Weekly Food Shop

[Rightflyer]

A recent AO.com survey asked 3,000 Britons about their weekly food shop.
The results revealed that the average Briton spends £85.72.

So the average monthly shop for a couple is more than £700!?

[bill1827]

Sounds reasonable.
Over the last 12 months we spent £80 a week for 2. If I take off the coffee it drops to £66 a week, if I take off the alcoholic drinks it drops to to £55 a week. However, we don't buy meat, fish or many processed foods so probably atypical.

[Affable Bear]

We are a couple, no kids as of yet and probably spend about £60-80 per week (for both of us that is) on shopping depending on if we need to buy household items like cleaning etc..

We budget £300 a month and we have never hit that amount, only shop Lidl/Aldi but I dont scrimp on things like meat or other produce if we enjoy them although we dont buy that many excess 'luxuries' i.e snacks, fizzy pop etc... Only buy alcohol occasionally and still stay under £300.

I can easily see a family with children being fairly higher than this but not sure if that would account to £85 per person per week in a household! 

[vand]

sounds pretty much spot on TBH.

I personally suspect most people are quite bad at tracking this stuff on a personal level and tend to underestimate their food spending.

For our household between 2 + 1child We get a big grocery shop ever fortnight which comes to ~£200 atime these days, and then also end up topping it up with smaller £20-30 shops each time several times a month, so £500-£550/month.

But!! that doesn't even include the 15-20 lunch or other meals eaten out each month, as well as schoool lunchs for the little 'un.  If we were to prepare and cook all our meals over a month it'd probably easily be £700+.  May sound a lot but that's essentially 225 meals (if you count each kid's meal as a half), so only £3.11/meal.  But not really even that, because out of that grocery budget comes cleaning/washing items, drinks, treats, etc.  For people who say "I spend 40 quid a week on food" - how many actual meals are you getting out of that?

Sure, we could probably lose a few items from the basket which would bring our spending down slightly, but we're in the fortunate position that we don't need to do that.

[Rightflyer]

I believe it only included food, no other supplies or sundries.


We budget 400 quid a month for 2 of us.
We're currently at an average monthly spend for this year of £384 but that is with a freezer full of food (we buy in  bulk). We'll probably average about 350 per month over the year.


I always assumed we were a bit spendy... but it doesn't seem so in comparison.


 

[TacheTastic]

Single, and my food budget includes cleaning products.

Average over 7 months to June of £251 including work lunches. Does not include meals out with others, as that comes under socialising. I do a lot of laundry because of my work, everything has to go in the wash each workday.

Shopping mainly at Aldi and Tesco. There would be room to cut, but the convenience/cost balance works for me at the moment.

[Bluenose1966]

We probably spend about £700 a month for 3 adults. Tend to prepare all our meals from scratch and shop mainly at Aldi and a local butcher.
Have had to increase our  food budget significantly with inflation over last few years, still get a surprise when I look at the prices!!!

[Nadia Edits]

Looks like I spent £165 per month on average at the supermarket in the last year. That's for a single-person household and covers groceries, toiletries and minor household items, but not eating out at restaurants or splashing out on treats. I batch cook, but food inflation still sneaks in.

[Jade]

We (couple) average £35 a week for food inc cleaning products, toiletries etc. we don't eat out, drink or eat much meat tho.

[Rightflyer]

We (couple) average £35 a week for food inc cleaning products, toiletries etc. we don't eat out, drink or eat much meat tho.

That's very impressive!


How?

[Jade]

Thanks @Rightflyer ! We mainly shop at Aldi or Lidl and have fairly set things we buy, cook from scratch etc. my hubby is a good planner of our meals and it doesn't feel difficult.

[force majeure]

Inflation has hit my budget hard.
I had to increase my weekly food budget by 10%.
Its now £22 per week.
I dont eat meat.

[MisterA]

Here's what we spend, all from Aldi and there are 3 of us. Worked out per person, this is a very typical daily spend:

Breakfast
0.5 banana, porridge, milk - 22.5p

Lunch
Apple, bread, sandwich filling - 80p

Dinner
Roast chicken, veg, potatoes - 115p

Total per person, per day = £2.75
3 people, so = £8.25
+ 0.5 bottle of wine = £10.75 for 1 day for 3 people
= £327/m  = £75.50/week for 3 people
= £25/week/person

Oh, and the dog works out at about £0.30/day.

