What Am I Doing Wrong

Uniscots97

welshie1973 wrote: »

do my shopping at Tesco as its on my route home from work - for the top up throughout the week use the local corner shop

my shooping usually:

*
- 2 + Bold Crushed Silk Powder 10 Wash/950g 5.00
*
- 1 + Huggies Pull Upscarry Pack Boy Large 15 4.98
*
- 1 + Tesco Luxury Soft Toilet Tissue White 12 Roll 4.36 (have you tried the lower priced Tesco stuff? its just as nice)
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle All Purpose Cleaner Frozen Lime & Vinegar 750ml 1.98
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle Shower Shine 500ml 1.28
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle Window Cleaner Spray 500ml 1.35 (Try stardrops instead of your usual cleaners its much cheaper and does all jobs)
*
- 1 + Kelloggs Rice Krispies Multigrain 350g 1.32 "](try Tesco's own its just as nice and much cheaper)[/COLOR] *
- 1 + Kelloggs Rice Krispies 450g 1.89
*
- 1 + All Butter Croissant 6 Pack 0.99
*
- 1 + Tesco 4 Homebake Half Baguettes 1.20 (Do you have a breadmaker?) *
- 1 + Tesco Cornish Ice Cream 2 Litres 1.35
*
- 1 + Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli Sweetcorn Peas & Rice 680g 1.98 (Why not buy the veg separately and make this yourself?) *
- 1 + Birds Eye Garden Peas 907g 1.49
*
- 1 + Mccain Homefries 1.5kg 1.75 (Why not have homemade chips instead of these?) *
- 1 + Green Giant Niblets No Added Sugar Sweetcorn 198g 0.47
*
- 1 + Princes Tuna Chunks In Brine 4x185g 3.18
*
- 1 + Tesco Fusilli Pasta Twists 1kg 0.62
*
- 5 + Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes & Garlic 400g 2.35
*
- 2 + Diet Coke 2 Ltr Bottle 2.92
*
- 2 + Tovali Orange Sugar Free Drink 1 Ltr 1.18
*
- 2 + Tesco Boil In The Bag Basmati Rice 4 X 125g 1.56 (Buy plain rice instead, its just as easy to cook and is at least 50% cheaper) *
- 1 + Tesco Fresh Double Cream 284ml 0.59
*
- 1 + Tesco Smoked Thick Cut Back Bacon 250g 1.99
*
- 2 + Tesco Fresh Egg Tagliatelle 500g 2.18
*
- 1 + Welsh Lamb 4/6 Prime Loin Chops 6.59
*
- 1 + Tesco Fresh Whole Chicken Large 2.20-3.00kg 3.88
*
- 1 + Beef Lean Braising Steak Medium 300g - 500g 2.89
*
- 1 + T Healthy Living Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets 580-800g 6.28
*
- 2 + Finest Ground Beef Mince 440g 4.88
*
- 2 + Tesco Finest Wiltshire Cured Ham 140g 3.98 (If you buy the normal Tesco stuff its just as nice and half the price) *
- 2 + Flora Light Vegetable Low Fat Spread 500g 1.94
*
- 5 + Braces Xxx White Thick Bread 800g 4.40
*
- 1 + Tesco Healthy Eating Semi- Skimmed Milk 3.408ltr/6 Pints 1.68
*
- 2 + Nescafe Alta Rica Coffee 100g 5.96 (again Tesco's own is just as nice, and I'm picky about coffee!) *
- 1 + Really Welsh Leeks 500g 1.99
*
- 6 + Tesco Onions Loose Class 2 0.96
*
- 1 + Tesco Red Onions 3 Pack 1.17
*
- 1 + Finest Asparagus 125g 1.99
*
- 2 + Tesco Strawberries Class I 2.96
*
- 3 + A Bag of Red Seedless Grapes Class 1 Loose (approx. 500g - 650g per bag) 3.84
*
- 6 + William Pears (soft) Class 1 Loose 1.14
*
- 1 + Kids Easy Peeler600g Pack 1.49
*
- 1 + Satsumas Pack 1.48
*
- 1 + Closed Cup Mushrooms 500g 1.15 (is the price right on this as I buy these and my last receipt says 68p) *
- 1 + Tesco Carrots 1 Kg Pack Class 1 0.68 (buy the value ones as its just carrots)
*
- 1 + Really Welsh Cauliflower 0.74
*
- 1 + Tesco Swede Each Class 1 0.79
*
- 1 + Tesco Parsnips 500g 0.78
*
- 1 + Baking 2.5kg Pack Potatoes 1.69 (if you buy a bag of white potatoes its cheaper and these bake just as well) *
- 2 + Maris Piper Potatoes 2.5kg Pack 3.56
*
- 2 + Charlotte Potatoes 1 Kg 2.56
*
- 10 Bananas Loose 1.50
*
15 Braeburn Apples Class 1 Loose 3.00

