What do You Spend on Food in a Week?

Terry · 05-01-2012 8:55pm

12 chicken fillets for €10 from the local butcher.
Make my own curries (which are far healthier and taste better than any take-away crap).
3 tablespoons of Sharwoods' hot curry powder, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, an onion and 3 chicken fillets. That's two dinners.

5KG bag of Roosters from the fruit and veg shop across the road for €2. They make for great chips (cooked in one of those convection oven thingies. Just a tablespoon of oil, and they still taste the same as they do out of a fat fryer).

Then I buy anything I like that's on sale in the supermarket (Super Valu).

When rice or other stuff that lasts for ages is on sale, I stock up on it.

It's hard to eat healthy food when you're single and have little money, but if you shop around and use your freezer, you can do it for €30-40 a week.

flutterflye · 05-01-2012 8:59pm

Spent over €200 in Tesco today on food. Sad face.
It's usually about €100-€150.

cson · 05-01-2012 9:04pm

Terry wrote: »

12 chicken fillets for €10 from the local butcher.
Make my own curries (which are far healthier and taste better than any take-away crap).
3 tablespoons of Sharwoods' hot curry powder, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, an onion and 3 chicken fillets. That's two dinners.

5KG bag of Roosters from the fruit and veg shop across the road for €2. They make for great chips (cooked in one of those convection oven thingies. Just a tablespoon of oil, and they still taste the same as they do out of a fat fryer).

Then I buy anything I like that's on sale in the supermarket (Super Valu).

When rice or other stuff that lasts for ages is on sale, I stock up on it.

It's hard to eat healthy food when you're single and have little money, but if you shop around and use your freezer, you can do it for €30-40 a week.

That's absolutely cracking value for the Chicken Fillets and Spuds Terry, where are you based?

€2 for 5kg Roosters is insane.

cladda1112 · 05-01-2012 9:05pm

Thargor wrote: »

I spend about a tenner a day so 70 a week on food, is this normal? I want to start boosting my savings and a few people have said a tenner a day is quite high, I only have to feed myself, I never share the cooking with others and the 70 includes 2-3 takeaways/pub dinners a week.

Usualy around 80 euro for 2 adults and 2 children, one in nappies yet. Once a mth around 100 with household goods but some wks only have 50/60 euro depending on money available.

Terry · 05-01-2012 9:07pm

flutterflye wrote: »

Spent over €200 in Tesco today on food. Sad face.
It's usually about €100-€150.

Tesco isn't really that cheap.
They have good deals on some stuff, but charge the same as Dunnes and Super Valu for most brand products.

If you're close to a 24 hour one, and are a night owl, go there at about 2am.
You'll get some stuff at about 25% of normal price.
It's about to go off, but that's what freezers are for.
There's one in Maynooth. Students of NUIM, that's where to go when you have the munchies at 2am.

Plazaman · 05-01-2012 9:16pm

I only cook for myself but the amount of wasteage is insane something which I'll be rectifying this year. €70 - €80 approx on food/lunches/takeaways.

Started cooking cassaroles and stews before the Christmas (hadn't done it in ages). 2 - 3 days delish dinners for about €8. More of that methinks as it's tough to buy for one *

* I don't need your pity..........

forever alone

Terry · 05-01-2012 9:17pm

cson wrote: »

That's absolutely cracking value for the Chicken Fillets and Spuds Terry, where are you based?

€2 for 5kg Roosters is insane.

Leixlip. Kildare.

Apart from eggs and one or two other small things, the butcher and the fruit & veg place don't sell similar things, so they both undercut the adjacent supermarket, and the Lidl up the road.

Butchers' facebook page.
Conor does great deals.

The Super Valu has pepper grinders for €7. Similar one in the fruit&veg place is €3. I like my freshly ground pepper.

Cantona's Collars · 05-01-2012 10:03pm

We usually shop in a couple of places,the Super 6 offers in Aldi are great for fruit & veg offers.Most butchers do great deals these days too.Got a leaftlet in the post today from Supervalu and will head there for the offers on meat this week.
I've noticed that more and more people are shopping in Lidl and Aldi now,the price difference can be pretty large.

The days of getting all the groceries in one place are disappearing as people go to where they get the best value for money.

Bandana boy · 05-01-2012 10:44pm

cson wrote: »

How are you spending €60 on Fruit and Veg a week :eek:

We both eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables (her more than me ),I source it all from an organic Fruit and Veg shop.

You have to pay for quality

Coriolanus · 05-01-2012 10:55pm

Way too much. Like a lot of people I need to start bringing food to work, that's my main expense, usually a tenner a day between coffee and food. Bought myself an aeropress for Xmas, that's saving me probably thirty euro a week.

Snowie · 05-01-2012 10:55pm

fook im hungry

I would say when i live alone 50 to 60 like lia lia said I go to the asian shops and bye, my rice there in 5kilo bags its better then uncle bens and lasts longer.

Food i always bye my veg in veg shops I try to support dependent companies and get half decent veg.

meet I always go to the butchers and try to bye free range chickens...

So all i buy from super markets is bread, and tinned toms and other bits and peaces, spices I get in bulk from, asian markets....

so i spend 20 in super value or what ever. 15 in the butchers and 10 in veg shop

keithclancy · 05-01-2012 11:06pm

CamperMan wrote: »

€40 a week for 2 people, and that includes the odd bottle of wine, fresh meat, dairy produce, fruit & veg :D:D:D

but then we are in Germany, if we bought the same in Ireland, it would be at least €110

40 quid a week ... wtf are you eating !

I'd go shopping in Duesseldorf and its cheap but its not that cheap.

