My months shopping list

frizz_head

black-saturn wrote:

Will you please read the whole thread properly. I don't really want to keep repeating myself. I do go back for more fruit and it doesn't come to any more than £45 a month.

There is no need to be patronising BS, I have read your thread properly, but I don't feel that you are reading or welcoming the replies. In my house alone, it is not nutritionally or satisfactorily possible to feed a family on £45. People are not stupid, they will do the maths, so when you say that £37 is just an intial shop (consisting of just one loaf of bread for example), £8 seems incredibly frugal for several fruit/veg/milk/bread top up shops.

We are all striving for the same thing here, cheaper food shopping, so forgive us if we appear to be scratching our heads at some of the claims.

giggs11

black-saturn wrote:

Yes one big bag of dog food does last a month but I've got a very small yorkshire terrier so thats probably why. If you have a great dane you will have to adjust the amounts.

oooo no couldn't afford a great dane!!! we do have a cairn terrier though and he gets through a 6kg bag of tesco premuim food a month (£5.98) which is why i asked cos the value dog food is only a 2.5kg bag so couldn't understand how you made it last a month cos according to the feeding guide a dog your size needs at least 130g a day. we tried the value food as its cheaper but buster turned his nose up at it :rolleyes:

pandas66

Yes giggs11, my dog is sniffy at value brands! or I can hide a little in good mixer and meat...............pads it out! but by ityself he gives me the evils!

kessik

Hi BS
I'm intrigued by your posts on this thread. I'm quite new to MSE so I don't know your family make-up - by this I mean do you have two adults, a child and a dog or one adult, two children and a dog? Have you always been frugal or was it something you had to start doing and accustom yourself to (I mean did you go from M&S food to Tesco Value food and if so was it difficult?) Also, do you find a big difference between Value and regular food from Tesco? As I said I am a newbie here and thought I'd done pretty well to cover my week's menu plan for £61 by shopping at Morrisons and Somerfield. That's cooking everything from scratch and includes lunches, dinner and pudding and baking too. I have a husband, teenage daughter, two teenage sons and a cat and I think the lowest I will be able to get to is about £50 a week. I am trying some value brand stuff (this week cheese) and always get own brand beans, rice, pasta, flour etc but I once had Tesco value bread and thought it was the most dreadful thing I'd ever tasted, and I have a complex about Value meat as I am too worried about getting some gristle or tubules in it!!! Hence my £50 per week food spend!!! As others have said, your shopping list wouldn't suit my family but you are making it work for you so fair play to you!!!

wannabedebtfree_2

How do you survive a whole month with one loaf of bread??

JUST KIDDING!!!

I have read the whole thread thoroughly, and understand that you do an initial shop then stock up on all the fresh stuff when you need it!!!

I too am shocked at how little you spend, but am not here to criticise you, just to commend you on your forward planning, in my house I have 2 adults and 2 very hungry kids, and I'm rubbish at planning for a week let alone a month, how long did it take you to get into the routine of planning so meticulously? Do you sit and write the menu plan on a monthly basis, or do you have similar plans that you have on a rota system, and then add the occasional treat like the ice-creams and profiteroles?

I'm not questioning you to dismiss what you spend, if thats what you say you spend I have no reason to disbelieve you, why people seem to be getting so worked up about this I have no idea!! BUT I would like some of your tips on how to plan etc, because I am rubbish at that and it is obviously your strong point!!!

I will find out my profiteroles recipe, which you will be able to batch cook, once you have got the empty profiteroles (no cream or chocolate) you can freeze them, when you fancy a few, take them out the freezer, fill with cream, and melt a bit of tesco 25p value chocolate (you probably wouldn't need the whole bar!!) or make some butterscotch sauce, and voila tasty profiteroles without people whining at you for spending £1.99!!!

xxxxxx (keep up the good work!!)

taplady

Thanks to BlackSaturn for once again putting your shopping list here for all to see:T

As usual you seem to be getting a lot of flack for it but hopefully those people are in the minority;)
Some people just havent taken the time to read the thread properly before jumping in with their critisisms. I find it interesting to read how you feed your family and while it isn't all necessarily how I would do it you do have some good ideas:D
Thanks again

Becles

kessik wrote:

I am trying some value brand stuff (this week cheese) and always get own brand beans, rice, pasta, flour etc but I once had Tesco value bread and thought it was the most dreadful thing I'd ever tasted, and I have a complex about Value meat as I am too worried about getting some gristle or tubules in it!!! Hence my £50 per week food spend!!!

