First post... shopping budget

7roland8

Hi - mobile phone seems high as is the food bill. Also though you like driving maybe cut down on the distance you travel.


You don't need to enjoy cooking to do quick meals - also buying online with Tesco can cost only £1 delivery and you get to have a total of amount paid plus its easier - we have got it down to about every three weeks for two of us and cats.


Simple and healthy meals could be:
Porridge
Beans and cheese on toast
Bean bake - beans, potatoes and cheese.
Make your own pizzas - if not into making dough just buy the plain passes and add topping - we used to use ketchup and grated cheese
Pancakes - some eggs and milk goes a long way and kids love them.
Spaghetti with tomatoes and cheese - and add what you like - I do frozen broccoli and peas.
Roast dinner with gravy - we often liked mashed potato with gravy covered in grated cheese. But you can use any cheap veg and just a little meat.
A big stew - especially good if you buy a cheap slow cooker and just throw everything in.
Tesco Branflakes and a bag of sultanas - cheaper than buying sultana bran
Sandwiches - white or brown value bread is cheap and kids love peanut butter or choc spread.

7roland8

Apparently Lidl do huge packs of bacon - 3 for £5. Hubby bought some and although its supposedly offcuts its nearly all lean and some of the pieces are huge and like big slices of gammon


Son also used to like Farm Foods for frozen stuff.


I find it easier to do it online with Tesco and then you know what you spend and no lifting or carrying.

kati123

Hi 7roland8 - My phone bill is contract and unfortunately. And I am more than happy to spend less on food if possible
I now deciding to try my hardest to drive as little as possible or at least stay in a bit more. But I thought budgeting for a full tank once a week would be good and if I don't use it then I've gained money.

I do want to try doing it with tescos but as I said their website seems to not like me very much (have tried using different browsers and such to do it but always crashes on me)

I actually love beans on toast and don't even think of using it as a meal for some reason, its just getting me back into sensible thinking I guess.. and getting some good ideas from you lovely people.


Can't thank you enough for replying to my post, I really really appreciate it, and means a lot.

HappyMJ

kati123 wrote: »

HappyMJ - I have just checked online, last month I used 1663.34 kWh the month before was 572.69 - my average is about 908 kWh which is £108


How do I go about finding out which is ultimately cheaper? I know there can be fees for leaving and price rises and I'm not completely clued up about all that..

That's electricity isn't it...not gas..your gas is fine. You should be using much less. 275kWh per month is the average. Do an audit of everything electric...read the meter weekly.

I wouldn't bother switching away yet until you can find what is using so much electric then you once you have a stable weekly figure then shop around for the best deal.

Do you use a clothes dryer? They are so expensive to run. You can put most of your clothes on a clothes rail especially at this time of year when the moisture from the clothes won't affect the structure of the building quite so much as you can have the windows wide open whilst the clothes are drying.

Do you have air conditioning? Just trying to find out what's using so much. Do you have just the one fridge/freezer?

Do you have a hot water cylinder? Does it have an immersion element that one day was switched on and never turned off? That's rated at 3kW and running for 5 hours a day could use 15kWh.

kati123

Yes those figures are just for electricity....

I have a tumble dryer which is very rarely used, not even once a week.
I do not have air con, I literally don't use that much, or at least I don't think I do.
Everything that is switched on in my house all day today has been..
my fridge/freezer (just one), my PC has been on since 2pm, my tv and freeview box is on standby, I have a fish tank with its filter and heater (have had it for 4yrs now), and my router for my internet. This is the norm for me, round about 6/7pm the tv will go on and a lamp, and ofc cooker/microwave for dinner.

I have a combi boiler, I have no idea about immersions and such.. rented house so I don't mess about with anything like that :P

7roland8

Weird how Tesco site is funny with you - I use old machines and have shopped with them for years with hardly any problems. The first shop takes a bit longer to get sorted but then the next time its all saved and most people buy pretty much the same things all the time anyway.

kati123

Yeah, I will keep at it and keep patient and then my shop will be so much easier, I can see what I'm buying without the offers or pressure to buy other stuff, and I don't get to the checkout and almost die of shock

claireabelle_2

Hi kati123,
I have an energy monitor made by Eaga (unused) that I was going to stick on ebay tonight, I'll send it to you if you DM your address or somewhere to send it? I can't use it as I'm in a flat with external meter. Let me know, it might help you identify what's eating your electricity.

HappyMJ

kati123 wrote: »

Yes those figures are just for electricity....

I have a tumble dryer which is very rarely used, not even once a week.
I do not have air con, I literally don't use that much, or at least I don't think I do.
Everything that is switched on in my house all day today has been..
my fridge/freezer (just one), my PC has been on since 2pm, my tv and freeview box is on standby, I have a fish tank with its filter and heater (have had it for 4yrs now), and my router for my internet. This is the norm for me, round about 6/7pm the tv will go on and a lamp, and ofc cooker/microwave for dinner.

I have a combi boiler, I have no idea about immersions and such.. rented house so I don't mess about with anything like that :P

Could be the heater for the fish tank...that wouldn't be an average thing that someone would have. Could you look at it and see what it's rated at...I think they are usually small at about 50W or 100W but they are on 24/7...so a 50W heater on all the time would use an additional 36kWh in a month. Something is using a lot more than that and you need to find it and either accept it such as the aquarium heater or use whatever it is much less.

You won't have an immersion heater with a combi boiler. Is there a ventilation fan with the property on constantly or a water pump with the property also constantly running that could be using more than an average user.

7roland8

7roland8 wrote: »

Weird how Tesco site is funny with you - I use old machines and have shopped with them for years with hardly any problems. The first shop takes a bit longer to get sorted but then the next time its all saved and most people buy pretty much the same things all the time anyway.

Yes some of their Value items are great:
Spaghetti about 22p for packet
Beans and ketchup are fine.
Large bran flakes are about 88p.
Also their tinned fruit - plus tins of rice pudding for only 15p - nice with some fruit.
Not the cheapest but a huge bag of Mornflakes porridge is around £2 but lasts for months.
White rice also about 20p a pack.


I also find washing up liquid fine and they do cheap bubble bath.