Food - £60-100 a month. Enough to eat well?

I think it's quite easily done, I did it for a year or so when I first moved to London. I was spending about £10-20 (tops) on my 'weekly' shop and then probably getting some extra ingredients once during the week to supplement my menu. You just have to be strict. Maybe it helped that I don't have a sweet tooth, I'm never interested in frivolous items such as biscuits/chocolate/dessert! :p

Spie said:
You could eat a very basic diet for that but it wouldn't be balanced - cereal, rice, potatoes etc. I would be aiming for twice that at least.
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I don't really agree with that. Rice and pasta are obviously fairly cheap and if he has a veg stall near him then potatoes should be dirt cheap. I know they are my local veg shop. Carbs are alright, but he'll probably find it hard to get a variety in meat and fruit etc. I know when I was spending a similar amount I always bought bananas and apples for fruit, and ate a hell of a lot of pork because it's the cheapest.

Also, if you're trying to budget and want a variety - check out mackerel. That's dirt cheap and very good for you. You can do easy pastas or even a simple kedgeree which is lovely. Or even a risotto.


PapaLazaru said:
Take ham for instance. The good stuff is really quite expensive, but you can buy a gammon joint for £3, roast it with your Sunday Roast and it will last all week in my sandwiches. Tastes a lot better as well.
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That's a great idea. I work nights so always take in sandwiches. I'll have to have a look for a gammon joint next time I'm shopping!
 
PapaLazaru said:
I reckon so. I have started to notcie the prices of certain items and am avoiding them and replacing with other alternatives.

Take ham for instance. The good stuff is really quite expensive, but you can buy a gammon joint for £3, roast it with your Sunday Roast and it will last all week in my sandwiches. Tastes a lot better as well.

Fruit is expensive but root vegetables are dirt cheap. Massive bag of carrots is only £1 these days. Potatoes are the same.

You could eat a balanced and heathly diet for that amount, you just have to be smart when you shop.
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yeah you can get like 5kg of carrots for a few quid, dont know many western dishes with carrots in it but "aloo gajjar" (indian) is amazing.
 
I was able to get by fairly well on about £8 - £10 a week for most of last year. I recommend Sainbury's Basics stuff, as it's usually good quality and inexpensive.
 
I spend around £30-£35 a week, and thats for me, my wife and young son. We eat healthy (a little bit of meat, lots of veg and fruit). I would spend more and prob eat a lot less healthy if I could afford it.
 
Cheers for all the advice. Think I'm going to end up with meal plans for each week and try to have varied weeks so I don't get bored. Buy in bulk on a Sunday and then wait until the week after and rinse and repeat. :)

Definately going to give Mackerel a try and other tinned fish, may well cut out meat completely other than chicken occasionaly as legs are always quite cheap.

The gammon joint idea seems very good too and will last a while on Sandwichs.
 
If you plan ahead and make wise choices with your meals, you can easily manage on that. If you buy without thinking/planning, it's easy to spend more than you intend.
 
How on earth do you guys spend £100 a week?!

I live with my girlfriend and we spend £20-30 per week at Tesco. Eat a decent amount of meat, fruit, veg and in general, a lot of fresh produce.
 
Robi said:
How on earth do you guys spend £100 a week?!

I live with my girlfriend and we spend £20-30 per week at Tesco. Eat a decent amount of meat, fruit, veg and in general, a lot of fresh produce.
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May I ask what it is that you usually buy and the meals that your making? Sounds ideal if your feeding two people on that budget.
 
Robi said:
How on earth do you guys spend £100 a week?!

I live with my girlfriend and we spend £20-30 per week at Tesco. Eat a decent amount of meat, fruit, veg and in general, a lot of fresh produce.
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lmao, let's see your receipt, i highly doubt you get a decent amount of meat and fresh produce.

unless of course you eat out all the time.
 
