Help with shopping budget ideas

mikeydpippin

Hi, My wife and i find the hardest monthly bill to budget for is the groceries Not only do we do the weekly shop but we also do a twice weekly shop for fruit veg etc.
We waste some of our budget on fruit and veg because (bananas for instance)they rot quickly Apples last a lot longer in the fridge Do you guys plan a weeks meals in advance or just fill the freezer,and stick to your plan cause each day you may fancy a different meal than you had planned

Willxx

I think you'll find that there are many differing degrees of moneysavers out there. Hard core 'every penny counts' savers will tell you that spending more than 34p on a meal is profligacy! "If it can keep a prisoner alive why should we spend more?" or "You actually spend money? Barter for gods sake! I wash other peoples infected sores in return for free use of their blackberry bushes for 2 days in September" or "Why not inherit a self sufficient smallholding called Cornwall and feed youself?, HRH Prince of Wales"

Personally I think most people will be in a similar situtation as you, try as I might I can't physically make bananas last longer than they want to, they just don't listen to me when I tell them firmly to "stay just ripe" neither does my milk refuse to go off or vegetable matter refuse to begin to rot. I must confess I don't use up every single slice of bread or use a cotton bud to get the last bits out of the corners of my marg tub! I don't even use both sides of the loo roll!

I'd suggest setting a reasonable weekly budget, and live with the hard fact that you will have some waste unless you are or can achieve "Ultra Hard Core" status! If you have waste food products you can always do you bit and have a bird table or feed the ducks etc. If you can start to live with your budget you can keep trying to improve as you see fit. (Preaching by rote and not by example btw!)[:D]

tw1nklestar

over ripe bananas makes a very nice banana cake no wastage and a full belly

providence

they are nice done as fritters too

weaver

mikeydpippin wrote:

Hi, My wife and i find the hardest monthly bill to budget for is the groceries Not only do we do the weekly shop but we also do a twice weekly shop for fruit veg etc.
We waste some of our budget on fruit and veg because (bananas for instance)they rot quickly Apples last a lot longer in the fridge Do you guys plan a weeks meals in advance or just fill the freezer,and stick to your plan cause each day you may fancy a different meal than you had planned

I use a stay fresh bag for my veg - last a lot longer than normal - upto 3 weeks for veg. the name was either stayfresh bag or everfresh bags.
But I cant find the address to get then from now - anyone on here got one ?, you can wash them out and use them again and again, - did see a similiar product on either QVC

http://www.qvcuk.com/ukgasp/frameset.asp?nest=%2Fukgasp%2FIsItemNumberRedirect.asp&country=uk&txtDesc=veg+bags


item 823483

Debbie Meyer's EvertFresh Green Bags Set of 50 for Food Preservation


They are well worth it had mine nearly 2 years and still going strong. (thats why I cant find the original package )

Re meals - Ive started to make larger meals e.g lasagne and freeze in good portion sizes, also lamb & beef stew, curry etc , apple crumble. Its easier and cheaper. I dont have meal plans I take out of the freezer in the morning what I want for tea, or make it fresh if I dont fancy whats in there at that time

There is a discussion somewhere on here and someone says that their grocery bill for the week is £10 for 1, which is good, but they make all their meals and freeze, buy local meat & veg if my memory serves my correctly.

smartie1976

I find the fruit and veg in lidl or aldi cheap and good quality. See if your stuff is any cheaper there.
Obviously, don't keep your bananas near your other fruit, it'll go off more quickly.

(taken from http://www.veggieboards.com)
"making them (bananas) last longer, you don't have many options. Buy them a little green, and store them at room temp with lots of air circulating around them. If you store them in a bag or in the fridge, they will turn brown much more quickly. Once they get as ripe as you're willing to eat them, you'll want to peel and freeze them. I know a lot of raw foodists who blend their frozen bananas with filtered water, for a simple smoothie."

"i keep stuff like potatoes, turnip, carrots, and maybe califlower in the cupboard, not the fridge. im always bad for putting veggies in the drawer in the fridge and forgetting about them, i think though that mushrooms can last longer if you store them in a paper bag rather than a plastic one."

"cabbage lasts like a decade. root veggies and squash that has been handled gingerly (oh, ginger too!) last a long time. basically the more solid the veggie the longer it lasts and vice versa; lettuce and other delicates bruise and go bad really fast."

From the answer bank: http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Food_and_Drink/Question156610.html
The outside skin of bananas DOES go black when kept in the fridge, but the inside is unaffected and they last for weeks!"


Peaches and apples can last for up to 28 days if handled properly and kept in the fridge.

Strawberries last longer if the green stalk bit is still attached (helpful for when you are selecting which punnet to buy)

this may help fruit last longer - who knows? http://www.energiseforlife.com/item--E-G-G-Ethylene-Gas-Guardian--21.html