How much do you spend on food?

Cornucopia

AubreyMac wrote: »

I find Lidl's ready meals and seafood cocktail quite sloppy/watery and bland so I don't buy them anymore. Other stuff like their cooked mussels and crisps is very salty.

These things can be very subjective, though. There are a large number of ready meals - both frozen and chilled, and Lidl is almost constantly changing its frozen range.

If you mean the chilled prawn cocktail, then I would describe that sauce as quite rich (I don't see that it could be called watery at all).

This is the fundamental issue with the "Deep Discounters" - that people's expectations and tastes vary so much. That's why seasoned MSEers generally suggest that people try a few items at a time from Lidl and/or Aldi.

If I was going to suggest a few likely candidate products from Lidl, I'd say: 200g French Brie (85p), 350g Skyr Fruit Flavours/Vanilla (99p), "Deluxe" Brown Sliced bread (79p), Mango Juice Drink (no added sugar) 59p, Reduced Fat Houmous (69p). These give a fair impression from across the store and are all much cheaper than their equivalents in the big supermarkets.

LadyDee

[QUOTE=AubreyMac;
They don't have variety of sizes though (e.g. their baked beans are just one type and one size which can be annoying for a single person like me).[/QUOTE]

I buy a large tin of baked beans then freeze portions in tiny tubs (bought from Wilkos 30p each I think).

I also do the same with homemade pasta sauce - made with vegetarian mince.

Cornucopia

Don't buy small tubs - use the ones you get with Deli products. The round, clear plastic ones clean up easily and well.

[Deleted User]

I don't mind the tinned beans from Aldi's and a tin will do me twice as perhaps half one day, and the other half another day. I store the other half in a rectangular plastic take away box in the fridge and they keep quite well for several days

I may have half a tin on a jacket spud with some grated cheese on top and some salad for dinner one night, and a few days later perhaps with an egg and a sausage another night.
I do buy Dobbies Glocester old spot sausages though which I can buy two for a pound and as they are 88% meat, one does me for a meal with the beans and egg so a bowl of HM soup for starters costs me around 15p made from Y/s veg (lots left over for lunches )then perhaps 20p for a free range egg half a tin of beans 15p and my sausage.
So
Starter cost me 15p
Main course 80p
cost for me for an evening meal is under a pound

Bowl of bran flakes for breakfast with a chopped banana around 30p
lunch would be four crisp bread with pate or soft cheese plus an apple of orange 50p
with a cup of tea and a couple of HM biscuits at 11.00.a.m.and a cup of coffee around 3.30. my total costs for a day would be under £2.00

I try to budget to roughly £2.-2.50 per day, I do eat quite a bit of fruit and veg and make the majority of my own food .

Its surprising what you can knock up out of very little really I don't buy or eat take aways of ready meals as I can make twice as much for half the price and twice the taste,but being retired I do have the time and inclination to cook, which an awful lot of people don't I mainly batch cook on a Sunday morning, and bake cakes and biscuits on a Saturday.

I shop on average about twice a month ,but at the moment I am only buying stuff I have run out of if I can, as I am running down my freezer which was packed full to bursting after Christmas.

I don't waste food at all, and Y/S veg gets turned into soup /lasagne or chillies. I have cut down quite a bit on buying meat, although I still enjoy it I have also found eating veggie a couple of nights a week helps no end.

I make a veggie quiche which is delicious and makes a nice change during the week with salad on these warm days. Again Y/S veggies help with this

Food is far too expensive to buy and throw away I menu plan on a Sunday morning but adapt stuff, if I think I have something that needs using up, and can change my menu around to make sure its not thrown away

JackieO

pumpkin89

Thanks @JackieO - it's really helpful to have the cost broken down by meal. I would need to eat more than that but £3 a day could be doable which I didn't think it was. Having said that, it would take us a good few months to cut down from our usual spend to that amount... food for thought!

LadyDee

Cornucopia wrote: »

Don't buy small tubs - use the ones you get with Deli products. The round, clear plastic ones clean up easily and well.

I don't buy deli products.

Cornucopia

LadyDee wrote: »

I don't buy deli products.

Never? Okay. You can also use the tubs they have for Butter/Margerine/Soft Cheese spread, or the big yogurt pots that come with a reusable plastic lid.

dlusman

AubreyMac wrote: »

However, in the past year I have started to eat healthily which does cost more than eating non healthy.

Dont agree - you can eat good healthy food for same if not less than non

Doom_and_Gloom

AubreyMac wrote: »

I too am surprised at how little some of you spend on food. I take it you don't have big appetites?


I live by myself and would say my average spend is £70 per week just on supermarket shopping (half my shop is from Lidl). I also eat out once a week on average.


However, in the past year I have started to eat healthily which does cost more than eating non healthy. Previously it was easy to spend only £25-35 a week on my shop.


I have also started to cut out dairy and am using nut alternatives which isn't cheap either.

I'm a gluten free vegan and my OH is an omnivore and we, as I said, average out at £42/week. That is £21/week each. I may not have an overly huge appetite but my OH is like a dust bin at times.

OH buys meat when on offer or reduced and freezes.
I buy a lot of my fruit and vegetables reduced.
Yesterday I was able to pick up gluten free bread flour for 40p so it's not just fruits and vegetables reduced. I've even picked up reduced tins of tomatoes, soups, gluten free pizza bases etc before.
Keep an eye out for clearance items.
Bulk buy when things are on offer.
We do shop in Lidl but it is not where we do the majority of our shopping. Things that are cheaper like frozen peas, sweet corn etc we get at Lidl.
I make my own soya milk most the time with my maker.
Lidl sell soya milk for 59p but if it is the nut milks you like you can pick up supermarket own for £1 or bulk buy when your favourite is on offer.
Bulk cooking.
My OH doesn't eat beans but I still buy the 400g tins. You can have some on toast, bread etc then use the rest in a curry, chilli, shepherds(less) pie etc or blend into bean pate. Work with what you have.
I make my own fruit and nut bars. Costs less than half the price than to buy.

I eat a very healthy diet and I know it doesn't have to cost loads. It's often a lot cheaper.

MysteryMe

pumpkin89 wrote: »

Is that really the only compromise? I have shopped at Aldi and Lidl in the past, but found the quality quite a bit worse. Has it improved markedly in the last couple of years? My perception is also that I wouldn't have much choice of premium and organic food there, but again, maybe that's incorrect.

I do shop in Lidl and Aldi but no more than other supermarkets.

There is some organic but not as much as you can find in some of the other supermarkets

I don't think there is any compromise in store cupboard and bakery items. Deli items are as good, as are dairy. I haven't bought any cleaning and household stuff lately as I stock up when I go to Costco.

With meat it's OK and I do buy it but I can buy better if not cheaper elsewhere.

I buy a lot of fruit and veg and I like the Aldi super 6 offers because of price but quality can be hit and miss and tends not to last as long in my experience.

I personally wouldn't be happy shopping solely in those two supermarkets but many people are equally as happy to, it's all personal choice.

Rather than make drastic changes take baby steps with lowering your budget, £150 does seem a lot but even if you were able to trim £25 a week to start that soon adds up.