To ask how you've lowered your food shop?

[coffeecoffeecofffee]

Recently come under a crap time, can't work due to chronic health condition, lost our UC payment each month of £400 as my partner now earns above the threshold (but still doesn't take home much due to debt he has unfortunately) & had my PIP review recently (I used to get £430pm) and may have that reduced/taken away completely.

I'm trying to think of ways to reduce my outgoings and have decided to reduce my food budget to £25pw. (used to have £35pw)

My partner and I buy our things separately but share the cost of regular household bits, cleaning and usually salad! We both eat two completely different diets, me vegan & him a meat eater. So about £6 per week of each of our budgets goes towards cleaning & toiletries.

Left with £19 for food for the week.

I already buy a lot of frozen veg and the only fresh produce I buy are apples (whatever's cheapest), strawberries or blueberries, tomatoes, salad (spinach, kale & rocket), avocados& sweet potato.

I usually buy 1 dairy free milk (£1.40) which lasts me most of the week as I don't eat breakfast every day.

I eat a lot of wholewheat pasta w/ no added sugar pasta sauces (tomato based & pesto) as it goes a long way, no added sugar & is cheap and delicious as well as healthy as I don't eat a tonne!

I also buy a bag of plain frozen fish for the week at £3.30 for 5 fillets.

I tend to find the fresh stuff & toiletries like body wash take up most of my budget, I've tried shopping at my local Lidl and Aldi but the fresh produce is often going off when I'm in there! Let alone getting it home, hence I find Morrisons/Asda/Tesco better for that.

Anyone got any smart ways to reduce/meal plan for a vegan? I don't like beans, lentils etc so that's annoying as I know they're really cheap!

@Rtmhwales I've explained I have IBS so yes, we do get through more loo roll. I have a tonne of trigger foods and bad days very often with cramps and pain, so I can't just 'use less loo roll' unfortunately.

No the nuts aren't expensive, I eat maybe 6-8 nuts a day so they last a long time.

I am going to use a cleaning spray now with a washable cloth to wipe the kitchen down (just ordered some online that you can wash, pack of 8) so that'll cut down the wipes :)

I don't understand I am vegan but eat fish wouldn't that make you pesicatrain

I did laugh at the not shitting so much comment. I’ve IBS and have been four times since 9am. I should be rewarded with shares, I go through so much loo roll.

Do people who use 1 per week also sometimes not bother to use loo roll after the loo or use their hand or something instead?

Probably at work all day and so use the loo roll there.

Doesn't seem excessive use to me either tbh.

I don't understand I am vegan but eat fish wouldn't that make you pesicatrain Yes it would. The OP was just being silly.

@StormcloakNord I'm sure your husband really appreciates you outing his toilet habits here

We live on the seafront and get a lot of dust blown onto the car, so we have to wipe the windows and mirrors down in the car otherwise we can't see? It's like a layer of black dust on the car. Jesus.

also bags of salad are an expensive way to buy salad. What’s wrong with lettuce? Cut and c9me again in a pot would last ages.

@Boysey45 Two per day is absolutely excessive.

• That toilet roll use isn't excessive, theres 2 of us and we use 2 per day. Do people who use 1 per week also sometimes not bother to use loo roll after the loo or use their hand or something instead?*

If excessive means more than most people use, then yes it's excessive, as shown by the responses on this thread. OP has explained she has a condition so it's understandable for her, but if you don't have an illness, then one person using a whole roll of toilet paper per day is a LOT. Clearly much more than most people use.

Why use loo roll for that wiping down? What’s wrong with a cloth ffs?

I'm not sure why I'm bothering any more but... bags of salad are expensive (and go manky quite quickly). If you want to save on this then buy lettuce.

I think everything else has already been covered -there are some excellent suggestions on this thread. So that's it - sorted!

Supermarket own brand J cloth is 30p for a packet of 10. And washable.
Cellulose sponges are biodegradeable and washable.

2-4 avocados buy frozen.
1-2 bags of salad get a lettuce for 50p instead of two bags for a about £1.50
Bag of spinach
Bag of kale
Blueberries or strawberries 2 packs a week.- buy frozen or tinned or cut out.
1 pack of apples (whatever is on offer)
1 big pack tomatoes
Bag of wholemeal spaghetti (usually get from Lidl as well so quite cheap) buy normal for 20p insteado f however much the bag is
1-2 pasta sauces (incl a vegan pesto) make your own with tomatoes and onion and garlic.
1 dairy free milk swap to soya at 59p for litre or almond for 89p
1 pack of frozen fish
1-2 bags of frozen veg
1 loaf of wholemeal bread (which I freeze for toast)
1 pack of wholemeal pitta bread
1 pack of Heinz baked beans on offer switch to value brand, even when on offer Heinz are 50p, you can get value or own brand for 25-35p.

@Notastepparentbut My partner has been saving to move & his family is kindly helping us out too.

He has enough money coming in for the dog. He's up to date with all his appointments and injections too. The dog insurance is £30pm & bag of food about £9pm as we get the big bags. The dog isn't expensive!

1-2 bags of salad

Buy a lettuce. 65p instead of £2+.
Or at least buy one lettuce and one mixed bag of salad.

Same re the veg, just buy carrots, onions, swede, maybe courgette, instead of bags of frozen veg. A bag of carrots (c60p) lasts me about three weeks. Frozen veg is £2+.

An evening meal for me can be roasted veg (toms, mushrooms, peppers) with baked cod. Maybe a baked sweet potato.

@motherheroic Yes I'm meal planning too now :) it has made me realise how much stuff I just picked up and never used! Crazy isn't it!

@AnemoneAnenome We don't have a dishwasher. For laundry we get the cheapest stuff & it works great!

Its not, even when I was on my own and out all day I still used 1 per day.lol. I like to use a lot.

I can't help but think you sound a bit lazy. You use a lot of things for convenience, but why do you need a jar of pasta sauce if you're at home all day every day?

Its not, even when I was on my own and out all day I still used 1 per day.lol. I like to use a lot.

Right. You admit to using a lot. A lot more than the average person.

I don't agree the op should switch from wholemeal to 'normal' pasta - this is an expense it's worth sticking with in my view, it's extra nutrition which is important.

But you don't need to buy a pack a week - buy one massive bag a month, it's cheaper. And fussilli is usually cheaper than spaghetti.

@Notastepparentbut We use Sainsbury's pet insurance, it's very good & the £30pm option covers a lot. Better safe than sorry :)

£30 a month is very expensive for dog insurance.
My dog is around £7.

@longtimelurkerhelen thank you so much.

Ooh I'll look that up! I don't use fresh herbs myself, tend to just get dried :)

OP I don't really have to budget much for my food shop and even I don't spend as much as you week in week out on toiletries and cleaning products and I use method!