Reducing food shop

boxer234

C_J said:

If you have any outside space - a garden, balcony or even just a window box - you can fill a couple of large pots with compost, sprinkle over some cut-and-come-again salad leaf seeds, and you’ll be picking your own fresh leaves in no time. A very small outlay could keep you in lettuce leaves through until November. You can often get large pots for free on freecycle. If space allows, you could add a few more easy to grow things such as radishes, spring onions and herbs.

Best of luck with your cost cutting!

I’m embarrassed to admit I have loads of outdoor space and a vegetable patch.  I cleared it of weeds last year got overwhelmed and didn’t know what to grow so gave up.  I do get free blackberries at the end of the garden. 

maman

boxer234 said:

I do eat fish but not meat.  I had never heard of those boxes before,  problem I find with Lidl is lack of choice so I tend to end up in Tesco. 

I'm assuming you mean a choice of veg. OK Lidl don't sell celeriac, samphire  or other more exotic veg but what are you looking for?

I agree with the food (and waste) diary ideas but next to that I'd say shop at Aldi or Lidl to save money.

I understand the posters saying they plan for just  a few days ahead or visit markets but you have to be very disciplined. If you can stick closely to your list of essentials then that's fine. For some people though, the more often they shop, the more they spend.  

The only exception I'd make to my list  is for YS items or really good offers  that you know you can use or freeze. 

boxer234

maman said:

boxer234 said:

I do eat fish but not meat.  I had never heard of those boxes before,  problem I find with Lidl is lack of choice so I tend to end up in Tesco. 

I'm assuming you mean a choice of veg. OK Lidl don't sell celeriac, samphire  or other more exotic veg but what are you looking for?

I agree with the food (and waste) diary ideas but next to that I'd say shop at Aldi or Lidl to save money.

I understand the posters saying they plan for just  a few days ahead or visit markets but you have to be very disciplined. If you can stick closely to your list of essentials then that's fine. For some people though, the more often they shop, the more they spend.  

The only exception I'd make to my list  is for YS items or really good offers  that you know you can use or freeze. 

I don’t know just lack of choice in everything I like my chocolate and the don’t have dairy milk.  (I realise as I write this I sound ridiculous but I run up to 60 miles a week and get really hungry) 

Ive started shopping online to stop going into stores which works well. 

littlegreenparrot

boxer234 said:

maman said:

boxer234 said:

I do eat fish but not meat.  I had never heard of those boxes before,  problem I find with Lidl is lack of choice so I tend to end up in Tesco. 

I'm assuming you mean a choice of veg. OK Lidl don't sell celeriac, samphire  or other more exotic veg but what are you looking for?

I agree with the food (and waste) diary ideas but next to that I'd say shop at Aldi or Lidl to save money.

I understand the posters saying they plan for just  a few days ahead or visit markets but you have to be very disciplined. If you can stick closely to your list of essentials then that's fine. For some people though, the more often they shop, the more they spend.  

The only exception I'd make to my list  is for YS items or really good offers  that you know you can use or freeze. 

I don’t know just lack of choice in everything I like my chocolate and the don’t have dairy milk.  (I realise as I write this I sound ridiculous but I run up to 60 miles a week and get really hungry) 

Ive started shopping online to stop going into stores which works well. 

Out of interest have you tried the Lidl chocolate? I find much of it to be much better than dairy milk. 
They have Ritter sport bars which I love......

Of course it's up to you, but if you're not using it because you can't find your usual brands I would encourage you to try some alternatives. I actively prefer a lot of things from there. 
Peanut butter protein balls are a particular during/ post run favourite snack. 

boxer234

littlegreenparrot said:

boxer234 said:

maman said:

boxer234 said:

I do eat fish but not meat.  I had never heard of those boxes before,  problem I find with Lidl is lack of choice so I tend to end up in Tesco. 

I'm assuming you mean a choice of veg. OK Lidl don't sell celeriac, samphire  or other more exotic veg but what are you looking for?

I agree with the food (and waste) diary ideas but next to that I'd say shop at Aldi or Lidl to save money.

I understand the posters saying they plan for just  a few days ahead or visit markets but you have to be very disciplined. If you can stick closely to your list of essentials then that's fine. For some people though, the more often they shop, the more they spend.  

The only exception I'd make to my list  is for YS items or really good offers  that you know you can use or freeze. 

