Surviving January

Glitterari

Please point me in the right direction if there is a thread/guide already established to help me answer these questions.

January needs to be a very cheap month, as it is other half's birthday (haven;t bought his presents yet!) and my mileage claim went in late so won't be getting that until next month. No cc's or OD to fall back (not that I want to). I have worked out all my expenditures for the month and everything is covered but I only have a £80 budget for food - which is down half what i usually allow. Quite fancy reducing my food budget anyways in order to pay off debts quicker! But have always been one to waste heaps of money on food.

So - it's just me. I only see my other half at the weekends when we alternate staying at his and mine. I have a freezer full of food and cupboards full of basics, herbs and spices and some left over christmas bits too. I am hoping to only stock up on fresh veg, fruit, break and milk - maybe a packet of mince and some pasta.

So, how do I do this all as cheaply as possible? I am also watching my weight, so it needs to be healthy food too and I hate canned veg. How much should one adult during the week and two adults at the weekend be able to live on?

falady

Hi there

There are many threads on what people's grocery budgets are, depending on their situation (someone clever will be along in a minute to do some links for you, i'm sure), but \i think £80 should be enough for the month, if you are careful and plan well.

A couple of friends of mine lived on £10 per week each for groceries this year, and OH and I are feelig inspired. We've set our budget at £30 per week for the two of us, and we'll see how we get on. Used to spending more than double this!

Ali

Rebekah24

£80 is a lot

Would say £10 a week, then if being very lavish £5 when oh is there at weekends

Personally I will buy £2 worth of food per week for OH- Then ask him to bring over milk/tea/a bagel for brekkie. Seems fair

Oopsie bread/eggs , Use ALDI/Other discounts or offers for fruit/veg if necessary

Perhaps batch cooking - pasta sauce/soup/mince/lasagne/pies ..then freeze

Check out special offers for Fruit n veg, wholemeal pasta etc usually on offer (ASDA 2 for £1)

Sounds very doable, with at least £20 to spare at end of the month!

Glitterari

£80 doesn't seem like much to me - but then i have a weight problem and have always been food shopaholic. But the reason it was so high in the first place was because I was allowing myself over and above what I felt I would need, to be on the safe side. And i OH contributes towards the cost of the food (which is over and above the £80 I have allocated and will be used on debts!)

Is it worth trawling markets and fruit shops for fruit and veg? Or is it cheaper to do aldi/lidl? I'm aware of getting veg in season is cheaper...anyone got a good link for telling me what fruit/veg is in season each month?

Bakeries for bread - any cheaper? Or is it actually cheaper to make your own?

Although I shouldn't need any meat, are butchers better/cheaper than supermarkets?

clutterydrawer

you should easily be able to do that

for one adult I spend about £10 - £15 per week...i could do it cheaper but I'm lazy.

I buy various grains and pulses, lots of fruit and veg, nuts, tofu and milk.

exlibris

See how many meals you can make from what you have in. List anything you might need to supplement this and see if you can only buy this or can make something else that doesn't need supplementing.

Obviously you will need milk and veg, but buy this for the week and don't go near a shop for the rest of the week. (if you can)

Penelope_Penguin

Glitterari wrote: »

So, how do I do this all as cheaply as possible?

Courtesy of Pink-winged:

There are lots of ideas on these threads that should help:

Cheapest recipes???

Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

The Cheapest Healthy Meal Ever!

Feed 6 for £1.62

Cheapest meal

Your Cheapest Evening Meal.

cheap, easy family meals

Show Jamie How To Cook On A Budget Champagne Contest

Meal idea's under £1

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Penny. x

[Deleted User]

I agree with a lot of what has been said already. I too would search for anything needed in Aldis,Lidl ect.best way is to ONLY buy what is really urgently needed.Fresh milk,veg ect. I always keep a small shopping list of stuff I need by the kettle and only ever take cash with me to cover it.I keep a separate purse with the cash in for food .I live alone, and although I allow myself £30 per week its not often I go above that, and if really pushed can get it right down .Shop from the freezer/cupboard.That's 'free' food in there that you haven't got to buy as its already been bought. If we get the promised snow next week I can go for at least a week, if not more without going near a shop just from the stuff in my stores. I used to spend around £50.00 a week almost without thinking as I would go to the shops and walk around the supermarket and chuck bits in like an automaton, then I had my light bulb moment when I found that I wasn't eating half the stuff, and just stacking my cupboards and freezer with it.I am now a lot more careful, and actually havn't bought anything for over a week.I find that by using up what I have its so much more money saving than splurging out in MR T's .What I have left over after a week I bung into my holiday fund for next year, that way I'm not tempted to spend it.I usually make Tuesday my 'payday' so I'm not tempted at the week-end.
Also try going to the supermarket later on ,perhaps if you can in the evening after 7, often stuff is reduced to a lot less than it was, and if you can eat it at full price at 3.00p.m. it won't have gone off at 7.00.p.m.I get quite a bit at times for my freezer like that .As I don't eat a great deal of bread if I get two loaves reduced I will devide them up into batches of four slices at a time , wrap in foil and freeze them. No wasted bread as I get a packet out last thing at night before bed and its defrosted in time for some toast at breakfast.
But it is 'babysteps ' and until you get the habit of buying less, don't beat yourself up if you spend a little extra now and again. Consider it a treat and buy one bar of chocolate a week, and eak it out till the weekend.
Good luck, we have all been where you are now, and it soon becomes almost second nature to think
'Do I want it, or need it' two different ideas altogether, need is necessity, want is not

Lynn11

Aldi/Lidel is good for some things I do not buy fruit/veg there unless you are planning on using this within the next 2-3 days as it tends to go off. I shop in a fruit shop and buy what we need for the week and the fruit stays fresh. Good luck and I am sure that you will survive this,

slowandsteady_2

Frozen veg is sometimes a good option as its about £1 for a bag of value mixed veg which is around 750g-1kg in weight and doesnt go off. There are also different varieties of course, all of which are cheap and useful.

Aldi and Lidl are great for fruit and veg and have some good offers on, especially Aldi with there monthly super six.

Try the Food Shopping and Grocery board when you next need to shop, they always have deals on there and you might find somewhere you can get your essentials a bit cheaper that day

tiff

I am having a self imposed lean month so that we dont have to dip into savings. I found this thread to be great for inspiration http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=336033

I made the layered potato pie thingy once or twice and never again? Why? So, back to basics again. I plan to go to Lidl for whatever veg they have that is on offer this week(anyone know?) and buy plenty of it. I also have large bags of dried beans in my storage that I have kept for times such as this. Once I've done the shopping I'm going to plan around what I have in the storecupboard and freezer and try to get by on as little as possible until 28th Jan.

All those old threads above will give you loads of tips, you can get by on very little as we have had to in the past. x