How frugal can you be with food shopping?

scuzz

If you go shopping on a Monday morning, then you can pick up some real cheapo fruit and veg - according to Anthony Warrel Thompson! But then again, shopping at the end of the day sees a lot of knock down prices too - espcially Sunday's when everywhere has to shut early

I always look in the reduced sections - it's amazing what savings you can make just cos the tin's dented a bit!

starlite_2

Eeek..reading through this has made me feel really bad!
We have been trying to budget, but still spend about £60 per week for the two of us.

If I list what we generally buy/ eat can you give me some tips on where i can cut back?

starlite_2

we have a fantastic local market, where we buy lots of things.
Fruit and veg are usually £1 per 'scoop', and you get loads, we generally get 10 sweet bell peppers, 8 corn on the cob, 4 cucumbers, 15 ish oranges, bananas and apples, half a carrier bag of grapes, a carrier bag of potatoes, and sweet potatoes, 10 onions, 4 lettuces (what is the plural of lettuce? should it be letti !? hehehe), half a carrier bag of tomatoes and 6 mangoes..all for just £1 each! it's great.

There is a cheese stall too and we get two or three of feta, brie, smoked cheddar or other 'posh' cheeses, and a big block of mild cheddar - again they are all £1 for a big block.

We get either tuna steaks or squid from the fish stall (these are the only fish OH will eat), paying around 3 for enough for one meal.
We use the local butcher, where you can pick three packs of meat for £5...we usually get 4 chicken breasts, four steaks and 8 pork chops for a fiver.
Rice, pulses and spices/ condiments come from our local japanese shop, as do fruit and green tea bags. We sometimes pick up a pack of tiget prawns there too, you get 30ish for a fiver, and this last us ages.

We always get taste the difference sausages from the reduced section in sainsburys..paying around £1 for 6 ,I do the same with new covent garden soups - only buy reduced and then freeze them. We also get sainsburys own brand coffee, porridge and muesli

We buy small baguettes from a local shop for 40p as and when we need it, as we find it goes stale if we buy a big loaf.
I spend around a fiver in holland and barret on seeds and dried fruit.

We generally have fruit salad for dessert, sometimes with cream, and buy ben and jerries when it is bogof, as we only eat a little at a time so it lasts ages.
Biscuits and cakes come from the italian deli and are really cheap.

I have to use 'surcare' soap powder as I have sensitive skin which is expensive, but OH uses sainsburys basic powder. Cleaning products all come from the pound shops, and we use andrex loo roll as I find we use twice as much of the basic stuff so it's false eeconomy.

I think thats all..we buy a bag of ice from the newsagents every week and the odd thing if it's too late to go to the supermrket, but try to avoid it as it's so much more expensive.

Where can we cut back? We never buy ready meals or tinned foods and I've finally gotten OH to take lunch to work instead of buying it.

MrsB_2

starlite wrote:

Where can we cut back? We never buy ready meals or tinned foods and I've finally gotten OH to take lunch to work instead of buying it.

Sounds like you're already doing well to me. Easiest way to cut back is to look at what you're already buying and honestly look at how much (if any) you end up wasting / throwing away. We used to buy loads of fresh fruit and veg and end up binning it all cos I never got round to cooking it . Planning menus helps get round buying more than you need.

Dont go too mad too quickly though - it's much harder to stick to an unrealistic budget that makes you feel you're being deprived.

starlite_2

thanks- it is hard to see where we can cut back, we save loads by using the market and butchers, and always stock up if something we usually buy is on offer
We can't really cut back with the fruit and veg - we eat loads of it and I often make a batch of soup or smoothies if it's starting to go off.

I should have added that we buy a four pint of milk for £1 every morning ,and at the moment I'm spending about £4 per week on nesquick powder as it's my major pregnancy craving.

calleyw

Starlite,

You need to sit down with a cup of tea and collect all the recipts from shopping and see what you are actually are buying.

Are you buying extras like cat food etc. I only include things that can be comsumed by humans in my food budget. I also allow about £10 approx for washing powder, loo rolls etc per month. I do buy them at the supermarket but when I come to put it in the spread sheet I seperate them so I can see exactly what is spend on food. But as there are only two of us. A large box of washing powder and 16 loo rolls do last a while. So I normally use that £10 for stocking up while shopping.

£60 per week is not too bad for two people. But listen to me, my budget for food is £100 and that has been the same for the last 7 years. Mean git I am does not even rise with inflation :rotfl: .

Not sure what else to say really. If you are happy and can afford it and are heathly then leave it as it.

No point fretting and getting all het up about it.

Yours

Calley

starlite_2

Thanks, much of it isn't on reciepts as we only buy a few things from the supermarket.
We don't have any pets! and I get toiletries in boots when they have the free voucher promtoions, which saves money too.
I'm not drinking as I'm pregnant and won't be for a while if I succeed with breastfeeding, and OH usually has a bottle of gin and whisky in the cupboard but doesn't drink at home much so they last a couple of months at least.

We can afford it at the moment, but with baby on the way we need to start cutting back

skintchick

Hi Starlite - you mentioned desserts, biscuits and cakes. If you cut those out you'll save £s AND lbs!! I haven't bought desserts for years, and I don't miss them.

starlite_2

I don't really eat them, but OH is a chocoholic!
I have to allow him these small treats whilst I'm a 'kept woman'..teeheee

sooz

starlite wrote:

thanks- it is hard to see where we can cut back, we save loads by using the market and butchers, and always stock up if something we usually buy is on offer
We can't really cut back with the fruit and veg - we eat loads of it and I often make a batch of soup or smoothies if it's starting to go off.

I should have added that we buy a four pint of milk for £1 every morning ,and at the moment I'm spending about £4 per week on nesquick powder as it's my major pregnancy craving.

if you know anyone going to france soon, ask them to get you nesquick. it's sold in huge boxes and very cheap. i drank several tonnes when pregnant...

also think there is a weigh and save shop in eltham [s e london]. but the only time i was there was over 2 years ago...might have moved by now.