I was recently challenged to see if I could keep within the minimum spend when it comes to the National Average food spend challenge. The Natwest Child Cost Calculator is an interactive tool which collates data which reveals the cost of raising a child from birth to teens. The cost of raising a toddler in terms of food stands at an average of £30 per week. We were challenged to see if we could keep to a total of £40 – we had a little leeway on the minimum spend.
We try to keep costs down as much as possible. With some debts to pay and other bills, food is something where we try to keep the spend low without compromising on quality too much. Jack often eats much the same as us – he will often have chicken or beef burgers if we are having them, pasta bake. He also adores his fruit and veg which is great – although this can get a little expensive when he insists on grapes and bananas every time we visit a shop! It doesn’t matter if we already have some at home – he wants more!
The national average for toddlers between 1-3 years is £30. So how did we get on on our food shop? Below is some of the items we bought that Jack will eat with us or on his own..
The spicy chorizo burgers he definitely didn’t have but we had already eaten the other pack that came on the 3 for £10 offer (naughty Mummy & Daddy sneaked in a treat just for them!). As I mentioned before, we try to keep food costs down so try to buy stuff that everyone likes and can have as a meal together. We also have the quick and easy food such as fish fingers, nuggets and pasta for every now and again when Steve is on nights and I don’t want to make something for just the two of us. Pies are a popular choice in this household – especially on Sundays – and Jack will hoover them up so we always have a pie or two in the food shop.
Since we have been spending so much on fruit for Jack recently (especially in this hot weather), I have been taking advantage of any deals that come up on the little packets of fruit. He gets his fruity fix and I don’t end up forking out lots of £££.
We spent a little over £30 on groceries that Jack will eat/drink (whether with us or without) so I am inclined to agree with the national average spend for toddlers per week. We did spend quite a bit over on stuff for myself and Steve so I would be interested to see if there is a national average for couples…bet it might be pretty expensive!
Do you find food costs when raising a child tend to mount up, especially as they grow and become more active? Would you say you keep to the national average?
We were gifted a Tesco giftcard to aid in writing this post