weekly foodshop cost?

sooty&sweep

Hi
It's difficult to comment without seeing what you're currently buying & what types of meals you all like to eat.
One thing that has made a difference for us is maximizing our use of leftovers.
If I make a curry or stew etc I'll deliberately bulk it out with more veg & pulses and then my husband takes the leftover portions for lunch. More interesting & tasty than sandwiches and cheaper too. I was spending alot on cooked meats for sandwiches. If there are four of you taking a packed lunch you could easily make up a pasta dish cheaper than sarnies.
Jen

loopyloouk

Thanks again for the tips,

for example last night i sat down and added up all the shopping for the month of march that i had either drawn out of used my card for and i was shocked! Nearly £600 for the month:eek: I did buy the kids a few small bits of clothing i.e pants/socks/t shirt but the rest was on food.

If i could halve that it would be a nice holiday by the end of the year!

My problem seems to be that i buy convenience foods, i.e dolmio sauce instead of making one, and cooking 2 different meals, one for the girls and another for myself and husband.

I am that shocked by working it out and quite ashamed to be honest as its no wonder we dont have any cash left at the end of the month.

Any ideas on how to meal plan? do you write the weeks list or do you go threw the fridge/stocks first to see what you have and then plan from this?

loopy

Floss

I have an ongoing freezer stock list and a cupboard with basics in - rice (basmati & risotto), pasta, couscous, polenta, seasonings, stock cubes etc.

When I plan our meals (2 adults, one of whom works away 2/3 nights most weeks), I check what is in the freezer or fridge that needs using, then work round that. I always include a veggie meal (usually from frozen allotment produce) and if I make anything there is usually left-overs to take into account.

I also make tomato sauce in batches from either h/g or reduced tomatoes and freeze it, along with meatballs, burgers and soups. Then I know we always have something tasty in the freezer for a meal, even when we're skint!

mummyroysof3

Re the dolmio sauce....I now use tesco value and can't tell difference tbh

Happygreen

Cooking two meals each day doesn't do anyone any favours, more work and expense....how old are your girls? Is it their bedtime that determines that you need to cook for them seperately?
I always have quite a good idea what is in the freezers and fridge but check about once a month all the way down. From what meat/fish/veg I have in the freezer I plan both meals and shop. Staples I buy where they are cheapest (1 kg frozen beans are 30 p cheaper at Aldi than Tesco, sugar I found at 69 p in poundstretchers). I bulk buy some special offers and freeze prepared veg. if frozen is cheaper than fresh get those - they don't go off! You must throw an awful lot of food away or does it all go without waste?
There are great books/sites out for cooking on a budget if you need inspiration. I love those -
http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/guardian-food/
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/save-with-jamie

icklejulez

There is 5 of us (3 children 10,8 and 3) and we spend £75 and have never eaten so healthy.


I do a 4 week meal plan.
I spend £100 ish on one Tesco shop for value/basics and have it delivered so no extras.
I spend £100 in farmfoods on freezer things meats/chips/veg/puddings/bread and milk.
I then keep £100 spare for fresh fruit from the greengrocers, top up milk and bread or any treats we buy.


We also make 4 packed lunches each day with this.

BitterAndTwisted

loopyloouk wrote: »

My problem seems to be that i buy convenience foods, i.e dolmio sauce instead of making one.

In which case you could experiment by making your own from scratch. Chopped onion, garlic and tin of tomatoes or passata (cheap from Lidl), a little sugar and some salt plus whatever herbs you have to hand (oregano and basil usually with a tomato sauce).

Any ideas on how to meal plan? do you write the weeks list or do you go threw the fridge/stocks first to see what you have and then plan from this?

Working out a meal-plan really depends on how often you do your shopping. In your situation I'd do weekly one to see how you get on.

In the first instance I'd ALWAYS do a quick check of the cupboards, fridge and freezer and look to using as much of that as you can, and then only buy what you really need for the week according to your meal-plan.

One of the ways to be certain that you're keeping to your budget is to severely limit the amount of treats, snacks and soft drinks. Cut down on the amount of meat per portion as for health we really only need about four ounces a day and step up the veggies, have at least one meat-free meal a week (easy if you're serving pasta) and use more eggs and dairy.

LameWolf

I budget monthly, as we get a fairly large shop from the monthly Farmers Market (eggs, cheese, bread flour, honey; we also have a "treat" of one pat of unsalted butter and one carton of unpasteurised cream per month from there) and allow currently £230 per month - but thus far this year we've come in considerably under that.:T

I keep a spreadsheet of cupboard and freezer contents, and an ongoing meal plan; I try to keep it planned a week ahead of me, with the option of swapping meals round if (for instance) I'm feeling too unwell to cook.
I also have a page on the spreadsheet for keeping track of our spending; I enter where we bought the food, the date, and how much was spent, and have a running total for the month so that we can easily see how much of our allowance is left.

There's just the two of us; we eat veggie at home (I can't even look at a piece of meat without feeling ill). We don't have a lot of snacky things as we don't enjoy them; I make cakes and biscuits for Mr LW's lunch box, and cook from scratch as much as I possibly can.

Apart from the monthly trip to the Farmers Market, I buy my fruit'n'veg weekly at the market stall in the city centre (they often have quite large bowls of produce for £1 a time; I buy a lot of those!). For the rest, I get as much as I can in @ldi (though there are a fair few items we use that they don't stock), most of my frozens from T£sco, Mr LW gets one or two bits for me from M0rries in Letchworth (he works in Letchworth) and very occasionally we do a foray to @sda and very, very occasionally W@itrose, usually if we go there it's from curiosity to see what's available, and I have often been known to leave empty-handed if I think the things I could do to get are too expensive.

Butterfly_Brain

loopyloouk wrote: »

hi thanks for the replies,

i don't do a meal plan at all, its a case of what they like i buy and figure out a meal from that. Think i am going to write a list tonight and start planning as that amount each week seems more than enough.

Do you find it better to pay cash than card at keeping track of money? i.e when the purse is empty then no more buying?


loopy

I always meal plan and write a list and stick to it.
I only take cash which means I can't be tempted to stray from the list (I do keep a spare £20 in the back of my purse in case I spot good reductions )

I freeze as many veg as I can in order for them to last all week but I also have frozen veg as a back up in the freezer.

I buy fruit and veg either in Aldi (depending on the super six) greengrocer and the local market.

I get meat from a local farm or butcher monthly , but I use Aldi for chicken because they are the cheapest around.

I only shop once a week unless I run out of potatoes and then I go to the greengrocer round the corner.

We also grow a lot of our own fruit and veg, which keeps costs down.

newthrift

icklejulez wrote: »

There is 5 of us (3 children 10,8 and 3) and we spend £75 and have never eaten so healthy.


I do a 4 week meal plan.
I spend £100 ish on one Tesco shop for value/basics and have it delivered so no extras.
I spend £100 in farmfoods on freezer things meats/chips/veg/puddings/bread and milk.
I then keep £100 spare for fresh fruit from the greengrocers, top up milk and bread or any treats we buy.


We also make 4 packed lunches each day with this.

This may sound like a very silly question, but can I ask how you find doing a 4 week meal plan over a weekly meal plan? Has this made a big difference to your grocery spending? I have seen this pop up a couple of times on different threads, and I am wondering if to give it a try.