How much do you spend on Groceries?

Sock Monster

fiona12 wrote: »

Would have been nice if it was more Irish based though

I agree, the "Make Your Own Gatorade and Save" was completely lost on me as I have some how survived many years without it !

rolion

Hi,i don't see how you manage it ! !
I spend around 150pw in Dunnes,50pw in Lidl/Aldi (for fruits and vegs) and 40 in local butcher.
We are 2a and 3c.
I'm buying all veg and fruits organics,also kids food all organic.

Once per month going up in Newry for a fill.

woggie

Blooming 'eck I'm beginning to think hubby and I must be just throwing our money away We spend, on average €200 - €250 a week in Dunnes then regular top ups of fresh milk/bread and meat from butchers.
We're just 2 adults and one teenager (who hardly eats!) We are hoping to reduce this as have baby on the way so will only have one income for a year.

Are you guys including toiletries etc? I always look down my shopping list and notice anything over the fiver mark - it's usually razor blades or shampoo etc, also the likes of dish washing tables can be very expensive. Are ye all including these in your €120 a week bill?

We don't buy organic but do buy free-range (eggs & chicken), also we buy a lot of fruit. Don't buy much (if any) junk food or snacks (i.e. maybe one pizza a month, never buy biscuits or crisps or minerals).

RiverWilde

I and my wife provide for ourselves and four children. We go to NI once a month and hit ASDA and Iceland and the other shops .... we then top up in Lidl/Aldi and the odd run to Tesco in the South.

The amount of money we save is insane and that's including petrol etc etc. We just treat is as a day out. We'll head north on a saturday, nice and early, find breakfast somewhere and then we'll just wander and depending on how the day is going ... we'll usually hit ASDA and Iceland as the last two shops on our list and head home. It's a long fun day once a month but well worth it.

Riv

J_Wholesale

About 40 Euro a week, with an extra 20 once a month for washing and toilet stuff. If you cook your own food (no pre-prepared meals), and avoid junk food (crisps, soft drinks, and almost all breakfast cereals), then it costs very little.

Healthy food is cheap, diabetes inducing food is expensive. It's really that simple. Anyone spending over 200 Euro for a family is buying crap that will probably have serious impacts on the health of everyone in that family.

Rules of thumb for buying real food:

• If it doesn't rot, it's not real food.
• If you don't have to prepare it yourself, it's not real food.
• If it's advertised on television, it's not real food.
• If you read the ingredients and you don't know what something is, it's not real food.
• If your 6 year old kids can't pronounce something in the ingredients, it's not real food.
• If there are more than 4 separate ingredients, it's probably not real food.

And as for toiletries. If you're buying brand name goods, you're pissing your money up against a wall. Who do you think manufactures Tesco Shaving Gel (less than half the price of Gillette)? It sure as hell isn't Tesco.

The same applies to food. Odlams porridge is almost twice as expensive as Dunnes porridge. Ingredients of both: Oats, and nothing else. Wake up people!

woggie

Seriously bad generalization!!!

The bulk of our shopping is in fresh veg, fruit and meat. We make practically all of our meals from frist principles. My meat can work out quite dear as I buy very lean cuts in red meat or free-range only in poultry (there can be a difference of €5 between a factory and free-range chicken). We don't do ready-meals. We eat meat and fresh veg for dinner every day. We make our own lunches with fresh bread, salad and meat or soup and rolls.

I agree our bills are high but there is NO WAY we are eating unhealthily.

I agree with the brand name when it comes to toiletries and perhaps I should start to take a better look at the non-branded stuff but I have found in the past that the washing powder in lidl brought my family out in rashes and the bleach didn't clean right. Also my husband has eczema so I don't trust the likes of tesco shampoo/body washes :mad:

parsi

J_Wholesale wrote: »

About 40 Euro a week, with an extra 20 once a month for washing and toilet stuff. If you cook your own food (no pre-prepared meals), and avoid junk food (crisps, soft drinks, and almost all breakfast cereals), then it costs very little.

Healthy food is cheap, diabetes inducing food is expensive. It's really that simple. Anyone spending over 200 Euro for a family is buying crap that will probably have serious impacts on the health of everyone in that family.

Rules of thumb for buying real food:

• If it doesn't rot, it's not real food.
• If you don't have to prepare it yourself, it's not real food.
• If it's advertised on television, it's not real food.
• If you read the ingredients and you don't know what something is, it's not real food.
• If your 6 year old kids can't pronounce something in the ingredients, it's not real food.
• If there are more than 4 separate ingredients, it's probably not real food.

And as for toiletries. If you're buying brand name goods, you're pissing your money up against a wall. Who do you think manufactures Tesco Shaving Gel (less than half the price of Gillette)? It sure as hell isn't Tesco.

The same applies to food. Odlams porridge is almost twice as expensive as Dunnes porridge. Ingredients of both: Oats, and nothing else. Wake up people!

