Grocery Shopping budget thread

Kcmcc80

Thanks for that will take a look at the threads thank you again x

FairyPrincessk

Hi Karen,

We eat soups, warm salads, pies, roasts, one pot meals and all sorts. I find it helps to try to have several cheap nights--i.e. we usually have soup at least one a week, a warm salad at least once a week and a "leftover" meal or jacket potato one night. By "leftover" I mean if we have a roast chicken, after dinner, I take all the chicken off and use it to make a chicken and leak pie later in the week. If it is a big enough chicken this usually makes enough chicken and leak filling to put half in the freezer for another night.

I also always eat leftovers for lunch. When possible OH also eats leftovers, when it isnt then he takes sandwiches-it may cost us a few pounds to get things for sandwiches but probably less than one day's bought lunch would be.

For breakfast we rotate--porridge (do our own, not instant!) OH eats Aldi brand wheatabix, or I often have aldi greek yoghurt with fruit. This week I fancied a change so i made bagels--I made 10 for well under 50p.

For snacks, We buy fruit, nuts, and there is always toast, vegetables cut into sticks etc. The rule for snacks is we each have £2/week for these. As we are both quite active this is probably a very generous budget, but it keeps OH for visiting the vending machine for choccie bars and crisps while out!

We do buy juice, but only have it in a small glass once a day--think a spirit glass. This is a serving. We both love juice and miss it, but it is too costly and not healthy to drink loads. Apart from wine, coffee, tea and herbal tea bags this is the only beverage we buy--no fizzy drinks etc.

I try to bake something each Sunday--usually a cake of some sort which we have for pudding during the week. We also usually have a bit of fruit with our evening meal, or sometimes in lieu of the cake. This is probably a bit extravagant. I can't usually make a cake as cheaply as I could buy one in Aldi--esp. things like battenburg, but I enjoy the baking and would rather know what we're eating. Plus, we usually have the oven on for dinner on Sunday night so I may as well use the other rack.

GlasweJen

I'm wearing training wheels and I managed last month to feed myself for £80. I upped the budget this month to £90 as I need to make lunches for work but long term I hope to cut my food budget down to £70 a month and make it include toiletries which it doesn't at the moment.

Reading through old threads on this board has helped. So has meal planning, being mindful of what I have in the fridge so that I'm not wasting food and writing a shopping list.

ETA making your own cakes and biscuits saves loads. I use value butter and flour, batch cook and ice cakes then pop them in a tub and freeze. If you take however many you want out a few hours before you have them they're fine and much nicer than store bought rubbish.

lucylollipop

Each month, I feed myself on week days, and my boyfriend Friday - Sunday. I allow myself a budget of £140, but I want to bring this down to around £100. I managed it as a student, so I don't see why I can't do it now - obviously having higher disposable income is bad for my spending! I want to save this year, so keeping track of grocery spending definintely helps. I meal plan a lot, and keep lists of what's in my fridge/freezer/store cupboards.

Eliza_2

I pretty much agree with the other responses. I spend £20 - £25 a week, including dog and cat food (I have one of each)

Less would be possible, but it would then be very carb heavy and seriously boring. I'm lucky that I work from home most days, only have to take lunch on one day (at the moment it's usually soup though, as it's been so cold)

I eat very little meat like the others, shop at Aldi, use masses of veg - fresh super 6, frozen and tinned. I tend to have a standard list which experience has shown me I can make lots of meals out of. Tins of mackerel and tuna, cheese, tins of toms, chick peas and baked beans and some mince are usually on the list. I usually make lots of mince and veg mixtures, then freeze in small single portions. When I want to eat them I add herbs or tomatoes or passata or whatever I fancy to bulk them up and have as a meal with veg and pasta or whatever.

One thing I do which I know is really just game playing, is to shop a day later, so not the same day a week. Last week I shopped on Monday, this week I've just looked in the cupboards and fridge and I can last until tomorrow, even Wed if really pushed. As I live 8 miles from the town, I have to seriously factor in the cost of the petrol so any journey has to combine several tasks at once for the week ahead - so much planning drives me nuts but is a necessary evil I'm afraid.

A good thing about cooking for yourself is that you don't have to impress or produce a 'proper' meal. A pile of veg topped with a big dollop of butter, grated cheese and lots of black pepper with a side order of tomato ketchup is yummy, hardly cordon bleu but who cares when you're on your own.

You're in the right place for advice, good luck with it.

Ilona

Another singleton here. £15 per week does me. I buy very few toiletries as people tend to give me stuff they don't want, and I use things very sparingly. Value baby shampoo, baby bath foam, and baby lotion, does the job, what more do you want. In fact I am experimenting with using only water in the bath. You can scrub yourself clean with a rough sponge or a pair of those rough bath gloves. It works, it's not the soap that cleans you, it's the scrubbing which is important.

I don't go down some of the aisles in the supermarket, biscuits, cakes, sweets, fizzy drinks, crisps and snacks are not food, they are junk and I don't need them.

I buy lots of yellow stickers at 9pm, food is a fraction of the real price. I don't eat any meat, haven't done for 25 years, don't need it, and I am healthy. I cook from scratch. Big pans of stew, soup, curry, eat the same meal three days running. If I don't fancy it I freeze portions in margarine tubs, instant home made ready meal.

The only cleaning items I buy are cheap wash up liquid, and cheap thick bleach for the lavvy, from the discount stores. You don't need all the fancy cleaners, diluted wash up liquid does the job. I buy washing powder in bulk from a cash and carry. A humungus box lasts me five years. I only wash clothes when the are visibly dirty or smell.
Ilona

Eliza_2

Haha! I was going to say I bet Ilona will be along in a minute!

I think the risk is that those of us who have been cutting down over the years and are now really good at keeping a low budget and doing without lots of things that others might still deem necessary, could put off people who are just starting out on the journey, who might just be at the stage of cutting down a brand and so on. Early steps and don't beat yourself up about not being able to get costs as low as Ilona. Also if you go to work, your clothes need to be very clean and ironed, and you probably need to buy more. Horses for courses. My day off today and I'm the scruffiest oik in the world, but wouldn't dress like this for a day at work. If I didn't go out to work I would be a scruffy oik always!

I do agree however about cleaning materials, I also use washing up liquid, bleach, washing soda and cheap washing powder (I tried home made gunk but it left the whites grey and wasn't really any cheaper)

I find it helps me to relate everything I buy to work. So if I do a £16 shop, then that's 2 hours work in one job I do, or nearly 3 hours working in the shop. I then have to decide if that's worth it. It isn't always.

Toonie

I spend between £15 and £20 per week as that is all I have to spend on food. Like everyone else, it is the cheaper meals (veggie soup, stews etc) which help to balance out the more expensive meaty meals. What you need to do is find a figure your happy with as cutting from £150 per month down to £60 would be extremely difficult and you would most likely hate it. However, cutting down slowly would be good.

krustylouise

Hi,

Just after a little idea of how much I should be aiming for as far as Grocery budget is concerned. There just DD (5years) and myself, oh and our cat

I work full time and take lunches to work, DD has packed lunches at school. DD goes to breakfast club week days, so don't need to buy much in for breakfast (weekends only) as I too eat when I arrive at work.

So what do you wonderful people suggest I be spending?

TIA x

BitterAndTwisted

£25 a week, max

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/