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What I picked up on was that you'd be having chicken for dinner unless your DH ate it at lunchtime. I'd say that for this to work you need to have a plan and stick to it and that your DH needs to be on board with it too.
I'm another that spends about £35 for two of us by shopping mostly at Aldi. I buy other bits in places like Poundland and Farmfoods but they tend to be storecupbard items rather than weekly.
I'd say have a good breakfast. Ideally something healthy like eggs or porage but toast is better than nothing. DH and I rarely eat together at lunchtime. I mostly have leftovers (deliberately cook enough the night before) as I really enjoy bubble & squeak and pickles or I'll have a jacket potato or soup. DH is satisfied with a sandwich. We always sit down to a decent meal in the evening. Occasionally it's veggie (like chilli and rice or stir fry with noodles) but mostly there's a small portion of meat and LOADS of healthy veg.
halogen, I find the £10 a week people a bit OTT too although I realise that some people are really desperate and need to live on toast and pasta. That being said I can't imaging how you can possibly spend £60 a week for one meal a day for one person.:eek: Do post what you spend it on if you'd like some tips.
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I know. It's insane. I'm conditioned to buy reduced items and own brands as well. I admit there were 2 non food items this week but on the other hand I buy cleaning products seperately in Tesco as I find that that's one area where own brands don't cut it.
halogen, I find the £10 a week people a bit OTT too although I realise that some people are really desperate and need to live on toast and pasta. That being said I can't imaging how you can possibly spend £60 a week for one meal a day for one person.:eek: Do post what you spend it on if you'd like some tips.
I'll try and find a recepit when I get home.0 -
I'm ashamed to admit I frequently get to £60/week in Lidl and I live on my own. It was nearly £90 this week as I struggled to resist the tent.
I don't do ready meals ( unless they are reduced to under £1) apart from the occasional frozen pizza
I also don't have breakfast or lunch most days- need to lose weight
I'm continually amazed by these posts of people who manage 3 meals a day for a whole family on less than I spend on myself.
Now I am amazed that your bill for one, without ready meals is so dear, I couldn't find £60 of food to buy in lidl :rotfl:
My shopping as I said above is the meat, veg and butter - thats around £20
Two loaves, 4 pints of milk, packet of naan or wraps
Two tins of tomatoes ( every week)
Salad veg - tomatoes, lettuce, peppers
2 bottle of cola (weekly)
6 pack of crisps for DH lunch box
Pack of own brand snickers or mars for DH lunch box
Cheese of some discription
Packet of cooked meat
Coleslaw
Hummous
Pack of frozen Peas
Pack of frozen corn
They would be my regular buys
Then on top of that one an as and when needed will be
Bottle of oil monthly
Condiments as and when, so a bottle of tom ketchup this week, next week may be mayo or salad dressing
A jar of herbs possibly each month
4 pack of soap
Dishwasher tablets ( although I usually buy them when they are supersaver and two boxes last a year)
Dishwasher salt( one bag does a year)
Rinse aid ( two a year perhaps)
Washing up liquid monthly
Toilet rolls ( buy on super saver a few packs at a time)
Kitchen and bathroom spray, bleach - as required, certainly not weekly
Box of tissues
Tins of beans, butter beans, kidney beans etc - 2 or 3 tins of each a month
Flour - at least monthly
Gravy makings - monthly or so
Pasta and rice - as and when
Jars of things like peppers, gherkins - a few times a year
Shaving foam for DH - twice a year maybe, he buys his own blades
Tea and coffee every few months
Sugar - rarely
Crackers when needed
I have to buy soap powder, shampoo and toothpaste elsewhere as they are branded and Im extremely sensitive so cant change brands. I also buy tinned fish elsewhere as I don't like Lidls - always buy a tin of sardines or mackerel or tuna every week, needed or not that week
Yes I do sometimes go over the £35, but that is an AVERAGE over a year and includes the other supermarkets I use. That feeds us 3 for 6 proper evening meals a week, lunches, only mum takes breakfast at home and she usually buys her own weetabix and she buys her own fruit that she likes, and there is always something in the house to make a meal out of the day I don't actually cook properly. Lunch times Im very flexible as there is a microwave in work so left overs do me or a sandwich or HM soup. Mum usually has a sandwich or crackers, DH takes a flask of HM soup, the above mentions crisp and chocolate, a couple of rounds of sandwiches and a banana or apple
We never buy cakes or biscuits other then the lunch box ones, sweeties and alcohol come out of personal spends as does personal toiletries
Those items in the centre aisle are personal spends and also don't come out of the grocery shop
This is why I love Lidl, theres nothing in there to tempt me to impulse buy. I go in, get whats needed and leave. I could walk around the shop 3 times and would find myself hard pressed to think oh I really need/want that and add it to the basket0 -
This is why I love Lidl, theres nothing in there to tempt me to impulse buy. I go in, get whats needed and leave. I could walk around the shop 3 times and would find myself hard pressed to think oh I really need/want that and add it to the basket
Oh I find Lidl full of impulse buy items. It's why I hardly ever go to Aldi now as that's worse!0 -
Oh I find Lidl full of impulse buy items. It's why I hardly ever go to Aldi now as that's worse!
You need to meal plan then
Get and look through all the food you have then meal plan.