I don’t know just lack of choice in everything I like my chocolate and the don’t have dairy milk.  (I realise as I write this I sound ridiculous but I run up to 60 miles a week and get really hungry) 

Ive started shopping online to stop going into stores which works well. 

Out of interest have you tried the Lidl chocolate? I find much of it to be much better than dairy milk. 
They have Ritter sport bars which I love......

Of course it's up to you, but if you're not using it because you can't find your usual brands I would encourage you to try some alternatives. I actively prefer a lot of things from there. 
Peanut butter protein balls are a particular during/ post run favourite snack. 

 I should probably give it a try i haven’t really tried the chocolate.  (Or I could quit the chocolate and save a fortune) 

elsien

boxer234 said:

C_J said:

If you have any outside space - a garden, balcony or even just a window box - you can fill a couple of large pots with compost, sprinkle over some cut-and-come-again salad leaf seeds, and you’ll be picking your own fresh leaves in no time. A very small outlay could keep you in lettuce leaves through until November. You can often get large pots for free on freecycle. If space allows, you could add a few more easy to grow things such as radishes, spring onions and herbs.

Best of luck with your cost cutting!

I’m embarrassed to admit I have loads of outdoor space and a vegetable patch.  I cleared it of weeds last year got overwhelmed and didn’t know what to grow so gave up.  I do get free blackberries at the end of the garden. 

Just start off small - cut and come again lettuce, radishes, courgettes, a chilli plant if you like curries.
It can be disheartening if you do too much and it goes pear-shaped, and it's often not worth growing some things yourself such as carrots if it's something readily available in the shops.
I tend to grow things that I can nip out and pick when I CBA going shopping, so either salad stuff or things that are good in a stir fry. 

littlegreenparrot

boxer234 said:

littlegreenparrot said:

boxer234 said:

maman said:

boxer234 said:

I do eat fish but not meat.  I had never heard of those boxes before,  problem I find with Lidl is lack of choice so I tend to end up in Tesco. 

I'm assuming you mean a choice of veg. OK Lidl don't sell celeriac, samphire  or other more exotic veg but what are you looking for?

I agree with the food (and waste) diary ideas but next to that I'd say shop at Aldi or Lidl to save money.

I understand the posters saying they plan for just  a few days ahead or visit markets but you have to be very disciplined. If you can stick closely to your list of essentials then that's fine. For some people though, the more often they shop, the more they spend.  

The only exception I'd make to my list  is for YS items or really good offers  that you know you can use or freeze. 

I don’t know just lack of choice in everything I like my chocolate and the don’t have dairy milk.  (I realise as I write this I sound ridiculous but I run up to 60 miles a week and get really hungry) 

Ive started shopping online to stop going into stores which works well. 

Out of interest have you tried the Lidl chocolate? I find much of it to be much better than dairy milk. 
They have Ritter sport bars which I love......

Of course it's up to you, but if you're not using it because you can't find your usual brands I would encourage you to try some alternatives. I actively prefer a lot of things from there. 
Peanut butter protein balls are a particular during/ post run favourite snack. 

 I should probably give it a try i haven’t really tried the chocolate.  (Or I could quit the chocolate and save a fortune) 

In that case your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to buy some chocolate from lidl. And if you like it, it might save you a fortune 😆 Have a wander about and see what other goodies catch your eye to experiment with.
I think it's unlikely you'll be disappointed, but the very worst case scenario is just that you don't buy that again.

joedenise

I'm another who likes the Lidl chocolate!  The cheapest dark chocolate.  Just a couple of squares is usually enough for me and it's really cheap.

Bugg

I recently started living on my own and am making do with the existing kitchen fir now. So I don’t have a freezer. If you can happily eat mainly vegetarian food, this works well, as you’re not stuck eating the same thing every night. I also spend more on the meat and fish I buy from butchers or fishmongers. That way it is better quality but overall cheaper due to fewer servings per week. I do tend to shop a couple of times a week so that veggies don’t go off. Hope this helps. I will try to track how much I actually spend on food, this has not been an easy estimate, because I needed a lot of basics to start with.

danthemoneysavingman

Shop at Lidl. Downgrade challenge on most foods. New Lidl opened near us and shopping costs are down a lot. Not every downgrade works but there's plenty to be saved that way. Best of luck!