How can I reduce my food bill?

Daisies

A friend suggested to me last summer about the glass bottle of tap water in the fridge thing. My tap water here isn't too bad, but it made his in London drinkable!

Oops, sorry, I made a mistake with the veg box, the veg is £6, then I pay £3.50 extra for the fruit. I get eggs from them too. It's what's really made the difference in eating cheaply - I live on my own and used to spend £100+ a month on food, now it's somewhere around the £70-80 mark, and much of that is organic.
It's a fairly local scheme, this is the map of where they deliver:
http://www.woodlandsfarm.co.uk/main_pages/map.htm
I only get the basic box though, and it always seems to be stuffed full of things - often more than they say on the box descriptions on the website. There was even a bunch of daffodils last time!
I did compare it last summer with the supermarket, and it seemed to work out cheaper with the box (and the box has things in that the supermarket doesn't stock!). But my local greengrocer is also cheaper than the supermarket, and I think the local market is even cheaper still, so it depends on what's available to you locally.

cocalls

Orange Squash 2 x 3litre £2.90 (THis should last a few weeks)
Vinegar .31
Olive Oil £1.18 (lasts forever tend to use this in my spag bol sauces, I mainly use sunflower oil for frying)
Cajun Seasoning £1.48 (this is in a jar so should last some time)
Value Frozen Peas £.95
Frozen raspberries x 2 £2.00 (one for next weeks smoothies)
Frozen tropical fruit £1.75 (I found it cheaper to buy this than fresh fruit for the smoothies) (I sometimes use tinned fruit in juice in mine)
Value Plain flour £0.31
Croissants £0.59 (DS was with me this week and snuck into trolley - don't normally buy) (Good)
Value Ginger nuts £0.25
Bread £0.88
Chewy Bars £1.27 (Can you make Your own flapjacks for cheaper?)
Cereal £1.72 (Use porrige from above)
Spaghetti £0.27 (This can last couple of weeks)
Chocolates (mum b-day) £3.28 (Presume this is a one off)
Pasta £0.37 (this can last couple of weeks)
Rice £3.00 (This can last couple of weeks)
Jammie Dodgers BOGOF £0.69 (Not needed-with ginger ones u have 3 pks of biccis)
Casserole mix x 2 £1.28 (I should learn to make my own I know!!) (Yes!)
Rim block refills £1.98 (Not needed)
Wrapping paper £0.57 (Save left over paper from xmases)
Shampoo & Cond BOGOF £1.94
Chicken Slices £0.59
Value Cheese £2.30
Pork £1.61
Lamb (reduced) £2.75 (in freezer for next week)
Value Chicken Breasts £2.18 (Are these for the chicken nuggets? should have a couple left over for nxt week)
Value food bags £0.45 (Not needed use tupperware type stuff)
strawberries x2 £2.50 (one in freezer fro next weeks smoothies)
Spring onions £0.49
Oranges £1.49
Kiwi Fruit £0.98
Bananas £1.22
Lettuce Leaves £1.39 (Can you get an iceburg one week or pck of watercress)
Onions £0.34
Tomatoes £0.69
Cauliflower £0.58 (leftovers in freezer)
Apples £1.32 (Appreciate that you like fruit-but with smoothies every day you have loads!)
Cucumber £0.84
Potatoes £0.95
Brocolli £0.29
Carrots £0.23
Peppers £1.29 (Do you use all this-does any ever get thrown away?)

Total: £53.45

In your meal planer you mention a few things that arent in your shopping list like eggs and chips did you have these already-anything else on the cuboards you could use up?
You have a lot of pasta & rice which should last a week or more-there's loads of recipes on here for pasta & rice dishes.
There's also other stuff that should last a while like the flour, oil & cajun spices so next week it should be cheaper.
Where do you buy milk from?
Thats all for now!!

thriftlady_2

Have you tried tinned fruit in juice for smoothies ? I'm thinking peaches, apricots, pineapple, raspberries + a banana ? I'd save the berries for when they are in season and pick my own for the freezer Also long term consider growing raspberries, strawbs, blueberries (in tubs), loganberries and pick blackberries for free in Aug-Sept.

