ok so I spend £80 on food a week and everyone was shocked. but can't seem to cut down my food costs. anyone help?

[cleoowen]

As the title days. Just did big food shop for new month (our finances run from 16 th to 16th) can anyone tell Me where going wrong. This was a massive shop and would expect it to last longer than a week. I got carried away on yoghurts I know.

Bananas x6 81p
Half cucumber 40p
Peppers x2 packs £1
Spinach 1.75
Grapes 0.670 kg 2.26
Lemons x5 1.50
Broccoli 1
Nectarines family pack 2.00
Frozen mixed fruit for ds 1.39
Pears x4 2.50
Onions x3 1.00
Kiwi for ds 30
Twin sweetcorn 1.00
Streddies 3.39
Frusli bars 1.98
6 frozen salmon 10.00
Frozen prawns 2.50
Card 4.00
Stripes of beef
X2 packs of beef 7.00 each
Wrapping paper 1.20
tesco cereal 1.99
Smoked salmon x 5
Beef 7.00
Tomatoes x3 tinned 0.34 value ones
Red pesto 80p
Bread rolls 70p
12 crumpets 80p
Frozen fish fillets 2
Alpro yoghurt for ds1.25
Milk 1.39
X8 value chicken 6.16
500g beef mince x2 8.00
Soft cheese 1.10
Tomatoes puree 71p
Petits filous x2 pack of 4 2.00
Shortbread tub 2.00 having friends over
Fresh bread 1.60
Frozen mango chunks for ds 1.99
X4 tins of tuna chunks 4.40
Worcester sauce 1.19
5kg potatoes 4.00
Cocoa powder for baking 2.28
Pasta sauce x2 3.00
Pasta 95p
Bacon 16 rashes 4
Flake deserts 4 for 3.00
Pork pies x2 3.00
Finest yoghurts 4 for 3.00
Pesto 80p
Vanilla frosting for baking 2.25
Marshmallow for baking 1.30
Bacon lardons 1.50
Caster sugar 78p
Vanilla essence 99p
Pate 65p
Total 139.95
All Traci value or tesco own apart from yoghurts,pesto,
I know there's lots of yoghurts and lunch stuff as trying to encourage dh to take lunch to work to save money and he's very fussy. Any other savings that could be made?

M
75
Crumbed ham from deli 3.31
Rice chrispies

Batch cook - instead of pasta sauce, when you have a bit of time, cook using canned tomatoes, carrots, button mushrooms, etc. Then freeze in portion sized amounts so easy to use when you're tired. Do the same with stews, etc.

Buy whole chicken (not value - quality meat gives better flavour and value overall as no shrinkage) - comes in a lot cheaper per lb than portions. Dissect if wanted to get relevant pieces - casserole dark meat and use breasts for things like a stir fry (goes a lot further). Freeze in portions if not using all at once. Use carcass to make stock - then use stock for casseroles/soup etc.

Do you have anywhere to grow your own herbs/lettuce/carrots, etc? Can be a good money saver as seeds are relatively cheap. We grow our own rocket - grows like a weed and ridiculously expensive in the shops.

Do you have a nearby market - often fruit and veg is cheaper there (especially towards end of the day).

Plan meals for the week - and plan use for leftovers - e.g. leftover chicken from roast can go into a risotto with leeks and mushroom to bulk it out, add extra onions and stock to a chicken casserole and use leftover liquid to make french onion soup.

Wouldn't pay for readymade frosting - very easy and compratively cheap to make from scratch.

Frusli bars - buy porridge oats and dried fruits and make your own...

Pork is cheaper than beef if you want to maintain meat intake. If making a bolognaise, make with minced pork and beef (also authentic!).

Why is everyone shocked? We spend £130 per week for me, DP, Dd1(10) and Dd2 (7 months)

And I don't think we eat extravagantly.

I'm not shocked - we spend approx £120-£150 a week (for me, DH, DD (3), DS (1 but eats like a 3 year old) and my mother who looks after the children while we work. We are fortunate to be in the position where we don't need to worry too much about the amount spent.

