Reducing Our Food Bill?

[mrskhw]

Hi All,

I left my full time job last year and as such have reduced our household income by about 25%.

As such, I'm keen to cut costs on our shopping bill as I personally feel that we spend a fortune on it. We easily spend £100 on a big shop at the weekend and then maybe a couple of £20 shops during the week for the basics such as milk, bread, fruit and vegetables.

We are a family of 4. My husband and daughter (5) both take packed lunches to work and school. My daughter can get free school meals but has refused to eat them since Easter!! Then there's myself and our other daughter (2) who are at home full time.

Am I being unrealistic to think that we can get our shopping bill down to under £100 per week taking all that into consideration? If not, how do I do this?

Weekly:

Lean Meat (mince, diced beef, pork, sirloin steak, chicken)
Frozen Vegetables (we don't buy fresh as not everyone eats it)
Apples, Bananas, Melon, Strawberries, Grapes, Oranges
Cereal (recently switched to supermarket brands)
Yoghurts (we all eat different ones)
Potatoes
Milk (both skimmed milk and full fat for the kids)
Squash (Robinsons Double Concentrate Orange & Apple & Blackcurrant)
Bread, Crumpets, Croissants (the kids love them!)
Cheese (but we get Babybels aswell Cathedral City Lighter for the kids)
Pasta
Sauces
Canned foods (vegetables, beans, spaghetti)
Frozen foods (turkey drummers, chips etc for convenience meals for the kids)
Crisps
Confectionary (for puddings for the kids)
Rice (hubby always buys the cook in microwave ones to take to work)
Nappies (we still have one in nappies)
Wipes
Cat food (forgot to mention we have 2 cats!)
Cat litter

I suppose I should mention here looking at the list that my husband is a body builder so eats a lot of chicken and rice, lean meats and vegetables. I follow Slimming World so eat similar to him. The meat does cost quite a bit in our food shop.

We don't meal plan at the moment but most of the food we buy gets eaten.

Also, I do have 2 children at home full time with me at the moment and they are literally eating the house out every few days!!

I've found that morrisons is quite expensive. Do you have butchers near you. If your a meat family these can often be of better quality and value
As others have said batch cook use up left overs down brand some products.
I find aldi reasonable for tins packets cheese etc but don't much like the meats.

You can slice and freeze peppers and mushrooms. Comes in handy when you want to make lasagne. Herbs can also be frozen in a little olive oil.

Surplus ripe bananas can be frozen for muffins.

Waste nothing. Batch cooking saves both fuel and your energy. I make about eight portions of chilli at a go and freeze the other seven.

Yogurts - buy big plain tubs and add fruit or flavours. Check for a market type shop in your town and buy fruit on offer. Recognise that you can't have everything year round.

Microwave rice?????? You can buy 5kg of basmati in tesco for about £6.

Buy what cheese is on offer. Do they really like the lighter stuff? Lose the mucky kid mush, give them real cheese.

Is this aldi? Tins there are half the price of the tesco and so on. Stock up.

General tips

Meal plan, but be flexible to incorporate special offers
Have a supply of staples in the cupboard to make meals with, eg tin tomatoes, coconut milk, curry paste etc
Shop at Aldi/Lidl for the most part, go late afternoon/Sunday pm to the main supermarkets for bargains
Get to know prices on MySupermarket; set up alerts for special offers for things you buy regularly
Account for everything you throw in the compost caddy (that’s not teabags/peelings/egg shells etc). Write a list with an estimated cost… get a feel for what you’re throwing away and adjust future shopping accordingly. British families are typically throwing out £700 worth of food per year. The micro-chore of writing it down will act as a disincentive to buying excess.
Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry
Downshift a brand level on everything till you notice a difference… quite often the only difference is the graphic design on the packaging and the advertising… is it worth paying a premium for this?
Buy a big sack of potatoes, keep them dry, away from plastic and in 100% darkness and they should keep for months. Many times cheaper than buying £2 plastic tray of 4 baking potatoes.
Have a couple of uber cheap meals per week… eg lentil dhal, chick pea & veg curry, chicken livers etc
Instead of pizza, buy a garlic flatbread, add a smear of tomato puree, a sliced ball of value mozzarella (43p) and your choice of toppings like salami, mushrooms, olives etc. Only a few moments more and you’ve saved a few quid.
Don’t buy individual yoghurts, buy big tubs like the 1 kg ones in Lidl and decant into a small pot to serve
Next summer try growing things like cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets and courgettes on the patio
Grow cut-and-come-again salad leaves on the windowsill/balcony instead of buying salad leaves which are the most thrown away food items.
If you roast a chicken or chicken thighs, save the bones, boil with a small carrot, celery stick, half onion, 5 peppercorns. Slow cook for 2 or 3 hrs, use as a base for soups and risotto.
Leftover crusty bread? dry in a oven that’s cooling down from something else, make breadcrumbs or croutons. Or make bread and butter pudding.

