Food costs

[exnihilo]

You do indeed pay for quality, but you also pay for names quite often.

Colleen, you're not alone, when I last lived in a group house we cooked together and for £12 per head per week we had all our meals (mostly featuring named meats).

Novium, how right you are, one of the secrets to making money go further is to plan further ahead and know that if you buy X as a main item for Monday you can use leftover parts of it on Tuesday or Wednesday. The way to really waste money is to shop on a day by day basis.

[The Kinky Monkey]

Quoting theyahyahyahs from 13:07, 16th Oct 2006

a) because it's the finest quality fillet steak in Tesco and b) because it's just very good quality steak.

I just found it bizarre that you put 'argentine' in, whereas if it hadn't have been there, the statement would have had the same effect.

I actually disagree thats its the finest quality steak in tesco, and have found better quality in the butchers, but thats my humble opinion!

[hr]

Do good to all men, but at the end remember to collect your fee.

[Nymphomanic]

About £30. I should spend less, but fresh food is important and that counts getting sandwiches, etc.

[hr]

I read most of the night and go south in winter - wasteland

[Garnet]

AHh this is bad I have no idea, i mean to budget but it's finding the time. I can't handle having the same meal over and over again it's just not healthy but most products aren't meant for just one person so i usually end up doing that. As for the 'value' products I think the cheese in any supermarket is the worst, tastes like plastic. I have £50 per week but that's not just for food but also for going out with and the other extra costs that seem to pop up. So far I have not gone into my over draft, I managed to clear off the £1000 I spent last year and I am trying hard not to spend the money on anything too expensive.

[hr]

so alive, so full of fire and music!

[gringo]

Quoting garnet from 15:23, 16th Oct 2006
. As for the 'value' products I think the cheese in any supermarket is the worst, tastes like plastic.

i absolutely agree with garnet on this one. cheese is the one product i am very particular about. I cannot abide any of the cheeses on offer at tesco, or any other supermarket for that matter. i buy all my cheeses direct from artisan cheese makers and can't thjink of a better way to do it. whilst i'm happy to buy basic ingredients from supermarkets, even the cheese shop on south street offers a very poor selection of cheese so i've been forced to go further afield.

this month i purchased a wheel of 'Gorau Glas'- a fantastic blue-veined welsh cheese- and it has been ample for two dinner parties, and my own personal consumption. i recommend it to anyone ( though i think, Colleen, it may be a little out of your budget.)

in summary, cheese is my only real expense--not counting wine and port, because they are drinks and don't count on food bills-- i feel the quality justifies the price.

[Colleen]

No, I'm not Wayne Rooney's girlfriend, I have a little more class than that. I am not a skank and actually rather resent that comment - I'm proud of the fact that I can cope for myself on a very small amount of money and keep myself healthy and active.

I can budget fairly easily now and I don't find it difficult to do. I'm not unhealthy, either - I'm actually at my healthiest at university because I have lots of nice meals with fresh produce that gets used up that week. (Incidentally, I have a mild stomach condition that gets set off if I don't get my quota of fruit and veg and healthy stuff, and it's settled down now I'm back at uni!) Very little waste, no fuss, no problem. For example, last night we had a full Sunday roast with potatoes, carrots, peas, roasted parsnips, big chicken, and today we're using up the leftovers with the wonder that is bubble and squeak and finishing off the chicken.

Basically, paying the rent is more important to me than paying for argentine steaks and posh cheese, but that's just the way my situation is. *shrugs* Fortunately, I don't eat red meat and only have cheese so I can put it on toast.

[hr]

taking shots for mother nature

[Gubbins]

Quoting garnet from 15:23, 16th Oct 2006
As for the 'value' products I think the cheese in any supermarket is the worst, tastes like plastic.

There are a lot of "Value" products out there that really aren't that bad. I shop at Morrisons and a lot of my meals involve of tins of tomatoes, sweetcorn and tuna, quite frankly because they're cheap. They really aren't any worse than the other stuff you get on the shelves. That said, for stuff like cheese, pasta and some meats, it's often better to go for one up from the bottom, because they are ming.

[hr]

...but then again, that is only my opinion.

[hackdorkdown]

I probably spend about £31.50/week on food nowadays.

Once i got so poor that i just resorted to living off my flatmates food for 3 weeks. I just had to adjust my eating times so that they weren't aware. What i would do is wake up 30 minutes earlier than tham, then eat their bread and jam (say 1 slice of bread from two people and some jam from the other). Then for lunch i would hope they would be at lectures, in which case i would use their pasta and sauce (dividing the quantities by three again). Dinner would be the hardest so i would usually go to sleep and then wake a few hours later when they were hopefully in bed. Here i would take a toll of some chicken from one of them, some chips from someone else, and some beans from the last person. I managed to do this successfully for three weeks, without spending a penny of my own cash, and the greatest thing of all is that we were all mates again in the morning. If you divide the food equally like this your flatmates are unlikely to realise where their food is going due to the small incretements they are losing. If you ever need to save money, then this is defo the way to go.

