average weekly food bills?

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tomthumb

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Is there anywhere to check what the norm is in food bills? Even a rough idea? Ours along with the ESB seem to have rocketed recently. Like how much would an average family spend on food and other necessities in a week. Just wondering are we normal!! No jokes now please.... Think I may have to become another Scrooge!
 
Dear Tomthumb

Our food grocery bill is high too, there are two of us and a 6 month old baby. I'd say we spend about €180 (often more) a week. But we eat a lot of fresh fish, fruit and veg and we drink the occassional bottle of vino, but then we don't get out that much so I think that balances out. ESB has got very dear, there has been a series of hikes over the last couple of years coupled with a new levy tagged onto the cost as well. I suppose oil prices have got to translate into steeper energy bills. As for the food bill, hard to know what to do there, I bring my own sambos to work, we cook every day we rarely eat convenience/ takeaway foods and on balance I think our diet is very good so I suppose that costs money. Ireland is not cheap for food, the farmer/ producer may not be creaming it but the supermarkets certainly are! Lidl et al are great for detergents and some of their fresh food but I don't want to live on frozen/ processed convenience type foods either. More competition is needed. We have found that Tesco are starting to introduce some products/ offers in an effort to compete with Lidl and Aldi. As market share for the German operators grows we should see a softening in grocery prices, I hope.
 
Also see this thread for similar discussion not too long ago:

Askaboutmoney.com > Don't Askaboutmoney > Good Deals,Bad Deals & Consumer Issues > Working to eat

(Sorry, can't figure out how to link it - maybe one of the mods can do that for me, please? In the meantime I'll try and read the FAQs to see if it's described there.)

Here it is:
 
thanks, think I really needed to blow off some steam cos between the groceries and all the other bills that arrive, we never seem to have a cent to spare! We have three kids, oldest two teenagers and the weekly bill has risen over 120 a week in the last year or so. Its now about 300 at least a week and includes hardly any luxuries to be honest. The teenagers both have summer jobs so I am now insisting on a small contribution to help but that didn't go down well with them. Thats why I wondered were we doing something wrong!!
 
I'm guessing the two teenagers are boys? At least my sister, who has three boys in their teens, sounds exactly like you! She is just constantly amazed at the sheer volume of food they can put away now - they go through bread like nobody's business. If you think about what kind of food you do use mostly and are really determined you could probably make some reductions in cost. Do you use a lot of convenience/frozen food? Do you all eat together or are the kids (esp. the older ones with summer jobs) just helping themselves to whatever they want when they get in from work? And so on and so forth.

Buying as much as possible in Aldi/Lidl would definitely be a help. With regard to the electricity, they send a leaflet about efficient use of energy around with their bills every once in a while, check that and make sure you've done things like using a decent lagging jacket, long-life bulbs, not leaving telly/stereo/pc etc. on standby and all that.

There is another thread somewhere about asking kids to hand over money at home. I still haven't figured out how to link from within the boards (can someone explain to me, please?) but if you do a search it should come up.



Figured it out, I think.
 
My grocery bills are nearly 80 euros a week, for myself, partner and a medium sized dog.

We normally shop at dunnes– plums, apples, loads of bananas, fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, whole-meal bread, brown bread, chicken fillets, soups, curry stuff, yogurt, milk, muselli etc, frozen cod/whiting/other fillets, dog food, occasional bone or new toy and other non-food items.. We also get 5 slice packs of ham/chicken etc with sliced cheese etc and leave them at work for weekday lunch – that alone saves 20 quid per person, every week.

We quit (almost totally) drinking alcohol since January – saving of about 50 euros per person per week. Also no coke, no crisps and no red meat etc!

May not suit everyone, we were compelled to go the healthy route due to various circumstances and a lucky change to talk to a world-class doctor, works well for us – I think cutting the coke and drinks and has amazing benefits.

Anyway, back on topic – yeah in the region of 80 euros per week!
 
Have to recommend Valley Meats in Coolock, wholesale prices, just discovered it the other week

I got a "Fiver Fry" for €5 I got 2LB sausages, 1LB rashers plus black and white pudding

All their other meat is very cheap as well, got some chicken breasts, (10 for €10) and some mince

No complaints about quality so far, think I will go back next weekend and stock up the freezer
 
wheres valley meats in coolock?

Meat always seems cheaper and fresher from a butcher.
And I know convenience stores (spar, centra et al) are to be avoided but I always seem to get nice deli meats over the counter from my local super valu at a better price then dunnes/tesco.
 
Spring Valley Meats
6a Newtown Ind Est, Coolock, 17
(01) 8471090

Think this is them my mam gets her meat there every week

Pink
 
The Central Statistics office does a household budget survey every 5 years. It has information regarding average costs per household.

[broken link removed]

You might find it helpful/useful.
 
I've switched to Aldi too I reckon I'm saving e600 - 800 per year
I have also got into the habit of keeping all my receipts and taking them to the supermarket and using them to compare prices.

If I lived closer to the border I'd just shop over there.
 
Strangely, I came on to find a budget planner and this was the first thread in my "new posts". All the talk on other threads about spending diaries have got me wondering where my money's going. So I am determined to find out.

I spend over Euro 200 per week for a family of four and two dogs. Admittedly the dogs can throw away quite a chunk of that. No "luxuries" really, a basic shopping delivered last week was 180.

I find things like razor blades really rack it up. Trips to get milk or bread (and the obligitory chocolate bar) can chip away at your pocket money too.

One thing I did for a few weeks was refuse to buy ANY toiletries. Amazing the number of half used bottles of shampoo we had lying around, and as for soap and toothpaste?? I think we lasted over a month until I was sure we were down to the last dollup of everything..and my bathroom cupboard was a lot tidier.

Just saw the post above about keeping reciepts. Check them too! I've started doing that and so far have pulled Tesco up twice in the last month. 30 quid back in my pocket from their mistakes. Not much in the great scheme of things but over a year that could mount up. (and they get enough money out of me without giving it to them!)
 
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Yeah toiletries are unbelievably expensive and it's a right pain buying all those bottles. Does anyone know where you can bulk buy toiletries? I already bulk buy cleaning stuff but that's more for convenience/eco friendliness than price reasons.


How do you check them - do you remember what the advertised price was for everything? I find it hard to believe that they're not conning people. These supermarkets have sophisticated systems! There's no excuse for them making mistakes and overcharging people - I bet they make a packet on it.
 
For 2 people: When HE goes shopping, shopping is 100 - 120 per week, When I go shopping average 50 - 65 euros. Shopping in Lidl - less than 50 euros per week!

Best shopping practices
  1. make list before you go
  2. shopping list and stick to it.
  3. No processed food.
  4. More fruit and veg, and less meat and dairy.
  5. Cleaning products? use vinegar and bicarbonate soda.
  6. Listerine? Make your own with fresh with fresh thyme.
  7. Check receipts at the till before you leave the shop.
 
i'm doing only freezer meals this week. did a very little shop last week. amazed at the amount of 1/2 open stuff in the freezer and left over stuff we froze as well. last night I had waffles, garlic cibatta bread, chicken and gravy. yum yum.
 
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