Eating for virtually nothing

8pnoodles

I don't have a car so I'm limited to where I can walk to really. Luckily I live right in the centre of town so it's not hard to get to Tescos but i can only buy what I can carry, which means more little trips and no big monthly shop.

Again as storage space is so limited in my shared house, I have one shelf in the fridge, one freezer drawer, and one shelf in a cupboard for food and that's it!

And in my freezer drawer there's a tub of ice cream and a chocolate cake and they are BOTH my bloke's, not mine! *mutter grumble*

Gingham_Ribbon

The best way to shop on a tight budget is to make a price book.

You'll need a column on the left for the item description and then a column for each of the shops you can buy in. Eg Tesco, Sainsburies, Market, Other (for things like toileteries which you may get cheaper somewhere like superdrug or Wilkos.)

Then as you go round the shop, mark what price the items are in each shop and compare. Then you will know what to get in which place. This can make a huge difference.

8pnoodles

I have a funny feeling I'll be spending my weekends and evenings wandering round checking out the prices of things. Will stop me from sitting at home bored I guess!

I have 11 days to go until I get paid. I'm going to try and spend the minimum possible between now and then. 91p so far...

madfrenchgirl

or you can use my food planner which is based on Tesco's prices... If you plan your meals by the week, it wont be a probs.

Do you have a microwave at work? If so you could make your self some nice meals and bring them to work.

Also, Tesco has a price checker on their website if that helps.

calleyw

madfrenchgirl wrote:

Also, Tesco has a price checker on their website if that helps.

Personally I don't trust that price checker but maybe that is because I am cynical type of person.

It is handy but I don't trust it 100%. As according to a book I was reading the other day and this was when Morrisons where courting and taking over Safeway. So it may have changed that Asda and Morrison where the only ones that did not price flex. Which means charging what the local market will take and pay. They charge the same no matter where in the country you are.

Not that I have ever checked the same supermarkets in the local area to see what they are charging the same.

Yours

Calley

squeaky

There's a thread in the Shopping section of the MEGA Index that has several comparison sites listed in it if that will help a bit more?

spingers

it's coming into chestnut season mm mmmm, as mentioned earlier in the post I would heartily recommend Richard Mabey's food for free. I am a recent convert and can be found scouting the highways and hedgerows for berries and nuts.
The benefits are two fold, it's free and you get to enjoy the great outdoors.

culpepper

Dont know if anyone has mentioned yet...
Wartime cookery books like 'We'll eat again' or 'The victory cookbook' have loads of good recipes which are cheap and use up leftovers.Our library has both so yours probably does or could get them in.
Also 'Feed your family for £5 a day' by bernadine lawrence (paperback)

competitionscafe

Try your library or ebay etc for a second hand copy of Hard Up and Hungry which has some good budget recipes (aimed at students but obviously not just for them)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091904897/