Let's call it £35/week/person, it's still a fraction of the £85. It used to be less, but food still isn't that expensive.

[Affable Bear]

Here's what we spend, all from Aldi and there are 3 of us. Worked out per person, this is a very typical daily spend:

Breakfast
0.5 banana, porridge, milk - 22.5p

Lunch
Apple, bread, sandwich filling - 80p

Dinner
Roast chicken, veg, potatoes - 115p

Total per person, per day = £2.75
3 people, so = £8.25
+ 0.5 bottle of wine = £10.75 for 1 day for 3 people
= £327/m  = £75.50/week for 3 people
= £25/week/person

Oh, and the dog works out at about £0.30/day.

Let's call it £35/week/person, it's still a fraction of the £85. It used to be less, but food still isn't that expensive.

That is an awesome summary of a food shop!

[InterfaceLeader]

I don't think there's any way the average spend for a couple is £700, just based on average salary! But I think spendy people could easily get to that.
I looked up the survey, and AO.com only spoke to 3k people, and it looks like it was a marketing exercise to sell fridges and freezers.

I think these figures might be more accurate: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-cost-food
They say it's £31/ person/ week on food, rather than £85.

I eat less than my partner, because he's six foot and works a manual labour job where he racks up 20k steps in a few hours, usually carrying heavy things! He's not overweight, but he eats a lot more than is in MisterA's meal plan - and he snacks on a LOT of fruit.

Our supermarket spend for a couple is ~£46/person/week, but that includes toiletries etc. We've also been buying more processed foods than I would typically be happy with because I've been struggling with fatigue and cooking from scratch a lot less.

[Jade]

Here's what we spend, all from Aldi and there are 3 of us. Worked out per person, this is a very typical daily spend:

Breakfast
0.5 banana, porridge, milk - 22.5p

Lunch
Apple, bread, sandwich filling - 80p

Dinner
Roast chicken, veg, potatoes - 115p

Total per person, per day = £2.75
3 people, so = £8.25
+ 0.5 bottle of wine = £10.75 for 1 day for 3 people
= £327/m  = £75.50/week for 3 people
= £25/week/person

Oh, and the dog works out at about £0.30/day.

Let's call it £35/week/person, it's still a fraction of the £85. It used to be less, but food still isn't that expensive.

That is an awesome summary of a food shop!

I agree! I like the 22.5p for breakfast!

[Jade]

I don't think there's any way the average spend for a couple is £700, just based on average salary! But I think spendy people could easily get to that.
I looked up the survey, and AO.com only spoke to 3k people, and it looks like it was a marketing exercise to sell fridges and freezers.

I think these figures might be more accurate: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-cost-food
They say it's £31/ person/ week on food, rather than £85.

I eat less than my partner, because he's six foot and works a manual labour job where he racks up 20k steps in a few hours, usually carrying heavy things! He's not overweight, but he eats a lot more than is in MisterA's meal plan - and he snacks on a LOT of fruit.

Our supermarket spend for a couple is ~£46/person/week, but that includes toiletries etc. We've also been buying more processed foods than I would typically be happy with because I've been struggling with fatigue and cooking from scratch a lot less.

I think your figures seem much more realistic @InterfaceLeader

[vand]

I don't think there's any way the average spend for a couple is £700, just based on average salary! But I think spendy people could easily get to that.
I looked up the survey, and AO.com only spoke to 3k people, and it looks like it was a marketing exercise to sell fridges and freezers.

I think these figures might be more accurate: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-cost-food
They say it's £31/ person/ week on food, rather than £85.

I eat less than my partner, because he's six foot and works a manual labour job where he racks up 20k steps in a few hours, usually carrying heavy things! He's not overweight, but he eats a lot more than is in MisterA's meal plan - and he snacks on a LOT of fruit.

Our supermarket spend for a couple is ~£46/person/week, but that includes toiletries etc. We've also been buying more processed foods than I would typically be happy with because I've been struggling with fatigue and cooking from scratch a lot less.

I think your figures seem much more realistic @InterfaceLeader

I don't think £31/week is at all a realistic number - maybe it is doable for some but it's nowhere near the average.     That's £1.48 per meal - what can you get for £.48 these days? You can't even buy half a lb of beef with that.

