How much do you spend on groceries each month?

tryingtobegood

I have made an effort to try at lot of "own and value" type brands to bring my shopping bill down. Most of the time I have stuck to the lower brand. It's trial and error really , try the lower brand and if you like it or can't tell the difference then why pay more for premium brands. I think there was a "drop a brand" thread on the Old Style board.

morocha

we are 2 adults + one baby... we spend £40 a week... so the total is £160 a month,

clutterydrawer

jd1000 wrote: »

Wow. Thats it, I need to cut down.
Emma-uk can I ask what kind of stuff you buy, and how you manage to keep your spend so low?

Can anyone else publish their "strategy", do you buy value stuff, own brand or just shop smart? I have to admit we buy lots of organic and premium stuff.

I only buy own brands (mostly value stuff) stock up hugely when there's an offer on something I use regularly, grow some stuff of my own, buy reduced bread/veg/fruit at end of day....andI'm a fanatical recipe collector so I can always find an appropriate recipe to use up any random combination of ingredients! Also I live mostly off grains and vegetables....no meat or cheese etc (that's the less fun bit )

eis658

I spend around £80 per month and that's for one person. That includes all food/cleaning products/toiletries. I could prob get it down to £15 but can't help getting carried away in supermarket with offers

Fire_Fox

jd1000 wrote: »

Wow. Thats it, I need to cut down.
Emma-uk can I ask what kind of stuff you buy, and how you manage to keep your spend so low?

Can anyone else publish their "strategy", do you buy value stuff, own brand or just shop smart? I have to admit we buy lots of organic and premium stuff.

I used to do organic and it just got too expensive. I work in healthcare and my advice would be to only buy organic for high fat animal products such as butter and cheese. If the animal's liver is overloaded with hormones or antibiotics they are stored - fatty tissue is fairly inactive so this is the 'safest' place.

For any animal products that you can't afford organic go for ones that claim a natural diet: so corn-fed chicken, omega-rich eggs, some free range, etc. With the Value products the animals may have been fed the remains of other animals and it tends to be the poorest quality (fattiest ...) parts to bulk up the animal. Obviously the potential is there for the overload of hormones or antibiotics to be eaten and become concentrated in the food chain.

That information will only be of use if you have organic primarily for health rather than ethical reasons. The cheapest way to maintain some element of organic fruit and veg in your diet is to grow your own.

notlongnow_2

I spend APPROX £60 ish a month on average for 2 adults, 3 children, a dog, 2 guinea pigs and a hamster.

That is for ood only but toiletries I usually get from Boots when I see them om offer. eg/ i currently have loads of shower gel which is currently selling for 34p (palmolive) i bought fcuk shampoo and conditioner today which is on clearance for a pound a bottle and goes through at bogof.

I spend practically nothing and we eat really well. All home cooked (usually). We are not fussy eaters and I buy stuff when its on offer or rediculously cheap and frequently see things for 10p, be it meat/soups/veg etc. I bake cakes/buns/muffins/bread and can make a feast out of virtually anything.

TGH im very surprised I do it...but i do, and without much thought really.

If I spent £300+ a month...omg!! I dont think I could physically hand over that amount of money in one shopping trip..lol.

I made a HUGE lasagna yesterday with a pound pack of mince from Asda, some lasagna sheets on offer from Co op(42p), tomatoes out of the garden, half a squash I liberated from my sisters allotment and a couple of onions out of the fridge. The white sauce was just butter bought on offer ages ago for 10p a block and I froze loads, plus flour out of the cupboard and milk out of the fridge. I think it must have cost aout £1.50 to make and its massive..lol.

Trick is to buy everything when on offer and make stuff from scratch.

emma-uk

jd1000 wrote: »

Wow. Thats it, I need to cut down.
Emma-uk can I ask what kind of stuff you buy, and how you manage to keep your spend so low?

Can anyone else publish their "strategy", do you buy value stuff, own brand or just shop smart? I have to admit we buy lots of organic and premium stuff.

Firstly we meal plan, usually around whats on offer, I usually check their website to see what is cheap. I buy the meat frozen, a bag of frozen value chicken breasts is around £3.50 (beggers can't be choosers, I'm on SMP!) Split a packet of mince into several portions and bulk the meal up with cheap veg and cook from scratch. I also make a little extra to freeze too. Downshifting, the discount brand Balti sauce is our fav curry sauce and value beans, toms ect aren't bad. I use own brand nappies and cotton wool balls and water during the day and take advantage of offers on wipes, pampers ect... I buy Tesco brand cleaning wipes and only us half the wipe (they do have perferations) Tolilettries I get when they are BOGOF, 1/2 price or discounted. I knocked the £5 a bottle of facewash on the head and replaced it with soap and water, lasts longer too. Wilko's has loads of great offers at the moment.

focus888

notlongnow wrote: »

Trick is to buy everything when on offer and make stuff from scratch.

I agree with this statement, i tend to stock up alot when things are on offer that i tend to use alot of. Or just shop around, i dont like going to just one supermarket so i make several trips to Lidl, Tescos, Sainsbury & Iceland so has more variety and compare prices.

Also i tend to buy most of my fruit and vegetables at the local market. So much cheaper and its all fresh

clutterydrawer

notlongnow wrote: »

I spend APPROX £60 ish a month on average for 2 adults, 3 children, a dog, 2 guinea pigs and a hamster.

Wow :eek: That's fantastic....if you have a minute could you tell us some of the other kinds of meals you eat....I would love to cut my spend down that far. Also where do you find your bargains? I never seem to have any luck *woe is me*

louisewh123

£160 a month - 2 adults, 1 kid, 1 cat and a hamster. That includes all cleaning, washing, beauty stuff e.t.c everything the house needs. We both work from home so we do spend more on drinks, tea, milk e.t.c but i used to spend loads more before 1 converted to old style!