Can't get cheap food /rationing

[Shipshop231]

I feel like the cheap brand/economy type food is much less available than it used to be a few years back. I used to be able to fill my cupboards with it when money was a little tight. But I have not been able to do that for a long time now.

I do the kids main meals.

But I have always allowed them to help themselves from the kitchen as well. But things are so expensive now I don't think I can allow that anymore so i was thinking about doing them a snack box type thing. I think it will be easier to do it for My younger kids. But harder for the older ones.

Supermarket value stuff has definitely gone up in the last decade, as expected. However it's still incredibly cheap. I enjoy Asda just essentials range, lots of options available, quality isn't really any different to the higher priced items and you can fill fridge/freezer and cupboards fairly cheaply.

I also get a lot of my cupboard basics at places like Iceland and Home Bargains

@Shipshop231 , what sort of things are you eating? Everything has gone up so it is definitely more challenging but there might be some swaps you could make.

I do a snack box for my kids, it's not about rationing so much as making sure they have balance and don't just eat chocolate biscuits all day.

I can't seem to find much value range at all. I'm not so bothered about the price going up as such as its still Cheaper than the other brands. But the problem is I can't find much in the first place I have just looked at asda Tesco , Sainsbury's they seem have around 75 ish items of the cheap brands and its practically nothing I would buy

@Icanthinkformyselfthanks I'm OK on main meals. But im basically looking for junk like crisps. Biscuits, crisps sweets jelly. Bacon, ham, choc spread.. im not sure but it basically for the junk snack cupboard

You’re correct these items have disappeared.

I know this sounds somewhat mad, but sometimes M&S can be really good. You can get a cheap white loaf there cheaper than most supermarkets. Obviously they have incredibly expensive items too but if you’re ever passing one, keep an eye out for their basics range.

I find aldi quite good for that kind of stuff, if you have one near you

I buy the family bag of apples from tesco 1.5kg, it never comes up online but they have in-store. Also bannanas are a cheap snack and we go through loads!

Get a big bag of oats and a bottle of syrup or honey and make batches of flapjacks. You can freeze in grease proof paper too. You'll get about 6-8 batches from the bag.

Crackers and spread, value choc spread, peanut butter or jam.

Beans and toast or eggs and toast, for hungry teens.

Cereal is also a favourite here, just stick with the supermarket basic ones or Aldi. Pancakes are another good option, you can make them very cheaply with basic flour.

And cheap value biscuits and multi packs of own brand crisps.

It's not as easy as it used to be, the cost of everything has gone up!

Sometimes the value range has changed it's name too, in Tesco search for:
Ms Molly's
Growers Harvest
Stockwell
Creamfields
The Hearty Food Company.

Not sure about other supermarkets as I use Tesco.

@Shipshop231 , when I was a young mum my husband and I had what we called the ‘goodie cupboard’, I’m older now with a much better understanding of nutrition and we don’t eat those sort of things anymore. And on the very rare occasions that we do it has to be worth it to me so I seek out things I really enjoy which don’t tend to be cheap. I don’t think I can help you but it looks like you’ve had some good advice from others.

Snacks, junk foods quite frankly are more expensive than proper food on a calories/filling up basis. Dc are better off being given less processed foods- make extra for dinners and keep small portions in the fridge for a snack another day. Or get the dc cooking eg make oat bars on a Sunday for the next week, far cheaper than packaged ones (if you can budget for a month, the ingredients you buy on week one will be the same as buying packaged snacks but you'll have enough for a whole month

Farmfoods and Heron are the shops to aim for to buy cheap(er) junkish food. Home bargains is another place to check out the food range. There are also places called ' company shops' which you apply to join as a customer . They have very much reduced prices for close to sell by date food.

Do you have a community pantry nearby? My local one is £5 a week.

When I was really poor we didn't have snacks. If we did it was for a treat. We didn't have squash, juice or fizzy drinks. We didn't have crisps or biscuits. My children didn't help themselves to food, I only had enough for meals, nothing left over. They had proper, nutritious meals, not rubbish. If they were hungry between meals there was usually bread or fruit. Fruit was expensive but is good for them.

A big treat on a weekend afternoon sometimes was a huge plate of hot buttered marmite on toast for us all to share.

In my opinion it is better to spend your money on filling, nutritious meals and not rubbishy snacks. Also better for everyone not to get into the habit of snacking.

I am now donning my hard hat and waiting for the rude comments......

We have and Aldi and an M&S next door. I do majority of shopping in Aldi but M&S own range have some pretty decent stuff and relatively cheap. Large tin beans 50p, half size tin beans 25p for example. Their bread, tomato sauce, etc is really well priced. The supermarkets all seem to price match so I tend to not shop around unless looking for something in particular, but M&S don't so I go in quite often

The problem is I need home delivery otherwise that would be fine

Another idea is to make the main meals more filling, so the children aren't as keen on snacks. Make things with cheap ingredients, such as thick vegetable & bean soup served with bread, to have for a first course. Make puddings, again with cheap ingredients, such as bread & butter pudding or rice pudding.
Have porridge for breakfast, a good economical and filling start to the day.

I don't see why anyone would say rude comments. That's just what you do for your family. Which seens pretty normal. I just like to have a junk cupboard. I have teens /kids in all honesty they don't want to be making flap jacks health type snacks. Neither do I. It's just not us. I also have kids with special needs i have alot going on etc etc . And I just want a junk cupboard. That does not mean it replaces main meals though. We just all do what works for our families

Why not why fruit that's on weekly offers. Bread or toast is cheap. Egg, cheese cheese spread and shop's own peanut butter also. All are better nutritionally than regularly having crisps, biscuits as a snack, and should keep them fuller for longer.

@CheekySwan what is the M&S C cheap/value range called?

Sainsbury’s vale range is called something else now, and I think a lot is price matched to aldi

Remarksable I think?

I have put the link below

https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/food-to-order/not-just-any-food/food-news/remarksable

I also find having cereal in is good for snacking and popcorn, you can buy the massive tubs from home bargains for less than £3

A lot of the value ranges are usually available in store, but not for online delivery. I think it saves supermarkets having to substitute with much higher priced items if the cheapo ones are out of stock.

I’m not sure, if you really need snacks it’s better to make them at home

I know they get a lot of slack but this is something Jack monroe noticed a few years ago. Disappearing value ranges and unavailability of items
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/asda-lowers-prices-after-food-23081125.amp