If I buy my lunch rather prepare it myself its automatically a £7-9 for a pretty basic option.  That's already blown your lunch budget for the week, and that's not a extravagant sit down at a restaurant lunch, that's just a burrito & can of coke to take back to my desk. 

Also, bear in mind that food budgeting is not something that most people are trying to absolutely minimize, but rather optimize.  Most people could reduce their food spending if they really wanted or had to, but conciously choose not to.

[InterfaceLeader]

I think it's true if you look at full time working professionals, but an awful lot of pensioners and people on benefits are scrimping on food. I know some parents who use free school meals and skip their own lunch, for example, and then do a cold tea.

Note that if you take a look at the link, that £31 doesn't include eating out or alcohol.

[vand]

I think it's true if you look at full time working professionals, but an awful lot of pensioners and people on benefits are scrimping on food. I know some parents who use free school meals and skip their own lunch, for example, and then do a cold tea.

Note that if you take a look at the link, that £31 doesn't include eating out or alcohol.

yes, I had a closer look. They have £1,628/pa for eating in, and £556/pa for eating out - an average of £6/day on food.  I'm not sure if that's more realistic or less...

Still doesn't seem a lot when you consider that's basically the cost of a pint of beer, a McDonalds quarter pounder meal, or a large Tesco salad, and I still think it seems on the low end if you are talking about an average, but I do appreciate that a lot of people are struggling and skipping meal, using food bank etc.

Like I said, too, my belief is that food spending should be optimized rather than minimized, and I don't particularly see any nobility in having an ultra tight food budget.. if your food spend is higher than someone else's - as long as it's not wasteful - I see that as a good thing, not a bad thing..

[Affable Bear]

yes, I had a closer look. They have £1,628/pa for eating in, and £556/pa for eating out - an average of £6/day on food.  I'm not sure if that's more realistic or less...

Still doesn't seem a lot when you consider that's basically the cost of a pint of beer, a McDonalds quarter pounder meal, or a large Tesco salad, and I still think it seems on the low end if you are talking about an average, but I do appreciate that a lot of people are struggling and skipping meal, using food bank etc.

I think the cost of living can vary quite a lot depending on what area of the country you are and could account for some variance in costs. I am from the midlands orginally but studied at University in North Wales, this was about 15 years ago now but I remember everything being so much cheaper in Wales than back home. Eating and drinking out was a lot cheaper than back home and as I had such a low income at the time I tended to notice the difference.

I remember a few years ago I was in a McDonalds (guilty pleasure) in Manchester and the Chicken nugget meal thing was a whole £1.19 more expensive than my local one! I have noticed this a lot with petrol and the price of the same goods in the same supermarket but in different areas.. Probably affects some things more than others but important to consider I think.

Convenience stores are also killer to any budget, I am guilty of going in for pasta sauce only and leaving with 5 other items (probably cheese cake XD) and being £28 worse off...

Like I said, too, my belief is that food spending should be optimized rather than minimized, and I don't particularly see any nobility in having an ultra tight food budget.. if your food spend is higher than someone else's - as long as it's not wasteful - I see that as a good thing, not a bad thing..

I love food and agree with optimization!

[MisterA]

That's £1.48 per meal - what can you get for £1.48 these days? You can't even buy half a lb of beef with that.

If I buy my lunch rather prepare it myself its automatically a £7-9 for a pretty basic option. 

What can you get for £1.48?
At Aldi an XL chicken is about £5, it'll do a roast for 4 people, plus a stir-fry for 4 people with chicken left for sandwiches. I don't work now, but have always spent less than £1.48 for lunch. The 80p I mentioned above has always been typical for me. Coffee? I used a kettle at work.

Spending £9/day for lunch is over £3k/ year on lunches, not very moustachian!

Still doesn't seem a lot when you consider that's basically the cost of a pint of beer, a McDonalds quarter pounder meal, or a large Tesco salad, and I still think it seems on the low end if you are talking about an average, but I do appreciate that a lot of people are struggling and skipping meal, using food bank etc.

Like I said, too, my belief is that food spending should be optimized rather than minimized

McDonalds meal and a pint is hardly "optimised", it's expensive and unhealthy.

