According to analysis by the Food Foundation, the cost of a basic basket of food for an individual following an adequately nutritious diet has risen 23.9% for a woman and 27.5% for a man since April 2022. As household budgets are squeezed by the rising cost of living, we speak to four people about how they manage their money to feed themselves and their loved ones.
Richard Penny
House painter and writer
Richard Penny, 58, a house-painter and writer, moved to Brixton, south London, from Guildford two years ago for a change of scene. Despite having 25 years of experience, work was tough to find so he scrapped his car last February to pay off his bills. In October, he went on universal credit as a last resort. Since then, not one call has come in for work.
Monday
I called Universal Credit at 9am to find that my first payment was blocked on the premise that I “failed to provide my income and expenses” when in actual fact I presented my bank statements and tax calculation personally at an appointment with an adviser last Monday. Maybe it was the banter, they don’t like that. Must be more robotic next time, more downtrodden, quietly beaming with eternal gratitude.
My first payment had been due last Thursday, but nothing arrived. The week before that, I sold the telly and the work radio to Cash Converters, but the haul wasn’t enough to pay the monthly self-assessment tax bill – so I gambled on a horse and lost. HMRC have now given me three months’ grace so the heat’s off till January. I should cancel the telly licence now it’s gone.
Today I have four or five eggs, bread, butter, some milk and a bit of cheap cereal, using up what was in the house – eggs on toast in the morning and afternoon, and cereal in the morning.
Tuesday
I went out at about 11, checked the balance at the cashpoint, still nothing, so it was time to pawn the ring. He gave me £170 for it this time: £20 on the card to pay the telly licence and the rest in cash. On the way out I noticed a pre-owned gold pendant, inscribed “Daddy”, and imagined how it got there. Pawnbrokers, the last outpost before the desert.
Out on the street I stopped and wondered what to do. First thought was to go straight to the supermarket, get food and roll-ups, and return to the flat to rot away like a good boy. Then I saw it in my mind’s eye – a pint. Within a short second I pressed the old fuck-it button and dashed off to Wetherspoon’s to get drunk. It’s awful to say but whenever I get money it goes so quick it hardly seems worth having. One day it’s there, the next it’s gone.
I paid the minimart back for the tub of water (£1.79) and went home.
I skipped my meals today, but at home in the evening I had leftover cereal.
Wednesday
Universal Credit didn’t call as promised yesterday so I called just now to see what’s happening. Apparently there’s an unidentified gateway intervention blocking payment. All sounds very Star Wars. I’ve waited six weeks for my first payment and this is now the sixth day of delay after that.
The call that was promised yesterday has now been escalated to an “urgent” call, due by tomorrow 6pm latest. It’s a finely tuned mess. The money won’t come until tomorrow at the very earliest so I’m stuffed.
There are four eggs left and bread and butter but I’m out of roll-ups and loo roll. Both ends stuffed. It’s a beautiful day so I should at least have a walk in Brockwell Park.
The guy at Greggs was a little angel, gave me two sausage rolls instead of one, £1.20. Back home, at just before 5pm, I got a message from the jobcentre. I’m to attend a meeting on Friday morning. Only then will they release payment, which means I’m screwed for the rest of the week. There’s no explanation, no apology, not a twitch of concern.
There’s eight quid left in the bank but no roll-ups. That’s a drag, but I do have two unopened packs of eight-year-old Marlboros. I just tried one and they’re pretty rank. The neighbour came over for tea in the evening and gave me some tobacco, even lent me a twenty for food tomorrow. He’s a lifesaver.
So today I had two pieces of toast with butter, one egg fried, and then later some eggs on toast and the Greggs sausage rolls.
Thursday
I skipped breakfast and went out at about half-eleven to get the shopping. With eight in the bank, five in shrapnel and 20 from my mate it was decided that I’d go to Wetherspoon’s for three conciliatory pints of Punk IPA. They were gorgeous. At Lidl I got lamb mince, mushrooms, shallots, spaghetti, chopped tomatoes, apples, grating cheese, milk, a carrot and a bottle of red, £18.08. Back home I got the sauce going and relaxed with the wine and a few ghastly Marlboros. The spaghetti bolognese will give me two meals a day for the next three days.
Friday
Took the bus for the 9.30 appointment at the jobcentre, where I met a nice chap who took me through my work commitments. It was then that I found out what I’m supposed to live on: £275 a month. This came as a real kick in the gut and there’s no two ways about it – I need to find work pronto. Once my commitments were confirmed on the system, he said that the transfer usually only takes 10 minutes to go through, but latest it would go through was 8pm.
