Groceries! Where am i going wrong???

xnatalie81x

I buy full fat milk - blue top and water it 1/2 and 1/2 to get semi and 1/4 milk to 3/4 water to make skimmed a 6pint blue top is 2.25. And 6pints of semi/skimmed is the same or you can make 12pints semi from 2.55 bottle full fat - saves me 2.25 a week as i use 12 pints blue top (or 24 pints semi :eek: ) a week!

anniestar

Well each to their own so to speak. I think what is vital is not to feel pressurised to do what you feel is "the right thing to do" we all have non negotiatible areas where trying to "save" is counter productive- like a diet that has nothing "nice" to break up the boredom. And it makes it far more likely to fail. However it is possible to eat really well on a very tight budget. But then again I adore cooking, we always eat really well(far too well to be honest:o ) and spend very little.
I was going to do a much longer post but am more tired than I thought I was(and am trying to watch the super bowl:o ) so will try again tomorrow(today )

rupe34

Hi Toni - feel I am joining this a little late - but I was so glad to see your post,as I always feel as if I must be super extravagant when I see the comments about food costs on SOAs!

We are a family of 5 - and I think I'm doing well if I keep the food/household shop down to £80 a week! Making a list and sticking to it is about as good as it gets with us (and believe me, if OH does the shopping he can take a list, swear he's read it and still come home with his own body-weight in cake and little else:rolleyes: ).

The only other thing that I've noticed is if you can buy a breadmaker and be disciplined about actually using it it makes a huge difference. When we do that, we can save £10 a week easily.

anniestar

I have re read the thread and would like to comment on a couple of things. Firstly I totally agree that everyone must do what is right for themselves and their own families. However, small changes are pretty easy to do and make a huge difference to a budget without compromising on taste and quality. I freely admit that I am one of the "obsessives":eek: talked about in an earlier posting, but thank God i am as we simply could not have managed over the last 6 weeks if i had not been one.
We eat well and yes occasionally have take aways(last night for instance) I make everything from scratch and yes I do work. But........ like i said I do enjoy it and no, I don't expect anyone to do some of the things I do. I bake pretty much everything, make soup like my life depended on it, batch cook, regularly make butter and always meal plan. But like I say i really enjoy doing it.
I would never ever pressurise anyone into cutting a food budget as like I said doing that makes it far more likely that it will seem like really hard work and being in debt is hard enough.
However I just want to comment on a couple of other points before I go(sorry I do go on I know!) Value fruit and veg is value simply because they are often not the "approved size" ie funny mushrooms and small apples.
Also the OS board is a very welcoming place. I didn't look at any board other than DFW for about 18 months but I have found loads of hints. tips and general friendliness on there in particular. Honest.
It saddens me that anybody thinks they are in some way "failing" on here be it in spending too much; not spending enough; cooking too much or spending too little time cooking. Being in debt sucks big time. We all do what we can, but everyone is different. There are no right and wrongs just different ways of aiming for the same thing.
Ann x

IsoChick

Our challenge this week is bread - OH eats tons of the stuff - more than my breadmaker can deal with!

This week we are trialling Mr T's 'Value' bread for sandwiches during the week. It's so cheap, so as long as it gets OH's seal of approval, we'll continue to buy it!

There are, however, some things I refuse to compromise on (mayo, ketchup, beans being some of them) and I refuse to buy cheap meat - I'd rather go without.

It's just a case of finding out what works for you and your family. Over the weekend I made chocolate bread and butter pudding, with pretty much storecupboard ingredients (and value bread). OH declared it a mouthwatering success!

Toni_Broke

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your great posts. I'm amazed how long this thread has kept going, i've had some great advice and support.

Yes being in debt sucks big time but i'm determined to dig us out of this hole.

The good thing is even when we've finally become debt free i know i will have a grocery budget for evermore!

Tonixx