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

carlih1

I went round tesco just now, my local is an extra, and all the basics i needed, bread, eggs and milk and veg hardly had any value products, got some value soups and bits and pieces but refuse to buy caged hen eggs so got the tesco free range ones, no value bread well at least no brown value bread. Hardly any value veggies, ended up with the ones you put in the plastic bags instead! Gonna try my hardest to do this challenge this month as really need to get my shopping bill down from £200 plus, there's only me and the two littlens! ! !

DisillusionedAnna

hey am going to have a go at this challenge as well, I dont buy much in the way of food from supermarkets as I am lucky enough to have access to a lage piece of ground to grow vegiies etc and access to lots of various fruits etc.
Have always avoided value/smartprice /basic labels but al Lightbulb moments here its time to get down to reality so is it ok to hop on and I`ll keep you all posted,,,quite looking forward to this bye for now anna x

JCD_Capulet

lynzpower wrote: »

Also, do asda still do that deal where if they overcharge you - even by a penny- they give you a £2 gift card??

I've no idea, I didn't know that was a policy of theirs. It's worth looking into now since I've given myself new targets for october onwards. I'm aiming to cut my weekly food bill from £10 to £5 making every meal from scratch, no instant pastas/pre packaged meals. Just raw ingredients and time in the kitchen.

skintscotslass

Dont know about Asda, but if Sainsburys are late with your internet shopping (they offer 1 hour slots) then you get a £10 voucher. I've had one so far woo hoo xx

Jacks_xxx

Blimey. It sounds like I'm lucky my lot will eat Value mince then?

I bet they couldn't tell the difference by the time it's all cooked up with the beans or soya or veg it's mixed up with and served in a meal.

But even if they did prefer the more expensive stuff, needs must and all that.

We've got a shrunken budget, big appetites and I've got limited cooking skills so mince is working pretty well for us - especially compared to the really lean months where we ate 9p noodles topped with 14p meatballs in tomato sauce - and variations on a similar theme. :eek:

Love Jacks xxx (Who's off to turn a pack of value mince into a massive Chilli con Carne that will last us a couple of days )

rog2

Jacks_xxx wrote: »

Blimey. It sounds like I'm lucky my lot will eat Value mince then?

I bet they couldn't tell the difference by the time it's all cooked up with the beans or soya or veg it's mixed up with and served in a meal.

But even if they did prefer the more expensive stuff, needs must and all that.

Hi Jacks - There REALLY isn't much wrong with 'Value Mince' or most other value meats, come to that. It's TRUE that there will probably be a higher fat content (one could argue that SOME fat is needed when cooking any meat, in order to give it succulence) but most of this excess fat can be drained away, once you have browned the mince and before you add your sauces.
I have had 25 years of experience in the meat industry and, yes, there are some real horror stories, particularly in relation to 'secondary suppliers' disguising meat that has been condemmed as unfit for human consumption. I remember, all too well, the recent 'scams' regarding chicken meat that was literally being washed with a few chemicals, before being 'ploughed back into the 'food chain' - I remember, also, that this contaminated meat found its way not into the 'value' products, but into high 'quality' value added products, such as ready meals.
Disgusting as it is, and I'm glad that the perpetrators of this potentially lethal scam have been given long prison sentences, this sort of deception happens across the whole spectrum of the food industry - whether it is the odd 'take-away' that is selling out of date fish or the wine industry, where anti-freeze had intentionally been added to certain wines to improve their strength.
Supermarkets are very keen to ensure that any product that they sell, in particular fresh, short shelf-life, products are 100% safe. They often have full-time inspectors actually based in the manufacturing plants, and manufacturers are scared whitless of these inspectors, purely to check on the quality and traceability of raw materials/ingredients used in the production process.
Of course a 'Value' mince will not be of the same high standard as 'Finest' Lean Steak Mince, but you should be assured that everything that goes into your 'value' product will have been tested and approved as safe for human consumption. The 'quality' will have been fully monitored and, due to the supermarket requirements, will be consistent. Whether the 'quality' is good or not so good is, as with everything, a decision for the consumer who will vote with her purse, but NO SUPERMARKET ON THIS EARTH is going to deliberately attempt to sell anything that has been produced in the knowledge that it is likely to be harmfull to their customers.
As far as 'colourings and additives' are concerned - if ANY additives, natural or otherwise, are used in the production of fresh meat products, then these MUST be stated on the label, in order to allow the customer to make an 'informed' choice as to whether or not to purchase the product.

As regards 'Cooked Meat' products - that is a totally different area.

Jacks - enjoy your 'Chilli' - we had 'value mince chilli' on Saturday, and there's a bowlfull in the freezer - might just have it tonight - you've made me feel hungry.

jo1972

Thanks for this info Rog, my lot refuse to eat value mince, so this evening I am going shopping alone and will buy a big pack of value mince and do a chilli (thanks for making me 'need' chilli now Jacks ) with value tomatoes and kidney beans and I'm going to see if they notice, I shall report back tomorrow

Anyone have any idea what the value grated cheese is like (I realise it's cheaper to buy ready grated but I don't have a grater and will wait till I can get one in the pound shop )

painted_lady

Jo1972 - have you looked into real nappies? I got 12 nappies outers from the £ shop, obviously £1 each. I phoned the company that make them (tommee tippee) to ask where I can buy the nappy pads, they said they dont sell them separate but would send me some spare ones they had. They sent me 12 in each size (2 and 3, should do him from now - 6 months- till potty). Thats basically a 2 days supply in each size, you wouldnt leave them around for longer than 2 days anyway, I wash them everynight and they are usually dry next day. Saved me loads, both buying them and in not using disposables. We use a disposable at night and when we go away. They have never not come clean, they havent given him nappy rash, it really is easier, cheaper and no bother.
Otherwise, I have tried Wilkinsons white labels on him, not as bad as they look when you take them out of the packet, but not tried them overnight yet! Tesco own brand (in green packet) are pretty good.
Might try my 6p curry sauce tonight with some left over beg.
Loo roll -have to agree, the cheaper stuff isnt wound onto the roll as tight and gives my BF an itchy bum.

slowlyfading

I'm going to join in this if that's okay! I'm a student and so I do buy most things that are basics range anyway x

jo1972

Thanks painted lady, I might consider that

I can't remember who it was that mentioned the 6p curry sauce now, is it actually nice? Something about my pre-lightbulb life which is still encroaching into my DFW one, I just can't get my head around the fact that something for 6p would feed my family and they'd actually enjoy it :rotfl: