Based on a representative (but not complete) set of food receipts for the past two months, this is how our food spending (two adults) breaks down by category:
Staples (anything that comes in a tin or packet that does not go off - e.g. pasta, tinned beans, oats, flour): 11.52%
Meat: 24.19%
Fish (includes tinned fish): 8.35%
Vegetables (not beans): 11.04%
Fruit: 5.68%
Dairy (butter, milk and cheese): 26.59%
Prepared food (e.g. pesto, sheets of puff pastry): 6.49%
Eggs: 1.85%
Extras (anything special, e.g. olives): 3.83%
Herbs and spices: 0.46%
There were three things that really shocked me here.
1. Meat. Wow! We do not eat a lot of meat, maybe twice a week max, and mostly in the form of a delicious bacony garnish. And yet we spend a quarter of our food budget on it! Meat is EXPENSIVE. We eat fish about the same amount as meat, but buy a lot of tinned fish. Unfortunately I haven't found a meaty equivalent that we like (corned beef? ew).
2. We spend so little on fruit and vegetables! Granted, we don't get our five-a-day but I feel like we eat a fair bit. I am actually trying to buy more on the basis that if it's available, we'll eat it, but I was worried about spending too much money - but I'd happily spend twice as much (percentage-wise...) than we do.
3. Dairy. Wow again! We have been eating quite a lot of cheese lately as it's been a busy time for both of us and homemade bread with cheese makes a quick and delicious meal, but it certainly doesn't constitute a full quarter of our diet!
And one thing I am pleased about: Only 6.49% on prepared food! I sometimes feel guilty when I open a jar of pesto but this makes me feel that we're not eating too much prepared food. (It helps that I can't eat garlic or onions which are in EVERYTHING so home cooking is a necessity for my health in more ways than one!)
Anyone else care to share?