Single shopping

bronzie

Not sure if this is quite the right place for this so sorry in advance if it's not.

I recently moved into a place on my own, and I am having real problems with shopping, the supermarkets all seem to sell things in bulk so I am forced to buy large portions in things I know I can never finish within their lifespan, its such a waste of money! The other day I bought one of those small loaves of bread but it was practically the same price as a full sized one.

I am also finding it really difficult getting used to cooking for one, always making much too much but I guess that comes with practice.

Just wondered if anyone can offer some advice

andrewmp

You need to freeze things. Buy a large loaf of bread, freeze it on the day you get it and take out slices as/when required.

Same with meat etc. Everything really, as a single person, living alone, the freezer is your best friend.

split_second

i have a family size freezer and its permanantly jam packed

shammyjack

I live alone and only bulk buy or special offers.

2 dozen tins, cartons of juice or frozen products at a time is a regular thing for me. Saves a fortune !


shammy

fairtrade

You could keep your bread in the fridge. I do this and it always seems to last longer.

split_second

shammyjack wrote: »

I live alone and only bulk buy or special offers.

2 dozen tins, cartons of juice or frozen products at a time is a regular thing for me. Saves a fortune !


shammy

the washing tablets i use came on offer at m and s, i bought 8 boxes- the looks i got :eek:

eleanor73

I don't live alone now and find it really hard to adjust to cooking/buying for 2!! I kept my food shopping down to a tiny amount when I lived alone-

Use your freezer! batch cook (Use old takeaway cartons to portion up), freeze bread and take slices off to defrost, meal plan. I was an absolute stickler for not throwing things away. If you plan well it's quite easy! HTH

funtime.franki_2

Frozen food will be your best friend. I know some people look down on it but I'd much rather buy a bag of frozen green beans which were packaged right away, than a small container from the supermarket which has sat in storage for 3 weeks. Also, you will find there is a huge premium on fresh fruit and veg as the supermarkets have to account for high levels of spoiling. If you have time to shop every couple of days for your fruit/veg at a market or grocers, however, go for it!

I typically shop once a week for bulk items and then again in the middle of the week usually to buy 4 days worth of apples and bananas.

If you would normally buy a bag of peppers to chop up, buy a bag of frozen sliced peppers instead.

Frozen Diced Chicken is a godsend - you dont need to bash the bag in order to separate fillets. Also it does away with the need to buy pre-packed fillets in a big pack and then separate/package/freeze separately.

Plan your meals. Some things I eat very often is sweet and sour chicken, chicken curry, and spag bol. And I do buy the sauces in jars. Jars of sauces will typically keep for three days after opening. Have Sweet and Sour CK on Monday, CK Curry on Tuesday, the sweet and sour again on Wednesday.... and so on.

Also, I'm sorry but there's really no way of making mashed potato for one person without it being a COMPLETE disaster (my experience), and I personally HATE reheated potato. You best off doing baked potatos (the filling of these can be scooped out and mashed in a bowl if you fancied something like a shepherd's pie - just put the mince in and top with the pretend mashed potato).

If you have plenty of time/freezer space it may be worth you investing in some single-serve oven safe dishes and bulk buying fresh meat to make into pies/cottage pies etc and then freeze.

Get to grips with your portion sizes. A 100g serving of dried pasta will feed one generously! One large potato is enough for one etc.

Freezing bread is also something I do - it also helps you to stop nibbling!!!! Typically, however, I use my freezer space for food I wouldn't normally buy fresh and then buy the "Fresh for Longer/a Week" Wholemeal Loaves.

If you're like me and don't like the taste of semi-skimmed milk, and have to have skimmed, buy filtered milk (Cravendale, or Tesco has an own brand version). You can buy a bigger bottle which will be cheaper than buying a pint a day which will spoil quicker.

Hope that's helped a bit.

andrewmp

I've started using frozen diced onions as I make a lot of currys/chillis etc. They're less than £1 for a KG and last for ages. Saves having to chop them and I take out as much as I need each time. Frozen garlic too, but that's just lazy I think!

triticale

I have similar problems, compounded by only having a modest freezer compartment!

I love cooking and do freeze leftovers and extras from a bulk buy, I just have to be tactical (swapping bulky packaging for freezer bags etc). I struggle with frozen veg as they are ALWAYS in massive bags though.

I find it difficult to plan for a full week as my appetite/tastes fluctuate every day. I make sure I always have rice, pasta, spuds, onions, eggs, cheese etc in as well as seasonings (herbs, spices, garlic, ginger) and get veg, meat etc often on the day when I know what I fancy.

Always try to buy fresh veg etc loose as the pre-packed are always too big and mostly work out more expensive (few loose mushrooms costing pence rather than £1 or more on a big tub).

I always keep room in my little freezer space for one 'convenience' item (ready meal) though - for those evenings I am late back, exhausted, hungry and can barely turn the oven on!

Chocmonster7

As others have said the freezer is your best friend when you're shopping for one. I couldn't live without mine and have it stuffed full of extras, things I've cooked in bulk and basics like bread.