NOSEY- whats your plans for the week and how much have you spent?

[kitcat83]

I am on a supermarket war as I am getting fed up of just having to spend huge amounts of money to feed my family( me, DH and DS) clean my house and clothes.

I used to shop at Sainsbo's or Tesco, and have been dipping into other methods for a few months now to try to pare down the cost.

This week I have done a minimal shop for fridge stuff and store cupboard at Lidl, plus some cleaning products which cost me £50

I then went to our butchers and bought £20 of meat and fish for the week.

I plan to make this last just over a week if possible which includes, breakfasts, packed lunches and dinner for us all. DH is a landscaper so its all hearty filling fare for suppers here.

I am interested what you lot all spend and make to get you through the week without being chained to the cooker?

This weeks meal plan will probably go soemthing like this-

Sunday- Homemade lasagne and salad. Yogurts,apples and cheese

Monday- Meals frozen from last week- Me beef casserole and mash.
Ds- spag bog
DH- Chicken in white wine and mash
Fruit salad

Tuesday- Smoked haddock, poached egg, sauted potatoes, and veg.

Wed- Lamb kebabs, pitta breads, greek salad, tzatziki, roasted veg.

Thursday- Ds spagetti and pesto
Adults- Spicy thai rice noodles with either leftover chicken in freezer or steamed salmon

Friday- Homemade pizzas

Saturday- Have a whole chicken in feezer that I am going to joint and make a chicken chasseur with.

Sunday- Roast belly pork if we are in. If out for the day not sure!!

Tonight is spinach and chickpea curry (am using dried chickpeas for maximum thriftiness!)

Tomorrow I'm making veggie Shepherd's Pie (again with dried beans). Very filling and you can add in all kinds of vegetables to the base bit, and hide them in the mash topping too.

That's as far as my meal planning goes...although DP is out on Thurs so I'll probably have leftovers from the freezer.

Mon - Toad ( sausages were in freezer )
Tues - Enchiladas
Weds - Omelettes/dippy eggs
Thurs - Chicken cacciatore and veg
Friday - Baked salmon, potatoes and veg
Saturday - Steak and chips, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions etc
Sunday - friend's - I am making and taking Choc B and B pudding and a Seville Orange Tart
Mon - Pasta - cheese and tomato for DC, arrabiata for us

I find I spend a lot less if I meal plan. The salmon and sausages I have in the freezer, and the steak I will get on the day from the local farm shop. The steak is a treat - we have it a few times a year.

Not entirely sure but tonight it's tuna risotto.
Tomorrow homemade chicken korma with rice
Wednesday roast chicken with veg
All our meals are homemade and healthy
Not sure about other meals yet. We spend a lot on food, but then again it's all good quality so it's worth it. Nothing from Iceland for us!

Sat - ate at friends
Sun - roast chicken, mash & veg
Mon - mussels with chorizo & white wine (kids ate at my mums so just DP and I)
Tues - Baked fish & lentils
Wed - Halloumi burgers with pitta & salad
Thurs - Chickpea curry, rice & naan
Fri - Sweet potato wedges & fish of some sort (will see what's cheapest on Thurs!)

I spend far less when I do a proper meal plan... trying to cut back this month so eating more veggie meals / fish (our Morrisons always has fish reduced so snap up what looks good and freeze if need be. I've spent about 80 pounds ish this week - which is v good by our usual standards (tends to be more like double that!) - I got quite a bit from Lidl & Aldi this week, which has saved me a fair amount...

I am doing week 1 of the sainsburys meal plan, feeding the family for five days for £20. However i have bought better quality meat than that specified and spent around £25. My kids probably wont eat anything on the plan so I am relying on home made pizza, fish fingers and the like which I already have. I am veggie and weightwatching so bought a few ready meals and ingredients for WW recipes...stocked up on coffee...paid delivery charge...£106!!! I really despair of trying to budget. On the bright side, the meal planned meals should last longer than five days as I will split and freeze in containers.

Sunday - vege and paneer curry with chapatis and yoghurt (about 6 pounds)

Monday - veggie bolognaise with garlic bread (about 4 pounds)

Tuesday - dd1's birthday so she gets to choose. She has chosen pizza delivery and it will be 21 pounds.

Wednesday - homemade quiche, wedges, vege (about 4.50)

Thursday - veggie chilli and rice and salad (about 4.50 I guess)

Friday - leek and potato pie and vege (about 5.00)

Weekend - no idea!

Today- beef stew
Wednesday-honey&mustard roasted ham hock with mash and green beans
Thursday-garlic&chili spaghetti
Friday-lentil&smoked bacon soup (made with stock from ham hock)
Saturday-homemade pizza
Sunday-pork roast with all the trimmings

Puddings will be fruit and homemade tarts/cakes.

My new years resolution was to meal plan, eat up the stuff in the freezer and stop buying rubbish cut down on supermarket costs. So far so good - we're averaging about £50 a week all in and I'm finding I'm much more organised. This week's meal plan looks like this:

Mon - Omelette and salad
Tues - veggie enchiladas
Wed - beef and veg stir fry with noodles
Thurs - chicken thighs and roast veg
Fri - baked potatoes with chilli (from freezer)
Sat - pasta and meatballs
Sun - Roast chicken with trimmings