Getting my food shopping bill down... (long post - sorry!)

falady

Hi everyone,

I really need to get my food shopping bill down, and would be very grateful for some help from you lovely people out there!

I've been reading the thread for a while, and have an idea of the basics, eg drop a brand level
find 'whoopsies'
batch cook and freeze
use leftovers
make homemade bread in breadmaker
take lunch to work.

In my house there is me and OH and 3 cats (one of which is quite greedy!).

Our food bills are ridiculous - I've just added up and 27th Feb to 20th March was £190.89, 20th March to 19th April was £350.54 :eek: .

I can't believe we spent that much - its shameful.

A bit about us:

• We have a big kitchen so lots of cupboard space, and a big fridge and freezer (american style) plus a little old freezer down in the cellar.
• We are out at work for quite long days - usually 7am to 6pm, so don't get lots of time to cook meals which take a long time during the week (hence batch cooking and freezing helps)
• OH likes meat and quite traditional meals, though is happy to eat pasta etc, as long as he gets meat the next day!
• we are both quite adventurous with food and happy to try new things
• we have a slow cooker (one with a bowl split into 2) which i have used a few times, not very successfully
• I love my breadmaker and no longer buy bread / rolls etc
• OH doesn't like pizza (madness IMO )
• I am trying to lose some weight for our wedding in July, so trying to eat healthily with only one 'treat day' per week, so too many puddings are out!
• i love baking and make cakes, twinks' hobnobs (yum!) buns, crumbles etc. OH doesn't really have a sweet tooth, so it sometimes ends up going to the neighbours!

I think that one of the reasons the food bill is so high is that we don't plan the food shopping very well. I have an idea about how to improve this. I have placed a big order from tescos for the 'monthly shop' (haven't done one of these before). I've guessed amounts based on what i think we will get through.

This is it...


QtyDescriptionSizePriceTotal
1Tesco Pudding Rice 500g £0.58
1 Beef Steak Mince 880gspecial Offer £3.00
1 Lean Lamb Mince 500g £2.30
2Tesco Free Rangechicken Thighs 360-680g £-£5.78
1Tesco Healthy Living Turkey Breast Fillets 550-800g Each£-£3.88
1Tesco Free Range Q / Cook Turkey Steaks 280-400g Each£-£8.99
2Tesco Value Unsmoked Back Bacon 250g £1.00
1T Unsmoked Bacon Joint 1kg £3.19
1Tesco Whole Milk 1.136ltr/2 Pints £0.761
Tesco Whole Milk 2.272ltr/4 Pints £1.34
1Tesco Pasteurised Semi-Skimmed Milk 2.272 Ltr £1.34
3Tesco English Slighlty Salted Butter 250g £2.82
Flora Light Vegetable Low Fat Spread 1kg £2.10
2Tesco Free Range Eggs Large Box Of 6 £3.04
1Kelloggs Frosties 500g £0.81
1Tesco Value Oats 1kg £0.59
1Weetabix 48's £3.24
1Colmans Creamy Chicken Curry Mix 50g £0.81
1Tesco Green Thai Currysauce 320g £0.88
1Tesco Value Self Raising Flour 1.5kg £0.45
1Tesco Value Plain Flour 1.5kg £0.45
2T.Strong St/Grnd100% Wholemeal Bread Flour 1.5kg £1.86
1Tesco Value Curry Sauce 390g Each £0.05
3Tesco Sieved Tomatoes Passata 500g £0.87
4Tesco Value Plum Tomatoes 400g £0.76
4Tesco Value Chopped Tomatoes 400g £0.84
2Tesco Value Baked Beans In Tomt/Sauce 420g £0.40
2Tesco Value Sliced Peaches In Syrup 410g £0.32
2Tesco Value Fruit Cocktail In Syrup 410g £0.30
2Tesco Apple Slices 385g £0.88
2Tesco Value Ready To Serve Custard 396g £0.38
1Tesco Longlife Healthy Eating Half Fat Uht Milk 6x500ml £2.18
1Tesco Value Strawberry Jelly128g £0.08
1Crespo Pitted Green Olives 907g £2.21
1Tesco Egg Spaghetti 500g £0.76
1Tesco Mixed Vegetables 1.2kg £0.95
2Tesco No Added Sugar Whole Lemon Squash 750ml

