No no; can you imagine the criticism and bitching? Ittud give me indigestion. 
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Household food bill?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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about £35 a week for one. no junk, processed or ready meal type shite keeps the cost down.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Elf - OK I promise to behave.
Actually I reckon we had a few legends at my Mulled Wine Weekend. 
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ton, if thats enough for a whole week then probably not far off the mark.
£35 today in Tesco, for the contents of a well packed hand basket. Ok, so £3 was on a roll of tin-foil, but nowt else of high value.
I scanned down our full-shop receipt the other week & was amazed how few items cost less than £1 these days.Posted 1 year ago # -
be wary of special offers, sometimes they're not as good a deal as you'd think.
Go on then - explain how a jar of sauce at £1 rather than the usual £2 is not as a good a deal as you'd think Posted 1 year ago # -
For a 13.5 stones person like me per week cost me around £20 - £25.
That includes fish, meat, grains, bread, veg and some junk food like bombay mix or jam or custard doughnuts.
p/s: never touched ready meal for a long long time.
pp/s: Ton, for 3 person more than £80 is a lot.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Probably spend around £80 a week for 2 adults and 2 small kids - not counting booze.
Actually I would like to spend more!
We save some money through having an allotment, buying veg from a market stall on Saturdays, herbs and spices from a wholefoods shop, and we don't eat a lot of meat.
We spend extra on bread from the local bakery @ £2 per loaf, organic milk and lots of olive oil + ingredients like pine nuts, olives etc.
I'd love to buy more fish and locally produyced organic meat, but it would be easy to add an extra £10 per meal to do that, so I don't.
OTOH we could eat a lot more cheaply. If you cook from scratch and stick to basic veg/grains/pulses I reckon a family of 4 could live reasonably well (healthily) on about £30-40 a week - provided of course that someone has time to shop around and do a lot of cooking.
Posted 1 year ago # -
3 off us including 4 month old and cat.
on an expensive week, cleaning products, mrs shampoo, cat food etc it can be around £80
we dont buy drink anymore since the baby came along this used to ramp the cost up loads.
key to a cheap shop is have a list and stick to it.
also we used to have seperate bank accounts, used to take out £40 each before the shop and then have money left over whcih was spent on crap.
make your own sarnies for work aswell as already stated, save loads doing this
were also in the pricess of buying all fruit n veg from local market as supermarket stuff is generally sh*te
cut down on meat aswell, price if meat has gone mental.
Posted 1 year ago # -
just looked in the fridge
3 items added up to £25.
corn fed freerange chuck £7
pack of 3 sirloin steaks £8
brisket joint £9.40think i have a idea why it is so dear now...............we must be spending £40ish a week on meat.
Posted 1 year ago # -
corn fed freerange chuck £7
Which is no different to a non free range corn fed chook at half that price...
All that organic/free range stuff is another con; blind tests would prove there is no difference in tastes. All meat sold in the UK has to pass pretty stringent hygiene/safety tests anyway. The only thing that will significantly alter the condition of meat is age of the animal and storage. The organic/free range bollocks is just to make you think you're buying a 'superior' product. A nice bit of sirloin will be more tender and juicy than a bit of stewing beef, but that's about it. If you know how to cook, you can turn the most unappealing tired old stuff into something really tasty.
'This isn't any old Marketing Bullshit; this is M+S Marketing Bullshit...'
Posted 1 year ago # -
Well the SO and I put each 150€ on the common pot. It is use for the food and the everyday product. I think the ration is 250 on food and 50 on other stuff (loo paper, kitchen rolls, cleaning products and other utility product)
That is for 3 of us. Supermarket are only used for non fresh and diary. Meat/fish/fruit/veg are bought at the local market. I absolutely refuse to buy value stuff (except for dark chocolate biscuit as the biscuit is nicer :D)
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am still mystified as to why no-one has pointed out that while Ton consumes £130 worth of food when home alone... the cash figure only increases by 20 or 30 quid when the rest of the family are at home..
Leaving our hero Ton.. something of a henry viii figure.. stuffing his face with whole geese and roast oxen and tossing tidbits to his malnourished and waiflike family..
I'm not bored enough to do the maths but read the OP and find the percentage... commendable stuff Ton..
Posted 1 year ago # -
I absolutely refuse to buy value stuff
Yeah, but that's because you're a ponce.