So apples (no prep), milk (ads on tv), Di-Hyrdrogen Oxide (whats that & chhildren can't pronounce), blackberry & apple jam (4+ ingedients) etc aren't real foods ?

grenache

I picked up 20 items in Tesco in Wilton yesterday. The usual giffen goods such as bread and milk, as well as other stuff like carrots, peas, the odd pizza, chips, pasta, etc. The total came to €28.53. As much as i hate to say it, Tesco are dirt cheap.

collegemum

We, 2adults and 1 child spend about €60-70 per week. Buy poultry/meat in the butchers and shop between lidl, Aldi and dunnes.

Just today my butchers was doing 2 whole chickens for €5 - that'll do 4 dinners (roast chicken 2 days and 2 chicken currysfrom the leftovers;))

Dunnes were doing 7.5kg bag of potatoes for €2.99 ( baked potatoes / mashed potatoes/ roasters ...yum)

Butchers doing 2lb steak mince €4.99 will do at least 4 dinners - lasagne, 2days spag bol, meatballs & gravy.

5 chicken fillets €4.99 will do 2 dinners (fajitas, chicken pasta bake) and good few lunches.

Can't understand how people spend so much per week :eek:

thecons

I have recently become a Tesco addict as we now have a huge Tesco extra open 24/7. If I can manage to by-pass the clothes I think my shopping bill has reduced over the last couple of years. I'd spend about €100 in Tesco and maybe every second week go to Aldi's for a few bits. The one problem I find with Tesco is their meats. I think they're awful and my favourite butcher closed down last year and I'm finding it hard to find a replacement. When in Tesco's, if there's offers on, and it's stuff we normally eat, I buy in bulk. This week Uncle Bens boil in the bag, McDonnells Supernoodles, Domestos Bleach, and loads of other things we normally eat (apart from the bleach!) were buy one get one free so I stocked up. It's not like these things are going to go off. I do think though, once in a while it's worth going through the food press (mine is quite large!) and taking stock because I do find that I tend to buy the same thing over and over and end up with a glut of stuff! I do buy labelled brands but that's just coz I'm fussy. I think if you have time on your hands, split the shop between Aldi and Tesco and you won't go wrong. Just steer clear of the clothes and household stuff and you'll be fine!

Trampas

avg €50 a week for 2 people

This week was €30 which included washing powder and colour catchers.

The majority in lidl and then a few extra things in supervalu.

That would get all dinners for the week and lunches for work for the 2 of us.

Might buy a 2litre bottle of soda pop every 2nd week. Might get a bar of choc or packet a crips (not multi packs) but that would be the only junk food.

Sofiztikated

Wow, theres some people spending an awful lot of money!

Meself and herself would head up to Asda maybe every 2 months, and do a bit shop, and spend the bones of €200. That includes toiletries, food, junk, the odd DVD, whatever. I won't buy meat in Asda, apart from the chickens, simply because I don't like the cuts that they sell.

And then topped up by buying perishables locally, Supervalu, Tesco (if I have to) and Dunnes (if there is something in particular I need, I despise the shop)

Maybe spend €40 a week there. Every now and again, I go to a meat factory shop and stock up on breasts of chicken, box of 25 for €27, and whatever meat happens to be on sale at the time. Usually spend around €50 there, and could last a few months.

thecons

...stock up on breasts of chicken, box of 25 for €27, and whatever meat happens to be on sale at the time. Usually spend around €50 there, and could last a few months.

Just wondering where you're buying your meat?

rubadub

thecons wrote: »

Just wondering where you're buying your meat?

Plenty of butchers will do 10 fillets for €10, one near me, at sallynoggin church, has irish farmed ones, average 130g each (which is normal medium), so ~1.3kg for €10. The only problem is they are all for me, so you have to eat them all in time, unless you freeze them which I do not like doing. You can cook & freeze them though which I prefer.

In the fitness forum people lift weights so eat lots of chicken, many get 10 for 10. Check these hits.

http://www.google.ie/#hl=en&source=hp&q=%2210+chicken%22+site%3Aboards.ie&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=%2210+chicken%22+site%3Aboards.ie&fp=b536431ca3bf3273

Sofiztikated

thecons wrote: »

...stock up on breasts of chicken, box of 25 for €27, and whatever meat happens to be on sale at the time. Usually spend around €50 there, and could last a few months.

Just wondering where you're buying your meat?

Off the top of my head, I can't remember the weight of the box, but I know the ones I get are larger than the average you get from Tesco/Dunnes, wherever.

I happen to get mine in Shealin Meats, outside Kilnaleck, in Cavan. Will be trying a new place outside Derrylin, Fermanagh shortly, not sure on the name.

Agent_99

Sock Monster wrote: »

I agree, the "Make Your Own Gatorade and Save" was completely lost on me as I have some how survived many years without it !

Think of all the money you saved by not having to make your own

Seriously I spend 100/120 pw 2 adults 2 kids inc cleaning and toiletries, extra 30.00 per mth in the chemist for blades, toothpaste etc