Have you changed your shopping/cooking habits because of the credit crunch?

Yes, we're living completely differently.

Our average weekly spend on food/household was somewhere between £100 - £140. This last week I spent £35.71 (I kept receipts and checked them). On October 1st I got everything out of the kitchen cupboards and made a list of what was in the freezer and fridge and meal planned for every single meal this month bar two lunches (when we've got visitors coming to town and they might rather eat out than have lentil soup!). I have never ever meal planned before and generally we used to just eat what we fancied. This month we're not planning to buy any biscuits, cakes, crisps and snacks and sadly no ready meals and no alcohol.

Our income hasn't changed nor have our outgoings (we have no mortgage) so we're doing this really as an exercise in restraint. I know that sounds a bit hairshirt/martyrish and unnecessary, but anything could happen and we'd like to know that we can live frugally and sensibly (also, we might be able to save more for DS). This whole economic crisis seems less scary if it we know we can handle it IYKWIM. We're lucky that this isn't as essential for us to exist on a tight budget as it is for some people - at the moment.

We eat mud most days, sometimes we treat ourselves by mixing it with leaves.

Seriously I'm shopping at aldi instead of asda.

We're not having as many take-aways or meals out.

No steak much to dp's disgust!

Meal planning, less meat, no organic, cheap chicken (sorry Hugh). Dh has cheap and nasty beer and I only drink if I go out (just cannot face cheap vodka!). DD has always eaten well, never ready meals/chick nuggets etc.

Bulk out curries/chilli with veg. Use more mince beef if need meat, also stews/soups from leftovers.

Were doing more home grown but now we have moved we cannot.

I suppose really going back to how my mother used to feed 5 kids on 1 wage - and we are all very fit and healthy. Back to basics doesn't have to mean feeling hard done by - just spending more time in the kitchen. The only added pressure for me has been time.

Have rediscovered Morrisons
Am eating cheap fish and have learned to fillet a sardine.
Am buying organic veg only if for the kids.
On Halloween, will be encouraging DS to demand cash instead of poxy haribo.

I've always been careful with my shopping. I don't buy sweets (just very occasional treats), alcohol (only when we are having visitors), never buy ready made food (I'm used to cooking from scratch). So nothing different.

The only thing that has changed is that I am buying less organic produce.

yes we have had to change our habits as I am still sticking to the same budget which does not go as far as it used to. Our costs have gone up across the board - food, fuel, etc etc and we have also come to the end of our mortgage fixed rate and remortgaged. In the meantime I am on maternity leave and our income has reduced.

I have always meal planned.

This week I did the first shop at Asda (on line). We were always Sainsbury's before. We get no organic food etc now,apart from organic meat and milk. Before we were almost totally organic.

Our meal plans now have less chicken (we never had alot of meat). There are more veggie meals.

I have started baking more such as muesli bars when I bought them before.

I did try some of the sainsbury's basic range, but didn't find it worth it (fruit went bad quicker, there were only 6 sheets on a kitchen roll etc )

We also eat out less.

Now get all cleaning bits from Aldi, including dishwashertabs, loo rolls, kitchen towels. Plus big bags of pasta, basmati rice, parmessan, sundried tomatoes, their version of Lurpak spreadable, and tinned tomatoes. I do this once a month.

Meal plan and batch cook, cook from scratch.

Weekly delivery from Sainsburys, with cereal fresh vegies, fruit etc.

Meat from fantastic local butcher but only 3 - 4 times a week.

Still buy organic / free range meat, cheese , milk and eggs, don't think I could change this.

Total monthly shopping bill down by about £100, per month, why didn't I do this earlier?

I'm going to change a few things because it's getting ridiculous.

Pack of organic butter is just over £1. Anchor spreadable is £2.26. That's what's annoying me this week.

I have been making pots of soup for Sunday lunch, to eat with bread and cheese. No more fancy meals. I am enjoying not sepdning so much time cooking as well.

I have stopped our weekly Ocado delivery. I was just so cross that they raised their delivery charges just as the credit crunch hit. It can be up to £8 to get a good delivery slot and that is just rude when they charge so much for their food already.

