Can you live of basic/value/smartprice food for a month?

lynzpower

newlywed wrote: »

I agree with earwig - I will not buy value meat (although the comment about the value turkey breast bits is interesting...). I can't stand gristle or chewy mince and don't want to know what's in the cheap sausages.

But I could probably go mostly veggie for a month and maybe eat value bacon, if my local store didn't have such a sparse value stock (Tesco Metro). But I shop for some things in Aldi/Lidl in any case.

I completely agree about the value meat the only tescos versions I will eat are

bacon bits ( about a pound a pack) you never get a full rasher, its all offcuts. Good in sandwiches, pasta sauces, quiches, pies etc.

Turkey breast pieces. All funny shapes. good for curries, pies, soups, stirfrys etc, not so good if you wanted a kiev type thing/ fillet based meal

Stewing steak. Tescos own normal stewing steak is so lean I find it dissolves to nothing in the slow cooker all day, but the value one is much fattier, and this is what you need for slow cooking. Saying that the price differential is v negligible and this is something I try to get from the butchers where it is quite a bit better. Its a cheap cut.

Some "cheap cuts" are ONLY available in value ranges , for example turkey legs ( I know lots of people use these for soups) and chicken wings, which you jsut cant buy in a non value range round my way.

I woudltn buy the mince, sausages, burgers. The mince has red food colouring in to cololur the fat I read on here the other day, and my OH has v high cholestrol so I wouldnt. I dont tihnk theres really much difference in the mince -cost wise, Id sooner bulk out a bolognaise with lentils/ extra k beans etc than use cheaper mince.

jcr16

it is completely possible.

i would stay away from value ready meals tho. as u can still make meals even cheaper if u make from scratch.

i personally wouldn't buy any value meat. but imo it better to have a little of a nice meat than alot of a not so nice meat.

your be surprised how much vlaue .basic stuff there is.

pop over to moneysaving old style. there is a thread on there about what is nice in the value ranges. it might help u out.

sexki11en

keren29 wrote: »

Blimey........is that 4 of us with Grimsby connections???!!!!!!

Nope lol, me makes 5! Born & bred. Moved away 7 years ago tho.

I used to live off value food untill I moved in with OH. He isn't so keen, although I do try and sneak them in the trolley when he isnt looking lol

The only things I don't buy value are tea bags and shampoo.

OberonSH

Cripes, sommat about Grimsby that makes people all crazy with money lol, fumes from the Freshney. The Barge is still there, as is Gullivers 'sticky floor' nightclub....

I admmit to splashing out on Lush body and bath products - they work and I love their ethics. The butchers at Freman St market I find better than Top Town, I tend to tell them what I want the met for, and they always find me the perfect cut at the cheapest price.

Saying that I don;t eat a lot of meat - last time I had a steak I walked round the next day tasting the 'smell' of cooking meat, if that makes sense.

Funny how it always seems to be the blokes who are picky about the outside of their food - the bit that gets put in the recycling bin.....

newlywed

Thanks lynz - will definitely look out for value turkey breast pieces - if my local T's stocks it - I usually buy turkey breast pieces anyway for curry etc so will give this a try

The value bacon packs have always looked fatty (I buy the really lean bacon) but will keep an eye out for this too. Have worked out Aldi to the extra lean bacon for 75p cheaper than sainsbury anyway

newlywed

OberonSH wrote: »

Funny how it always seems to be the blokes who are picky about the outside of their food - the bit that gets put in the recycling bin.....

Not mine - it was him that always bought smartprice or value. The only thing he's fussy about is how much fat, sugar and salt there is in it

HairyHandofDartmoor

I live on value food every month! But even that seems to be going up in price.

Tesco value food is very good, although I am slightly dubious about value meat, but we don't eat much meat anyway (too expensive!).

We tend to eat tinned tuna in meals rather than meat as it is cheaper (think pasta bake, fishermans pie, etc.) I don't buy value tuna but buy a million tins whenever it is on special offer.

Value porridge oats is excellent at 48p; My kids have it for breakfast and I've had to ration it as they were getting too much roughage, they love it so much!

Value tinned tomatoes are great for cooking with, and value baked beans don't taste that much different from Heinz to me. I even eat value yoghurts b ecause they don't taste fantastic but they are not unpleasant!

rayday2

Blurgh value beans I can't even use them in casserole they seem more husky or hard bits. I get 4 Branston tins for 99p and they are nice can cope with them.

I agree though if I do a shop at Tesco which ends up more expensive also being a bit blue stripe hubby put his food down and said this is ridiculous the kids lunchboxes are all blue stripe, we swopped to Netto now for a cheaper price they have more brands, more variety, more fresh food and no blue stripes in sight. Also it costs a lot less!

flaura

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Hi All

Im thinking of October being a basic month, in time to save some extra money for Christmas.

I already have the odd value items, but what inspired me is in Sainsburys, they have some booklets for students, on filling your cupboard with basic food, and eating for basic food. So im thinking of giving it a go for a month see how much I can save.

What do other people think?:beer:

For a Month - I have been for the last four years !! only way to get debt free !!

fc123

Loo rolls, tinned toms, shampoo, bleach, brown rice etc....all do the job just as well....but don't go near ANY smart price meat, white bread" or processed things in tins or in freezer.
Find a good butcher if poss...we are almost veggie (by accident) now as I refuse to buy battery meat...and can't afford organic/"from the farm" meat regularly....but i've learnt how to cook great stuff from kidney beans etc (13p tin).in fact our diet could rival Madonnas macrobiotic regime...even the fussy 13yr old eats it all up now (and her skin is really clear now)
I even learnt how to make hoummus....this is from someone who threw all the "extra specials" into the trolley thinking they were better once upon a time.

Accidentally lost a stone too and my skin has definately improved 100 fold (and i even use smart price cream after years of using expensive Aveda type stuff)......i guess it's what goes IN the body, not what goes ON it.

Book worth reading is "Not on the label" by Felicity Laurence..........makes one feel even better about changing things......Asda get the absolute minimum margin from my Smart price shopping trolley, then i head off to my local farm shop to buy the fresh stuff.