Help us reduce our grocery bill!

seemasfriend

A quick and easy way to fill up on porridge oats for breakfast is to soak them in yoghurt for half an hour (overnight is better if you can get in the habit) They are tasty with fresh or dried fruit. Less fiddly than porridge and just as cheap.

howskint?

Have you got a Home Bargains near you? Some of the stuff like OXO and sauces are often really cheap in there. Can't remember the exact prices but I know the OXO were at least a 3rd cheaper.
Good luck! I'll be watching this thread to pick up tips myself!

Lip_Stick

I made my own breadcrumbs the other day by heating bits of bread in the microwave and then crushing them with a rolling pin. Worked a treat. My chicken goujons seemed really rustic with their uneven texture.

lynzpower

Also\ I see you are getting slices of chese from the deli? Not sure why? I bought a small block of lancashire cheese from Brough market the other day for £1, and this will do sandwiches, toasties, a biton a pizza, grated on top of eg lasagne/ jacket potatoes.

There are always lre blocksof chese on offer at supermarkets- I never pay more that £2 for a large block.

I note you are also saying you use a lot of spices.I dont know about you but Ive had the same jar of garam masala for a few months, for ginger sometimes you only need a pinch or so, so bags last a lot longer than a month, surely?

Agreed with lipstick, Id never buy breadcrumbs, also that when you have some bread on the turn, simply stick in in the whizzy blender then tip into a tupperware & freeze, last well and good for coating chicken/ fish/ mushrooms onon rings etc. I also freeze the odd spare egg for making sure i ahve something to coat with

We try to eat a lot of meat, mainly try to folow a low carb lifestyle from time to time. Eating a lot of meat doesnt have to be expensive, lst ngiht we had beef kebabs ( made from mince) sausages ( from borough market £2) , salad , pitta bread. Oh had a jacket I didnt eat mine.

Eggs, cheese and other cheap meats for example shin beef or casseroling beef are good- in supermarkets the fattier stuff is the value one-the lean one in sains any road, dissolves in sow cooker if left all day. Oher good meats are pork fillet and turkey fillet, no bone, no waste etc and very steak-like . . You can also carve steaks out of roasting joints I believe?? Wedont eat them often but are happy to buy some posh ones from a local supplier on the rare occasion we have one.

Fire_Fox

BadlyDrawnGirl wrote: »

One of the big problems is that my rugby-playing hubby is six foot, and claims he needs to eat a large helping of meat/protein every day or else he feels faint. Me, I could go without meat pretty much indefinitely, but there's no point in making two different meals every night. I've run into the problem in the past of trying to stick to a grocery budget, but eventually he comes up with the "Oh god hon, I'm soooooo hungry tonight, can't we just have a steak?" argument, and feel bad and cave in.

I am qualified to degree level in fitness and nutrition.

I wonder if your partner is having issues with blood sugar peaks and troughs? I'd be interested to hear what else your partner is eating, what kind of carbohydrates and fats and what quantity. Also how regularly is he eating? He should be eating every three to four hours, and never allowing himself to get hungry. Lastly is he getting sufficient fruit and veg? Five portions is the bare minimum for health, it won't supply enough vitamins or minerals for an athlete so he may be craving, say, iron. Several countries/ many experts recommend nine portions a day.

To keep him feeling full - and for heath - you should look to be eating more low glycaemic index foods (barley, jumbo oats, stoneground wholemeal or granary bread, brown pitta bread, beans and lentils, boiled new potatoes in skins, sweet potatoes, brown basmati rice, wholemeal pasta) and less high GI (white flour, sugar, quick-cook oats, french sticks, mashed and jacket potatoes, white long grain or pudding rice, white pasta).

There is an excellent book on sports nutrition called 'Power Eating' by Susan Kleiner (publishers Human Kinetics) which advocates eating moderate amounts of protein and more carbs. For those with more muscle bulk it's important to spread the protein intake out through the day as it cannot be stored in the body as fat and carbs (energy) can. Large amounts of protein in one meal are simply converted to carbs which, if not burned off with exercise, is laid down as fat! :eek:

Other than that my advice is much the same as the others: omelettes and frittatas, stews padded with soup mix, bolognese padded with red lentils for extra protein, chilli con carne with kidney beans, tinned pink salmon (cheap and healthy), turkey drumsticks.

nurse-money

Have you thought about what vouchers you can use by printing from here?

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/supermarket-coupons

Some of these are fab, I've saved a small fortune over the years using vouchers! But remember only buy the product if you actually need it..!

Which supermarket do you use? If TESCO's, Have you got a clubcard, great for collecting points and then treating yourself for a meal out somewhere etc...!!

Ive got a slow cooker, and make a really cheap beef stew using a really cheap cut of beef that is absolutely gorgeous when cooked for 8 hours or more, I just stick it on in the morning and leave it all day long!