Re-prioritise I need help to change my supermarket budget for next year.

littlejaffa

worries me a little your spend on 'healthy' is sooooo low compared to your spend on 'rubbish' for health reasons alone i'd be looking to change that around - I can't even think how it's possible to spend £30 for a months butter/oil.. To reduce the spend i'd start by reducing the rubbish and swaping for healthier options - they fill you up more so overall you'll eat/spend less. Changing some of your meat to veggie alternatives (veggie mince in a chilli is a good start) can really drop your costs as well as increasing your healthy

lil.smartie

Ocado saves me loads! no aisle ends to put 'junk' on! Meat is £10 for 3 packs in most supermarkets, that could easily by 3 main meals. Box of veggies/fruit from local farm shop supplier? help your son learn where things come from & what's seasonal may help him eat or at least try them? Shame he won't eat what he cooks as that could have been another idea to make less waste!

Kate

HappyMJ

If it were me I'd be looking to increase the alcohol bit...LOL £65.90 is nowhere near enough...I think I spend about £165 on pints of beers at the pub...Every Monday night 4 pints whilst playing dominoes with a group of mates. Every Tuesday night playing Poker down another pub with another group of mates another 4 pints and another night every week another 4 pints on average catching up with a few more different mates from the other nights. So 12 pints per week £3.20 per pint 4 and a third weeks in a month about £165 per month...I really must cut down....but...in my visits I see a lot of people spending much much more than I spend and I wonder how they do it with mortgages and kids and I have neither.

Towser

Rationing improved the nation’s health looks like a bit of rationing on my food budget will dramatically improve my family’s health too. I ‘m so pleased I have done my spreadsheet so that it shows us where I have gone wrong. I can’t wait. Writing it all down for a month has already set me on the path to better financial management.
Where is the best nutritional guide as to how much a family of four should really be eating?
What’s the best website for telling you what is the best seasonal food?
Next where to find all the bargains to reduce my budget as well? I think I really need to find a good butcher that delivers. Is there one national chain that is really good. It just feels like a complicated minefield shopping at different places with special offers ect. I like to keep things simple. Does that mean I should trust the market and Aldi and Lidl.
I want help getting what I need as cheaply as possible.
As always cutting back not cutting out.

Towser

This is my plan and actually has not worked out so far as I am not strict on myself.

I have far too much "stock" everywhere. Spent £652 in January for a family of four! Included alcohol, toiletries, everything. Too many bargains -especially expensive meat. February is going to be eating out of freezer and cupboards month with a low spend attitude for fresh stuff.

Loosely Meal plan around the meat in the freezer which is bought on special offer or whoopsies.

Make best use of Aldi Super Six and Lidl weekend offers as they are over the road from each other.

Use mysupermarket.com to order months worth of cheaper food compared to Aldi and Lidl and will always look for deals especially, cheese, shampoo, conditioner, coffee, Wash Tablets, Clothes softener, Toilet Rolls, Kitchen Rolls, Tooth Paste if they are a Savvy buy.

Used to use Costco for toilet paper and washing powder but cheaper in Aldi or Asda.

Will batch cook especially Spag Bol and use the freezer for everything I can't keep fresh any longer.

Use a list for fresh stuff such as bread, milk, veg, fruit, lunch.

I also use as many coupons as I can, and if I can combine them with special offers,

The more you shop the more you are likely to spend due to impulse buys - this is definitely me and have found I spend more on "offers" so trying to stick to my regime of : Aldi Super Six and Lidl weekend offers, Use mysupermarket.com

If there are any other tips to keep costs down do let us all know, thanks.

lindseykim13

Always ask yourself do i NEED it or do i just want it?
It took me a long time to learn that one and now rarely pick anything up that we don't need. Basic foods with the odd treat is fine.
I personallly hardly ever buy cakes or biscuits now and if we want something sweet like that i have all the ingredients in the cupboard to make some myself. So if we really do want some we have to make it!

Kirri

£652 is a huge amount to spend in 1 month and very little spend on anything really healthy - fruit and veg spend is very low. I'd cut anything processed, all the junk and alcohol, cook from scratch even biscuits etc - would improve health as well as cost.

Fire_Fox

IMO go back to basics and familiarise yourself with ALL of the healthy eating guidelines. Purchase enough plain dairy for three servings per person per day (at least three of you), enough fruit and veg for AT LEAST five servings per person per day (ditto), oily fish (canned or fresh or frozen) and so on.

You have been buying absolutely piles of junky/ sugary/ fatty foods and drinks, far more than the recommended maximum 10% of daily calories - it doesn't look as bad as it really is because you have separated out into categories. Although you say you want to cut down not out I think you may be underestimating how much you need to cut back for health.

Olives, avocados and houmous if mainly whole natural ingredients (tahini little veg oil) should be in the fruit and veg category. I can't honestly see why you need butter and oil and goose fat especially when you are buying high fat junk food on top - consider cooking with other flavours such as garlic, herbs, spices, chilli, sundried tomato and whole fats in their whole form like olives and nuts or seeds.

Try eating more beans, lentils, frozen veggies, organ meats and canned oily fish (mackerel, pilchards) as these are all reasonably priced and nutritious. How much of your meat is plain meat and how much processed stuff? How much from land animals and how much seafood? Can you get referred to a food psychologist or similar for your autistic son?

IKEA 365+ have some seriously good non stick pans at a reasonably price. You can then use no oil/ fat or just a spray. A large slow cooker/ crock pot is a good buy for serving up the same meal many times and they can be had pretty cheap. :money:

Edwardia

If your son is used to you walking around texting then I would suggest making notes on your phone and observing him. Is he wanting food because he's bored..how long will he last between snacks and meals..are you giving him snacks to placate him because you're busy..is he just helping himself whenever he wants..if you prevented him doing that what happens..

So once you had some notes you might see patterns developing and then maybe you can come up with some strategies with family and psychologist ?

Biscuits.. could you supervise your son to make biscuits and get everyone to praise them so he tries them ? What about introducing a biscuit tin and stocking it with a certain amount and when it's gone it's gone ?

What about getting a veg box delivered, as something new ?

I'm wondering how anyone manages to spend $27 a month on oil, fats and butter. I low carb which means I eat more fats than average. Just bought 4 x 500ml Borges organic Extra Virgin olive oil 50% off to 17/02 at Morrisons 2.34 each and even though I never re-use oil. that will last three months.

I'd suggest junking the goose fat and margarine. Own brand organic butter is often cheaper than branded non organic.

If you have a deep fat fryer I'd suggest ditching it. It's not the oil that's the prob as much as baskets of chips etc.

I note that you include houmous. Very easy to make in a food processor - tahina, tinned drained chick peas,crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice. Drizzle the olive oil in after chick peas and garlic and add lemon juice sparingly last to taste. You can get chick peas cheap in ethnic stores or often on offer in Morrisons and ASDA.

Ways of getting more veg in family.. stir fry with low salt soy sauce.. ratatouille, gazpacho, peperonata, imam bayildi..

sleepless_saver

Towser wrote: »

Where is the best nutritional guide as to how much a family of four should really be eating?
What’s the best website for telling you what is the best seasonal food?

Some links that might be useful below. My rule of thumb is the fewer ingredients the better - a rule which cuts out most processed foods and so a lot of hidden fats and sugars. And find a good local butcher and fishmonger (if you can) and stick with them.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/local/seasonal/table/
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/wellbeing/features/women-balanced-diet/1/
http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/healthy-eating.aspx

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/