How do you manage to spend so little?!

xxvickixx

missychrissy wrote: »

Hi xxvickixx

What is the best time to go to Asda for the bargains? I pass a Coop occasionally but have never found any bargains in there. Tesco I have found is good for bargains from about 4pm onwards.

Depends on your Asda I think, mine in Chelmsford is really good around 5pm but it's 24 hr, maybe others it might be 1 hr before closing as it is in Sainsburys here. Co-op is after 4pm.

tru

My local co-op has bargains after 6pm. My last shopping trip there was fab - quiches were £1.50 each, buy 2 for £2. They'd been reduced to 50p each (short dates) but the till was still knocking off £1 for each 2 I bought. There was a similar offer on fresh salmon. I walked out of there with a carrier bag full of stuff, and they paid me £2.64 for doing it

Olliebeak

I find that in my local Asda the prices start getting reduced from around 4.00pm onwards - those aren't brilliant reductions but as the time gets a bit later, they're reduced even further.

p00

Our Morrisons just before seven pm. On Tuesdays we got 4 garlic bread priced £1.39 reduced to 15p, 2 x 6 fresh rolls reduced to 9p, 2 x granary loaves 9p and 2 fish pies reduced to 25p each. we never buy bread or rolls full price and go a couple of times a week for the reduced stuff then chuck it all in the freezer.

xxp00

Dolly_Mixture

I just wanted to say that I think your budget of £40 per week is good! I have been watching Economy Gastronomy and those families spend way more than you even after they have been given tips! If you really need to cut down more follow the tips you have been given on here but do not beat yourself up - you are doing really well.

Mamae

Nitha wrote: »

Buy a whole chicken and just use every last bit. We slow cook our chicken whole, have a roast dinner, chicken curry, chicken pasta bake, chicken stir fry (bulk out with veg and lentils), then we cover the carcuss with water in the slow cooker and this makes two batches of stock. One batch is used for slow cooker soup (just add a bag of frozen veg and blend) the other to make a rissotto with.

Exactly what I do! :T You can make a chicken stretch for days - see the rubber chicken thread.

no.1swimmum

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

bunny_too

Susan C please could you explain how you make your yoghurt in your slow cooker. i have been making my way down my mse to do list, and yoghurt making is next. thanks so much

andrinaperry

I added two courettes to my tomato sauce for bolognese because I have them ready int he graden I now do this regularly. I prepare the sauce when my children arent looking adding lots of onions mushroon courgettes and what ever else I have then I liquidise it and they dont even know the veg in in there and it bulks out the sauce and makes it go so much further and they are getting veg the sneeky way, how naughty am I. I have cut the amount of meat I use to 500g and this makes enough for around 18 meals which I freeze in batches of three portions.

Andrina

OrkneyStar

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

• Try buying a whole chicken instead of the diced breast (you actually pay extra for the dicing) You can easily get three meals from a whole chicken.
• Or buy chicken thighs the meat is really tasty and again thighs go a long way.
• Make your own pizzas they are cheaper and way tastier than any you can buy in a shop.
• Build up a good bakery store cupboard so that you can make your own cakes and biscuits.
• Don't stick to one shop, shop around for the cheapest bargains. Aldis have good deals on fruit and veg plus 10 large eggs are only 99p and are gorgeous.
• Netto have some good deals too and I find Sainsburys own brands better and cheaper than Asda. Farmfoods Milk is only £1 for 2L
• Check out prices on the shop websites before shopping
• Always Meal Plan and write a list and stick to it.
• Get fruit and veg from the local market
• Use your butcher he can be a real help with cheaper cuts of meat and how to cook them

But most of all don't knock yourself out we have all been there and OS savvy comes with time and help from the friendly bunch on here

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 .