Getting Weekly Shop Down

shoe1206

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chevalier

I found that really knowing what was in my cupboards and freezer helped a great deal. One of the challenges is the store cupboard challenge. This is where you challenge yourself you only eat out of the cupboard/freezer for a week, to use up all the oddments! Can make for some interesting meals, but it gets you thinking about what you can really cook too.
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dlb

As said before the old style board has helped me cut down my food bill from £130 a week to £50 a week!!!!
We are a friendly bunch on there and if you cant find a thread answering your question, pop on the daily thread and ask us all.
My top tips are meal plan, storecupboard use up and cook from scratch.But start by making a food spending diary, then look at where the money goes, put on everything from chewing gum to odd pint of milk, i was shocked when i first did this spent over £40 a month on fizzy drinks!!
Good luck

halloweenqueen_2

Have a look on www.hillbillyhousewife.com the recipes bit at the top, it concentrates on nutritious family cooking thats cheap - its american but I use heaped UK cups and that works about right!

GingerSte

My top tip for anyone would be to find your local butcher, and buy in bulk from them. I tend to buy lots of chicken, beef and mince, portion it off (cutting into stir fry size portions) and stick it in the freezer in sandwich bags. This then also means that you can just take a portion of whatever you're having out of the freezer the night before to defrost. Be prepared to haggle with them, it makes all the difference. Also, if you go to the butcher on a saturday afternoon, they're more inclined to give you good deals as they don't want to store it over the rest of the weekend.

sophiesmum_2

chevalier wrote:

I found that really knowing what was in my cupboards and freezer helped a great deal. One of the challenges is the store cupboard challenge. This is where you challenge yourself you only eat out of the cupboard/freezer for a week, to use up all the oddments! Can make for some interesting meals, but it gets you thinking about what you can really cook too.
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I've been doing a storecupboard challenge since xmas. The amount of food in cupboards and freezer was ridiculous. Apart from cartons of uht milk and fresh veggies haven't shopped since then and can prob do a couple more weeks yet:D

I can't seem to get the freezer down at all I get a whole chicken out and then end up putting portions of chicken curry, and chicken casserole etc back in,as well as eating a roast dinner, so its not going down. Still I'm not complaining as I am saving lots.:T

sophiesmum

halloweenqueen_2

I'm cooking enough for an extra dinner at meal times when we have a roast and freezing it, all the convenience of a ready meal without the expense and perservatives. I'm also making bigger batches when I marinate meat and freezing that, so my freezer is also getting more full without more shopping! I make an extra pizza, shepherds pie etc!