My first post here

jojogirly

Hi everyone

I have come over from the debt free wannabe board on their advice. I am currently spending between 450-500 a month feeding 2 adults, 2 kids (7 and 6 years) and 2 cats. Up until now I have NEVER looked at what I have chucked in the trolley but our circumstances have changed and hubbys lower payed job combined with a substancial morgage and mounting debts means I have to change this.

So I guess I am looking for some help here - How much should I be spending and what do you guys buy.
Thanks all
Jo

Pollybear

Welcome to the board

This thread might start you off until somebody more knowledgeable than me comes along :

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=521089

Miss_Cinnabon

Hiya and welcome to os:j

I budget 60 pounds for a family of 5, some weeks i am normally less than that, all my meals are cooked from stratch and there are some good recipes listed here in os.

Complete menuplans collection
getting started
recipe collection

Susie

jo1972

Hiya Jo,

I'm so glad to see you posting over here cos it will really help you financially - plus it's a healthier way to live!

Have a scroll through some of the pages, there's loads of great recipes and tips. When you feel ready maybe you could join the grocery challenge :eek: I've been reading this board for months but only just about to start the challenge myself, been working out my budget before setting down in stone :rotfl:

Speak to you soon.

Jo.

overlykeensaver

welcome to the board - it's a lovely place to come for help and advice.

One of the first things you could do is to plan your meals for the week, decide what you want to eat, have a look in the cupboards/freezer to see if you can make some of the meals with what you have already got, and then add items to your shopping list if you need them to make a meal.

That way you can avoid chucking stuff in your trolley on a whim and then never eating it.....

orchid-96

Hiya, I have found the help and advice fantastic on here...I too am new to this but have come to realise how much I am wasting on food etc. and with debts mounting due to one less wage and more mouths to feed I am trying to do what I can to reduce my overspending..

Good luck and enjoy

Addiscomber

Nobody can really tell you what you should be spending as it varies according to the shopping facilities that you have available. For example people on here recommend Aldi and Lidl, but we don't have either close to here, and by the time fares or petrol are added I reckon it is swings and roundabouts compared with the local shops that I can walk to. Prices do vary from place to place as well, I have seen this myself when on holiday.

My 'golden rule' is that you pay for anything that has been done to your food for you. Producers call it "added value" but it is added profit for them, not value for us. Making your own meals should mean better quality and bigger portions for the same money or, usually, less. You will probably want to watch the bigger portion sizes though, or you will be getting Old Style weight gain :eek: If you find that you get more for the money either buy less or aim to freeze the extra for another time. Best to contrive to get it hidden away before the family spot it though.

morganlefay

I know this sounds odd but I started to spend a lot less when I didn't go shopping in a big supermarket. I now get home-delivered supermarket shopping and it stops me impulse buying, which I used to do an awful lot in Tescos (and all the other supermarkets.) I found that if I wrote a menu plan for the week and made a sensible list, then I just ordered that online and that's all that arrived. Some places charge a delivery charge but in my case I save that many times over by not impulse buying because I have very little self-control in a supermarket. I now regard actually going into a supermarket as a treat (how sad is that !)
Also have a look at the Stardrops thread because you could almost certainly save money on not filling your undersink cupboard with a different cleaner for every task. This site is really wonderful for help, encouragement and downright good advice so good luck !

floss2

Re your cats - my cat Stanley used to eat the Pets At Home dry complete catfood (like Iams but cheaper), which comes in 2kg (think?) bags, very often on 3 for 2. Also being dry, it doesn't go off & so won't attract flies or smell!

Online shopping helps with sticking to a budget, because you can't see the things you used to throw in your trolley!

Hapless_2

If you are near any farmers stores, try there for pet food and cleaning products, you can usually get larger sizes there. (e.g. 10kg dry cat food, 5litre bottles washing up liquid, 9 kg box professional grade Persil washing powder) £35.94 worth of bleach, washing up liquid, washing powder and fab conditioner usually lasts me 7 months (family of 6). If I was to get it delivered it would cost me £45.00.
Because the stuff is pro grade you use less.

Essex-girl_2

Menu planning for me is they key and has resulted in the biggest reduction in my grocery budget. I now do 1 big shop a month online and smaller shops each week.