Grocery shopping experts - how little do you spend

Psykicpup

Have you nipped over to the Debt Free Wannabe board on here?:beer: They will have some ideas to get your other spending down giving you more for food. You will need to post a SOA (statement of affairs) but thats quite easy to do.;)
The usual suggestions are cutting down/out telephone & TV bills & switching suppliers for gas & leccy etc.:A
To be honest I think thats the only way to go - cant see anyway you could get your budget as low as you need

Rubber chicken etc will help but even so its going to be tough

Good luck tho:j

Cazzdevil

bandraoi wrote: »

I disagree, I think it might be possible, but not with meal planning and normal shopping lists.

Sorry, I just re-read my post and realised it probably sounded a bit snipey. It certainly wasn't meant that way. I was just trying to say that for 50p per person per day I would think it's almost impossible to get the 5 portions of fruit/veg + a daily amount of protein + enough carbohydrate to remain healthy.

My boyfriend and I cut it fine spending around £60 - 80 per month and we certainly don't splash out on brands or a lot of meat (lentils and beans feature prominently in our diet).

On a budget of £100 per month I'd imagine it's do-able for the most strict and regimented of shoppers, but it'd take some planning.

A few ideas which I hope help:

1. I'd really suggest buying bags of dried pulses which can be soaked, boiled then frozen for use in practically anything, they're a fantastic source of protein and insoluble fibre (great for healthy digestion and great for filling you up).
2. Another idea would be to add grated carrot and/or oatmeal to things like mince and chilli to "pad" them out and stretch further.
3. Something a lot of people who are budgeting seem to miss is this - put yourself on a diet! Not a diet per-se, but take real stock of your portion sizes. Most people eat way more than they need to and cutting down portion sizes means your bags of rice/pasta/potatoes/pulses make more meals therefore costing you less. Eating more controlled portions also reduces bloating/IBS/indigestion etc so another benefit!
4. If you haven't already, invest in a slow cooker. It can make budget meat taste delicious.
5. Tinned cheapy tomatoes are a godsend. They are the base for many a wonderful casserols/pasta sauce/etc etc...

I'll be watching your thread with interest, the boyfriend and I are always looking for ways to make our food budget stretch further so we wish you the best of luck Sassmac xxx

Yategirl

Cazzdevil wrote: »

Something a lot of people who are budgeting seem to miss is this - put yourself on a diet! Not a diet per-se, but take real stock of your portion sizes. Most people eat way more than they need to and cutting down portion sizes means your bags of rice/pasta/potatoes/pulses make more meals therefore costing you less. Eating more controlled portions also reduces bloating/IBS/indigestion etc so another benefit!

I do agree with this tip - use smaller plates - I will use a tea plate rather than a dinner plate as I find I often give myself too much too eat if I use a larger plate as the amount I put on doesn't look "enough" - put it this way... you can always have more if you are still hungry! If you are not hungry then what is left can be a meal for another day (this evening dh had leftover chilli and rice from saturday, my two ds's (5 and 3) and I had left over cauliflower cheese from yesterday with extra carrots and fishcakes I had put in the freezer for a "leftover" meal - barr the cost of the extra carrots - we had a "free" meal so to speak!). If your children are young - make sure they only have small amounts as well - again they can have more and less will be wasted if they decide they don't/can't/won't eat (as many young children do!)

pigpen

catkinq wrote: »

Yategirl wrote: »

if you swop from tampons to a mooncup..

do they make a moon bucket? :rotfl:

Hey.. I have 8 children and use the smaller size mooncup!

thriftlady_2

Here's another one of those American budget meal planners. This one is for a family of 4 on a $30 a week budget which is the same as a £15 a week one. I don't know how old the article is so it may be really out of date -still it's worth a look.

Sassamac

the portion control is a nice theory but unfortunately it doesnt work for us. If I eat less dinner I eat more of something else to fill up. For e.g. tonight I didnt have a huge amount of dinner because it was the same ingredients as last night and I didnt fancy to much. But an hour later I raided the cheese and biscuits (from a Christmas hamper we got so effectively free on this occassion).
Likewise I cant bear to hear the kids whining for food so I make sure they are full after a meal. They're both growing like weeds at the mo so hopefully theyll slow down a bit soon.

Slow cooker - I would love one and am keeping an eye on freecycle. I think a casserole dish with a lid and the oven at 150 does a similar job too.

The DFW's have showed me links to comparison websites for utilities etc. but tbh its a bit of a minefield so had no success yet. Its on my to do list though and DH and I will go through it together.

Store cupboard stuff (recipe suggestion welcome) - things I always have in; porridge, bisto, oxo, ketchup, flour, sugar etc for baking, bread, tinned tomatoes, tuna, chicken soup, corned beef, sweetcorn, baked beans, tinned fruit, dried fruit, honey, jam, pasta, (spaghetti, lasagne sheets too) rice, noodles, spuds, onions, mushrooms, garlic, selection of colourful veg, fruit, cheese, white fish, chicken, frozen peas, and a random selection of leftovers in the freezer.

Sassamac

lol at moonbucket.

thanks for the new link thriftlady.

Skint_Catt

Psykicpup wrote: »

Rubber chicken etc will help but even so its going to be tough

I wouldn't say tough. I'd say more like a bit chewy :rotfl: :rotfl: sorry couldn't resist!

thriftlady_2

Sassamac wrote: »

lol at moonbucket.

thanks for the new link thriftlady.

Not sure it'll be much help -it says 5 lb of flour for 89 cents, think that's about 40p. Flour's alot more than that here.

sophiesmum_2

Psykicpup wrote: »

Have you nipped over to the Debt Free Wannabe board on here?:beer: They will have some ideas to get your other spending down giving you more for food. You will need to post a SOA (statement of affairs) but thats quite easy to do.;)
The usual suggestions are cutting down/out telephone & TV bills & switching suppliers for gas & leccy etc.:A
To be honest I think thats the only way to go - cant see anyway you could get your budget as low as you need

Rubber chicken etc will help but even so its going to be tough

Good luck tho:j

This is a good idea and could cut your fixed costs freeing more cash for the food budget. Often others will see savings that can be made when you can't.