Bragging! And I'm not ashamed of it.

missflirtuk

Hi what sort of things do you pay (the poster who said they only spend £15 a week on 2 adults and 1 child as I would love to only spend a small amount on essentials. I spend various amounts, depends what's needed. OH only drinks Kenco really rich but it's expensive so I get it from B&M £2.49 a 100g jar.

dasophster

Our shopping is no more than £65 a week for us and we are now a family of seven. Yes it can be done. These days a lot of the value/basics/smartprice products are more wholesome, contain less additives, fillers, sugar and salt than the mid priced 'normal' ranges. For example the Sainsbury's basics jam, has considerably lower sugar and more recognisable ingredients than the normal range product. Ok it probably contains less fruit but let's not pretend that regular jam is a good source of fruit anyway. We get loads of fruit and veg included in that too, but not so much we end up wasting anything. We even manage to get organic bread as that is one thing I won't scrimp on, though we buy the basics pitta breads as they are less processed, contain no additives and are just generally much better quality than the regular Sainsbury's range product. Household stuff and some toiletries I have a stockpile but it is dwindling so I have to buy new bits and pieces. I rotate it so one week I will buy 20 bin liners but then I won't need to buy another pack for 2-3 weeks, so the next week I will use that money on kitchen roll (alas no 99p store within easy reach of us). I apply the same system to the food part of the shop, most things last more than a week so I buy them on a rotational basis. It's not soul destroying at all, I really enjoy getting our shopping for the bare minimum possible. Sometimes I plan menus and sometimes I don't. Some friends and family are quite impressed so now they get me to fill their trolley on Sainsbury's or ASDA following their list because they know I will get it to the cheapest possible price. Xx

dasophster

sharond101 wrote: »

This is an amazing thread and i agree it can be done but only with people of a certain mindframe. For example I can make a 39p bag of pasta and 1.49p chorizo ring stretch to serve 8 portions and with a little veg mixed through costs around 25p per portion. My Sister on the other hand would never imagine this as a dinner and spends at least £4.50 per portion of the meals she cooks. Also I have more time to browse the store for offers or go at times for yellow sticker shopping, she doesn't. Nor does she understand why i would choose a yellow stickered item when a longer shelf life pack was available.
We shop at aldi and in the reduced to clear section of Asda. We enjoy basics items and other things we know only the real deal will do. For 2 adults and a child we spend around £15 per week.

£4.50 a portion? *gulp*, even my most special occasion type meals are only a maximum of £2 a portion, which to me is a fortune. Most people I know are like your sister though xx

VfM4meplse

I feel like I have been there and done that when it comes to spending as little as possible on food - it's a U-shaped curve and I'm on the ascendant.

I do love a bargain but don't eat much processed food. As long as I have access to decent fruit and veg, I'm happy...btwn the fruit stall, Lidl and Aldi it is always available. I am now buying a great deal less but spending a bit more and happy with that, I just got to the stage when I was eating cereal (and not much else)out of habit and realised that those on benefits probably didn't scrimp in the same way. Not that there's anything wrong with benefits, they are there to ensure that no-one goes hungry, after all.

So I didn't feel at all guilty when I splurged £20 on a case of premium preserves this weekend....because it will make the most wonderful summer tea time treats for a large number of friends and family over the next month or so. Cream teas, here we come!

jetplane

I think it is a sad fact that some people are forced to spend as little as possible on food and while it is always great to get a bargain, a food bank parcel would provide more than some of the people on these forums seem to live on.

I have made many a food parcel and yes it is amazing what you can buy in the value range but a basic healthy diet costs more than a pittance.

If a 39p bag of pasta and 1.49p chorizo ring stretches to 8 portions with a little veg mixed through costing around 25p per portion, this means the veg cost around 12p for 8 people, and no sauce or dressing?

Is it the taste of the low fat organic yogurt that makes it non negotiable otherwise why buy value eggs?

I agree with coopdivi I don't understand why people scrimp on food to the level where a meal is just something cheap on a plate, not through choice.

jetplane

Actually I also think it is insulting to brag about how little you can spend when others are genuinely struggling to feed their families. And like others on here it would be interesting to see a priced menu with detailed meals, portion sizes and nutritional value. I think the NHS average around £1 per meal £3 a day for a patient and we all know what we hear about hospital food. Getting down off my high horse now and going to work :whistle:

[Deleted User]

I have a budget of £60.00 per month for food,I live alone and can make that work very well for me I cook from scratch and bake my own biscuits and cakes.I rarely drink, so wine isn't something I would bother with I don't smoke either and I think I eat fairly well The bread I buy is Burgens soya & linseed from Icelands at £1.00 a loaf and one loaf does me for at least a week as I'm not that keen on bread anyway.My freezer is stuffed full of bits on bobs Last week I saw a steak pie that had been reduced to £1.59 It was a family sized one so I bought it and divided it up into four quarters and wrapped and froze it .That's four meals which, with a bit of veg, and maybe HM soup for starters will cost me less that 70p for an evening meal.I buy basic natural yoghurt which I use instead of cream and with a spoon of honey or some chopped fruit is as good as the flavoured yoghurts.I forage for berries in the autumn and these are washed and frozen to be used in desserts I cook a large rice pud from a tin of evaporated milk and a couple of ounces of rice and some brown sugar in the SC its a good dessert which is filling if the main meal is smaller.I always have either a soup starter or a pudding with my main meal

