Grocery Shopping budget thread

Hippeechiq

loupoppins wrote: »

Great thread! It has inspired me again to look at trying to further reduce our grocery budget:D!
We are a family of 8. 2 adults, and 6 kids aged 12,10,8,6,4 and 2.
Admitedly the 4 and 2 year old don't eat huge ammounts. The 12 and 10 year old seem to eat more than me and dh though LOL
At the moment I spend on average £90 a week. That includes toiletries, cleaning stuff, nappies for ds2 (was in washable ones till recently, now potty training).Also includes our Friday night bottle of wine! I make packed lunches for all dc for school/nursery.We NEVER eat out, and me and dh would have a take-away maybe 3 or 4 times a year for a treat!We do have a dog, but this figure doesnt include her food. She costs around £25/month.
I cook pretty much everything from scratch.I bake a lot of cakes/biscuits,though do buy some sometimes too. I sometimes make my ownbread, but mostly must admit buy this. I often shop late and stock up on bargains!I buyb whole chickens/gammon joints/other joints etcand get 2 or 3 meals out of them.
I feel as if I try hard! But tbh I bet if I looked at it carefullyI could get it down more!;)

Wow!! That's some impressive housekeeping skills loupoppins

You clearly try very hard indeed :T - maybe you could give the rest of us some tips?

notjustlaura

Thanks all for such a useful and supportive thread.

My household is me plus two felines and I've been spending more than some of you use for a family of five! I'm not trying to negatively compare myself - as people have said, we're all different - but I've found it really motivating to read through the previous posts.

I think I'm a compulsive shopper or something as I seem unable to go to a supermarket/any food shop really and come out with nothing. I think I justify it by saying: 'It's food and therefore *needed*.' Whereas I'd resist makeup or a new dress because they are (to me) extra, luxury items at present.

Things have to change and I really love the way the users here have formed it into a game rather than a trial with all the challenges and great support.

Thank you.

loupoppins

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Wow!! That's some impressive housekeeping skills loupoppins

You clearly try very hard indeed :T - maybe you could give the rest of us some tips?

Thanks Hippeechiq
I do tend to make everything from scratch, I think that helps, butof course is time consuming and may not suit others. Not so bad for me as I have been a SAHM for 5 years! Although I am going to have to be more organised when I start my part time job next week!
If we have a roast I buy either extra large chicken, or large gammon joint etc...and try to stretch it to 3 meals. Sometimes I only manage 2! So first night will be roast, with lots of veg and homemade yorkshire pudds to bulk out! Then maybe a pasta bake or risotto, and then often if there's enough left a pie of some sort(ham and leek,chick and mushroom etc...)I make the pastry myself,works out quite cheap:D Make all my own sauces,white/tomato/cheese etc...so never have to buy expesive jars of sauce...etc..
If using mince (eg in cottage pie) I often bulk out a bit with lentils...
Sometimes buy cheaper cuts of meat...stewing beef,chicken thighs etc... and cook into casserole or similar in slow cooker.
Attempted for second year to grow my own veg...not hugely successful though:cool: Probably saved about £5 in 2 years LOL:rotfl:
I live very near to Morrisons, and pass on my way to and from school so pop in frequetly and buy up reduced fruit/veg. We normally manage to eat it all before it is past it's best, any that starts looking a bit sad I make a crumble/pie with etc..
Biscuits/cakes for lunchboxes I make a lot myself. When I dont have time I buy biscuits on special offer/value biscuits...the kids dont seem to mind LOL
Toiletries/cleaing stuff I buy whatever is on special offer...hardly ever pay full price, often half price or BOGOF
Also will stock up on things like rice,pasta etc when on special offer... same with cereals. Usually buy Morrisons value wholemeal loaves at 47p, but just stocked up on special offer wholemel loaves at 30p:D
We have second fridge/freezer in garage which helps for stocking uo on things that can be frozen...
Most of what I do buy is own brand or Value range....that includes kids fromage frais, tinned toms,frozen peas (when not in season),etc...won't buy value cornflakes though...tried that once LOL:p
Meal planing REALLY helps. Although I do sometimes adapt meal plans depending on what is on special offer etc...

I do seem to be on a constant quest to reduce our grocery bills even more LOL:rotfl:But I suppose with 8 mouths to feed it's never going to be that cheap LOL

EllieA_3

hi there,

Brief history... my husband got made reduntant back in november and we've been living with alot of debt which has been difficult to cope with under a single wage.

Untill now he'd been selling windows but the money was unreliable and with the current economic situation no one is in a position to buy.. i bought a trickle of money in anything from £0 - about £1000 per month, the months he bought in a £1000 we could survive reasonably well and no suprise the months he bought in £0 we where really in trouble and payment for various things where missed.

Anyway he's not been able to get a steady job and with the various up's and downs the windows thing was going to give us both a nervous rating so realising we where on a downward sprial and before our credit rating got trashed beyone repair we decided to re-morgage and release the £70,000 equity in our home.

That has all come though this month :Tyay:T and all the debt has been paid off and all the missed payments have been caught up on.

