugar prices globally have trended down since peak, but risen in the UK. Greedflation strikes hard here).
So go easy on yourself. Next to sleep, food is one of the key drivers of long term health. You are better off giving up holidays, discretionary spending, nights out, clothes, subscriptions etc, before cutting your food budget. Fuck the wider economy, if politicians want people to spend disposable income, they should concentrate on pay rises across the economy. Food matters, so focus on it.
BananaHomunculus@reddit
Between 2 we spend about 150 a week on food. All ingredient cooking but that does include extras like cleaning, hygiene, pets etc. So exactly what we spend on food is probably more like 130 ish.
Either way, I could see ways of only spending that little but we don't go out to eat, we don't drink - we are 5th degree boring cunts so it's basically our primary outgoing.
Educational_Hawk7484@reddit
I've seen a few people say they spend 30 on food, but that's literally just dinner.
chequemark3@reddit
Market stalls, special offers every reward card going. I feed 4 of us and a large dog on £70 a week, but! That is cheap cuts of meat, yellow stickers and market bowls for a pound. I carry shopping bags and buy and adapt as needed and we eat well but it is a commitment and necessary.
Serious_Shopping_262@reddit
Batch cooking. Iceland has £1 ready meals that absolutely slap.
It can be done, but is it worth it? Maybe, maybe not.
I
jsbob81@reddit
Im vegetarian and can get away with £30 but that's not particularly fun, especially when trying to hit a protein target. Works out closer to double that when if Im not paying much attention
imtravelingalone@reddit
I don't keep track exacccctly, although it might be a good challenge for myself as I'm on a student budget. I shop primarily at Tesco and Lidl and I would guess I'm spending about £20-30 a week on groceries by buying simple, inexpensive food (things to make taco wraps, sandwiches, pasta, salads, usually greek yoghurt and toast for breakfasts) and taking advantage of sales. I primarily eat food from home but I'll go for a meal deal probably once a week and maybe one other cheap meal out a week, plus a beer once or twice a week when I go to watch a football match in the pub.
If you're a coffee person, my favourite hack is that if you get the Waitrose app, you can get a free espresso coffee every day. You just have to bring your own cup and scan your digital card at the machine in the stores - just the main stores, not the Little Waitroses I don't think. You don't have to buy anything to get the free coffee, although having the app has made me realize they do have good sales as well.
allabouttheplants@reddit
No meat, lots of cheap veg, rice, potatoes, beans, seasoning.
bogyoofficial@reddit
I think £50-60pw is very good for London. I spend around £200pcm.
If you don't do so already, I'd recommend planning your meals a week in advance and using the same ingredients across multiple dishes. Freeze anything you don't use. Also, as you're in London, try to use a local market for fruit and veg. You won't find cheaper than Ridley Road and as a bonus, they have Ararat bread which is hands down the best flatbread I've ever eaten and only £1.50 for 3 pieces.
risingscorpia@reddit
Be vegetarian. Me and my girlfriend spend £50-60 on our weekly shop at Aldi, and we don't even try to make it cheap - just think what dinners do we want and we put it in the trolley.
Its much harder for one person and things dont scale and you waste a lot. So freezing things is the best.
sossighead@reddit
Can only assume they batch cook and have the metabolism of a stone. Or they’re lying / miscalculating unintentionally. I.e not totting up the little shops they have to do through the week because they didn’t buy enough.
BigShoddy6473@reddit
Ppl batch cooking a massive lasagna and then eating that for a week 🤣
Milky_Finger@reddit
As much as I love Lasagna, Eating the same thing 5 times in a row is how you know you're struggling. :(
BigShoddy6473@reddit
It was a tongue in cheek comment
Wellidrivea190e@reddit
2 adults, a baby and toddler- £70-£80 a week, delivered from Tesco.
ProcedureGloomy6323@reddit
Just like 90% of social media content, it's mostly bullshit.
Hookton@reddit
Lots of veg, lots of overlapping ingredients, and primarily chicken for meat.
I'll make chicken soup. ~£2.50 in chicken. Homemade stock. Carrots, celery, onions, leeks, peppers, cabbage. Noodles or orzo. That's easily five meals.
Curry the same. Chicken, tinned tomatoes, onions, peppers, spinach, potato. Grated carrot dissolves and sweetens and bulks it up. Rice is dirt cheap. If you have freezer space, you can make your own naans in bulk.
Pasta. Again, tinned tomatoes, grated carrots, frozen spinach, onions, peppers.
Top-Cookie-3403@reddit
Meal planning.