[InterfaceLeader]

I agree that food spending is not necessarily the place to cut down to as cheap as you possibly can, although to me fast food places like McDonald's are pretty much the worst bang for your buck because they are overpriced and rubbish and unhealthy!

The average spend on anything is not really that helpful, because people have different priorities, needs and means--a professional athlete is going to have very different food needs than a sedentary pensioner.  Someone working a time intensive but highly paid job, or someone living in a hotel for months on end, is going to have different priorities to a SAHP cooking in bulk. Optimisation looks different for everyone.

For me, food spending crosses over with environmental concerns (I spend more on higher welfare meat), health concerns (luckily pulses and vegetables are cheap! But we do splurge on things like fresh berries) and the fact that we are foodies (I can't subsist on vegetable soup and homemade bread ALL the time -- we did roast our own duck for duck pancakes the other day).

[Affable Bear]

McDonalds meal and a pint is hardly "optimised", it's expensive and unhealthy.

I think there is definitely a balance to be had, enjoying a pint and something 'unhealthy' every now and then can do wonders for other aspects of life & health! Invariably we are not machines eating solely for nutrition or cost (sounds bleak to me!) and eating out is fun and sociable. That being said eating out doesn’t fall under food in our budget, it sits in recreational spend and it keeps us from going overboard.

Despite my McNugget conffesion (ooops! >.<) I mostly look for unique/intersting restuarants and foods, food is a big factor when we travel too!

500g 5% mince from Lidl £3.50, tin of chopped tomatoes for under 35p, Oregano/mixed herbs for under £1, Tesco own spaghetti 500g for 28p, bag of onions for 85p, 1 carrot (10p?) garlic clove for 35p, maybe some beef stock and you probably have enough food for 4-6 servings. 4 servings works out around £1.60 per meal give or take, ok its not Michelin star but definitely ways to eat on a budget, you could do a 5 bean chilli instead and its even cheaper!

Still going to eat out and have a sneaky chicken nugget every now and then though :D

[Jade]

McDonalds meal and a pint is hardly "optimised", it's expensive and unhealthy.

I think there is definitely a balance to be had, enjoying a pint and something 'unhealthy' every now and then can do wonders for other aspects of life & health! Invariably we are not machines eating solely for nutrition or cost (sounds bleak to me!) and eating out is fun and sociable. That being said eating out doesn’t fall under food in our budget, it sits in recreational spend and it keeps us from going overboard.

Despite my McNugget conffesion (ooops! >.<) I mostly look for unique/intersting restuarants and foods, food is a big factor when we travel too!

500g 5% mince from Lidl £3.50, tin of chopped tomatoes for under 35p, Oregano/mixed herbs for under £1, Tesco own spaghetti 500g for 28p, bag of onions for 85p, 1 carrot (10p?) garlic clove for 35p, maybe some beef stock and you probably have enough food for 4-6 servings. 4 servings works out around £1.60 per meal give or take, ok its not Michelin star but definitely ways to eat on a budget, you could do a 5 bean chilli instead and its even cheaper!

Still going to eat out and have a sneaky chicken nugget every now and then though :D

I think you're right that it's about balance, @Affable Bear and working out meal price per serving makes sense when cooking at home. If you go into a shop with £1.48 for an at home meal, it's going to be hard to think of how to find a satisfying meal in that way. When you add up add the ingredients and decide the cost per serving, it means you can have good food at good prices, to whatever degree that is for you. I think it's a false equivalence to think spending more money on food always means better food and also anything pre prepared to whatever degree, is going to increase the price multiple times.

We don't spend much on food or eat out but we do eat well (finance isn't the only reason we eat the way we do). I think tying things into mustachianism and this forum, eating well but keeping the costs down stops lifestyle creep so that you can also do other things with your money as well. I think it's about finding the right balance for your situation.. we all have different budgets, tastes, health needs, living situations etc. For us living quite happily on a fairly low food budget, will (and has) translated into less years in the workplace and better health as a bonus and we've set it up so we don't feel deprived. You have to work out your own budget and priorities, don't you? but I think it's easy for all of us to get sucked into the consumerism around food that isn't necessary. I guess this site helps us think about what we're doing and why we're doing it so that we can make more conscious choices.