Top up shops

Don’t!
Just take enough cash for what you immediately need.
Go to a main supermarket on Sun pm and get a couple of 10p loaves, stick them in the freezer.
Buy a couple of cartons of emergency UHT milk, it’s only 49p/litre in Aldi. It’s nice enough in tea and on cereal to see you through a couple of days.
Keep basics in the cupboard for simple meals eg pasta & sauce, baking pots & beans, tinned sardines and rice

Snacks

Don’t buy them unless it’s a one off treat.
Make your own… buy popping corn kernels, oats/butter/sugar for flapjacks, banana bread with freckly bananas, HM oatcakes etc
Buy very simple cheap snacks eg rich tea or digestive biscuits, or have frozen bread for toast and peanut butter on hand.

Drinks

Just have tea, coffee, milk and water in the house to drink.
Maybe cheap squash diluted to gnat’s pee strength for kids if they’re fussy buggers like I was
One bottle of wine/70 cl of nice cider/ale to share between 2 over the weekend, can of pop for kids

Cleaning

Have a supply of rags like old t shirts for cleaning up spills
Kitchen roll kept just for pet/kid accidents, red wine spills and draining fried food
Toilet paper… just tear off 2 or 3 sheets per wipe, the whole full on hand mummification thing is like flushing £5 notes (and trees) down the loo!
Just use the basics… a general purpose spray, washing up liquid, loo cleaner, microfibre cloths are all you need. Things like passion fruit aerosol bath foam cleaner are wasteful guff.
Vinegar and bicarb are strong and effective cleaners, yet are pennies and earth friendly. Vinegar is the most effective window cleaner… fill an empty spray bottle 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water. Apply to windows, wipe with scrunched newspaper then buff with a chamois or microfibre cloth. Also great as a general purpose spray.
Dishwasher tablets can be cut in half (wipe very oily baking trays etc with a waste paper napkin or newspaper)
Cut back on laundry powder 10 ml at a time till you notice a difference. Most people, following the directions, are using far too much. Pre-treat specific stains, rather than chucking scoops of powder into the main wash & hoping for the best.
Cut out fabric conditioner, just use white vinegar and a few drops of lavender oil in place if you feel you need it. The vinegar smell dissipates as it dries, you don’t smell like a chip shop
Tumble dryer sheets are a bonkers gimmick not needed

I meal plan and do a big shop on a Wednesday with a top up shop on a Saturday. We have a rabbit so have to go out for fresh veggies then and I buy extra bread/milk/fruit/sandwich filling as well. For the top up shop I only get a basket - if it's too much to carry I can't afford it!

I never buy bathroom/laundry/kitchen stuff in the supermarket - I always go to the Reject Shop (which is like Home Bargains in the UK or Wilkos) as it's generally 2/3rds the price.

I buy all my meat from the butchers and buy everything else from Aldi.

Food is really expensive here but I feed 3 adults, 2 teens, the rabbit and 2 of the dogs on less that $180 a week - which works out to be about £110. We eat really well and never go hungry on that.

Meal planning is the big thing - it's really tedious and boring but makes a huge difference to the food budget.

I know this sounds batshit but try Waitrose online, once I've shopped all the multi buy offers for meat & used the my Waitrose card offers its cheaper than my old Aldi shop & the first five shops have a £20 off £100 spend.

Since then they've sent me further vouchers.

I buy all the basic range etc.

