reducing monthly food spend

NewShadow

danlightbulb wrote: »

Where do I buy a big chunk of rump joint from?

Ocado Medium Beef Roasting Joint currently £5 per kilo.

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Ocado-Medium-Beef-Roasting-Joint/80266011?from=search&tags=%7C20000&param=beef&parentContainer=SEARCHbeef_SHELFVIEW

danlightbulb

Ah thats great thanks. I was looking at Tesco which was double that price. Don't think there is Ocado near me though. Sorry for my naivety but will that taste like a normal rump steak once sliced and cooked in the grill or oven?

cyantist

Rump steak is way tastier than sirloin. But I wouldn't cut a joint into steaks, it's unlikely to be the same cut of meat and may not be great once grilled/fried.

Try going to your local butchers. Ours isn't particularly cheap but does 3kg of rump steak for £20, so 300g would be £2. Chicken breasts and especially thighs can be bought in bulk as well and it is so much cheaper (4kg of boneless chicken thighs for £10). Even if something isn't advertised as being on offer like that, ask for a discount for buying a large amount and more often than not they'll give you a better price.

In terms of lacking time, I find it much quicker to throw some wedges in the oven, heat up a pan and cook a steak, and steam a bit of veg than get to the take away, order, wait for it to be cooked, then get it home. I don't see how that can be quicker.

danlightbulb

cyantist wrote: »

In terms of lacking time, I find it much quicker to throw some wedges in the oven, heat up a pan and cook a steak, and steam a bit of veg than get to the take away, order, wait for it to be cooked, then get it home. I don't see how that can be quicker.

You're right I totally agree. What has happened is since cutting out the takeaways I have not known what to replace it with. I look at meat in the supermarket all the time and turn away from it because of the cost.

The butchers idea is a good one. trouble is (and you may see this an another excuse so I apologise), when I finish work they are closed. I can't go at lunch time because then the meat will be sitting in my car all afternoon. Weekends are chaotic with the kids, they go home sundays but butchers are closed. I just struggle for time so much.

NewShadow

danlightbulb wrote: »

Ah thats great thanks. I was looking at Tesco which was double that price. Don't think there is Ocado near me though. Sorry for my naivety but will that taste like a normal rump steak once sliced and cooked in the grill or oven?

Ocado is the online version of waitrose - plus thers a 25% off your first spend voucher here: http://www.hotukdeals.com/vouchers/ocado.com

springdreams

danlightbulb wrote: »

You're right I totally agree. What has happened is since cutting out the takeaways I have not known what to replace it with. I look at meat in the supermarket all the time and turn away from it because of the cost.

The butchers idea is a good one. trouble is (and you may see this an another excuse so I apologise), when I finish work they are closed. I can't go at lunch time because then the meat will be sitting in my car all afternoon. Weekends are chaotic with the kids, they go home sundays but butchers are closed. I just struggle for time so much.

A lot of us have our kids living with us full time as well as holding down full time jobs, and still manage to get to the supermarket, butchers and any other shops we need to over the weekends.

We also manage to meal plan and cook proper meals from scratch after working a full day ...

I am a single parent and do this without batting an eye

I think if you really wanted to cut down on your grocery bill and cook tasty meals you could. You could get your kids to help with the cooking (think peeling potatoes, stirring gravy and the like) when they are visiting. You need to make time in your schedule for meal planning and possibly bulk cooking.

When making the roast or grilled chops on Sunday, I also chuck a roasting pan of chicken breasts in the oven and use those during the week with salad for my lunches. Other weeks I hard boil a pan of eggs whilst the Sunday meal is cooking and have those for lunch with salad. And other weeks I will have slices of ham with salad. I vary the salad too, so it is not the same week after week. This week it is tomato, cucumber, onion and beetroot. Last week was home made coleslaw. You could perhaps do the same, but perhaps with pasta instead of salad.

And as for the meals I do in the slow cooker, I prepare them the night before and simply put the slow cooker on in the morning before I leave for work. I put it on a timer as I leave home at 6.30am, and it is done when I get back home roughly around 6pm, depending on traffic as I travel 80 miles each day for work.

Feral_Moon

NewShadow wrote: »

Ocado Medium Beef Roasting Joint currently £5 per kilo.

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Ocado-Medium-Beef-Roasting-Joint/80266011?from=search&tags=%7C20000&param=beef&parentContainer=SEARCHbeef_SHELFVIEW

I'm not sure a beef joint described as a "roasting joint" without specifying which cut of beef it's from would be particularly suitable for cutting into steaks other than for braising/slow cooking, certainly not grilling or pan frying.

You need to specifically look for top rump or sirloin joints if you want quick fry steaks that don't end up tough as nails, or even a rib joint if you don't mind splashing out a little extra

NewShadow

danlightbulb wrote: »

I just struggle for time so much.

Frankly, and I don't mean this harshly as it's something I need to work on frequently, you might want to consider your priorities and decide what's important to you.

Some people think eating clean is important - you might not, and that's fine.

Some people find eating to a budget is important - you might not, and that's fine.

Some find making the time to shop at the butchers on a Saturday, or putting up with being 'bored' cooking, or eating repetitively to meet macros important - you might not, and that's fine.

But frankly, no one here is going to be able to help you much if you don't set out what exactly it is you're looking for.

And you're not going to save any cash it if you don't want 'it' enough to be bored, shop around for deals, or prioritise the time to cook. Realistically, you might manage 2 out of three...

NewShadow

Feral_Moon wrote: »

How about buying a large roasting joint at approx £5/kg and slice it into steaks yourself?

Feral_Moon wrote: »

You need to specifically look for top rump or sirloin joints if you want quick fry steaks that don't end up tough as nails, or even a rib joint if you don't mind splashing out a little extra

I'd join the OP in being very appreciative for a link to a top rump or sirloin joint at c.£5 per kilo - cheapest I can find is around double that.

Feral_Moon

NewShadow wrote: »

I'd join the OP in being very appreciative for a link to a top rump or sirloin joint at c.£5 per kilo - cheapest I can find is around double that.

I picked up a few over Easter along with whole legs of lamb for less than £5/kg each. You have have to keep an eye out for seasonal offers.

My original point was that it's often cheaper to buy a larger joint than individual steaks though, even if paying £10/kg it's cheaper than paying £5 per steak.