I spent £28.64 on beer at the pub and then left to go to a cashpoint. The money was there.
Tearing the notes from the guts of the cashpoint I went off to get roll-ups and tobacco, costing £18.60. For a few seconds I thought of just going home, but then the flavour came on and I was straight back at Wetherspoon’s. This time, I played a fruit machine and in half an hour I’d drained the account to £80. I know I’m a nutcase but gambling’s always been the story of my life. It started in amusement arcades when I was seven.
That was it after that, three more pints and then a waddle to the bookies to have the rest away. Went for a couple of games of pool then spaghetti bolognese at home and early bed. Pure insanity.
Saturday
I woke up and realised what I’d done. Unutterable despair and doom. A cold shiver ran through me. The old death shiver. I have no more water but I do have two quid coming back from a non-runner at Ayr yesterday, so I’ll have to trudge back to the bookies in the drizzle and grab a tub. I can’t live without tea but it looks like I’m back on the “Dead Man’s Diet” until I get a job. The diet consists of tea (with or without milk) and whichever scraps may be left lying around. Then it’s simply a case of staying alive till the next bit of money turns up.
My next dole payment is about a month away, so I’m screwed. I never was one for budgeting. My sister texted at midday so I went up to town in the afternoon and met her for a few beers. She paid. I told her about my mishaps, not all of them, then we trundled around Soho for a little while. She lent me a twenty then I got the bus back via the supermarket for bread, butter, strawberry jam, eggs, tissue paper and red wine (£13.40).
That evening I had eggs on toast, and earlier in the day I had a couple of slices of toast with jam and marmite.
Sunday
I need to find a job, any job, just to keep things ticking along. The knee’s gone so I can’t really paint any more. I have to click the leg back into place when I get up from the floor. Very annoying, especially when it won’t go back in. Maybe driving or a washing-up job. There’s not an awful lot out there but let’s see.
The spag bol’s gone and I’m down to eggs, butter, a large slice of bread and a bit of milk.
Jane and Dave
Work in green energy and teaching
Jane, 35, and Dave, 48, live in Glasgow. Jane works for a green energy organisation and Dave is a teacher for children with additional support needs. Dave’s vegetarian and Jane has been vegan for about 15 years. They plan meals carefully each week to avoid the expense and wasting food. This is something they’ve always done, even when in a good financial situation. Jane has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Dave has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Sunday
Our area of Glasgow is ridiculously walkable, and so dense with cafes and delicatessens it’s been dubbed the brunch capital of Scotland. Since neither of us drive (thanks, sub-par ASD spatial awareness!), we shop on foot. Usually, we visit three very nearby shops: the greengrocer’s, then either the world-food store or the refill shop (depending on what’s needed), and lastly the supermarket for the few remaining items.
In the morning we spend £15 which goes on a cinnamon bun, spicy lentil soup and sourdough, and two coffees at a local vegan cafe.
Dave usually cooks dinner, but today I make a big winter vegetable soup. Cabbages, carrots, turnips, tatties, parsnips, barley grains, and fennel (OK, a mostly winter vegetable soup – the fennel’s an unseasonal cheat). With buttered slices of fancypants supermarket olive bread. It’s cosy, it’s herby, it’s chunky – it’s perfect for the season. Snacks are a pear from the grocer’s shop and a few squares of dark chocolate.
Monday
My cereal is strawberry and oat supermarket-own-brand, with oat milk, and coffee, also with oatmilk. Yes, that’s a lot of oats. I’m Scottish. We like a lot of oats.
Every morning except Saturdays, Dave has a 1-litre Huel “meal replacement” shake: 500 calories of vanilla-flavoured plant-based protein and a wide range of other daily nutrients. Some use it to lose weight, others to gain weight. Dave uses it to battle the very common ADHD problem of forgetting to eat then snacking unhealthily, and expensively. Since making this change, Dave says he starts every day fed well and cheaply.
Lunch for me is leftover cold pasta from Saturday. Buttered, with olives, capers and tomatoes.
On getting home from work between 4pm and 5pm, Dave has a ramen noodle snack to tide him over until dinner, bulked out with dried mushrooms and tofu. This is the same nearly every weekday.
