I need to stop spending on food, its getting stupid please let me know how u plan

[hulahoopsilove]

I'm quite good at initial shop will do morris, aldi or asda depends where I am, then I find myself going two or three times to local supermarket for this that and the other I'm spending stupid money. I need to stop :(

What do you go to the shop for during the week? Do you actually need to go? If so you need to plan better! If not, well, stop going

I used to spend loads on top ups but if I need to top up now I make sure I only get what I need and nothing else.

Meal plan!!!! It really works !!

Dp is NOT allowed to come with me as he puts shit in the trolly. But f I'm on my own , meal plan fir every day and I can cut a third of my bill. Buy large chicken that will do two meals ect.

We've got intergrated fridge and sep freezer so not much room to over stock so find myself going in the week for more milk, veg, bread which leads to me picking up this that and the other. I so need to meal plan and stick to it

We go on hol soon but when I come back I'm going to do a p,an and stick to it, I feel so depressed over what I'm spending

When you meal plan make sure you do breakfast, lunch and snacks too

Im good at planning what meals to have and sticking to my list when I do the food shop. But realy bad when I just pop in the local shop say I just need a fresh loaf ill end up seeing things that are offer and getting them.

I dont know how to stop doing this other than wearing a blindfold

I usually ask dp to get it on his way back from work. He's less likely to pick up random stuff as he just wants to get home.

Freeze a loaf or two of bread and some milk, if you have enough room. Your veg should last all week really, apart from salad. Or use more frozen veg?

I use salad leaves and soft fruits first. ..then at the the end of week there's carrots, apples, satsumas or frozen peas or tinned fruit if I completely run out. I only pop to the newsagent for milk.

No problems buying stuff when you see if when it's offer. ...so long as it's what you use and will plan to use in the coming weeks?

I find rocket easily lasts the week in the fridge, whereas other stuff wilts quickly. Soft fruits don't last long but I don't buy more.

Meal plan around the Aldi super 6 or whichever supermarket has a weeks worth of offers. Don't deviate from the plan unless Tuesdays salad need using up on monday sort of thing. Keep a loaf in the freezer and a milk too.

Plan ahead.
Shop with a list.
Use up everything.
Don't be afraid to substitute if you're run out of something, don't go to the shops because you'll be tempted into buying something else you don't need.

I often do the same .

I can do a fairly frugal 'big shop' & then spend £30 popping to Tesco for milk & bread!

For me, it's distinguishing between what we need and what we would like. Especially the DCs - if I see something & think they would like it, I get it. Of course they don't actually need it .

I meal plan & stick to that without a problem. It's the treats that do me in every time.

And actually, as a child my mum used to shop once a week. If something ran out during the week, we just did without it until next Friday (designated shopping day). There was none of this popping to the shops to top up.

Emergency longlife milk was kept in the utility room (generally 12 1L packets there at any given time) and half of our old chest freezer contained frozen loaves of bread.

Packed lunches on a Friday were often quite meagre, as I remember.

I have a sort of meal plan I try to stick to. Monday dinner is always pasta based, Tuesday will be something in the slow cooker, Wednesday jacket potato, Thursday something with rice, Friday something with chips and a take away Saturday and a roast on Sunday. That way I only buy food that will be used and not throw stuff any when it runs out of date.

I try to only buy nibbles that are needed for dd1s packed lunch.

If we run out of anything I get DH to get it on his way home as I was spending £30 doing a top up shop every week.

Make soup with leftover veggies and beans/pulses at the end of the week, and freeze any leftover. Add spices to make it more interesting.

I've just done a 4 wk meal planner (tea only). I made a list of what we like and it has to be simple and sometimes handy for the slow cooker. 4 nights out of 7 we have to be out of the house by 5:45pm and really want to eat before leaving or its after 7:30 its too late then.

Then I'll make a 2 weekly online shop in Tesco for the freeze/fresh/cupboard stuff but I'll buy all the meat I need in Iceland as its much cheaper and I'm happy with the quality.

For stuff like biccies/treats I'll get them in Aldi and I can pick them up before work.

I do a really frugal weekly shop online then spoil it by shopping several times a week for treats and top ups.

Thats where spend most money! Popping in there to get a loaf coming out with a bag full. But I wont do that now. Things have to change.

Ive done my 2 wk shop on tesco which came to £72. Does not include meat but ive made a sum based on iceland prices and meat will cost about £27 a month.

Clearing out the freezers now to make room for the bread/meat and the other will hold stuff like peas/hash browns/yorkshires etc.

Right this is my first week when Im going to be as thrifty as possible...Ive got 35 to spend on food till next Friday. What are your suggestions for meals (2 adults 1 x child)

You could use UHT milk for pancake batter, white/cheese sauces etc where you won't be able to tell the difference.
And if you have a local bakery / greengrocer you could go there to top up on bread/fruit in the week. There'll be less to distract you from your list.

www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/meal-planning/autumn-meal-plans/
go shopping in Aldi

One good tip is if you literally need 2 pints of milk and a loaf of bread, just take £3 (or whatever it costs) in money then you really can't buy anything else!

I spend a certain amount on a shop, then allow myself about £5 cash to hold on to for any top ups like milk or bread. Then when it's gone, it's gone.

I need to make myself not buy any meat this week, as the freezer is currently choc-a-block. And planned meals this week have been thrown into disarray for a couple of reasons so I had to add more to the freezer.

Oh well, 1 of those additions was 4 single portion bags of roasted veggies, as the courgettes were wilting and peppers needed using too but no option to do that. So while I cooked dinner last night, I chopped those and 2 onions and a handful of tomatoes into small dice, drizzled with oil, seasoned, and roasted for 20 minutes, then froze later. I add those into plain tomato sauce with pasta, maybe some bacon or chopped sausage or leftover roast chicken if meat is demanded, or throw them into quiches, or just reheat and serve with steak or roasted chicken portions and spuds.

I'm also trying to remember to use up all stores items before replacing them, as I am drowning in tins of tuna and tins of sweetcorn.

The next couple of months HAVE to be about using up a lot of food.