FOOD SHOPPING FOR A FAMILY - ISH

Angela

I did see the sausage casserole and wondered what it would be like,I thought the sausages may be a bit plasticy,but I will try a tin when I next go shopping.
I also bought a tin of the minced beef(47p I think) and onions in that range and am having a bit of an experiment with him indoors this evening so I will let you know how I get on.

Angela

Experiment over Results:-
I mixed a tin of the minced beef and onions with half a jar of Dolmio, instant bolognaise sauce,this would probably feed one adult and one child.
Him indoors was very impressed with it and so was I.
Very cheap meal for a family.
two tins of the minced beef 74p
one jar of dolmio or equivalant(always on bogof somewhere 74p
and a pack of value spaghetti 19p
Feed the family for £ 1.67

System

Have you tried logging on to:

https://www.fixtureferrets.co.uk

You can check all the latest offers from all the major supermarkets, and if you register, you can request to be advised when products you are interested in are on offer.

You can also search for specific products, if you don't have time to look through all the offers n each store.

Safeway is a good one on fixture ferrets, as their own website displays only a limited number of their offers- fixure ferrets display all their offers.
Let us know what you think!

System

Had a second baby last year and so have had to budget much more carefully. We nearly always do our weekly shop at Aldi, Netto or Lidl. If you rotate them (we have all three within travelling distance), the choice is OK. We now spend £30 max on our main shop plus spend about £10-20 in other places during the week and for fruit as sometimes not very good at these types of shops. When we go to Morrisons/Tesco, our shop costs approx £50 and we still have to get extras during the week. The quality at Aldi etc is just as good. We buy the Bag for Life bags at Tesco @ 10p and just use those rather than buy the cheapy bags that Aldi/Lidl supply.

Just remember that they don't accept credit cards, only cash and debit card/switch, but not a bad thing!

Good luck with your budgeting.

16011996

I have a lidl, aldi and a farmfoods near by, also a freezer shop one of the mums recommended called busy bee's. Will give them a try, but just not sure whats good and not. Guess me and the kids in for some trial and error, anything anyone recommends would be appreciated.

System

Hello - I can't compete with advice others have given + my wife is still here for us to have a natter, cuddle and a row. The one thing I would add however is to treat yourself now and again: I'm sure your husband would have wanted you to. Struggling on a very limited budget can be a strain. So go on - it is treat time!
All the best, Pete

Mrs_Thrift

Next time I do a Farmfoods shop I'll keep an eye out for the things we've already tried and enjoyed to let you know, 160. (And what to avoid!)

Off the top of my head, they do a lot of Birdseye stuff really cheaply that is always a good bet. And they do Dr Oetker's pizzas which are fantastic.

In general I've usually found the Freshbake brand stuff to be pretty good quality, too. And there's a Farmfoods Scottish Beef Pie that's lovely, too, good quality meat.

mike_paterson

I have to recommend ASDA value peanut butter with a plain white label at 44p a jar it is 1/3rd the price of Sunpat - tastes as good if not better and has less sugar! Only crunchy available, though at that price it is worth buying and zapping in a blender to get rid of the nuts !

mike_paterson

I have to recommend http://www.madaboutbargains.co.uk/ - great site for deals and bargains and http://www.fixtureferrets.co.uk/ that details all the supermarket deals.

superhoop

As someone who works in the trade:

• Be careful with discount supermarkets - some are not as cheap as they appear. I have seen research that says Lidl are the cheapest, but for most 'economy' lines, you might as well go to Asda and buy from their 'Smartprice' range. Aldi are nowhere near as cheap as you might expect. Clearly it depends what is available in your area.

• If you visit one of the major (non-discount) supermarkets, ask them what their policy on accepting vouchers and coupons is. When I worked at Safeway, you could use up to six from any one supplier. However, I couldn't swear this was still the case since the Morrisons takeover. Many supermarket cashiers will accept coupons even if you haven't bought the product.

• If you have a Tesco nearby, watch out for any mailings or newspaper advertisements from Sainsbury's. Tesco claim to accept all Sainsbury's specific vouchers (they are usually £X off a spend of £Y). I have put this to the test at Tesco Extra Watford, and it worked a treat - £4 off a £40 spend

I hope this helps the original poster and everyone else!

Cheers

Steve