The vat of winter vegetable soup was big enough to swim in, so Dave reheats it for today’s dinner as well, and brings it to me at my work desk. Snacks are a couple of Hobnob biscuits and the ubiquitous dark chocolate.
I drink tea, coffee, water, and hot chocolate near-constantly as one of my medication side effects is a dry mouth. I reuse the loose tea leaves and coffee grounds twice, because I am thrifty and/or scummy, possibly both.
Tuesday
After breakfast (granola and oat milk again) and my morning work shift, I do some baking. I make up a crumble with Bramley apples, and free bramble berries I foraged in a local park and froze. I love a free bramble, me.
I also try a pumpkin pie, with a pre-made pastry sheet and the frozen and defrosted pieces of our Halloween pumpkin. I didn’t have time to cook with these on 1 November, but I didn’t fancy binning so much potential pie filling, either.
Lunch is more winter vegetable soup. And freshly made crumble with some coconut-milk ice-cream. I’ve also tried roasting up the pumpkin seeds with sugar and cinnamon.
Dave got hungry on the way home and grabbed salty crisps from Lidl, and some ramen when he got home. That evening, he chops up and seasons tatties for spicy potato wedges to go with the affectionately named recipe Sausage Inna Bun for dinner.
Wednesday
Dave’s breakfast is Huel, as ever. And lunch. Mine is coffee and two perfectly chilled slices of the DIY pumpkin pie.
My lunch is the last of the winter vegetable soup, plus leftover homemade tattie wedges.
Dave buys a two-month supply online of ramen noodles, because they take only three minutes to prepare. Bulked out with tofu plus raw veggies, it’s actually nutritionally OK (barring the boatload of salt, obviously).
Dinnerwise, Dave’s out at an ADHD support group. So he grabs takeaway chips and cheese, then comes home and pops a quick panful of salty popcorn.
For now, our doctors have pronounced him in damn good shape for nearly 50 years old – but someday one of them will probably bring up that salt intake … Myself, I’m working an evening shift and haven’t time to make dinner, so have an apple and raisin cereal bar, a few bites of dark chocolate, and a doughnut.
Thursday
Yesterday evening, I opted for a £4 “Magic Bag” on the Freegan app Too Good to Go. For the price, you get a bag from your chosen grocery shop/bakery/restaurant of whatever’s unsold and about to be binned at the day’s end. It can be a neat way to try out somewhere new, and you usually get about £15-£40 of food. Plus, it saves food waste.
Today’s lunch is Magic Bag deli sandwiches: a vegan pesto, butternut squash and spinach salad concoction. And a Magic Bag pot of fruit salad. It’s got mangoes, strawberries and blueberries. I am a lucky woman. Breakfast was strawberry oat granola, coffee, soymilk for me, and (as ever) Huel for Dave.
For us, dinnerwise, it’s a colourful homemade stirfry of seasoned-up red cabbage, radishes, onions and soya beans (edamame). And supermarket Japanese dumplings (gyoza). It’s one of the pricier meals this week. For snacks, dark chocolate, some pumpkin pie, and half a £1 bag of spicy chickpeas from the Indian grocery aisle.
Friday
Breakfast is branflakes and coffee, both with oat milk. For Dave, it’s another double-whammy breakfast and lunch of Huel.
This evening’s menu plan was samosas, roast cauliflower and lentil dal, but it’s a pal’s birthday party so we’ll have food when we’re out instead. Dave eats the samosa anyway.
Saturday
It’s the last day before the food shop and I’m busy with a project. So today’s eats happen at no particular time, and read like a greatest hits of the week’s food. Reheated edamame and veggie stirfry bulked out with extra tofu (because protein), the rest of the spicy chickpeas, the last slice of pumpkin pie, dark chocolate and a portion of fruit crumble. Oh, and some Quorn nuggets. And maybe more coffee than was good for me.
Oluwatosin*
Refugee from Nigeria
Oluwatosin*, 36, is a counsellor from Nigeria who was very recently granted leave to remain in the UK as a refugee in December 2023. She came to the UK in 2020 and was seeking asylum for three years. She lives in the north of England. The Home Office pays for accommodation for her and her seven-year-old son, and she is given £90 a week to pay for everything else, which means about £60 on groceries each week. She is supported by the St Augustine’s charity in Halifax, where she also volunteers three times a week. Oluwatosin is hoping to start work in the counselling sector now that she has been granted leave to remain.