2 adult household. We spend between 60-80 week. Bulk of the shop is Aldi with some top up bits from Sainsbury. Out meat comes from the local butchers but we get that in bulk and get a really good deal. We don't batch cook of only buy the cheapest ingredients. We have a good, varied diet, but we plan our meals each week so we don't buy anything that's not needed.
edyth_@reddit
There's 2 of us and we spend £100 to £150 a week on groceries on Ocado but that includes toiletries and detergent, dishwasher tablets, cleaning supplies and sometimes we treat ourselves to a posh ready meal or fancy ice cream etc. It's pretty rural here so it's not like we have loads of exciting stuff or nice takeaways to spend money on! We just enjoy going for a walk then cooking a nice meal and trying new recipes so I don't mind spending money on food it as I enjoy it.
D0wnb0at@reddit
I live alone, spend between £350-400 a month on food. Well…. Grocery shopping. So that includes toilet roll and toothpaste etc. I cook most meals from scratch which is probably why it’s so high.
I try to batch cook as much as I can to keep costs low. But I’m still spending a lot on food.
I don’t eat breakfast, just lunch which consists of meat/lettuce in a roll, crisps or scotch egg.
Dinner will mainly consist of a meat sauce and a carb. Thai/indian/japanese curry and rice, Bolognaise and pasta, lasagne, Chili and rice. Occasionally will cook Sunday dinners with the leftover meat being used for sandwiches during the week. But I also have freezer shite for when I can’t be arsed to cook like frozen pizza, frozen chicken wings and chips.
But for the meat sauces I’ll always batch cook to make it cheaper. I have 8 portions of bolognaise in the freezer, all vacuum sealed and labeled. Soon as I’m low on something I’ll restock on a weekend. Today I’ll be making lamb sagg. Will cost about £25-£30 for the ingredients as lamb is super expensive these days. But I’ll get 6-7 meals out of it. I did bolognaise last weekend and got 9 portions out of £15-20. Im low on chili so that will be next weekend but I’m also low on Katsu sauce and beef stroganoff.
Katsu doubles as Chicken Katsu but as well as a dipping sauce for Chinese chicken or prawn balls.
Muted_Hornet_1286@reddit
People like boasting about how little they spend on food. I spend around £200 a month on food, no alcohol, hardly and meat and I’m not extravagant.
Mald1z1@reddit
We spend 55 per week as a couple. Its possible if you like to cook and bake.
Marks and spencer do 3 chicken thighs and drumsticks for 1.50. That is our main staple. We get 8 packs of those. Then we get a bunch of different fresh veggies, e.g peppers, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, bag of carrots is 55p.
Then you need your carbs, big bag of potatoes is about 1.50, pasta, rice, red lentils, cous cous, flour are all really cheap. Keep in mind you're not buying these weekly, a big bag will last a really long time.
Then yogurt, eggs, milk and there is usually enough leftover to get the marks and spencer 15 pound Indian meal deal. 4 portions of curry and 6 portions of side snacks for only 15 pounds.
The kinds of things we cook are daal, Mexican chicken, cauliflower steak with mash, full roast dinner, biriyani, risotto, etc. I'm not a pro Baker but learned 1 or 2 really quick no mess bakes that can go in the airfryer when I'm craving snacks.
You live in London which is the best place for cheap groceries. Skip the supermarket and head to shepherd bush or brixton market for your fresh meat and veggies from a butcher and greengrocers. Get spices, oils and vinegars from Asian stores.
bopeepsheep@reddit
My (adult) daughter would live on cereal, milk, and sandwiches, if I let her. £10 a week on milk and own brand cereal, £5 for three loaves of sliced bread, and then £5 for butter/cheese/peanut butter (at £20 a month), £20 a week easily.
Because I do the shopping she also eats fish, meat, vegetables...
thedeerhunter270@reddit
I spend £22 a week on food (single person) - but this is mainly unprocessed food like fruit and vegetable and fish, which is often cheaper than processed food. I eat well I feel with high quality ingredients.
i-spunkGLITTER@reddit
Don't sweat it. Long as you're happy and can manage. I spend £150 a week, but that does include a cat and any alcohol. I literally purchase nothing else all week.
Specialist_Emu7274@reddit
I personally spend £35pw on food on average- just on food excluding like toiletries/cleaning etc. I shop in Asda. It helps I can cook. - I buy a lot of veggies, I’m not vegetarian but it helps bulk things out - Reduced section is a godsend, just freeze things - Frozen fish is good - I never buy name brand-names - Rarely buy premade meals - I don’t buy that many snacks, I would like too but unfortunately I will eat all of them at once and no
mibbling@reddit
I spend about £100 a week on one adult and two kids, both of whom are neurodivergent restrictive/unpredictable/picky eaters, so I have to buy a lot more pre-packaged processed foods for them than I’d like. The bulk of that budget goes on the kids, obviously, so I’m probably feeding myself for under £30 a week; my secret is: eat beans and rice and make cheap-vegetables-and-lentil-soup a lot. Oh, the other top tip is to simply be too broke to spend more 😂
SaluteMaestro@reddit
I can live off a loaf of bread some rice bit of chicken/tuna, porridge some veg for a whole week. it's it living large no of course not but I can live on 20-25 quid worth of food a week quite easily if I need to.