I buy value stuff just to infuriate the ponces. I even feed it to them when they come to visit. Guess what? They can't tell the difference....
Posted 1 year ago # -
Elfinsafety - Member
corn fed freerange chuck £7
Which is no different to a non free range corn fed chook at half that price...
Please tell me this is just you trolling and you really understand some of the certification you claim means nothing. If not, you do live with your head in a bucket.
Posted 1 year ago # -
All that organic/free range stuff is another con; blind tests would prove there is no difference in tastes.
It's not necessarily about the taste but rather the way the chickens are farmed...
Posted 1 year ago # -
sounds a lot to me, but my missus is good a sniffing out the bargains. If I buy milk from anywhwere other than Farm Foods - 2 x 2 litre bottles for £1.50 - I get the evils
Seriously, we know what we can get from Netto/Farm Foods/Aldi but don't mind spending more on some stuff (E.g. I'm a brand snob when it comes to Marmite and English Mustard)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Please tell me this is just you trolling and you really understand some of the certification you claim means nothing
Explain what the difference is then please. In Scientific terms, showing data and evidence. Regardless of any 'clarification', the 'difference' isn't noticeable or often even measurable. Farmers and retailers have simply cottoned onto the fact that people want to believe they are superior to their neighbours, and will therefore pay extra to perpetuate the myth. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that eating only organic and fee-range products will make you healthier. None whatsoever. And I can guarantee you that blind testing will reveal no difference in the taste or enjoyment of he foods.
If you want to pay for free range etc, up to you, fine. Jut don't kid yourself that you're any better off, healthwise, for it. You're still breathing in the same polluted air that everyone else is, still get stressed at work etc. Makes me laugh that people insist on organic, yet drink alcohol, smoke, drive a car etc...
As for the way animals are farmed; UK laws mean that all meat products sold must pass certain standards relating to how the animals are raised. Free range often means that the chickens live in a very slightly larger pen, and have a bit of outside to run about in. Or that there is a slightly lower density of animals on a bit of farmland.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I buy value stuff just to infuriate the ponces. I even feed it to them when they come to visit. Guess what? They can't tell the difference....
You're probably a very bad cook and your guests have unrefined palettes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I thought it was common knowledge that cheep chicken was injected (post death) with water and stabilisers etc to give the customer a nice plump breast. More expensive chicken hasn't been messed about with in the same way.
The evidence is contained within some of those Pukka Jamie Oliver programs but I can't tolerate him at this time on a Sunday morning, so will not be searching for it.
Blind taste tests, blah blah blah, if you're used to buying decent meat you know when you're being served meat from the value range.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Fry some value chicken and watch how much water comes out. Then fry a quality chicken and see the difference.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Right, that seems to have got things warmed up nicely; I'm off out on me bike for a ride.
(I am however interested to se if anyone can provide any scientific evidence as to the real benefits of free-range/organic foods)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Free range often means that the chickens live in a very slightly larger pen, and have a bit of outside to run about in. Or that there is a slightly lower density of animals on a bit of farmland.
which some people are happy to pay for. My point has nothing at all to do with taste.
Posted 1 year ago # -
(I am however interested to se if anyone can provide any scientific evidence as to the real benefits of free-range/organic foods)
I don't think the answer lies in qualitative data. There are 2 points.
1. Either you care about animal welfare or you don't
2. Either you can tell the difference between a cheap tomato/chicken/whatever and a quality tomato/chicken/whatever or you can'tIf you answer positively to either of the above then likely, if you can afford it you will pay more for the quality product.
I would add that organic != quality and vice versa. I've had plenty of high quality veg/meat which is not certified organic.
But without knowing provenance, organic is at least a guarantee of a certain standard of welfare.
Posted 1 year ago # -
i will continue to buy the freerange cornfed type of chuck.
the sight of a long slender tough leg bone when stripped of meat is far more appealing than a stunted soft brittle one, like those on £2.50 value chucks.
also a good sign that the animal has had the freedom to move move around and maybe enjoy it's life prior to slaughter.Posted 1 year ago # -
Mrs FH always plans the weekly shop and what meals were eating that week shes a prolific list maker
She spend aroun £100-£110 per week, not sure if the amount counts towards eldest sons school meals, I have also realized I sort out my own lunches so that probably another ten to fifteen pounds on top of the shop budget.If we fancy splashing out we go to a farm shop or get a reduced price duck or something. Apparently if you shop online then your more likely to spend less as you only buy what you need and don't get tempted instore.
