Bragging! And I'm not ashamed of it.

redfox

Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com"]forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

pigpen

I always buy value eggs.. other than the living conditions of the birds there is absolutely no difference whatsoever! When compared with eggs fresh from the chickens bum from the lady across the street with her unvaccinated hens which may or may not carry salmonella or other illnesses.

I spend £600-£700 a month for 10 of us, 6 cats, a rabbit and all the cleaning stuff and toiletries. My list is a million items long but we rarely have beans on toast/jacket potato etc, all tins are value brands, we have meat (not value as it is false economy and 90% fat and water) every day just about.. loads of veg and fruit and yoghurts and I use loads of lentils as 'packing' for food. I find a huge pile of veg and a small piece of meat is plenty and much cheaper than lots of meat and small amounts of veg. I don't buy treats such as crisps or chocolate or biscuits. We don't drink alcohol at home so I don't buy that either. Value cereal is gross. OH gets Douwe Egberts coffee but other than that we go cheap and cheerful... no one has any signs of malnourishment yet

I admit we got carried away doing BBQ food last Thursday (DD2's birthday) so I ended up building meals for this week from the leftovers .. lasagne lasted 4 days and the sausage casserole looks to be doing 3 more.

dasophster

Well I am vegan and these days when doing shopping for our family I only buy vegan products so not buying value eggs, meat etc. As I have mentioned in my previous post on this thread, the value/basics/smartprice products are often less processed than the regular ranges, on some of the Mr S basics range products they make a jokey point of this on the packaging. Same with the cheaper fruit and veg, nothing whatsoever wrong with it. Of course there are basics items that are just junk but it's about making wise choices. Our family is in financial difficulty hence why we need to strictly budget, but even if we weren't I wouldn't go out of my way to spend a fortune on the weekly shopping-we did used to and still often ended up two days later finding there was 'nothing to eat' because we hadn't planned well.

Our shopping always includes loads of fresh fruit and veg and some frozen veg (no not including chips) and the only unhealthy things we buy are the aforementioned jam and the own brand cola I buy for myself. We don't buy value baked beans, spaghetti hoops, ready made sauces etc as they are quite unhealthy. As for the basics pasta, again nothing wrong with it and when mixed in with a sauce as we tend to do, we prefer the texture as it has that al dente quality that we have only otherwise found in pricier pasta like garafolo brand. Every couple of months we get about £50 worth of vegan cheeses and better quality meat alternatives than you can buy in the supermarket, from a specialist shop in King's Cross, we make them last for ages though. Next time I do my shopping I will post on here what we typically buy and what we make with it Xx

dasophster

Oh and yes we don't drink either, so that helps xx

dasophster

jetplane wrote: »

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:

Yes and we all know how much red tape there is in the NHS so like everything else they are probably paying over the odds for food ingredients/service too. Xx

cbrown372

jetplane wrote: »

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:

It's a shame you felt the need to get on your high horse in the first place.

nuttybabe

jetplane wrote: »

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:

but if people are genuinely struggling seeing this thread could give them idea's on how to save some money rather than it being an insult.

I feed my family pretty cheap, I am lucky that I have time to shop around, I also get given stuff off my friends allotment as well as growing my own to save money and its thanks to threads like these that help.

honeythewitch

nuttybabe wrote: »

but if people are genuinely struggling seeing this thread could give them idea's on how to save some money rather than it being an insult.

I feed my family pretty cheap, I am lucky that I have time to shop around, I also get given stuff off my friends allotment as well as growing my own to save money and its thanks to threads like these that help.

I am always grateful to the people who take the time to write out their shopping lists and menus, and I find it very useful.
It would be lovely if there was a thread that gave the exact costs, menus and portion sizes but I think it might be very complicated and time consuming to do?

Smoosh

We yellow sticker shop and buy a lot of value items. I don't see the problem with most value items, they taste exactly the same as higher priced products (my exceptions to this are cereal and custard). Yellow sticker shopping is definitely harder these days but at a supermarket near us they reduce so much fruit and veg that we're always able to get more than enough, all at 90% off (last week we got carrots, green beans, satsumas, pears, bananas, apples, strawberries, grapes, 2 salad bowls, kiwis, cucumber, jacket potatoes). We're 2 adults and can easily spend £10-20 per week. Sometimes we spend up to £40-50 but this is if we need a lot of household bits or if we feel like spending more for occasional treats.

fuddle

My shopping habits change depending on how much money I have at the time.

I've been in the position where I struggled to feed my family. I wasn't at all OS savvy back then but did what instinct told me to do and that was buy value to the hilt.

Now I'm 'educated' I have built up a stock cupboard and if/when those times hit again (2 weeks in May were dire) I know I have a buffer.

We're holding our heads up above water now but I don't buy all value tins etc. I'm savvy enough to buy 1kg value rice for 40p, chopped tomatoes etc but buy veg to bulk out my meals and a small portion if protein. Basics ingredients go such a long way but I feel that's where you have to go clever. Buy value ingredients to make meals as opposed to value ready made.

As for principles and animal welfare I care deeply and always try to buy better but if the money isn't there I have to make do with the cheapest.

Also, I don't like the thought of my animal products coming from animals that have been injected with medicines for mass production and would prefer to buy meat that hasn't been treat for disease if I'm honest. I'd rather buy from small farms, know the medical history of the stock, know that I'm not ingesting veterinary drugs... But I don't have the money for that so have to pick and choose my principles accordingly.

If it ever got down to it again, I would go back to buying 15p tins of rice pud even though its full of x,y,z because its a supper for my family. Eating something is a priority when money is tight in my experience, everything else goes out the window.

Just my feelings on it and would like to say well done to OP for trying to get your shopping costs down. Use it as an experience to get savvy and learn ways in which you can swap from ready made value to home made value ingredients. It'll be better for you and once you're adept at cooking frugally you will undoubtedly save the pennies too.