Tricepesaurus@reddit
My monthly shop is roughly £500 with cat food/litter lol. I’ve got 2 children too
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
...presumably called X Æ A-12 and Damian?
£500 a week is insane. I mean - fine, if you have money to burn, I guess.
You could halve that, without making any difference to your life. And give £250 to someone else. But you won't. "lol"
Tricepesaurus@reddit
A month my dude, a month 😂
TanjoCards@reddit
"Monthly" is right there.
cactuss8@reddit
I think they meant £500 a month.
Pifun89@reddit
People also buy a lot of frozen ready to cook meals which are not healthy but are very cheap. I will never understand the fascination of bragging how little you spent on food. Food is health and a person needs a varied and well balanced diet to be healthy, to gain different minerals and vitamins.
Goudinho99@reddit
Honestly your spend seems right.
I budget about 4 quid per meal per person for someone who eats at home and likes good, well made food. Not including breakfast for some reason.
Sure, you can live off beans on toast but your budget is for someone who will be eating a varied, decent quality food.
Life-Bus1242@reddit
If I ever pass a shop/supermarket, I jump inside and see what's reduced. I live in a city so it's quite easy for me.
Amiunforgiven@reddit
When I was drowning in debt I found ways to feed myself for under £100 for the month. Secret is bulk buying. Bare in mind I do work at Asda so I get a further 10% discount on the prices below as well so may be cheaper to shop elsewhere
10kg bag of long grain rice: £15 (Asda) 3kg bag of pasta : £3 (Asda) 7.5kg bag of potatoes : £3 (Asda) 4kg bag of onions : £4.45 (Morrisons) 1kg carrots : 69p (Asda) 1kg mince : £9.62 (Asda) Chopped Tomatoes x4 : £1.68
That’s £37.44, add some more vegetables maybe a pack of chicken breasts (£10.48 for 1.6kg/6 breasts)
The above will last at least 2 weeks
slade364@reddit
I spend around £80-100 per week for two people. We eat well, probably spend around £30 at the butcher every week minimum, reckon i could get it down to 40-50 quid quite easily.
SecretHurry3923@reddit
My ex lives in London and spends very little on food, but she just ate a bowl of couscous for dinner every night, was pretty depressing, but she seemed happy enough.
badger906@reddit
Food bill for me and my GF is £60-80 a week! About £3 a meal roughly. Sandwiches for lunch is like £1 so leaves £5 each for evening meal! could get steak for that lol
funkmachine7@reddit
A lot of carbs and a limited menu. You eat toast 7 days a week, you drink tea or coffee at home.
bsnimunf@reddit
The cheapest, rice, pasta, potato eggs, gammon, chicken legs, British vegetables cheap fruits
HahaLady1@reddit
Some of it depends on if you eat meat or not. Lentil curries , veggie stews ect…. Are cheap and tasty to make
BackseatBeardo@reddit
I shop in Asda, I am on a diet
I batch cook and freeze.
My food shop is in the realm of 30-40 a fortnight by getting a meat parcel, veggies and eggs.
If I’m not on a routine that could be 30-40 a week
LollieMaybe@reddit
Wow!
SchoolForSedition@reddit
If your grocery shop includes cleaning supplies, toiletries, drinks, treats and theirs excludes those things and their treat include takeaways, you are probably spending less.
OrdinaryHovercraft59@reddit
It's going to depend on what you're buying, and how much you eat.
My partner and I spend between £60-80 per week, depending on what we need. We buy cheaper packs of meat (chicken thighs/drums, pork mince). I almost never buy beef, and salmon is a treat. We make a dinner list and a shopping list before we go, so we know we'll be eating what we buy. We don't just buy stuff and then try think of something to make with it (I don't know how people can do that, it sounds so stressful). We'll buy meat when it's reduced and stick it in the freezer for the next week's meals. We don't buy alcohol very often, neither of us drink tea or coffee so we save money there too. We don't buy branded unless it's the only option/ cheaper option.
We compare costs per kg too, and get the one that's works out as a better deal.
Hermiona1@reddit
Cooking for people twice a week definitely makes a big difference. I spend about £150 per month in Tesco and that includes groceries and toilet paper, shampoo, cleaning supplies etc. I cook just for myself.
roasted-narwhal@reddit
We spend £20 weekly on Riverford Farms and between £0 - £80 on dry / staples. It averages at around £50 a week for two adults. We don't drink alcohol so that reduces the bill and don't eat meat so that makes it pretty cheap. We buy big, large sacks of rice, big bags of lentils, cans en masse. I also use any discounts available - veterans savings, top cash back etc to bring the price down.
