Redundancy - groceries reduction help needed!

aliadds

Newlywed I don't know if this would work for you but I find by doing my shopping online, that i can set a budget and stick to it! Gone are my days of stock piling groceries! For example if my budget is £40 and i go over, i look through my trolley and see if i really need something this week or if i can wait till next week!
I also try and do an Asda online shop one week then a Lidl shop the next!
Also by doing the shop online you're not encouraged to buy extra things because they're on offer, or because you're hungry!
:rotfl:

Butterfly_Brain

I know where you are coming from this happened to us in 2008
First things first - get yourselves to CAB they will help you with any benefits that you can claim - benefits take ages to sort out so be prepared.
The children will be entitled to free school meals.
Fish is full of protein and Tuna is cheaper than meat try fishcakes, fish pie, tuna pasta. Beans are protein so buy lentils and make meals from them go for offal such as liver and kidneys
You have got to get your priorities right, and I'm sorry to say OH will have to forget about his expensive meat meals and weight training - cheap food on the table for the whole family is more important.
Sit the children down and explain to them what is happening and see if you can find a common ground on meals - make it a game and give the kids a piece of paper, the budget and let them go on the internet to find prices and recipes - money supermarket .com is a good one to start with.
Go to the market at closing time you can pick up cheap bits when they are closing. Find a friendly butcher who will advise you on cheap cuts of meat.
Don't forget to budget for bills and I hope that you get sorted soon x

Here are a few web sites that could help

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/recipeindex.htm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/tol_archive/article4289048.ece

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/cheap-eat/

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/Cheap-family

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2176651


And don't forget there are lots of threads on cheap meals and budgeting because at one time or another we have all been there and will help you through x

simpywimpy

Buy your teabags while on offer or try home bargains (tetley and typhoo) as I usually dont pay more than 1p per bag so 240 bags for £2.40 max. Home Bargains have tetley and typhoo 100 bags for 99p. Nescafe coffee in Poundland for £1 but I prefer other brands and just wait until they arrive on special and buy a few at once.

carriebradshaw

I'm going to mention tea as well my OH would only ever drink PG or Tetley,but when things got tight for us last we tried the tesco value brand as part of our cost cutting exercise and were amazed how much we liked it and have stayed with it ever since, at only 28p for a box of 80 it's certainly worth trying one box just to see as abox of 80 PG will cost £2.20 atm, If you're both at home now then I bet you get through more than one box a week so it's quite a saving when you add it up.

newlywed

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

And don't forget there are lots of threads on cheap meals and budgeting because at one time or another we have all been there and will help you through x

Aww thanks

We don't have home bargains. OH will eat barley and the kids like that too so that's one thing I could use instead of rice to bulk stuff out.

We can't get any benefits till I'm actually out of work. So we basically don't qualify for anything until it actually happens - we don't even get child benefit or child tax credits as equal nights doesn't make us "main carer". Anyway :rolleyes:

I've been shopping for bits to last till payday and have spent less than normal (and taken longer than normal). Got some breaded haddock pieces instead of the basa I'd usually get so that saves a bit. We both like fish. My cereal was on half price so got one of those (will get another after payday if it's still on offer).

I shall try the tesco value teabags (but possibly sneaked into a pg box so OH doesn't twig ). We don't drink instant coffee (still have a jar of aldi one hardly used). The ground coffee may have to be reduced but only really use one pack of own brand a month on that.

When I do mince dishes I pad it out with lentils and oats as well as extra veg.

When I am off work, I'll be able to go to the market, with a somerfield and an aldi nearby and try and get the best deals on veg etc.

I will have a rethink from now on every time I buy food as somethings have crept in as habits and stuck there, so I just bung them in without thinking whether there's a cheaper on

patchwork_cat

I have observed that some things in Sainsburys are much more expensive than Asda. Deals are good though and some things are obviously price matched, there basics range is good though.

At the moment I am trying to eat British meat or Free Range, Aldi do a free range chicken at the moment for £4.50 and Asda have 3 packs of 4 chicken breasts on 3 for £10 (there is also pork loin chops in this offer)

Do you eat a lot of salmon? This can be expensive, but if it is a once a week thing could be fine. I use tins of salmon too to get the 1 or 2 servings of oily fish a week - make a nice salmon loaf or fish cakes.

If your DH is only eating protein and veg for his main meal how much does he have - 2 chicken breasts, do you have the same, so 4 chicken breasts for a meal for 2?

Reverbe

Commiserations newlywed. Hope things work out for you and your family soon. You will find some good tips here on all kinds of threads and dont forget the oS boards for other types of thrift too.

Have you posted similar before as the chicken breasts and the weight lifting seems to ring a familiar bell?

Gigervamp

I agree with the idea of keeping the receipts for a month to see exactly what you're buying and paying for it.

I always find sainsburys expensive. For instance, last night I noticed that they were selling coconut milk for £1.59! :eek: Whereas, Tescos had two brands of coconut milk, one was 59p and the other 79p. That's a heck of a difference!

Perhaps try to do most of your shopping in Aldi and Lidl (and Asda too!).

newlywed

patchwork_cat wrote: »

If your DH is only eating protein and veg for his main meal how much does he have - 2 chicken breasts, do you have the same, so 4 chicken breasts for a meal for 2?

Oooh no - though he would given a chance!! one chicken breast each (but usually give him the largest), but if I do chicken thighs he seems to need at least 2 :rolleyes: The mince is stretched out further than he will probably ever know

Reverbe wrote: »

Commiserations newlywed. Hope things work out for you and your family soon. You will find some good tips here on all kinds of threads and dont forget the oS boards for other types of thrift too.

Thanks reverbe. Didn't really need that kind of news second day back at work (having been off sick) but still. I know you have your lack of work troubles too so appreciate your comment. I'll be trying to compete with you soon on freebies and dropped pennies in the street

newlywed

Reverbe wrote: »

Have you posted similar before as the chicken breasts and the weight lifting seems to ring a familiar bell?

I posted asking about cheaper alternatives for protein for OH, but that was a while back. There's been a few other weight training OH threads on here by others