big shop every two weeks for £50, then just buy essentials the week in-between?

williewonder

I'm trying to cut my food costs down to £30 a week (Just for food) I know I can easily live off £30 a week, I'm thinking about doing a big £50 shop from Morrisons every 2 weeks for delivery, buying 4 breaded cod, 4 small meat pies, 4 chicken Kievs, whole chicken, Fajita ready meal box,500g mince, hotdogs, 8 in a jar (2 meals) Frozen stuff. Then getting everything else like my essentials and fresh bread. cheese. and fresh veg,

In-between buy fresh veg, milk and bread, other small items, so maybe £10 for the in-between weeks.

Is this sensible? I want to each healthy but maintain my food bill at £120 a month. I only cook for me. Is this doable?

MikeJXE

Absolutely 

 I'm 83 years old and I do it regularly, I am in good health according to the doc, just had a review, blood tests etc are perfect, cholesterol 2. I rarely drink and don't smoke (now) 

About a year ago I realised I had saved all my Tesco receipts since April 2022 so I decided to put them on a spreadsheet and it is still ongoing.

I buy everything from Tesco, my receipts include toiletries, toilet rolls, kitchen towels almost everything I need 

Out of about 20 months I can count on one hand how many are over £100 and only slightly 

So yeah go for it why not 

-taff

Read soem posts by London_1 [ was Jackie O], she can show you a few things thrift wise and managing on a budget less than that

Farway

Unless you have a particular reason to use Morrisons have a look at Asda for your delivery shopping, delivery costs less and if you choose midweek annual it's £35, but each to their own

I do similar to your idea using Asda, but I'm not limiting spends and find it works OK providing a stock is on hand for those times an expected item is not available & sub not suitable

Katiehound

You could cut that expense down by cutting down on ready meals.

 Make your own meat pies, buy an extra chicken & make loads of different dishes-see your other thread for the replies. Hot dog sausages are really not that healthy so perhaps buy some ordinary sausages. Perhaps buy frozen fish fillets & try ideas with them (Jamie used them in one of his 5 ingredient recipes)

London_1

-taff said:

Read soem posts by London_1 [ was Jackie O], she can show you a few things thrift wise and managing on a budget less than that

Golly thank you  I'm so used to living on a smaller budget I forget how some folks now need to tighten their belts a bit .
It's really only 'extending' stuff and making stuff 'Streetch' a bit. I'm an old fashioned cook ,probably because I'm a bit ancient anyway so really eat as I did when I was growing up, and watching my late canny Scots mum streetch the rationing out. I don't eat between meals, and mid morning or afternoon can happily just have a cuppa or a coffee with a biscuit (usually ones I've made myself). I don't eat 'junk food' or 'ready meals' as I can make twice as much for half the price and my freezer is my friend.I do eat a good few veg which always helps to streetch a meal a bit.  

My main meal either has a HM soup starter then the main meal, or main meal and a pud so always two courses. lunch is a snack type meal, and breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal or porridge (this weather especially as it keeps you warm and full in the cold .

As I live alone now a tin of beans will easily do me half a tin for  a snack lunchtime on a slice of toasted grated cheese, and the other half perhaps the next day with maybe a couple of sausages and mash. I really don't mind what the label is on the tin as I'm not eating the tin only the contents

 I dd a bit of curry powder to spice them up a bit I do use a good few herbs and spices as it makes even the 'beigest ' food a bit more interesting.

I enjoy puds that are home made like anything with custard (Birds made from the powder of course) add a dollop to a bit of HM rice pud or Semolina pud and sprinkle a little nutmeg or cinnamon on top to brighten it up a bit.

I mainly clean with half the amount of washing detergent and a couple of table spoons of washing soda crystals ( a kilo bag from Boots is about 70p) and conditioner in the machine is white vinegar 29p for half a litre and you only need to top the little conditioner compartment in your washing machine with some. Doesn't make your clothes smell like a chip shop, and make the towels nice and soft I only use the machine when I know its going to be a dry ingday not point having wet washing hanging around.

Soda Bicarb and a bit of white vinegar will clean almost anything, and is cheap as chips All these fancy sprays at £2-£3 a pop needs the advertising paying for, as basically what's inside is more or less what I'm using. I don't stint on tea bags as I prefer Yorkshire tea, but if PG is on offer, and a reasonable price I will buy it. Vinegar will clean virtually anything and bleach is bleach, and the cheap stuff does the same job as Domestos

Talking of loos a bottle of cheap cola, a third tipped down the loo last thing at night and left to steep will bring most loos up sparkling , a flush, then a dollop of cheap bleach will make sure its germ  free and clean . 

There are so many ways to cut back on the food bills, and lots of people have some smashing tips on here. I suppose it does make a difference that I live alone so will please myself what I eat, and I will eat virtually anything apart from Tripe I hated it as a child and had to eat it and once grown up have never eaten it since .

But I'm happy with liver and bacon or kidneys cooked in a Bisto gravy (I don't do granules either not worith the bother, and the powder is much nicer with perhaps an oxo cube.

 I like lasagne but not a great pasta eater, and never have I ever liked burgers or pizza

I think they are overpriced for what they are, but different strokes for different folks

 Why have a cheese and tomato pizza when you can have a delicious welsh rarebit with a poached egg on top . Egg and chips is a perfectly good meal if times are a bit lean, or a nice corned beef hash.

