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Couple’s food spending revealed as five-yearly grocery bill hits $27,000

A married couple had no idea just how much money they were spending on food until they got a professional to tally it up. The results shocked them.

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A married couple’s out of control food expenditure has been revealed on a reality show, shocking themselves and the hosts.

Season two of the popular show Eat, Shop, Save is now available to stream on Foxtel, with the first episode profiling the spending and eating habits of the Bassett family, who are based in the UK.

Fiona and Dan, parents to daughters Jessica and Amy, admitted they couldn’t afford to spare much money, making their food bill all the more shocking.

The pair guessed that, over a five-year period, they had spent between $6300 to $7200 on takeaway food.

They were well off the mark, with the junk food addicted family having forked out a colossal $27,000 over five years on takeout alone.

“Oh my god. I’m speechless,” Dan, 34, said.

“It’s absolutely out of this world.”

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Fiona and Dan had no idea how much they were forking out on food alone.
Fiona and Dan had no idea how much they were forking out on food alone.

To make it even more horrifying, Dan and Fiona had been eating 6000 calories between them daily, with nutritionists calculating they were consuming up to 167 different ingredients everyday thanks to processed foods.

“I could eat a kebab every single night,” Dan admitted.

“A kebab is exciting every time you eat it.”

Dan’s day on a plate. Yup.
Dan’s day on a plate. Yup.

Clearly he meant that statement literally, with his weekly kebab bill totalling $108.

On top of that, Dan enjoyed two chocolate bars a day, as well as four packets of potato chips and a pie and a sausage roll for lunch.

He decided he needed to turn his life, and finances, around for their youngest daughter, Amy, who has Down syndrome.

“She is my life, to be honest,” Dan said.

“I’m not ready to go yet, I need to be here for her.”

Turning to fresh produce, home cooking and cutting takeaway completely, Dan and Fiona managed to slash their weekly food bill by 50 per cent, saving around $1080 over eight weeks.

Dan also lost a whopping 13kg over those eight weeks, while Fiona dropped 5kg.

“I drive past the kebab shop and don’t even look at it anymore,” Dan said.

“That money now I’m putting away.

“I’m chuffed, chuffed to bits.”

Eat, Shop, Save is available to stream on Foxtel

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/couples-food-spending-revealed-as-fiveyearly-grocery-bill-hits-27000/news-story/81ec9a26ef4bd25deb8d3d87a1abbb85