Lots of batch cooking and using the slow cooker, soups, stews, big pans of curry etc. I can pull meals for three weeks without buying another item.
alwaysribs@reddit
I make enough for 4 and then split it over 4 nights. I’d love to have something different every night for tea, but I can’t so I don’t. I also freeze nearly everything if it’s excess.
ldn-ldn@reddit
Buy everything in bulk: rice in 10kg bags, whole chicken instead of fillets, 25kg bags of potatoes, etc. Never buy anything pre-cut, filleted or half cooked. Cook everything yourself, plan your meals, batch cook and freeze left overs. Don't waste food, use everything to the last drop. Make broth from bones, make sauces from cooking juices, etc.
noodlesandwich123@reddit
I spend £50 week on groceries - half on meals and half on snacks. I'm very active and need a lot of calories
Adelucas@reddit
I'll spend around £60 a month at Iceland. Add in bread and milk as needed and my grocery bill is probably £100 a month total.
Sasha57@reddit
I spend £30-35 a week and cook all meals from scratch and will happily eat the same thing 4 times in a week. I don’t buy fruit or beef often as it’s expensive.
Also I regularly have super cheap meals like baked potatoes with a tin of tuna, cheese and beans.
glasses4catsndogs@reddit (OP)
Helpful, thanks. I think I’m going to try doing more batch cooking… I already cook all my meals at home but make a variety of food. Batch cooking will probably make my shop a bit cheaper
bowak@reddit
If you have the freezer space then I've found in the past that going all in on batch cooking for a few days in a row helped as I got 4 different types of meal in the freezer, then just cooked 1 replacement each week after that so there'd typically be 3-4 different options on any given day.
That really helped to avoid having to have the same meal 4 or 5 days in a row. Txt works for some people but just depresses me.
Sasha57@reddit
I was formerly ready meals only and made myself switch to actual cooking last year for health reasons. The cheaper food shop was a surprise benefit!
I can make the same meals that taste better and they are cheaper? Mind blown!
Sasha57@reddit
As an eg, I made this last week
https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/chicken-casserole/
350g chicken, lots of extra veg and stock. It easily made 5 big portions but my partner would’ve wanted way more chicken in it
https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/chicken-casserole/
Sasha57@reddit
It’s so much cheaper! Also I bulk up the meals I make with double the amount of veg/beans.
megawoot@reddit
My grocery bill is £350 a month for two people, shopping at Waitrose without feeling like I'm holding back.
I was vegetarian for a number of years so I'm used to not eating meat regularly. I think that's the reason why my bill is low.
I might have meat (chicken) once every couple of weeks. Occasionally fish.
I also don't buy snacks. If I did, I'd be twice the size
BronnOP@reddit
Buying tons of chicken and veg, some spicy hot sauce (franks) and filling the freezer. Add some eggs into the equation and a bit of fruit and you’ve got a ~£30 per week shop for two.
pettingpangolins@reddit
I spend around £120 a month, in London. I shop in Lidl and cook all my meals (eat out like once or twice a week but it's not included in this number). I cook a lot, don't eat fish because I don't like it but I do buy the odd steak
Alone_Clothes2329@reddit
People are maybe going without as much luxury goods I wonder. Maybe less Sunday roasts/tesco's finest stuff etc. We're still spending a bomb however we're buying less meat. We've stopped buying red meat (tbh i'm glad for many reasons) and replacing certain batch cooks with chicken mince which is cheaper. Don't get me wrong; chilli/mince n tatties/bolognese isn't quite the same but it's still tasty etc
decentlyfair@reddit
We have a specific account for food shopping. For two of us it is around 400/450 per month but that is everything for us humans (animals have their own budget). However, I buy what we like/want (no alcohol though) he eats meat and I am vegan so meat bill isn’t too high. I buy a whole chicken and slow cook it and that is sandwiches for a week and the dog gets all the bits of leg and detritus from the carcass. I am moving soon so will have less freezer and fridge space so will buy more sensibly, not that we have a lot of waste to be honest but with two freezers I was always keeping it full and I don’t know why really other than it is 16 mile round trip to supermarket. Living closer to supermarket will mean I can rely less on freezer and buy less to tide us over.
Nearby-Purpose5268@reddit
We spend around £50 for two, £60 if we’re pushing the boat out at Lidl. We plan all our meals in advance to keep costs down and make sure we use everything we buy. We eat meat and plenty of fruit and veg, lots of yoghurt etc. This doesn’t include toiletries as we get those from Costco but don’t imagine that’d push it up too much
cactuss8@reddit
I spend about £100 on meat at Costco for the month, then go each week for a £70-£80 shop at Lidl (meat free except ham and chicken for lunch and occasionally fish for dinner). This is for 2 adults and one 12 yo. I meal plan for the week and try keep dinners varied and we have pretty similar daily brekkies and lunches. I would love to spend more but with additional snacks and bits through the month takes me to about £500 on food which I think is mental compared to what I used to pay.
