shopping allowances

black-saturn

Here's my SOA too:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=236481&highlight=shave+soa

The way I get my food shopping down is to make a meal planner and a shopping list and really stick ridegedly to it. The only way I will vere off that is if there is something reduced or BOGOF which I think I can use instead. The best thing to do is to try out all the value range at Tesco, Asda, Morrsions etc as sometimes they don't taste any different to the expensive brand. If you don't like them thats OK becuase at least you will have tried. I personally don't think coffee, loo rolls, tuna fish, mince, fish fingers or cook in sauces are any different to the expensive brands.

freda

Some ideas in bold for you. When I say 'unbranded', I mean buy supermarket own brand.

Sainsburys - change and buy at Lidl, Asda, Tesco instead
Quorn Fillets BOGOF x2
Strawberry frozen yogurt
18 potato waffles - basics - buy potatoes and make your own!
16 cod fish fingers - Buy fresh cod and use egg and breadcrumbs to bread it. Healthier and prob cheaper.
2x boxes go cat Buy un-branded
Coco shreddies x2 Buy un-branded
weetabix Buy unbranded
fruit and fibre Buy unbranded
golden nuggets (cereal) Buy unbranded
quorn mince
quorn pieces x2 All this quorn stuff - if it is like meat mince, it would be much cheaper to make your own burgers (dead easy) and other things, just buy the mince and fillets as basics to make all the other things from
quorn pork and apple burgers x2
quorn minted lamb burgers
quorn sausages x2
spaghetti non branded
fettucini non branded
redbush tea
rice non branded
refuse bags Non branded, also start using carrier bags as bin bags
baked beans x4 non branded
tampx reg
tapax compact fresh
nescafe half caf
kids choc bars Make your own cakes at home. Healther and cheaper
persil wash up liquid x3 Blimey, how long does this last you? Make sure everyone is only putting a tiny squirt in, or dilute it with water if they don't get the hang of that.
cous cous flavoured x4 Buy plain, flavour it yourself. Its dead easy
chicken fillets x2 packs of 4 Cheaper to buy a whole chicken and cut what you want off it, use the other bits for soup/stock
turkey steaks
steak mince
parsnip pate
quorn tandoori pieces see above comments re quorn - you should be able to make your own much cheaper
mushy peas x4 Buy normal peas, mush yourself...
beans chilli Buy normal beans, add chilli powder
peanut butter Non branded
chopped toms x4 Basic branded
skim milk
mussells
penne pasta Non branded
bows pasta Non branded
sweetcorn x2 (packs of 3) Cheaper to buy fresh at this time of year, its in season
risotto x3 Make your own!! Soooooo much cheaper
Cottage cheese x6
Quark
boursin
eggs
laughing cow triangles
babybel mini cheeses Buy an Edam quarter instead. These are well over priced
24 x yogurts Buy a big tub instead and put in re-useable tubs
garlic paste Get some fresh garlic, tastier and chea[per
tin toms x2 As above, basic brand is fine
mixed beans
chilli paste Make your own
turkey slices x2 for sandwiches Use the leftover bits of chicken as sadwich fillers
breaded ham x2
prepared salad x2 Buy the ingredients, make your own. WAY cheaper.
soy sauce
tomatoes
strawberries Expensive out of season
bananas
sweet potatoes
celery
baking potatoes
peppers
onions x2
kingsmill wholemeal loaf Mkae your own
apples
Warburton bread Make your own
pineapple
cucumbers
melon x2 expensive out of season
nectarines x2 Expensive out of season
Omega 3 bread Make your own
mango x2 Expensive out of season
foil
sem milk
fanta orange 500ml (thirsty) Buy squash instead, encourage children to drink water
Dog food Buy non branded

Your shopping is very meat/quorn heavy and veg/fruit light. I'd suggest upping the amount of veg you eat, i.e. have larger portions of vg and potato, smaller portions of meat/quorn. Make stir fries - loads of veg, only a little meat.

I really think the key area you can cut back is by shopping in cheaper places, and buying own brand/value brands. Also, making your own sauces, pastes etc.

sparklebabe21

there are 3 of us in our house, Me and my partner and our son
and we spend £46-56 every 2 weeks!
we have been doing this since we moved 5 weeks ago because we had to move toa bigger house, which equals more rent per month lol!
also is things are on offer, we stock up on it! why not? its only gonna save us money in the future!
xxx

calleyw

I spend approx £100 a month on food for two adults.

Why do people assume that I don't eat properly. I suspect that we eat better than some who spend a couple of hundred a month for two. Because we don't eat much in the way of ready meals.

Breakfast is either porridge/bran flakes/toast or unbranded shredded wheat unless on offer

Lunch is sandwiches, two bananas and an apple. Some times a yoghurt. My husband often takes crisps and choccie bar. As well as a branded cup a soup but he only uses half at a time due to salt and how strong they are. They are bought on BOGOF.

Tea:Spag bog granted it is jar of sauce. But I use steak mince and wholemeal pasta served with a portion of salad or steamed veg with veggie burgers or sausages or left over meat from sunday roast or salmon/tuna with wedges again with salad. Once a week (like tonight)we have beans/scrambled egg or something on toast.

Sunday lunch is often a joint or meat or left over meat from the week before from the freezer.

All bread is wholemeal as well as pasta. Bread is often bought reduced to something like 10p a loaf. We do use real butter but that is normally economy brand.

Drink are often squash (branded but only when offer)water, tea or coffee.

We do buy the odd economy brand e.g jaffa cakes/pasta sauce/ bananas but the rest is either branded on offer so cheaper or the same price as unbranded or supermaket brand.

I hardly think that mine is a diet full of fat/salt and rubbish that most suggest because of the low cost. Nearly every day we hit are 5 a day. How many other people can say that.


Yours


Calley

loubie_lou

I'm trying to home a budget for food shopping of £10 week for one adult. Should be easy peasey!!

judi24

Before using this site I was spending upto 130 per week in asda!! That's for 2 adults 4 kids including 2 teenagers with good appetites but fussy tastes 2 little ones and a cat.
I would have not believed i could halve this with only a little effort!
I think we are eating better than before - I am cooking more from scratch although one of the kids really hates it and is constantly picking at it!
I'm sure I could actually reduce it further but one step at a time with my kids!
It just shows how extavegant we were before being a DFWB!:eek:
It didn't feel like that at the time though.

I can see easily why they budget for 120 per week, but it is unecessary.
make the most of it and use the savings to reduce the debt faster.;)