I need a reality check

Rinko

Also might be worth comparing prices of turkey rather than chicken, I seem to recall from my student days that it was cheaper?

Greenwellies_2

I'm sorry for being away so long.

So I went to Lidl and spent £34.20
I did get a few extra bits, but going armed with a copy of my shopping list, I was amazed at the price difference. The falling over bit, was the gravy, Lidl only had bisto best and it was soooo much more expensive than what I had selected from Saisbury's

I didn't get everything I wanted, but it was a good start. I plan on walking to my local greengrocers tomorrow morning to get veg for sunday (now roast chicken) I work near a iceland, so I will pop in there for the gravy, then fingers crossed I can survive. Although I will need to either make an impressive loaf, or get some over the weekend, but if I go to Lidl and get their bread it's only about 25p a loaf!

Thank you all so much
(I shall hit the thanks buttons soon!)

Have a good weekend

GW

bobbadog

Hi Greenwellies!

Just a thought with lunches, sandwhich filings like tuna mayonaise, egg mayo and tinned salmon may work out much cheaper than cheese/chicken? Also, stronger the cheese the less you generally need? I'm loving that Red Seal that's on offer in Sainsburys though!

My OH is a bit fussy, he generally gets chicken/coleslaw/black pepper 3 days a week, cheese and coleslaw one day and cheese pickle on Fridays I spend about £5 a week on his lunch, with nice rolls and crisps and about £1.20 on mine (i eat low fat soup everyday. Or leftovers).

sweetmoneysaver

Hi GW,

Well done for coming back again to get 'nagged' as you put it. You did so well last time that you know you will be able to pull things back in again.

Food shopping is usually the easiest thing to get wrong. With all the fruit and veg you buy always go for loose items rather than the pre-packed ones. Not only can you chose what you need and the quality of each item, it is a lot cheaper. Sainsbury's seems to be getting more and more expensive so as other's suggest try a local market or go somewhere cheaper.

With regards to the meat issue, try the non-taste the difference items and go for things like casseroles and stews where the meat can be of less good quality but as they are cooked for longer then it becomes less of an issue. Sausage casserole is a good favourite as it can be cheap and padded out with things such as onions and mushrooms. You can have it with rice or potatoes (mashed, roasted, sauteed, daupinoise etc), yorkshires etc. It makes a good alternative to a roast beef dinner at a weekend.

Try other things like tuna and pasta bake. We also do a pasta bake using left overs such as chicken/turkey (from a roast), mushrooms, onions/leeks etc. With regard to the cheese, if using for sandwiches, grate it. It really does go further than slicing it.

Good luck, you know you can do it!

Take care,

SMS.

Dolly_Smith

I can also see that you're buying ready bagged apples (I know because I looked at the price only today and it was £1.47 for a bag of six) - loose apples much cheaper, as with all packaged produce. That plastic doesn't pay for itself you know!

Dolly_Smith

also, you're spending too much on your cooked meats - never buy Bernard Matthews anymore - £2.59 for 10 slices of that when the sainsbury's own thin cut chicken and ham are 99p each. Weetabix are really cheap and you can buy a big bag of porridge oats - make it with a dollop of jam

Raquela

I second the porridge for breakfast; when I was living in my student house last year and doing online shopping, I used to buy the biggest bag of cheap porridge they had and have it every single morning.. I jazzed it up with syrup or honey, (tinned for syrup, jars for honey, not that squeezy bottle cos far too expensive), and added nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon whilst cooking it too (half soy milk (I have a dairy allergy) and half water). worked out so much cheaper than ordinary cereals, and so much better for me too! And for when I got bored, I had home made muesli on standby too! If you decide to take this route, I found tescos porridge oats nicer than sainsburys. Sainsburys never softened as well for some reason!

msmicawber

Hi GW,

I see you've found your local Lidl's shop - I swear by them for keeping my shopping bills down. Since your family are big meat eaters, have a look at Lidl's dry cure bacon - nicer and cheaper than more expensive brands and doesn't ooze that white scum when you cook it. They also do good, cheap gammon joints a lot of the time and, with Christmas coming, they usually do very good frozen turkeys cheaply.

For sandwiches, there's lots of continental meats and cheeses in Lidl's that are a lot cheaper than buying at Sainsbury's. You have to experiment a bit to find out what your family like, but there's lots of savings to be had without compromising on quality, which is why I shop there. Also their cleaning products and toiletries are very cheap, which can really help drive your weekly shopping spend down.

Greenwellies_2

Hi,

I have been here a little.
to put it bluntly I have been busy and there is now a 'health issue' in the family so things are mentally tough at the moment.

However, I have been shopping at lidl and spending about £34 a week, including meat!! We haven't been able to get milk in there (sold out when we go) and hubby went to sainsburys and managed to spend another £34, but that was out of 'his' money

All in all things are ok, I've just double checked my meter readings and had to whack up my DD by £15 something else had to go up too (can't remember what) and I am searching for a better deal on the mortgage.

I guess it's something for another post, but I am thinking of 2 things...
(if you knew what was going on in my life at the moment you would hit me over the head for taking on another 'project')
1) Changing mortgage to a savings linked one - the one account, having seen the mortgage shrinker, but I could have got the figures wrong LOL
2) Installing solar panels on all feesible roof space, single story roof = Solar water Heating, main house roof PV electricity
- I just have to work out whether it is money saving or not!

- Right back to the kitchen

Thanks everyone

GW

Dolly_Smith

The One account almost sounds too good to be true - they told me I'd cut mortgage down by 12 years and £50k according to our payments. Can't get one til the other half has a full set of accounts for the year but that will be soon.

Is it too good to be true?