We recieve in total 40k a year and just scrape through spending 150pw on groceries. That said, we are living with DFs mum and only pay 200 pw rent. So I guess that stretches our food budget a bit more. I do know, though that the weeks that DF buys his lunch instead of taking food from home, we really struggle and usually have to tell MIL we'll make up the rent next week. For us, take away costs significantly more than healthy food from the supermarket and fruit shop.
This is the same for us, $150pw on food, often we can manage $250pf on groceries if we meal plan well, and we pay $350pw rent. Is it actually cheaper for some people to buy junk food? I just can't understand how? When you want chips for dinner, buy 2kg of potatoes on special that week, make up some oven baked chips, and have 1-1.5kg potatoes left over for the rest of the weeks meals, in curries, stews, pies, mash, a salad. As opposed to buying a bag of frozen chips and the amount of oil used to fry them, or even picking them up from a shop. Then do the same for every other ingredient (cheap cuts of meat used in multiple dishes, or in one dish big enough for multiple meals) and your shop will be very cheap. Start shopping around for the best deals and go to markets if you can, and you see a price drop again. We earn well under 45k, and we've always cooked our meals to a 4 person serving for freezing or lunches. I'm just lost as to how people can say take away is cheaper. Maybe it is, if you buy ingredients per meal, don't meal plan or use the same ingredients through multiple meals, and only shop at the big supermarkets, buying produce that's not in season....