Grocery Bills

surfsister

mum2twinsx2 wrote: »

:rotfl:

Thanks.. bank charge was a pure my error tv license goes out every couple months i mis calculated, first time in about two years i was charged, i did ring them and paid item fee was lifted in the end:)

I went to tescos
and spent £33.08
I got mini chicken breast fillets 6 packs at 40p each
and truck loads of bread for next to nothing
a reduced gammon joint
two packs diced turkey for 43p
i got few ready meals cheap aswell im fully converted to just before closing shopping.

I did treat myself to some bubble bath and got some xmas chocolates.:o oh and some wetwipes as was running low. they all werent on my list
i think i had 50 items all together.

great join us bargainhunters!!! happy xmas!

Meadows

suzmac1 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I've been working on reducing my grocery bills and currently am on £400 per month for two people. From looking around on the forum this seems really high in comparison to everyone else!! This does include fresh fruit and veg as I make my and hubbies pack lunches (salad & fruit tub) for work, also includes bottle wine & some cider per week as we don't go out (possibly boring but definitely more economical!).
To get where I am I've already taken some measures:
- take out cash for shop so never exceed budget
- shop for certain items at costco (teabags, meat, fish, wash powder, fabric softener, dishwasher tabs, cereal) which work out better value when buy in large pack/bulk
- shop for other items at tesco so receive points and have down branded some items like bread & milk
I'm struggling with what other measures to take so grateful for any tips or hints on what others have done please??!!!!
SuzMac

Many ways to reduce you bill, you may need to cut back on quality by going from best to everyday (value if you want to drop right down) or portion size.
Be on the look out for bargains and offers (the other day I picked up 5 chickens down from £5.50 to £2.50 and chopped them up into many different portions, I got enough for 25 portions which work out at 50p each, could have got even more if I cut smaller portions). Make sure you have spare cash to be able to pick up the offers when you see them.

Don't buy ready meals make your own much cheaper, tastier and you know what has gone in them. Bulk shop, bulk cook and freeze.

Your bigger expense is the fruit not really much you can do to cut down there if you want plenty, this has to be my biggest cost. Yes you can buy cheaper but again quality may drop. Farm shops are not always good quality and can be quite expensive, they look nice but they can be a waste of money when it comes to eating them. Loose will nearly always be cheaper than pre packed but don't assume it always will be same goes for pack sizes of any item biggest is not always the best price.

Have a go at making your own bread, far cheaper and nicer but as there are no additives it will only keep a few days. Unfortunately bread flour seems to have tippled lately in price (have they cottoned on to the fact more people are making their own bread), but you can buy it it Lidl for 50p and get three small loaves from this, add a little yeast, salt and your cooking time it still works out very cheap.

Never throw odd bits away after you have served up dinner it may make another meal later. Bulk out with lentils etc to make your meat go further.

Boil your chicken carcass to make a stock for other meals.

piratefairy

At the moment, i am having real trouble remembering to eat properly (anything!!!)
I tend to spend £12 / wk average on food (just me) and i have to shamefully admit that most of it gets thrown out
i think i need to seriously meal plan!!

SonjaLiK

Also, I've just remembered, don't ever buy things like lentils, rice, corn meal etc. in normal supermarkets as you'll end up paying about 200% extra. Buy those in Indian shops. Same goes for herbs and spices.
For instance, yesterday I got a deal on rice and paid about 75p/kg. The cheapest rice that Asda sells (I checked) is double that.

Binky111

that is a lot we spend much less and have fillet steak sometimes as a luxury! fruit and veg are not expensive at all it is all the things in packets that are not very good and very expensive. when you are shopping think of which meal everything you buy is for because it is so easy just to buy stuff that looks nice but you throw things away because you have to much in the end. you can save so much by having healthy things like stew with vegetables that are in the season and cheap and meat that is good value and if you work it out for every meal it is very cheap. and fillet steak tails seem a luxury but cmpared to stuff in packets it it not so expensive when you work it out.

Malory

Hi. I really think it depends on your priorities. I spend a lot of money on food - about £55 a wek for two people - but I would rather spend money on food that is good for my health than save by buying cheaply.

For example, I've noticed that when people post grocery lists to explain how they save money, it often involves filling up on carbs, suh as making curry, stew or spaghetti bolognese. I refuse to do that. If I am going to eat red meat, for example, I am going to have a steak or pork chops. I'm not going to take a plateful of rice and add a few pieces of meat to it to make a curry. (By the way - 45 years old, BMI 20, low-normal blood pressue, healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels).

Nothing wrong with going out for a delicious curry in a restaurant once in while, but not as a regular meal at home.

I also only eat free range chicken.

I definitely notice a difference between the cheaper brands and the more expensive ones. For example, I once bought a carton of Teso's orange juice and it basically tasted like water. It is obviously heavily diluted. (I suppose if you don't usually drink more expensive brands, you wouldn't notice the difference.) So you may be paying 1/2 the price but you are getting less than 1/2 the Vitamin C and other nutrients.

Things like cheap frozen chicken are also heavily watered down.

I also don't buy things like sausages which are usually full of chemicals.

I also notice that whenever I look at the sale items on supermarkets websites, they are always unhealthy, often sugary crap. Never things like fresh fruit and vegetables or fresh fish. - Fresh fish, by the way is ridiulously expensive but also full of healthy nutrients.

