How do people feed families on £40 a week?

maman

SandA wrote: »

I agree I have bought tescos own washing up liquid before and you have to use double the amount to wash your pots. Not tried any other cleaning stuff own brand though, will give it a try

Aldi's washing up liquid is absolutely fine, I think it's called Magnum.

Did I read right that your husband doesn't contribute to the shopping bill? If that's really true then he's lucky he's being fed at all!:rotfl:

IMO Aldi and Lidl are not shops where you can buy everything. What I do is buy all I can/like from Aldi and then go to Sainsbury's for the other bits and pieces. That suits me because they're close together and saves fuel but also I think it's the best pairing of shops. I'd suggest you print out your list from mysupermarket then take it to Aldi and make comparisons.

Aldi meat is British Red Tractor and I buy Free Range chickens and eggs there.

You mentioned stir-fry as a treat. I freeze tiny amount of meat from a roast (preferably pork or beef) to use for stir-fry. Then I raid the freezer and veg cupboard for bits of whatever I've got in so: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, beansprouts, mushrooms, carrots. I make my own sauce (soy, ginger, garlic, a bit of 5 spice) but even with a bought sauce it makes a cheap meal with rice or noodles.

paulineb_2

Cleaning products, I buy mine from a company called astonish. Approved foods sell them and you can also get them in shops such as superdrug, 99p for each item, kitchen cleaner, oven cleaner, anti bac spray. I buy washing up liquid from a company called bio d.

Im sure these have been mentioned on the boards before but I bought my mum eco balls a few years back as a present, she got about 10 years use out of them with a couple of refills, I bought some for me also, saves a lot of money on soap powder.

Im off to aldi shortly, now I know why the leeks were all sold out the other day.

SandA

Why were the leeks sold out may I ask?

What is the deal with approved foods, I have had a quick look on there website, and it is cheap. Is it out of date stuff?

May I ask how much you spend per week on shopping maman?

I regretfully don't buy any fruit or fresh veg other then the odd carrot because I find buying frozen veg and fruit pots for little one cheaper, although this may change once I have a waltz around aldi.

paulineb_2

Because the leeks are on the super six offer at aldi at 49p and a lot of people are buying them.

Approved foods, some of it is past its best before (but still safe to eat), others are within the date but coming up to the end of the best before dates. I buy from there a lot, has saved me a fortune.

Im on a challenge right now to cook using what I have already in the house and then topping up with some fruit and veg. I make a lot of soup and I cooked last night using bits and bobs I had in the house, potato, mushroom, courgette, onion. Reckon I made a meal for me for about £1.50 a portion or less. It takes a bit of thought but if money is tight, its worth trying to shop at cheaper stores and cook.

I dont eat meat so its easy enough to cook without it costing a fortune. I think aldi is a great shop, theres nothing wrong with the food at all and the veg is excellent. You just get into the habit of shopping there and you'll save money. Anytime Ive been in tesco lately the prices have shocked me and still rising.

SandA

Is there any foods I should avoid that have passed the best before or very closely to doing so? Like crisps, I have just saw some squares for 0.25p and the best before was the start of March, would these still be edible.

I have very little knowledge on this sort of stuff.

thanks

dlusman

SandA wrote: »

Is there any foods I should avoid that have passed the best before or very closely to doing so? Like crisps, I have just saw some squares for 0.25p and the best before was the start of March, would these still be edible.

I have very little knowledge on this sort of stuff.

thanks

I use approved foods a lot - and rarely have problems. As a starting point have a look at the "best selling" and "biggest discount" tabs. Crisps are usually good for a couple of months after the best before date. They will always check products before they start selling them - but if anything is definately off/inedible just ask for a refund.

Though avoid the "slimmm" branded soups no matter how cheap they are ( currently 12 packets for £1) - not because they are "off" , just because they taste awful

paulineb_2

I use approved foods a lot too and Ive yet to have any problems eating the food, snacks and crisps included. I get all my snacks from there, because I can get 6 for a pound in crisps that my local shop sells for 70p a packet.

Edwardia

I'd say that yes it's possible providing you cut out all the carp that too many people on MSE eat. Six packets of crisps for £1 may be a cheap source of calories but where are the nutrients ?

I can get 750g organic onions for 67p, a pack of organic carrots for 82p, 2 pints organic semi-skimmed milk for 99p or a bunch of organic Fairtrade bananas for £1 in Lidl.

Recently at Morrisons I picked up 2 organic courgettes for £1, an organic cucumber 90p, organic cooked beetroot under 90p, and any variety organic mushrooms were £1.

We eat 100% organic, wild or additive free and ave been doing so for a year now. My husband loves his food now but during an argument last night he told me I was spending too much on food.

I told him I could certainly cut back and spend more in Lidl but instead of ham and leek tarts from Riverford and Higgidy pies from Ocado he's get additive laden Cornish pasties and tins of all day breakfast. Cue much crashing of saucepans and scowling face and no more was said.:rotfl:

Getting back to the point, I do firmly believe that if people cut out the processed rubbish and stocked a freezer up with meat, poultry and fish on special offer then yep it's doable. Even on organic food, if the freezer is stocked up we could eat out of it for a month and only spend about £20 a week on veg, toiletries, cleaning products etc.

Buying all the cleaning stuff in bulk on special offer saves money too.

dlusman

Edwardia wrote: »

I'd say that yes it's possible providing you cut out all the carp that too many people on MSE eat. Six packets of crisps for £1 may be a cheap source of calories but where are the nutrients ?

.

No one is saying you should live on a diet of crisps and crap. But if you enjoy the odd packet now and again - where is the harm in buying them from the cheapest place ?
And Approved Food doesnt just sell crisps

maman

SandA wrote: »

Why were the leeks sold out may I ask?

May I ask how much you spend per week on shopping maman?

I regretfully don't buy any fruit or fresh veg other then the odd carrot because I find buying frozen veg and fruit pots for little one cheaper, although this may change once I have a waltz around aldi.

I spend about £50 per week for the two of us and that's all our food, cleaning stuff and basic toiletries (like toothpaste and shampoo). I don't include any wine or occasional meals out in that because that's from my 'entertainment budget'.;) I say about £50 because some weeks it's more when I stock up on things that are on offer or if I've gone to a shop I only go to rarely. Other weeks I 'shop' from my freezer and store cupboard and spend very little other than on fresh foods.

Don't apologise about buying frozen veg it's very nutritious and saves waste and time prepping. Farmfoods is really good for this, particularly their frozen leeks. They were on offer last time I looked (3 x kg bags for £2.50). Farmfoods are also great for toilet rolls and kitchen roll.

You listed your evening meals but what about lunches and breakfasts?

I'm not sure how much fruit pots cost so can't comment on whether they're good value. When my DD was little most of her puddings were either just fruit (like a banana or mashed fresh/tinned pear) or some yogurt/fromage frais or both.

Well done for trying to sort it out. Good Luck.