Saturday
For breakfast I had pancakes, sausages and hot chocolate. This is not something we usually have: this was my son wanting something different on that day. I made the pancakes from scratch, using eggs, milk and flour. My son is a fan of pancakes.
For lunch I had jollof and fried rice, with a fish and vegetables salad. Jollof rice is made from blended tomatoes, peppers and onions, and fried rice with a mix of vegetables. As it was a weekend I had time to cook all this, but I made just enough for the two of us so there weren’t any leftovers.
For dinner we had some cereal. We had a smaller meal as we weren’t too hungry. Sometimes when we have a larger lunch we will have a much smaller dinner.
In terms of my son’s meals, he has been showing a pattern of skipping meals in recent weeks. He occasionally skips dinner, explaining that he isn’t hungry and doesn’t feel like eating. Despite skipping meals, he tends to snack frequently throughout the day. He also enjoys his cheese strings and grapes. When asked about his reduced appetite, he says he feels satisfied. Thankfully, there have been no signs of weight loss or diminished energy levels.
Sunday
For breakfast this morning we had some toast with grapes and other fruits. We had the toast with tuna and mayonnaise, to make sure we had some protein with our breakfast. I try to have as many different fruits as possible with my son.
For lunch we had a potato-chips and vegetable omelette – I usually have fresh potatoes and chop them myself, but in this case that’s all we had. We had this with spinach. Although my son can sometimes be a bit fussy, he is a fan of omelettes.
Fruit salad, tomato and broccoli: we had a lighter dinner due to having had lots of vegetables throughout the day.
Monday
For breakfast, we had akara, which is blended and fried beans, with some custard. The beans are from the African shop and already peeled. The custard was from Aldi.
My son has a packed lunch, which I prepared, and which changes throughout the week. Today it’s pasta with tomato sauce and grapefruit, and some cheese strings. Although my son is entitled to free school meals, which he used to have, I now prefer to make his lunch for him so I know he is getting his nutritional needs.
I skipped lunch that day as I was volunteering as a case worker at a refugee and asylum seeker charity called St Augustine’s, and I was busy and didn’t think to stop for lunch.
My son skipped dinner as he said he wasn’t too hungry, but I had fried eggs and chips.
Tuesday
Me and my son both had boiled potatoes with some eggs and tomato sauce for breakfast before going to school. The tomato sauce was made with some onions, with some scrambled eggs through it.
We both had the same lunch, which was white rice with beans and a tomato-based sauce. As usual, I had packed this for my son to take with him to school. I pre-made the sauce in the morning from onions and some bell peppers.
We both had a smaller dinner of some plain noodles with boiled eggs, as we had a large breakfast and lunch so weren’t too hungry.
Wednesday
For breakfast we both had fried plantain with some porridge. I prepared my son’s lunch, which was a tuna sandwich with a banana and cheese strings.
I skipped my lunch today. Sometimes skipping lunch doesn’t impact me, but today I had a mince pie at work because I got quite hungry.
For dinner we had homemade fried chicken made within the airfryer. I also made the sauce, and the chips were frozen and what I had left in the freezer. We had this with apples.
Thursday
For breakfast we had bread with fried eggs. My son also had some jam on toast and some hot chocolate, while I had a breakfast tea.
For lunch I had some white rice with tomato stew and chicken. My son also had this for his packed lunch at school. With mine I added some beans, but my son isn’t a fan so didn’t have some.
For dinner we both had fried plantains with some porridge oats. We have breakfast food for dinners to save time sometimes, and it’s not always easy to think of what to eat. I know that oats are healthy with fibre.
Friday
For breakfast we had white rice and a chicken curry sauce which I made especially, although the rice was leftovers from dinner the night before. I made the curry sauce with coconut milk and carrots, bell peppers and chicken. Just because I wanted to have a change from what we usually have.
My son and I had the same lunch, which was noodles and eggs. We had a smaller dinner of toast with fresh orange juice as we weren’t too hungry as we had a much bigger lunch.
Abdul Jamial
Second-year undergraduate student
Abdul Jamial is a second-year undergraduate student from Hull studying law at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is also a food ambassador for the Food Foundation, a charity that campaigns for a better food system whereby everyone in the UK can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.
Friday
For breakfast I had three wheat biscuits. The Tesco own-brand is half as cheap as Weetabix and nutritionally the same. I use no-sugar nutty almond milk by Alpro alongside it as it is only 13-15 kcal per 100ml. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I use a spoonful of no-sugar-added orange marmalade.
