Food shopping tips appreciated!

[Strugglingmama1]

Hi all, I am fed up with expensive shopping and its not the meals that is the problem really - its the snacks.

I have 5 kids that are always hungry for snacks and I’m wondering is it actually cost effective to go to places like B&M and stock up on crisps, choc etc once a month for example, Or does it work out the same to just get it from the supermarket? Not just food but toiletries, cleaning products etc?

Does anyone have any tips on saving on the weekly food shop?

sometimes i go to the food warehouse thinking its cheaper but I don’t think it is. I can’t help but wonder if its better to just stick with aldi and be done with it?

I would consider going to the supermarkets for yellow sticker but I’m rural and the nearest supermarket is a 20 minute drive.

I’m also happy to make snacks but if you have fussy kids you’ll understand that that can be a waste of time and money too!

thanks in advance!

I’d be worried they weren’t doing anywhere near enough vigorous exercise if they weren’t hungry enough to need a snack between school and dinner. Surely most active children are doing swimming training/sports practice/gymnastics or at least playing outdoors before they are home for dinner. There are not many people turning up for two hours of swimming training at 4pm having had lunch at 12:30 with dinner not until 6:30 or 7 who aren’t at least eating a banana before they start.

For us it’s fruit, peanut butter on vitawheats, boiled eggs, a carrot with hummous, a cube of cheese or yoghurt with fruit. We both also have an afternoon snack, as is common for adults who do lots of exercise. If we’re not hungry, adult or child, then no snack is needed. We don’t buy packaged ones because they’re too easy to eat for reasons other than hunger!

Hard boiled eggs
Homemade cake/muffins etc, usually fruit based

Massive block of cheese, chopped into cubes

Homemade apple sauce (we live abroad, apples are very cheap)

Big bowl homemade veg soup as a starter 👍

@Clonakilla , I'd not consider what I'd call tea (afternoon tea not evening meal) a snack.
A sandwich and a drink. Something like a jam or peanut butter.

The meals are breakfast, lunch, tea, supper (light evening meal). No eating between them other than free access to the fruit bowl.

No helping themselves to crisps, noodles, biscuits, chocolates etc.

This year we've had to reign in our food spending, and we also found snacks was a big, needless and unhealthy spend. We have shaved around 20-40£ off our bill for a family of 4 per week. I basically bypass the biscuit aisle and make flapjack/healthier muffins/banana bread which the kids can have a slice of after school. I now buy big bags of crackers, rice cakes, corn cakes etc which they have with peanut butter or cream cheese. Failing that there is toast and of course fruit... No more multi packs of crisps or KitKat type things... To be fair me and my husband ate more of them than the kids which is not good for two middle aged people. Nobody feels hard done by and we've shaved off a good portion of that cash.