Excuse me but HOW is this a £28 shop???

[PeachesoutinGeorgia]

I bought like 8 items … in ASDA? And I spent £18 on fruit and eggs in M&S shortly before which will probably last about 3 days.

Granted it’s a nice establishment but fruit elsewhere is shockingly bad and you pay like 80% of the price anyway so you may as well get the nice stuff.

Regardless £46 for a couple of days and I didn’t even get anything for me. I probably just won’t eat to be honest, maybe have some leftover egg bites and nuggets.

Literally, how are you all doing out there?

I wouldn't have bought that expensive 4 pack of toilet roll for a start, I buy branded (Andrex) but get the 24 pack when it is on offer for £10

If you buy expensive brands, I do myself and try to buy bulk to get them a bit cheaper you can't really mean to come on here and say how are others managing, it's a bit off. I wouldn't start a thread moaning that I had to buy M&S fruit and veg and expensive toiletry items and then saying I can't afford to eat the rest of the week.

Its all branded. Ella's are expensive and Frylight is a waste of money just use less olive oil.
My arse has never met Cushelle and is that Child's Farm! Coz that's taking the piss l.

Top tip fill the empty fry light bottle with olive oil, controlled oil and it’s not just a series of chemical numbers like fry light.

And of course cheaper!

I've started buying crisps /biscuits/dips from herons as it's so much cheaper
I can get vegetable /sunflower oil for £1.59 instead of crazy prices at Tesco

Home bargains for toiletries
M&S for fruit and Tesco for meat

I don't drink smoke or do much socially that doesn't involve coffee. But i like branded stuff, mostly. I've tried aldi, their rip off cereals and biscuits aren't nice. The tea biscuits are solid. And the norpak tastes bloody awful. Lurpak is a million times nicer. I know everyone will pile on me saying how wonderful aldi is but its not really. I'm not near a lidl but I'm guessing they are a bit better.

I used to always shop at asda but like others here im shocked at their prices now, i think even marks are cheaper

I spreadsheet and price compared stuff for a scout camp I was buying food for. Asda and Aldi came out best, but it was cheaper to do some in Asda and some in Aldi. I saved a fair amount by knowing which products were cheaper in which store. Think it was about £20 on what would otherwise be a £140 shop if done only in one store.

I now do similar for my own food, and deliberately go to an Aldi just down the road from Asda so I can do a double shop and I try to keep track of what works out cheaper where. I will occasionally top up at a local Sainsbury's for the odd item. The local shop is more expensive, but it saves me driving and if I drive I inevitably do a bigger shop and buy stuff I don't necessarily need.

I avoid the bread at Aldi, because it's just awful and I tend to get most of my veg elsewhere. And I usually cook from scratch.

I have noticed that prices have increased most on meat and processed products.

I have occasional gone into Morrisons if I've been passing and needed something. Prices in there have made my eyes water - it really shocks me every time I end up in there. Tesco I've given up on due to club card and it now seeming to focus on ready meals over cooking from scratch - it just doesn't work for me now.

We don't stick to local supermarkets - for various reasons we will find ourselves out and about and will just go to the nearest supermarket on our travels (to avoid having to go on a dedicated trip later and to save fuel). Prices and stock do vary slightly store to store and buy we find this Aldi/Asda combo generally come out top for what we buy.

Lidl I would consider, but the only one nearby is just in the wrong place but there is one being built that would work for me, so may well factor that into shopping at some point too.

I buy mostly branded on an online Tesco shop and top up with Waitrose or M&S own brands, meat fruit and veg but don't come on here saying I can't afford to eat as that would be a bit crass

Fry light ruins your pans so you'll be spending even more money soon replacing them!

I've been shopping at Sainsburys and been really happy to see some prices on basics beginning to come down. Popped in this morning and got:

12 x full size Heinz beans: £5
1.9kg of chicken breast: £9.59
6 x apples: 99p
Easy peelers: 89p
6 x bananas: 99p
10 x free range mixed size eggs: £1.62
2.5kg potatoes: 99p
Cucumber: 59p
500g lean turkey mince: £2.49

It's worth doing a meal plan and doing one big shop with top ups just for fresh stuff in my opinion- we spend about £80 a week (2 adults and 1 child) and always have fresh fruit (including berries), white meats, fresh veg etc.

