Family Budget Food Shop – How to Shop Better

Recently, I have had a good look at our family budget and where we are spending the most money. As I examined our budget, I realised a HUGE amount was on our food shop each week. And not just the main shop. Topping up our food shop with meals out or treats, along with a large amount of wastage. I decided that this has to change. So join me in doing a little bit of research. A little bit of planning. And maybe together we can work out how to do the family food shop on a budget and how to shop better.

Average Cost of Food Per Month

There have been many studies done over the years into how the average family spends their money. According to Nimblefins, the ‘average’ 2.4 person household spent around £5028 annually on food, including non-alcoholic beverages (study from research in 2020). Broken down that worked out to be £33 on takeaways and £64 on food at home per week. Does that surprise you? I think I definitely spend more than the average!

What Our Family Eats

To give a bit of background, we are currently a family of 3. I have changed from working full time to now bringing up our daughter and staying at home. My husband works full time and works shifts. Our daughter is 18 months old, so has now developed her own little appetite, and believe me, her own little likes and dislikes when it comes to food! We are a family that eats together when we can.

I’m very mindful that I still shop like we are still a dual-income family. I haven’t been paying a huge amount of attention to prices and have essentially gone out and bought what I fancy. I realise this is an incredibly privileged position to be in, but I’m ready to make the change.

As we plan for our future, I want to set a good example for our daughter. I want to show how to save money and how to shop better. By better,  I mean finding the deals, but also spending our money wisely and locally if we can.

We currently budget around £100 a week for our family food shop. That’s £36 above the average and would like to get our budget more in line with this. I like to think that we eat well at home. I’m not averse at all to using store cupboard ingredients (one of my favourite meals is corned beef hash) and quick freezer meals, but I also love cooking using fresh ingredients. I also love to bake with my daughter and for friends (this is one of my favourite cakes to make)

We also have the occasional takeaway, but usually no more than twice a month.

We’re also very lucky to live close to some very lovely cafes and restaurants. I’ve definitely found that post-pandemic, I’ve wanted to meet up with friends more. Part of this has involved spending time (and money!) eating out.

My plan on shopping and budgeting better is to try and change some of these habits over the next couple of months.

Family Budget Food Shop – How to Shop Better

Currently, I’m quite a loyal Tesco shopper.

I am keen because I take my daughter with me and use the ‘scan as you shop‘ function as we go. I find this saves me a lot of time and stress. It’s also great to see how much I’m spending, as I definitely get carried away.

We don’t have an Aldi in our town and I think the nearest one is about 2 hours away (hurray for living in rural West Wales), but when I have been, I can see how people become almost religious about its following! We do have a Lidl, but the queues aren’t the best with a toddler in tow and I can’t always find all I need. I know these might sound like excuses to not use the ‘budget’ supermarkets for our food shop, but it’s what suits us currently.

I plan to also use some of our local independent shops more frequently. There is definitely the perception that shopping outside of the big supermarkets means spending a lot more money. As part of my challenge, I would like to shop smarter as well as sticking to a budget. I really think it’s important to shop locally where you can and would like to put this into practice.

Tips to Budget Food Shop

Making a List

I used to go completely rogue in the supermarket, like an episode of Supermarket Sweep. I am still not quite there, but I definitely take a list and I try my best to plan. Like most of the population, I am always tempted by the end of aisle offers, the fresh smell of bread and the ‘BOGOFF’ deals. We are a family of snackers, and always seem to come home with too many rice cakes and quick fixes (see my list of quick, easy and cheap toddler meals to see a bit more about that)

Plan Your Meals

Some people plan every meal to the ingredient, but I don’t think I could ever do that. I like to plan our evening meals and then get a selection of sandwich bits for lunches in the week. I was put off for years from meal plans as I don’t like to feel too constricted when it comes to what I eat, but I know it works really well for others.

Instagram  has been really useful in getting weekly inspiration. It can be so boring to plan cant it?!

I now publish our evening meal plan on a Monday so if you’re interested, pop over and have a look. Here is an example of our weekly plan that I share from this week.

Look at what you already have in your cupboards

I am hugely guilty of this one. I do a really comprehensive meal plan, buy all the food then return home to realise my cupboards and freezer are full. Something has taken me on a whim and I’ve decided I need to try 5 new meals. Trying new things is absolutely fine, but use up what you have first. A great idea is before you make your meal plan and lists, go through and see what you have already. If you find those bags of frozen fruit that you know you’re never going to use, get rid and even better, give to someone who could use them.

Money Saving Groups

There are some great groups on Facebook and Instagram giving you tips and tricks as to how to save money on your food bill. Follow the supermarket where you do your big shop and see what offers they have that week.

Loyalty Cards, Vouchers and Coupons

If you’ve ever watched ‘Extreme Coupoining’ you will have seen how much people can save on their weekly family budget food shop. I’m not, however, suggesting that. What I am suggesting is seeing what your local shop has to offer before you head out. Also, think about whether they are really going to benefit you and your family. You don’t want to end up buying a load of rice because it was BOGOFF with a voucher when you really didn’t need them in the cupboard. Be sensible. We use our Tesco points in the summer to visit local attractions. We’ve managed nights away and family day trips, all at triple the points value. Use what would work for your family.

Cooking in Bulk

I do enjoy a batch cook, especially in the colder months. I’m hoping to use our local butcher and fishmonger to get some slow cooker meat and fish, then freeze it. Batch cooking is great because it will tempt you away from the takeaways on those weeks where you can’t be bothered and is great for saving on waste. My top batch cooking meals are

• fish pie
• lamb casserole
• shepherds pie
• vegetable & sweet potato curry

Find out when your shop marks things down

It’s often useful to find out when your local shop marks things down as you may be able to get a real bargain. Go for the freezable items if it’s not on your list but don’t spend unnecessarily.

Farmers Markets

As part of my spending better as well as less, I want to help by supporting local sellers. I know I am a big 3 shopper, but I think it’s so important to shop locally too. We have a farmers market in our town regularly so will be trying to shop for some items there. I know from before when I’ve accidentally gone later on, they were selling items cheaper as no one wants to take all the produce home. So it might work out cost savings as well as supporting local traders, too!

The family budget food shop starts now!

So now I’ve shared the plan, it’s time to practise what I preach. Tomorrow is my food shopping day so I’m aiming to stick to around the £65 mark, which shouldn’t be a challenge, but old habits die hard. I’m going to document my journey a bit more on my Twitter mainly. Are you making some changes too? Let me know and we can try and make some changes together xx