On another not Elfinsaftey is turning into another TJ!
Posted 1 year ago # -
We spend around £60-£80 for 2 people but that lasts us for 10-12 days normally. And that includes cat food for 2 kittens.
I've got 2 ducks so never buy any eggs, also a very handy supply of lunch/dinner solutions at hardly any cost.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Never mind the chikens, try going to a squab farm, aircraft hangers filled with thousands of squab buried from the neck down in little holes so they can't fly around, just fed to plump them up ready for the oven, bargain at £8.50 each.
Posted 1 year ago # -
WRT 'value' / branded / 'special', I think it's worth picking your battles. My trolley will routinely contain Tesco Value items next to Extra Special items, just depends what you're buying as to whether it's worth it or not. If you're buying ingredients especially, you pay a premium for vegetables which look nice; who give a toss when they're going to be chopped up anyway?
Posted 1 year ago # -
The other thing I've found is that some Value items are as close to the regular own-brand stuff as makes no odds. Eg, buying tinned spaghetti say, you might have Heinz at 60p, Tesco's own at 40p and Tesco Value at 20p (I'm making these figures up as an example). Both Tesco's are indistinguishable in taste, so you're basically paying 20p for a full-colour label.
Common sense would make you think that the mid-priced option is a good compromise between price and quality, but really there's no reason to ever buy it; if you want the best product get the Heinz, if you want to save cash get the Value.
I've started doing taste tests now; when buying a product I'll get one each of the different varients, and compare over a couple of days to see whether the increased price is worth it. The outcome can be surprising. Sometimes you can use this to save money, and where you don't you can at least rest assured that any premium you're paying is an informed decision rather than habit or snobbery.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Our main shop is usually in the region of £90-100 from Tesco, but inevitably there are add ons, friday is usually chippy tea night and we often run out of milk or bread and so the "quick trip" to the Tesco then becomes another £30-40. That is feeding three of us though.
Agree with the points made above that writing a list and sticking to it saves money, we shop online as the Mrs reckons that she is able to manage the purchases better. Having said that she doesn't look & see what we have or don't have, and just buys according to recipes, which means (
) that we're probably quite a wasteful household.
Posted 1 year ago # -
There are two of us in our house. I do a "big shop" once a month around pay day, normally around £80. I visit the Chinese supermarket ever couple of months for spices, 10kg bags of chicken breast and a couple of kilos of raw tiger prawns. This normally comes in at £40(ish). The farm shop once a week and that is another £10. Bread, sandwich meat and lunch box stuff is another £5-10 a week.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Over a couple of months our food bill, 2 adults, 2 boys (7&9) averages out at around £100 per week inc. wine and beer and household consumerables. I do all the shopping and the majority of the cooking and make all meals from scratch - except fish fingers and the odd pie for the boys! Shopping at Aldi has saved me a packet - I estimate around £30 p/w when compared to Tesco and probably £20 to Asda.
On the free range chicken thing - I will always buy free range chicken, not necessarily for the taste (although I do think the meat looks and tastes nicer) but I can't bear the thought of battery farmed chicken. I've some concerns over pork too, in this respect...
Posted 1 year ago # -
ton - Member
I will continue to buy the free-range corn-fed type of chuck.
the sight of a long slender tough leg bone when stripped of meat is far more appealing than a stunted soft brittle one, like those on £2.50 value chucks.
also a good sign that the animal has had the freedom to move move around and maybe enjoy it's life prior to slaughter.
Well said, most of the meat I buy is very local and I know the farmers who have reared it. Perhaps when you live in a big city its no so easy to associate with the food you eat?Posted 1 year ago # -
Family of 5, £120-140 a week at Tesco or Morrisons, £70-90 a week at Lidl.
Posted 1 year ago # -
2 and a 11month old here, spend is 80-100 a week on food. Usually at tesco, although i reckon they have got expensive recently. We tend to buy brands and always take advantage of the multibuys. (if they are actually a good deal)
A trap we fall into is popping to the co-op, now that does cost some money. Although it is nice to have a local supermarket so I dont worry about i too much.
Posted 1 year ago #
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