Saving on ingrediants?

leanne11

I have decided that I spend way too much down Tesocs. There is so much in our cupbords that we dont even use! We have a really good juicer and a blender which I often use to juice fruit etc. Anyone got any other advise? I was looking to find ways of making home made soup and putting my juicer/blender to good use!

I went to Tescos this evening to get some bits for dinner. For ONE meal for the both of us, and ended up spending £11!! Surely that too much for Chilli Con Carne!!

Leanne xx

MinnieSpender

Woo! Chilli Con Fantastic price there, mate! How did you get to that price? Have you thought about using the basic range for things like tinned tomatoes (15p) and kidney beans (around 30p)? And using half mince and half soya (dried soya is less than a quid for a bag in Holland and Barrett and you can easily get four meals out of it).

There are loads of great soup recipes on the Old Style board.

I'm making one in the slow cooker tonight (my own recipe) - two sticks of celery, onion, carrot, garlic, two cups of lentils and a couple of pints of stock. Add some herbs and that'll be a cheap lunch for the next few days.

oops_a_daisy

go over to the old style boards and look up recipies there - they are brilliant. Make a menu up for the week using the storecupboard ingredients that you already have and make up a shopping list to include the bits that you need to make up the meals. I used to go to Tescos daily, on my way home from work and spent over £350.00 per month for me and my daughter :eek: my ways have well and truly changed now, I am down to £125.00 per month.
Also we use quorn mince in spag bol and chilli - you could probably pad yours out with quorn if you prefer beef mince and also pad it out with lentils so that you can make more and freeze it.
All the best and good luck

leanne11

This is my problem! I go to tescos to get stuff for dinner (nornally just for the 2 of us for that eveing) and come out spending more and buying other stuff!! I just my my tescos reciept out of the bin and this is what I got...

Grenn Tea Bags - £1.49
Chiken Mini Fillets - £2.88
Kidney Beans £0.45
Extra Virgin Olive Oil £1.32
Onion £0.09
Sweet Potatows £1.26
Tin of Plum Tomatoes £0.58
Cumumber £0.68
Red Pepper £0.68
Magazine £1.00
Magazine £1.00

Total £11.43

So, you can see, I went in for a couple if bits, and came out with this! Its because I quite often do daily trips to Tescos instead of planning ahead. Thats where I need to change as I am sure a lot of wasted money is being apent at Tescos!

Your soup reciepe looks good! Thanks.

x

MinnieSpender wrote:

Woo! Chilli Con Fantastic price there, mate! How did you get to that price? Have you thought about using the basic range for things like tinned tomatoes (15p) and kidney beans (around 30p)? And using half mince and half soya (dried soya is less than a quid for a bag in Holland and Barrett and you can easily get four meals out of it).

There are loads of great soup recipes on the Old Style board.

I'm making one in the slow cooker tonight (my own recipe) - two sticks of celery, onion, carrot, garlic, two cups of lentils and a couple of pints of stock. Add some herbs and that'll be a cheap lunch for the next few days.

leanne11

Thanks very much, I will have to change some old habbits I think!

oops_a_daisy wrote:

go over to the old style boards and look up recipies there - they are brilliant. Make a menu up for the week using the storecupboard ingredients that you already have and make up a shopping list to include the bits that you need to make up the meals. I used to go to Tescos daily, on my way home from work and spent over £350.00 per month for me and my daughter :eek: my ways have well and truly changed now, I am down to £125.00 per month.
Also we use quorn mince in spag bol and chilli - you could probably pad yours out with quorn if you prefer beef mince and also pad it out with lentils so that you can make more and freeze it.
All the best and good luck

MinnieSpender

leanne11 wrote:

This is my problem! I go to tescos to get stuff for dinner (nornally just for the 2 of us for that eveing) and come out spending more and buying other stuff!! I just my my tescos reciept out of the bin and this is what I got...

Grenn Tea Bags - £1.49
Chiken Mini Fillets - £2.88
Kidney Beans £0.45
Extra Virgin Olive Oil £1.32
Onion £0.09
Sweet Potatows £1.26
Tin of Plum Tomatoes £0.58
Cumumber £0.68
Red Pepper £0.68
Magazine £1.00
Magazine £1.00

Total £11.43

So, you can see, I went in for a couple if bits, and came out with this! Its because I quite often do daily trips to Tescos instead of planning ahead. Thats where I need to change as I am sure a lot of wasted money is being apent at Tescos!

Your soup reciepe looks good! Thanks.

x

Hi Leanne

Looks like you're doing what I used to do! It's so easy to pop into Tesco on the way home every other night and then yikes! :eek: overspend! Could you try doing a weekly shop and planning meals? It really does work - I tend to do a shop on Saturday and then cook loads on a Sunday afternoon and portion stuff up for using during the week.

A couple of suggestions too.

Do you have a Chinese supermarket locally? I picked up a box of 20 green tea bags for 50p last week. (I also got tins of asparagus for 80p each which is a great saving and a nice treat.)

Do try the SmartPrice or cheapest ranges for things like tinned pulses and tomatoes - once they're cooked you really don't notice the difference. My Asda SmartPrice tomatoes cost me 15p - quite a saving on your 58p ones, and they're so versatile and good for you! Pasta sauces, soups, stews - you can shove 'em anywhere!

Lastly, do you have a market close by? I promise that you'll cut your fruit and veg bill dramatically. I take a big rucksack to the market on Saturdays and fill it for a fiver.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

leanne11

Hi MinniSpender,

Thanks for that information.

I really do need to do some serious meal planning! Half my trouble is, I'am not always in the country, I work for Virgin as Crew so about once a week, normally for about 2-4 days I'am not here. Should not be an excuse really. I live with my boyfriend, so I tend to let him sort his own dinners out when I'am not here and he is worse than me when it comes to Tescos!