However, OP said that she was trying to cut down her bills, so there are ways to do that based on the shopping list she's supplied.

I second switching to minced turkey or lean minced pork instead of beef for bolognaise, chilli etc.

Ditch branded cereals and out of season fruit.

I only buy pasta sauce if I am going camping.

Practice old fashioned granny style baking, scones, pancakes, gingerbread, much cheaper and a bit healthier than chocolate tray bakes and iced cakes. ( unless you load them up with butter like I do)

Practice your withering look for when your DH complains ( I don't believe in fussy husbands!).

You've got loads of meals in that shop though. And lots of things that are useful over time eg: Worcester sauce.

I think it's a lot of money considering it's really only for two adults, the amount the baby will eat is negligable.

I think a lot of the cost is the fruit. Fair enough, you may enjoy it all, but if you're trying to save money why not buy the basics, such as apples and bananas, and pick a 'luxury' fruit for one evening of the week. Any why £2.50 for 4 pears? That's madness! Smartprice are about £1, what's the difference?

It's hard to see exactly what you're spending, as you said that meat will last for more than a week. If you're batch cooking, make sure you plan in days to actually eat the leftovers! My downfall is cooking something, having a bit for lunch the next day, then forgetting to freeze. Asda has the plastic takeaway style tubs, 4 for £1, perfect size.

I don't think it's a case of being shocked...it all comes down to personal choices. I stick to a £50pw budget because I choose to...I could afford £250pw if I wanted too, however I choose to spend the money elsewhere. And in all honesty the food tastes no different, we don't go without...

Thanks guys. Are nectarines and grapes out of season then? Got grape for ds but don't usually buy them and won't again.

What do you freeze portions in? Find freezer bags allow frost on the food and plastic tubs are expensive and dh leaves them at work so get lost.

Have used beef to make massive casserole which will freeze. Going to try and do straight after serving as part of the problem is dh has huge portions or gets seconds so uses for one meal what I wanted for two.pig!

Will def check out buying pork instead of beef and veg and beans to bulk it out. Don't have lots of time to cook, only when ds naps so do get some ready made stuff.

Our fridge/freezer is quite small and ds purees take up lots of room so difficult to freeze too much when batch cooking.

I am glad others seem to spend,the same or more, that makes,me feel better as felt I was rubbish at budgeting.

It might be a useful thing to invest in a slow cooker - that way you can throw ingredients in in evening after DS is asleep, and then it cooks overnight. In morning, food is ready - or do in morning while DS naps, then will be ready in evening. Approx 6-8 hours for most things. Allows you to use cheap cuts of meat as well as things turn out wonderfully tender.

Frost on food not a problem really once stews, etc heated up. I use zip up freezer bags (can wash and reuse), or plastic tubs (if you use enough times, cost per use is pretty low) - you can also use old ice cream tubs, ready made soup tubs, takeaway plastic cartons, etc. should you have any to hand. I also use some of my old breast milk storage containers - the avent ones.

As a cheap snack, you could get home ice lolly moulds and make juice lollies.

I think £80 per week is good! It doesn't sound shocking to me. When I first moved out of home I remember my mum reckoned £25 per person per week was about right and that was before the food prices went sky high.

For freezing food I use disposable plastic containers like the ones you get from Chinese takeaways. They're about £1.50 for 8 in Tesco and you can re-use them until they fall apart, but they're cheap enough it doesn't matter if they get lost or left or broken. Plus I always wash out the actual ones from the takeaway and yes, old resealable containers like for ice cream, sauces, ready made soups etc.

The disposable plastic containers - I got mine from a Chinese wholesaler. If you don't mind getting 100 at a time - then its much cheaper than Tesco! About 11 or 12p each iirc - which was economical for us - because it made it genuinely more convenient to take in leftovers than grabbing a takeaway lunch. Also good for freezing & storage & stuff.

The reusable ones were a false economy for me - because I was endlessly forgetting to wash them up if e.g. DH had taken his lunch in with them.