Try swopping items for shops own, ie yogurts, Robinsons squash, crisps, bread, crumpets etc. You mention you buy sauces, if any of these are pasta sauces, it's cheap and quick to make your own, fry onion, can tomatoes or passata, perhaps add sweetcorn or peppers for variety and flavour with garlic, herbs or chilli. If your children won't eat a slice of ordinary cheese, only buy babybels etc when on offer. Again look out for offers on convenience freezer food. You can buy a pack of six kiwi or other fruits for less than a pound, which could be cheaper than having strawberries or grapes sometimes.

If you have a Lidl or Aldi nearby, try popping in a couple of times each month to see what you can get cheaper. My husband prefers Lidl's yogurts to anything in Tescos, so I used to go there for them. Salad items, potatoes, cans, sweet treats, cheddar cheese (£1.59 for 350g), coleslaw, chicken fillets, salmon, coffee and cleaning products have all been added to my shopping there and it certainly helps keep out bill down.

walk to Lidl and while in there pick up salad items, chocolate treats and a few cans which are a lot cheaper than Tescos.

4 of us here too and my shopping is around £450 per month so I'm no expert. BUT... the kids have the value/smart price squash (42p), and I save quite a lot of money by stocking up when things are on offer. For example, we only like shreddies (not supermarket own), and I wait until they are half price (£1.24) and then I stock up. Pretty much everything repeats itself.

I know I spend too much on convenience foods (what dp cooks while I work later) and treats, but both dp and I work FT, I used to batch cook at weekends but now I'd rather not tbh.

Also recommend an egg day (omelette, quiche) and a jacket spud day, really helps. I also only buy one box of strawberries and one punnet of grapes per week, but there's always apples and bananas.

I am trying to keep below 50 quid a week at the moment and was thinking earlier that I need to try and drop again (so skint at the moment)

I buy joints and chickens - hams are also cheap and good for two or three meals or as sliced cold meat. I also buy chicken and mince. DD is a fussy eater generally so struggle a bit with meals she will eat. I am also going to have to curtail her school food spending too as just can't afford it so she will be getting a cheap bottle of water to take in and also a roll of some sort. I am a bit worried about this as she tends to just not eat if she is not getting what she wants and its a key time for development. Thankfully uniform fits still but still need shoes and trainers.

In terms of meals - tuna pasta bake is one I use, bolognese with veggies and lentils. I need to dig out the chick pea dahl recipe as well, nice with roti which keep longer than naan. We do our own chicken nuggets and wedges. I like soups but find them a pain to cook and get right. Rissotto is a favourite - the rice from aldi is a good price. I also always check for offers as well and sometimes will upgrade my choice if the upmarket one is v similar in price to usual one.

Would always welcome new recipes though.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I've managed to not do a big shop yet in almost a fortnight due to being very strict in eating the freezer out first.

I've had to buy washing powder and softner but rather than get it from the supermarket, I bought a 70 wash box of Persil Non-Bio from PoundWorld for £7 and an 86 wash bottle of Lenor for £4 from Wilko which should last us a while.

I'm going to sit down and meal plan our week out tonight and only buy what we need for that.

I buy the wonky veg from Morrisons and use what we need fresh and peel, chop, blanch and freeze the rest to use during the week.It doesn't take long at all but it means 40p of carrots last a whole week.
I use up everything so today I've made bread and butter pudding as I had half a loaf past its best, we have frittata to use up the last of the mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, cooked potato, spring onion and anything else that's wilting in the fridge.
I often make bubble and squeak with the leftovers of the Sunday roast veg and a ploughmans with the leftover cold meat.
I bake buns, cookies and biscuits not that they work out cheaper I don't think it's just that it seems more of a treat to have homemade cake with a cuppa.
A couple of times a week we eat veggie meals which is cheaper and sometimes have a lighter main and a stodgy pudding like apple crumble or sponge pudding which are cheap to make instead. I always have a tub of ice cream in the freezer and will chop up any fruit to make fruit salad if it's lingering and looking wizened.It's enjoyed then but passed over if it's in the fruit bowl.

