How do you manage to spend so little?!

Oldernotwiser

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Good tips but the furst two simply never work for us as we don't like the slimy meat, and only the breast is not slimy! False economy for some of us. I'd rather eke the nice breast meat out with some lovely veggies, lentils etc!
Also re shopping around, well this is fine if you are fortunate enough to have access to cheap shops. I am sick of hearing that I should not shop in Tesco when all we have on this island is Lidl, Tesco and Coop (plus some small shops)....ntp a dig at you, just in general!

If your dark chicken meant it "slimy" then you must be doing something wrong when you cook it!

OrkneyStar

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

If your dark chicken meant it "slimy" then you must be doing something wrong when you cook it!

No I am not, I know how to cook chicken and my DH's dad (and sometimes DH) will happily eat the legs etc when I cook it, I just don't like that meat- taste or texture! I never have liked it, whether I, my mum, a restaurant, etc etc, cook it.
I can just about bear thights but tbh would rather have a nice free range chicken breast, eke it out with veggies etc.
OS is about making what works for you and the rubber chicken theory was a waste of time and energy for me. I am trying to balance ill health (back problem which can make me tired), 2 year old DS and being OS, and if something is not worth it then its not worth it! I am just trying to say you can be OS without doing everything OS!

pelirocco

no.1swimmum wrote: »

I am realitvely new to meal planning and budgeting, before I would do a big shop once a week but also end up shopping almost every other day. Since being of work for summer hols and wanting to save hard for one last big family hols before our son is of to uni and total lack of time in my buisy week I decided to get myself organised. I also use to shop exclusively at sainsburys or tesco, but after much hard persuation by my hubbie I said I would try lidl and farmfoods (thinking that the food would be cheap and cheerful and that I would go back to normal shops) I am pleasently surprised I get most things at lidl and next door at farmfoods except some that they don't sell for example I will only use natural caster sugar and wholemeal flours.
There are four of us me, hubbie and 2 sons 17 and 14 - now the 17 swims 14+ hours a week and has an insatiable appetite, could win a gold medal for eating for England and needs to eat high carb/high protein diet. I plan 7 meals make a shopping list and then go through cupboards and fridge and highlight the things I already have, I take a different colour highlighter to the shops with me I find it easier to see what is left to buy that way. So Today I spen £17.57 in Lidl and £25.45 in farmfoods for that I got in lidl - 100g salami, 200g grated cheese, 8 cadburys corneto type icecreams, 12 pouches cat food, 1/2 pint double cream, vegetavle oil, white wine, large tin pear halves, tin hotdogs, jar marmalade, 1kg new potatoes, 2 kg maris piper potatoes, 1kg green beans (fresh), fresh brocoli, 9 penguin bars, large pack strawberries, 12 toasting waffles, 6 hotdog rolls and 6 rolls.
In farmfood I got 4 litres robinson orange squash, 4 litres milk, 1 tin heinz beans, 1 mccains fries, 10pack quavers, 10 pack mini cheddars, 14 chicken breast fillets, 2 hovis wholemeal bread, 140g dairymilk chocolate, 100ml colgate, 1kg froze rhubarb, block puff pastry,16 Activia yoghurts ( 8 for £1 the funny ball shaped pots) 5 packs extra strong mints and 4 mars bars.
Now I will need some sugar, fresh unconcentrated orange juice (for sons sports drinks - homemade) and some bread to keep us going till next week but really pleased with all I got for £43.02

Surely you will need more then that to keep you going? , you cannot possible feed your family all week on what you have listed here

liney

I shop in ASDA and just have a couple of comments:

loose bananas are cheaper then bagged ones, even the SP.

Tomato puree is cheaper in the tubes and lasts longer.

SP chicken is exactly the same as the Asda own bird which are the price bracket up ( I know someone who works at the chicken processing factory). So unless you are buying free range, there's no point spending the extra money as it's just different packaging.

You would save money by buying the 16 packs of loo rolls for a fiver, than spend 1.20 on four cheap ones. I bet you would use less too, so even cheaper.

How much did you actually pay for that stuffed chicken? Why not make, or buy a stuffing mix and stuff a normal chicken? SP Chicken in less then £3.00 for a whole medium bird. I didn't notice that the one you bought was free range or special in anyway?

You can make your own gravy using the OXO cubes you bought - you don't need gravy granuals as well as those.

