Budge it

[j4]

I don't know what to do about budgeting for food. sion_a and I have been sharing evening meals, and basically he's been paying for pretty much everything, which is clearly unfair; but when I suggested trying to allocate a set amount for food he was unhappy about the idea & said he'd prefer to go back to the way we used to do it -- on a completely ad hoc basis, buying food roughly once a week but often more, and sort of taking turns to pay. I can understand why he wouldn't want to do that -- there's no reason why he should have to go without everything he wants just because I'm skint -- but I don't think I can cope with that kind of system and still claw my finances back to a sensible point.

On the other hand, I have no idea how to budget for feeding just one person, because more or less ever since I've lived out I've been sponging off one boyfriend or another, and cooking for at least two people. Basically I'm just not used to living a single life, but it's about time I learned.

How much do people think is a sensible amount of money to allocate for a week's food (lunches and evening meals) for one?

For ages I've been eating at the pub on Thursdays with the rest of the crowd -- is it stupid to try to build that into a budget? (The pub food isn't expensive, but it's still eating-out rather than eating-in. Last night's meal cost £3.25, and that's not quite the cheapest option.)


So far this week I have spent the following:

£ 1.19   5 avocados and 2 bananas
£ 0.99   1 bag of new potatoes
£ 3.25   meal at the pub
£ 2.40   1 pint of beer
£15.00   karate lesson

The potatoes and avocados between them have made lots of salads for lunches. I feel like I've been reasonably good about money, but the evening meals have mostly been covered by stuff that sion_a's bought, so really I'm just sponging still. :-(

Bank balance is looking more healthy, but there's still £86 owed to a friend to come out of that -- and no, I can't pay back in instalments, I just want to clear the debt in one go -- and money for a birthday present for somebody else. Salary comes through in less than a week now, but I know I mustn't see that as the point when I can start spending money again!

Food tonight is sorted: I'm working a shift at the pub so I'll have my usual sandwich or bowl of chips. And more money! Hurrah.

Comments

[j4.livejournal.com]

Currently in cupboards: there's a lot of stuff, but mostly bought by Sion and therefore not mine. Also lots of stuff which is off or we will never use but he won't throw it away because that's wasteful, and I won't eat it because I don't like it / don't want food poisoning / etc.

The stuff that's mine is all cake stuff. Though I suppose I could live for a week on dried fruit, and use the flour and water to make sort-of-bread. Maybe.

Pasta is good. I could happily live on pasta and tomato and tuna for weeks but Sion doesn't eat tuna, and tomatoes make him ill. <sigh> He likes cheesy stuff, and cheese is more expensive. Though less so if you buy plastic economy cheese, obviously.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

he won't throw it away because that's wasteful
Hmmm, maybe recommend the Life Laundry book to Sion. I just read it and am trying to figure out how to apply (most of) it to our clutter-ridden life (she recommends getting rid of books so you can bet I'm skipping that chapter). I have the will if not the energy, at least.

I'll repeat my suggestion, when you get paid go and buy yourself a cupboard's worth of basic food - I could give you a shopping list if you wanted, I wrote articles on this kind of thing for the union paper when I was a student. It will probably feel like you're buying too much and all this guilt will descend upon you again, but forty quid now saves panic buying later. Or in your case, strong-willed self-denial instead of eating. Which is not a Good Thing, in case you hadn't noticed us all telling you that.

[sparrowsion]

there's a lot of stuff, but mostly bought by Sion and therefore not mine

This is a real part of the problem -- you regard anything I buy as automatically mine because it was paid for by me, so you're reluctant to use stuff I've bought to have in stock. And pretty much everything in the larder cupboard is stock, or yours. There are some old biscuits which I will admit being guilty to, and the Smash (which is definitely within date), and possibly the porridge and some of the peanut butter, but I'm not laying claim to all the pickled eggs, or cans of tuna, or the cans of fruit, or the instant Thai noodles. Then there's stuff like the cashew nut butter, which you've bought (or asked me to buy) because it's interesting, and will never be used, and eventually I'll get the blame for not throwing it out.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Taken to RL.

[kake]

doop does this too - I make something on an evening he's out and there's extra because cooking exactly the right amount of food for one person is *hard*, and I tell him to eat it but he feels guilty for "stealing my food", and so it just goes off. Which is silly. He's getting better, though. I think he almost actually believes me now when I tell him I really really do want him to eat the leftovers.