Never have enough food/food running out more quickly

[Whatisgoingonthen]

Does anyone else feel this?

I’m sure I used to do a weekly shop and it would last, now it feels i’m always at the shop during the week too for extra things and the fridge seems pretty bare
It’s only Dh, Dd-6, dog and me in the house.
Feels like i’m always rationing food

I think some of it may be down to packets getting smaller and your DC getting bigger
But I know what you mean , £60 pw was plenty for me to do my weekly shop , that would include absolutely everything, now £80 just about does it.

Sizes have definitely changed. We used to buy 1kg Greek yogurt, and it’s now 750g ( and price higher). So obviously we have 1/4 less and get through it a few days faster

The amount of product you are getting is less and yet costs more money

Shrinkflation.

Meal planning has really helped us. That and hiding things from the kids that I can then bring out later in the week!

But yes, things increasing in price, quantities coming down. Its all shit!

I agree with meal planning and going for some staple cheap meals

home made soup with baguette can do dinner and left overs for lunch

Pasta & chorizo with garlic bread

noodles 30p a packet

sainsburys beans are lovely/toast

bagels w philiy

corned beef hash / corned beef/potatos/onions/gravy grans

bulk buy chicken breasts to make curry - micro rice is cheap and the jars of sauce are a £1 naans are cheap too

when you fav things come on special bulk buy and freeze

Also, your 6 year old is bigger. Pre Covid and price hikes/ shrinkflation, you some would have been a baby, now he’s school age. A 1/2 slice toast for 1 year old is now 2 slices for a sandwich for 6 year old. A banana would have been 1/2 banana at a time, now whole etc

I don’t think I ever gave my kid half a banana 🤣

A bag of brown rice is cheaper than buying a 30p pack of noodles per person for a side with a meal.

It is cheaper to make sauce from scratch if you’re bulk cooking and much better than buying jars of pre made.

We do £200 a week on a food shop for 2a2teendc and we always run out. It's ridiculous.

@Quinlan - my 4 year old still often only eats half a banana if it’s a large one.

It sounds as if you could do with re-assessing your shopping habits. To be honest I’m not sure buying once a week from a single source is terribly satisfying - so you may well be finding yourself disinclined to buy more of the same.

There was an article in one of the papers recently, gently mocking subscription culture - but that’s exactly my weekly / monthly routine.

Small weekly supermarket delivery of cupboard staples.

Substantial weekly veg box including milk, bread, eggs, muesli, honey, as well as fruit, veg, herbs and spices.

Two monthly delivery of whole foods - pulses, legumes, grains, bought in bulk.

Weekly coffee bean delivery.

Intermittent wine deliveries.

Etc. I’m still on top of all the ordering - but never feel any pressure to cover everything in one delivery.

I think defo food is more expensive generally ,also less choice on the value ranges .Cheap meals for us : Risotto with leftover Chicken ,just add peas and chopped peppers to normal rice .Good old egg, chips (do home cooked sometimes )and beans .Meatloaf (use cheaper mince and cool, skim off fat) We still have frozen food a couple of nights as well

Definitely meal planning and shopping lists... I do my weekly shop on a Monday evening on the way home from work. I spend a few minutes on a Sunday evening planning meals for the week and looking through the cupboards to see what we already have and writing a shopping list. Also saves waste at the end of the week.

That’s fine if you can afford it.

A lot of people can’t. They have to meal plan and buy it for the week so it is affordable and they can budget.

@Quinlan true but she might not be a cook from scratch type of person

if she is then hopefully your rice advice will be useful 😂

I cook everything from scratch!

And find using a variety of sources more cost effective and satisfying than buying everything from one supermarket.

I don’t eat meat so am careful to eat a sufficient amount of wholefoods. I buy maybe 3 or 5 kg bags of lentils, dried beans, dried peas etc, that last two or three months. 1lg tubs of peanut butter. Freeze 2 litre containers of milk … I hate buying little tiny packets of anything and then having to repeat the next week.

I've never been able to do meal planning 100%.
I seem to always fancy something different to eat than what I've planned lol.
But there is only me ( unless l have family round) and luckily I'm wealthy .
I do sainsburys shop on line and my carer/ cleaner .. does my M&S grocery shopping.
But l was once a single parent to two on benefits.. long before airfryers/ microwaves etc.
I did have a stockpot and it got uses often.. casseroles and stews.. bulked out with loads of veg ( cheap from the open market) a chicken would do four meals.
A roast dinner.
Cold next day with chips and beans.
A curry In the crockpot
A chicken and leak pie( I'd make own made pastry and freeze the pie)..
Corned beef was cheaper back then.. so would make corned beef hash with potatoes and onions.. left overs would go into pastry for pasties.

I've always been a good cook and baker.. would make buns and biscuits with my daughters.