 I used to make back in the 1970s, when my children were small, and the mortgage wasn't (16.5%) odds and ends pie which was a pastry case baked blind for 10-12 minutes, then do layer of baked beans, some grated cheese (If you buy the strongest its got more flavour so you don't need as much, and its always grated ), some diced cooked onion spread on top then cap to off with a layer of mashed potato.

 if you have a couple of cooked chipolata sausages cut them into four long slices ,and arrange on top like the spokes of a wheel a little more grated cheese over the lot ,chuck into the oven until the top is nicely browned and dish up with some carrots and steamed green veg

That often fed four of us when there was too much  month left until the end of the month  no one ever left anything on the plate and it was a really inexpensive meal for two adults and two children . 

if you have a go at making pastry (its really not hard ) bake it 'blind' I would lay a layer of tin foil over the inside so it didn't burn, you can make a pastry case for pennies .

Once you get the hang of making shortcrust pastry ( I like to add some dried herbs for flavour) you can add sugar to make it sweet crust pastry then you can make a jam tart with strips of latticed pastry on top brush with milk and voila ! one nice jam tart .A dollop of ice cream or custard and you have a decent sized pudding for the family. 

Today I spent 59p in my local Waitrose outlet at Dobbies garden centre for a reduced pack of 6 gala apples, these will be peeled this afternoon stewed in a little honey and water and turned into an apple crumble to do me for several puddings this week with either a dollop of ice cream or some custard or even some squirty cream. The apples were reduced from £1.99 as they went out of date today, but they won't poison me as they will be cooked and eaten over the next few days 

So my food budget this month has risen by 59p to £11.35 and I've had 10/12 NSDs this month  but I'm away over Christmas and New year so I'm eating up fresh stuff in my fridge ,and using tinned stuff from the cupboards and freezer stuff as well

I'm still keeping a sharp eye out for any bargains in the Tuesday coffee mornings though, as right next door to the coffee shop is the Waitrose outlet, so I always check it out when I'm coming home to see whats available
Three weeks ago I got 6 soft white rolls for 29p, they went into the freezer and I have been using them up with my HM soup lunches. 

Onwards and upwards chums 

JackieO xx

williewonder

Yesterdays evening meal I had a small ham hock pie I purchased from Aldi some months back (you get two in a box) Roast parsnips with honey glazing and boiled carrots and Brussels, with two small Yorkshire pudding and meat gravy, Only cost around £2.00 for the meal. I found it very filling and satisfying, I would stay much more satisfying than a £13 takeaway pizza. For breakfast I'm having Shreddies and cold milk then I'll be going on my 4 mile walk this morning.

williewonder

I'm cooking chicken fajitas for my Sunday and Monday meals. I have a chicken fajita box with everything in. What is the best way to cook this? Do I roast the chicken then de-meat it and put meat in a wok with fajita powder and cook.?  Or do I fry the peppers and onions first and add the cooked chicken then add the powder. If I make a large amount could I save rest of chicken and peppers fajita mixfor next day in the fridge and microwave to warm it?

Rosa_Damascena

London_1 said:

-taff said:

Read soem posts by London_1 [ was Jackie O], she can show you a few things thrift wise and managing on a budget less than that

Golly thank you  I'm so used to living on a smaller budget I forget how some folks now need to tighten their belts a bit .
It's really only 'extending' stuff and making stuff 'Streetch' a bit. I'm an old fashioned cook ,probably because I'm a bit ancient anyway so really eat as I did when I was growing up, and watching my late canny Scots mum streetch the rationing out. I don't eat between meals, and mid morning or afternoon can happily just have a cuppa or a coffee with a biscuit (usually ones I've made myself). I don't eat 'junk food' or 'ready meals' as I can make twice as much for half the price and my freezer is my friend.I do eat a good few veg which always helps to streetch a meal a bit.  

We are now realising that the way you eat is the ideal. The reason nations are getting fatter is in part UPFs and the way it encourages us to snack - it's even happening in France as the US outlets take over (they have beautiful patisseries, yet recently the queue for the first Krispy Kreme outlet opened was unprecedented!). What stands out to me is the OP's over-reliance on pre-prepared food.

@JackieO - you are an inspiration and I'm so glad you came back to us! I wish I could have a NSD but the reality is that buying fresh (which for me means salad) means buying almost every day. 

HampshireH

williewonder said:

I'm trying to cut my food costs down to £30 a week (Just for food) I know I can easily live off £30 a week, I'm thinking about doing a big £50 shop from Morrisons every 2 weeks for delivery, buying 4 breaded cod, 4 small meat pies, 4 chicken Kievs, whole chicken, Fajita ready meal box,500g mince, hotdogs, 8 in a jar (2 meals) Frozen stuff. Then getting everything else like my essentials and fresh bread. cheese. and fresh veg,

In-between buy fresh veg, milk and bread, other small items, so maybe £10 for the in-between weeks.

Is this sensible? I want to each healthy but maintain my food bill at £120 a month. I only cook for me. Is this doable?

With your hot dogs, you say 4 per meal.

Perhaps try 2 per meal (hot dogs as they are one night) and hot dog risotto another (tomatoes, onion garlic stock hot dogs mushrooms and risotto rice) leaves you with 2 for a 3rd meal.

500g mince should do you 3 meals We buy 750g and it serves 3 meals for 3 of us. (If I buy 2 packs on a big shop I get 7 meals out of 2 packs for 3 of us).

You can do spag bol with a base of blitzed carrot, celery and onion it hugely and cheaply bulks it out and makes the meat go much further. Then you can freeze half (as you won't need 250g mince plus the rest and pasta on a plate). Use the other half for a cottage pie and again bulk it out with onions carrots and peas, plenty of potato and then freeze half or save it in the fridge.

Katiehound

williewonder said:

   I would stay much more satisfying than a £13 takeaway pizza. 

Well, of course it is!

 A  pizza is really  a snack type of meal and for a takeway you are not only paying for the ingredients but tax, convenience, their building, equipment, etc.  You have filled up with lots of veggies: really there is no comparison.

If you really want a pizza you could buy some basic pizza bases and then fill them up. Or buy a frozen one and then serve that with salad, veggies etc.