NiceCunt91@reddit
Because the food we're buying is a 5 pack of noodles you can buy for a quid and bread.
rogermuffin69@reddit
Being clever with your money,
Don't waste it on too much fast food, For example, two trays of kebab meat and bake your own salad and buy some pita bread. That's maybe 6 kebabs there that could cost £ 10 each.
Tesco ketup instead of heinz Lots of pasta
Buying a already cooked chicken and some sourdough. That's £10 to feed 44 people instead of 30 quid on KFC.
Buying bulk where you can.
Glass_Chip7254@reddit
Supplementing my diet with ‘fake food’ like protein powder and vitamin supplements and mostly buying cheap carbs like pasta and then some meat
Not a healthy diet and can’t sustain me in the long term but works while I try to find a job
bowak@reddit
There can be an element of some people are really good at batch cooking and are happy to pre-plan all their meals - though this is often helped if they have a load of freezer space which is trickier for those who house share.
Eating a lot of meat will be pushing your costs up tbf.
But you also have to take into account that some people love to be a bit performative about just how little they can spend. If you see them commenting along the lines of "I just don't understand how anyone could possibly spend more than £x per week" then they likely fall into that camp.
Sad-Pangolin-9704@reddit
Look on the uk frugal sub and you’ll see for yourself. It’s appears they live on lentils and anything with a yellow sticker on it.
itsheadfelloff@reddit
I spend about the same outside of London but I do eat a lot because of my training regime. I feel people who spend £30 a week are the kind of people who'll have a salad for dinner.
Little-Acanthaceae68@reddit
How many do you cook for when you cook for others? If it’s only one other person, twice a week is the equivalent of dinner for you for two more days (1 meal for 1 other person x 2 days a week) if it’s for two other people thats the equivalent of 4 more days worth of dinner for you (1 meal for 2 other people x 2 days a week). Now, while not being willing to prepare food for friends and loved ones sounds like an utterly miserable experience, you could reduce times between shops by a couple of days and see your food bills go down. Do you tend to buy your fruit and vegetables fresh or frozen? You can save a few pounds over a shop or two buy making the switch from fresh to frozen. Berries and yoghurt every day is my breakfast, where fresh berries are (I consider) expensive, a frozen bag will last me longer and be cheaper. I usually incorporate beans/pulses/lentils to meals to bulk them out and get more fibre/protein. I’ve found good money can be saved by exchanging brand named goods for the cheaper store alternatives. Is your granola from a brand name? Also go diving at the reduced section of your local chain shops (when you can find stuff there) and utilise your freezer. I buy most (if not all) of my bread from reduced and then freeze it. Granted I only use it for toast and eggs but doing that for me sorts out half a meal per day for nearly a week. While these won’t halve your food bills doing all of these over the course of a week could shave off anywhere between £5-£10. Although grocery shopping for me mentally excludes cupboard staples (oil, herbs and spices) and sometimes it ls these that end up costing good money.
bloo-popsicles@reddit
In London at Lidl as a student I spent around 25-35 per week! My daily calorie intake is around 1400-1600 so my meal portions are small, so a big pack of chicken thighs for example goes a long way for me.
I also don’t often buy the more expensive alternatives like steak (I go with beef mince instead), and also only get the smallest can of milk, no alcohol, and buy cheaper veggies (eg. I typically avoided tenderstem broccoli or asparagus and opted for mushrooms and spinach instead).
I bought the cheapest crisps at 90p for 6 bags, and cheap biscuits for tea, and I also got the crunchy granola bars for uni! I would have cut out strawberries and blueberries but they’re too healthy for me to avoid, and went good with oats for breakfast.
For carbs my go-to was always noodles (udon/egg noodles) or a loaf of bread <£1.
I am a 5ft 1 female and only did medium intensity workouts per week so it was ok for me - but for a taller or more active person this definitely wouldn’t be enough
Utilitarian_Proxy@reddit
I'm self-employed and my income fluctuates. I've definitely had spells where I needed to live cheaply. The way to reduce my grocery bill was to cut out all the non-essentials. I was still able to get enough cereal, bread, milk, spread, and fresh vegetables. And for protein I could buy four-packs of frozen fish, chicken Kievs, or steak & kidney pies. But I totally avoided all the snack items like crisps, chocolate, biscuits, cake, yogurts, or the oven-ready meals.
Cheese_Dinosaur@reddit
I stopped shopping at Lidl! I find it to be expensive. I do a shopping delivery order with either Tesco or Sainsbury’s. I decide what I am cooking for that week and then I buy what I need. If I go to the shop I’ll buy more!! Then once I planned meals I then buy things like toilet paper etc. If there’s money left after that then biscuits 🤣 I get my washing powder and softener off Amazon.
