Food is expensive

[goldenorbspider]

Went to aldi got few bits for the week and not a big shop for me and one infant. Spent £40 and it's not even a big shop. What do people do to save money on food? I can't imagine spending much less. I know it would cost waay more at other supermarkets.

Josef
It goes abroad .

But I spend too much because I buy what I want to eat that day, dont meal plan and don't keep track of what's in the house

all the langostinos in Spain are from the UK! It amazes me.

I know, we have to be on holiday to eat decent food
They could leave us a little bit, even frozen!

I think £40.00 is reasonable for 1 adult and 1 child TBH. That is £20.00 P/W P/P and broken down to a grand total of around £3.00 each per day! We eat well and dont expect food to be rock bottom although it is a lot less than it used to be I think .You have to choose what to spend money on, and good healthy food like Salmon/Steak and so on will come at a price ! You seem to have done well for the money so eat and enjoy! Also there are Non food items you have as well!

Food is super cheap in the UK. You're totally spoilt with variety, quality and value for money.
That amount of groceries would be twice that in many parts of Europe.

Thing is, Lidl is few and far between and not popular here.
The market will have far cheaper and fresher veg.

Once a year DH takes me to Iceland on the coast. I dream of it! Potato waffles and Indian frozen party food, sweets for DD from UK, Puddings, cakes etc!
But once a year is enough TBH.

I sense a slightly aggressive attitude at bringing a different viewpoint, I will go now.

Blimey, I'm not being aggressive at all

I'm just challenging your statement that ready meals and sauces aren't available in Spain.

Even my Spanish MIL who's here today was puzzled at then when I mentioned it.

@colourmydreams your husband has a cooked breakfast every day? His arteries must be screaming!

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Double Cream (from Milk) (2.6%), Whey Powder (from Milk), Sugar, Egg Yolk Powder, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Stabilisers (Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum), Ground White Pepper, Garlic Powder

That's what is in the 64p Asda white sauce. A list of ingredients that apparently has one poster vomiting. Bizarre.

I’m not surprised that cost a lot.

Cherries, blueberries & salad are all out of season. Lychees aren’t local. And Salmon and Steak are pricey.

Buy pork fillet instead of steak, frozen haddock instead of salmon, and carrots onions, leeks, broccoli, frozen berries and apples, and you could probably halve the cost.

Buy frozen berries , they do a huge bag of blueberries for under £2

Food is very cheap in the UK, even good food is a lot cheaper there than here. I’d love to spend $55 on groceries for us 2 for a week. I was back in the UK over Christmas and I couldn’t believe the prices of things. It is so much more expensive here and very little is imported.

@goldenorbspider we love meat in our house but it can be a killer money wise I have found a 3 bean chilli recipe that requires little prep and goes in a slow cooker ... it freezes well there are me husband and 14 month old and it easily does 3 dinners ... with rice and some sour cream
www.onelovelylife.com/vegan-chipotle-black-bean-chili/

It works out cheap once you have all the herbs

Also ratatouille with pasta ... also freezes well .... I do it from baby lead weaning cook book but add extra passata (39p I think from Asda ) and that lasts 2 meals ...

Sausages are a good cheaper meat substitute

Maybe she lives on the costa del sol, near Benidorm. Near the Iceland I go to as a treat.

Madrid, Valencia and so on, no, no ready meals or pasta sauces I assure you.

Crappy frozen pizza, fresh tortilla.

You can get a pigs snout though and other such wonders.

Carbonara is eggs and some form of bacon, how could it be in a sauce?

The Lidl white sauce is 49p. If it's cheaper to make it yourself the difference must be a couple of pence. A pint of milk is about what 30p? 50g of butter about the same?

Billie, she's from Madrid

Does she go to El Campo?
Mercadona?
Where?

And what does she count as readymeals?

I've just spent 100 quid in Aldi and now we are having the post-Aldi justification chat kn the way home... "oh it will last us 2 weeks", "don't forget we bought 1000 big rolls in that shop" etc etc. Nothing to do with all the extra crap chocolate bon bons that fell in the trolley as we go around 😳

*bog rolls. Hate my phone

She's gone out now Billie, but her home there isn't too far from Lidl, so that's where she buys her frozen ready meals so she always has something in, after a long journey.

I do not know a person over 60 that would buy a ready meal in Spain, they do not exist.

They really don't.

Nor do cakes as we know them etc...

Madrid, Valencia and so on, no, no ready meals or pasta sauces

The Spanish Carrefour website is full of ready meals and sauces.

www.carrefour.es/supermercado/la-despensa/conservas-sopas-y-precocinados/N-1u94q17/c

That page alone as ready-made pizzas, instant mash and a lasagne ready meal on it.

I do not know a person over 60 that would buy a ready meal in Spain, they do not exist.

I just linked to a website that proves they do

Oh, she's near Lidl. Well then...

Anyway, I live here and don't go to Lidl as the nearest one is a drive away and am telling the truth and there we go.

Have a great Sunday.