Do I really spend to much on food?

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

ceridwen - have you missed weezl's experiment to feed a family for £100/mth on a healthy basis

You really do need to be careful in judging other people's lives - when you're on your uppers, finding enough calories for your family is paramount - healthy eating will have to wait

There are indeed a lot of threads on eating more cheaply - with more or less consideration taken of the health factors.

but - right here right now - this is a thread that (to me and it would appear some others) is coming over as "I need to eat more cheaply - can I have advice on this please - but I'm not prepared to sacrifice health considerations to get the budget down to the lowest possible level regardless". Hence the "gap in the market" this thread is fulfilling.

There ARE people who DO need to cut their food costs and are genuinely trying to do what they can to do so - whilst still maintaining a 100% healthy diet. Advice is needed for these people (and I do count myself amongst them:)).

There arent just two types of household:
- those that spend on whatever they decide
and
- those after the cheapest possible diet no matter what

There is the "middle ground" - ie of those concerned with eating more cheaply - but also intending to eat healthily and this group has simply not been catered for to my knowledge so far. Hence - why I am glad to see this thread. Some of us simply WILL NOT sacrifice health considerations NO MATTER WHAT and our viewpoint is a valid one too - and it certainly makes me personally angry to see our viewpoint belittled (well - thats what it feels like to me personally...).
Okays - rant over - but it did need to be said.

HariboJunkie

ceridwen wrote: »

There is the "middle ground" - ie of those concerned with eating more cheaply - but also intending to eat healthily and this group has simply not been catered for to my knowledge so far. Hence - why I am glad to see this thread.

And I think weezl's thread sums up that mentality perfectly . She and the others on the thread have certainly put their heart and soul into looking at the nutritional balance of their menu plan. :T

The OP of THIS thread is, as far as I am aware, looking at cutting back their food budget by substituting some foods which could be seen as luxury foods. I agree wholeheartedly with PenPen in that there are times when people will simply have to feed their family to the best of their financial ability without keeping a complete balance of nutrition as their top priority. In times of desperation, short term measures to ensure that a family is fed may not always be perfectly nutritionaly balanced, and who are we to judge?

Penelope_Penguin

ceridwen wrote: »

......... it certainly makes me personally angry to see our viewpoint belittled (well - thats what it feels like to me personally...).

Sorry that you feel belittled but comments like the one below make me :mad:

ceridwen wrote: »

(The number of times I hit my head with a "Doh" expression on my face at people saying they are eating healthily - whilst, in actual fact, they are quoting off some distinctly unhealthy foods the next minute are legion....).

Who exactly are we, as anonymous posters on an inernet forum, to judge the diets of other posters?

ceridwen

Just ONE little thread for the "middle ground" here? - as compared to goodness knows how many for the "as cheap as possible" type threads.

I dont think ONE thread for that middle ground is excessive at all somehow:cool:

Not quite sure why one thread for this viewpoint - as compared to hundreds of threads for the "cheap as possible" viewpoint is seen by some as being excessive????? <puzzled smilie x 10>

(I'm certainly feeling pretty pleased right now at having halved my grocery bill - but stuck to healthy eating..... so it is possible).

HariboJunkie

ceridwen wrote: »

Just ONE little thread for the "middle ground" here? - as compared to goodness knows how many for the "as cheap as possible" type threads.

I dont think ONE thread for that middle ground is excessive at all somehow:cool:

Not quite sure why one thread for this viewpoint - as compared to hundreds of threads for the "cheap as possible" viewpoint is seen by some as being excessive????? <puzzled smilie x 10>

(I'm certainly feeling pretty pleased right now at having halved my grocery bill - but stuck to healthy eating..... so it is possible).

I don't recall anyone saying this thread was excessive.

I just think a few of us were merely pointing out that your assertion that there were NO threads about eating cheaply AND healthily was innacurate.

Here are a few you may have missed;


Weezl's thread on feeding a family of four on £100 per healthily.

Can you eat healthily and cheaply?

Eating cheaply vs eating healthily.

Healthy eating

How to Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy Balanced Diet, with Very Little Money...etc

The cheapest healthy meal ever

Grocery shopping, extreme moneysaving and healthy.

Healthy meal plans but still cheap

rachbc

I must have missed the bit were someone made belittling comments.

I don't feel this thread does actually answer what you want Ceridwen because to me the OP seems to be saying we have to spend this much to eat well - any less isn't good enough. However I for one am pretty sure several posters n the board could provide a meal that provides the same nutritional goodness as parma ham and mozarella salad for a lot less dosh - perhaps to as palatable to the op's tastes but just as healthly!

Reading the meal plans on here I am always inspired by the range tasty balanced meals on offer

laurel7172

Hmmm. I'm going to stick my head above the parapet and suggest that instead of shaving money off the price of cubed lamb (helpful though that is), perhaps what you really need to do is decide how much you actually can afford and work to that? I don't mean feed your family on 20p a week, but if you've got more money going out than coming in, then perhaps it would be helpful for you to set yourself a maximum and work within it?

It's not as scary as it sounds, particularly when somebody is as good a cook as you are. And the nice thing about budgets of the non-hairshirt variety is that they're there to be spent!

crux

laurel7172 wrote: »

Hmmm. I'm going to stick my head above the parapet and suggest that instead of shaving money off the price of cubed lamb (helpful though that is), perhaps what you really need to do is decide how much you actually can afford and work to that? I don't mean feed your family on 20p a week, but if you've got more money going out than coming in, then perhaps it would be helpful for you to set yourself a maximum and work within it?

It's not as scary as it sounds, particularly when somebody is as good a cook as you are. And the nice thing about budgets of the non-hairshirt variety is that they're there to be spent!

Already set a budget after people suggested it.

*General comment after reading the latest threads*

Ok, I never meant to set myself up as some kind of health paragon, actually our diet 'at the moment' is probably not the most healthy, as it's meat heavy.

anyway....

I enjoy food, and I especially enjoy food that is both healthy (to my standard) and tasty (to my palate), some may call it fancy, extravagant food, but it is my taste and I'm not trying to force it on anyone.

Since posting my first almost rant, I have read and learned that it is possible to feed a family healthily for far, far less than I spend, I respect that and understand that a lot of people on this forum are aiming for far greater savings than me.

I'm lucky enough to not 'have to' try and drop my spend to a level that I'm uncomfortable with right now.

I guess this thread has developed more into - 'how do I eat the kind of food I love, for less money'

Please believe me, I don't mean to infer that anyone else's diet or taste, is better or worse than mine, I fully understand that we all eat differently.... through choice or nesesity...

There, I thought that was pretty good fence sitting! :rotfl:

zippychick

crux wrote: »

*General comment after reading the latest threads*

Etc etc

There, I thought that was pretty good fence sitting! :rotfl:

Crux - do NOT worry yourself in the slightest, honestly! No one is casting any blame or fault towards you. These kinds of heated discussions happen all the time on OS and other parts of the forum, so rest assured my dear, you are not to blame for any of it :A

Really glad you have "learnt" a lot and are finding our resource helpful - that's what we're all about

crux

Well, well miracles do happen...

Was asked what all my tapping on the lappy was about...

Explained what I was upto and a discussion ensued, turned into a family meeting. The upshot of which is that wifey + daughter are signed up and 100% on board and all sorts of positive ideas were flying around!

Budget agreed at £500 to inc Caitlin's dinner money, pet food and household goods. Money to be accounted for with receipts and current spend vs budget to go up on the notice board each day.

My mini goal is to try and hit £400/month :cool:

SA just got a step closer :j