Bragging! And I'm not ashamed of it.

hunters

fuddle wrote: »

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.


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.

I'm not reading that the OP is using ready made and is already making "home made" ?

honeythewitch

hunters wrote: »

I'm not reading that the OP is using ready made and is already making "home made" ?

If we were being picky, the OP mentioned tinned fruit, rice pudding, cereal bars and laundry detergent,which you could make from scratch but I bet it wouldn't be much cheaper.

fuddle

hunters wrote: »

I'm not reading that the OP is using ready made and is already making "home made" ?

I guess it's in the interpretation as I read it as the OP normally bought branded items. To me branded items are ready made/packaged/tinned and not ingredients that I tend to use now, but used in the past.

70% of the OP's shopping was value. That to me leaves very little in the way fresh ingredients and protein, again why I thought the OP was buying more in the way of ready made and not so much ingredients.

Not that there was anything wrong with that - just what I based my post on. Again, well done OP

dasophster

As promised, here is this weeks sainsbury's shop, total including delivery £64.93. I had a £1.25 evoucher as well due to a missing item last week. I have sausage mix, various other protein-y beans and lentils, flour and various condiments from other weeks as well as bin liners and kitchen roll. The handwash doubles up as shower gel as I have realised the basic's shower gel is the exact same product just in a smaller container for almost the same price! Toothpaste I bought last week. We have loads of frozen veg in the freezer but still I think I bought a fair bit of fresh fruit and veg this week. Houmous we have 1 or 2 still in the freezer (am finding homous goes off soooo quickly these days even in the fridge and it doesn't really get affected if frozen). Cereal we have left over from other weeks, Sainsbury's basics muesli is lovely by the way, far superior to the Waitrose essentials version that is considerably pricier, the sainsbury's one sometimes has less raisins/sultanas in but I just stick some more in (again basic's ones lol). Basics apples say 4 in a bag but it is usually 6-8.

Breakfast we usually have toast or cereal, lunch a sandwich or something like pasta, evening meal can be a whole gamut of things, sausage and/or bean casserole sometimes with dumplings, pasta bake, stir fries, pasta and homemade sauce, homemade curries, meditteranean style stews and casseroles, homemade wedges and veggie burgers with salad or extra veg on the side...we eat a wide variety.

2 Sainsbury's Peach Slices In Light Syrup, Basics 411g £0.64 1 Sainsbury's Crunchy Peanut Butter, Basics 340g £0.62 2 Sainsbury's Sweetcorn In Water Salt & Sugar Added, Basics 198g £0.44 1 Sainsbury's Nappies, Size 5, Junior Basics x20 £1.41 3 Sainsbury's Nappies Basics, Size 4, Maxi x20 £4.23 1 Sainsbury's Handwash, Basics £0.38 2 Sainsbury's Crunchy Salad, Basics 200g £1.70 2 Sainsbury's Pasta Shapes, Basics 500g £0.78 1 Shana Okra Sliced Ring, Simply Authentic Food 900g £2.00 1 Sainsbury's Mini Potatoes 500g £1.00 3 Rankin Selection Potato Farls x4 £3.00 3 Sainsbury's Squash Double Concentrate, Orange, Basics 1.5L £2.40 2 Sainsbury's Cola Cans 8x330ml £3.98 2 Sainsbury's Avocado, Basics x4 £3.00 1 Natco Red Lentils Polished Masoordal 2kg £2.50 3 Sainsbury's Long Life Sweetened Soya Milk Alternative, Basics 1L £1.77 2 Sainsbury's Cherry Tomatoes 335g £2.00 4 KTC Chick Peas in Salted Water 400g £1.48 2 Alpro Yogurt Alternative Vanilla 500g £2.50 1 Vitalite 500g £1.20 2 Sainsbury's Cucumber, Whole £1.60 1 Sainsbury's Chargrilled Mediterranean Vegetables (Aubergine, Courgette, Red & Yellow Peppers) 500g £1.49 1 Sainsbury's Chopped Coriander 75g £1.01 1 Sainsbury's Kiwi Fruit, Basics x8 £1.10 3 Sainsbury's Stoneground Wholemeal Bread Thick Sliced, SO Organic 800g £3.00 2 Sainsbury's Soft Citrus, Basics 750g £3.00 18 Sainsbury's Loose Fairtrade Bananas £1.95 2 Sainsbury's Apples, Basics x4 (minimum, variety will vary, all shapes & sizes) £1.80 13 Sainsbury's White Pitta, Basics x6 285g £2.86 2 Sainsbury's Green Pitted Olives, Basics 90g £2.10 4 KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice 400g £0.84 1 Sainsbury's Strawberry Jam, Basics 454g £0.29 1 Sainsbury's Peppers, Basics 600g (colours may vary) £1.60 1 Sainsbury's Vegetable Oil 1L £1.50 2 Sainsbury's Baby Wipes, Basics x80 £1.02

