how much are you spending on food shopping a week?

Welshwoofs

jimbugalee wrote: »

Do you find a difference with buying value meat? i.e. the mince might have a higher fat content than the more expensive stuff or are the sausages ok? I also don't seeem to be very good at cooking frozen stuff and meat is something I find I don't compromise on (but maybe I could?!) Each week we probably have 2-3 meat meals, 1 fish meal and the rest veggy, pasta etc.

Oh there's no doubt that value meat/sausages are not as good as quality ones, they have higher fat content and lower meat content. I guess it depends on where you're willing to make compromises. I did my budget month as something of an experiment to see how low I could go, whilst still eating proper meals (rather than beans on toast every day ) and so elected to go 'value' in Tescos to see what would happen.

Outside of that experimental month I buy all my meat at the local butchers however I would argue that you get far better quality and value at the butchers than the supermarkets. For instance I often buy breast of lamb (bone in) and pay approx £2 for around 4 breasts. I then throw them all in a roasting tin with some herbs, salt/pepper and a little oil, cover with foil and cook on 140 degrees for about 2-3 hours. After that you find the bones all 'pop' out with a quick twist and you can peel off any fat layers...leaving you succulent lamb which lasts the 2 of us half the week (with a bit for the dog). I slice it up and use it in stir-fries, sizzle it under the grill with mustard to go on salads, make pies and all sorts.

I think the key to budget cooking (I still do it, just not that budget) is to think bulk and cook from scratch. I make all my own bread, because buying the ingredients is cheaper than buying loaves and it's very quick in a breadmaker (2hrs in my Panasonic). I also have lots of dry pulses and grains in the house because these are cheap, can be used to 'bulk up' dishes and are good on their own if used correctly. The other thing is to think seasonal and look at things people don't consider - livers for instance are dirt cheap even in supermarket and you can make a huge tub of lovely pate out of 99p worth of frozen chicken livers. A slow cooker is also a great investment - Tescos, for instance, do a value turkey leg for around £1 and if you slow cook it and strip it down you have the base for anything from currys to fajitas to pasta bakes to pies etc etc.

Nobody needs to spend hundreds on shopping, it's just that it tends to become hundreds if you buy lots of packaged food instead of simple base ingredients.

jimbugalee

Thanks WelshWoofs - that's really helpful I impress my friends with my budget of £35 for 3 adults per week and cook everything from scratch but I guess you could go lower. I'm happy with spending this much though and it is in our budget. Some weeks it might be less, some a little more. I am going to start looking at new recipies though and I love liver!!! Yum

Bitsy_Beans

dave4545454 wrote: »

the beans on wholemeal bread and blackberries that i'd picked for free were my breakfast. i only have 2 meals a day, breakfast and lunch, the two most important meals. i don't believe in having a late meal as i don't want to go to bed with food sitting in my stomach.

What time do you class as having a late meal What time do you go to bed? I agree not eating late but that to me is any time after 9pm so not sure why you don't have another meal around 5-6pm?

You might be skinny but to me your calorie intake is insufficient - you sound as though you are slowly starving TBH. According to NHS website for average male 2,500 calories is needed per day - given what you've posted I can't see you even halfway near that.
So might be cheap but not very good for your body.

kingshir

I spend £150 ish a week for 5 adults, 3 meals a days and snacks.That also includes kitchen roll, toilet roll, cleaning products etc etc. I cook from scratch and buy my meat from the local butcher and fruit and veg (tons of it:p) from the brilliant market that we have here.

heynonnynonny

Recently gave up takeaways, couldn't handle the fact that I was spending £15 on a meal for 2 when could get several bags worth of stuff from B and M for that much and can no longer justify it!! So the food bill is a lot healthier!

Would say probably spend £15 a week between me and the OH, cat food extra. Tend to do week by week and plan meals ahead, out tea last night cost less than about £1 between us (lentil curry and rice) due to stopping with ready meals and cooking a lot more from scratch, so much cheaper.

dave4545454

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

What time do you class as having a late meal What time do you go to bed? I agree not eating late but that to me is any time after 9pm so not sure why you don't have another meal around 5-6pm?

You might be skinny but to me your calorie intake is insufficient - you sound as though you are slowly starving TBH. According to NHS website for average male 2,500 calories is needed per day - given what you've posted I can't see you even halfway near that.
So might be cheap but not very good for your body.

i dont eat after 4pm, i go to bed about midnight

dave4545454

jimbugalee wrote: »

Do you buy meat with that Dave?

I manage £30-£35 a week for 3 adults including most household stuff which I thought was pretty good I alway shop online as spend so much less

i sometimes have meat like chicken but i never red meat because it's not as healthy. i eat a lot more fish than meat.

i managed to get 4 loaves of bread at 14 pence each at sommerfields today:D

Paddy2eyes

dave4545454 wrote: »

i eat a lot more fish than meat.
i managed to get 4 loaves of bread at 14 pence each at sommerfields today:D

Loaves and fish. You could feed five thousand people with that.

LegalBlonde

Welsh Woofs thank you sooooooooo much. I go shopping around this date every month, and I always look for something like this on here, there is lots of hints and current offers etc but I have always wanted one simple list of ingredients I should buy that I know will make a certain amount of meals. I have been doing quite well in last few months, but always wanted to have a list of what to make as I start thinking about what to make at approximately 5:01 p.m. every day

So thanks sooooooooooo much! x x x

System

2 adults 1 child we spend approx £30 a week but if i can get her to go on school dinners it will be less cos the things i buy for packed lunches always gets eaten before its supposed to !!