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Advice please

Ok, have had lightening bolt moment, and realised that I really really need to get costs down.
My biggest area where I think I can save is the food shopping.
I get it delivered, usually from Mr T - always at the cheapest delivery slot - and the petrol cost of driving there would prob be the same.

I do meal plan. There is me and my hubby, and 2 boys (aged 8 & 7) breakfast, pack up lunch and dinner for all of us.

I can do 'cheap' meals - but they generally consist of pasta. I'm worried about getting enough fruit and veg in us all if I try and cut the budget.

How do you guys do it, I read lots of the posts on here, and there are people feeding famillies for less than £50 a week!!! How on earth do you do it?
I work part time, and my hubby works 70 hours a week, including weekends, so its just me entertaining kids all weekend, and dragging them to a supermarket is not their idea of fun!

Sorry for the ramble, but I'd really love some ideas on how to feed us healthily for a bit less money.

Thanks
Sarah
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Comments

  • Oligeo, I'd keep on with having your supermarket deliveries - less temptation when you're not there in person - but also investigate other ways of shopping altogether; supermarkets are not necessarily the cheapest way to shop, if there are any reasonably near you? Local shops can beat the big guys hands-down in some respects; for example, last week I needed some beef for a long, slow cooking recipe. The supermarkets only had stewing steak, which isn't the best or nicest cut for the recipe, and wasn't particularly cheap, but my local butcher had skirt of beef at a much better price; he says he hardly ever gets asked for it because people who usually buy from supermarkets aren't aware of the good, cheaper cuts, only the expensive ones & the ones we'd all rather not buy. Skirt is a very lean & tasty cut, with virtually no wastage, that benefits from slow cooking.


    Same thing applies with greengrocers; the headline prices may be higher, but most of them have a corner full of bargains somewhere, and you only need to buy what you need, rather than a big pack that may end up being half-wasted. And shopping at small, local stores where you soon get to know the staff is much more fun than a harrassed haul around a supermarket with bored & stressed-out kids. It does take more time, though. HTH!
    Angie - GC Feb 25: £119.40/£500: 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 0/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)
  • Hi
    There is a good website called Faye's frugal food with lots of cheap recipes. The lovemoney website also has a recipe section and frugal food section.
    Don't forget there are lots of freebies out there. Blackberries are delicious and free and can be made into all sorts of things. Have you got a friend with an apple tree? Offer to clear up the windfalls for them. You end up with apples, they end up with a tidy garden.
    Markets are good places to buy fruit and veg cheaply and there are plenty of websites that give you advice on what to do with leftovers.
    Rosehips are in abundance in October and rosehip syrup is lovely.
    Good luck
  • As thriftwizard and Slowdown said, plus if you do have a supermarket near you watch out for the "reduced" counter and chill cabinet if they have one - the most frequented part of my local Co-op, whose normal prices are quite expensive for me to shop there all the time.

    I'm not surprised at the number of people who have switched to shopping at Lidl or Aldi, I do try to support UK farmers so Lidl wins there (try buying an English apple at Aldi!) although I make a visit to both about twice a week.

    Try and involve the children in making some different shopping choices, they'll probably be more receptive than you think and might even enjoy a change from pasta. We made a big batch of ratatouille recently after being given some courgettes, which went down a treat.
  • even just 'downbuying by a brand can make all the differance sometimes.Try a cheaper product a couple of times and see what you think .My DD used to scoff at 'downbranding and now she won't even codsider using the old 'branded stuff and is quite happy to use everyday or value stuff.The only thing she buys for preferance is washing up liquid and like me its got to be Fairy as the cheapo stuff just doesn't last as long
  • I struggle with this and find myself spending some peoples monthly food budget in a week :embarasse, especially as OH is always buying take aways and treats on top of what we spend on shopping. Also though their is only 4 of use me, OH, 17DD and 14DS plus two dogs, OH eats for a family of four on his own.
    So I'm trying to reduce cost by sticking taking money out of bank and putting it in a purse as if Oh hasn't handed over cash he doesn't seem to see how much has been spent.
    Being more stringent with portion size and not feeding the dogs the left overs. (for example, we had roast lamb yesterday. Normally I would pile OH plate with lots of meat (remebmer he eats for four) save some for a sandwich today and give the rest to the dogs. Instead the dogs had to go with out, I gave OH a little less meat and I had enough left to make a shepards pie today, which I have bulked out with lots of veg and some oats :D I've also reserved some of the meat to add to a lamb, veg and barley soup .

    I have started shifting down on brands, which kids haven't notice but OH is kicking up a fuss and I plan to cut down on treats as OH and DS consume a lot of branded soft drinks, chocolate etc. I know I have to do this gradually by firstly limiting the amount we buy and them cutting it out altogether.

