Old Fashioned Weekly Shop!

epskie

Can anybody help me? I would love to master the art of a weekly shop but I have never quite managed it.

I've fallen into a dreadful habit of going to Asda every day and it costs me a fortune. I have a husband and 2 sons (11 and 6)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated :-)

Many Thanks

lostinrates

epskie wrote: »

Can anybody help me? I would love to master the art of a weekly shop but I have never quite managed it.

I've fallen into a dreadful habit of going to Asda every day and it costs me a fortune. I have a husband and 2 sons (11 and 6)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated :-)

Many Thanks

You need to meal plan . There are lots of threads and help with this skill on the old style forum, and yes, it will reduce your outhoings ususually. . And give you more time...a trip shopping daily must take some time up!

epskie

Thank you :) It certainly does! Ok, where do I find that forum? (Sorry, I'm new and a bit useless)

lostinrates

Just further down the main screen from this one, here is a link to help.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

moneypuddle

Every day :eek::eek: My god how do you cope?!?

kingfisherblue

Meal plan, make a list, and stick to it. Don't be tempted by offers, sweet treats, something nice for the kids....... Instead, think about how much you can save and then you will be able to afford a decent treat for the whole family.

As you run low on store cupboard essentials, add them to your shopping list. That way, you will always have the things you need.

Consider how you can make the best use of things. For example, a large chicken can be used to make a roast dinner, and then you can add the leftovers to a casserole. Or you could buy a larger pack of something and batch cook. As well as being more efficient when using the oven, you will have a healthy frozen meal for the times you are tired and don't want to cook, or for when you are skint.

My daughter batch cooks and freezes individual portions in plastic tubs. She can then microwave these at work for her lunch/tea. It saves money and she knows exactly what the meal has been made from. Batch cooking can also be useful if you get a glut of veg, although we steam veg and pop it into portions in freezer bags, so that we don't have to defrost a large amount if only one of us is home (or if daughter wants to take to work).

Use beans and lentils to pad out soups and casseroles. Add lots of veg to shepherd's pie.

gsymoo

So I didn't miss things I made a list of all the usual essentials I'd buy (in the aisle order of my supermarket). Throughout the week if I realised I had to get something I put a tick by it, if it was an unusual item I'd write it in. On the morning of doing my shop I'd check if any unticked items were needed. Sometimes I could miss whole aisles!

Always do meal plans (this also helps reduce wasted food). I also get cash out for the weeks food shop - once its gone, its gone.

Hope this helps, and makes sense!

BitterAndTwisted

Before you start meal-planning it could be a good idea to do a complete inventory of your food-cupboards, fridge and freezer and see if you can devise a menu from what you have already. Visiting the shops more than once a week can be fatal: what started out as a quick dash for a couple of pints of milk ends up costing twenty quid or more.

Never shop when you're hungry.

If you've no self-control consider ordering online and having it delivered. That should concentrate the mind on what's really needed, rather than what would be nice once you've spotted it on a supermarket-shelf.

jenhug

i do my weekly shop in 3 stages, butcher first, then farm shop for fruit and veg, then supermarket last for tinned products and cereals etc.

I usually plan a few meals in advance and then see what the butcher has in that looks good or is on offer and plan around that. I buy 4lb mince from the butcher, make homemade burgers, and either a bolognese or cottage pie from remaining. I use as few processed foods as I can, as I have health issues as does my eldest daughter.

Amanda65

I do a weekly menu plan every Monday, with notes next to it about who is in / out for evening meals (there are 5 us of) and also have a whiteboard in the kitchen and if anyone uses up the last of anything they are supposed to write it on there for when I do the shop. I then book a Tesco / Sainsbury's / Asda delivery. Fruit and veg for the weekend comes from our local farm shop. It's not failproof by any means but seems to work for us.

sassyblue

epskie wrote: »

Can anybody help me? I would love to master the art of a weekly shop but I have never quite managed it.

I've fallen into a dreadful habit of going to Asda every day and it costs me a fortune. I have a husband and 2 sons (11 and 6)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated :-)

Many Thanks

If you feel the need, there's also a brilliant book called 'Economy Gastronomy'. It's based around the idea mentioned above where you buy a large joint to cook for a roast and then it gives you some recipe ideas to get every last pennys worth out of it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Economy-Gastronomy-Better-Spend-Less/dp/0718155726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340096046&sr=1-1