I have been working hard to eat healthily recently so I thought I deserved to treat myself to a less stringent diet for the week. I haven’t eaten fried chicken since the summer and so for lunch I spontaneously went out to eat KFC with a friend, buying a six-piece “bargain” bucket meal and two wings for £15.18. I tried to use my student discount but as the store did not have any signal or free wifi, I couldn’t.
I don’t normally eat out, but at dinnertime I used the website TheFork to book a table at the restaurant The Real Greek for a 50% discount against the à la carte menu. I bought Greek flatbread (£3.80), hummus (£6.00) and fried kalamari (£8.40). With the 50% discount, the total came to around £10 including service charge.
Saturday
I skipped breakfast as I woke up late. I don’t normally have breakfast.
At lunch I bought a reduced melon pack at Tesco Express (only reduced by 14p to £1.13) alongside a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich. It was rainy and cold, but many nearby cafes require you to buy something expensive to eat in to shelter with warmth.
I quite liked the melons and so I picked up honeydew melons and big juicy oranges for £3 from Morrisons. I chopped these up and left them for whenever I was hungry for a snack. As I did a food shop today and ate out the previous day, I reverted to my usual homemade dinners.
I typically do my shops from Tesco as often their reduced ranges are more extensive. Today I left chicken drumsticks out to thaw and when I got home, made a jerk marinade with Dunns River seasonings and natural fat-free yoghurt. I threw these in the oven.
Sunday
Today was a day spent in the LSE library. As I normally don’t have breakfast, I typically get a drink to tide me over. The drink prices these days really put me off, with most drinks more than £1. I bought a can of Pepsi Max as it was the cheapest (75p) with zero sugar and no calories.
There are loads of places to buy food on the Strand [near the LSE]. But I need to be careful how I spend my money. I can’t go to Itsu, Wasabi or Starbucks every day. But I also try to be mindful when it comes to buying cheap food items. For example, a cheese and onion bake from Greggs costs £1.85. One bake uses up 75% of the recommended saturated fats for the day. A great price but not the best nutritional intake. So I opt for a Tesco meal deal, buying an egg-mayo sandwich, protein yoghurt and an Innocent smoothie for £3.40.
I came home from university late so I couldn’t be bothered to wait 40 minutes for the oven as I wanted to get in bed. I diced some chicken breasts and mixed it with mixed periperi and barbecue seasonings, and boiled some mixed frozen veg. It was inexpensive and quick, but not very filling, so I steamed some dumplings as a dessert.
Monday
Skipped breakfast again.
At lunch, the Christmas lights on the Strand were pretty and inspired me to get a festive smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich with a cheese twist.
Later on, I did a shop at the Food Warehouse as they do great frozen foods. So for dinner I had some battered fish, and garlic and chilli breaded calamari. I also had some of the leftover melon and oranges from a couple of days ago.
Tuesday
I have breakfast today – wheat biscuits and marmalade.
It was a cold rainy day and I didn’t fancy another cold lunch from Tesco or Sainsbury’s, so I went to [the Japanese restaurant chain] Marugame Udon and bought their small kake udon noodles for £4.95, which included hot soupy udon noodles. This is the cheapest substantial meal I’ve found in central London. I wouldn’t have this regularly as it isn’t very nutritious.
For dinner I bake frozen vegetable lasagne, with barbecue chicken thighs and boiled frozen vegetables.
Wednesday
Woke up quite late and feeling ill. I wanted to eat something hearty and warm to make me feel better. I made beef and onion dumplings in a quick beef stock with some vegetables.
I was still peckish, so I decided to put some garlic bread in the oven and have that as a side. By the time I finished eating, it was around 12pm, so I decided it was brunch instead and I skipped lunch so I could get on with some work.
I felt a bit better later on and had booked to go to the cinema with friends. I decided to get popcorn from the supermarket to eat during the film. When I got home, I didn’t have time to make anything substantial, so I just had an apple and went to bed.
Thursday
I skipped breakfast and then had meetings across the city so didn’t have much time to get lunch.
By 6pm I was hungry. Watching TikTok on the bus, I saw an enticing video of a baked camembert and I decided to give it a try. The camembert and bread came to £5, but the amount of saturated fats was not worth the underwhelming taste – I’d stick to cheddar.
I was a bit full, but I knew I hadn’t eaten all day so I microwaved some leftover chicken drumsticks to make sure I had a wider variety of nutrients.
