Food shopping on a budget:

[bunnymom1980]

Oooh another question. Do you buy your veg just once a week? Cos I find it goes off so quickly r

I buy fresh fruit and veg from Lidl, it stays fresher so much longer than other supermarkets

 

[puppylove]

Yeh i was gonna say Lidl too there veg is pretty good and cheap, also u can buy milk, bread and tined veg, cheese etc there and its all a but cheaper than the average supermarket.

 

[Babylicious]

i buy a lot of own brand stuff - like loo rolls, wash powder etc and i also only shop online now. I could really do with planning meals

 

[emeraldsroses]

Do you plan your weekly food shop in advance? So you buy all the ingredients then plan each meal during week?

Yep, that's also what we do. We plan the suppers for every day of the week, then do the appropriate shopping. You will be amazed at how much money you save in the long run.

Any leftovers from suppers we have I tend to either eat the following day. You can even add them to your lunches for alternatives to sandwiches.

If you don't need to buy brand names, then go for cheaper alternatives. You get the same thing as the brand names. Brand names tend to contain additives and preservatives that sometimes are not found in the cheapies. Sometimes supermarket brands are cheaper, but you may also find non-supermarket brands even cheaper.

If possible, try to buy budget packets of meat and veg if your supermarket offers this. My supermarket offers this with 6 to 7 in a pack which you can freeze and only use what you need. It can save you money in the subsequent week(s).

Finally, if you've got a Lidl or Aldi in the area, go there. You can get the same exact things as at a well-known supermarket chain for much less.

I hope this helps.

 

[Krystal]

We have a Lidl within walking distance actually but i've never been in, I think I might have a wander up tomorrow to have a look around.

Some great suggestions. thank you all

 

[ShineyHappyPeople]

I get 2 weeks shopping for the two of us for £90 I make a note of everything I need and plan out my meals so it stretches.

Eg. 2 x tubs of mince would do 4 meals and its usually either BOGOG or 2 for £3.50 or something like that. A big bag of spuds every week goes a long way because you can have baked potatoes for lunch, roasted potatoes, maybe mash some days, homemade chips as an unhealthy treat lol. A bag of pasta or rice lasts for ages and both are really cheap.

Maybe less nutrious options are waffles - you get like 18 for under £2! or croquets - dead cheap to fill up your dinner.

 

[Urchin]

I try and do my big shop online now too and save a fortune (I'm doing it right now)

This weeks is loads cheaper, my OH is away on an adventure weekend with work, I should send him away more it saves me a bloody fortune LOL

I also make a chicken last for 2 dinners plus sandwiches for OH. I love to make quesadillas out of it the day after a roast.
A stew will also last 2 days (just make sure you heat it really well the next day)
Last night I made a big lasagne, and the leftovers will do me and Brody for lunch today too.

I don't plan every meal for the week, I keep trying too but it never works for me! While doing the online shop I try to make sure I have at least 3-4 meals planned, but the rest of the time I just wing it. A typical unplanned meal would be Tuna Pasta, cheap and tasty

I will get some veg and fruit with my shop, but will need to top it up midweek witha quick trip to the greengrocers.

I always spend a fortune in this weather with last minute BBQs, Last week we had 3! I had to pop to the shops each time...any meal planner I had will go out the window over the summer: if I plan to do roast chick on a boiling hot day we'd rather BBQ Saying that tesacos do moroccan lamb chops, frozen in a bag for £2 they are YUMMY!

 

[Misslarue]

I always spend a fortune in this weather with last minute BBQs, Last week we had 3! I had to pop to the shops each time...any meal planner I had will go out the window over the summer: if I plan to do roast chick on a boiling hot day we'd rather BBQ Saying that tesacos do moroccan lamb chops, frozen in a bag for £2 they are YUMMY!

I love BBQ season! It's my OH's favourite meal................we are already on about 15 this summer (we did have a lot on holiday though!)
Also Tesco's sweet and spicy king prawns are gorgeous and only £2 for a box of 20. Yummy!

 

[Urchin]

I always spend a fortune in this weather with last minute BBQs, Last week we had 3! I had to pop to the shops each time...any meal planner I had will go out the window over the summer: if I plan to do roast chick on a boiling hot day we'd rather BBQ Saying that tesacos do moroccan lamb chops, frozen in a bag for £2 they are YUMMY!

I love BBQ season! It's my OH's favourite meal................we are already on about 15 this summer (we did have a lot on holiday though!)
Also Tesco's sweet and spicy king prawns are gorgeous and only £2 for a box of 20. Yummy!

My OH always trys to get me to say braai instead of BBQ it's a south african thing

Will have to try those prawns! May add some to my online shop now

 

[Angelblue]

we shop at Sainsburys, and we have started buying their basics range ( we were always branded shoppers before!) and the quality is fab

the basics curry sauce is 4p!!!!!!!!! there are no additives or cr*p in it, just bulk it up with mushrooms and onions and chicken.

basics pasta sauce is 24p, again funk the flavour up by adding balsamic vinegar etc

basics white fish fillets - £1.20ish for a bag of pollock fillets, easily as nice as cod, just not as white, and far more ethical!

tom sauce,brown sauce and saladcream is a quarter of the price of the branded labels.I am really surprised at how good the basics stuff tastes, and would thoroughly recommend them.

Other good meal ideas are couscous,brown rice,brown pasta - all very cheap and filling , even my fusspants boys will eat it!

xxx

 

[xkikix]

www.bbcgoodfood.com

I use this website for receipes. Its really good!! We had this for dinner tonight http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1487 ... sage-pasta there was so much of it and it was really filling!

I hate ready meals and pasta stuff like that is so much quicker and tastier, creates more washing up tho! Hubby is washing up tonight!

I'm also going to start creating a meal plan, we waste so much food like fresh veg cus it goes off so quickly!