I'm living alone as a student and probably spend £40 at least on food - I eat significantly better than most students, mind :D
 
IndigoGorilla said:
May I ask what it is that you usually buy and the meals that your making? Sounds ideal if your feeding two people on that budget.
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Our weekly shopping usually contains the following;

Potatoes
Tomatoes
Parsnips
Carrots
Onions
Peppers
Red/green chillies
Garlic
Mushrooms
Oranges
Melon (once every month)

Chicken breasts (either 4 or 6)
Lean mince
Tuna (2/3 tins)
Fish (either fresh or frozen)
Chopped tomatoes (3/4 tins)
Bread
Milk
Cream/yoghurt/creme fraiche
Eggs

Then depending on the meals we have planned, we usually buy spices / seeds etc according to that.

We obviously have loads of herbs, sauces, oils etc that you use in day to day cooking. We don't buy pizza, chocolate, crips or anything like that. No ready meals. Usually no premade sauces (unless we're lazy).

I just don't understand were the extra £70-80 comes from? Are you guys buying fillet steaks from Waitrose for every night?!

We eat well, not beans and waffles every night. Loads of nice meals from books and just general knowledge from over the years.
 
try these sort of dishes that will last a few days in the fridge that you can go back and forth from when peckish , things like stews, casseroles , pies, pasta dishes , stir fry's, lentil and rice dishs.
look into them sort of dishes, if you want to eat good and for cheap, plus you can have them for 2 to 3 days in a row.

cheapest stewing beef in the super market fridge (great taste and tender when cooked slowly)
chicken filets (usually on offer)
carrots
parsnips
mushrooms
cheap packets of soup and noodles
frozen veg mix
tins of beans and various veges ect
sausages
pasta
ready made family sized trays of lasagne (can be very reasonably priced)
cereal
crackers
flour (when needed)
pearl barley (for stews and soups to make them more filling, not expensive)
cheese
bread
leek (I sometimes get )
celery (I sometimes get)
a bottle of some sort of sauce to add flavor.
garlic ( I love it)
tinned and fresh fish (good healthy option)
cooking herbs and spices as needed but I dont break the bank on them.

my approach to shopping is minimalist and I shop at the cheapest super markets, butchers , veg shops, Asian stores.
I tend to avoid ready made meals to keep my bill down, your talking 70 pounds to eat decently

I'm always working on new recipes and ways to keep my shopping bill low while eating decently for cheap.
try to buy stuff as you need it, because if you go and do a weeks shopping you may be tempted to buy stuff you wouldn't
normally buy.
I also shop in Asian stores and supermarkets for a lot of my stuff like noodles and ingredients for rice dishes as they tend to be very cheap.
avoid junk food you don't really need it.
plan ahead of time what you will eat.
some self control is good to so your not snacking to much outside of meals.

50 a week (tight budget , id say 60 or 70 to be safe)
be careful where you shop also, shop at places you know you will get good value and quality for a good price.
 
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I do it. It's not that hard. Just don't eat out, or get takeaway, and get used to eating less meat rather than slumming it with second rate cheap meats.

Stock up with bulk bought rice, and buy big bags of dried pasta (I know it's not as good as fresh but it's not terrible). Dried beans are very cheap for the amount of food, although the soaking is a pain. Buy spices from ethnic shelves or stores and you get a lot more bang for your buck than those tiny little things sold for the English market; these are important because the main skill in making good food for less money is learning to use herbs, spices and other flavourings (such as vinegar) well.

Learning to make your bread can help a lot too. While homemade bread is not cheaper than a cheapo loaf, the quality is much higher.
 
Sainsbury's did that £50/week for a family of 4 thing the other week. Might be worth looking at, with good use of the freezer £50/week for 4 could probably translate to £100/month for 2. Maybe.
 
Robi said:
Our weekly shopping usually contains the following;

Potatoes
Tomatoes
Parsnips
Carrots
Onions
Peppers
Red/green chillies
Garlic
Mushrooms
Oranges
Melon (once every month)

Chicken breasts (either 4 or 6)
Lean mince
Tuna (2/3 tins)
Fish (either fresh or frozen)
Chopped tomatoes (3/4 tins)
Bread
Milk
Cream/yoghurt/creme fraiche
Eggs
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I don't believe you buy all that, for 2 people, for 20-30 a week. Unless of course you eat tiny portions. I spend that per week for myself buying basically the same stuff with way less fruit+veg.
 
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