How to work out what feeding your household really costs

Almost nobody knows what they spend on food. Not because they are careless, but because it leaves in small pieces: a market run, a top-up at the shop, a delivery on a night nobody could cook, a bag of ice, gas for the cooker.

Count for one month, not one week

A week is misleading. Big market runs happen fortnightly or monthly, so a week either misses one or is distorted by it. Take a month and divide.

What to include

• Market and supermarket, every trip
• Small top-ups, which are usually the largest hidden number
• Delivery and takeaway, including the ones you would rather not count
• Cooking gas or charcoal
• Food thrown away, which is money too

Then divide by meals, not by people

Take the monthly total and divide it by the number of meals your household actually ate at home. That number, cost per meal, is the only one worth comparing against anything.

Count the hours as well

A pot of egusi or ogbono at household scale is roughly four hours from starting to finishing. Multiply that by the nights someone cooks from scratch. Those hours have a value even though no money moves.

Our budget page has a calculator that does the hours arithmetic for you.

All notes