You can make a huge batch of tomato sauce for pasta or pizza's using tinned tom's, onions, and basil. Cheaper that the jars, and much better for you.

clairelg88

liney wrote: »

I shop in ASDA and just have a cuple of comments: loose bananas are cheaper then bagged ones, even the SP.

Tomato puree is cheaper in the tubes and lasts longer.

SP chicken is exactly the same as the Asda own bird which are the price bracket up ( I know someone who works at the chicken processing factory). So unless you are buying free range, there's no point spending the extra money as it's just different packaging.

You would save money by buying the 16 packs of loo rolls for a fiver, than spend 1.20 on four cheap ones. I bet you would use less too, so even cheaper.

How much did you actually pay for that stuffed chicken? Why not make, or buy a stuffing mix and stuff a normal chicken? SP Chicken in less then £3.00 for a whole medium bird. I didn't notice that the one you bought was free range or special in anyway?

You can make your own gravy using the OXO cubes you bought - you don't need gravy granuals as well as those.

You can make a huge batch of tomato sauce for pasta or pizza's using tinned tom's, onions, and basil. Cheaper that the jars, and much better for you.

thanks for your tips. I think i paid around £4.70 for the chicken, it wasnt free range or anything.

I have improved on my shopping spending since my first post, I mainly stick to Morrisons...I am spending around £25 a week which is fine but it includes absolutely no treats so its still hard.

thanks to everyone for your ideas

fiftyeighter_2

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Good tips but the furst two simply never work for us as we don't like the slimy meat, and only the breast is not slimy! False economy for some of us. I'd rather eke the nice breast meat out with some lovely veggies, lentils etc!
Also re shopping around, well this is fine if you are fortunate enough to have access to cheap shops. I am sick of hearing that I should not shop in Tesco when all we have on this island is Lidl, Tesco and Coop (plus some small shops)....ntp a dig at you, just in general! It is so much harder when you have restricted choice, I suppose some of you relate to this, perhaps those of you who don't drive etc also find it harder ?
I love your last sentence .

I agree with the shopping around. I'm 20 mns drive from the nearest big supermarket and 45mns from shops like aldi. we have a fiveways (very expensive) and never seem to have many of the offers they advertise.we also have a small tesco which doesnt have any of there own brands.
i do shop once a week and try to get what i can but lost my job some months ago therefore i only have apart time job (£40 a week plus my husbands £220 per week. so i'm really struggling.

stingybutnice

I think that you are doing really well, healthy stuff and your kids will pick up your responsible attitude about money if you are lucky. I make a lasagne with a lentil sauce and my kids can't get enough of it: just onions & garlic fried, lentils added and stirred, water and tomato puree. This is also a great sauce for pasta, diluted it is a good soup! :TYou can save a lot by dumping the washing powder (over packaged and full of eco-nasties anyway) and using packs of washing soda (about 70p a bag) grate in a bar of value soap and add essential oils if you want to. You only need a small amount of it and the clothes are clean and soft. I clean with white vinegar and water in an old spray, I add a bit of lavender oil and it works well. All detergents work the same as they just need one end of the molecule to love the water and one to love the dirt so a cheap washing up liquid will clean anything else.Pancakes are a very cheap treat (I use cheap UHT milk) Just put a mug of plain flour a handful of oats a bit of cinnamon 1/2 mugs of milk and an egg in a bowl and take your frustrations out on them with a fork. Fill them with banana, honey cheese, yoghurt and of course lentils.

charlies-aunt

I think that you are doing great, that a pretty low budget - we're squeezing our budget too . . . its hard to keep cutting though.

Do you have an Aldi or Lidl near you ? they have their special offer veggies for 39p a pop - or - try your local market . . . by mid afternoon on a Saturday, they're wanting rid of perishables and are happy to sell 2lb of sausage for the price of 1lb, big bags of mushrooms for 20p, carrier bags of salad stuff for 50p. I use what I can over the weekend and try to freeze any surpus or if it isn't freezable - make it into something (like soup) that can be put in the freezer.

Gigervamp

Wow, this is an old thread, no wonder I didn't remember it when the topic reply notification came through!

cooking-mama

charlies-aunt wrote: »

I think that you are doing great, that a pretty low budget - we're squeezing our budget too . . . its hard to keep cutting though.

.

:rotfl:The post is from 2009,thats why her budget is so low,doubt we'd get the same amount of shopping for £40 nowadays---unless any professional OS'er knows different.;)