How to eat for £20 a week

If you’re like many people, a big part of your budget goes towards food. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on your grocery bill. Here’s how you can eat for just £20 per week. 

Your shopping list   

A shopping list is a must. It helps you stick to what you really need, so you can avoid those tempting extras that can sneak into your basket and increase your bill. Plus, it makes it easier to plan how you’ll use everything throughout the week.  

Here’s a shopping list that comes to just under £20:  

• 4 pints of semi-skimmed milk  £1.45  

• 12 eggs (2x packs of 6) £1.98   

• 200g of mature cheddar £1.39 

• 1 loaf of medium sliced wholemeal bread  £0.47 

• 1kg of porridge oats £0.90 

• 5 bananas £0.78 

• 1 tin of tuna £0.55 

• 8 pork sausages £1.35 

• 2 chicken breast fillets £2.25 

• 500g of beef mince £2.49 

• 12 beef stock cubes £0.65 

• 500g of spaghetti £0.28 

• 6 baking potatoes £1.44 

• 1 swede £0.62 

• 250g of basmati rice £0.45   

• 1 jar of curry sauce £0.45  

• 1kg of onions £0.80 

• 1kg of frozen mixed vegetables £0.99 

• 1 tin of baked beans £0.28 

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes £0.39 

 TOTAL: £19.96 

This is based on Aldi’s prices as of 22nd October 2024, for a single person household. 

Which supermarket is the cheapest in the UK? 

Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in September 2024 for small shopping lists, closely followed by Lidl.  

It can still be worth shopping around though, as not all the items on your list will be cheaper at Aldi. Plus, you might need to shop in larger supermarkets for certain products, as they have a wider range of stock. 

Your menu for the week   

You can change up the shopping list and the weekly menu to suit your own tastes, but here's an example of how you could plan your week:    

Monday   

• Breakfast – poached eggs on toast 

• Lunch – jacket potato, cheese, and half a tin of beans  

• Dinner – chicken curry and rice (using one chicken breast, half an onion, curry sauce and rice) 

Tuesday   

• Breakfast – porridge and sliced banana 

• Lunch – jacket potato and half a tin of beans  

• Dinner – chicken in tomato sauce with pasta (using the second chicken breast, half an onion, half a tin of chopped tomatoes, served with spaghetti and grated cheese) 

Wednesday   

• Breakfast – porridge oats 

• Lunch – cheese on toast, and a banana 

• Dinner – cottage pie (made with 250g of mince, one baking potato, half an onion, mixed vegetables, plus a stock cube)    

Thursday   

• Breakfast - poached eggs on toast 

• Lunch – jacket potato with half a tin of tuna  

• Dinner – spaghetti bolognaise (using 250g of mince, half a tin of chopped tomatoes, half an onion, grated cheese, and pasta) 

Friday   

• Breakfast – porridge oats and sliced banana 

• Lunch – tuna and cheese toastie (using half a tin of tuna)  

• Dinner – frittata (using 2 eggs, cheese, onion, and mixed vegetables) 

Saturday 

• Breakfast – porridge and sliced banana  

• Lunch – scrambled eggs on toast 

• Dinner – sausage casserole (just add the mixed vegetables, swede, potato, and a stock cube) 

Sunday 

• Breakfast – porridge and sliced banana 

• Lunch – cheese and onion omelette   

• Dinner – bangers and mash with mixed vegetables and gravy 

Read on for clever tips on how to save at the supermarket.