I really need to get back into better shopping myself, but my tips would be -

Buy a meal planner chalkboard (from B&M about £2) and the day of your weekly shop (currently Sat for us), sit down and decide exactly what meals you will have that week.

Try to have 2 meat free days to save money.

Write a shopping list of things you need for those meals, plus lunches, toiletries and a couple of nice snacks.

Go to Lidl or Aldi.

Stick to your list!! No swaying.

As soon as we buy our meat and veg we split it up into portions and put it in the freezer. We then get out what we need for the next day the night before.... it means no waste, we're only using what we need for that meal and the rest stays in the freezer until we need it next.

By doing this we have very little leftovers, feel better prepared for the week and we can reduce our food costs significantly.... now I just need to put what I preach into action!

Good luck!

Oh forgot to say too you can check out what meat and veg are on offer at Lidl for example that week and meal plan around those too!

Musclefood do massive packs of really good chicken breasts. Here

My best tip is to downgrade everything by one step and try it out. Eg instead of buying Tesco own brand dried pasta try Tesco value pasta, instead of Fairy liquid try Tesco own brand, instead of Cathedral
City try Tesco own brand cheddar. If you don't like it then fine go back to the next step up but the majority of swaps will be totally fine.

Another tip is that the Boots Botanics range of skincare is really lovely and is often on great offers making it super cheap eg £4. The serum got rave reviews on one of those money saving shows recently. I've now swapped all my Clinique etc for Botanics and have noticed zero difference in my skin and it's a fraction of the cost.

Do you get a menu for school lunches and the option of buying daily? If so you maybe could ask your child to choose one or two meals she would eat per week with packed lunches on the other days.

If you are eating lean meat and then adding oils or eating cheeses and those packs of crisps, just buy fattier meat/ dark poultry on the bone. Add in pulses to casseroles. Cheaper and imho more nutritious. Eggs are also a cheaper form of protein. Sorry if I missed them on your list.

Check if you are in a soft water area: if you are then you need a lot less washing powder etc than recommended on the packs.

My main tip would be go to the supermarket in the evening & get reduced food.

I went to Tesco last night & got lots of bread, fruit & meat very cheaply eg punnets of strawberries for 10p (will freeze & use for smoothies & sorbet), packs of 6 crusty rolls for 3p, pack of prawns for 40p etc.

I go at least once per week & spend about £40 per week including top-up shops for me, DH, 3 Dses (8, 6, 3) & cat, also including cleaning stuff, toiletries etc. I buy cheapest brand of most non-reduced things & little to no alcohol & fizzy drinks. I also scour the toy aisles for reduced birthday pressies which I stash eg a pair of Frozen gloves for 10p (will put with book), Lego sets for £2 etc.

Do you get a menu for school lunches and the option of buying daily? If so you maybe could ask your child to choose one or two meals she would eat per week with packed lunches on the other days.

I agree with this. Or possibly a cheap incentive (pack of stickers?) if she eats 2 school meals a week.

Also agree with:
Going to Aldi/Lidl if you have one within a reasonable distance.
Two (or more) super cheap meals a week - soup and bread, omelette and beans, jacket potato and beans
Meals like bolognese - yy to chucking in lentils, mushrooms etc. Noone can taste the difference

Fruit - only buy what's in season; out of season stuff can be extortionate. If you do go the Aldi/Lidl route then go with the "Super 6" fruit/veg.

Take bottles of water/squash with you when you go out, don't wander in to the supermarket to buy them.

Another fairly cheap and tasty meal I like is chicken thighs or breasts (can buy in bulk) with chicken seasoning or a (50p) "cook in the bag" bag, served with frozen veg and rice.

Thanks all. With your tips we managed to reduce our shopping bill last week to £70 from £140. No waste, we ate everything to the point our cupboards were bare on the day we did the weekly shop.

Great idea about the school meals. We're going to give it a go next week.

That's an amazing saving!

You're £3k a year better off if you keep that up.

Wow well done op!

I think i cud cut our food bill so looking for tips

Disapointed that amazon fresh is not in my area as i already have amazon prime!

I had been considering a once a month online delivery of none perishables and then buyinh fresh things from aldi as needed. Does anyone do this?

Omg my new phone hates me. I can spell really.