General grocery savings tips?

Magentasue

krazyk wrote:

Hi Magentasue,

OK, I seem to have gone back to Weetabix for breakfast. How about moving down to Tesco's own? I have a smooth yogurt (prefer Ski but Tesco's and Weight-Watchers are nice too) again, try a bit cheaper and a glass of smooth orange juice Try Tesco Value? Not keen myself! from Tesco. I buy Tesco skimmed milk but you cannot get the big litre bottles that you can with the whole milk version.

Lunch is very small for me, home-made sandwiches (fillings like pate, paste, cheese, ham - cheese is laughing cow,Bet Tesco cheddar is cheaper! everything else including the bread is Tesco, butter is Flora Pro-Activ) butter is less processed,maybe have half the amount?. Perhaps one or 2 choc bars (yes, very naughtly) - Twix, Twirls or Kit-Kats Tescos do their own versions, cheaper - or maybe fruit? and a packet of crisps (though definitely not every day) - Walkers Tescos multipacks?. I actually suffer from tiredness in the afternoons so would actually need to increase the amount of food for lunch.

I have 2 or 3 cereal bars during the day too (I try and eat little but often). Rice Krispies and Nutri-Grain bars.Full of processed cereals and sugar - how about making some flapjacks? Cereal bars expensive and no good for you, flapjacks cheaper and at least have the goodness of oats.

Dinner can be several things, but all package or tinned food (hence why I would like to get these 2 books and start "cooking"). Yep!I also want to start creating 'smoothies' with my juicer. Tinned food such as spaghetti (Tesco), semolina (ambrosia), smooth soups (Tesco), package food such as lasagne (love 'em/Tesco), pizza (though not very often/Good Fellas), waffles, fish fingers (both (Birds Eye), rostis., scrampi, spaghatti bolognese, microwave cheeseburgers (not too often/all Tesco). I've recently got back into omelettes (cheese/Tesco) and I know they are very easy to make yourself. Thankfully I don't smoke or drink (other than wine at home).

If I have a dessert it's normally a microwave pudding, ice-cream (both Tesco) or Ambrosia custard. You know what I'm going to say about this lot...;)

I have one batchelors cup-a-soups a day,and this! one multi-vitamin from Centrum a day You won't need these when you're eating Old Style!(100 tablets at just over £10 but I've been told this product will be discontinued soon, only Tesco stock it now), one Yalkult Light drink a day and a Mullerlight yogurt a day (I buy these individually as I'm picky on the favours I like and they don't appear to stock "packs" of these favours Plain live yogurt probably just as good for you and sooooo much cheaper. No tea or coffee (yuck) and the odd glass of wine (one glass a day at the very most). The wine I'm currently drinking is Lambrusco (Tesco). I buy one bottle at a time atm (trying new wines out but will probably stick to Lambrusco and could get a box full). I drink a lot of water too (Evian bottled, I've tried tap water but hate it, I've also tried many other bottle water, like Tesco's but they too taste horrible). Maybe a water filter or just get used to the Tescos!

I tend to buy in bulk and the biggest packets available if I know I'm going to use it before its used by date

My problem is that I don't like many foods, so are limited to what I can get, but perhaps the £200 is higher than normal as I have just moved back out of my parents into a new house in these last 6 months (though I didn't have to buy many "extra" things).

Perhaps I should list toiletries and cleaning/other items? :-)

K

I don't want to sound critical but I do think you are eating badly - I bet you would feel better if you ate more fresh fruit and veg? How about starting with one or two things that you could make this weekend? If you tell us what you would like to do, we'll give you a recipe for some soup, a pizza or whatever.

If you go and fill your trolley with Tesco value stuff you'll feel miserable. But if you move down to Tesco's own, you'll just need to get used to the stuff being 'different'. If you can afford to spend so much of your money on food, it's not a problem but if you can't you have to accept that there have to be changes. What do you think?

moggins

Not liking many foods makes life very difficult too, many of my most money saving dishes were ones that involved cheese. Now I can't cook any of these as the other half would rather starve than eat cooked cheese

System

Now I can't cook any of these as the other half would rather starve than eat cooked cheese

I'm the same with baked beans

krazyk

Hi Bogof_Babe,

Oh so sorry, Bogof_Babe. :-( I can only think you have missed out a smiley after that comment, hence my reply. If you meant no offence, then I deeply apologise for taking the comment in the wrong way. Agree listing all items would be a real pain so I hope my list is enough, but I can expand on it if need be? Anyway back to the job in hand. :-)

Magentasue,

Weetabix: didn't know Tesco had their own, what name do they go under (so I can search for it)? One disadvantage to not being able to get to the store itself you cannot see these products unless you decide one month to search for your favourites on your Tesco list online for some reason.

