Shopping too much?

cloey

I've been loitering around these pages for the past few days, after loosing my job and a mix up with benefits i've had no money for nearly a month.

We had a little in savings that i was going to dip into to buy food, once what we had, had ran out but weeks later and I still have food! Normally by now I would have done a couple of fortnightly shops, but all i've done was one shop to buy bread and some basics.

I know that we've always bought more food than we need, as in the past we've been skint before and not had anything so now do this out of habit to ensure we won't go hungry but i didn't realise I was buying so much!

Does anyone else have this problem? My OH is a nightmare to go shopping with because he's "brand loyal" (despite this he has no idea he's been eating 20p tesco gravy in a bisto carton for months) and just adds stuff when im not looking even when i explain we're on a budget.

Is it worth buying extra bread and milk and freezing it so i don't need to go to the shops? I think the main problem is to avoid getting to the supermarket in future. Definately not going anywhere near until i've emptied this freezer!

maman

cloey wrote: »

I've been loitering around these pages for the past few days, after loosing my job and a mix up with benefits i've had no money for nearly a month.

We had a little in savings that i was going to dip into to buy food, once what we had, had ran out but weeks later and I still have food! Normally by now I would have done a couple of fortnightly shops, but all i've done was one shop to buy bread and some basics.

I know that we've always bought more food than we need, as in the past we've been skint before and not had anything so now do this out of habit to ensure we won't go hungry but i didn't realise I was buying so much!

Does anyone else have this problem? My OH is a nightmare to go shopping with because he's "brand loyal" (despite this he has no idea he's been eating 20p tesco gravy in a bisto carton for months) and just adds stuff when im not looking even when i explain we're on a budget.

Is it worth buying extra bread and milk and freezing it so i don't need to go to the shops? I think the main problem is to avoid getting to the supermarket in future. Definately not going anywhere near until i've emptied this freezer!

Any chance you could go shopping without your DH? If mine comes with me we always end up with items I hadn't planned for.


I think it's time for a conversation with your DH about his brand loyalty. As he knows you're short of money he should be willing to do all he can to eke out the family budget. Or alternatively you could do more of the same like you've done with the 'Bisto';)


I do almost all my shopping in Aldi and I believe you could make similar savings at Lidl depending on which of the shops is most convenient to you. Then as you have the time, there are lots of brands available in the £ shops and places like B&M or Home Bargains. Maybe that would satisfy his brand loyalty a bit. I tend to go to these shops when I can and stock up but it would definitely be worth you having a look.


Write a meal plan and a shopping list to go with it and only buy what's on the list. 'Shop' from your stores at home first and only buy essential ingredients for the meals you've planned. It's all the extras that add up.


If you're used to a fortnightly shop then it would be difficult to have enough milk and bread to see you through without freezing. I shop weekly so almost never need to buy extras midweek. So in your situation I probably would freeze extra ideally reduced YS bread if you see it.


I'm sure others will be along with more tips ASAP.:)

VfM4meplse

cloey wrote: »

Does anyone else have this problem? My OH is a nightmare to go shopping with because he's "brand loyal" (despite this he has no idea he's been eating 20p tesco gravy in a bisto carton for months) and just adds stuff when im not looking even when i explain we're on a budget.

I would watch the Greg Wallace "Eat Well for Less" programme on BBC iPlayer with OH. There is a long old thread on this topic on this board, but the bottom line is you don't have money for luxuries or sensibilities just now. Suggest to your OH that the only viable option to going generic is going without entirely, he can then make his choice.

cloey wrote: »

Is it worth buying extra bread and milk and freezing it so i don't need to go to the shops?

Yes, yes and thrice yes. Whilst you're at it, freeze butter and cheese too, and buy a big box of supermarket own brand Weetabix / Shreddies. That way there may be slim pickings at the end of the month, but no-one will actually go hungry.

wannalot

I have never frozen milk, but after becoming a bit of a regular here I have started freezing bread. This works really well because it also means I can buy it for pennies when it is reduced. For example, the bread I have been eating this week cost me 19p. I now never pay more than half price for bread.

I used to worry that reduced-price bread, particularly after freezing, would be stale and hard, but it actually doesn't taste any different.

Freezing bread is one strategy I use to avoid going to the shops so much. I am a serial shopper and somehow it feels strange to me not to go to the shops a couple of times a week. The only problem is that I would go in to buy a loaf and leave having spent 20 quid!

I now try to shop less, and with more attention on what I am spending, and I suspect that freezing milk will be the next thing I try.

VfM4meplse

I wholeheartedly agree with buying YS bread in bulk and freezing - but you do need to clear freezer space for it, ideally a whole shelf for bread and milk should easily see you through the month.

I have on occasions bought a batch of YS milk and frozen that too, it's been fine to drink thawed.

cloey

Yes, definately going to try and get to the shops without him. As much as he would be fine with it, it's just a nightmare for me trying to get all the shopping back home on my own. We love shopping at aldi but it's a bit further away so normally just end up at Ts.

I do write meal plans but struggle with OH as he is a picky eater, and normally have to end up making 2 meals because i don't eat much meat. Although i'm less picky so tend to eat anything.

Half the time the bread I buy is YS, and try to buy a few for the freezer when they're really cheap. I don't drink milk, OH buys a carton when he decides he wants some and then half the time it goes off, only a one pinter but still annoys me.

I watched the Greg Wallace Eat Well for Less, but it really stressed me out because I don't shop lavishly, i know we spend more than we could previously we were spending around £30 a week. But it was all the little shops were i popped to Ts to buy a loaf of bread and ended up spending £20 on food. As much as my partner tries to be brand loyal I should have said i don't let him, although i feel bad for this, he only gets branded stuff if its on offer.

Thanks guys, I think if i can either go shopping once a week or freeze my bread and make sure my meal plan is covering everything I should be fine.

camelot1001

If you are only going for basics such as bread and milk, try taking just enough cash for those items, you wont be able to buy anything else even if you were tempted.

theoretica

Do you throw food away? If you don't, then having a full store cupboard won't have been costing you extra and will have been useful to tide you over this difficult patch.

[Deleted User]

If you can get hold of one, get a bread maker, as long as you have bread flower butter salt sugar and yeast you will never have to nip out for a loaf of bread and you will save on freezer space. Our bread maker does a quick loaf in 2 hours. I would also suggest having emergency milk in (long life cartons).

pipkin71

I've been trying to empty the two freezers for weeks now, ready for Christmas shopping but still can't turn one of them off. We definitely buy too much food

[Deleted User]

You just have to get a different mindset I think I too used to buy too much almost automatically at time.You walk around the supermarkets and tend to chuck things in the trolley.Not anymore I have been 'shopping' from my food cupboards for almost two months now and am trying to work my way through this food mountain.I now only shop twice a month if I can and stay away from shopping .Using up what you have first is a great way of getting things into perspective .I really didn't need a dozen tins of beans(which I had at one point) although my student grandson enjoyed taking some of my tin stash back to Uni
I buy basic stuff as an when needed now and am slowly working my way through the freezer as well.My first shop this month cost me £7.64 and was mainly veggie and a few odds and ends that I had run out of, I try to adapt what I have if possible rather than buying in more
Good luck I think we all have fallen into the trap of the supermarkets at some point