AIBU to be confused when people say it's cheaper to cook from scratch?

[Blueskiesandcherrypies]

(Sorry another 'weekly food shop post'....)

I just don't think it is! I struggle to get our weekly food shop below £140pw. That's for me, DH, ds9, dd7 and dd1 (and soon to be newborn ds). We all love our food, though I tear my hair out every week planning meals everyone will enjoy rather than refuse and sulk about tolerate, and cook from scratch (just things like spag Bol, curry, carbonara, puff pastry 'pizza', roasts...) but I often think blimey if I could just chuck a few ready meals in the trolley and loads of bits from the frozen section (burgers, nuggets, kievs!!) we'd be quids in! But then we wouldn't be eating so healthily and I wouldn't know exactly what we're all putting in our mouths.

Weekly food shop includes packed lunches, loads of fruit for snacks, cat food, household bits, nappies.... but not alcohol, that comes out of DH's 'own' pocket rather than our joint account even if it's wine for me. We never have leftovers so can't stretch a meal over 2 days (DCs have growing appetites).

I am green with envy when I see people saying they can feed a family of four for £50 a week! Just....how?!

And ok, before you ask, I have been shopping at ocado lately but I haven't seen a huge price diff than when I used sainsburys.

Please help me see where I'm going wrong!

I agree with the less ingredients thing. I actually got into Aldi because my Mum bought some pasta sauce [dolmio type] and told me that the ingredients list read the same as if you made it at home. No unrecognisable things or numbers etc.

I don't mind a 'dirty' sausage every now and then [that sounds rude and it's not meant to!] but I rarely buy burgers because the good quality ones are too expensive.

If you are just talking about simple cuts of meat, where it is in its 'natural' form, then you can see what it is. So I think taking a step down with food like that is perfectly acceptable/sensible TBH.

See, I am not fussy at all as I didn't get fed properly as a child. I never knew when I would next have food so I will eat anything really. DH is more fussy than me. My kids are pretty good but it drives me mad that DD won't readily eat pasta.

DH loves casseroles and I haven't made on e for ages so maybe that would be a good place to start. I have a slow cooker so could use that. Certainly saves cooking twice a night when I use it.

Casseroles are a fab place to start with cheaper cuts.

Im very unfussy, I like nice food, but I don't mind lowering my standards a bit, though I am an excellent cook...and modest too! so think that makes a difference

For meat, you look for added water. The water isn't an issue, it is the other stuff they put in to make the water stay in the meat that you want to avoid.

Also with mince, steak mince is good quality. You can buy decent steak mince at ALDI fairly cheap.

But if it hasn't got added water, and is steak mince, then their won't be much difference between meats. The exception to this is if it is raised ethically. Free range means it has been raised to higher standards. But there is a lot of variation within the term free range.

Reformed on the label always makes me put it back and I assumed added water was a bad thing. I need to learn to read all labels I guess and stop making assumptions. I was told the Asda smart price bacon joint was the best in the shop as it didn't have any nasties in it. I did buy it a couple of times but DH was a bit sceptical and I have been getting the "branded" one now, albeit Asda.

Yes, butcher chickens look a bit wrinkled compared with supermarket chickens.

In my experience and opinion, only a butcher chicken can be a magic MN chicken. For about £6 you can genuinely get a greedy roast, a second greedy-with-meat meal and stock/soup. And oh the flavour.

Magic chickens and bulking out everything with beans and lentils is how most people manage to feed a family of 12 on £20 a week.

Longtime- i agree. I use magic chickens too. Anyone looking for 3 or 5 big slices of breastmeat with a chicken dinner ( except at christmas) will be disappointed.
My chicken dinner will always have some ( not all) of the following- home made stuffing, pigs in blankets or green beans wrapped in bacon, yorkshires, dauphine potatoes, mash and roast, hm potato croquettes, stuffed mushrooms, cauliflower cheese,stuffed tomatoes, spring greens stir fried with lardons, roasted onions, corn on the cob,asparagus ( v cheap in ALDI atm) Roasted winter veg, baked butternut, sauted courgettes, as well as all the usual veg like peas, carrots, parsnips etc.

I buy bargain veg as I see it, often it will dictate the whole theme of the meal. I like to pimp up my roasts too- Moroccan, Indian, Spanish or Italian spiced accordingly. And I always have loads of meat from these magic chickens for at least two other meals.

Chunderella - we don't have a butcher anywhere nearby unless I go right into town. There is a butchers counter at Asda and Sainsbury's but the Asda one is rubbish in that there is very little choice and the assistant isn't capable of any help. I went to Asda and there were two chickens priced at £4. The smart price one was noticeably bigger than the "Butcher's Choice" one. How? Made me think hmm.

Definitely works out cheaper for me feeding a family of six an around £80-£100 per week and shopping at ocado/abel and cole only eating (small amount of) organic meat.

I do mostly cook everything from scratch though, breads, pastry, veggie burgers/sausages etc. I don't think buying ready made things like pastry/pasta/veggie burgers does often work out cheaper tbh. I do sometimes use ready made things to save time/when I CBA. Never buy ready meals.

The outlay is time. Yesterday I began lunch at 8.30am, it mostly takes me 2 hours to cook the evening meal. I'm a uni student and do voluntary work so the time is not taken out of my potential working hours and so the investment of time is worth it for our family where the investment if money would not be.

When I work I'll cut down on cooking and spend more on ready made ingredients, although it is unlikely I'll ever buy ready meals unless they are good quality (v. Expensive).

Minesapintoftea I have got it down to 1 tablespoon of washing liquid. I was using 50ml before. I am also washing what i call bright coloureds (not pastels) and dark on a fast 30 minute cycle.

Titsalinabumsquash Do you freeze your tray bakes/muffins/flapjacks or do they stay fresh for the fortnight?

elliephant Please post a link to this breakfast wrap you speak of.

It's really hard to do it cheaply, we try to save money by sourcing local farmers and buy half lamb, half pig etc, they can often joint them for you, although you need freezer space. I boil bones to make soups after roasts and put plenty of lentils, yellow split peas or potatoes in. We raid the reduced sections and by trial and error know when our local shops do this, again we freeze a lot. The fruit and veg stall reduce prices at the end of market day, although the draw backs are that you need to be free to be there at those times.