    Though for us the biggest thing will be cutting out take away meals as due to OH and I both working we tend to get in fairly late a night and OH will pick a take away up otherwise DS would be eating to close to bedtime.
  • Popperwell
    Popperwell Posts: 5,088 Forumite
    I find even if careful I seem to get very little for what money I spend and see it becoming worse but once purchased I try to stretch what I buy I buy to get a few meals out of it and bring down the costs.

    My daily meals now(I am single not through choice)are often basic, often comfort food and I sometimes have one meal or two and watch the portions size.

    If I was to try and work out portions on cost my average spend daily is between 50p and £2. And where possible I am usually at the lower end of that daily allowance.

    It does sometimes mean eating similar meals every day...an example being I may buy £3-£4 of vegetables but then get 4-5 meals out of it. Possibly more...
    "A government afraid of its citizens is a Democracy. Citizens afraid of government is tyranny!" ~Thomas Jefferson

    "Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in" ~ Alan Alda
  • I go to my DDs every Sunday for dinner and we too had a leg of lamb last night There are 7 of us my DD her OH myself and four boys fro 8-16 there is more than enough left over meat to make a sheps pie for 6 of them tonight I know as I will be stripping the leg later on this afternoon after I have picked up the boys from school (my DD and her OH both have to work full-time for financial reasons )I stripp off all the meat then put it through the mincer and with veg and mash it will make a dinner more than big enough for them tonight so a leg of lamb makes 7 meals on Sunday and feeds a further 6 of them on Monday.Yesterday with our dinner we had carrots runner beans and brussles plus yorkshire puds and roast potatoes The boys all eat heartily and all the plates are cleared.We then had a pavlova for pudding.DD also has two dogs but its rare that they ever get anything from the food table as they have their own food to eat as she cannot feed four growing lads and leave lamb for the dogs.Extra veg makes the meat go that bit further I think.With a leg of lamb costing upwards of 16-18 pounds its far too dear to feed the dogs with
  • oligeo
    oligeo Posts: 263 Forumite
    100 Posts
    Thanks for all your replies. I really need to make an effort to downshift my brands, and give the value range a try.
    I really need to try and do a roast on a sunday and make the meat stretch a few meals too. Those are my two challenges to myself for this month!
  • I buy meat at a halal butchers once a month as well as fruit n veg, the veg gets chopped up and bagged and frozen and I grab as needed.
    I weekly top up milk bread etc.
    I've started baking cakes/muffins flapjacks for lunch boxes.
    I've had ago at making naan breads, and I make all our takeaway treats by buying the recipe book....the takeaway secret which everyone raves about and I do too.
    Cook from scratch, plan ahead, meal plan and make a shopping list around those items or what you have in already.

    Good luck x
    Ds2 born 3/4/12 8lbs 8.5:j
    Ds1 born 28/4/07 9lb 8 :j
    Frugal, thrifty, tight mum & wife and proud of it lol
    :rotfl::j
    Make money for Xmas challenge 2014 £0/£270
  • Butterfly_Brain
    Butterfly_Brain Posts: 8,862 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Post of the Month
    edited 8 October 2012 pm31 9:37PM
    I am another who draws out the monthly budget on pay day and put it in a purse. Money for bills that are not direct debit go into an envelope to be paid on the due date or maybe a couple of days later if I am feeling a little bit annoyed at the size of the bill :p that is my little bit of anarchy.
    Paying cash certainly focuses the mind because you can see where the money is going. It is scary at first and I remember running out of money half way through the month the first time that I did it, but being a young wife in the 80's and working full time, I didn't have time to meal plan and the internet was not there to check prices.
    So I would
    • Set a budget and draw it out in cash
    • Do a meal plan
    • Check prices on the internet
    • Try Aldi or Lidl
    • Go to the market or local greengrocer near the end of the day and see if you can get a few bargains (Saturday is the best day)
    • Use your local butcher he will have cheaper cuts and will tell you how to cook them.
    • Don't rely on the big supermarkets to be cheaper.
    • Cut down on portion sizes one less potato, a little less meat etc.
    • I have to hide left over meat from DH or he would pick at it, so as soon as I can I make the next day's dinner from the leftovers.
    • Do a cheap pudding for dessert to fill them up.
    • Batch bake cakes, scones, cheese straws and biscuits
    • Don't buy crisps and fizzy drinks, they are empty calories,I only buy fizzy drinks for mixers.
    Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones that let in the light
    C.R.A.P R.O.L.L.Z. Member #35 Butterfly Brain + OH - Foraging Fixers
    Not Buying it 2015!
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