Meal Planned... From Scratch... But still £60?!?!

Kittenkirst

Well done you! Thats a fab reduction from the original total :0)
You've inspired me to postnext weeks meal plan and shopping for assistance with reducing the cost! :-)

Often we get stuck withbuying the same things week in, week out so more peoples input can only be a good thing!

HappyMJ

hereigoagain22 wrote: »

Basket quantity:
Tesco Everyday Value Beef Mince 750G
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£2.34 Very high in fat. You might want to consider an alternative.


Basket quantity:
Creamfields Medium Cheddar 400G
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£2.39 Davidstow counter cheese is slightly cheaper and you can buy the exact quantity you want.


Basket quantity:
Tesco Everyday Value Grapes 500G
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£1.25 Grapes are out of season. They should be under £1. Try buying food in season.

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Tesco Everyday Value Bananas
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£1.15 Loose bananas are cheaper at 79p a kg.


Basket quantity:
Tesco Everyday Value Cooked Ham 125G
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£0.61 Mostly water and tasteless. Your choice.

Basket quantity:
Big And Fresh Eggs Box Of 6
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£1.46 You can 3 times as many eggs for half the price. Free range too. Farm Pride £2.99 for 18..Eggs have a long date so should last a month.

Basket quantity:
Muller Rice Strawberry 190G
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£0.65 Why just get one when you can get 6 for £3 reducing the cost of one down to 50p. They freeze if the date isn't long enough.


Basket quantity:
Tesco Everyday Value Chopped Tomatoes 400G
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£0.70 Get 4 cans of East End tomatoes instead for £1 reducing cost per can down to 25p.

Spend a little more and save more in the long term.

hereigoagain22

HappyMJ wrote: »

Spend a little more and save more in the long term.

Thank you so much for your tips.

I will have a think about the mince, we are all underweight and have been told to add calories to our diet so could be a good thing in disguise.

Will change to the counter cheese.

I buy grapes as they are my daughters favourite snack.

Will change to loose bananas.

I quite like the watery tasteless value ham ;-)

Will change the eggs.

I only bought 2 Muller Rice as a treat for OH, he would eat the full 6 every week if he could costing me a fortune. If they freeze well I can hide them in the freezer though!

Will change the tomatoes too!

Am I doing something wrong? When I search for something I choose display by "price low to high" and pick the cheapest then I look for a bigger pack that's cheaper per weight or unit.

Thanks again for taking the time to help!



Thank you Nicky - I will make some breadcrumbs up and freeze them next time I'm about to throw a loaf out!! Or if I know it's going to start going stale and not going to get used I can make up some simple sandwiches, probably won't have to do it often if I'm careful with the shopping and meal planning but it's good to know.

Kittenkirst good luck, thank you for the encouragement I hope you get the same great results I do!!

HappyMJ

hereigoagain22 wrote: »

Thank you so much for your tips.

I will have a think about the mince, we are all underweight and have been told to add calories to our diet so could be a good thing in disguise.

Will change to the counter cheese.

I buy grapes as they are my daughters favourite snack.

Will change to loose bananas.

I quite like the watery tasteless value ham ;-)

Will change the eggs.

I only bought 2 Muller Rice as a treat for OH, he would eat the full 6 every week if he could costing me a fortune. If they freeze well I can hide them in the freezer though!

Will change the tomatoes too!

Am I doing something wrong? When I search for something I choose display by "price low to high" and pick the cheapest then I look for a bigger pack that's cheaper per weight or unit.

Thanks again for taking the time to help!



Thank you Nicky - I will make some breadcrumbs up and freeze them next time I'm about to throw a loaf out!! Or if I know it's going to start going stale and not going to get used I can make up some simple sandwiches, probably won't have to do it often if I'm careful with the shopping and meal planning but it's good to know.

Kittenkirst good luck, thank you for the encouragement I hope you get the same great results I do!!

I always change the search to sort by unit price low to high then pick the best pack size..usually a big one or a multibuy is listed first. With eggs you get some weird things listed first..do you want scotch eggs...no I want eggs.

ladylouise62

A tip for cheap (and filling) snack - get some corn kernals and make your own popcorn. It may seem strange at first to eat it without salt or sugar, but it has a really lovely taste without anything extra.... although you could sprinkle it with butter / salt/sugar/garlic powder/salad seasoning.

maman

For the stale bread, do google a recipe for bread pudding, it's delicious.

If I think I'm not getting through a loaf fast enough I freeze it and use for toast. If it starts to build up I have a week where I refuse to buy any fresh bread at all so we have toast with our soup or snacks invloving toast for lunch instead of sandwiches.

I know it's hard wth two little ones but it really would be worth looking at Aldi prices. I'm delighted with their tomatoes/passata/puree and frozen fruit.

mum2one

sounds like your going great guns for the 1st week. x

kezlou

Well done getting the price so low:T

Your doing really well. It is annoying shopping on line especially with the way prices are set out.

I find discount codes only work if you spend over £50.
I would also check if any pig the fresh fruit is cheaper buying loose. One tip for the ham is chopping it up and using it as a pizza or pasta topping.

wondercollie

What concerns me is the "we're all underweight" statements. How underweight are you? Why? Poor nutrition choices? Lack of funds? High metabolisms?

hereigoagain22

Thanks everyone - have a link to this thread stored on my desktop for when I do the shop every week!

wondercollie - nothing to be worried about, it's just me and OH - we have always had very high metabolisms and been naturally lean and as we have both suffered depression and anxiety over the past 6 months we have lost weight, not enough for our healths to be at risk but enough that we can see and feel a difference in ourselfs and would like to gain. We have seen a dietitan who is quite happy with the type of foods we are eating and told just to add calories to dishes where we can. Gaining weight is extremely difficult once you have lost it! Both children are chunky and healthy.