With just the bills and regular morgage we've worked it out that i as a sole income can just about cover the outgoings.

My husband used to work in IT but he got made redunant from that job 10 years ago and took a "filler" the filler ended up being his job for the next 10 years till this redundancy but he'd love to get back into IT and make a career for himself.

He's tried to apply for IT type jobs but his qualifications are obsolete and his experience is 10 years old and alot has changed so he can't find anyone who'll give him a chance.

We are thinking about sending him to collage/university he's seen the course he wants to do and we have enough money left out of the morgage money to cover the course fees but it would mean me being the sole earner long term.

This is where you lovely lady's and gents come in. I've worked out the bills and including setting alittle by for a emergancy/ repair/ clothing fund i can cover the bills but it only leaves us about £200 a month for food, my husband is going to look for an evening job which should give us some money to play with but in the meantime is £200 a month realistic for a family of 4 long term?

We've been surviving on less than this, but only because we've been eating out of a vast storecubord (almost empty) and with the help of family, but naturally we can't aim to live long term on handouts especially if we have chosen to become a single income family, so we'd need to figure out how to make £200 a month work.

Is £200 doable longterm?? if so how? hints and tips welcomed.

elf06

I didnt want to read this and run (just about to go to work) but personally I think that the £200 is easily doable with some careful mean planning. The other thing that is worth considering is whether or not you can get a fee waiver for his studying. Now I know that this is possible up here in Scotland and I am assuming it is possible in England aswell but I managed to study for free as I was in receipt of working tax credit. If I remember correctly you just need to be on some sort of income based tax credit (working tax credit, income support etc) and collages will allow you to study so many units per year for free............

knithryn

Well done on thinking through your finances and working out a budget.

On studying... what about doing a distance learning course. Each module could be paid for as you have the funds, and he could still aim for some sort of employment while doing it.
Could he offer his services for evening classes? Teaching learners how to use simple Word and Internet? It's very rewarding and is easy money.

On budget...
Suppose you buy a cheap chicken for Sunday lunch. This can last you two days (or more). Add in three more cheap meat days (eg cottage pie, bangers and mash, bacon in a pasta sauce) and a few non-meat days (cheesy stuffed jacket potatoes, veggie pasta bake etc) and you could easily manage on £50 a week.
You will find you need to shop carefully.
If you have a local market, use that for as much as you can. Buy washing powder etc when it is on offer, pretty much regardless of brand, drop your regular brands and drop down a level. Don't take any more than £50 with you when you go shopping.
Packed lunches for school kids/working parents, scour charity shops if you need 'new' clothes (I have acquired 4 smart suits for work, not paying more than £8 - and that was for an expensive Olsen linen one! - most were £5), you CAN do this.
If you don't already shop in Lidl/Aldi and have one nearby, then start. Even if you only buy loo rolls and washing powder there, you will save money.

Areas to be wary of....
Your fuel bills will go up in the winter, so prepare yourself. You might ask for fleecy blankets, wooly jumpers, thermal gear, hot water bottles etc as Christmas presents.
Start making Christmas presents for other people... eg buy a cookie jar in a charity shop and fill it with homemade biscuits or sweets. Or look out for books on the recipient's hobby.
If you have children who are old enough to do jobs, make the neighbours aware that they will cut grass/wash cars/put bins out/paint fences etc and let them earn their money for treats.

esmf73

Ellie A - Congratulations to you on thinking with your head screwed on - so many people don't. We're just about to go through this ourselves, having my husband earning a very high wage, then in April will be made redundant. So yes we have time to plan - but he won't sit down and do it with me, and it will be tough as we've got used to a certain lifestyle - so have the children.

Never mind - as soon as the children are back in school - so I have a bit of peace, I'll be looking through all the figures and working out what we need and what we don't need. Everything will come under scrutiny - including my own habits. Whilst finances are OK at the moment I'm going to invest in some containers that will keep food warm for the children so we can save £20 a week on school dinners. Will be reading your post with interest and let you know if I think of anything different.

[Deleted User]

EllieA - Firstly want to say Good luck to your hubby in whatever he decides to do and Congratulations to you for being such a supportive wife. A friend of mine wants to do some many new things and his wife won't support him at all - so difficult for me to watch.

I also just wanted to say that we are a family of 4 (kids aged 7 and 5) and i've done the last few months on £200. Unfortunately its gone to pot this month as MIL is staying with us. Can't wait to get back into routine when she has gone. Let me know if you want any help!

esmf73 - Welcome to Yorkshire!!

EllieA_3

Mostly it's a case of helping organising how to budget/meal planning etc.. i've done abit month to month but never had to stick to a hard and fast budget so i'm abit unsure where to begin.

mioliere

Good luck to you and your DH in your challenge! I think you've done really well to sort things out and make a plan. You could do no worse than look here for how to eat well and spend less on food http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/ This is Weez's highly-acclaimed blog; she has a thread on here, too, and is the master of making the pennies stretch as far as possible while still eating healthily. I hope everything works out well for you - you've made a great fresh start!