Our Food Budget for Two and How We Keep It Under 70 Pounds

Two years ago my partner and I were spending around 130 pounds a week on food, and neither of us could say where it went. We were not eating badly or buying anything fancy. We were just shopping without a plan, three or four times a week, and throwing out a bag of soft vegetables every Sunday.

Today our food budget for two sits at 65 to 70 pounds a week, including lunches, and we eat better than we did. This is exactly how we got there, with the numbers, the shopping routine and the one popular tip we gave up on.

What a realistic food budget for two looks like

Before setting a target, we tracked every food receipt for four weeks. That baseline mattered more than any tip we later tried, because it showed that our big supermarket shop was fine and the damage came from top-up trips, meal deals and takeaways.

For a couple in the UK cooking most meals at home, a weekly budget somewhere between 60 and 90 pounds is achievable at the main supermarkets in late 2026. Below 50 pounds is possible but takes real effort and limited choice. Above 100 pounds usually means takeaways, branded snacks or lots of meat.

The main shop barely changed. Everything around it did.

If you try this yourself, keep the receipts in an envelope on the fridge or snap a photo of each one. A simple note on your phone with the date, shop and total is enough. You are looking for patterns, not pennies.

Our weekly planning routine in 20 minutes

Every Saturday morning, with coffee, we spend about 20 minutes on the plan. It sounds rigid. In practice it is the only reason the rest of the week works.

1. Check the fridge and cupboards first. Anything that needs using goes on the plan before anything new.
2. Pick five dinners, not seven. Two nights a week are leftovers or a "fridge clear-out" meal like fried rice, frittata or soup.
3. Cook once, eat twice. At least two of the five dinners make enough for next-day lunches. A chilli or dal for four portions costs about 4 pounds.
4. Share ingredients across meals. A bag of spinach goes into Monday's curry and Wednesday's pasta. A pack of coriander covers tacos and a noodle salad.
5. Write the list by aisle. It cuts our shop to 35 minutes and stops wandering.

We alternate who plans each week, so neither of us ends up as the default household manager. That habit came from how we handle money generally, which we wrote about in splitting shared bills without keeping score.

Shopping habits that saved the most

One big shop, one small top-up

Our rule is one main shop on Saturday and one top-up on Wednesday for milk, bread and fresh veg, capped at 10 pounds. Before, a "quick trip for milk" was costing 12 pounds every time.

Loyalty prices and yellow stickers

We use the loyalty card at our main supermarket and plan around its member prices, which knocks 4 or 5 pounds off most weeks. Late on a Saturday afternoon we check the reduced section for meat and bread to freeze.

Own brand for staples

Rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, oats, flour and frozen veg are all own brand or the cheapest range. We did a blind taste test on tinned tomatoes and neither of us could tell the 45p tin from the 1.20 pound one.

A freezer that earns its space

Batch-cooked portions, frozen peas, berries, bread and cheap cuts bought on offer. Our freezer drawer is the reason we rarely order takeaway on a tired Thursday.

Why we stopped bulk buying

Almost every budget guide tells you to buy in bulk. We tried it for three months and it cost us money. In a one-bedroom rented flat with a narrow kitchen, a 10 kg sack of rice and a case of 24 tins had nowhere to live, and we kept forgetting what we already had.

Worse, bulk packs of fresh food were a trap for two people. A 2 kg bag of carrots at a lower price per kilo is not cheaper if half of it goes soft. A family pack of chicken thighs only saves money if you portion and freeze it the same day, which we did not always do.

Bulk buying works for big households with storage. For a couple in a small flat, buying the right size for one week, with a few cupboard staples kept at about two weeks' supply, wasted less and cost less overall. Price per kilo matters only for food you actually eat.

Lunches and takeaway, where the real money was

Buying lunch near the office was costing my partner about 5.50 pounds a day. Taking leftovers in a glass container brought that down to almost nothing. On days with no leftovers, a wrap with hummus and salad costs around 1.20 pounds to make.

We did not ban takeaway. That never lasts. Instead we keep it to one planned treat every other week, around 25 pounds, and we decide on it on Saturday so it is not an impulse at 8pm. Our no spend month for couples showed us that a planned treat feels better than a guilty one anyway.

Keeping the budget without arguing about it

We pay for food from our joint bills account with a weekly transfer of 70 pounds each Friday. If there is money left at the end of the month, it rolls into a "nice dinner out" pot. Having one number and one card stopped the vague guilt and the "who paid last time" conversations.

Once a quarter we look back at the totals together, the same way we review direct debits, as we described in finding the subscriptions two people forgot they pay for. Prices drift up, and a small adjustment beats a sudden shock.

Frequently asked questions

How much should a couple spend on food per week in the UK?

Most couples cooking at home can manage on 60 to 90 pounds a week at major supermarkets. Your figure depends on how much meat you eat, where you shop and whether lunches are included. Tracking four weeks of receipts gives you a realistic starting point.

Is meal planning really cheaper for two people?

Yes, mainly because it cuts food waste and top-up trips, which were our biggest leaks. Planning five dinners and using leftovers for lunches saved us more than switching supermarkets. It also takes only 20 minutes a week once it becomes routine.

Which supermarket is cheapest for a couple?

Discount supermarkets are usually cheapest on a basic basket, but the gap shrinks if you use loyalty prices at a bigger store. The best choice is the one you can reach easily for a single weekly shop. Extra travel and extra trips quickly eat the savings.