Where to shop for family of 6? Help and advice needed as cant afford food anymore :(

finaniciallyfitforfortys

emmamed wrote: »

sorry if this sounds nasty, but i finding it strange the OP hasnt been bk to comment on these posts which could help her

it does sound nasty. maybe she has had NO time to go on internet with a sick hubby, 4kids, maybe her electric cut off or maybe the only way she can get on line is by going to relatives house. Dont be so quick to judge.

DFW2

Sorry to hear about your situation, food does seem really expensive lately, there are only 2 of us and we could spend a fortune although we try not too!! I can't recommend Approved Food enough for brilliant bargains. Just a thought as they're not everywhere yet but is there a foodbank locally you could get a referral to?

chaosweddings

i too would say buy a slow cooker, i use ours 3/4 times per week and batch cook, so if i make a spag bol i make a huge amount and freeze more than half and use for chilli, lasagna and more. or i make a large vat of basic tomato suace to use for soups/pizzas and sauce bases.
i also buy cheap cuts of meat and put them in the slow cooker, yum
i also bulk out alot of meals with lentils and grated carrot/parsnip/swede

we are a family of 3 and spend around £30 per week on main shop and about £10 on a top up shop per week.

my usual weekly shop consists of :
Braising/stewing steak £5
brisket £4
carrots £1
potatoes £1
mince £2
2 x whole chickens-cooked and shredded for meals and lunches £7
parsnips £1
swede £1
onions £1
cornflower £1
chopped tomato's £1
turkey breasts- to make mince/burgers £3
peppers £1
mushrooms £1
spring greens


out of this i make, chilli, spag bol, curry, pies, cassarole, 10 x chicken packed lunches for 2 people, burgers, sunday roast, stew for £30

Lugh_Chronain

A few people have already mentioned cooking with lentils. I found this website last night which might help:

LentilRecipes.co.uk

stacey4415c

Do you have any market stall type fruit and veg shops near you? I ask because on my high street there are probably 15, and they are very cheap. Today i almost bought three large boxes of grapes for £1.

bargainbunny

I have family of 4 and i bulk buy stores own branded beans and spageti.. plus noodles at 10p
curry sauce 10p
mince 90p..
i get it delivered so im not tempted and bulk cook with mince/chicken
and turkey drumstick are about 1-80 which are quite good
instant mash isgood for baby food too

Also shop on markets late an you can get somereal bargains as end of the day

saraann21

hi,i use washable nappies during the day and only use a pampers or a huggies at bedtime.saves me a fortune on nappies.your local council will probably give you a free starter pack and i have got alot more from freecycle.i feed 5 of us on £30 a week.i do alot of cooking and freezing and use as many coupons as i can get!local markets are a cheaper place for buying meat

lonestarfan

I've recently started buying a large chicken from Aldi £3.99 and its always lovely. I've stopped buying it from Tesco even on the 2 for £7 offer as they are all bruised and bloody under the skin, whereas the Aldi are not and tehy are not as large. I've stopped buying pre packed pre carved chicken breasts and get a whole chicken. Thanks to this board I have discovered Farm Foods (they quite often give 10% vouchers), Iceland, Poundland, Home Bargains and B&M. I notice from the posts in this question that its only essentials people are buying, generally they're not buying snacks, crisps, biscuits, fizzy drinks. Even though I try to get best prices on these things I can see it does bump up the bill so I'm now a lot healthier without all those items but you do occasionally need a treat. I've got lots of ideas from you all so thanks.

flippin36

Lugh_Chronain wrote: »

A few people have already mentioned cooking with lentils. I found this website last night which might help:

LentilRecipes.co.uk

Loved that link. Thanks!

spiro

Two other tips for shopping:
1) Dont go shopping when you are hungry.
2) Visit the supermarket early evening when they are marking all the fresh stuff down. I have seen whole duck for a £1 which you can take home and freeze.