Hi All- what else can i do?

cleggie

Hi Everyone!

i just joined this site a few days ago and hope i am posting this in the right place??

I have recently (in the last few months) reduced my grocery bills from £480pm to £250pm. Is £250 a reasonable amount for me and my 2 sons who are 11 and almost 7? Please bear in mind that my kids eat a LOT, especially my 11 yr old!

I cook 80% of our food from scratch, i use my slow cooker whenever possible, i have dropped down a brand (and buy value when i can), buy only seasonal fruit and veg, shop around for bargains etc.

Are there any other things i can do to get my groceries any cheaper do you think?

fiftyeighter_2

Hi Cleggie, not sure i can be of help, (would like some ideas myself) I spend about the same as you i.e 2 adults and 15yr old DD.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to offer you advice and ideas. I will be reading with great interest. In the meantime, good luck.

Aarons_mummy

I think if it's right for your family and you can afford it then it's the right amount.

I still think it's quite a lot though, there is a blog/post somewhere of someone spending £100 a month for a family of 4 but I'm not able to find it, maybe someone will be able to guide you to where it is.

Do you bulk out your mince and things with oats/lentils, eat meat every night, buy yellow stickered (reduced items to freeze), make your own packed lunches, biscuits, cakes etc?

I started doing all these things and have noticed less waste, less spending and better eating, we have so much food and treats in the house and much more than when I was spending a fortune in the shops!

Meal planning is a good way to reduce spending, only taking cash rather than debit cards to avoid buying extra treats and things you don't need.

There are loads of hints and tips on this forum and I'm sure there will be someone along soon with lots more information

cleggie

Thanks for the replies so far.
Aarons Mummy- i have heard someone mention that blog too, but cant seem to find it either, i will have to carry on looking for it i think as i am sure it will come in handy!
No i dont bulk out my mince with lentils...i fond having to soak them and boil for hours and hours a bit of an inconveniece to be honest. Although i could use oats instead!
We dont eat meat everynight as i didnt think that would be cheap? We have 2 nights a week that we dont eat meat and either have a veggie curry (YUM!) or a pasta meal.

Yes i make my own packed lunches, and cook my own muffins/buns, cakes etc (not that we eat it very often). I dont eat many biscuits, but i only buy the value ones when i do buy some for the kids.

I also do monthly meal planners, have been doing it for a good 6+ months now, and saved a fortune (and much less waste).

CH27

cleggie it sounds like you have already done really well in reducing your bills:)


I Found I saved money by buying a whole chicken for about £3 from the supermarket. It feeds 3 of us for 3 main meals.
Day one Roast chicken dinner. (hubby& son have the legs & wings)
Day 2 Chicken in tomato,onion & mushroom sauce with rice or pasta
Day 3 Chicken in a tandoori sauce in wraps.

Linda32

cleggie wrote: »

I have recently (in the last few months) reduced my grocery bills from £480pm to £250pm. Is £250 a reasonable amount for me and my 2 sons who are 11 and almost 7? Please bear in mind that my kids eat a LOT, especially my 11 yr old!

Hi, Its whats reasonable for you really, so yes if you've reduced your grocery bill by that much :T thats great.

Myself and OH here, no children and our bill comes in at about £260.00 per month, (which I have reduced as well) so your doing better than me. Which I know your not necessarily looking to do, but that gives you an idea.

Join in the Grocery Challenge, if you havn't already done so, its great and everyone is welcome

rockie4

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/index.html

I think that's the one you're looking for.

You don't need to soak and boil the orange lentils, they cook in about 10 mins anddon't need to be soaked, just chuck 'em in!

Oldbiggles

cleggie wrote: »

Hi Everyone!

i just joined this site a few days ago and hope i am posting this in the right place??


Are there any other things i can do to get my groceries any cheaper do you think?

You haven’t said where you shop.
There was a thread here not so long ago that sang the praises of shopping at Lidl.
The savings some people were claiming was quite amazing, and the quality of their produce appears to be very good.



:beer:

JulieGeorgiana

I spend £200 a month on a family of three (me, DH and DS8) and for health reasons I have to eat some special foods which are costing us nearly double, others cost us more!!

I would say you also need to shop around, and bulk buy when things are on offer. These two save me £150 a year!

Weezles website (the feed your family for £100) also has a recipe on making your own (no knead) bread which is saving my family a small fortune! It's been a godsend! (15p a loaf and even thought the slices are smaller you eat them like for like because the bread is heavier). I even make stoneground wholemeal with this recipe!

Also use mysupermarket to make your shopping lists and stick to them.

I think £200 is a more then fair amount for a family your size (unless you can afford to pay more) but I would try and cut down further slowly after being on £480 a month it's already a huge change!

cleggie

Thanks for the replies,

CH27- great idea about the chiken, i normally only do that once a month and it lasts ages!

Linda- i tried to join in the grpcery challenge but my post kind of got a bit lost really, so i will join the March one instead from the beginning.

Rockie- thats what i was looking for, thanks!!!

Oldbiggles- i shop at Morrisons. I did used to shop at Lidl, dont know why i stopped really?? I will have to go Lidl next time i think and see what they have!

RAS

Also read the rubber chicken thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/38364

We actually did - roast, cold with baked potatoes, as a pasta sauce or curry, then soup. So it did half a week.