leafsta Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Seriously people? It's not about (optionally) scratching around combining the cheapest of ingredients to make a semi-nutritious meal. If you work for a living and can't at least eat good food then what's the point. Made in China or Made in Germany? For me it's quality every time (in everything). Agreed. The general feeling I get is that those who rely on benefits tend to eat from a box - Iceland, Farm Foods, cheaper brands at Tesco etc. This is from research before anyone shoots me down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Seriously people? It's not about (optionally) scratching around combining the cheapest of ingredients to make a semi-nutritious meal. If you work for a living and can't at least eat good food then what's the point. Made in China or Made in Germany? For me it's quality every time (in everything). To a degree, yes. The little meat we buy is from a butcher, for example - and fish from a (harbourside) fishmonger. But an awful lot of inputs are pretty much commodities. Maybe a gastronome better than I can taste the difference between ALDI rice and Waitrose rice - but it's beyond me. The commodities I'll chase down the cheapest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbuilder Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Seriously people? It's not about (optionally) scratching around combining the cheapest of ingredients to make a semi-nutritious meal. If you work for a living and can't at least eat good food then what's the point. Made in China or Made in Germany? For me it's quality every time (in everything). This is true as well. There's probably nothing worth spending more on than food (in a relative sense of course) because there's nothing else that can positively affect your wellbeing as much (and hence could actually save you quite a lot financially in the long term). Anyway, quality in food isn't necessarily the most expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmf Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Shudder to think. £3K on the card at supermarkets and wholesale. For the local grocers it's cash but I'd bet that's another £1K. That's for two adults and two kids, and we nearly always cook from scratch, but we buy all our fruit and veg from the local grocer as it's great quality. And we eat no meat but fish once to twice a week. So more than gas/water/electric combined. edit: forgot to say - food has gone up loads and I hate Merv with a passion Edited September 19, 2012 by bmf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jail Them All Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I do IF too, still spend a fortune though, but I am a leanish 220lb So do I following an illness. Look here http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-551400.html or google experiment mice fasting. Throws up loads of sites. Food contains toxins, and if you don't constantly gorge, you give your organs the chance to get rid of these. When you do eat, your body takes as much as it can (needs) from the food input. I'm 12.5st, my brothers are 18st+. Not recommended for regular sporty people though, a higher protein and sugar intake is needed, because you burn so much up. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 700 quid a year including 200 in firms subsidised canteen. This is just for me, the wife goes to Waitrose whereas I go to Tesco. Some food from the garden. Should TSHTF I should be able to use my savings to live on until I turn 66 ....at which point I'll shoot myself.(if no state pension is available) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 So do I following an illness. Look here http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-551400.html or google experiment mice fasting. Throws up loads of sites. Food contains toxins, and if you don't constantly gorge, you give your organs the chance to get rid of these. When you do eat, your body takes as much as it can (needs) from the food input. I'm 12.5st, my brothers are 18st+. Not recommended for regular sporty people though, a higher protein and sugar intake is needed, because you burn so much up. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin Yep. I fasted one day a week for the first 7 months of 2011 ....no food, only water. Makes you feel rough for one day but much better for the rest of the week. Must start again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John The Pessimist Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 £6k+ per annum. 2 adults, 2 children, & 2 infants. The figure includes nappies, wipes etc. It also includes alcohol. Main meals are cooked from scratch and 2 out of 3 meals include protein. Bog standard supermarkets as we live in the sticks. Some veg comes from the garden in the Summer. Herself is more dependent on bottles/sauces than me, and that's because there's no history of cooking from scratch on her side. School lunches, and detergents are included in the £6K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Self Employed Youth Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Agreed. The general feeling I get is that those who rely on benefits tend to eat from a box - Iceland, Farm Foods, cheaper brands at Tesco etc. This is from research before anyone shoots me down. Iceland is quite handy. Having lived on benefits a few times now, I must admit I do buy a few of their things (£1 pizzas and