After the whirlwind of May — bank holidays, birthdays, Viking-scented day trips — June was supposed to be the month we caught our breath. Stayed home. Cooked lovely budget-friendly food. Kept things calm.
Reader, it was not calm.
It was, however, brilliant. And as it turns out, a month packed with gigs, festivals, impromptu date nights, and long Friday drives still managed to come in under our £150 weekly target on the main food shop. So while June didn’t offer the rest I was quietly hoping for, it absolutely delivered on the memories — and the numbers weren’t half bad either.
How Did We Do on the Food Budget?
Let’s get into it.
Our weekly shop figures for June were as follows:
- Week 23 (30th May): £70.99
- Week 24 (6th June): £225.96
- Week 25 (13th June): £135.99
- Week 26 (20th June): £146.99
Total main food shop: £579.93 Weekly average: £144.99
For the first time in a while, we actually landed under our £150 weekly target — and across the month as a whole, that feels like a genuine win. Week 24 was a heavier one, but spread across the full month it evened out nicely.
A little context worth mentioning: our children spend every other week with their other parent, which means alternate Fridays involve a long drive and a return journey on Sunday. Time and convenience being what they are, that usually means a takeaway or a Starbucks stop along the way. It adds up, but it’s one of those spends that’s less guilty pleasure and more practical necessity.
On top of the main shop, we spent £253.26 on treats and takeaways — averaging £63.32 per week — bringing our total June food spend to £833.19.
Over budget? Technically, no. Totally worth it? Without question.
How Do We Compare to the UK Average?
As a reminder, the UK average household food spend sits at around £44 per person, per week. For a family of five, that’s roughly £220 per week or £880 per month.
Our total June spend — including every treat, takeaway, and Starbucks pit stop — came to £833.19, putting us £46.81 under the national average.
Given everything this month threw at us, I’ll take that as a proper result. Great home-cooked food kept the main shop under control, and recipes like The Ultimate Apple and Cheddar Pork Chops on the blog played a big part in that. Eating well at home makes the occasional splurge feel far less painful.
Monthly Memories
I genuinely thought June would be the quiet one. I was wrong, and I’m glad.
The highlight of the month — and she would never let me forget it if I didn’t say this — was my fiancée and daughter heading to The Weeknd in Manchester. A Christmas gift, his final world tour, and a night that apparently lived up to every bit of the anticipation. I was reminded of this fact consistently throughout the month. Consistently. She’s a huge fan — in case that wasn’t clear.
On a slightly more local scale, we had a brilliant family day out at Ferriby Festival. Not quite the production value of a Manchester arena, but brilliant in its own right — local cover bands, sunshine, and the kind of easy, happy afternoon that you don’t always plan but end up remembering fondly.
The personal favourite though? An evening walk with my fiancée that quietly turned into an impromptu date night, complete with a couple of pit stops and a drink or two along the way. Unplanned, unhurried, and exactly what we both needed. Sometimes the best nights out are the ones that just happen.
On the recipe front, June’s standout new addition to the blog was:
👉 You’ll find it in the recipe section of the blog — and it’s exactly the kind of dish that makes the weekly budget stretch further without sacrificing anything on flavour.
What’s Coming in July
July is already shaping up to be a good one for the blog, with some great recipes in the pipeline:
- 🍮 Profiteroles
- 🫙 Moroccan Style Lamb Burgers
Alongside the new content, I’m also continuing to work through the back catalogue — refreshing older recipes, updating costs, and making sure everything you find here reflects what you’d actually pay at the supermarket today. It’s a slow and steady project, but if you’ve been here a while, you might start noticing some familiar recipes looking a little sharper.
If there’s a budget-friendly recipe you’d love to see me tackle, drop it in the comments below. And what’s your go-to low-cost family meal? I’d love to feature reader suggestions in a future post.
See you in July. 👋
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