Shopping and cooking for one... over budget

sharond101

Go to Aldi not Tesco. Mealplan and use the fruit/veg accordingly rather than buying random items and hoping to use them. Buy another freezer. Batch cooking really is the way to go and saves your problems of wasting bread and the likes. Try finding out when the local supermarkets do their markdowns. I got 9 packs of sandwich thins tonight in Asda at 19p each, this was expensive as a couple of weeks ago I got them for 1p!

tootallulah

Hi I am single and for my early working life was in your exact situation. The starting point is what do you want to spend each week? Someone wrote that you are probably buying too much, I think that is probably true as supermarkets are killers for single shoppers. However personally I would buy what you want if you can afford it, blueberries and thins ahoy! Definitely cook from scratch, eat vegetarian half the week, plan and cook half amounts and eat the meal twice, by doing that you will be able to keep the "treats". Everything starts with what you can afford, buy a copy of Delia's One is Fun -good easy food in single portions. Good luck.

tootallulah

Also definitely go to Aldi or Lidl, very high quality much, much cheaper than the big supermarkets.

sillyme673

I would write a meal plan. Then check what you actually ate, and go from there.

Chouette

One_broke_Girl wrote: »

The thing with the Thins is they are only 100cal each and less carbs than standard bread.. I wouldn't eat a whole loaf a week and I doubt I could fit it in the freezer.. I am thinking about cutting back the Blueberries and putting raisins in my porridge instead.

Dried blueberries are cheaper than fresh, last for yonks and should plump up in porridge like raisins do. You could buy both in bulk and make your own mix!

Breadwise, have you consider buying half-loafs? They're more expensive per slice than full loaves, but still significantly cheaper than thins.

Sharon87

I'm also a single person living in a shared house. Freezer space is hard to come by sometimes. So we all chipped in and bought a bigger one second hand (fridge and freezer) for about £120. It's ok if you have enough space in your kitchen for it though!

Sounds like you're buying way too many fresh items, how about alternating, so one week you buy 3 different types of fruit, then the next week a different 3. Same with veg as well. Also store items correctly, like potatoes in a dark cool place and make sure your fridge isn't too hot or cold. I've had frozen carrots before (they usually last longer in the fridge, well in my old fridge).

If you make a batch of something what I do is eat one that day, put one in the fridge to have next day or day after, and freeze the rest, whether it's 1 or 2 more portions. Get those plastic takeaway tubs, they're very useful.

It's hard sometimes to know how much is too much, I learnt at uni, so I couldn't afford to waste a lot of my food. My first couple of weeks I made mashed potato and used about 5/6 medium sized potatoes!!! I had no concept of portions, I didn't eat for almost a day after that (oh yes I finished it lol)

System

I live on my own and face the fact there are some f&v I don't buy because I either eat it for 5 days on the trot or I bin it.

Examples include celery, cauliflower, bags of satsumas (buying them loose is very expensive), cabbage, melon etc. My parents live 10 mins walk and have these above when I eat at theirs.

I NEVER buy small tins of things like beans. If I have beans on toast, I use half a normal tin, transfer the other half into a tuppaware pot and use that within 5 days.

I do what Flubberyzing does, take things out of packets like the Birds Eye chicken grills and wrap them in foil, clingfilm. The only things I don't breakdown are packs of mince, stewing steak and lamb (diced and leg steaks) as I cook enough for 2-3 meals with a pack of meat. If the 3rd portion isn't big enough for a meal, depending on what it is, I stretch it out with either half a tin of baked beans, mushrooms, tetra pack of chopped tomatoes or use as a jacket potato filling.

When I buy ice creams like cornettos or Magnims, I take them out of the box and put them in the small gaps.

I would challenge anyone else to put more stuff into my freezer as there is at the moment.

AnnieO1234

Blueberries are extortionate at the moment to buy fresh but strawberries on the other hand are reasonably cheap at my local market.

Keep a diary for a week of spends, eats and bins. See what it is you're really buying. Is there a pattern of say carbo-binging after a run?

If space is limited and you have the time you may find shopping little and often to be best for you. I totally second the homemade tomato sauce. You can make a big vat of it, store in used jars - I'm sure you have enough or the cheap Kilner type jars and bottles from Ikea.

Look for alternative protein sources, cut down on meat and add in pulses, beans etc. You can find plenty of recipes online for a basic tomato sauce that you can tweak each day for so long to make soup, pasta, chilli etc.

I would step away from the supermarkets as much as possible. Get to know a butcher, grocer etc either at stalls or in their own shop.

Look at a girl called jacks blog for recipe ideas.

Xxx

sharond101

Could the three of you in the house club together and buy the fresh things to share so as less waste and better value? Maybe you could cook each other a meal each week as it often works out better value to make a meal for more people than it does for one person?

One_broke_Girl

Thank you for your replies.. I really do need to get this down. What ever veg I have left going off at the end of the week I'm going to try and cook some kind of ratatouille.

I think it would be difficult if we cooked for each other. We all like different thing, around at different times and one has her boyfriend round all the time. and there is no room for an extra freezer.

A lot of you have said to meal plan. Can you give me some ideas of what you cook? and a quick look into your shopping lists?

There is also a Sainsburys close by. would you say that is cheaper more more expensive than Tesco?