I can see you're keen to get your 5 a day (I manage with the kids but forget myself:rolleyes: ), but don't forget that it doesn't have to be expensive -
a glass of value orange juice (we get orange for breakfast and apple for after school then it's water or milk) juice can only count once towards your 5 a day.
a handful of raisins
an apple or banana
a couple of tbsp frozen peas
a handful of carrot sticks

Save the smoothies for weekends

And definitely make your own biscuits - it is way cheaper, lots of recipes here and really quick too. A flapjack costs about 35p from a supermarket, homemade they're about 4p. Get a bag of value oats for porridge and flapjacks. Don't forget they are a wholegrain (Shredded Wheat is not the only wholegrain cereal despite what Ian Botham says;) )

scuzz

I know you're getting the frozen fruit for your breakfast smoothies, but what about buying more fruit and veg which is in season, as this will be cheaper

I was thinking of you when I was out shopping yesterday - first time in a month that I've been and I spent £62.79 for three people and a dog

This was my list - don't know if it'll help

doritos - 98p (bought for extra club card points)
Bonio - £1.79 (bog box as lasts longer)
Bakers - £4.98 again bigger bag to last longer
Comfort - £1.30 on offer in store
squash - 2 for £2.90
milk - £1.15
Value juice - 2 x 58p
kitchen towel - £1 on offer
value biscuits - 2 x 22p
kievs - 2 packs for £3
pigs liver - .76p
turkey mince - £1.30
own lable choc - 69p
own label choc - 61p
tuna steak - £3.35
pasta £1 huge bag, will last long time
mince - £2.24
chicken pieces - £2.99 BOGOF
bread - 2 for 1.60 x 2
yogurts - 4 x 26p
ham - £2.74
luncheon meat - 66p
mandarins - 2 packs for £2
shower gel - 88p
value bananas - 49p reduced
mushrooms - 89p
butter stuff - 88p
cheese £2.21
salmon fillets - 2 x £2.37 reduced
bacon - £2.96
peppers - 3 x 78p
cheese - £1.67
broccoli - 85p

this will last us a LONG time. I have soups and tins of fish in the cupboards, along with tinned tomotoes. So pasta dishes are very easily made. Eggs were delivered yesterday from fishmonger, so other easy meal options there. Cereals in the cupboard

Good luck in cutting back

thriftlady_2

scuzz wrote: »

Eggs were delivered yesterday from fishmonger

You have a fishmonger that delivers, you lucky, lucky thing. No fishmongers in Worcester, let alone ones that deliver eggs

lynzpower

Have you thought of growing your own salad leaves? You dont even need a garden! As an aside I bought

Bag of tescos compost ( £1)
3x tescos posts 25p each
pack of B&Q value lettuce seeds 39p
pack of lidl rocket seeds 59p
pack of spinach seeds 59p

this should yeild all summer long. And I'll have the pots left over and all for the price of 2x bag of washed bagged salad. :T You can do leaves ( rocket etc) in trays on a window sill if you dont have a garden. last year I used some of the trays you get value mushrooms in and they worked fine., I always start my seedlings in these plastic trays I started my spinach last sunday and they are sprouting already

emmaroids

i find if i make a shopping list and STICK TO IT, i cut down on my weekly bill.

but you must stick to it.

Little_Miss_Saver

Morning everybody :hello:

I'm so grateful to all your replies and I'm more determined than ever now to get this bill down.

I'm off work at easter for two weeks so I'm going to have a go at making my own cereal bars, soups, sauces and do some batch cooking.
I would like to have a go at growing some vegetables, is it a case of planting the seeds and watering every so often?? How long does it take for them to grow??
Last year in the summer holidays I went strawberry picking with my DS and had loads for about £5 (much cheaper than Mr T's). I went towards the end of the season though, can anyone tell me when the strawberry picking season starts please as I wouldn't have the first clue!!

Thank you all once again

LMS xx

Daisies

I've been using the BBC website for advice about gardening - I'm just chitting some potatoes to be grown in a tub on my patio.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_index.shtml

With the salad leaves, you sow a few, then sow some more a few weeks later and keep doing that, then you should get a continuous supply rather than a glut!

scuzz

Strawberries won't be around until June/July

As far as growing stuff, you can always buy a baby plant and take over its nurturing. Tomatoes are so easy to grow