Metsaudu@reddit
Barring the occasional eat out, I do manage to get on between 25-30pounds per week, three meals per day and across carbs meat veg and fruit. Buying at Lidl/Aldi, batch cooking, with one takeaway/canteen meal. No coffees, no snacks. Have been keeping this budget whether living in Cambridge or Edinburgh. It’s not impossible if you can tolerate eating three types of dishes throughout the week for your lunch and dinner.
contemplativeme@reddit
It depends on what you eat. If I was by myself, I would probably do with £20 - £30 a week, maybe more when restocking pantry items. Since living with my husband our weekly shop is £80 -£100 because of the products he likes and because he needs many more calories than me. I now eat more varied and complex dishes because he likes to cook to enjoy a meal and I'd just cook to stay alive.
darnelios2022@reddit
Costs me around 10-15 a day for good meals all around
Lopsided-Camel1114@reddit
Cooking and economics...base ingredients..make yourself...much healthier too add .
nibolin@reddit
£50 for 2 at Tesco each week
Pristine-Bet-5764@reddit
We’re a family of 5, 2 adults, 2 teens and one pre teen. We spend around £700-750pm on food. 3 meals, cook from scratch and mostly unbranded items. Only things that are branded is washing powder and tea bags and bread. It’s crazy we use to spend under £500 a month before but it’s just crept up.
Both-Friend-4202@reddit
In the UK..I used to have an 'allotment' ...Land owned by the local council and used to grow a lot of my veggies 👩🌾..🥕🥬..🥔
OddCowboy123@reddit
Pork joints are super cheap meat atm
Andries89@reddit
They eat like it's the 50s, it's a choice. I couldn't do it myself as a part of my happiness is linked to eating good, whole meals
Electricbell20@reddit
To pick up on the cooking for others. If you are cooking for two others twice a week, that's four meals. It's more than 50% extra evening. Evening meals generally cost the most.
wtfylat@reddit
Yeah, OP isn't the brightest
Mental-Reference-719@reddit
I had to budget for myself on £30
Fair few packs of pasta, sauces, cheese, a pack of meat or 2...ezpz
stairway2000@reddit
If you know how to cook your shopping budget can be massively reduced
Scarred_fish@reddit
Chances are they are forgetting other sources of food.
I'm guilty of this, as I see the money people are spending and it seems crazy as our monthly shop is usually around £150 including alcohol.
However, we grow most of our own veg, some fruit, have hens so loads of eggs. Regularly forage and fish etc.
It's not uncommon for a days food to involve nothing bought at all.
So thats the answer, everyone is different.
PipBin@reddit
I don’t budget that much, I’m lucky. I buy what I want. On food for two of us I spend about £70 a week. That’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and other crap like crisps. But I can cook and cook from scratch every day. Also we don’t eat meat or processed vegi/vegan food like quorn.
dazedan_confused@reddit
Don't forget that they could be lying.
SwordTaster@reddit
Not living in London is probably a larger part of it than you'd like to admit. London is expensive
Arsewhistle@reddit
Does your £50-60 include everything?
Not including alcohol, and odd bits like toilet roll, cleaning supplies, and other things that you might buy from the supermarket, me and my partner spend less than you, between two people. We don't eat out often either, we don't get many takeaways, and this is whilst shopping at Waitrose.
So you're doing something wrong here.
Do you buy ready meals, including things such as pasta sauces and curry sauces? We meal plan and cook absolutely everything from fresh, and I feel that's what saves us money the most.
FlashyDescription636@reddit
We spend £90-100 a week in Sainsbury’s online. Family of 2 adults, 2 children in primary school age. We cook everything from scratch. We buy what’s on promo, substitute own brand and use whatever ingredients we have. We have meat every meal, various fruit from this delivery, snacks. I don’t know how I do it too but I guess I made a system for our family too. Nectar helps a lot for us and practicing sustainability cause I hate wastage therefore we only buy what we actually need.
glitterswirl@reddit
In my last job, my work provided lunch for free - large, well-cooked meals. (I also don’t enjoy cooking so bonus for me!) Sometimes I could even take home a loaf of bread or something if I wanted, especially before a holiday or if it would be out of date soon. So at times, I could stretch my food budget pretty far if necessary, but usually I spent more because I enjoyed having nice things.
Financial_Note_8369@reddit
We have all home cooked meals, generally muesli for breakfast and toast or yogurt with fruit for lunch and a cooked meal in the evening, main course only with plenty of vegetables. We only have desserts for a treat. Our main protein source is chicken and we both prefer the dark meat which is cheaper anyway. I generally batch cook things like curries and freeze them. I estimate that we spend £60 to £100 a week on grocery shopping. We live close to the border with Wales and have our shopping delivered weekly by a major supermarket. I hope that helps
Alternative-Move4174@reddit
I guess it depends on how often and how much you eat. Where you shop, if you're a meat-eater and if you will eat own-brand goods. Even then, I would think it's a stretch.
I live in South London and recently visited friends in the West of England, which is around 250 miles from London. The food was the same price there in the West as it is here in South London.
Years ago, if you lived further away from London, food was cheaper because income was lower. Income is still lower the further you are from London, so how do people manage? I have no idea.
