cheap food tips requested

melysion

Hi there. I have just brought my first home and really want to save as much as I can with the aim hopefully to overpay the mortgage.

I am sure that I waste a lot of money when shopping for food - just wondering if anyone had words of wisdom. I am very aware of animal welfare and so couldnt eat chickens that arent free range for example. But any tips for a single person with ok cooking skills much appreciated!

elsien

Hi, have a search on the old style part of the forum, if you haven't already been there. The stickies at the top would be a good starting point.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

They've had lots of threads that might be helpful for cheaper meals, and there's a lot of recipe ideas on there as well. Plus things such as batch cooking and freezing work well for me - buying a large pack of meat when it's on offer then making a huge casserole and freezing in individual portions. Also speeds things up after a late night at work!
Some of the ideas use the cheap and cheerful stuff that you might not want to eat unless you were desperate, but I'm fairly sure if you do a search there's also been ideas for people who prefer more free range and organic food.

melysion

Thata great. Ill do that, thanks ;-)

hilstep2000

I get a lot of my food from http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/
A little while ago they did Loyd Grossman pasta sauces in sachets. They cost 50p each or 3 for a pound. You can add stuff to them, and with a bit of pasta, they were delicious! Have a look.

redfox

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socks_uk

I don't know if you drink tea but I used to be a 'only drink Tetley Tea' girl but someone told me how good the Sainsburys Basics tea bags were. I can't tell the difference between these and Tetleys and a bargain at only 27p for a box of 80.

They are well worth trying at 27p just to see if you like them!

kittycat204

Bulking out meals is great. Meat is usually the expensive part of a meal, so bulk out mince dishes with tinned lentils, oats etc. Use cheap stables like potatoes, pasta and rice.
Remember to cook yourself some treats that will freeze, or you are likely to blow money on silly things.
Good luck with it.

Ben84

If you put up a typical shopping list, people here do usually suggest various alternatives or ways to save?

Ben84

socks_uk wrote: »

I don't know if you drink tea but I used to be a 'only drink Tetley Tea' girl but someone told me how good the Sainsburys Basics tea bags were. I can't tell the difference between these and Tetleys and a bargain at only 27p for a box of 80.

They are well worth trying at 27p just to see if you like them!

I'm not a tea drinker, but I do buy many of the other basics items and save money that way. I would always try them and see how you like them. Some are on the never again list, but many aren't and it saves a lot every week.