Supermarket own brand food? Aargh!

shoe_gal_7

I am moving out of my parents house shortly (at home due to debt issues!) and wonder what people think is a reasonable spend on food for a month for 2 people? Is it possible to do it cheaper than say £350? I can't stand the thought of living on beans on toast (I don't even like beans!!!)

KimYeovil

Cheaper than £350? Is this a serious post? £100 is a more reasonable spend on food for two. You are free to spend more than that if you like. It's your money.

Torby

350!!!! sure one of you isnt eating for two?....soon to be three!

ClaireS

To eat well, not cheap supermarket own brands you will probably spend £40-50 per week.

Gingernutmeg

OH and I spend nowhere near that on food and we eat well. The trick is to save money where you can, and buy a little of the dear stuff. I'll only eat certain kinds of meat and fish, for example (ie organic, locally raised etc) and that is obviously much, much dearer than value frozen mince, but then we don't eat meat every day and balance out the cost by economising in other areas where quality isn't such an issue. I'll buy a good, expensive chicken from our fab local butchers, for example, but I'll make sure I use every bit of it from the meat to the bones - if I can get three or four meals from it then then cost per meal isn't that bad. Bulk cooking and sensible use of the freezer help too, and buying reduced bits and pieces. It's just something you pick up over time.

Get over to the OS board They'll help you!

[Deleted User]

£350??!! what on earth are you buying? Or where are you buying from, harrods? I have just finished my degree and 2 of us were living on £30 food spend a week, and even this could be reduced alot if I tried without a baked bean or pot noodle in sight! Even if you like to eat well it is possible to save just by switching the time or day you shop. I try to shop on a Sunday an hour before the supermarket closes because you get lots fresh foods marked down. Also try shops like Farmfoods for things like milk and eggs they are alot cheaper than my local supermarket anyway. B and M, Home Bargains, Iceland all have lots of food bargains.

RHYSDAD

shoe_gal wrote: »

I am moving out of my parents house shortly (at home due to debt issues!) and wonder what people think is a reasonable spend on food for a month for 2 people? Is it possible to do it cheaper than say £350? I can't stand the thought of living on beans on toast (I don't even like beans!!!)

You have to take peoples shock at what you spend on food with a pinch of salt. It's what you decide you want to do. You could spend £85 a week or so if you wish but you could get a very reasonable quality of food for around £50 a week max including things like washing powder, cleaning products and toiletries

Try to buy potatoes from a farm or farm shop. 2.5kg of potatoes from the supermarket is around the £1.25 mark. A 25kg sack of potatoes from a farm is around £5. You're getting around 1 1/2 times more for the same price. Try and find a local butcher. The meat will be a hundred times better than the supermarket for similar money.

don't go shopping when hungry, you'll be more likely to buy things you don't need.
Try to only buy the BOGOF offers if you genuinely need them. Remember, it's only an offer if actually need it.
Try to learn how to make sauces etc from scratch.
Learn to bake your own bread. Time consuming but well worth it and with no nasty additives.
Try to find a local free range egg supplier, lot's of people sell eggs at the gate for half what the supermarkets do.

There are hundreds of ways to save money when it comes to food but, personally speaking, try not to compromise on quality. Remember most mass food manufacturers load the food you buy with additives, preservatives etc. Just read the side of a packet and wonder why they add 'diglycerides of fatty acids' etc. There's really no need other than to prolong it's shelf life and let's face it, it aint gonna do you much good!

Good luck!

1carminestocky

RHYSDAD wrote: »

You have to take peoples shock at what you spend on food with a pinch of salt. It's what you decide you want to do. You could spend £85 a week or so if you wish but you could get a very reasonable quality of food for around £50 a week max including things like washing powder, cleaning products and toiletries

Try to buy potatoes from a farm or farm shop. 2.5kg of potatoes from the supermarket is around the £1.25 mark. A 25kg sack of potatoes from a farm is around £5. You're getting around 1 1/2 times more for the same price. Try and find a local butcher. The meat will be a hundred times better than the supermarket for similar money.

don't go shopping when hungry, you'll be more likely to buy things you don't need.
Try to only buy the BOGOF offers if you genuinely need them. Remember, it's only an offer if actually need it.
Try to learn how to make sauces etc from scratch.
Learn to bake your own bread. Time consuming but well worth it and with no nasty additives.
Try to find a local free range egg supplier, lot's of people sell eggs at the gate for half what the supermarkets do.

There are hundreds of ways to save money when it comes to food but, personally speaking, try not to compromise on quality. Remember most mass food manufacturers load the food you buy with additives, preservatives etc. Just read the side of a packet and wonder why they add 'diglycerides of fatty acids' etc. There's really no need other than to prolong it's shelf life and let's face it, it aint gonna do you much good!

Good luck!

A 2 person household buying 25kg of spuds?? If you throw 75% away then it's not really money saving. And I know for a fact my missus would baulk at storing a huge sack of spuds in the house, lol.

shoe_gal_7

KimYeovil - yes this a serious post(!) and Torby haha as far as I know no-one is eating for 2!!!

In the past I didn't consider myself to shop extravagantly but clearly was going wrong somewhere as have got into a mess with credit cards! Am sorting this out now (I've also posted on the debt threads) but want to find ways to live more cheaply so that I can chuck as much money as possible at the debts and not end up spending on the credit cards for food again!

Bongedone

Maybe the £350 includes a nice bottle of red wine per day?

blackmidnight

I moved out in October and spend between £100-£200 for 2 of us each month

January - £222.38
February - £100.23
March - £134.25
April - £196.17

The higher months tend to be where I've stocked up on stuff but we eat well and that includes lunch for me everyday and dinner and breakfast for both of us each day as well as things like loo roll, toiletries etc...

Best thing to do is meal plan. Buy things that you can store/freeze when they are on offer. Have a few simple meals a week and a few more expensive ones for some variety if you want. It took me a while to not cook too much food but you should be fine as others have said the old style board has some good cheap recipes if you search for them