We dont have a Chinese SuperMarket nearby, although we do have a specialist health and herbs shop just down the road. Would that be the same??

We have a market come to town on the last Saturday of each month. We do have a couple of farm shops quite nearby that sell all sorts of home grown bits that might be the same!

Thanyou for your tips, I will be using them!!

xx

MinnieSpender wrote:

Hi Leanne

Looks like you're doing what I used to do! It's so easy to pop into Tesco on the way home every other night and then yikes! :eek: overspend! Could you try doing a weekly shop and planning meals? It really does work - I tend to do a shop on Saturday and then cook loads on a Sunday afternoon and portion stuff up for using during the week.

A couple of suggestions too.

Do you have a Chinese supermarket locally? I picked up a box of 20 green tea bags for 50p last week. (I also got tins of asparagus for 80p each which is a great saving and a nice treat.)

Do try the SmartPrice or cheapest ranges for things like tinned pulses and tomatoes - once they're cooked you really don't notice the difference. My Asda SmartPrice tomatoes cost me 15p - quite a saving on your 58p ones, and they're so versatile and good for you! Pasta sauces, soups, stews - you can shove 'em anywhere!

Lastly, do you have a market close by? I promise that you'll cut your fruit and veg bill dramatically. I take a big rucksack to the market on Saturdays and fill it for a fiver.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

lynzpower

Heres the real rub for most of us, its that supermarket spending that has stuffed many of us up time and agian - but its one of the easiest things to change, and I really felt like I was breaking the back of my probs when I discovered the OS way...lol

You are not alone!!

Grenn Tea Bags - £1.49 ( yes, you can get these cheaper)
Chiken Mini Fillets - £2.88 ( sorry these are a rip off,you can buy a whole chicken for this price in tescos, and you can get 3 meals out of it)
Kidney Beans £0.45 ( you could ve bought value)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil £1.32 ( do you notice the difference between extra virgin & single virgin, i dont, apart from the price
Onion £0.09
Sweet Potatows £1.26 ( these are so expensive as they have been flown round the planet to get here, try and eat more seasonal veg, way cheaper! Farm shops are fab!)
Tin of Plum Tomatoes £0.58 ( could have bought value)
Cumumber £0.68
Red Pepper £0.68 ( expensive for one, a value bag of smaller ones with about 7 in is about 1.30)
Magazine £1.00 ( you cant eat this!)
Magazine £1.00 ( or this!)

Im not preaching ( ok i am a bit ) but I was spending like this and making small changes like this, thinking more creatively about whats bought and generally LOOKING whats been spent and thinking "is it worth it" I have saved a massive amount :A

Good luck!!!

leanne11

Thats great Lynzpower, thankyou so much. I think I just needed a few things pointed out! I'am so stuck in my ways with what I buy which is why things must change!!!

x

lynzpower wrote:

Heres the real rub for most of us, its that supermarket spending that has stuffed many of us up time and agian - but its one of the easiest things to change, and I really felt like I was breaking the back of my probs when I discovered the OS way...lol

You are not alone!!

Grenn Tea Bags - £1.49 ( yes, you can get these cheaper)
Chiken Mini Fillets - £2.88 ( sorry these are a rip off,you can buy a whole chicken for this price in tescos, and you can get 3 meals out of it)
Kidney Beans £0.45 ( you could ve bought value)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil £1.32 ( do you notice the difference between extra virgin & single virgin, i dont, apart from the price
Onion £0.09
Sweet Potatows £1.26 ( these are so expensive as they have been flown round the planet to get here, try and eat more seasonal veg, way cheaper! Farm shops are fab!)
Tin of Plum Tomatoes £0.58 ( could have bought value)
Cumumber £0.68
Red Pepper £0.68 ( expensive for one, a value bag of smaller ones with about 7 in is about 1.30)
Magazine £1.00 ( you cant eat this!)
Magazine £1.00 ( or this!)

Im not preaching ( ok i am a bit ) but I was spending like this and making small changes like this, thinking more creatively about whats bought and generally LOOKING whats been spent and thinking "is it worth it" I have saved a massive amount :A

Good luck!!!

MinnieSpender

leanne11 wrote:

Hi MinniSpender,

Thanks for that information.

I really do need to do some serious meal planning! Half my trouble is, I'am not always in the country, I work for Virgin as Crew so about once a week, normally for about 2-4 days I'am not here. Should not be an excuse really. I live with my boyfriend, so I tend to let him sort his own dinners out when I'am not here and he is worse than me when it comes to Tescos!

We dont have a Chinese SuperMarket nearby, although we do have a specialist health and herbs shop just down the road. Would that be the same??

We have a market come to town on the last Saturday of each month. We do have a couple of farm shops quite nearby that sell all sorts of home grown bits that might be the same!

Thanyou for your tips, I will be using them!!

xx

Leanne - your job obviously makes it difficult to plan meals but if you have a freezer, you could make your own "ready meals" in advance. Next time you cook, double up on the quantities and freeze what's left. Just make sure that your bf doesn't eat the lot while you're away! :rotfl:

Where do you fly to? Are there local markets that you could visit to stock up on herbs and spices to add a little interest to your cooking? Could be cheaper too! And olive oil is cheaper in Italy if you ever fly there!

Your local herbs shop would be worth a look for cheaper teas too although it doesn't always follow that they are cheaper. It might be worth a browse around next time you're near a big city with a China town though.

Definitely check out your local farm shops too - you will at least be guaranteed fresh produce that way!

shazzer22

thanks for posting over the last few weeks my tesco/m&s/waitrose spedning habits have all crept back in again so I'm off to make a food plan (in line with my diet too) to make sure i dont overspend on food again this month!