Grocery Shopping budget thread

Jazer

www.beyondbakedbeans.com is a website specifically aimed at students and those newer to cooking.
It has some good recipes and sections such as 'How to cut your food bill' and Budget and cooking tips'.

LegalBlonde

to OP, I have only ever started baking and cooking properly since I got broadband, if you google anything you will find a simple recipe.

I think you should be able to eat healthily for £10 a week - look at the recipes on here, get value brand stuff, I know it is tedious as I had to do it myself but there is a real wealth of info on here in the form of recipes and other people's meal plans.

My main tip for the supermarket which has saved me LOADS would be go STRAIGHT to the freezer section when you get there and get veg and meat and then go back through the fresh bit. All so much cheaper, you get more for your £ and obviously keeps fresh.

My tips for saving, which I often fail on would be don't be unrealistic when you are in the supermarket about snacks and lunches. As you are a student I think having your own lunch would be easier than when at work as you can go home sometimes, but make sure you count lunch as a meal. And get some cheap but satisfying snacks or else you will just end up spending a fortune in local shops.

I shudder at how much I used to spend on food at uni and really commend what you are doing. The closest I ever got to sharing food was when I moved in with a stranger and he suggested it and said I will get cheap stuff, I am so not fussy at all. We got there, he insisted on Clover butter, I was like okay some people funny about butter, got to bread and he said "oh no, i can only eat Warburtons". Then and there I told him to forget it LOL LOL

Rebekah24

£30 a month is doable

Check out the whoopsies and lowest lines- ie value, smartprice, basics

I tend to stick to soup, squash, water and tea... eat as little as possible!

Anjelika

Rebekah24 wrote: »

£30 a month is doable

Check out the whoopsies and lowest lines- ie value, smartprice, basics

I tend to stick to soup, squash, water and tea... eat as little as possible!

WOW! you have my absolute admiration - but watch out for the sugar in squash - consider fruity herbal teas which are as nice cold as they are hot - just let them brew for a long time to get the best value out of them



.

patchwork_cat

Go to the open market behind the main market for fruit and veg, seriously good value.

Bambywamby

My budget favs include: baked potatos with beans/cheese, beans/scrambled egg/spagetti/tomatos/sardines/ on toast, pasta with mushroom sauce (pasta with 1/2 tin of mushroom soup)or tomato and ham, hot dogs (when on offer) and home made pizza.


Good luck x x x

Courgette

abby1234519 wrote: »

I live in Leeds, I think the markets quite good for meat and food. I love pancakes but mum always told me off for eating too many!

I'm in Leeds too. You need to get yourself to the market in town late in day on Saturdays. The stalls down the bottom near the bus station are generally the cheapest but shop between them as they all have a different price for stuff. You know too that if the stall advertises say 20 satsumas for £1 you can ask for 10 for 50p for example? (ie you don't need to buy more than you need). The meat row indoors I believe is good value but I'm veggie so can't really help with that one I'm afraid.

If you can't get to town the greegrocers in Headingley are pretty good value as long as you buy the seasonal stuff (I'm assuming you live up there if you're a student). The Chinese supermarket near the market in town is good value for things like sauces and cooking equipment but take care you don't get sucked in to buying lots of exotic sounding goodies (I avoid the place for this reason :rolleyes:).

Pancakes - avoid these if you want to save money as the ingredients are quite expensive and they're quite fattening too

Good luck! :T

Courgette

Anjelika wrote: »

watch out for the sugar in squash - consider fruity herbal teas which are as nice cold as they are hot - just let them brew for a long time to get the best value out of them



.

or buy a small amount of fresh ginger or a mint plant and use this

Penelope_Penguin

abby1234519 wrote: »

I can cook and all that I just don't know where to start. I mean I need to have a breakfast, something like porridge, a decent lunch and a decent healthy meal. I'm trying to lose weight as well so....and I can bake and all that I just need to feed myself........

Whats the lowest I can spend and how do I do this?

I'll add this to the exisitng thread listing what people spend on groceries to give you more ideas about what people spend

Take a look at the Grocery Thread (Sticky at the top of the page) whcih will help you find and stick to a realistic budget.

Do a search for threads on here to help you with recipes - for instance there's a long thread of soup recipes - no need to spend your precious pennies on a book

Penny. x

mrs_moneyspinner

hello abby as you mentioned you want to watch your weight and your wallet, I would suggest you use some quorn mince sometimes as it is incredibly filling but lo fat and not just for vegetarians - at about £2 a bag you can get a good 3 portions of something like bolognaise, curry or (my favourite) spray oil the pan and fry up with mushrooms and peppers/onions flavoured with Jamaican Everyday Seasoning which I get in Sainnsburys it's in a red pot and is like a dried powder - if you mix this with rice, couscous or pasta, you could make yourself some nourising, cheap meals and cook them for a few days ahead. hope it helps.