Hack

[Katie]

I live with Colleen, and am on a similar sort of food budget (my entire budget for the week is £40 incl. going out).
I'm on this budget not because I want to but because I need to.
While I would like to be able to buy name brand, I am not one of the lucky people who are given regular handouts from their parents in oder to be able to afford steaks and posh cheese.

Saying this, I actually eat very well and I would say I eat better here at uni (yes, with my crazy £4 per week spent on main meals) than I do at home, and at the least it's far healthier this way, with more of the emphasis on veg than meat.

I suspect for most people on this thread, the amount they spen is more based on an inability to do basic budgting, rather than a particular love for the 'finer things in life'.

And on the topic of name brand food?
For the most part, OK, some name brand is just better, but for the most part all you pay for is the packaging, and why spend £4 on two fresh pizzas when you can spend 50p on an own brand and then add your own toppings?

In my mind, if you can save a wee bit of money on food costs, then you should, but maybe that's just me, trying to plan for the future and come out of university with a bit of money that actually belongs to me.

Plus, if you save a wee bit on a pizza, then it's another drink, and with the choice between eating name brand for a week or being able to afford to go out, it's pretty obvious which one I'd go for.

[Nymphomanic]

I'm on a budget too, but I find that if I don't get enough when I go for my big shop I actually spend more. I've tarted making a list and everything. I think it's more like £25 on groceries, £5 on sandwiches etc during the week I spend. I also unbfortunately spend quite a bit on meeting friends for hot chocolate, but then again if I do that I count it as Lunch so therefore excusing the cost a little.

I like food a lot - and I do try to eat healthily - to condradict my other failings.

[hr]

I read most of the night and go south in winter - wasteland

[Garnet]

AWW Bless you !!!

Quoting hackdorkdown from 10:50, 16th Oct 2006
I probably spend about £31.50/week on food nowadays.

Once i got so poor that i just resorted to living off my flatmates food for 3 weeks. I just had to adjust my eating times so that they weren't aware. What i would do is wake up 30 minutes earlier than tham, then eat their bread and jam (say 1 slice of bread from two people and some jam from the other). Then for lunch i would hope they would be at lectures, in which case i would use their pasta and sauce (dividing the quantities by three again). Dinner would be the hardest so i would usually go to sleep and then wake a few hours later when they were hopefully in bed. Here i would take a toll of some chicken from one of them, some chips from someone else, and some beans from the last person. I managed to do this successfully for three weeks, without spending a penny of my own cash, and the greatest thing of all is that we were all mates again in the morning. If you divide the food equally like this your flatmates are unlikely to realise where their food is going due to the small incretements they are losing. If you ever need to save money, then this is defo the way to go.

Hack

[hr]

so alive, so full of fire and music!

[gringo]

[quote]Quoting Katie from 18:20, 16th Oct 2006
I live with Colleen, and am on a similar sort of food budget (my entire budget for the week is £40 incl. going out).
I'm on this budget not because I want to but because I need to.
While I would like to be able to buy name brand, I am not one of the lucky people who are given regular handouts from their parents in oder to be able to afford steaks and posh cheese.[/qoute]

who said anything about handouts from parents. i work my ass off during the summer, and save enough to fund a very comfortable lifestyle during the year. i'm not denying my parents do have some money, but they don't dish it out to me.

if anything, its worse being a middle class student. what i mean is, the loans companies give me hardly anything because my parents earn quite good money but i dont agree with sponging off my parents--and they don't want to give me loadsa money anyway. the result is that i have to earn my own cash and cant just get into massive debt, through big loans, which alot of lower class students do in order to fund their uni years.

I work solidly durign the summer, from 1st june til mid-sept, and it annoys me to be judged as someone who spends my parents cash just because I purchase some nice foods (with my own money).

---

also, this talk of balanced diet doesnt add up. i mean meat is important too- ppl think veg is really healthy but protein is a must, regardless of your daily activites.i'm guessing that ppl who spend less than a tenner a week are eating rubbish meals and filling up on cheap processed snacks-crisps, chocolate bars, pizzas etc, bad carbs.

the cost of food is one thing, but how many of you out there are actually eating well- very very few i'm guessing (not absolutley accusing).

[gringo]

Quoting Katie from 18:20, 16th Oct 2006
I live with Colleen, and am on a similar sort of food budget (my entire budget for the week is £40 incl. going out).
I'm on this budget not because I want to but because I need to.
While I would like to be able to buy name brand, I am not one of the lucky people who are given regular handouts from their parents in oder to be able to afford steaks and posh cheese.

