Groceries - how much weekly?

Parchment · 06-01-2017 1:22pm

Sam Kade wrote: »

I can never understand why peopled can't make their lunch at home for work instead of buying it ready made.

Some people dont have time - different priorities.

andekwarhola · 06-01-2017 1:26pm

Parchment wrote: »

Some people dont have time - different priorities.

If time is the only issue, just do slightly larger protions of main meals and bring them in. Or do a large portion and freeze it in a few smaller portions. You'd be suprised how quickly you get into the habit.

ChikiChiki · 06-01-2017 1:27pm

Parchment wrote: »

Some people dont have time - different priorities.

The last 3 years I was leaving the house at 6am for work and returning home at 10.30pm from college 4 nights a week. Not in a million years had I time to make lunch. I put on a good bit of weight snacking and eating on the fly.

atticu · 06-01-2017 1:27pm

biko wrote: »

I spend more on beer weekly than groceries..

I thought beer was groceries.

I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.

Shenshen · 06-01-2017 1:28pm

Parchment wrote: »

Some people dont have time - different priorities.

Personally, I prefer making time, no matter what. I dislike sandwiches (way, way, way too much bread, way, way, way too little vegetables), and the tiny portions of tasteless, half-frozen salads for sale in most places really don't do it for me.

Being picky about your food can safe you a lot of money, who'd have thought?

snubbleste · 06-01-2017 1:28pm

Ronald Slimy Greengrocer wrote: »

30 euro per week for all meals for 7 days?
I spend that just buying my lunch the 5 working days of the week.

well no, €30pppw maximum for food, toiletries, detergents..but excl alcohol, pets.
and that price should reduce the larger the family, as you are buying in bulk and economising

Parchment · 06-01-2017 1:28pm

eviltwin wrote: »

Where you shop will have a lot to do with it. I do most of mine in Aldi, there are a few specific diet items I can only get in Dunnes and Holland and Barrett. I buy a lot of household items in places like Mr Price and Dealz as they tend to be discounted. I cook everything myself so I'm not spending money on ready meals. I have a meal plan each week so I'm never stuck and only buy what I need. If I didn't have the animals or the special diets I could feed the four of us on 50-60 a week.

This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.

andekwarhola · 06-01-2017 1:29pm

atticu wrote: »

I thought beer was groceries.

I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.

I deliberately ommited beer from my calculation.

Shenshen · 06-01-2017 1:31pm

Parchment wrote: »

This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.

It's funny, I haven't set foot in Dunnes in years, I think.
I stop by Tescos occasionally, but it's only when I fancy quorn sausages or I need a new pair of tights. On average maybe once a month, if that.

Everything else I get in Aldi, Lidl, and the Polish and Asian shop - all of them en route to work, which is handy.

Parchment · 06-01-2017 1:31pm

Shenshen wrote: »

Personally, I prefer making time, no matter what. I dislike sandwiches (way, way, way too much bread, way, way, way too little vegetables), and the tiny portions of tasteless, half-frozen salads for sale in most places really don't do it for me.

Being picky about your food can safe you a lot of money, who'd have thought?

Well i know that my mom works full time and cares for her elderly parents who live an hours drive from her home. She happily buys a lunch in a lovely local cafe each day - im sure she is happy to spend her money there and not have to sweat making lunch when she gets home late each evening.

Convenience is worth the few euro to some people.

06-01-2017 1:33pm

andekwarhola wrote: »

If time is the only issue, just do slightly larger protions of main meals and bring them in. Or do a large portion and freeze it in a few smaller portions. You'd be suprised how quickly you get into the habit.

I ended up buying a load of the paleo meal deliveries. Loads of veg and meat, super tasty, low effort
All gf for me as well

all the bais · 06-01-2017 1:33pm

2 adults €60-€70 p/week. Like yourself, we returned from 'Christmas with the folks' and done a larger shop.
You could be my Mrs for all i know.

eviltwin · 06-01-2017 1:35pm

Parchment wrote: »

This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.

I wouldn't do it if it was a hassle. I go into those shops maybe once every two months to stock up, it's not an extra expense. I live beside an Aldi so that is handy, no need for the car. It's different if you don't have choice but I'm very spoiled where I live, all the major supermarkets and specialty shops are within walking distance.

Alun · 06-01-2017 1:35pm

atticu wrote: »

I thought beer was groceries.

I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.

Don't forget the wine, plus if you're shopping in Lidl or Aldi, the occasional chainsaw or angle grinder

Anyway, thanks to AIB's Money Manager in their online banking, I can see we (2 adults) spent €5674.85 on "groceries" in 2016, so €109.13 per week, plus another €598.85 at MaxiZoo for the cat (food + cat litter).

