Shopping budget keeps creeping up, any ideas?

LeeSouthEast

floss2 wrote: »

Why not get even more investigative, and start to save your receipts? Then you can compare what you are buying and paying against certain dates / times of year?

May also identify any particular "trends" maybe in school holidays, and how your shopping habits are changing.

I've been doing this for the last 16 months.

It's frightening reading.

BitterAndTwisted

Food-price inflation is apparent to me now where it wasn't say a year ago. I'm keeping a keen eye out for price-reductions in the supermarket and buying up things when they're on special offer. The Co-op has Utterly Butterly at half-price this week at 60 pence so I bought 6 x 500 gramme tubs. It's great for cake and biscuit-baking.

Approved Foods and Food Bargains have also become my regular online haunts. Plenty of keen bargains to be had there if you have the storage-space for it

amalis

I think you are doing great, taking into consideration you have 2 children. Me and my OH spend in average £60 per week on groceries (sometimes more if to include vino) and I dont think we too much or some kind of exclusive products.
2 years ago we used to shop in Iceland and spent £20 per week for two of us. But hmm.. buying chep food I gained 10 kg in 3 month.

[Deleted User]

seems to be a reasonable amount to spend on a family of four.
I do the Grocery challenge, and found that by setting a achievable target I seem to have a bit left over at the end of the month. I live alone but do cook from scratch and enjoy quite a lot of fruit and veg.I used to spend about £50 per week but but only buying what I need as opposed to chucking alomost anything in the trolley I have cut my monthly budget down from around £200 per month to less that £120.Any cash left over gets put straight away into the holiday fund for this year.I only draw cash out to use and ALWAYS make a shopping list and 9 times out of 10 will stick to it fairly firmly .I went to the shops today and stocked up on fresh fruit and veg and have no need to shop until 1st April if not later.True I do not have to cook a Sunday roast as I go to my DDs every Sunday but usually take a pudding or cake that I have made for the children.I always either have a soup for starter or a pudding after my dinner and breakfast is either toast or bagels or cereals.I found having my Dinner at Lunchtime I can usually have a sandwich and yougurt in the evening as I am fairly full by then.Utilise the veg thats in season and I always make sure that what I don't need to eat straight away I can freeze and use later .Almost anything freezes apart from fresh tomatoes or bananas as they have a high water content but if I see stuff reduced I will cook it down for sauces.
Whatever I cook I always make more and freeze the excess.Food is so expensive that being a frugal old biddy it would really hurt my sensibilities to throw stuff away.being brought up during the 1940s-50s and having a Mum who could make a shilling do the work of ten helped as well:D

LJM

mine seems to have gone up a hell of alot i was shocked when i looked at cc bill, going to start shopping weekly again sounds daft but if i do a big shop every 2-3 weeks i end up spending alot more

Witsend_2

JodyBPM wrote: »

Yes, we like stir fries, but any ideas for homemade sauces other than sweet and sour? I'm not keen on buying too many ready made sauces, and with no sauce at all I think they are quite bland.

I like this it's healthy and it goes well with chicken and beef.

2 garlic cloves crushed
1" fresh ginger chopped fine
4 tbs low salt soy sauce
1 tbs tomato puree
add a splash of water
shake all the above together and add just at the end of cooking.
Hope this helps:D

JodyBPM

Witsend wrote: »

I like this it's healthy and it goes well with chicken and beef.

2 garlic cloves crushed
1" fresh ginger chopped fine
4 tbs low salt soy sauce
1 tbs tomato puree
add a splash of water
shake all the above together and add just at the end of cooking.
Hope this helps:D

Fab, thank you so much for that, all stuff I would have in apart, perhaps, from the ginger (but I could make a ginger cake/biscuits too with that!) and looks delicious and healthy!

maman

JodyBPM wrote: »

Yes, we like stir fries, but any ideas for homemade sauces other than sweet and sour? I'm not keen on buying too many ready made sauces, and with no sauce at all I think they are quite bland.

The easiest stir-fry sauce I use for chicken is 3tbsp of honey and 1tbsp of soy. Put this in your wok (doesn't need oil), cook the chicken in it then add all your veg and noodles. I like to give a good shake of lime juice (bottle from Asda lasts ages) stirred in at the end. Children should love this. If it's a bit sweet for your taste substitute one of the tbsps of honey for sherry/water.

I was also wondering where you shop and whether you have the time to shop around? That might help although I think you are doing very well indeed!

maman

JodyBPM wrote: »

Fab, thank you so much for that, all stuff I would have in apart, perhaps, from the ginger (but I could make a ginger cake/biscuits too with that!) and looks delicious and healthy!

I use the 'Very Lazy Ginger' (or Asda's own brand), and it lasts for ages.

Slinky_Malinky

The only small suggestion I can offer to cut costs is to eat less meat and fish and make meals using beans/pulses if your children will eat them. Much cheaper and counts toward their five a day.