Shocked at how much I spend on food!

helcat26

Shopping list to prevent random buying
Freezers to prevent waste
And in this weather lots of soup!! You would be surprised what you can make soup out of lettuce, broccoli and cheddar

katkin

I also stock take and list the contents of my freezer, cupboards and fridge. With menu planning and sticking to a set budget it really helps.

It is difficult to shop in several places when you are so busy, but it's worth going back to aldi / lidl if you can. I find the smaller selection and store size means I can get the shopping done quicker and it costs way less than the bigger retailers. Having less choices keeps me on track and creative with seasonal and special buy ingredients. The super 6 is terrific for this. I check the website to see what the deals are and meal plan from what's on offer that we like.

I appreciate you cant always get everything you need in the discount stores but it at least means less shopping time and spend elsewhere if you stick to your budget, menu planning and shopping list.

It can take a wee while to adjust and it may be difficult at first to not having so much choice at home, but it's one way I've managed to keep my food budget under control.

Baby steps though, don't get overwhelmed by changing everything all at once. Try different things out and see what suits you and what you like.

theoretica

I agree with looking at what you are throwing out, and why. I suspect a lot of it if you noticed it a day or two earlier you could either freeze it, or use it in something. Though you would then need to remember to take things out of your freezer and use them. (Odds and ends soup or stew are very useful.) Just ask yourself regularly what do you have that will need throwing out if not used soon?

Linda32

allthe7s wrote: »

I do meal plan but f/t work, caring for a family member & after school commitments often mean its hard to stick to!

Any tips or advice welcome xx

Okay, so how about planning your meals around other commitments rather than the other way around.

Think about what you are likely to want to eat on any given night and plan from there.

skogar

Don't beat yourself up for having spent a bit more on food than you intended. Realising that there is a problem and that one of the causes is that you are throwing away some of the food you are buying is a good start. If you are usually good at sticking to a budget it is difficult when you have less time to adjust to the fact that you may not have time to prepare your planned more economical meals.

Firstly what foods are getting thrown out and why? Maybe reduce the amount you buy of these foods or stop buying them.

I am currently very short of time at the moment and am finding that having a few planned possible quick and easy meals in the week with ingredients which if not needed can be shoved in the freezer or used up in sandwiches means that things are less likely to get thrown away. e.g. ham, mushroom and cheese pasta. If not used the ham and cheese can always get used for sandwiches, omlettes etc. and mushrooms can usually get thrown into something later in the week. When I do things like bolognaise sauce and stews I usually make several portions at once and freeze the rest so that on busy days I can just defrost something out the freezer. I've also got a few things in the freezer for busy days - usually they don't get used but a few frozen meat pies, and a pack of breaded fish fillets which get used for "posh fishfinger sandwiches" with a plate of salad stop me nipping to the shops because I haven't got anything in that I actually have time to cook. Its also worth having a number of staples that don't go off - e.g. pasta, rice, tins of tuna, tins of tomatoes, baked beans etc e.g. if you've got some pasta in you can usually cobble some sort of fast pasta sauce together with the contents of the fridge and something out a tin if needed.

I also find that buying fresh items like veg and fruit in smaller quantities means I can remember what I've got in and plan to use it up.

Good luck. It will take you a few weeks / months to find a system that works for you but I'm sure you'll do it.

VfM4meplse

OP, I don't think £60 pw is a lot for 3 adult appetites and a child. I can see this budget being swallowed up fast if you buy meat and processed foods, though.

I say this as someone who barely spends on food (e.g. today I've had 2 cups of tea and a cup of coffee). I usually spend no more than £15pw in a supermarket, recently it has been a great deal less and I'm aware how bad this is for my health.

just_trying

VfM4meplse wrote: »

OP, I don't think £60 pw is a lot for 3 adult appetites and a child. I can see this budget being swallowed up fast if you buy meat and processed foods, though.

I say this as someone who barely spends on food (e.g. today I've had 2 cups of tea and a cup of coffee). I usually spend no more than £15pw in a supermarket, recently it has been a great deal less and I'm aware how bad this is for my health.

Vfm4mpeplse, you need to look after yourself. You had such a healthy diet. Hope everything's okay.

As others have said it's really about planning, though sometimes we spend to much. If you're wasting stuff, if it's the same things stop buying it. Sorry not read the whole thread.

Pop_Up_Pirate

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I usually spend no more than £15pw in a supermarket, recently it has been a great deal less and I'm aware how bad this is for my health.

Just out of curiosity, if you are aware of this being bad for you, what is the reason for continuing to do it?

Franalamadingdong

Some great advice here. I learned a few things since reducing my grocery budget since November.
1. Set a budget that works for you and your family. There's no competition.
2. The grocery challenge threads are brilliant for advice, tips and support.
3. Stop buying out of habit. If you don't need mushrooms that week, don't buy them just because you always do.
4. Buy loose veg where you can, it's often (but not always so do check if) cheaper. This also means you buy what you need, not what size pack the supermarkets say you should have.
5. Meal plan based on what you have in. My son loves bean stew, which I'd never made before he came home asking for it after having it at school. There's often a tin of mixed beans in the cupboard, so that will go on the menu, bonus it's a slow cooker dish.
6. Plan around your routine. Thursdays I start work later, so I usually plan a slow cooker meal that day so I have time to prep it in the morning. Wednesdays and Thursdays DS has after school club so I want something quick. Next week DS has a party on Sunday, so I've planned a quick dinner rather than roast.
7. We don't need 10 varieties of things. I was buying loads of different fruit. Now I buy 2 different ones each week. Usually bananas and something else and there's often something left from the previous week so we still have a variety. This is just for a household of two.
8. Frozen things can be great. I get frozen peppers for chilli etc, no waste! I used to do it, then got in the habit of buying fresh and forgot all about buying frozen.
9. Try out the basics. My son did not like the Heinz beans I bought (rtc) and demanded I got the normal (basic) ones again. We discovered that we like the own brand mature cheese just fine and even converted my cheese snob mum. Some things I don't like basics of - loo roll, eggs, chocolate, butter etc. So I don't buy the basics if it means I throw them out (eggs is because I refuse to buy caged hen eggs), but I do keep an eye on offers to try to avoid paying too much. You'll see on the offer tags when it runs out, so if it finishes before I need to next go shopping I will pick one or two up to last until it is next on offer again.

Ginmonster

If life is getting in the way of your meal planning maybe you're being a bit too ambitious in terms of what you've got time to cook. There's nothing wrong with having things like pasta, a jar of sauce & some frozen veggies for your dinner and it's stuff that won't get wasted if you don't use it that night. I'm sure you'll save money if you're not throwing things out even if you buy a few more pre-prepared things.

Good luck!

VfM4meplse - sorry, I don't know you but I hope you don't mind me asking are you OK? I don't know the reasons for you not eating very much but I hope that if you need any kind of help you are able to access it.