I'm going to need your help!

kit

Hi all

Just quit my 20k a year job for health reasons. :eek:

I think I may need your help to be able to afford to live! I am generally good with things like swapping utilities to cheapest etc. Its my household shopping that costs me LOTS.

So far I have cancelled my milk man ...... I used him to avoid impulse buying but he is expensive so am going just going to have to be strong and not impulse buy when shopping for milk.

Can someone tell me if its cheaper to buy fresh or frozen veg? I currently use fresh but have a feeling frozen may be cheaper?

Any other tips?

ti1980

I would say that a mixture of fresh and frozen veg is best. If you have the space in a freezer then its always good to have a backup of various types of frozen veg, depending on what you like.
Also frozen veg is generally nil wastage, and often has more nutrients than fresh.
I think one of the main things with fresh veg is the waste that can occur, if you're a soup fan then you can avoid this by making you own soup or using any remaining limp pieces of veg in homemade stock.

How much are you spending on your shopping and for how many people? If you put a list up of what you typically buy then I'm sure that lots of people will come along and help you fins where you can reduce costs.

Where do you tend to shop? Do you have access to a decent butcher and greengrocer? Do you meal plan?

Impulse buying is hard to break if thats what you're used to but essential to save money on shopping.

redspot24

Well, that does sound like a challenge! I'm sure that many other replies will follow that have better ideas than mine (I'm still fairly new at this OS lark) but I would definitely say that menu-planning and using a slow cooker have been the best things I've done for saving money.
Have also discovered that cleaning products are, by and large, a total con and aren't really necessary.
Sorry that these aren't the most insightful tips but am sure much more will follow...

rach

i tend to buy fresh veg cheap at the market, but i keep frozen in as its perfect for a standby.

if you're just starting there are a few threads near the top of the old style page which are a good place to start

kit

Thanks so far guys.
I have tried going OS before but then I got my job so didnt really need to worry..... however from trying it before, I know I am BAD at it!

I cant really post a 'normal' shopping list. I wander round and grab whatever I feel like. I have no idea how much I spend.

MMMM, I think this is a tough challenge!

rach

kit, try meal-planning. i used to wander round and get all kinds of stuff. the result was cupboards full of stuff i never used!!!

i wrote a monthly meal planner, i eat variations on the theme for the month, but i don't stick religiously to it! but it means that from that i made a shopping list of everything i need to buy, it cut my food shopping in half!!!

i'll try and post my list and meal plans. it might just help!

rach

Monthly meal planner

1.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]fajitas
2.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]jacket potato with tuna
3.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]pasta with bacon & tinned tomatoes
4.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]sausage, mash & veg
5.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]fishfingers, waffles & beans
6.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]chicken burger, waffles, veg
7.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]pasta with tuna & sweetcorn
8.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey mince chilli & rice
9.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey mince spaghetti bolognaise
10.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]jacket potato with beans
11.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]veggie chilli with rice
12.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]trout with couscous & veg
13.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]veggie chilli with jacket potato
14.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]roast veg & fish/chicken
15.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey stir fry
16.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]mushroom chow mein
17.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]sausage casserole
18.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]sausage, egg & beans
19.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]grilled turkey/chicken, potatoes & veg
20.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]chilli & potato wedges
21.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey mince lasagne with bolognaise sauce
22.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]veg & bean casserole from slow cooker
23.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]veg & bean casserole from slow cooker
24.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]fishfingers, waffles & veg
25.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]pasta with soft cheese & sweetcorn
26.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]peppers/squash stuffed with cous cous
27.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]couscous salad with chicken & veg
28.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey curry with rice
29.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]turkey curry with rice
30.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]salmon/trout & veg
31.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]mushroom risotto (weekend)

note: i don't eat it in this order, i decide each week what i'll have, and tend to swap and change in the week according to what i'm doing!!! i also found that following the list i made for the first month, there has been enough food for 2 months!!! obviously i've done top up shops, but not a massive amount!

rach

Evening meals:

salmon or trout (pack of 2)
turkey steaks/breasts x8
turkey mince
healthy steak mince
quorn mince
quorn pieces
chicken burgers (birds eye)
fish fingers
bacon
low fat sausages
tuna
potato waffles
rice
pasta
couscous
tinned toms x4
passata x2
kidney beans x2
noodles
stirfry sauce x2
4 x baking potatoes
baked beans x4
frozen mixed veg
frozen peas
frozen spinach
frozen sweetcorn
frozen green beans
frozen peppers
fajita wraps
fajita seasoning
Sugar free jelly x3
Instant mash

Breakfasts:

Porridge oats
UHT skimmed milk (12) (for HM yoghurt and porridge)
Apples
Oven bottom muffins
Eggs
Frozen fruit
2 bags Unwaxed Lemons
Milk
Fresh orange


Lunches:

soft cheese x2
ryvitas x2
baked crisps x12
cereal bars
ww biscuits


Fruit & Veg

Grapes
Organic Carrots
Squash
Sweet potato
Swede
Parsnips
Value Mushrooms
Peppers (for stir fry or fajitas, otherwise use frozen)
Onions x6


Ingredients:
(replenish when empty)

Pickled onions
jam
Extra light mayo
Beetroot
Jam
Tomato ketchup
HP sauce
Tinned soup
Lazy garlic
Lazy chilli
Lazy ginger
lentils
Mustard
Tea
Tick tock tea
Tinned ratatouille
Fry light
Thai 7 spice
Stock cubes
Fruit & fibre
Mixed tinned beans
Dried mixed mushrooms
Olives


Household:

Soda crystals
White vinegar
Stardrops
Toilet roll (8)
Ecover washing up liquid
Ecover toilet cleaner
Bleach
Bleach spray
Cleaning cloths
Pan scrubs
Dishwasher tabs
Rinse aid
Dishwasher salt
Washing powder
Fabric softener
Kitchen roll

pboae

You can freeze milk too. So you could buy it in big cartons and freeze it in whatever size you need. It's cheaper to buy it that way and means you can avoid shopping for milk all the time, or even just avoiding it at bad times (i.e. when you are hungry or tired and most likely to impulse buy).

angelatgraceland

Kit-do an inventory of your cupboards and freezer and work out a meal plan around what you already have. Only buy the "missing" ingredients. Start your planning just 3 days at a time so that it doesnt become a chore. Only take a fiver out with you(or whatever amount you decide) so that you cannot buy what is not on your list. I used to buy a lot of fresh veg and it got wasted so frozen was better. Now I plan my meals properly I buy frsh veg again, as it will get used-as I only buy what is on my plan/shopping list. Avoid shopping every day-have "no-spend" days.

MrsTinks

If you think going OS all in one go is going to be a mammoth task then I think it WILL be... Look at this not as a necessity but as a competition. So instead of thinking "I must not spend!!" then see it as your own home version of Ready, Steady, Cook program. Pick X amount of ingredients and see what you can cook from them I've done that when I've been tempted to stray off the path (reminds me that tonight I need to make some more lasagna or something as OH took the last of my "HM ready meals" to work today... Whilst at it I might as well bake another banana bread...

Bulk cooking... it rocks