The market can be good for vegetables/fruit - and a bit of an adventure for a toddler.

Roast leftover veg in hot oven with olive oil with garlic and seasoning, then when it's cool, blitz in food processor, add a couple of tins of tomatoes, blitz again and - ta da! - enough pasta sauce for several meals. Easy to freeze, and insanely cheap. Lovely with a bit of parmesan.

Large quantities of pesto can be made with a single head of broccoli - stalk and all - just steam it first so that it's soft - instead of basil. Pesto just means paste. Use a handful of pine nuts, a little parmesan and plenty of oil and seasoning. Freezes very well. Broad beans also work instead of basil.

And make a giant chili with just 500g of mince and corresponding quantities of beans and pulses. I add a little chocolate for depth of flavour. Makes enough to feed four three times over with rice.

Yes, put a few portions out of sight while you dish up to avoid DH snuffling up more than he needs. Obvs I don't know how much he needs but if taking seconds is a habit then maybe give him bread on the side to see if that makes a difference. My OH will also devour multiple portions just because it smells/looks good, then tells me I over feed him

What food can he access while at work? I know you are trying to cut down but would it be cheaper than 5 plastic pots per week?

I'm shocked, but I am very unhappy if my bill goes over 30 quid for me and DS. :o

Thanks guys. Got 7 portions of beef casserole and 8 tubs of puree out of those two 7 pound packets of beef so thought that was ok.

Dhs work has one of those posh canteens where everything is over priced, although big portions he reckons. He can easily spend £8 on food and drink a day. Hence why I don't want him to do it every day anymore.

Will save up plastic dishes from Chinese takeaways.

My main tip would be try & go to Tesco at night, when they mark fresh food down. At our store, they do 50% reductions around 5pm, then 75-80% reductions between 7pm & 8pm, but ask at your store for when they reduce items. Fruit, veg & bakery items are often reduced by 90%, which would cut a huge amount off your bill - 25p instead of £2.50 for pears etc! You can then freeze most things when you get home.

Also, for wrapping paper, do you have a market near you? Ours does 12 sheets of good quality paper for £1, and this also means you can choose different sorts -children's, flowery, stripy, plain etc.

My only other thought is that your shopping would do my family (currently 4 adults, 1 4 year old & 1 2 year old) for a fortnight, not a week, so £80 is not too bad for that. Or does a lot get thrown away?

Also - invest in a second/larger freezer. We have 2 and they are always full to bursting with reduced/ 2 for 1/leftover meals. Money-saving & also time-saving, because I often freeze meals in child-size portions & then just microwave when I can't be bothered needed. We got our second freezer as a Xmas present from DPIL.

I saw a bloke on here suggest asking him to do the budget if its him always going over - give him £80, and tell him to feed the family, including his food, and see how he gets on.

He needs to understand that he can't just eat what he wants, and I think blokes quite like a practical challenge iyswim?

if you like fruit, now is a good time for blackberry picking and rasperries too. freeze for winter time

markets are also much cheaper for fruit n veg, or aldi

Can I just go at £8 on food at canteen. I would let my DH do that ever

In lakeland you can get the really good quality food flasks (Stanley) which would take a large portion of stew/heart soup or something. Could you send him off with that?

Definitely pack food away before DH gets a chance at seconds!

The meat seems to be a large cost - replace with extra veg or make lentil soups/split pea and ham soup. Freezes well and is great for lunch.
I make a beef and butterbean casserole that also has onions and carrots in to stretch the beef further.
I eat tons of fruit and veg but £2.50 for 4 pears seems a lot.
Apples ,bananas with seasonal fruit seems ok . I would keep the nectarines at 4 for £2
Is it your DH who is shocked but wont eat sandwiches ?
Does he ever food shop? It might be a good idea !
Also £4 for a card

Definitely go to Aldi or Lidl if you can. I went into Tesco yesterday and was a bit surprised how expensive it seemed in comparison.

Agree with other comments. £2.50 for four pears is madness!