2Tesco Nas Orange Squash 1.5lt £2.98
2Tesco Nas Apple/Bcrnt Squash 1.5ltr £2.98
2Coca Cola Regular 2 Ltr Bottle £2.98
2Tesco Pure Orange Juice Smooth 4x1 Litre £5.96
1Tesco Diet Cola 12 X 330ml Pack £1.99
1Tesco Wash Up Liquid Lem500ml £0.68
1Tesco Kitchen Towel White 8 Roll £3.65
1Tesco Value Toilet Tissue 12 Roll 2400 Sht £1.12
1Tesco Value Wrapping Foil 300mm X 10m £0.34
1Tesco Value Freezer Bags 50's £0.49
1Tesco Cling Film 350mm X 50m £0.98
1Tesco Drawstringswing Bin Liners30pk (50l) £1.86
1Tesco Drawstringlarge Refuse 20pk (85l) £2.55

Total is £95 minus a £10 discount voucher.

I have tried some value things which people have recommended on other threads.

I then think we'll have to do a weekly shop of veg, eggs, milk etc. I think this will be around £15-£20.

Any ideas on how to get the bill down / get the most out of the food we have (cupboards are pretty full at the moment) would be really welcome.

Thank you in advance for your help! Anything i can do in return.....

Alison

**purpleprincess**

Hiya!

You say your cupboards are pretty full at the moment, so why don't you try a storecupboard challenge? This should help bring your bill down a fair bit. You could always post what you have and we could help you come up with meals that you need to buy nothing or very little for.

rosieben

One of the most useful pieces of advice I found on the OS threads is - write out a meal plan!

Because I like to shop monthly, I usually do a monthly meal list - I make a meal plan having checked on what I have in cupboard and freezer and using up what's near its date; I make a shopping list from my meal plan and - most importantly - stick to it! I do allow myself about £5 over budget in case I see any too-good-to-miss bargains.

You can plan weekly, monthly, whatever suits you. I don't stick rigidly to my plan, but I know I have the makings of X meals so that stops any panic runs to the shop to buy 'something for dinner'

there are weekly meal plan threads here if you need some inspiration but start off with what you have in stock, and include your bulk cooked and frozen meals, then write the kind of meals that you normally eat.

For a change I sometimes use a vague list like this -

Roast (beef/pork/lamb/chicken)
Sausages (can be sausage casserole, toad in the hole, sausage and onions)
Pasta or Rice
Jacket potatoes
Eggs
Pie / quiche / pizza
Veggie meal

I have lots of options for each item on the list so its a bit more flexible and I could use this list every week and not repeat the actual meals too often.

hth

falady

Hi purpleprincess and rosie ben,

Thank you for your tips - much appreicated and very good ideas.

I'll have a look through my cupboards and post a list - i get stuck for inspiration sometimes.

Off the top of my head, we have:

pasta (2 different shapes)
spaghetti
lasagne sheets
rice (long grain and basmati)
bulgher wheat
baking ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla etc)
maple syrup
golden syrup
crystallised ginger
raisins
oats
cereal
goji berries (vile - shouldn't have bothered!)
seeds - big
seeds - small
bread flour wholemeal
breadflour white
tin beef chilli
few tins fruit
half packet sponge fingers (need using)
tin tuna
tin corned beef
gravy granules
chicken gravy granules
loads of herbs and spices
condiments eg worcester sauce, sweet chilli etc
curry powder
tikka masala curry paste (might be out of date)
tinned pineapple
few hazelnuts
tin chickpea daal (from asda - v nice)
meringue shell which need using
jam and lemon curd
honey
chicken supreme sauce mix
cheese sauce mix (normally make my own from scratch - don't know why we've got this)
paxo
jelly
custard
tin smoked oysters (god knows what i was thinking!)
packet tomato cous cous

etc

Rosieben - I like your idea of a flexible list - thank you. Meal planning is really good, but i don't like to be too rigid, so this would work really well for me - we'd definitely have something out of the freezer ready for tea, but could choose what to do with it on the day.

Have just had thought - i'm going to get some herb seed packets and grow them on my kitchen windowsill - I can almost smell the tabbouleh salad with lots of lovely parsley!)


Thnak you for your replies - i feel more in control already!

Ali xx

purpleivy

Those bin liners seem a bit extravagant, I got some to fit my bin (can't remember if they're 30/40 litre ones. Just finished my roll that I got at the beg of Jan. I think they were about £1 . At the end of the day, they get thrown aaway!" Pound shop for bin bags?

Have you got a menu plan? I think it really helps to do a post like this, it's like thinking aloud or having a chat with someone, Makes me think a bit more as well.