RestaurantAntique497@reddit
Family of 3 and spend around £300-£350 per month depending on whether it's a 4 or 5 week month. That total also includes cleaning products.
We bulk cook things and don't buy a lot of processed meals. One caveat is if we have a meal out or a takeaway that will come out of our "spending money".
We buy £5kg of chicken from our butcher and then make a lot of meals from that. We then regularly buy things like briskets and pork shoulders etc to make meals that last multiple days
Efficient_Radio4491@reddit
Supermarket grocery prices are generally similar across the UK. It'll be interesting to see your shopping list. But having people over and cooking for them does make a difference to the budget.
VillageHorse@reddit
We spend £42 per week between us. London, Sainsburys. No meat, no processed food, bring lunch to work every day. Doesnt include long term items like coffee or rice or laundry detergent etc. No snacks or fruit (we both get free fruit and snacks at our office).
International_Body44@reddit
Family of 4 here, i do pretty much all the shopping for us (theres an odd occasion the wife will buy milk/bread)
Last month i spent £392.23 on groceries, month before that, £306.05, before that £303.50
Less than 100 per week for a family of 4, when you have places like aldi and costco(bulk buy chicken). I just dont get how people are spending what they do.
Cheesy_Wotsit@reddit
Manchester, married couple, shop at lidl/aldi ... £80 between us, tops
CalmStomach3@reddit
I have a subsidised canteen at work
Boulderfist_CH@reddit
The last few weeks I’ve spent less than £20 on food a week but it means I have the same meal everyday as batch cooking is the only way I can make it stretch if I want to include meat within my diet.
It gets boring but it’s helped me whilst I deal with some family issues. I haven’t got the bandwidth to cook from scratch each night.
UnfortunateWah@reddit
I spend about £40-60 a week on the “food” shop although that also includes shower gel and other general cleaning supplies(albeit not every week).
That’s for 1 person, most of it is fresh as we don’t have big freezers and I cook pretty simple meals like chicken wraps, fish and chips, a curry (not from scratch clearly), carbonara, pork chops etc.
Breakfast is the same granola or Weetabix every day, a banana or apple, yogurt and some form of bread related lunch.
You might be able to approach £30~ on some weeks with simple meals, or by buying a lot of frozen meat as it tends to be cheaper by weight.
BG3restart@reddit
For me it's mostly batch cooking. I cook once and get six meals. If I cook everyday for a week, I have enough meals for the month, so it brings average spend down. It means I use up all the vegetables when I buy them, so don't throw anything away. I also make my own yoghurt, which is a big saving because I used to eat two individual pots everyday and I have a bread maker, so pad out a lot of my casserole type meals with a slice of bread. I don't really buy snacks at all, which I think can add up to quite a lot of money for not much substance.
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
£8.50 per week for three big bags. No requirement.
Slightly random. Some is near its "best before date".
https://www.breadandbutterthing.org/
RichieEB@reddit
It’s mainly having a huge freezer to store lots of food you can cook and save left overs. Also when cooking out of packages if it’s too much just get the storage freezer bags so you can cover it up and save it to make room for freezer cutting down the size from the original packaging.
I don’t get a lot of money myself and I live in a caravan homeless n no big freezer. Just a small one and I stock up on ready meals mainly cauliflower cheese £1.65 ones from Aldi for a week. It’s not healthy and nutritious but I just can’t afford these food prices so high for me, that’s why I always go to Aldi.
I’ll even get reduced foods and have them fridge yo to 2 days max when I see a good reduce. I’ve never been to Lidl often because of where I live I’m not sure which is cheapest but Lidl definitely offers better themed weekend foods than Aldi.
Outrageous_Sand6076@reddit
By living exclusively on pasta, rice and potatoes.
melanie110@reddit
I am a planner. I plan my meals on Wednesday ready for my delivery on Saturday. I only buy what I need.
Family of 3 adults and one teen with 3 cats.
My breakfast lunch and dinners come to £90-£100 a week.
We do eat relatively well. We have a varied diet
This was the week just gone and yes I did have the rice, pasta and a few other bits in the cupboard.
Saturday I made maccies wraps for breakfast (out Saturday evening)
Sunday was Xmas sarnies. Pork, roasts, stuffing, yorkshires and gravy on a big bread cake. (I got those mini packs of veg cos I don’t eat bread)
Monday was creamy paprika chicken, mash and tender stem.
Tuesday was bolognaise bake (pork mince and made my own sauces including cheese sauce)
Wednesday was tacos bowls with sweet potato and avocado and sour cream.
Thursday was soy glazed salmon, saffron rice and peas
Yesterday I did a jacket potato bar with fillings like tuna, cheese, beans, coleslaw and chilli. (Made way too many spuds)
Breakfast is usually eggs, 🪺 pan au chocolates or cereal. Lunch for the youngest is pack up (all quorn stuff) and ready meals for oldest for work. I usually have an omelette.