That's my feelings too. I can't stand value supermarket bread - it's revolting! We have either home made bread, or bread from the bakers as I prefer the taste of that better.

I'm incredibly fussy about buying meat, especially mince and processed products. In a previous job I worked in a food laboratory testing such foods, and I know exactly what stomach turning stuff goes into them! Therefore I will never buy value mince, burgers or sausages, or processed poultry products.

IMO it's finding a balance between cutting down spending to levels you can afford, without compromising on quality of food. I want to save, but also I still want to enjoy the food I eat. I could cut my spending right down by buying cheaper inferior products, but I wouldn't enjoy what I was eating.

I use some value items that I have tried and liked the taste of, but it's just been trial and error to find what suits me and my family.

emg

Thanks for posting Black Saturn, I love a nose in other peoples trolleys and I have found your menu planners really useful. I wouldnt choose exactly the same things but thats because my tastes, budget, priorities, etc. are different to yours, as you would expect (I would definitely keep the puds though!) As far as I see it you have posted the list because you want to give people ideas about where they might be able to cut down on their shopping, not because you want a critique of your lifestyle and parenting methods.

I'm amazed how calm you stay in your responses, particularly when people are on their high horses about what you are giving your children and when they havent even read the thread properly. I'd be interested to see some of those peoples menu plans and shopping lists - just out of interest to see what they choose and the kinds of budgets that are involved. Mind you, takes a brave person to post that sort of thing on here!

pandas66

emg wrote:

Thanks for posting Black Saturn, I love a nose in other peoples trolleys and I have found your menu planners really useful. I wouldnt choose exactly the same things but thats because my tastes, budget, priorities, etc. are different to yours, as you would expect (I would definitely keep the puds though!) As far as I see it you have posted the list because you want to give people ideas about where they might be able to cut down on their shopping, not because you want a critique of your lifestyle and parenting methods.

I'm amazed how calm you stay in your responses, particularly when people are on their high horses about what you are giving your children and when they havent even read the thread properly. I'd be interested to see some of those peoples menu plans and shopping lists - just out of interest to see what they choose and the kinds of budgets that are involved. Mind you, takes a brave person to post that sort of thing on here!

I have read the whole thread, thats how I came to make valid questions. i wouldn't post my monthly shopping list on here as I'm not saying I can feed my family for less than £15 per week, infact its more than double. But I have 2 boys that try to eat me out of house n home, luckily I have a master plan! Simply put though B-S's monthly menu plan has some good ideas but lacks an awful lot of good fresh food and its got to be worth pointing to out to people who are trying their best to get that shopping bill down considerably. To many people the lack of fresh fruit/veg is a non starter, it is in my family. Its fair to point out the obvious isn't it? Its fair to notice the total lack of milk products from the menu, essentials really for growing children. Or if there were some pulses to bulk out some of the meals. Its not just a case of cheap and cheerful all the time. Nutrition is key with young children and this also needs highlighting and developing.

Churchmouse

Can I start by saying that the fruit cobbler is one of the most popular puds in my house!! Not cheap though as I invariably use fresh fruit, apple and blackberry being favourite!! (hangs head in shame, yes been paying out for imported blackberries, airmiles and all)

I think some peoples' concern is that others will try to emulate not only black-saturn's budget, but others that post too, and feel miserable failures when they don't come close. It's very hard when you don't have access to the same bargains or sources. I have cautioned before about us all being very different with different families and circumstances. I take my hat off to bs and co, but feel we should use them as inspiration not a textbook to follow to the letter!
For example someone (not bs!) had on the £12 thread costed out their menu but had got some brilliant supermarket reductions! Great for them, but hardly a fair basis for others to try to match!! I for one must shop in the wrong supermarkets, because mine rarely reduce by more than 50p or so, but others report their branch of same chain reducing the item to 50p!! ( stamps feet in childish tantrum!) Also if you grow your own veggies or have a specially cheap source, or better still get given some, this totally slews the costings. Trying to help, but fear I might be making things worse so I'll stop digging!!!!
Anyway well done to bs and all the others who publish their meal plans etc but just saying don't worry if you can't get that close to their costings, you're not a failure , just different with a different family.
Hope you're not offended black-saturn:D