Orange juice: OK, found it, will try out one carton.

Cheese: I'll try different soft cheeses.

Butter: I have the least amount possible. My butter lasts me a fair old time.

Choc bars: well anything will do, fruit, nope, don't like fruit (or veg)hence why I feel I need the vitamin tablets. But the smoohies might solve this.

Cereal bars: flapjacks are an OK alternative, boy will I need to do a lot of cooking if I keep at 3 bars a day. :-)

Yogurt: I've tried many yogurts and have only found these are the ones I like, but will look again. When you say live yogurt, do you mean make it myself?

Desserts: No I don't, am I being thick?

Water: This is one area I've tried to change, but water in anyway besides Evian's is horrible. Though if Tesco had flavoured water then I would give that a try - I have had a few bottles of other flavoured water but none took my fancy (I need to sort out my taste-buds, eh? :-)).

K

moggins

Tesco do do flavoured water and it is on the website, Hint of Lemon & Lime, Hint of Apple & Raspberry, Hint of Blackberry & Grape, Hint of Peach, Hint of Elderflower and Lemon.

All 1 litre bottles priced at 51p each and they have them at buy 3 for £1.45 atm.

Actually there are far more flavours and a 1.5 litre size too but I don't have time to type them all out.

krazyk

Hi again Magentasue,

Sorry missed your comments at the bottom of your message.

Like I said in my reply I don't like fruit or veg, I've tried many fruit and veg and several times over the years, but I just don't like anything. I'm hoping my smoothie maker will help here and will try this this weekend.

I suppose I better find out how to make flapjacks? ;-)

Nope cannot afford £200 a month, I have to buy everything on my CC as the repayments I pay for all my CCs takes up most of my cash.

Yes, you're probably right in that I don't eat well, but I can't do much about that. I actually have improved a lot over the years but feeling better is not down to the food I eat (not for me) I need the exercise (which is the one thing that is missing from when I did feel good), but that is at hand too soon.

Many thanks for your comments. I've noticed the value orange juice doesn't come in packs, but buying 6 individual cartons is still 20p cheaper for each than buying a multipack of my usual pure smooth orange juice. One carton lasts me exactly 1 week btw.

I'll order the different food whenever I place an order online again, perhaps in a week or two.

K

krazyk

Oh, my favourite food atm is lasagne, any recipes for this? I have been buying the Tesco version these last 2/3 weeks, lovely!! :-)

K

krazyk

moggins,

Many thanks, I've aded a few to my shopping list, though the 1.5 ltr bottles are 60p each if bought on special offer. Evian water is 51p each.

Oh and I don't suppose someone can tell me thje difference between Spring water and mineral water (apart from the price)?

K

Magentasue

Hi there K,


Look for Tesco Healthy Living Wheat Biscuits, 24 for 69p (weetabix £1.33 for 24)

Tesco Healthy Living Natural Bio Yogurt 500g 41p (I'd need some caster or brown sugar on mine)


Will post recipes for lasagne and flapjacks tomorrow!

reverie

I think Yakult is about £2.50 for 7 drinks in Asda. You can buy probiotic multi vitamins (instead of your normal multi vitamin) which have the same 'friendly bacteria' for about £3 for 30 days. They will also have no added sugar etc. But I do agree that if you start eating more natural food, you should feel well enough soon to not need them anyway.

About cooking for one.. I always cook enough for 2 or 4 meals (or more). That way I have enough for dinner, lunch the next day and freeze some portions for later. Saves cooking at the end of a long day too.

You buy soups and I find these are one of the easiest ways to save money, bit difficult if no veg though.. Will you eat it if it is squished in soup? Eg. chop up an onion, a big leek, a big potato, fry for a bit in a saucepan, pour in some stock, let it cook for a while (until you have finished reading that days posts on MSE ) Then whizz it up in the food processor with a bit of milk, yum and it gives me two massive bowls.

Do you eat any veg or fruit? Tinned fruit? Frozen peas?