Grocery shopping going to break my bank acct?

Just curious.
Is food generally more expensive in Uk than it is in US? Do you spend more money buying groceries in the UK? With all the talk of very expensive cost of living I'm wondering if buying groceries is going to be painful. What are your fave grocery stores? How much should I be prepared to spend for two a week, month, etc....? Should I mention I'm absolutely crazy about puddings.   Any info would be great.

well i've been reading a lot on here and looking at shopping sites (like sainsburys and tesco) and preparing myself.  It seems some things are a lot cheaper and some things are comparable and some are much more $$.

Then again once i'm earning in pounds i won't be thinking that 4 chicken breasts costs about 13 bucks.... (7 pounds).   :-/

Then again once i'm earning in pounds i won't be thinking that 4 chicken breasts costs about 13 bucks.... (7 pounds).   :-/

That's the attitude - if you earn in pounds and spend in pounds, you really shouldn't be bothering to change to dollars in your head.

Besides, Aimiloo, I usually buy chicken breasts at Sainsbury's when they're buy one get one for 99p, so I get 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts for £6.98.  

The other day I scored 3 packages of diced chicken breast for 20p each!  

Besides, Aimiloo, I usually buy chicken breasts at Sainsbury's when they're buy one get one for 99p, so I get 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts for £6.98.  

The other day I scored 3 packages of diced chicken breast for 20p each!  

Peedal, you're my kinda shopper girl!  I love a good bargain and will be scouring the papers and flyers looking for the current deals!  to me, it's like a game.  I save 8 bucks here on groceries in a week and i feel like i've hit the jackpot!

now it seems high to me but when i move and get a job and all, i guess it won't phase me.  i'll just have to deal with a lower sallary and that bothers me.

As you know even in the States you're going to find disparity in prices of certain things given the demand in your region of the country. That said, I certainly relate to your fears. The cheapest places to shop are Asda (owned by Walmart) and Tesco but if you're going to be living in London, you should try to take advantage of the great markets where you will get excellent quality and value, not to mention amazing selection.

There's a great book called The Essential Guide to London's Best Food Shops and includes a section on markets. I ought to sell my copy since I don't live there and rarely get there (sniff!).

Anyway, you may have seen my previous post looking for cheap meal ideas. This is because I'm literally taking a calculator to Tesco these days. You can eat well within a budget, expcially if you enjoy cooking. If you are a convenience food type of person, it's much harder.  

And I can't stress enough shopping at Aldi and Lidl.  It really helps stretch your grocery budget.

Aimiloo, don't assume you'll be making less.  I left a job in the US making less than $24,000 per year.  With the exchange rate, I'm now making just over $29,000.  And I work less hours a week and get more holiday time!

I know I am an exception - but the fact is that I'm making more, and I didn't even have to give in to the 45 minute commute to London to do it!

i know peedal, but i'm at USD 50K now at my current job....and the jobs i'm fit for only pay 30-35,000 sterling.  If i'm thinking in USD, that 35K is great conversion wise! but i'm living in sterling and that's not so great.

My future hubby will be doing ok as well, so we'll make it.  I just want to come back to the states with a decent savings too.

Maybe it's the pound to dollar thang, in my head it just sounds less expensive. And, when I go to the US and stock up on grocery items, I can't leave without dropping a cool one hundred...and come away with little more than a suitcase full. I dunno...I think food's less here. Certainly the bargains can be fantastic! (peedal's chickens for instance)

I think too, that if you are looking at rates now, you'll get a distorted view. I don't know how long this weak dollar can last, but the average for a while had been £1=$1.65...and I think that's a more realistic equation. However, time may prove me wrong.

Well, we manage to eat pretty well for a family of 4 on a combined income of barely more than what you could make on your own, Aimiloo.  So I think you'll be just fine.

okee !!.....i didn't mean to sound brash by posting it but i was just curious....my future hubby has some debts that need to be paid off so once that's done i'll stress less about $$.

At least i know we'll be ok.  Since we want to spend the time i'm there traveling at least once a month...we need to monitor the bidget carefully.   :-/

I've found that some things are much less, some are much more, some are roughly equal.  In particular, my meat bill has skyrocketed, but that's partly because I take advantage of the greater availability of free-range and organically fed meat.  So it's my fault I'm paying a lot more.

Interestingly, since I came over here I've found myself "shopping the perimeter" of the grocery store a lot more often...veggies, meats, fish, and wine, with a short stop in the middle of the store for cheeses.  The lack of Devil Dogs, Pop-Tarts and proper Doritos has really helped my food choices.  

(On the other hand, the easy availability of decent wine in the supermarket has been a terrible temptation....)

Emily

the jobs i'm fit for only pay 30-35,000 sterling.  

*ONLY* £30,000 ??!!  
My DH and I have a COMBINED income of less than that!!  We pay a mortgage and have several credit card bills, plus gas/leccy/cable tv/broadband/petrol... and we manage to eat very well on approx £60 per week.

We spend £50 per week on groceries and we shop online (so £5 of that total is delivery) and we order from Ocado/Waitrose which is not considered a cheap/budget place to shop.  And we eat well...lots of good veggies and organic meat and milk, etc.  When I first moved here and we were on a slightly lesser salary between us, we were spending about £25 at Tesco once a week and getting by very nicely.  Only drawback was we were eating a lot of cheap (read: bad for you) food.  But it can be done quite cheaply here.  

Are you going to be living in London or elsewhere?  Your expected salary of £30K will be absolutley fine in London....many people make a heck of a lot less than that here and do fine.  But if you're making 30K outside of London, you will be fairly well off, I would think!

I'd call it 'rich'!  
I cant IMAGINE ever having/making that much money.

I'd call it 'rich'!  
I cant IMAGINE ever having/making that much money.

Ditto, Broxi.