Guide price £123.91

done this online so you can see roughly what I buy each week

thanks

Have marked a few items, hope you don't mind. Could you do some brand swapping? Where you buy finest try Tesco's own etc you'll probably be surprised at how good some of the cheaper brands are.

welshie1973

Thnaks for that - just scared of trying other brands in case we don't like them thats all but as you have given good comments will try them - also I know few of you live in my area of carmarthenshire but does anyone know why Farmers markats (where you can by fresh local produce much cheaper) are always held during the week when most people work !

Am going to go through my cupboards and freezer as well this week and see what I can come up with ( should have some interesting results lol)

Uniscots97

As the others have said you really should meal plan as you'll waste a lot less. Why not do an inventory of what you have and see what meals you can come up with?

nearlyrich

welshie1973 wrote: »

do my shopping at Tesco as its on my route home from work - for the top up throughout the week use the local corner shop

Do you buy all the cleaning stuff every week?

Basmati Rice is really cheap in big packs and is really easy to cook, the Uncle Ben's packs are very expensive. You can also get Value sweetcorn which is just the same as the Green Gian for about 22p per big tin.

scotsgirl_3

Few suggestions

try switching to cheaper brands/supermarket own brands. there is probably a lot to be saved by buying cheaper versions, which with a few exceptions are just as good! Things like all the " tesco finest" products you could probably get something cheaper which would still be very good.

Cut back on the cleaning products - try using stardrops, and vinegar is the best things for windows! you don't need a special cleaning product for each thing. I would also try to find a cheaper soap powder.

Boil in the bag rice - ditch this and buy a huge bag of white rice! its just as easy to cook, and if you buy one of the really pig bags it will last you ages!
Potatoes - try switching to just using basic white potatoes and buying one of the big bags/sacks of these. Admittedly I can never get homemade chips right, but for everything else, they really taste very similar!

Coffee - try to cut down on how much you are using, and try a cheaper brand if you can.

bread products - you seem to be getting through A LOT of these - 5 loaves of bread, a pack of croissants, and the baguettes. Is this all being used or does it tend to end up in the bin?

floyd

Also try buying more fruit and veg thats in season. I know its hard if the family will only eat certain stuff though

tom_and_barbara_good

welshie1973 wrote: »

do my shopping at Tesco as its on my route home from work - for the top up throughout the week use the local corner shop

my shooping usually:

