The Student Room Group

Students - what is your weekly shop?

What items does it include + what's your budget?

Scroll to see replies



:sad:
Reply 2
£20-£25.

£25 if I have time to cook. I live in a self-catered halls and I cook 3-4 times a week if I have time.
I usually buy the bare essentials, buy the supermarket's own brand ie Morrisons Saver range :P
I think 2-3 times whether I really need the item.
I also have a weekly shopping list which I have written in advance - I make sure I buy things in bulk and buy fresh vegs 2 days before I cook them.
Reply 3
£30-50 on quality food
£20-70 on booze
£8 on bacci
Few bob on toiletries and household stuff on occasion

Before I got this well paid job though? £10-20 for everything, food, bacci, toiletries, couldn't afford to drink. Student loans don't like the middle ground, too poor to live, too rich to get a grant.
about 25 bags of chocolate buttons :smile: im addicted to them!!
Reply 5
My two flatmates and I split the cost between three of us and cook together. We order online from Tesco. A typical weekly shop (though it varies) includes...

3 x diced chicken breast packets
1 x home pride pasta bake
1 x tesco fajita kit
1 x frozen broccoli and cauliflower
1 x noodles (for stir fry)
2 x tesco white bread
2 x semi skimmed milk
1 x weetabix
1 x special K
1 x puff pastry packet
1 x can of chicken soup (for chicken pie)
1 x bag of potatoes
1 x bag of tesco oven chips
2 x tins of tesco beans
1 x pack of fish fingers
1 x pack of salad
1 x flora light
2 x strawberries
1 x pack of bananas
1 x pack of ham
1 x crackers
1 x pack of tesco ice lollys
5 x packet soups

obviously there will sometimes be more if we run out of things like mayonaise etc.... but it generally comes to about spending £16 each a week, no more than 20 unless we buy alcohol online
Reply 6
Well I tend to do a massive shop one week, then in the two weeks that follow only pick up bare essentials (milk and bread).

My big shop normally comes in around £40... but that includes a load of crap I really don't need like chocolate, fizzy drinks/juice etc. The other two weeks are always under £10.

So averaged out I spend about £20 a week, which isn't bad.
Spend about £20-30 a week, shopping is split between Tesco and M&S depending what I get.
Reply 8
Usually around £20-25. ASDA online usually!

2x bag of mixed vegetables
2x bag of spinach
2x bag of stir fried vegetables
15 eggs
5x packet of lentils
2x box of chicken breast/thigh
2x box of shredded chicken
Reply 9
Food wise -

Skimmed milk
Eggs
Wholewheat bread (every other week or so)
Tinned tuna, mackerel and sardines
Lots of vegetables depending on what's on offer
Apples, grapes (to freeze), kiwis
Some fresh chicken and fish (one of each per week)
Some sort of frozen meat (i.e. 1/2 a turkey joint)
diet fizzy drinks

Every month: Oats, toiletries, some chocolate, peanuts, tea and coffee

On average I spend about £15-£20 a week on food.
I usually get a big tesco delivery a fortnight, adding up to £30-40 (including the delivery charge). It includes in a typical shop:
-Fishcakes
-Burgers
-Escalopes
-Sausages
-Grape juice
-chicken drumsticks
-pasta
-pasta sauce
-meatballs
-easy cook chicken
-tomato soup
-ketchup
-packets of baxters pasta

plus whatever household item ive run out of like mouthwash, washing powder, soap, kitchen towel e.c.t

Then another £5 or so on milk, bread and the odd sandwich in the week
Reply 11
I have noticed that with deliveries the fresh food is always that with the shortest best-before life. I will not be buying online again.
I know a girl who did it for £10 for one week but that was with cupboard essentials already stocked up. See the results here.

However, that is quite strict. I tended to spend around £20-30 a week and ate pretty well.

My biggest tip is £1 pizzas. They are a really cheap evening meal and they fill you up.

I know it would be stupid to suggest eating pizza every single night but if you can find some £1 meals then you will only be spending £7 for 7 dinners and the lunch and breakfast will follow!
Reply 13
At the moment only about £10-12 per week on food, but that's only on meat, fish, frozen vegetables, bread, milk and fruit juice. Been a bit crazy with my shopping since I started uni and have far too many tins, jars of sauce and bags of pasta sitting in my cupboard. Am genuinely a bit worried that I won't be able to eat everything before I move out at the end of May... I aimed to spend £20 per week in tesco but some weeks would spend up to £35.

Alcohol... about £3 from tesco for every night out, so usually between £3 or £6 per week. Plus about one 35cl of Glens (at about £6) every couple of months or so.
Reply 14
less than £5.

reduced shopping ftw :p:
Reply 15
I went today and bought -

3 pieces of steak
a bag of salad
Popcorn
Milkshake
Tortilla Chips
Houmous
Coke

Not a lot to make a meal with there, unless I have steak for 3 days ha. Although I do count tortilla chips and houmous as a meal nowadays, it's pretty filling!
But this is a typical shop for me really, i'm not too good at it, I always regret what I bought when I get back and have nothing for dinner, and feel sick from eating and drinking the last 5 things on that list in a very short space of time.
Reply 16
I used to spend about £15 a week, but I tended to go every three/four weeks or so and stock up on bits inbetween. So I would do a big shop of £40 and then a few mini trips here and there.

Carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Frozen petit pois
Frozen green beans
Gravy granules
Veg stock
Chicken stock
Rice
Pasta
Passata
Mince
Pork Chops
Frozen chicken breasts
Frozen chips
Turkey dinosaurs (mmm)
Heinz beans
Cereal
Bread
Butter
Milk
Squash
Pepsi Max

Then whatever else I fancied for that particular time - usually some wine (for cooking..), maybe some crisps/snacks/chocolate.. anything really.

I spend more now I think, and I basically exist on frozen chicken breasts, frozen cod fillets, squash, lettuce, cucumber, new potatoes, rice, risotto rice, stock, gravy, swede, carrots, petit pois, broccoli, granola bars, jaffa cakes, pasta and green beans.
Reply 17
Mine is almost 40 quid a week but that's because I am on a weight gain diet :smile:
I spend about £10-£15 a week on food. But I may pop to Sainsbury's local if I wanted to pick up a bottle of wine or a fizzy drink or something.

I usually buy:

Bag of spinach
Iceberg Lettuce
About 4 tomatoes
3 peppers of assorted colours
Cucumber
Either some salami from the counter or cheese - depending on how I'm feeling any particular week.
Loaf of bread
6 eggs
A handful of button mushrooms
Fresh pasta
Rice
Small amount of new potatoes
Carrots
2 x Tinned tomatoes
Tins of soup
Tin or two of Black beans or butter beans
250g of extra lean mince meat.

Usually then I'd have spices and herbs which I wouldn't buy in my every day shop.. they'd obviously last for weeks and I'd replace them at different times; so it would be too big of an expense.
(edited 11 years ago)
I usually spend around £10-15 a week on food. Maybe £20 if i'm stocking up on something like pasta, cereal, rice, baked beans, chicken,flour, tea etc.

Usually my shop goes like this:

Bread
Milk
Eggs
Apples
Bananas
Yogurts
Pasta Sauce
Crisps
Sandwich fillings (cheese, sliced meat etc)
Stir Fry veggies and noodles
Something a bit special for sunday dinner (ie a steak, fishcakes, nice ready meal)

Then there's always the cheeky look in the reduced section for anything that catches my eye.

Also it helps that my mum brings me frozen portions of her home made chilli, bolognaise sauce and a carton of cans of coke when she visits :smile:

Quick Reply

Latest