Need to reduce weekly food bill by more than half!

wearesaving

Hi everyone
I'm new to the site and was wondering if you had any ideas on how I can reduce my weekly shopping bill - I've just found out I'm pregnant and am desperately trying to come up with ways to reduce my outgoings.
After reading some of the threads I'm ashamed to say that my weekly bill is on average £60 - £70 and thats only for 2 of us!!!

I must admit that does include wine/beer but now that will only be beer (for the OH!!) as well as toiletries, cleaning products etc. I do where possible pick own brand names for all (as well as food such as tuna, tinned toms etc) but obviously I'm still not doing this right if there are people out there eating for £12 a week.

To give you an idea of what we eat every week I've listed below "average" meals. Pls note I buy all my meat from the local butchers and want to continue doing this and I normally make meals from scratch.

Breakfasts - we always have cereal & tea apart from at weekends when we might treat ourselves to eggs & bacon. I eat shop brand cereals but my OH doesn't like his version ( have tried!). He gets through approx 1 box per week (he's 6ft 3 rugby player and likes his grub!).

Lunches - I try to make these to bring to work and normally consist of sandwiches such as tuna or ham with fruit, yoghurts and crisps & chocolate for the OH.

Dinners -examples are Spag Bol with garlic bread, homemade burgers and chips, chicken curries, sausage casseroles & potatoes and veg, fish stews, pasta (usually have a pasta dish about 2 or 3 times a week).

We aren't really dessert people but now and again we would have apple tart and cream or custard.

Because we eat quite a lot of fruit (more than veg) I often find I have to go twice a week to buy this but I'll be honest and find that I sometimes throw some out. I do buy "bags" of fruit, i.e. apples etc.

I'd like to try and reduce my weekly shop down to about £30-£40 per week - I'm worried if I try too much too soon then I'll fail.

Please help with any suggestions especially around what your shopping trolley looks like along with suggestions on "bulk" meals. Even better, suggestions for using up left overs as this is something I'm not good at.

thanks!:o

shellnapier

You could buy total value pasta - pasta tastes the same no matter what cost i have found
I tend to buy more of the fruit n veg thats on speical that week et and not just certain fruits every week
You tried buying sweeties own brand - like whippys, (milkyway) munchie(mars) etc etc
buy tesco crisps - or eve just walkers on offer if you maybe ususally buy dear makes like mccoys, kettlechips quavers etc etc
stock up on hubbys cearel when on offer
and anything on special buy and keep/freeze

shellnapier

not sure about left overs mine r usually kept for mine little girls lunch next day
you could tak yours to work if you have a micro

jenniewb

I can't help thinking that its not so terrible to be spending that much on food- you don't say you go out for any meals, and as far as I can see, your not a processed food addict so your bills are going to be that bit higher- as your also including your household items, and not just food, its not so hard to see why its £70ish a week.

I would say, try to buy frozen veg, its just as nice and thats my personal opinion- and I mainly only eat fruit and vegetables.
Only eat cheap fruit- I wouldn't even advise in season as in season can also be pricey- have a look at a pack of cherries next time your in Tescos, cheaper then normal yes, but compared to two whole bags of apples? its not so hard to see why its better to go by price rather then special seasonal stuff.

Also, freeze everything unless its fruit. Keep everything that wont fit in the freezer in the fridge and preplan what you eat for the week. Saves any throwing away and makes sure you don't buy extra by making the mistake that you don't think you have enough when actually you do.

Prepackaged is good sometimes, but check out the weight if its not prepackaged- are you paying more? for example, a bag of apples can cost around £2. But put these on the scales and work it out per kilo- are you paying more for a plastic bag?

Household stuff- put these on a separate budget- you are more likely to know how much you need to spend on that a month. Buy in places like Savers where it can be cheaper. Monitor how much you use- can you use any less? often leaving stuff to sink into stains can make a difference to how much of the product you need to use.

Good meals to make in bulk (and then portion off the rest and leave in the freezer) are (to the best of my knowledge)
Mince dishes like bolognaise, mince for shepherds pie or lasagne, currys, vegetable stews like ratatooii, fish dishes in sauce, chicken casserole... meats and vegetables on the whole do freeze and defrost well. Bread freezes well. Other carbohydrates like pasta do not freeze well and go mushy- so things like cabonara are best not frozen and eaten over a few nights if your making alot.

Something you could try if you know your neighbours well, is clubbing together and swapping dishes around, saves you freezing them or eating the same thing for days on end.

Oh, and stay clear of foods that are very processed as they often have additives or lots of sugar in them that can make you crave to eat more of them and in eating more then you need, you spend more then you need in the long run.

cyclingyorkie

insteas of throwing out fruit - try and use it before it goes manky - apples which look a bit sad can be stewed - if you don't use it immediately then freeze it!

Peaches/pears can also be stewed.

I've had several punnets of strawbs/rasps/blueberries for 25p from the Co-op - they were on their date.....and they are now in my freezer!

Oranges/citrus fruit - if they've been there a while - juice them! Or use the lemon/orange for cleaning the microwave - this is a Kim and Aggie tip - slice and put in bowl of hot water with some washing up liquid - put in micro on full power for a couple of mins - the citrus leaves a lovely smell and the steam will help shift the dirt!

Shop at the times that see supermarket reductions - be a canny shopper - use it/cook it/freeze it!

Good Luck!

cyclingyorkie

or buy cheaper cuts of meat and cook for longer........i have a very useful slow cooker.....

re bolognese - bulk out with a few lentils/finely chopped veg....

Enterprise_1701C

You don't say where you shop - have you tried other supermarkets such as Lidl. Also, have you got a market handy, if so fruit off market stalls is just as good as supermarket fruit, if not better!

lkmc01

Me, my partner and my 3 year olf typically spend between 30 - 35 per week on food. We have just come back off holiday and felt bad spending £64

paulwf

jenniewb wrote: »

I can't help thinking that its not so terrible to be spending that much on food- you don't say you go out for any meals, and as far as I can see, your not a processed food addict so your bills are going to be that bit higher- as your also including your household items, and not just food, its not so hard to see why its £70ish a week.

I agree, excluding the booze and households that is something like £50 a week or £25 each. Some excellent tips have been given but don't try and reduce things too far - you need plenty of protein and fresh fruit and veg if you are pregnant.

If your OH has a huge appetite perhaps bulk out a meal with more pasta, rice or potatoes for him, make sure you don't cut back on nutrients found in the main part of the meal.

talulahbeige_2

lkmc01 wrote: »

Me, my partner and my 3 year olf typically spend between 30 - 35 per week on food. We have just come back off holiday and felt bad spending £64

And this is helpful because?

Great post OP, i'm in the same position with what me and my other half and am findng these tips really useful

Bitsy_Beans

I aim for around £40 a week for me, H, DS and DD (nearly 4 and 1 yr old respectively). I meal plan. It's the one thing that stops me buying lots of stuff and then not using it. I don't know where you shop but I love Sainsburys Basics range. Lots of items included and most of it is just as good as the own brand IMO. I've not tried the meat though so can't comment on that - I bulk buy my meat from Costco and also make a roast chicken stretch etc.
I find lentils are great for bulking out meals so that I can cook more portions than I need. They are low in fat, a source of protein and pretty cheap.
I use my SC for cheaper cuts of meat or for bulk cooking.
for toiletries I don't buy expensive. I use value microfibre cloths from Tesco (3 for £1), Mr S's basics bleach and Startdrops for cleaning and thats it. Loo roll is the basic variety and it suits us, likewise for their kitchen roll and tissues.