To add I also find the quality really good even of their own brand value stuff!

I agree with aldi to be honest, I like their tomatoes and they're usually decent value for money, but I really don't get the hype about the rest. Some things are actually worse quality but more expensive than other shops now, I don't buy a lot of processed stuff mind maybe that aspect is good? Their whole coffee beans are good for the price actually but a waste going in for tomatoes and coffee although off there later to try and find some tangy Tom's so maybe give some other bits another try

Stop buying the overpriced branded stuff

Switch to Aldi and Iceland

Only buy the essentials/everyday own brand ranges in any supermarket

I worked in Boots and was interested to learn that the reason the more expensive Johnson's and less expensive Boots own brand baby care products were in the same bottles was that they were all made by the same manufacturer. And the labels showed the same ingredients.

You spent a fiver on BUBBLE BATH here OP, your shop would be way cheaper if you were sensible with your money.

I probably just won’t eat to be honest, maybe have some leftover egg bites and nuggets.

That's really not the shop of someone who's worried there won't be food to eat. Actually ita really rather insulting to people who do need to be careful.

I don't understand the point of threads like these where people buy a load of expensive stuff from expensive shops and then moan that it's, um, expensive.

Surely you'd just buy cheaper things (which are almost always available) and your money would go further? I know that prices have gone up and that some people are really struggling, but if you're buying things like £5 bubble bath (wtf?) and silly branded bags of air then complaining that you 'just won't eat for a couple of days' then more fool you.

Is the OP just thick? Or genuinely trying to insult people?

@Seashellies I spend maybe just over that for the 2 of us but not much more and I do M&S and Waitrose and an odd bit at sainsburys- the secret is dont buy loads of grab and eat shit stuff or snacks and use yellow stickers and freeze. Meal plan and take stuff out of freezer night before etc. I have 5 days at end of every month too where I see what I've got in cupboards and freezer and meal plan around it without shopping.

Sugarcoatt · Yesterday 23:26
MrsSkylerWhite · Yesterday 22:40

Cut out the processed stuff and buy actual fruit at Aldi.

The sort labelled “ripen at home”, except it just goes straight from hard to wrinkly and mouldy but never ripens? No thanks.

Every shop sells “ripen at home” fruit and it’s all as bad. Buy stuff that’s already ripe?

What i miss now when shopping is the enjoyment of trying something new (to me) each week just for the fun of it. If I'm trying something 'new' now it's a reduced brand trial - looking at you Hellman's Tomato Ketchup!

Although I'm nowhere near being unable to feed myself it is really worrying to hear my nieces and nephews talking about how expensive it is to feed their wee families.

Really worrying because they are all two income households, are definitely struggling and not able to enjoy 'just' being parents without this excessive level of worry and strain.

For those of you who don't use M&S as it is expensive- take another look- if you want good quality cheaper things then look at their packets of rice (70 p or so). Frozen peas, basic biscuits and crackers, basic bread and milk and loose veg etc (which in my opinion lasts the longest out there) I frequently go in at 6.30 and buy up hugely reduced ready meals and pies etc and freeze them - we eat really well - what I don't buy is loads of sweet stuff- in fact none at all apart from 1 packet of digestives a week and Greek yoghurt and some fruit .

@Crikeyalmighty Some M&S stores are on Too Good To Go. I've been very pleased when I've been able to try their fancy salads etc for a fraction of the price.

I do at least half of my shopping in M&S , it’s not that expensive and they do some good deals . Their own brand butter is also very nice and a reasonable price .

Another vote for M&S. We shop around 60% in Aldi, 30% in M&S and occasional bits elsewhere.

As well as the things mentioned in the last couple of posts, M&S are among the cheapest for mixed weight free range eggs and massive blocks of Cheddar.

Also have decent meal deal/takeaway style offers and good reductions so always worth a scan when you go in.

Buy own brand! And for things you really need to buy a brand like your child’s farm check places like Amazon and Home Bargains. But you really don’t need branded kitchen towel and kids’ snacks.