MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 3

BeNiceToMySelf

that's a great link Bangton, Jack sounds great. Lasagne at 75p per portion sounds good. I think I made a lasagne on Wednesday and got about 8 portions for a tenner. Jack uses foils trays to freeze stuff which is something I was thinking of doing as I really struggle to find BPA free containers.

Not sure how much we spend on a food shop but I know we spent about £500 last month at Tesco 'cos our petrol discount is 20p! OH went a bit mad getting tokens for the discount cutlery so he bought stuff for the new kitchen and clothes. We've really changed our food shopping habits because we're trying to cook well for BLW and to look after ourselves better. I'm sure what we used to spend on ready meals was awful - £2-£3 a go so I'm not sure what OH was complaining about.

If you look on the old style MSE thread they talk a lot about saving on food shopping too.

Saffagal

Bangton that link looks great thank you!

Re meal planning; I do one big grocery delivery (between £150-£200) every four to 6 weeks and restock my freezer/cupboards. Then I plan dinners until I've used up almost everything I bought. I tend to buy larger portions of meat then portion it up before freezing. Usually I then pop to the village store once a week for little top ups and have milk delivered once a week, and a veg/fruit box delivered once a week. I get all our cleaning bits in that big shop. A's nappies I buy off amazon as found that to work out the cheapest (and no formula).
One of the things I love about doing a meal plan is that I never have to think about what I to prepare for dinner, and if I really don't fancy x today, I just switch days within the week as have the necessary fresh veg/salad/fruit to accompany.
I did my last shop through mysupermarket and used it to find the best deals.
Breakfast I tend to do toast/crumpets and yoghurt and lunch is usually sandwiches/salads.

Well, A has had her first week at nursery and seems to be ok; when I arrived for pick up today she was happily sitting on her keyworker's lap reading their book of the week.

Have a good evening ladies x

Rummer

Before DS for three of us and all the beasts we spent £25/week, now however it is around £40 as I have had to stop BF. Using reusable nappies has helped keep the costs down.

Gillyx

Not been on in ages :eek: been away visiting the outlaws and my OH has been working away from home so I've been snowed under.

R.e food budgets, we spend around £70-80 a week (for 3 adults and a toddler 4 days a week and 4 adults and a toddler 3 days a week) however I'm looking to slash that a bit more by getting a weekly fruit and veg box delivered with eggs, so I only have to venture to the supermarket once a fortnight. I meal plan, as I'm doing slimming world, I just look at it as food is fuel and even if I don't fancy it, I eat enough to give me what I need and everyone else has to like it or lump it because I cook it. I do shop at Aldi too and find there stuff really good quality for the price.

Never underestimate a good pasta sauce, I batch cook one, once a month and it does onc dinner a week for us and one lunch a week for A. I serve it with pasta, some cheese on top and garlic bread for A. It's never gonna win any awards, but it's filled with veg, no nasty chemicals and I think with cheese on top a pretty balanced meal. I offer yogurt for pudding for A and all bases are covered.

We're not one for fancy cereal or anything but we only buy weetabix, porridge, and supermarkets own branded shreddies, they are all cheaper options and last ages. I weigh things out too partly due to SW and to stop waste. So pasta, rice, cereal, porridge etc all get weighed to an exact portion per person. Try to have 2 meat free days a week too helps.

The main thing I could do to slash my budget is fruit, veg and yogurt. £25-30 of my budget every week is spent on that, which is a lot but I'm not prepared to bend on those as we eat all of it, nothing goes to waste.

Definitely check out the old style board.

*Nutella*

Just thought I'd remind you all that today is Lost Sock Memorial Day

Saffagal

It's Mother's day on Sunday and a friend just shared this Mother's Day song
I had to share!

*Nutella*

Saffagal wrote: »

It's Mother's day on Sunday and a friend just shared this Mother's Day song
I had to share!

That's fab :rotfl:

Here's another song

continualdiamond

Since lo came along we've done shopping online to control more of what we spend and it generally works as you avoid all those offers that are advertised in the super market.

I follow weight watchers so I always plan meals in advance and then buy what I need for them etc.

For the 3 of us, 2 cats and 1 dog we spend about £80. I keep £10 on me for the week and that does today as I always meet a friend for a coffee and sometimes get a cake as well. Then the rest is spent on small things like the weekly paper, baby groups I've tried. Hubby is worse than me, he drives and is therefore forever getting food from where ever, it drives me crackers as on bank holiday Monday he went to KFC after we'd been to the tip. I was more than happy to wait until we got home and make myself something but no he had to get something right at that very moment.

I think I've clearly learnt to wait longer for my food with having a baby.

Well I tried a different group today, it cost £2 and I hated it. All the chairs were placed around the outside with all the toys in the middle of the floor, majority of people were just sitting talking to each other whilst the children played. You did get tea/coffee and cake and children got fruit, cheese and biscuits but still, just totally not for me. I spent the whole time sat with lo.

The one I usually go to doesn't have chairs out which means all the mums are sat on the floor with their children, well under 1's which to me creates more of a social atmosphere.

Decided to try different groups on a Friday for when I go back to work as Thurs & Fri are my days off.

IHateDida

Hello folks - I hope you are all ok. Some might remember me - sorry I haven't been here for ages (although I do have a sneaky read when I can!)....but we've had quite a lot happen in the past few months (my little girl's heart murmur has been diagnosed as 'Patent ductus arteriosus' and she is awaiting an op at Gt Ormond St which has been a little worrying....you never think that you will be one of those parents that you see go to GOSH on TV....!). I am also back at work early....lack of finance and all that!


Anyhows....I hope to be back posting when everything is sorted.....in the meantime could I ask a favour (and in return you could win a car seat organiser just for voting!) - would you be able to vote for my little girl (Rosa - who is now nearly 11 months) in the Britax Beautiful Babies competition please? She's the one on the swing with the spotty tights!!! Thank you so much x http://babyonboard.britax.co.uk/en/competitions/baby-competition

sunshine_1988

We spend about 60-80 a week depending on if we need supplies like nappies, wipes, washing detergent etc as we try to bulk buy that. Me and OH take lunch everyday for work with that. I know we could slash that if I shopped about at places lile lidl and home bargains etc, which i really want to try and do.

X