Saying this, I actually eat very well and I would say I eat better here at uni (yes, with my crazy £4 per week spent on main meals) than I do at home, and at the least it's far healthier this way, with more of the emphasis on veg than meat.

who said anything about handouts from parents? i work my ass off during the summer, and save enough to fund a very comfortable lifestyle during the year. i'm not denying my parents do have some money, but they don't dish it out to me.

if anything, its worse being a middle class student. what i mean is, the loans companies give me hardly anything because my parents earn quite good money but i dont agree with sponging off my parents--and they don't want to give me loadsa money anyway. the result is that i have to earn my own cash and cant just get into massive debt, through big loans, which alot of lower class students do in order to fund their uni years.

I work solidly durign the summer, from 1st june til mid-sept, and it annoys me to be judged as someone who spends my parents cash just because I purchase some nice foods (with my own money).

---

also, this talk of balanced diet doesnt add up. i mean meat is important too- ppl think veg is really healthy but protein is a must, regardless of your daily activites.i'm guessing that ppl who spend less than a tenner a week are eating rubbish meals and filling up on cheap processed snacks-crisps, chocolate bars, pizzas etc, bad carbs.

the cost of food is one thing, but how many of you out there are actually eating well- very very few i'm guessing (not absolutley accusing).

[novium]

actually, I think that junk food is actually more expensive. To be truly on that tight budget, I suspect it means filling up on rice, pasta, and bread, with meat as a flavor and lots of vegetables. which is actually not all that bad. Sure, bleached flour isn't the greatest thing for you, but it's hardly the end of the world, and there is plenty of good wholegrain breads out there. Plus, if you had a lot of free time, you could always make your own, which would still probably end up being cheaper. The biggest cost is the opportunity cost... however, I suspect that in reality, it only cuts down on time that would otherwise be spent procrastinating.

[hr]

tamen ira procul absit, cum qua nihil recte fieri, nihil considerate potest.

[Rilla]

This week I'm living on £3.83.
(ok, I had a big bag of lentils, some mayonaise and some vegetable stock cubes already)

all on cheap offer in morrisons:
bag of potatos
tub of cherry tomatoes
bag of oranges
=£1
big tub of onken yogurt
=94p
stock pot thing (having carrots, leeks, onions and a swede in it)
=89p
tins of tuna
=£1
(or something like that)

make a big pot of vegetable soup. = breakfast every day.
yogurt+ fruit = lunch every day
potatos (with tuna & or mayonaise) = dinner every day.

It is doable. Just gets abit boring after a week.
I can't wait for pay day.

[hr]

Be good to yourself because nobody else has the power to make you happy.

[Mr Comedy]

Currently I live on around £100 a week for food, but I live in London and eat really well. Generally I'll spend around £40-50 a week in the farmers market (shit loads of nice fruit and veg, meat, fish, organic wine etc) and then another £20-30 or so on other bits and pieces. Another 20 or 30 goes on food at lunch.

Top skillz to the person who spends £125 a week - I like your style. Did you know that as a percentage of income, the UK spend less than any other nation on food? I'd not touch anything any more that wasn't organic, freerange etc.
However, I would have thought that you waste a fair bit of food - have a dig around and make dinners that use up what you have. www.bbc.co.uk/food is quality for this.

[hr]

"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[novium]

so what are you typically fixing/buying to do that?

I think it would be interesting for people to post what they get /fix for their budgets.

Quoting possumnumber3 from 21:48, 15th Oct 2006
At the moment I'm spending around £12 a week on food, and I'm not eating out and I'm cooking everything from scratch.

Last year when I budget got really bad, I magically managed to live on £4 a week. Not even sure now how I did it but I'm soo glad I'm not in that situation again.

[hr]

tamen ira procul absit, cum qua nihil recte fieri, nihil considerate potest.

[the Empress]

I'm actually scared of working out how much I spend of food:S But since my main socialising seems to revolve around food, if I dramatically cut down my spending I'd be a recluse . . . I've survived before on pasta and frozen veg with lemon juice, olive oil and cracked pepper added. This a cheap way to live if you ever need it. I

'm also at the point where, from past over-consumption, canned soup is an anaethma to me. I try and eat OKish, but I get massive cravings for bizarre (and sometimes expensive)stuff.

[md25]

I spend about £30 a week on nosh: most of that is on the vast quantities of fresh fruit and veg I consume, with what little remains going on a couple of nice cuts of meat, coffee and my £5-a-week Tesco value chocolate habit. Mmm-mmm!

[novium]

my favorite cheap yummy thing right now is potatoes, rosemary, and green bell peppers. I have a rosemary plant now, so really, the only expense is the potatoes (of which I bought 16 pounds of for a little less than 3 pounds at Morrisons) and the bell pepper. I just quarter the potatoes (peeling them is optional), boil them, drain the water out, add olive oil and slices of bell pepper and sprigs of rosemary and then let them cook a bit. Yummm.

[hr]

tamen ira procul absit, cum qua nihil recte fieri, nihil considerate potest.