Sam Kade · 06-01-2017 1:39pm

Parchment wrote: »

Some people dont have time - different priorities.

You're joking, how long does it take to make a sandwich?

missmatty · 06-01-2017 1:39pm

I log my monthly spending in an Excel sheet but I've never calculated what I spend on groceries per week so I just had a look there at last year. My partner and I (no pets) share costs on everything so it looks like we spend about 66e a week on groceries, not including alcohol but sometimes including a few toiletries. We bring in our own lunches most days and don't really get takeaways often. That's less than I expected as he gets a fair bit of meat in Supervalu which can be expensive, but we go to Lidl as well. Good to have a ballpark number in the head for reference.

Also I make salads and healthy lunches generally and it does take a good ten minutes to chop and assemble stuff for an interesting and substantial enough salad.

Autonomous Cowherd · 06-01-2017 1:39pm

Cheesus I feel bad for how much I spend. It is my biggest expense, and for 2 adults its at least 120 per week, more depending on the non-food items needed. I suppose that does include dog and cats food, but still it seems high compared to what most are spending. I don't think I'm going to start cutting corners though, I consider food to be very important and buy as much organic as possible. I don't buy ready made food, or much processed food. How the heck are people getting by on 40 or 50 quid for a couple, I mean loo roll alone would be nearly 10% of that, then there's wash powder, toothpaste, dog food, firelighters...I mean...how are ye people managing???

currants · 06-01-2017 1:39pm

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm hoping that most people buy meat that had a good enough life, and just eat less of it. But them I'm a hopeless optimist with too much faith in the good side of humanity.

Most cattle and sheep have a good quality of life being outdoors grazing most of the year here but as somebody else said earlier pigs and chickens really, really don't. We've gone from most people keeping a pig in their back garden to free range pork being hard to find in the last 30 years. I love bacon but don't eat much of it at all now because of welfare concerns, pigs are smarter than dogs but spend their entire lives indoors here, its not right.

I wish more farmers would do outdoor bred pigs, I'd eat a lot more pork and bacon then. Free range chicken is easy to come by and only a quid dearer in Aldi and Lidl, I'd rather spend the extra euro and know the chicken had a decent quality of life, same for eggs. We have 2 veggie nights a week, usually falafel and a pasta dish. Spend for 2 adults is about 100 a week, inclding a bottle of wine or 2 and a Sunday roast. When there's 4 adults here I'd almost double that but that's down to buying treats and goodies we don't really eat ourselves.

BobMc · 06-01-2017 1:43pm

2 adlt 2 kids varies Between e100 - 125 (no booze) with the dunnes vouchers then e20 off, I try to go around and calculate as I go to get close to the 120 so its comes down to the 100, if and when vouchers end I'll continue to add as I go I've gotten pretty good at doing it on the fly with the list

snubbleste · 06-01-2017 1:45pm

Autonomous Cowherd wrote: »

How the heck are people getting by on 40 or 50 quid for a couple, I mean loo roll alone would be nearly 10% of that, then there's wash powder, toothpaste, dog food, firelighters...I mean...how are ye people managing???

I'd like to see your receipts so I can analyse them :cool:
You buy Lidl loo roll when it's on 50% off weekend offer, alternatively basic is 12 rolls for €2.69, washing powder is own brand as is toothpaste.

Autonomous Cowherd · 06-01-2017 1:47pm

snubbleste wrote: »

I'd like to see your receipts so I can analyse them :cool:
You buy Lidl loo roll when it's on 50% off weekend offer, alternatively basic is 12 rolls for €2.69, washing powder is own brand as is toothpaste.

Nope, ya can't have them, they're my secret

(PS hint i buy non flouride toothpaste :P)

GLaDOS · 06-01-2017 1:50pm

I buy a massive pack of loo paper (16-24 depending on whats available) for about €5-8 in the local Eurosaver shop, does for a month or so.

Washing powder and toiletries usually in the Eurosaver as well.

zedhead · 06-01-2017 2:06pm

2 in our house and we spend €60-€80 per week in tesco, depending on what toiletries/cleaning stuff is used. We get 5 dinners for both of us out of that and 1 dinner for my partner (i eat at my parents once a week).On a saturday we tend to have a treat meal we buy separate from the shopping - often the M&S dine in for 2 deal, or a good quality steak/duck breast and veg and occasionally a takeaway/eating out. We also get lunches for both of us for the weeks my partner works from home - when he works out of the home either the place he is working buys his lunch or he grabs a sandwich or something out. I make my own lunches for work every week apart from the odd week im really lazy/unorganised. Breakfasts for the full week from the shop.