dasophster

Oops I realised the homous in the freezer has been used and we ran out of Basics unsweetened soya milk-which I use for cooking, it is said to curdle but doesn't do so on my watch , so took the potato farls out of the trolley, begrudgingly and added in two each of the homous and a sachet of mash as well as the soya milk. Then added in 2 basics sparkling waters to add to the squash as a special treat, total £65.01. BTW we used to buy high juice but even though we diluted it really weak, about 1/4 of what was advised on the packaging we PH tested it as part of a science experiment at home and it was really really acidic, more acidic than fizzy drinks and as acidic as straight lemon juice. I am a bit loathe to buy the squash with sweetener in but as it is sucralose it's not quite as horrid as aspartame and we have it very very weak; like a tiny layer in the bottom of the cup xx

senileturtle

@Daso, I've had houmous go off well before the due date; even in the fridge. I've lost probably about 4 pots of houmous this way. I didn't know you could freeze it though. I thought freezing it might reduce the quality/taste as it's got a particular texture and flavour.

[Deleted User]

a box of inexpensive eggs from Icelands are fine for cooking cakes etc and the only reason I buy M&S free range ones are that I just love a decent egg that's got a deep yellow yolk and with toasted soldiers are a meal in its self at lunchtime.I'm not that fussed about where the eggs from its just my M&S ones are my little luxury.half a dozen last me probably about a fortnight as they are 'eating ones' as opposed to 'cooking ones IYSWIM :):)

catkins

pigpen wrote: »

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.

Value eggs taste nothing like free range or, even better, organic eggs.

Kirri

catkins wrote: »

Value eggs taste nothing like free range or, even better, organic eggs.

Agree!
and apart from the awful condition the chickens are kept in, most are now fed on GM feed, apart from Waitrose or organic.

attentionseeker1

I always buy value eggs.. other than the living conditions of the birds there is absolutely no difference whatsoever!

I'm really sorry to read that for some people "the living conditions" make no difference. I honestly cannot see how, having seen what the living conditions for battery caged hens are, anyone can just say that they don't care! :shocked:

I agree it is sad that people's only concern about food is that it comes as cheaply as possible, at the expense of animal welfare, farmers driven by supermarkets' low prices to give up their farms, supporting local businesses etc. I don't even think it is really old style to focus only on price this way- surely old style is going to your local butcher, talking about where the meat comes from and what thriftier cuts he can offer etc.

I want to keep my bills down as much as possible and to this end ensure I buy whole (RSPCA) chickens rather than breasts and stretttch, cook economical cuts, buy things that are reduced and would otherwise end up in landfill etc etc but I couldn't live with myself if I knew that my desire to save a few £ for a 'treat' meant that animals or people were suffering.

And before I get flamed, I do understand that for some people it is a choice between buying unethical products or just not having the money to eat nutritious food at all. Obviously in that case you have to choose to feed your family, however I doubt that all of the people on here driving their grocery bill down to the minimum are in that desperate state.