I now brave Sainsburys each weekend and I look out for offers more than I did before.

Not really Malory, because all you are saying is give a quick total on this, then carry on. They only havet to do the card thing once. IYSWIM

I noticed yesterday in ASDA ( where I now shope more often than before) that it was FULL, like Xmas eve, on a Sunday afternoon in Ocotber, when I can usually pop in and out in five mins. Visit Waitrose only for forgotten essentials now, not full shop, and have not been to Sainsburys for yonks.
Buy much less in the way of processed food now, or 'whim' buys like guacolome for no specifc meal that used to end up in the bin past sell-by-date. till only buy organic meat, but from a friend's farm, not the supermarket, and the organic milk for the Dc will be that last thing to go...

We have ditched the supermarket, apart from once a month to stock up on things like washing powder. Otherwise, shopping more locally. And much less cooking - we are much more likely to have a sandwich or eggs on toast (eggs from our chickens) than we were, rather than a 'cooked' meal. Also not putting on the heating, can't buy ds2 any shoes till next month, not eating out, not buying ANYTHING that isn't essential.

It is horrible.

Not really,we are lucky we are still doing Waitrose and Sainsburys, not eating out as much but so far that is about it.

But to quote DH, food is a hard habit to crack.

I will tell you what is a very worthy excercise, make a list. Try to stick to it,when you get to the checkout, put through all the things that were not on the list first, then get them to do a sub-total you will be shocked at how much the extras add up to. We did this after DS was born and we were totally skint.

Oh - still buy organic milk and eggs, but have stopped buying organic fruit juice, and only buy Fairtrade coffee occasionally.

I have changed a lot of things, although the changes aren't actually necessary at the moment - but I'm fearful for the future. As a self employed market researcher, I don't know if clients are going to carry on commissioning research, or if this is one of the first things that they will cut.

And DH works for a division of RBS, that they are trying to sell, (which has been going on for a fair while now), so he is also not entirely sure about his future. And as we're older (49 and 50) than many on this board we also have to consider how employable we might be.

I have stopped shopping online with Ocado. They introduced a delivery fee and, when I realised that my weekly shop was easily reaching £200 I decided it was time to stop. I now meal plan and have gone back to Sainsbury (no Lidl/Aldi/Netto convenient to me otherwise I would be going there!). I am experimenting with Basics foods, and am (mostly) very impressed with the quality. Today I bought Basics salmon fillets - the same as the TAste the Difference ones in every way except that the sizes of the pieces are more random. Responsibly sourced and RSPCA freedom food - but £1.50 cheaper per pack.

We eat more vegetarian meals and when I buy meat I stick to cheaper (but still tasty) cuts. I used to regularly buy free range chicken breasts, pork fillet and fillet steak, but that's a real rarity these days.

I try not to nip out for a few bits and pieces - which always ends up costing another £30!

My weekly shop is now usually around £40-50 cheaper than it was - although occasionally I splurge on various impulse bits.

Things we haven't changed - Friday night is takeaway night, and we go out for dinner on Sunday evening.

Not really, apart from being more careful to use leftovers creatively, and avoid wasting food.

We haven't. We had already cut back a few years ago so we could renovate our house. We finished that in the summer, so now woth prices rising, we are doing okay because we are no longer spending at B and Q. Also, DH's student loan just finished so that has helped.

no, we didn't have much money before all this happened so always buy tesco value anyway

we use much less petrol now though

I still internet shop from ocado but I do meal plan and only buy what we need. Have reduced my food bills by about £50. I never go to starbucks, there isnt one near anyway and have given up gym memberships in favour of walking up the Derbyshire hills and mucking out 2 horses every morning. Just as good a workout as the gym but a lot smellier .

not much change in shopping or cooking, although buying fewer 'deals' on stuff I don't really need, eating out less spontaneously though

Yes. It has all changed. Used to use Morrisons, now use Lidl every week. We have less snacks/treats. The meals are made of whatever is cheapest which is not always the healthiest option.

Still shopping at Waitrose but we meal plan now and take a shopping list with us.
Stopped buying 3 for 2 offers on perishables.