cheesecakes are good value). Decent loaf of bread from Morrisons for 60p, eggs are cheap (10p/pop but about 12p now). When times have been tough I have been on the egg sarny and tea diet. Sort of like 'tea and 2 slices' as decribed by Orwell in 'Down and out in Paris and London', but jazzed up with some poached egg. £4 a week will see you through! Not sure of my total food spend for the year. Maybe £1k per year. Food is actually quite cheap, it is travel, beer, tobacco, entertainment and clothes which I find expensive. (Cheap clothes aren't necessarily cheap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermaus Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Not recommended for regular sporty people though rubbish, I performed at my best whilst IFing, I regularly ran 10 miles in close to an hour fasted, and could do 1.5 in under 8 mins, at 185lbs no less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmf Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 £6k+ per annum. 2 adults, 2 children, & 2 infants. The figure includes nappies, wipes etc. It also includes alcohol. Main meals are cooked from scratch and 2 out of 3 meals include protein. Bog standard supermarkets as we live in the sticks. Some veg comes from the garden in the Summer. Herself is more dependent on bottles/sauces than me, and that's because there's no history of cooking from scratch on her side. School lunches, and detergents are included in the £6K. Four kids - congratulations! Yes, nappies are expensive. Once they make it to real food and real pants they get a lot cheaper. Especially with the hand-me-downs. I have two and my second has possibly never touched anything new, poor little sod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Yep. I fasted one day a week for the first 7 months of 2011 ....no food, only water. Makes you feel rough for one day but much better for the rest of the week. Must start again.... Before I settled down with the wife I used to fast on a Sunday, originally this was down to going out on a Saturday night knocking back a few pints and a kebab then not eating until Monday mornings as my body wasn't asking for any food... when the nights out stopped I found my metabolism had adjusted for fasting on the Sabbath so carried on without thought until mrs longtomsilver intervened proclaiming me a nut and cooking for me. Maybe I'll try it again, especially considering how well/fit I felt at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gf3 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 £4 a week will see you through! Yep for one person just food. Cant say I do it now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slazanger Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 when and why did oz get expensive? 10 years ago I recall my weekly food spend being 50-60 AUD or about £20-25 at the time I'm surprised there's not a full scale riot on over here about the cost of living tbh... I moved from Vancouver to Brisbane about a year and a half ago and its more expensive for us to live here in the suburbs than it did to live in the downtown core of Vancouver... the cost of living has rose considerably in the last 18 months even taking into account that we have found the local cheaper areas to shop. The cost of booze here has pretty much turned us both sober! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 To a degree, yes. The little meat we buy is from a butcher, for example - and fish from a (harbourside) fishmonger. But an awful lot of inputs are pretty much commodities. Maybe a gastronome better than I can taste the difference between ALDI rice and Waitrose rice - but it's beyond me. The commodities I'll chase down the cheapest. There are huge differences between different rices. I've made efforts to look for really nice varieties ever since I first stumbled on one that stood out as really worth eating. Living where I do now, I buy all my rice from a local wholefood shop that's one of my three-in-a-row favourite food shops (along with the cheese shop and the olive shop). As for Aldi or Waitrose - no idea about their rice, since neither of them exists within an hour of here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 rubbish, I performed at my best whilst IFing, I regularly ran 10 miles in close to an hour fasted, and could do 1.5 in under 8 mins, at 185lbs no less. You have different notions of 'fasted' there. There's a lot of biology in how much you can get away with too. I'm no medic, but my own experience suggests the symptoms of overstretching yourself change as you age, and there are cyclical effects (women's monthly cycles being an obvious case, but not the only one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Yep for one person just food. Cant say I do it now though. You want real minimalism can feed one person for under £2/week (without the cheat of a garden or allotment). Raise that to £4 and you have just enough to make it reasonably tasty with a modest supply of spices and flavoursome ingredients like onions. But I hope I won't have to put that into practice again. I like the luxury of a wide choice of inputs - some of them much more expensive - and my glass of juice or booze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Just over £1k a year now thanks to Lidl. Some stuff if its reduced at the local Co-op. And local farm shop for eggs. Booze bill also reduced now I've learned how to make simple fermented drinks from