Regarding saving money by making things from scratch, I think it is healthier to make your own food than to buy prepared food that is full of chemicals, but I recently discovered that it is cheaper for me to buy a packaged, ready-made salad than to make one with my own ingredients. I can't even imagine where they get their ingredients for their salads so they can sell them so cheaply.

Of course, if I find two items of the same quality and one cost less than the other, I'll buy the cheaper one.

But I wouldn't compromise on my health to save money. I would rather save in other ways.

(I do agree that it helps to plan meals, though).

Egghi

I agree with Malory on not compromising on my health to save money, although I think I found the right balance for myself.
For the 2 of us we spend around 150 a months: 35 for meat/fish(delivered by a local butcher: all free range or organic), 50 for vegetables (A. & Cole), 5-6 for the milkman (organic), 10 for fruit at the market and around 50 for grocery at supermarkets.
I tend to stock up on deals and if happens that a month I buy 5 fabric conditioners that are discounted and the following month I spent a good lot of my budget on olive oil. At the end of a year, all considered, I think I save lots of money.
I tend to go for quality in everything and save money carefully selecting offers and discounts.
Also, I cook from scratch everything and I never waste.
But I also think that the amount we spend depends from how much a couple eat. We do not eat a lot, we know that. and this is why we rather go for excellent quality food.

savvyme_4

Since my OH lost his job we have cut down our bill to roughly £60 or less per week for just 2 of us. I shop in Morrisons, Tescos, Asda and Savers and buy the following each week with slight variations week by week(by cash) :

5 Bottles wine £13.40 - Morrisons
milk x 4 pints buy 2 for £2.00
Fresh orange juice £2.00
Fresh Bread (have it sliced x 2 £1.00 - Morrisons
Toilet roll (£1.00 for 4 in Iceland)or £2.50
2 Bottles bleach £1.00
Shampoo £1.00
Conditioner £1.00
Black sacks £0.73
Foil £0.60
Weetabix £1.15
Biscuits 2 varieties £1.00
Cheese 400gms £2.00 (only buy it at this price)
Ski yoghurts or similar £1.00
Eggs free range £1.43
Tin Tuna chunks £2.00
Meat ie beef joint £5.00
Chicken pieces for casserole £3.00
Stew pack £1.00
Veg ie carrots, green beans etc. £3.00
Gravy granuals x 2 for £1. £1.00
Quiche (reduced counter) £1.00
5 Heinz soups £3.00
Potatoes £1.00
Total so far: £51.81

£8.19 left for anything on reduced counter or for cooking oil, curry paste etc. Obviously you don't need the same items every week, you should already have them in your cupboard. It can be done by shopping around and only buy special offers/promotions and reduced items on that week. For instance I got big bag of potatoes for 39p and bag of vine toms for 20p. I head straight for where the assistants are reducing the items. Also look out for money off coupons.
Hope this helps.... you can only give it a try !!

savvyme_4

savvyme wrote: »

Since my OH lost his job we have cut down our bill to roughly £60 or less per week for just 2 of us. I shop in Morrisons, Tescos, Asda and Savers and buy the following each week with slight variations week by week(by cash) :

5 Bottles wine £13.40 - Morrisons
milk x 4 pints buy 2 for £2.00
Fresh orange juice £2.00
Fresh Bread (have it sliced x 2 £1.00 - Morrisons
Toilet roll (£1.00 for 4 in Iceland)or £2.50
2 Bottles bleach £1.00
Shampoo £1.00
Conditioner £1.00
Black sacks £0.73
Foil £0.60
Weetabix £1.15
Biscuits 2 varieties £1.00
Cheese 400gms £2.00 (only buy it at this price)
Ski yoghurts or similar £1.00
Eggs free range £1.43
Tin Tuna chunks £2.00
Meat ie beef joint £5.00
Chicken pieces for casserole £3.00
Stew pack £1.00
Veg ie carrots, green beans etc. £3.00
Gravy granuals x 2 for £1. £1.00
Quiche (reduced counter) £1.00
5 Heinz soups £3.00
Potatoes £1.00
Total so far: £51.81

£8.19 left for anything on reduced counter or for cooking oil, curry paste etc. Obviously you don't need the same items every week, you should already have them in your cupboard. It can be done by shopping around and only buy special offers/promotions and reduced items on that week. For instance I got big bag of potatoes for 39p and bag of vine toms for 20p. I head straight for where the assistants are reducing the items. Also look out for money off coupons.
Hope this helps.... you can only give it a try !!

Also buy things that you can freeze and make things that you can freeze ie home made cauliflower cheese, casseroles etc. Try not to throw anything out, cook it, freeze it and make it last. Also swop with friends and family, there may be something that you have cooked that they fancy in return for something they have made!!

SonjaLiK

savvyme, just quickly looking at your list - you can buy cheese cheaper than that in Lidl (at about £4.80/kg), bin bags I am sure are cheaper in Wilkinson's, shampoo you can easily find cheaper if you are not overly fussy.
You didn't mention amounts for other things so can't comment but I do hope the £2 tuna is not per tin, also orange juice hope it's not 1l, again yogurts, you didn't say how many for that price... HTH