Need OldStyle Help! ...

filigree_2

These are my suggestions, sorry if you've already thought of them:

3x mince - I wait till this is on offer and stock up
chicken breast - I usually only buy whole chicken, then I use leftovers for stirfry or curry which is cheaper than buying chicken breast
sausages - Wait till they're on BOGOF and stock up
bacon - try the economy brand
gammon - try boiling bacon instead
pasta (long) pasta shapes - try economy brand, or Tesco own brand
pastaNsauce - those ready packs are expensive, better to cook your own. If you really like them, try the value brand
savoury rice - ditto
tuna - Iceland often have tinned tuna on offer, I don't buy it otherwise
sarnie meats - See if the deli has ham ends for sale - cheaper than the package stuff
roast potatoes (T) - cheaper to make your own
cereal (T) hoops weetabix - try the own brand
bread 1 loaf hovis - own brand
fajita wrap kit - yummy but expensive for what you get
flora spread - own brand
diet pepsi - I don't buy pop, it's expensive and bad for you
2 packet mixes chilli and spag bol - have a look for recipes on the Recipes thread - all you need is a jar of passata (about 40p in Asda) and some herbs to make loads of spag bol or chilli. Packet mixes are full of additives.
Stir fry packs - I love beansprouts so I buy them, but otherwise it's cheaper to buy your own veg and chop it up

I like the idea of cooking in bulk and having the same meal twice, but your family might get a bit bored of repeated meals. Mine would complain if they got mince four times in one week! Try freezing half and saving it till the next week so you get a bit more variety.

Keep your eyes peeled for reduced items, even if they don't fit into this week's menu you can defrost them next week. Honestly I don't think we ever eat full-price meat or fish, I shop in the reduced shelf or the value range and these days I begrudge paying full price.

piratess

the mince i bought was minced beef ... and i bought chicken breast strips for the fajitas

We dont have a poundland near to us, this list wasnt a full weeks if i added nappies, kids lunch box bits it would be alot more! im trying but it just doesnt seem to be happening! ..

the gammon was for a lunch over the weekend altho i know it will probably go in the freezer and thats where it will stay although saying that my freezer is only small so cant get alot in there

jcr16

good point about buying when on offer and stocking up.

yesterday morrisons had chicken breast fillets reduced for £5.49 for pack of 4 to £1.35. i bought 2 packs. for freezer. if i had more money i would of bought more. i good to buy bargins when u see them and then u can add these into your menu's later on. it may seem like your spending out alot in one go, but in the long term it can save.

jcr16

if it would help why not buy a second hand chest freezer. there is often loads in a local paper. i bought ours for £20. it is been a fantasitc bargin. best £20 i ever spent.

and u are doing really well. it may be only baby steps at the moment, but it will all come together.

Murtle

Hi

From your list there are lots of things on your shopping list that are not on your meal plan

bananas
(forgot i did buy baking pots)
3 x mince
chicken breast
sausages,
bacon,
gammon
tuna
sarnie meats

There are also things that you don't need, especially if you are trying to cut costs; (I don't know if you need to pay back debt or just looking for your money to go further)

pastaNsauce savoury rice
fajita wrap kit
2 packet mixes chilli and spag bol - these are easy and cheap to make without packet mixes
Stir fry packs
a bag of small packed raisens - buy them in a large pack and decant

Then there are items that should laster longer than a week
ie

pasta (long) pasta shapes
rice
washing powder + softner (tescos powder) toilet rolls (T) bin bags

crisps multi pack for older kids .. (T) and snacks for toddler (t)
cereal (T) hoops weetabix
bread 1 loaf hovis
VLF cottage cheese
8 pints of milk
flora spread
diet pepsi

frozen veg,
pizzas (Tvalue) - make homemade pizza
fish peices(Tvalue)
frozen chips (T value) - what are these for? have a baked potato instead of chips?
roast potatoes (T) - buy normal potatoes and make roast potatoes

this is to make
tues= fajitas
weds= chilli (save some)
thursday stir fry
friday spag bol (save some)
sat omellete
sun roast (already have a chicken)
mon chilli (from last week)
tues quiche ....

the pizzas and fish are for the children as they dont like chilli ... can you not give them mince without the chilli?

thanks for your help xx[/QUOTE]

piratess

hi

bananas (for kids lunch boxes and deserts)
(forgot i did buy baking pots)
3 x mince chicken breast (fajitas... chilli and spag bol)
sausages,(bought to keep incase of extra mouths etc )
bacon (to go in quiche)
gammon (may use at weekend)
tuna (packed lunches)
eggs (are these for the quiche?)
sarnie meats (lunches)
Both daughters take a packed lunch and my partner comes home for dinner

pasta (long) pasta shapes (these needed topping up this week)
rice (same as above)
washing powder + softner (tescos powder) toilet rolls (T) bin bags

^^^ as did the washing powder etc... i buy Tescos own powder and get the 10 wash which lasts 1 week

thanks for your advice maybe id be better off bulk buying ??

moggins

This is my meal plan for the next week

Mon - chicken rice salad
Tue - Sausage and bean casserol, mashed potatoes
Wed - Chicken Curry, rice
Thurs - Tuna & Pasta
Fri - Chili & Rice
Sat - Spaghetti Bolognese
Sun - Onion, bacon & potato hotpot

so that makes my shopping list for the main items

5Kg potatoes - £1.33
2Kg rice - £1.20
2Kg onions - 88p
2 tins beans - 26p
1 jar value bolognese sauce -27p
3 tins value chopped tomatoes 45p
1 bag value pasta quills - 19p
1 jar value mayonnaise -37p

1 chicken £1.66
2lbs minced beef - £1.50
1 pack bacon bits - 99p
2 cans tuna - 60p
1/2 pack turkey sausages 50p

Which makes £10.20 for the main meals, it costs me £9.78 for lunches for 3, £2.00 for breakfasts. We get through 20 litres of milk every week which costs £7.00, even allowing an extra £10 for cleaning materials, sundries etc that still only comes to £38.98.

piratess

hey thanks that meal plan is excellent and loads of variety to! .. can i ask where you shop ? and do you buy weekly amounts? ...

and do you ever buy any items in bulk to last for a longer amount of time? ..

think im going to copy that meal list if you dont mind ....

moggins

I shop everywhere and anywhere although a lot of those prices were sourced from Tesco because you say that's where you shop most. I'll go wherever I can get the best quality for the best prices. We have a local market !!! car boot sale so I go and stock up on meat from there every two months. It generally costs me £40 for 2 months worth of meat. (and DH doesn't think he's eaten if he hasn't had meat so we have it every meal) I do have a very good local asian supermarket so I buy my herbs and spices in large quantities. All the heavy things like the cat food, rice, pasta, washing powder etc I do an online shop for, using codes that can be found on the voucher codes bit of the forum. So basically I do one big Tesco shop at the start of the month which normally costs around £60. A bi monthly trip to the market and then small weekly runs to Lidl but obviously your life is different so you just have to try and see what works for you best.

Chell

piratess wrote:

the pizzas and fish are for the children as they dont like chilli ...

thanks for your help xx

Can you not make the chilli so the kids will eat it? I usually make a very mild chilli then spic eit up before serving it for DP and I. My two have eaten it since they were about 6mths old. If thwy like spad bol then they should like the chilli perhaps even without chilli powder at all.

I never make seperate meals for the kids.