How much money do you spend on groceries in a month?

[leighleigh]

The reason why I ask, is I'm currently a student (in catered halls) about to move into a house with some friends in the next couple of months. I'm starting to figure out my budget so I can workout where I am and thought it might be an idea to try to sort out a food pattern and practice it in the last month of the uni year.

I don't drink anymore; its too expensive! I could spend upwards of £60 IN A NIGHT. Plus, my health won't allow for it and after a couple of seriously dramatic nights, I've been put off of alcohol completely (though I do still have the odd homemade pina colada). Anyway, I don't drink anymore and my only real expenses (at the moment) is my phone bill, my pool membership and my halls of residence fees (when I move into my own house, my rent, gas, electricity, water and internet is actually cheaper than living in halls!).

Anyway, I worked out i could live on approximately £20-5 a week (I eat five small meals a day, at least one of which is "structured"). Then I add my protein shakes and bars and coconut water and it all comes out to somewhere inbetween £130-50 a month. Is this normal for one person? I've never had to work this out before.

How much do you guys spend a month?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[shazza87]

we spend 50pound a week between 2 of us. i'm trying to eat healthy, hubby isnt. so i tend to cook in batches and freeze for me and just make his. i can make 6 meals for me with 1 ready made chicken and 2 jars of sauce. its a bit eating the same for 3 days but i dont mind i like it.and just add rice.

 

[chick10]

I spend about £20 a week on the calorie diet. This doesnt include shakes etc as i dont drink them.

 

[Fattack]

I spend very similar - healthy, fresh food is expensive I don't buy protein bars, but I did buy a protein shake mix yesterday and it was around 24pounds for what will last me about 3-4 months depending on how often I go to the gym (I don't drink them every day, and only after weight training). I also try to buy organic wherever possible.

Where do you get coconut water from? I've not seen it anywhere but really fancy some.

 

[Lith]

Between me and the hubby we spend about £60 a week in our grocery shop these days, but to be fair that includes other sundries such as laundry detergents. When we were students we spent about half of that. What has pushed our bills up is the cost of fresh food. It's more than doable to spend as low as £15 a week on yourself through cheap packaged and tinned foods (which, joy of joys, have the calories already printed there and so is in a way much simpler to pull off) but you may not be getting all of your nutrients.

Money however will do as it will. We lived on cheap frozen mince meat and sausages served with potatoes because it was all we thought we could afford! If I could go back now I would have bought tinned/frozen veg and had it with pasta or whatever but hindsight is 50/50 ey? Just be careful that you eat enough of the good stuff to sustain you!

 

[lindseydodd408]

For me and OH we spend around £60 a week, but that includes other purchases that aren't food, which probably accounts for around £10 of the bill.

 

[leighleigh]

I spend very similar - healthy, fresh food is expensive I don't buy protein bars, but I did buy a protein shake mix yesterday and it was around 24pounds for what will last me about 3-4 months depending on how often I go to the gym (I don't drink them every day, and only after weight training). I also try to buy organic wherever possible.

Where do you get coconut water from? I've not seen it anywhere but really fancy some.

Yeah I drink protein after strength training, and coconut water after cardio to rehydrate quickly (has way more minerals and electrolytes than sports drinks). You can buy it in holland and barratts but it is SERIOUSLY expensive. I buy it online at aqua amore. They only sell it in bulk but it works out a good £5-8 cheaper than buying it seperately. The flavours available are Natural, Pineapple and Coconut, Mango and Peach, Coconut and Passionfruit and Acai and Pomegranate. I whole heartedly recommend it after doing cardio sessions above 30 minutes. I find that an order from aqua amore will last me about a month and my protein mix between 1 1/2 - 2 months, but then again the shake I buy is smaller than the rest.

Thanks everyone for your help. Even though I'm a student, canned and processed food is generally out of the question as I'm lactose intolerant (my main reason why I can't eat in my uni halls). Its surprising the things that contain milk and its deriratives.

 

[summergurl]

I spend no more than £15-20 a week for myself.
I buy bulk meat and freeze it (asda 3 for £10 chicken breasts and pork loins) I buy basics tins of tuna and always have frozen veg in the freezer.

Some weeks I buy next to nothing because I have stocked up the week before - like today I have only spent £4 for the week! :giggle:

Everyweek I buy:

lettuce
cucumber
mullerlights
bananas
eggs

And at the beginning of the month I stock up on meat to freeze, tins of tuna, and tins of fruit in own juice, porridge oats and occassionaly I will have some form of cereal bar or something in aswell.

Some weeks i also buy extra fruit - especially melons at the minute as theyre on offer 2 for £3.

I always also look at www.mysupermarket.com to hunt out where the best bargains are!

But in total I never ever go over £80 a month.

You can officially call me 'miss tight arse!' :giggle:

 

[princessniknak]

Me and my flatmate share food bill and we spend about £70 a week, from which we make our own lunches for work. Majority of this is fresh foods, no packets or jars