This also includes toiletries and household stuff. I’m not loyal to any brand and pick the best offers that are on. I try and eat seasonally to keep costs down.
Elastichedgehog@reddit
People probably underestimate how much money they spend in addition to their supermarket shop.
That said, meal prepping and making things that leave leftovers (e.g. chilli, curries, stir fries) need not be expensive. My main shop usually comes to around £30 to £35 in Lidl.
AceTactica@reddit
You can save A LOT through batch cooking.
It's worth the 3 or so hours on a sunday afternoon and about £40 in takeaway boxes.
tinabelcher182@reddit
I probably spend about £30 per week on food. I live with my parents, but I do all my own food shopping and cooking just for myself. My parents may occasionally cook a meal for me (Sunday roasts, every two weeks, for example), but I'm vegetarian and they're not, so it's largely separate. I'll admit that being at home means I can often get away without buying everything, like milk or condiments and most spices etc, since they're being bought for the household regardless, so perhaps my weekly/monthly shopping is less than if I truly lived alone.
Party-Werewolf-4888@reddit
I can have weeks where I spend around £30 on a weekly shop for two people because I dont buy meat or dairy. This wouldn't be consistent every week though, because there will be weeks where I need to buy things like oil, toilet paper, tea bags or cleaning products.
That would also be a week of me cooking entirely from scratch, which is time intensive and sometimes spending the extra couple of pound on pre-prepped food or a ready meal/oven meal is easier than three hours at the stove.
I should also add that if I spend £30 in one week on human food, I spend the same or more on cat food, so £30 just isnt a true reflection of household grocery shopping.
CranberryCheese1997@reddit
My partner and I spend £250pm on food. We have a Monzo pot which is specifically for food shopping. We live in West Yorkshire and mostly shop at Lidl, Farmfoods and Asda. A budget of £250 works out at £30 each per week. But it's not that hard for us to stick to budget. My partner is from the Philippines so we eat a lot of rice. A 10kg bag of rice will last a couple of months costing less than £15. We have a small amount of protein with most of the bulk of our dinner being the rice and veg. We have cereal, toast, or crumpets for most breakfast and lunch, with a packet of crisps or two each a day, and some other little snacks, including fruit. We can afford to eat more luxurious food, but we're saving for a wedding, deposit on a house and a holiday to the Philippines for my 30th in 2027, so we try and squeeze the pennies as much as possible.
Jimbobthon@reddit
Me and the Mrs spend about £40 a week, we do a lot of batch cooking. Plus, I only eat twice a day and skip lunch a lot
Lonely-Necessary3117@reddit
Before I came along, my husband could have probably spent about that on food. £1 microwave meals. No fresh food. Weetabix. Cheap beans. Then i came along and taught him quality.
thereisalwaysrescue@reddit
Mounjaro and farmfoods 😂
Mdl8922@reddit
I had this conversation with someone here the other day. The secret seems to be in batch cooking & having a big chest freezer in the garage as far as I can tell. We do about £200 a week for 6 of us, but my wife essentially spends all day Friday cooking.
Also we don't drink any alcohol etc which helps.
Jills89@reddit
Probably spend 20-30 in supermarket and 80 on take outs.
Groxy_@reddit
I usually spend £30ish a week. I make bulk food and only really eat one meal a day if that. Fuck breakfast and lunch.
bluetrainlinesss@reddit
I dunno maaaaaan
ridhostarr@reddit
my expenses weekly is around 60-70 for 2 person. 25 for necessities in Lidl (bread, milk, pasta, rice, sugar, cheese, eggs, veggies, and fruits). 15-20 for asian groceries (ingredients and soybean products, instant noodle). 20-25 for butchers (beef, chicken, lamb).
can be less if we eat out or can sometime stretch to 1.5 weeks so following week is around 40.
monthly we spend 220-230 which we think can be optimized if we dont buy too much junk products (chocolate and crisps).
Hunter037@reddit
I could probably buy it if you're vegetarian with a small appetite and limited menu. You could subsist on beans on toast and jacket potatoes, plain porridge etc. And spend under £20
kentw33d@reddit
me and my partner split our food shop- it’s usually between £50-70 per week or so, so really that does make it around £25-35 each. we shop at lidls. maybe depending on the shop and sharing the bill is the trick. also i cook everything from scratch
DismalPhysicist@reddit
The people you're comparing to will be a) not in London, b) cooking cheaper meat or less meat than you, c) not cooking for others. Especially if you cook the meat-based meals for others, that will increase your cost a lot.
mumwifealcoholic@reddit
Sounds like they’re full of it, frankly.
alexterm@reddit
Post a recent receipt/shopping list. It depends a lot on what you eat, and whether you get food elsewhere, for example at work.
The_Mayor_Involved@reddit
Depends what you buy
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