Although the fruit, veg and meat in Germany is crap, lots of people nip over the border to Albert Heijn or a Jumbo in Roermond/Maastricht to do their shopping.

Little bit more expensive but the food is much better, even Rewe ain't great.

I'd worry about Aldi's bread, left some in the apartment and came back 2 weeks later and it was still fine

Beer is dirt cheap though, crate of Kronbacher will set you back around 7 euros

Overall the Quality of Irish meat is miles ahead of Germany, even in the Netherlands its sold under the Premium Brand Greenfields.

We spend about 60-80 euros with a crate of beer and a few bottles of wine here in NL.

Bubblefett · 05-01-2012 11:31pm

Only about €30 a week since lidl opened the next road over from me

Never shopped in one before, now I only go to the local tesco for milk (Don't like Lidl milk)

previous user · 05-01-2012 11:39pm

I could live on 15 euro on food for a week.

Warper · 06-01-2012 12:21am

bout 250 quid

trishasaffron · 06-01-2012 12:30am

I've stopped buying salad or spinach in bags from Lidl - when I did a few times I noticed a horrible smell in the fridge immediately. I suppose its just what they use as a preservative but it made me sick. Anyone else notice this?

El Horseboxo · 06-01-2012 12:40am

I usually buy the same things week in week out. Every day I eat 4 chicken fillets, about half a pound of turkey mince, tin of tuna, 6 eggs, tub of cottage cheese, porridge, brown rice, vegetables and some nuts.

Comes to around the 43 euro mark. It would be a bit less when I'm not bulking. So should go down to bout 35 euro during the summer.

fussyonion · 06-01-2012 10:59pm

There's only two of us, but I find the amount I spend depends on where I go.
I do a big shop once a fortnight in Tesco (cheapest shop IMO) which might cost about €150 (that includes wine on offer) but having said that, I'll still need to pop into my local shop for bread and milk when I need to.
I do buy my tea from Aldi, it's really nice and like Lyons', and my fruit and veg.
I think Tesco is a great shop for brand name items at good prices

Ubbquittious · 10-11-2019 10:53pm

65 quid if I buy everything in Super Valu and don't try to skimp on anything and buy little packs of flavoured cheese made by some organic farmer down the road with one sheep and one goat.

For the craic I'll another time how much I can get it down to if I get everything in Aldi and plan out every meal

10-11-2019 10:56pm

About 80 quid every Saturday morning in Super Valu. Then about 15 a day in various filling stations on lunches with the odd quick dash to Aldi during the week of about 30 quid. Everything outside the lunches are for two people.

Graces7 · 12-11-2019 2:10pm

Thargor wrote: »

I end up throwing out so much food if I try to be frugal though, like I tried to switch to sandwiches at work as an experiment but how many slices of ham do you get out of the pack before it goes disgusting? 2 or 3 and the rest in the bin along with 3/4 of a loaf of bread and half a pack of cheese spread and everything else I bought really.

That is.. you do not have a fridge? Frugal means spending less by working out what you will actually need.

Graces7 · 12-11-2019 2:14pm

kraggy wrote: »

What do you eat? Pasta with no sauce or something?!

I can't believe anyone can pay for 7 days food with just 20 euro. Even if you are only in college Monday to Friday and then go home at the weekend, that's 4 euro a day.

I average E20 a week. Not eating meat helps greatly and using own brand items. I only get groceries every 2 weeks so freeze eg half the bread. It is easy enough.

Reviews and Books Galore · 12-11-2019 2:42pm

Ugh, I spent about 500 euro on groceries last month. I think it's because I live alone and I have to look for enjoyment rather than already have it so to speak.

Also, I live in Eastern Europe where groceries are a third of the cost of Ireland...kind of. Some things are cheaper, some things are more expensive, but I guess it evens out.

Still though, even a hundred euro in ireland is absurd for groceries for a single man.

Reviews and Books Galore · 12-11-2019 2:43pm

CamperMan wrote: »

€40 a week for 2 people, and that includes the odd bottle of wine, fresh meat, dairy produce, fruit & veg :D:D:D

but then we are in Germany, if we bought the same in Ireland, it would be at least €110

Curious about the shopping list

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 12-11-2019 2:45pm

I've never broken down the grocery bill to just food but for the two of us it would be approx. €20 on fruit and veg in the greengrocer, €30 in the butcher's (mostly as a monthly stock up) and perhaps €25 to €30 of the supermarket shop.

Meat and bread are put in the freezer and used as needed. We never have any food waste and the house is always well stocked with food. We eat well and healthily but enjoy our goodies too.

So from €75 to maybe €85 per week for two of us.

FortuneChip · 12-11-2019 2:46pm

I reckon I could feed two people for a week on about 35/40 and not be starving, but realistically I'd spend double that to allow for some good indulgence outside basic meals.

Andreas77 · 12-11-2019 3:35pm

cloud493 wrote: »

People eat more than they need. I get by perfectly fine on what I eat.

Maybe, maybe not. Likelihood is that your diet is actually unhealthy and that you are deficient in a whole range of vitamins and minerals. Probably you should spend a little more and cut down on the cheap carbohydrates. Your body will thank you in the future.

igCorcaigh · 12-11-2019 3:39pm

I've never really counted but I guess around €30 -
40.
Does not include beer...

12-11-2019 3:42pm

I think we spend 100 a week for 2 of us

DelBoy Trotter · 12-11-2019 3:45pm

Andreas77 wrote: »

Maybe, maybe not. Likelihood is that your diet is actually unhealthy and that you are deficient in a whole range of vitamins and minerals. Probably you should spend a little more and cut down on the cheap carbohydrates. Your body will thank you in the future.

That poster has closed their account....and they also posted that 7 years ago!

What do You Spend on Food in a Week?

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