fruit juice and fruity tea bags. With food its not the bulky stuff thats expensive. Bags of potatoes and rice are cheap in Lidl, its the "extras" that make it more flavoursome. Even the simplest of meals can taste really good with lashings of butter, spices, herbs etc.. Ensuring you have coffee, tea, milk, cream, some cheese and chocolate and a few treats goes a long way to improve well being, even if your diet is pretty minimal. I don't buy pizza's are much processed stuff. Though I did have a craving for a fish finger sandwich with ketchup the other day. I couldn't believe the price of bread though! Almost £1.50 for some loaves in the Co-op. WTF? Found a sell by date toastie loaf though for 58p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moesasji Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I don't buy pizza's are much processed stuff. Though I did have a craving for a fish finger sandwich with ketchup the other day. I couldn't believe the price of bread though! Almost £1.50 for some loaves in the Co-op. WTF? Found a sell by date toastie loaf though for 58p. Buy yourself a good breadmaker to make bread and things like pizza's. Doesn't take long to get the investment back as it drops the price of a good wholewheat, even when organic, bread to less than 50p. Moreover things like pizza's are actually very cheap (and easy) to make yourself using these machines and way better quality. ps) don't "economise" on the machine as you need to buy a good one to get good bread out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Buy yourself a good breadmaker to make bread and things like pizza's. Doesn't take long to get the investment back as it drops the price of a good wholewheat, even when organic, bread to less than 50p. Moreover things like pizza's are actually very cheap (and easy) to make yourself using these machines and way better quality. ps) don't "economise" on the machine as you need to buy a good one to get good bread out of it. MAchine? Wimp. Bread making by hand is good (free) exercise. Precisely why I leave it to the wife. Am I the only one who doesn't know how much they spend on groceries? We mostly cook from scratch, try to buy nicer than bog standard, make a small effort to buy local/ethical, hardly throw anything away, have a couple of meat free days every week, don't drink much, no really don't drink much and generally enjoy food. Whatever that costs, its worth it. That a group of people who are, on a sliding scale, some of the richest people in the world feel the need to live on £3 a day, then something in this country is very wrong. But we knew that, didn't we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 when and why did oz get expensive? 10 years ago I recall my weekly food spend being 50-60 AUD or about £20-25 at the time I currently work FIFO and eat for free for 2 weeks and fast for 1 keeping the food bill at less than $100 a month However going residential next month so gawd knows how much I am going to have to spend on food. Perth prices are crazy - girlfriend has planted the garden out with kale (I'm so proud of her HPC TFH spirit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Myself and my better half (both veggies) plus 3 cats spend about £2000 p.a. on food Our alcohol spend, mind you, is frightening My GF has a sideline doing wine tasting and promotions for a dozen or so WA Vineyards. Its money for old rope really (about £30 an hour equivalent) and she always manages to open all the sample bottles so every tasting we get a dozen or so half full bottles of vino for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Buy yourself a good breadmaker to make bread and things like pizza's. Doesn't take long to get the investment back as it drops the price of a good wholewheat, even when organic, bread to less than 50p. Moreover things like pizza's are actually very cheap (and easy) to make yourself using these machines and way better quality. ps) don't "economise" on the machine as you need to buy a good one to get good bread out of it. I'd have said at one time that bread going above 50p a loaf was a cue for food rioting. People just seem to quietly accept it though. Must be something they are putting in the water, or the useless bromine they put in the bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 MAchine? Wimp. Bread making by hand is good (free) exercise. Precisely why I leave it to the wife. Haven't done that since the afternoon I had a bad finger. It got hit playing volleyball: I thought it the finger equivalent of a stubbed toe. So I went home, and made bread as planned, but kneading the stuff was agony. That's when I began to suspect what later became clear: the finger was actually broken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lepista Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 You want real minimalism can feed one person for under £2/week (without the cheat of a garden or allotment). Raise that to £4 and you have just enough to make it reasonably tasty with a modest supply of spices and flavoursome ingredients like onions. But I hope I won't have to put that into practice again. I like the luxury of a wide choice of inputs - some of them much more expensive - and my glass of juice or booze. Go on them -I'm calling you. I'd like to see a proper breakdown of a balanced diet for £2 a week. (Ketchup on pasta isn't balanced, btw). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.