And yes, a sneaky chicken nugget (or your food/drink of choice) can also be an important addition to the happiness quotient! ;)

Ps your approach of putting eating out into your recreational board sounds useful.

[PhilB]

I could do the £31 a week fairly easily, if I had to, but food is a major hobby for us so we much prefer to spend more to have more choices.  I definitely still believe in optimisation though so we're so before I FIREd I wouldn't have spent £7-9 for a burrito and a coke when I could walk a bit further and get a meal deal from the supermarket for half that.

Today's optimisation was a whole duck for £9, instead of paying much the same price for duck breasts.  Over the next few days that will become duck breast salad with hot and sour dressing, confit duck legs with butterbean mash and roasted cauliflower, confit wings and oddments for a cassoulet, duck liver crostini and duck scratchings.  It's all about the planning.

[Jade]

I could do the £31 a week fairly easily, if I had to, but food is a major hobby for us so we much prefer to spend more to have more choices.  I definitely still believe in optimisation though so we're so before I FIREd I wouldn't have spent £7-9 for a burrito and a coke when I could walk a bit further and get a meal deal from the supermarket for half that.

Today's optimisation was a whole duck for £9, instead of paying much the same price for duck breasts.  Over the next few days that will become duck breast salad with hot and sour dressing, confit duck legs with butterbean mash and roasted cauliflower, confit wings and oddments for a cassoulet, duck liver crostini and duck scratchings.  It's all about the planning.

You're making me hungry @PhilB ;)

"It's all about the planning". < this!

[vand]

That's £1.48 per meal - what can you get for £1.48 these days? You can't even buy half a lb of beef with that.

If I buy my lunch rather prepare it myself its automatically a £7-9 for a pretty basic option. 

What can you get for £1.48?
At Aldi an XL chicken is about £5, it'll do a roast for 4 people, plus a stir-fry for 4 people with chicken left for sandwiches. I don't work now, but have always spent less than £1.48 for lunch. The 80p I mentioned above has always been typical for me. Coffee? I used a kettle at work.

Spending £9/day for lunch is over £3k/ year on lunches, not very moustachian!

Still doesn't seem a lot when you consider that's basically the cost of a pint of beer, a McDonalds quarter pounder meal, or a large Tesco salad, and I still think it seems on the low end if you are talking about an average, but I do appreciate that a lot of people are struggling and skipping meal, using food bank etc.

Like I said, too, my belief is that food spending should be optimized rather than minimized

McDonalds meal and a pint is hardly "optimised", it's expensive and unhealthy.

C'mon... McDonalds is about as cheap as you can get without prepping your own food.  You can get a reasonably filling lunch for £4 - £7.  That is about £900 - £1600 per year if you do it every day you go to work.  It's not unreasonable at all, and, putting the heathiness debate to one side, if your job doesn't afford you that sort of living standard then you're going wrong somewhere.


Expensive is a going to sit-establishment where it's £15 for the mains, plus a drink or 2, plus a side - easily £25-30.  Whenever I go out for dinner I usually budget £30-40. Not because I always spend that much but because in my most recent experience that's the sensible amount to budget for in the vast majority of lower-mid level eating establishments.

also discussed here https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-does-your-food-cost-per-day/

[Affable Bear]

And yes, a sneaky chicken nugget (or your food/drink of choice) can also be an important addition to the happiness quotient! ;)

Ps your approach of putting eating out into your recreational board sounds useful.

Haha it is a guilty pleasure of mine :D It definitely helps classifying eating out as recreational in our budget and since we did this it went from thinking 'im hungry, lets eat out' into 'hey theres a really cool tapas bar thats just opened in town, lets invites some friends we havent seen in a while and catch up!'.

Pre-MMM we (me mostly) really used to just go out eat and come home, I loved the food but it wasnt half as memorable and you just fall into the casualness and habitual nature of feeling hungry spending money.

Now its much more intentional and whilst we eat out less I enjoy it a lot more!

[Jade]

And yes, a sneaky chicken nugget (or your food/drink of choice) can also be an important addition to the happiness quotient! ;)

Ps your approach of putting eating out into your recreational board sounds useful.

