Budgeting £100 a month for food shopping and doing a big shop beginning of month.

williewonder

I'm going to try a new tactic and do a big food shop beginning of the month, My budget is £100 for 4 weeks. (I don't need to buy cleaning products out out off this) My weekly PA I get from my deputy I'm going to leave in my bank account and not touch it for the duration of the month. The food is only for me.

Does anybody else do this? A big shop for the month? I have plenty of freezer space. Is £100 every 4/weeks doable?

I can buy breaded fish, a 4 pack - thats one meal a week for 4 weeks, also individual chicken pies, I can make a chilli con carne with beed mince and rice, that'll do two meals, same with spaghetti bolognese, thats another two meals.

Any tips on doing this and any good cheap meal ideas? Thanks.

Ambyth

I manage to keep monthly spend to £100-£120 (no cleaning products). As you, I have set a weekly menu - though I am only managing to do this for tea-time, I keep failing to prepare my dinner for during work.

Meals are similar to your menu: chilli (I add lentils and freeze as a whole meal, instead of serving with rice); fish, peas and potatoes; egg and chips, cheap day of beans 'n' toast and on the weekend a treat of steak (once a month I buy whichever cut the butcher does 4 for £10).  

I bulk cook my own sauces (parsley, peppercorn, cheese) found they freeze well.  

Rob5342

We find that having a set menu works well, then you can buy exactly what you need with nothing being wasted. 

jameseonline

Just food?, no drinks?

williewonder

jameseonline said:

Just food?, no drinks?

I did my shopping online at Morrisons and spent £85 for the 4 weeks. I have;

- Sausage casserole with instant mash, (this is two meals a week) I got 4 packs of sausages with frozen mushrooms and fresh onions with the jarred casserole sauce. will have this every week.

- minced beef for spaghetti bolognese and Chilli con carne. Got 4 packs of mince and again each serving will do two meals.

- breaded fish, (4 in box) will have this with oven chips or wedges, either mushy peas or beans 

- pies ( 4 in box) and mash and veg and onion gravy

- 2kg bag of baking potatoes for jackets, got cheese and baked beans and tinned chilli con carne. 

Got other essentials like fruit and fibre cereals, butter, cuppa soups. frozen veg, milk (for one week) Two ribena cordials. Garlic bread. Red potatoes and new potatoes. 

This leaves me £15 a week to get other essentials like weekly milk, coffee satchels (I go to Iceland for these as you get 16 Nescafe sachets for £2 which is good value, in Morrisons they are £1.25 just for 6 sachets) Fresh vegetables. Fresh bread (I only buy Morrisons 47p white bread because it makes good toast.

Anybody got other ideas what to buy for cheap and easy but nutritious meals, I know my verity isn't too good at the moment but this will get better once I start getting into it. I want to move away from the jars and make my own sauces. 

dealyboy

Just in case people are interested these sort of topics are regularly discussed on the https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/shopping-freebies subforum https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/food-shopping-groceries ... no criticism intended  .

JadedAngel88

Just a fyi the coffee packs you buy you can get in Poundland. It's not Nescafé but they taste the same, I've had them and can't taste the difference. 

They have the 3 in 1 and the 2 in 1, 10 for £1. So for what you pay for Nescafé will get you 4 extra for £2.

comeandgo

williewonder said:

jameseonline said:

Just food?, no drinks?

I did my shopping online at Morrisons and spent £85 for the 4 weeks. I have;

- Sausage casserole with instant mash, (this is two meals a week) I got 4 packs of sausages with frozen mushrooms and fresh onions with the jarred casserole sauce. will have this every week.

- minced beef for spaghetti bolognese and Chilli con carne. Got 4 packs of mince and again each serving will do two meals.

- breaded fish, (4 in box) will have this with oven chips or wedges, either mushy peas or beans 

- pies ( 4 in box) and mash and veg and onion gravy

- 2kg bag of baking potatoes for jackets, got cheese and baked beans and tinned chilli con carne. 

Got other essentials like fruit and fibre cereals, butter, cuppa soups. frozen veg, milk (for one week) Two ribena cordials. Garlic bread. Red potatoes and new potatoes. 

This leaves me £15 a week to get other essentials like weekly milk, coffee satchels (I go to Iceland for these as you get 16 Nescafe sachets for £2 which is good value, in Morrisons they are £1.25 just for 6 sachets) Fresh vegetables. Fresh bread (I only buy Morrisons 47p white bread because it makes good toast.

Anybody got other ideas what to buy for cheap and easy but nutritious meals, I know my verity isn't too good at the moment but this will get better once I start getting into it. I want to move away from the jars and make my own sauces. 

You say you bought 4 packs of mince, each will do two meals so that would be the small packs.  You could buy larger packs of mince and split it yourself. It’s usually cheaper to buy a 1 kg pack of mince rather than 4 x 250 g.