Shoppers have been left floored at the price of a couple’s weekly shop at Tesco, wondering how they managed to keep the cost down, with some saying they spent almost three times as much
There’s no denying that food shopping has become more expensive in recent years, and it can be challenging to prepare healthy and nutritious meals every day on a budget. People up and down the country are reporting that they’re spending more each week, but they’re not sure where to cut down.
Money saving expert Martin Lewis recommends buying own-branded products as alternatives to branded items as a good way of saving cash. But many still find their regular shops are increasingly expensive.
Someone took to Reddit to ask: “How much is your food shop? Mine went from £50 a week for two people, and is now just shy of £100. Worst part is I haven’t even got everything I wanted. I need tips from you guys? I’m very frugal and don’t drink alcohol too. This is three meals a day, six days a week.”
Another fumed: “Just did a shop for myself in Tesco for the week, focusing on stuff I can use for meal prep, and it was £58. I used to be able to get a good week’s shop for £30/35.”
A mum wrote: “I remember when I could spend £60 in Asda and it would last a week for two kids and me! Now I’m spending three times that.”
However, in a separate forum, what’s in your cart?, a young couple shared how they’d managed to get their entire weekly shop for £66, posting a picture of the food that they claimed would last them the whole week.
They wrote: “We buy multiple packs of two chicken breasts, as then we don’t have unopened chicken in the fridge, and found it’s a better value for money at £2.39 per pack. We can then also freeze and unfreeze two breasts as and when we need them.”
Someone joked in the comments: “Have you got enough chicken?” The original poster joked that they’d “never” have “enough” of it.
Another said: “But why did you get the small packs if you wanted so much of it? It’s cheaper to buy the family-size packs, I think they’re 1.6kg. Apart from that, it looks pretty good!” They added: “I hadn’t read the description. I normally just portion it into a freezer bag and freeze whatever I’m not going to use soon.
“I will also dice and slice before freezing to make my life easier. For the bags staying in the fridge, I try to remove as much air as possible, and it takes less space in the fridge than the packs”.
The original poster responded: “Not cheaper last time I worked it out and more convenient for us as we will get two out of the freezer at a time in the morning”.
The commenter replied: “It’s definitely cheaper in the long run! But I understand the whole portioning stuff takes time, and it’s not worth it for some people. I do most of my shopping at Tesco, and I’ll buy meat at Aldi just to save some money.”
Another shared another money-saving hack, writing: “You could also buy whole chickens and cut them up. You get breasts, wings, drumsticks and thighs which can go in the freezer until needed, and the carcass can be used to make broth for soup.”
One Redditor made a suggestion to them, sharing: “I can’t tell if that’s breast or thighs, but if it’s breasts, you should call some of your local butchers for chicken breast 5kg tray prices. Mine fluctuates between £25 to £30 per 5kg tray, which you can just bag up and freeze”.
One person wrote: “Super cheap. I’m spending £150 as a single man.” Asked how he was spending that much on himself, he replied: “Oysters, salmon, tuna steaks, wild king prawns, grass-fed organic steaks, eggs, oranges to juice, organic berries, bone broth, milk in a glass bottle (tastes better)…no takeaways”.
Another replied: “A week?! I don’t often go above that a month as a single woman.”