HM soup costs very little to make and I use lentils and pulses in a lot of my meals Out of my budget of £60.00 I suppose about a third is fresh fruit and veg and Aldi's stuff when on their super six offer is brilliant and I can cook meals around what's on offer.Meat I buy if I see it reduced or from my local butchers as he is brilliant at telling me whats best buy in the shop.I have a local greengrocers which on Mondays do sell reduced veg which is used to make soup.Coffee I am lucky in that I get a pack of 250gms of fairtrade coffee from my DGS who gets it from work where its supplied and no one wants it.So I rarely have to buy ground coffee Tea bags are sainsburys basic and very nice they are as well I use the cash I save towards my family holidays which I take with my DD and DGC We are off to the IoW next month for a fortnight.I pay for the holiday house and she gets the food.We have a great time and I have been doing this for the past 10 years.Extras for the children is saved for from left over cash from my food purse I try to shop only as and when needed and have cut right back on shopping and have more time and money now I don't go every two or three days.I try to go when I have at least 6-10 things to get on my list and improvise before then with what I already have Its different strokes for different folks really I could spend more if I had to but I prefer to spend less and use the surplus for my DGC or family I never go without and I think I eat fairly healthily By the way the loo rolls in Icelands for 4 for a pound quilted ones are just as good as the Andrex ones but a darned sight cheaper :) The milk from Icelands is only a quid for four pints as well
Its possible to eat reasonably well on what I spend and I am pleased that its affordable and I have money left over for things I really enjoy.I live a very busy life as I look after four of my DGS before and after school and have lots of clubs that I go to for interests during the week.Tomorrow I am off to a quiz night as I belong to the U3A so my evenings entertainment will cost £2.00 plus a drink which for me will be a soda and lime and ice as I'm driving.My store cupboards are always full and I never do without but I prefer to make my money work for me by spending it wisely If those of you who wish to splash out want to then that to isn't a bad thing each to their own My way works for me and I am happy with it At my age Christmas seems to be the time when you are given lots of sopas and shampoos and stuff so it takes me at least 6 months to get through stuff .Sainsbobs basics again are good for shampoo and conditionerI really don't have time for much more than a good shower in the morning so make-up doesn't bother me (my eldest DD supplies me with left over bits from her Avon stuff if I need it.I suppose my one luxury is eggs I love M&S free range eggs and they are my treat I aslo prefer fairy washing up liquid to the cheaper stuff.I really am a cheap date :):)

Kirri

jetplane wrote: »

Is it the taste of the low fat organic yogurt that makes it non negotiable otherwise why buy value eggs?

Did wonder that myself - I guess some people don't value the poor battery hens or factory farmed animals? I appreciate not everyone cares where the food comes from but I do think there is a taste difference in eggs too much more than yoghurt.

I grow a lot of veg and most of my meals are veg, pulses and basic wholefoods so very cheap per portion especially as I don't buy alcohol, meat etc, I make my own bread etc but I do buy organic basic ingredients and couldn't get through a month on £50, I spend more than that on fruit/veg alone, even supplementing an allotment!

As for all those talking about 'healthy' food, a lot of the non organic foods, can be full of pesticides, additives, etc etc. Even worse with basic toiletries, just pure chemicals. Guess everyone's definition of healthy is different.

I do like basic and cheap and am on a very limited income, but most of the cheap supermarket stuff isn't exactly great. If supermarkets produce cheap food it is for a reason, look at some of the labelling or think about how it's produced.

lemontart

congratulations to all and great inspiration for the rest of us to follow in your footsteps

[Deleted User]

Kirri wrote: »

Did wonder that myself - I guess some people don't value the poor battery hens or factory farmed animals? I appreciate not everyone cares where the food comes from but I do think there is a taste difference in eggs too much more than yoghurt.

I grow a lot of veg and most of my meals are veg, pulses and basic wholefoods so very cheap per portion especially as I don't buy alcohol, meat etc, I make my own bread etc but I do buy organic basic ingredients and couldn't get through a month on £50, I spend more than that on fruit/veg alone, even supplementing an allotment!

As for all those talking about 'healthy' food, a lot of the non organic foods, can be full of pesticides, additives, etc etc. Even worse with basic toiletries, just pure chemicals. Guess everyone's definition of healthy is different.

I do like basic and cheap and am on a very limited income, but most of the cheap supermarket stuff isn't exactly great. If supermarkets produce cheap food it is for a reason, look at some of the labelling or think about how it's produced.

The reason I buy value eggs is because I have a friend who gives me fresh eggs straight from the hen. But as I don't always see them I buy a pack of value eggs to tide me over. Theres no point in me paying £1 ot £2 for 6 eggs.
Also the yoghurt I do buy other bio yoghurts/greek yoghurts, but if I listed everything down to the ground the list would be a mile long.
As ive said on the Grocery Challenge months ago, I don't need to do this but ive managed to save a hell of a lot of money by shopping the way I do..