Ridiculous number of supermarket visits

mummyroysof3

im trying to cut down our food shop spends and 2 weeks ago i spent £68 which was lowest for a long time...last weekend it came to £110 though as i needed nappies. there are 5 of us and 3 cats the children and hubby are quite fussy what they will have and i like to make things that are quick and easy but im determined to make improvements where i can.

2013newbie

I used to be the same as you looked through statement and it was one big shop a week plus several pop in shops at £5 or £10 a go, would pop in for milk or skmething and end up coming away with something for tea, because it was what i fancied.
I agree, mealplan, sounds dull arranging the meals in advance but works, first step is to make an inventory of everything you have in yiur house, and work out how many meals you can get from it. Also i save by shopping online, i use tesco and always get tuesday or wednesday deliveries as 8pm-10pm is cheapest. We get through alot of milk so order 6 4pt bottles and thats always been dated well enough for the week, we also buy enough bread for the week and freeze the excess, the joy of doing online is you can add it all tothd basket then track back and decide what you dont want, we spend around 200 a month for everything, thats 2 adults a 3yr old and a 18month old, so yours is bound to be higher feeding the extra portions but im sure you can cut it.

I also ban myself from nipping into tesco unless real emergency.

MadelinesMum

Hi, I find when I go to my local Tesco (and it's really close to where I live), I always buy more than what I go out for. I now walk a bit further to the local One-Stop and just buy that pint of milk, or loaf of bread. Supermarkets are extremely successful at encouraging multiple buys - but we must beat them!

mineallmine

Hello OP

I must salute your honesty. I think there's lots of people who do this. We're not great here either. So I'm going to try my advice to you at the same time

Food cupboard and freezer inventory
Grab a pen and paper and list everything you have. Do a cupboard or freezer shelf at a time.

Now try and work out some meals from what you have.

Finally write a list of basics. Things you continually use eg
Loo roll
Washing powder

On your next shop aim to buy the basics and things you need to help make meals from your cupboard/freezer

I'm off to do the same now :j

michelefauk

Thank you again for all your replies.

Not much I can do until payday on 23rd but am busy planning!

Right, I have made a start. I went through all the cupboards, both freezers and fridge last night and listed everything I've got.
I also worked out roughly how many of the basic or non food items we get through every month, ie orange juice, cat food, loo roll, washing powder, tea bags tins of tomatoes etc being realistic rather than frugal. I am going to order this online at the being of every month and have it delivered.
Then I wrote out a rough list of meals we like and ingredients,this should help with seeing what I need to buy.
I've also spoken to my oh about his habit of popping into Asda after work to buy a bottle of wine and coming back with 3 bottles of wine and 2 big bags of crisps, again not necessary.

It's not so much about the money as I don't think what I have spent n the last 3 months is huge ( and that did include Xmas food) it is more about saving me time and being organised, but even if I manage to save a fiver here and there, it's better in my pocket than the supermarkets.

Many thanks again, will keep you posted :j

YORKSHIRELASS

Sounds like you have made a good start! When I first started mealplanning it took me a while to get it right so if it seems like a nightmare at first dont give up.

Making a note of what you run out of between shops is a good idea too then you can see that if you always run out of potatoes you know you are not buying enough in the first place.

rosie383

michelefauk wrote: »

Right, I have made a start. I went through all the cupboards, both freezers and fridge last night and listed everything I've got.
I also worked out roughly how many of the basic or non food items we get through every month, ie orange juice, cat food, loo roll, washing powder, tea bags tins of tomatoes etc being realistic rather than frugal. I am going to order this online at the being of every month and have it delivered.

:j

I totally agree with an earlier poster who said to hide some of the juice! I find that if there are cartons of orange in the fridge, everyone will have it drunk up in no time without being bothered to think of anything else to drink. I now hide some of it, and fill a 2L lemonade bottle with squash made up. So much cheaper and it's a ready made drink for those who are too lazy to make it up themselves. Oh, and if anyone is too lazy after dinner, and asks me to bring them a drink when I go to the kitchen, I just bring them back a glass of water, and they drink it! If they went for a drink themselves, they would have a whole carton of juice between them in one go!
I'm also like a lot of users on here as regards loo roll. I buy Nicki Excel from Farmfoods. 2 x 9 packs of really good quality stuff for just £4!! Can't beat it and it lasts us for about 2 months. (Don't forget to squeeze the rolls flat to stop the Andrex puppy effect!!).

Dark_Star

Can you get milk delivered via a milkman?

Stops the last minute shop dash for a pint & oh 53 other things we don't need but fell in the trolley.....:o

Otherwise...buy it & freeze it (we do this if we buy the reduced stuff from waitrose) or UHT cartons.

Always have at least ONE of something you need in stock ie loo roll/tea bags/coffee/milk etc then you won't have to go out for that one item.

Stockpile rice/pasta/tuna/pasta sauces/that sausage (mattessons/lidl) stuff that can be kept in a cupboard etc so you always have a "storecupboard" lunch/dinner handy (can do dried mushrooms/tomatoes etc to liven it up too). In case you're snowed in & have nothing fresh in the fridge.

Bulk buy stuff like bread & freeze it. Cheese freezes well.

In fact bulk buy as much as possible & freeze it. Sometimes a local butcher will work out cheaper than a supermarket.

We buy half a lamb at a time from a farmer - it's already sliced 'n' diced (the lamb not the farmer) & much much cheaper than buying individual joints/cuts of lamb.

Train fussy eaters not to be. :rotfl:
*ducks blunt object thrown at pc*

Perhaps if the fussy eaters help make dinner then they may not be as fussy?

Using up stuff is good - I make a cheese flan with ready made pastry (lifes too short to piddle about making it) & bung in any thing in the fridge that looks as though it may evolve into a sentient life form ....cheese/bacon/onion/any other meat/peppers/eggs etc & then freeze the flans for another time.

Manky bananas = banana bread

Order cat food online. Sites like zooplus & pet supermarket deliver large loads free AND are on topcashback.

Check Lidl etc for cheap loo roll - they do packs of 24 for £7.49 this week. Buy at least 2 bung in attic/shed wherever.

Alternatively - move somewhere away from supermarkets & don't put petrol in the car & ensure corner shop has eccentric opening hours thus ensuring an interesting & unusual diet when looking in storecupboard & wondering what gremlin left a tin of sliced water chestnuts, a tin of caribou pate & a few elderly lasagne sheets - to be washed down with a selection of mini bottles of blackberry type wine from several christmases ago....:rotfl:

Logs onto Rightmove to look for somewhere civilised to live...