how the hell am I spending £200 a month on groceries

twirlypinky

ExNicotineQueen wrote: »

Just sending you some extra hugs twirly, hang in there girl. :grouphug:

Also, I found it extremely hard in the beginning with lists and budgeting, before my weekly shopping consisted of putting whatever I fancied in the trolley and to just stick it on the cards or overdraft. If you are spending roughly £50 per week, don’t do anything drastic like drop it down to £25 per week because you’ll only find yourself overcompensating in other ways. If you do find that you buy snacks (e.g. chocoloate/crisps/fizzy drinks from a vending machine or canteen at work) and you are not at the stage where you are ready to give them up, just make sure you buy the multipacks when you go shopping and just taken them in to work with you. I used to love crisps and at the beginning when I did my weekly budget I cut them out completely of the shopping thinking I do without them but yet all I was doing at lunchtime was going to the shop and spending 50p on the same bag of crisps that could have cost me 19p had I purchased the 6 pack multipack when shopping. Eventually I cut down and now don’t bother buying them at all, but that has all taken time and me realising what my limits are and that we don’t change our habits overnight.

Do things in gradual stages, drop it down by say a fiver per week for say a month and see how you get on and then take things from there. You have to start off small, it’s the small steps that make way for the eventual big changes. Good luck hon, if you’re ever feeling down about your situation or want to moan, PM me anytime. :A

thanks, that's really kind of you. I'll get there, I don't ever want to owe anyone any money ever again. I'm lucky really that most of my debt is interest free to family.

[Deleted User]

Hi!

There are 2 adults and 2 children in our family and we have finally settled at spending £40/week on shopping for everything for us all.
This includes all food, toiletries, cleaning products and even nappies atm!

We used to spend a lot more, but have realised it can be done!
We simply draw out £40 cash at the start of the week, write up a list and go round adding up as you go and once it's gone it's gone!
I usually spend £35 and then save £5 for extra milk and salad half way through the week.

Am on a mission to try and get my SOA as good as poss!

lilian1977

twirlypinky wrote: »

Like salad. I buy half a cucumber, celery, lettuce, radishes etc, and at the end of the week end up throwing half of it away because I've not eaten it. But I don't want salad every day of the week, sometimes I want other veg instead.

Perhaps for something like this you could buy different things that give you more, quick, options? For example, a bag of baby leaf spinach, some eggs, some tomatoes, a red pepper, celery and a courgette - could be used to make a salad, a spanish omelette, a pasta sauce (not with the eggs unless you can be bothered to make fresh pasta, which I doubt!) etc. You need to buy food that has multi uses to get the best use out of it. A cucumber will only be used in a salad, as will radishes. Celery, peppers, tomatoes, spinach - these all have multi uses.

twirlypinky

roxalana wrote: »

Apologies for only skimming the thread!

Me and my boyfriend houseshare after we had lived just with each other for a long time and it is a bit weird afer you are used to privacy. If you can afford it I would get a small second hand freezer to stick in your room so you can batch cook (stew, bolognaise, soup etc - see the threads about this).

We have got used to seeing each other in a less than perfect state! We pretend we don't see each other and don't mention it cos all embarrassed!

Failing that my ninja-style recipes are:

veggie omelette on toast (eggs don't need to be kept in the fridge!)
Veggie stirfry (sometimes with some pad thai sauce and peanut butter) with noodles or rice.
Pasta - especially pesto or pesto with a bit of creme fraiche in it if you are feeling flush! (also good for taking to work)
Try and cook things for your tea that you can take a portion to work the next day for your lunch.
Curry made with spices and the creme fraiche leftover from your pasta.

We are careful with our food shop but not as careful as we could be as we like getting treats and can afford to do so at the moment. We spend about £160 a month for 2 of us.

I'm not allowed a freezer or anyhing like that in my room. Because they're hospital run they have rather strick regulations, I'm not even allowed overnight guests (not that I'd have anywhere to put them in my small room with a single bed). I'm going to make more of an effort, it's just some kind of mental block i have with spending any time in that kitchen.

laura2481

currently spending around 120 pounds per month for 2 adults and one fussy cat who will only eat Whiskas! :rolleyes:
Maybe it's actually more like 150 if you add in the odd takeaway! Still less scary that OP's bill :eek:

lilian1977

twirlypinky wrote: »

I'm not allowed a freezer or anyhing like that in my room. Because they're hospital run they have rather strick regulations, I'm not even allowed overnight guests (not that I'd have anywhere to put them in my small room with a single bed). I'm going to make more of an effort, it's just some kind of mental block i have with spending any time in that kitchen.

An idea I just had is to get a pan with a lid, put a portion of pasta in, pour boiling water in then leave it with the lid on - take it into your room if needs be. It will still cook and you won't need to be in the kitchen apart from to boil the kettle. This can then be mixed with pesto, chopped tomatoes and a sprinkling of herbs, or mixed into a salad with tinned tuna. Same applies to noodles.

Hope that's helpful.

twirlypinky

lilian1977 wrote: »

An idea I just had is to get a pan with a lid, put a portion of pasta in, pour boiling water in then leave it with the lid on - take it into your room if needs be. It will still cook and you won't need to be in the kitchen apart from to boil the kettle. This can then be mixed with pesto, chopped tomatoes and a sprinkling of herbs, or mixed into a salad with tinned tuna. Same applies to noodles.

Hope that's helpful.

I'll give it a go, thanks!

lilian1977

It will take longer to cook than if it was on a stove but if the pasta is thin (spaghetti for example) it should be fine. Maybe warm up the pan on the stove with a little water in while you're waiting for the kettle to boil.

Pippilongstocking

Embrace your ninja kitchen skills and tackle it full on - quickly and quietly. Have purpose and stealth.

ThinkingOfLinking

This has really struck a chord; when I can get into my kitchen and when my housemates haven't stolen my food, I cant cook because the mess stresses me out. I do spend very little though on food; I spend about £20 a month as I buy in bulk and/or reduced items. I am buying a slow cooker and will be aiming to make stews etc and freeze in batches.