Write a shopping list and stick to it
Never buy an ingredient for one recipe/meal, think of how you are going to use up the excess Thats why I only buy lettuce and tomatoes and peppers in the way of salad stuff, they get used up in sandwiches, and the peppers end up in a Chinese or a mince dish or if need be a soup.
Never ever throw food away. If you think to yourself that throwing food away is a mortal sin, you soon learn how to use it up. Ok so perhaps a total sin is too strong but think that every time you throw food in the bin, you may as well have saved a trip to the shops and just emptied your purse down the drain. I don't even throw away a crust of bread, it I don't toast it and eat it, it gets whacked in the freezer to be used for stuffing or if Ive enough, a bread and butter pudding or bread pudding or even just breadcrumbs ( which toasted with chilli oil and garlic make a lovely topping for pasta instead of expensive parmesan ) 0 -
Sea Bass fillets 6.699
Turkey breast steaks 1.813
Breaded mini fillets 1.393
turkey mince 1.323
chicken breast fillets 1.183
chicken kievs 0.903
turkey steaks 0.693
above all 30% off and most have gone in freezer
Plants 8
4pack mini avocadoes 1.4
snack tomatoes 0.79
mini peppers 0.76
above 3 on multi buy
cereal 1.125
milk 0.79
fruit fools x3 1.17
mandarin segements 0.9
duvet set 11.99
sheet 4.49
beef trimmings 1.75
grapes 1.49
focaccia*2 1.98
feta 0.75
tinned sweetcornx2 0.78
potato salad 0.99
rolls 0.58
fruit juice 1.99
bananas 1.01
mushrooms 0.69
reduced easter egg 1.49
choc ices 2.98
61.9020 -
Meal planning just doesn't work for me. It's like following a recipe- I rebel against it.
And yes I often throw food away as it's gone off before I got round to eating it but if I only bought stuff I was guaranteed to eat there be no fruit or veg and the only carb would be bread. I don't like throwing food away but the fridge is already full of out of date stuff as it is.
I do try not to eat too much bread as it makes my IBS worse so I allow myself some at weekends and try and avoid it during the week.
I don't have the energy or time for cooking during the week and I have *tried* to do the batch cook thing at the weekend but the batch never lasts long enough to even cool down let alone make it to the freezer
Also I have a bad back so standing up in front of the cooker for more than 10 minutes is very painful. so during the week it is bung something in the microwave.
I do cook properly once a week when the family come round and I have more energy.0 -
Wish the butter in our Lidl was that cheap! Ours is £1.45! Our bill is around £30/40 per week for the two of us. We use Lidl for the main shop and then pick up cat food and gluten free bread elsewhere.
Meal planning is key, write a list and make sure you both stick to it. There is no point expecting to make an evening meal with chicken if one of you scoffs it for lunch.
I make a batch of veg chilli each week, we have it on nachos, with rice or couscous or on a jacket spud. Cheap and healthy and freezes well.
Jacket spuds, I buy a large bag and cook them in the halogen oven all at once, scoop out the insides and mash up with cheese and butter and restuff. Once cold I portion them up and freeze, they make for a really easy warm through meal with beans or salad.
I tend to do a tray roast each week too, lots of veg (potatoes, parsnips, carrots, celery and peppers) roasted with olive oil and herbs for half an hour then chuck on some pork steaks or chicken and chorizo and finish cooking. I always fill a couple of tubs for the next days lunch before I dish up.
We have a mince night too, either a pasta bake or a savoury mince with mash sort of thing and again, portion up for lunches then split the meat bit in half and freeze one for next week. I add tins of kidney beans, butter beans, sweet corn etc to bulk it out.
Egg and chips is also a must for us, normally with beans but sometimes peas or frozen veg.
Lidl do a pack of bacon lardons for around £1 here and they have a great flavour. I use those in a big pot of risotto, again with frozen veg. Left over risotto goes lovely and sticky and you can roll it into balls and bake in the oven for a crispy finish, we normally have a few of those with some veg sticks and hummus for a picky tea.
I only buy own brand washing powders and fabric softeners/loo rolls etc and cleaning products are mainly a bottle of disinfectant and some bleach every few weeks along with a vinegar spray.
We eat 3 meals a day, DH doesn!!!8217;t drink and I have the occasional glass of wine, no fizzy drinks. We are not dessert people (a bit of fruit will do) and we do not buy crisps/cakes etc."Start every day off with a smile and get it over with" - W. C. Field.0 -
I do try not to eat too much bread as it makes my IBS worse so I allow myself some at weekends and try and avoid it during the week.
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Since I went gluten free at Christmas my IBS has cleared up. I tried just giving up bread but it did not really help much but going completely gluten free has changed my digestive system for the better."Start every day off with a smile and get it over with" - W. C. Field.0 -
Well at least your next few bills won't be dear if you have all that meat and fish in the freezer
Taking off the bedding and plants it was closer to £40
I'm not going to pick holes if your shopping habits, but I have to say there's very little veg there to be making meals out of the meat you bought , I'm not a veggie lover but I do at least attempt to get a few portions a day in me
I'm just thinking that shop looks like the one I used to do when home alone. Pick up the bargains because as you say you are conditioned into buying them, but not really having a clue on how to use them and then picking up snack type food because it's too much hassle to get something out of the freezer plus finding out there's nothing to go with it
Would you say that's how it is for you?0
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