*
- 2 + Bold Crushed Silk Powder 10 Wash/950g 5.00 this seems really expensive, there are much cheaper washing powders/liquids to try
*
- 1 + Huggies Pull Upscarry Pack Boy Large 15 4.98
*
- 1 + Tesco Luxury Soft Toilet Tissue White 12 Roll 4.36 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle All Purpose Cleaner Frozen Lime & Vinegar 750ml 1.98
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle Shower Shine 500ml 1.28
*
- 1 + Mr Muscle Window Cleaner Spray 500ml 1.35
*
- 1 + Kelloggs Rice Krispies Multigrain 350g 1.32
*
- 1 + Kelloggs Rice Krispies 450g 1.89
*
- 1 + All Butter Croissant 6 Pack 0.99
*
- 1 + Tesco 4 Homebake Half Baguettes 1.20
*
- 1 + Tesco Cornish Ice Cream 2 Litres 1.35
*
- 1 + Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli Sweetcorn Peas & Rice 680g 1.98 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 1 + Birds Eye Garden Peas 907g 1.49
*
- 1 + Mccain Homefries 1.5kg 1.75 cheaper alternatives/ homemade to try
*
- 1 + Green Giant Niblets No Added Sugar Sweetcorn 198g 0.47
*
- 1 + Princes Tuna Chunks In Brine 4x185g 3.18
*
- 1 + Tesco Fusilli Pasta Twists 1kg 0.62
*
- 5 + Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes & Garlic 400g 2.35 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 2 + Diet Coke 2 Ltr Bottle 2.92
*
- 2 + Tovali Orange Sugar Free Drink 1 Ltr 1.18
*
- 2 + Tesco Boil In The Bag Basmati Rice 4 X 125g 1.56 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 1 + Tesco Fresh Double Cream 284ml 0.59
*
- 1 + Tesco Smoked Thick Cut Back Bacon 250g 1.99
*
- 2 + Tesco Fresh Egg Tagliatelle 500g 2.18 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 1 + Welsh Lamb 4/6 Prime Loin Chops 6.59 you can get a large joint of lamb for the same amount or even less
*
- 1 + Tesco Fresh Whole Chicken Large 2.20-3.00kg 3.88
*
- 1 + Beef Lean Braising Steak Medium 300g - 500g 2.89
*
- 1 + T Healthy Living Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets 580-800g 6.28 cheaper alternatives to try
*
- 2 + Finest Ground Beef Mince 440g 4.88
*
- 2 + Tesco Finest Wiltshire Cured Ham 140g 3.98 you can get a nice piece of gammon to cook and slice that will give you much more than 280g for the same money
*
- 2 + Flora Light Vegetable Low Fat Spread 500g 1.94
*
- 5 + Braces Xxx White Thick Bread 800g 4.40
*
- 1 + Tesco Healthy Eating Semi- Skimmed Milk 3.408ltr/6 Pints 1.68
*
- 2 + Nescafe Alta Rica Coffee 100g 5.96
*
- 1 + Really Welsh Leeks 500g 1.99*
- 6 + Tesco Onions Loose Class 2 0.96
*
- 1 + Tesco Red Onions 3 Pack 1.17
*
- 1 + Finest Asparagus 125g 1.99
*
- 2 + Tesco Strawberries Class I 2.96 out of season they are expensive and pretty tastless
*
- 3 + A Bag of Red Seedless Grapes Class 1 Loose (approx. 500g - 650g per bag) 3.84 *
- 6 + William Pears (soft) Class 1 Loose 1.14
*
- 1 + Kids Easy Peeler600g Pack 1.49
*
- 1 + Satsumas Pack 1.48
*
- 1 + Closed Cup Mushrooms 500g 1.15
*
- 1 + Tesco Carrots 1 Kg Pack Class 1 0.68
*
- 1 + Really Welsh Cauliflower 0.74
*
- 1 + Tesco Swede Each Class 1 0.79
*
- 1 + Tesco Parsnips 500g 0.78
*
- 1 + Baking 2.5kg Pack Potatoes 1.69
*
- 2 + Maris Piper Potatoes 2.5kg Pack 3.56
*
- 2 + Charlotte Potatoes 1 Kg 2.56
*
- 10 Bananas Loose 1.50
*
15 Braeburn Apples Class 1 Loose 3.00

Guide price £123.91

done this online so you can see roughly what I buy each week

thanks

I agree with all the points made by unixgirluk and have added a few more,
I hope that you don't mind critical comments (you did ask for help!) but much of your list can be pared down without anyone really noticing, you really should try the cheaper versions of your favourites, you might surprise yourself with the quality.
The fruit and veg seems really expensive, I think that they could all be bought cheaper, can you get out at lunchtime to pick up a bag full at a veg shop?

Regardless of the suggestions for using cheaper brands or alternatives I have to say that it's a very healthy shopping basket, there are none of the usual biscuits, cakes, crisps, ready meals and such like that can zap your budget, it just needs tweaking

competitionscafe

Asparagus is out of season too - comes in soon though. Current Tesco stuff is probably from Peru and even when it's in season I have seen Tesco selling Peruvian asparagus - not going to taste of much by the time it arrives on the shelves as asparagus is something that tastes best when it's as fresh as possible (and fresh British asparagus is the best in the world)

Can you maybe get a weekly fruit and veg box scheme delivery sent to work or left somewhere safe at home?

tickb26

- 1 + Huggies Pull Upscarry Pack Boy Large 15 4.98

i use tesco own pull ups for my LO and have found them to be better than other brands.

Justie

most of the obvious points have been covered already - you would get cheaper fruit and veg on the market etc but obviously time may be a factor - it's worth looking at a veg box scheme though as you're already spending about 30-35 quid on fruit and veg I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to at least match this if not beat it and it can be delivered to you. things like asparagus and strawberries are really expensive in supermarkets as they're seasonal and so you pay a premium to get them all year round. The English asparagus season isn't far off and you'll get far better value for money then.

I know what it's like to not want to try own brand stuff or value things but with things like dried pasta unless you're buying proper Italian stuff there's little difference between the value stuff and the normal own brand imo. Fresh pasta is imo a con - I can understand why filled pasta is nice but to buy tagliatelle is a waste the dried stuff is as good it just takes a few minutes longer to cook - if you want authentic Italian then get a proper brand of dried pasta, unless they make it themselves most Italians used good quality dried pasta anyway.