Haha it is a guilty pleasure of mine :D It definitely helps classifying eating out as recreational in our budget and since we did this it went from thinking 'im hungry, lets eat out' into 'hey theres a really cool tapas bar thats just opened in town, lets invites some friends we havent seen in a while and catch up!'.

Pre-MMM we (me mostly) really used to just go out eat and come home, I loved the food but it wasnt half as memorable and you just fall into the casualness and habitual nature of feeling hungry spending money.

Now its much more intentional and whilst we eat out less I enjoy it a lot more!

Ha! I love your approach @Affable Bear ! I enjoy good chocolate or a cake myself. We used to be the same with eating out and not really thinking about what we were doing. It's definitely all about learning to optimize your spending and be intentional, isn't it? We've definitely found the same thing with enjoying things more when we've planned them!

[TacheTastic]

Single, and my food budget includes cleaning products.

Average over 7 months to June of £251 including work lunches. Does not include meals out with others, as that comes under socialising. I do a lot of laundry because of my work, everything has to go in the wash each workday.

Shopping mainly at Aldi and Tesco. There would be room to cut, but the convenience/cost balance works for me at the moment.

Updating because the convenience/other goals/cost balance changed for me. I spent £155 in supermarkets in October and batch cooked a lot of things. I'm aiming to be under £170 in November.

[Jade]

Single, and my food budget includes cleaning products.

Average over 7 months to June of £251 including work lunches. Does not include meals out with others, as that comes under socialising. I do a lot of laundry because of my work, everything has to go in the wash each workday.

Shopping mainly at Aldi and Tesco. There would be room to cut, but the convenience/cost balance works for me at the moment.

Updating because the convenience/other goals/cost balance changed for me. I spent £155 in supermarkets in October and batch cooked a lot of things. I'm aiming to be under £170 in November.

Your numbers are looking good @TacheTastic !

[Treedream]

That's £1.48 per meal - what can you get for £1.48 these days? You can't even buy half a lb of beef with that.

If I buy my lunch rather prepare it myself its automatically a £7-9 for a pretty basic option. 

What can you get for £1.48?
At Aldi an XL chicken is about £5, it'll do a roast for 4 people, plus a stir-fry for 4 people with chicken left for sandwiches. I don't work now, but have always spent less than £1.48 for lunch. The 80p I mentioned above has always been typical for me. Coffee? I used a kettle at work.

Spending £9/day for lunch is over £3k/ year on lunches, not very moustachian!

Still doesn't seem a lot when you consider that's basically the cost of a pint of beer, a McDonalds quarter pounder meal, or a large Tesco salad, and I still think it seems on the low end if you are talking about an average, but I do appreciate that a lot of people are struggling and skipping meal, using food bank etc.

Like I said, too, my belief is that food spending should be optimized rather than minimized

McDonalds meal and a pint is hardly "optimised", it's expensive and unhealthy.

C'mon... McDonalds is about as cheap as you can get without prepping your own food.  You can get a reasonably filling lunch for £4 - £7.  That is about £900 - £1600 per year if you do it every day you go to work.  It's not unreasonable at all, and, putting the heathiness debate to one side, if your job doesn't afford you that sort of living standard then you're going wrong somewhere.


Expensive is a going to sit-establishment where it's £15 for the mains, plus a drink or 2, plus a side - easily £25-30.  Whenever I go out for dinner I usually budget £30-40. Not because I always spend that much but because in my most recent experience that's the sensible amount to budget for in the vast majority of lower-mid level eating establishments.

also discussed here https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-does-your-food-cost-per-day/

You are assuming we eat lunch out every day? Since when would that be the norm when talking to moustachians? So, no, going out to eat for lunch everyday is not cheap.

I could do the £31 a week fairly easily, if I had to, but food is a major hobby for us so we much prefer to spend more to have more choices.  I definitely still believe in optimisation though so we're so before I FIREd I wouldn't have spent £7-9 for a burrito and a coke when I could walk a bit further and get a meal deal from the supermarket for half that.

Today's optimisation was a whole duck for £9, instead of paying much the same price for duck breasts.  Over the next few days that will become duck breast salad with hot and sour dressing, confit duck legs with butterbean mash and roasted cauliflower, confit wings and oddments for a cassoulet, duck liver crostini and duck scratchings.  It's all about the planning.

I don't even eat meat and you make me salivate.