Is it possible

elly2

to feed my 4 children and me on fifty quid a week kids are 14 13 4 and 2 and where is the best place to shop....have just tried tesco and am upto nearly 70 quid and that is just on basics and some treats for them not included milk and other stuff yet......... will it be better value if i shop around.

parsonswife8

elly2 wrote: »

to feed my 4 children and me on fifty quid a week kids are 14 13 4 and 2 and where is the best place to shop....have just tried tesco and am upto nearly 70 quid and that is just on basics and some treats for them not included milk and other stuff yet......... will it be better value if i shop around.

You would be much better off shopping at Nettos, Lidls or Aldi.
You can get cheap fruit and veg at Lidls. Just don't buy their baked beans as they are horrible. Lidls have nice cereal, cheese, cold meat etc and cheap tinned stuff. Also, some cheap, but yummy, chocolate and biscuits which would make nice treats for your children.
Nettos also have some really good bargains. I don't shop at Aldi myself but have seen comments about them from other people who do and you should get some bargains there as well. Hope this helps you.

elly2

I am sort of trying to do a meal plan and am trawling the boards for any help i can get i have reclaimed my slow cooker back and am hoping to get about 3 meals from a 1.8 kilo chicken(from heron which is loads cheaper than tesco prices) (chicken dinner tomorrow, fried rice and a pasta dish), and am looking more into doing some home baking i usually use tesco for stuff like cereals, cheese etc but find that once these are bought there really isnt much left over i am finding the meal planning is going okish but its all the other stuff the kids are wanting that bumps the price up.

dlb

Hiya i have 4 kids also 4,9,10,11 also dh and the cat, we manage on around £50 a week this includes toiletries.
I do my main shop at tescos, the key iv found to cutting the price is to meal plan, i write out what meals we are having for the week then make a shopping list for what i need to complete it. The hard part is sticking to it, for kids treats i bake as much as possible biscuits buns cakes ect.
I join in with the shopping challange on here it helps loads to keep track,i do have a seperate budget for alcohol and entertainment eg bbqs take aways, and i always buy value products, so people dont like them but my lot never complain.
Good luck
Donna

Sagaris

I agree with all of the above - just been to my daughter's local Aldi and I spent a lot less than I would have done at Tesco, and the fruit and veg is in a lot better condition and stays fresher for longer.
Their colesalaw and potato salad is much better than the 'luxury' ranges at other supermarkets too.
ATM I'm spending no more than £45 a week for 3 of us plus a dog - breakfast and lunch for 2 -3 (depending how early daughter is out of bed before work, whether she has time to est breakfast or get her lunch sorted - I'm not allowed to do it for her lol!) and dinners for 3 - and OH is a veggie so lots of Quorn for him!
Planning meals helps a lot - no one complains about what is for dinner (they have been warned in advance) and I'm not tempted to dash into Tesco to 'see what we fancy' - and end up spending at least £20 a time. I also make sure I use up short date stuff in the cupboards and fridge that way too, so hardly anything gets wasted either.

parsonswife8

elly2 wrote: »

I am sort of trying to do a meal plan and am trawling the boards for any help i can get i have reclaimed my slow cooker back and am hoping to get about 3 meals from a 1.8 kilo chicken(from heron which is loads cheaper than tesco prices) (chicken dinner tomorrow, fried rice and a pasta dish), and am looking more into doing some home baking i usually use tesco for stuff like cereals, cheese etc but find that once these are bought there really isnt much left over i am finding the meal planning is going okish but its all the other stuff the kids are wanting that bumps the price up.

I always boil up what is left of the chicken, bones and all and make a nice broth as a base for a chicken vegetable soup. Just strain it and then add a chicken stock cube, some herbs, a diced onion and a few diced carrots and anything else you fancy. Good in the winter, especially if you have gotten a cold! Also, if you roast a chicken, make some stuffing as that stretches it a bit further.

soappie

What sort of treats do you buy for the children? Could you cut back on these or substitute them for fruit or something which might work out a little cheaper?

I used to buy lots of biscuits and crisps etc. but got fed with finding them gone in two days and the children saying they were hungry and wanted a snack.

So, I stopped buying the crisps and biscuits and bought fruit instead (nice apples, bananas etc) and just left them in a bowl on the kitchen table. It worked out about the same price as the biscuits and crisps. When the children complained there were no biscuits, I just pointed to the bowl of fruit.

After a week or so of grumbling, it actually worked - if they were hungry enough, they took a piece of fruit - and far healthier for them too. I did give a wry smile not so long ago when I was chatting to a visitor in the kitchen and my son came through and took his second apple during the visit. and the visitor commented on how healthy that was. My son's retort was 'well, as Mum won't buy biscuits or crisps anymore I've got to eat something'

Mrs_A_4

I agree with soappie - no point you worrying about pennies here and there if you don't eliminate the kid junk or swap it for something cheaper and healthier. They only expect stuff cos you have always bought it. My mum never bought biscuits/crisps etc so we went without or bought them with pocket money. We DID get sick of her telling us to eat fruit if we wanted a snack, but I'm sure she saved a fair few quid!

parsonswife8

Mrs_A wrote: »

I agree with soappie - no point you worrying about pennies here and there if you don't eliminate the kid junk or swap it for something cheaper and healthier. They only expect stuff cos you have always bought it. My mum never bought biscuits/crisps etc so we went without or bought them with pocket money. We DID get sick of her telling us to eat fruit if we wanted a snack, but I'm sure she saved a fair few quid!

I quite agree with both of you re the fruit instead of biscuits and crisps.
You can get a fairly cheap bag of kid's size apples or bananas at most supermarkets. You could also bake some muffins fairly cheaply and add some dried fruit bits or cheese or sweetcorn for savoury ones.

elly2

yes i do buy crisps and biscuits but now i only buy so many and once they are gone that is it for the week 3 of the kids will eat fruit by the bucket full but one just will not be tempted no matter how much i try(and often sneakes food when i am busy with the little ones) i have started to bake cookies and tray bakes so might totally cut the biscuits out of the shopping list but also find the more i bake the more they eat and sometimes a few packs of biscuits not only last longer but work out cheaper so its a no win situation. i want to start old style cooking but am finding at times it is more expensive than the normal junk they still want to eat

BusyGirl

I shop at Aldi for most things and have found them to be much cheaper. I have also used Lidl when their fruit/veg is reduced. I also go to Asda/Tesco for certain things that I can't/won't get in Aldi. It is time consuming but by shopping around you can spend less. If you don't have time then try shopping online and then you can see just how much you are spending and then put items back or choose the cheapest product, I often buy value/smart price goods.
Make a list of what you already have and write a meal plan each week. There are only 4 of us but my monthly bill has gone down from £350 to £200 per month.