A chap at work who lives no more than 1/2 mile from me and about the same distance from the village said to me on Monday "Isn't it amazing that I never bump into you in the village?" I told him that I tried to do my shopping once a week, so didn't really go to the village very often(there is only somerfield and sains local, so I try and avoid, as they're expensive).

It turns out that he goes nearly everyday, because they never know what they'll fancy for dinner. I have to say, we don't always fancy what there is for dinner, but I'd find something else in the house before I go shopping! LOL

Chacun a son gout and all that carp! ... and the same re Goji berries. God was having a laugh, wasn't he? Maybe birds like them?

**purpleprincess**

Hullo!

I've had a couple of ideas for meals from what you've just posted there where you shouldn't need to get anything/too much else for it.

Mexican bake- cook up some of your pasta and mix with your tin of beef chilli, top with cheese and bake in the oven
Corned beef hash- loads of ways of making this
Tuna pasta bake- using tin of tuna, any veg that needs using up and cheese sauce, or make it using tinned tomatoes
Some kind of trifle dessert thing- using meringue, sponge fingers and fruit
Dahl and cous cous- tin of chickpea dahl with tomato cous cous
If you have got some chicken...
Chicken tikka masala thing and rice- using chicken, tikka masala paste and rice
Chicken supreme and rice/mash- using chicken, supreme sauce and rice/pots
Flapjacks- using oats, honey etc etc
Muesli bars- same idea as above
If you have tinned tomatoes and some veg that needs using....
Veg curry and rice- tinned tomatoes, curry powder, veg, cook and serve with rice

Hope some of this helps!

Cornishpixie_2

Hi, I don't do meal plans as such though should. Hubby shops and isn't too bad at it. I have a go at cooking from scratch, but only two of you and you work. I guess there are two ways you can do it. Stock up on all the basics, then buy the meat, fish etc on offer where you can. Maybe the most sensible option as both you can be disciplined to make it last. I have 4 kids who are constantly eating.:eek:. Or you can just buy in what you need when you need it, so semi plan for when you are both working, shop when you have day off. I'm kind of muddling through, but know don't spend as much as I used to, as I don't have it to spend. Good luck

Mellika

Best thing I've found to cut down food bills is eat lots of rice and pasta. It's easy for us, we love it!

It's a great way to use up any meat and veg you have in the fridge/cupboard. Just add some cheese and eat!

Also good to use up leftovers (like the little portions you may have in the freezer which are not big enough for a full meal) is serve jacket potatoes. Defrost a few toppings (you may have mince and onion, coleslaw, bolognaise sauce, etc) and serve with the jackets.

I know that's not exactly what you're asking for, but if you do take up the cupboard challenge, hopefully those tips will help?

Good luck with it!

purpleivy

Own brand frosties and weetabix. We find them OK, but not the cornflakes.

falady

Hello again,

Purpleivy - thank you for the tip about binliners - i'll try the pound shop for some. I've found the pound shop dishwasher tablets are very good (was surprised but will def get them from now on).
i'll do a rough menu plan tonight for the next few weeks.
Frosties were on offer, or i wouldn't have bothered, and OH doesn't like own brand weetabix. I make my own muesli, so tend to avoid prepacked cereal (though crunchy nut cornflakes are a weakness!!!).

Cornishpixie - thank you for your ideas. I think we're probably better off stocking up on all the basics monthly then buying meat etc when on offer. I want to try and avoid the supermarket as much as possible, otherwise we get the 'while you're there....' syndrome, and another £15 of shopping we don't really need.

Mellika - thank you for the jacket potato idea - thats a good one. Using things up in pasta sauce is also a tip i'll use for tonight (half tin tomatoes, half onion, 2 slices bacon, small bit gammon, spoonful cream, spoonful marscapone from the fridge, plus a tin of tomatoes from the cupboard).

Purpleprincess, thank you for the recipe ideas. The mexican bake was one i hadn't thought of before, and a trifle sounds lovely! Tuna pasta bake would also be good - it would have to be cheese sauce, plus sling some sweetcorn and mushrooms in. Yum!

You've given me some great tips already - thank you everyone.

I'll let you know how i get on, and post a menu plan.

Ali x

Skint_Catt

I would show you my meal planner from Excel, but not sure how I'd put a screen dump on here? It's all based on what I have in the freezer to use up, then what I would like to eat on any certin day - it always gets moved around day to day week to week, but at least I've got an idea of what I've already got in and what I need to get.

Catt xx