I do a meal plan before shopping and stick to the shopping list - but I like quality meat/veg and variety so we could spend less but we probably wouldn't be enjoying our meals as much. With the list I rarely have to top up the shopping with bits, it would be only something I couldn't get for a particular recipe or maybe something for breakfast on a saturday. I do buy fruit for work separate to the weekly shop.

Just checked my budget last year and I spent on average €62 per week on groceries for just my share - but that included alcohol and our saturday 'treat' meal. We used to shop in the fruit & veg shop, butcher, lidl & tesco but found we were spending more by going to all the shops and it wasn't worth it. Much easier to go to tesco where we know we can get pretty much everything and it works out cheaper - we were never able to get everything in lidl and the fruit & veg always had a shorter shelf life from there so we threw more out.

snubbleste · 06-01-2017 2:06pm

This one says she spent €323 a month for two adults and two kids - excluding meat & fish.
But if you look, a lot of the stuff is branded. She could easily halve that bill, if not more.
I'm sure Tesco love her spending

Corkgirl18 · 06-01-2017 2:07pm

Parchment wrote: »

Organic stuff is more expensive but unprocessed stuff is generally cheaper as people want to pay someone to process it for them!

I see your point regarding unprocessed food but if I'm making a curry dish from scratch its going to cost me more than it would be to buy a jar of curry sauce for €1. Making a burger involves buying good quality mince meat as well as all the other ingredients whereas you can buy made up processed burgers for a euro or two. Same goes for making home made pizza and the like.
I save money in other ways though so I don't mind at all spending extra money on food.

GLaDOS · 06-01-2017 2:25pm

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

I see your point regarding unprocessed food but if I'm making a curry dish from scratch its going to cost me more than it would be to buy a jar of curry sauce for €1. Making a burger involves buying good quality mince meat as well as all the other ingredients whereas you can buy made up processed burgers for a euro or two. Same goes for making home made pizza and the like.
I save money in other ways though so I don't mind at all spending extra money on food.

If you're making food from scratch regularly the cost can be offset somewhat. To use your example of a curry, I'm always using spices, onions, garlic, stocks etc regularly so I buy them as a matter of course. The only item specifically for a curry I might need is a tin of tomatos or a tub of yoghurt, depending on what style I'm going for. There's chicken or whatever filling you might add yourself as well, but you'd need that for a jar of curry anyway.

eviltwin · 06-01-2017 2:37pm

I cook all my curries from scratch, it would be half what I'd spend on a jar of sauce

_Jamie_ · 06-01-2017 2:37pm

Ronald Slimy Greengrocer wrote: »

Because its much less effort (no planning what to buy, having to buy the stuff, preparing the stuff, if you want choice its not cheap etc) and I much prefer to stroll into town and buy a nice fresh sandwich from a choice of multiple different places depending on what I feel like. I've no interest in bringing my own lunch even if it was free (which it isn't). Also I don't like eating dinner food at lunch so I'll just end up making a sandwich everyday or maybe a salad both of which are much nicer bought fresh at lunch and with far more choice.

Ain't no deli got meat as good as the chicken leg meat or meatballs I roast up for my fella's lunches. A shop bought meatball sub is such a poor imitation!

Corkgirl18 · 06-01-2017 2:45pm

GLaDOS wrote: »

If you're making food from scratch regularly the cost can be offset somewhat. To use your example of a curry, I'm always using spices, onions, garlic, stocks etc regularly so I buy them as a matter of course. The only item specifically for a curry I might need is a tin of tomatos or a tub of yoghurt, depending on what style I'm going for. There's chicken or whatever filling you might add yourself as well, but you'd need that for a jar of curry anyway.

When buying things like organic fresh chillies and lemongrass and kaffir leaves etc the costs do add up. As I said, I've no problem paying what I do. I was just explaining how I end up paying what I do every week.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp · 06-01-2017 3:00pm

@eviltwin / GLaDOS - I wouldn't mind a new curry recipe if you'd like to post up your recipe or PM me. Cheers!

boobycharlton · 06-01-2017 3:16pm

45 a week in Aldi for two of us. I make most meals from scratch (curries, pad Thai, paella, spaghetti bolognese, seafood chowder, stir fry etc) and make enough to freeze so we get two lunches out of each meal too. Buy most of fruit/herbs in great value ethnic shop beside Aldi on Parnell Street.

Probably another tenner on toiletries, dishwash & washing machine tablets etc in dealz or eurogiant every fortnight too.

Would never do a shop in Dunnes/Tesco as prices are crap in comparison to Aldi.

poisonated · 17-02-2021 1:39am

I spend 250 euro a week on food and drink for 1 person.

Nqp15hhu · 20-02-2021 12:39am

I live at home and spend £30 a week on food, as a contribution. It was £45 a week at university when I lived alone.

Groceries - how much weekly?

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