Overhaul of the way I deal with food

GeorgieLou

Hello, I've joined here in the hopes of changing how I manage the food in our home. I spend far too much on it, and waste a fair amount too.
I really need to sort it all out. I would appreciate any advice on where to begin please.
We need to be able to move house soon, as it's getting rather squeezed now. We don't have much spare income though, and thought that the food budget is probably a good place to start.
I really am struggling, so tips and hints gladly welcomed!
Thank you

joedenise

Have a look at the Grocery Challenge - it's a sticky at the top of the Old Style threads.  There are lots of hints and tips also masses of recipes which you might find useful.

One of the first things you need to do is to list everything you have - cupboards, fridge, freezer(s) and then try to use as much of what you have already bought in a meal plan which will obviously save you money and will also help to clear out some of it ready for when you move.  No point in moving stuff that you really don't need to.

Hope that helps.

GeorgieLou

Thanks for the advise joedenise. I'll definitely take a look at the Grocery challenge, it sounds very helpful.

Making myself a list of what I have in would be a huge challenge!! I have a whole load of random food in the kitchen, and not sure what I'd do with the knowledge of all that is there! I suppose that it is a good enough reason in itself though? 
I know I said we'd need to move soon, however in reality it wouldn't be that soon. Looking at least beyond a year I think, with our current situation. It's pretty dire in terms of being able to afford it right now.

Nonnadiluca

I can't tell you how much meal planning has helped me: I make a shopping list based on the meal plan which has pretty much eliminated food waste, eg this week I bought a butternut squash which has been part of a vegetable lasagne along with other veg and green lentils,  cooked with sage to top a risotto,  put in a veg tart with spinach, red onion etc. Last week I bought a cauliflower, half was roasted with squash and served with dahl and naan bread, the rest was made into a cauli and potato curry and frozen in 2 portions to be served as a side dish next time we have curry. It takes a bit of thought once a week, then you don't have to think about it again. If you make a list of all the meals your family like, you can go from there: you might be surprised how many different meals you make. Example, some of our pasta meals are lasagne, pasta bake with broccoli, with pesto, with blue cheese and walnuts, with a tomato and veg sauce. Egg meals could be omelette or frittata, quiche or good old egg and chips. Good luck!

GeorgieLou

Makes sense Nonnadiluca. I really struggle with meal planning, I have to admit. I find it overwhelming, and I know that sounds incredibly silly for what is supposed to be such a simple task, however it's very difficult for me.
I don't think that it helps that I'm not exactly the best cook, so buy the ingredients with the best intentions, and usually end up wasting them, which is terrible. In fact, I'm not a huge fan of the Supermarket (before Covid-19 too) so my husband usually goes, which is probably unfair, seeing as I'm a SAHM. I end up just wandering around, and panic buying in the end, to get out of there.
 

MallyGirl

A list of your cupboard/freezer contents really would help. I got my bored daughter to go through the freezer and our corner cupboard where all the spices/sauces live (and get pushed to the back so you can't see what you have). Now we have a list and so far we are keeping it up to date. It also means we don't buy duplicates of stuff we already have - 4 tubes of tomato puree anyone?
Now when it is time to think about tomorrow's food we start with

1. what protein (meat/fish here as I don't do dairy and DD doesn't like chickpeas or lentils)
2. what veg needs eating up
3. what fresh veg / salad do we have
4. rice/pasta/couscous/spuds to go with

Either we hit the recipe books or internet - Waitrose has a site where you can input ingredients and it suggests recipes.
Frozen stuff gets taken out of the freezer to defrost in plenty of time as there is a plan.
We have tried lots of new recipes as a result. We found jars of sundried tomatoes, artichoke antipasto, olives so we made pizza bases and added loads of toppings. We have been watching the Wagamama wok from home videos for inspiration too.
It is easier to be inspired if you know what you have to play with. Take one of your impulse buys and challenge yourself to use it.

MallyGirl

It looks like there is a Reverse Meal Planning thread that does just this.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6123182/reverse-meal-planning/p34

GeorgieLou

Breaking it down seems as though it may help quite a bit MallyGirl. I've not thought of just taking it day by day before.
Even the step by step decision making you've shared, seems simple enough. perhaps a good place to start

jbkmum

@GeorgieLou So I found with mealplanning that I failed when I tried to be too adventerous. So what I do now is I take a "meat" and I make a few different meals from that that are fairly easy I don't vary the meals 5 days of the week, two days of the week we mix it up and I don't plan those two days.
I have a short list of meals that my DS will eat and I do not deviate from those except for once a week where he has leftovers and me and OH have something a bit fancier
Bolognese
Lasagne
Chicken Enchiladas
Salmon and Potato/Veg
Paella
Risotto
Tacos
Chili
Meat and wedges
Rogan Josh curry
Stir Fry
Chicken Leeks and Rice

I work on a two week cycle, we eat beef mince dishes at the start of the week, chicken in the middle, then fish towards the end. Leftovers tend to get taken for OH's lunch, I roast all the potatoes we get in our veg box on tuesday night which then get eaten through out the week. We roast a chicken on a wednesday or a sunday (depending on work) and that gets made into coronation chicken. We are happy eating the same stuff every week and we have one day a week where we eat off schedule, usually a yellow stickered meat plus veg from the box. When we try a new recipe, if its not too much hassle to make and we all like it I write it down in a notebook and that gets added to the cycle

GeorgieLou

Crossed posted with the link you've put up MallyGirl. Will take a look at that thread too.
 jbkmum we also have quite few limited meals here. I'll practically eat anything, as will DH. the kids are a mixed bag, and it makes choosing meals difficult. Tonight for example, DH and one DC are having one meal, 2 of the DC are having another meal, and I'm having another (I'm trying to lose weight) I like the sound of your list though - sounds lovely.

Tink_04

I find meal planning really overwhelming, try planning for 2 - 3 days at first and see how you go? If your not a confident cook use stuff you are confident with. What are your go to meals that you like? You can then adapt these later on but for now just focus on cooking and planning what you like and can manage the look as adding something different in once you have conquered that part. 

Good luck 

Tink