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Original poster

Food has become so expensive. How is it sustainable?

160 replies

Prunnhilda · 20/04/2011 13:07

I've noticed a real change in the past couple of weeks: everything seems to have gone up by 10 or 15%, suddenly. (Except junk food, which is always on special offer, naturally Hmm)

We can't go on being blasé about nipping into the supermarket for a few bits and pieces. What foods are you cutting back on to save money?

OP posts:
Swedes2 · 21/04/2011 19:22

foxinsocks - your kedgeree sounds lovely. I don't know why I've never introduced my tribe to the delights of kedgeree.

foxinsocks · 21/04/2011 19:40

Took me ages to introduce it too Swedes! Goodness knows why I waited so long when it was do easy to cook and they all ate it (so rare!).

foxinsocks · 21/04/2011 19:40

so easy not do easy

Fiddledee · 21/04/2011 20:18

Nutritionally its not great to have the same food every day and lack of variety of fruit and veg is not great for you. Nutrients are also lost as the food is kept in the fridge and reheated.

My food bills have gone up too astronomic levels - have been buying fruit and veg from local farmers shop which has saved a huge amount. Frozen food alot cheaper too.

Babieseverywhere · 21/04/2011 20:19

Expat
"Make pizza dough in the slow cooker and freeze it."
Sounds good, have you got the recipe to hand ?

SofaQueen · 21/04/2011 20:23

DarthNiqabi, where are you? I use an on-line delivery service for speciality items here in London and they sell rabbit.

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 20:25

I've just been to Asda and bought frozen fish which will be fish pie/fish cakes/kedgeree.
I bought a cheap gammon joint which will do a roast, a potato bake, a few sarnies, a carbonara, a risotto and a ton of lentil soup for the freezer.

My friend has asked if I'll teach her to cook on a budget, and in return she'll do some jobs for me (mowing the lawn, cleaning the windows and such) that doe to illness I no longer can.
Winner!

expatinscotland · 21/04/2011 20:30

Sorry, in the bread machine.

Mmm, have a loaf in there just now. Have a guest coming tomorrow who adores our loaves.

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 20:32

I've considered a bread machine but doesn't it go off really quickly?

We don't eat that much bread but I know it works out cheaper and of course is better.
I'm tempted to get one.

expatinscotland · 21/04/2011 20:34

No, it doesn't go off quickly, IMO. I bought a bread box and keep it in that.

If it starts to off, I use it up: croutons, breadcrumbs, treacle tart.

everyspring · 21/04/2011 20:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AitchTwoOh · 21/04/2011 20:43

i do double measures of dough, use one half to feed the family with big square pizza, then make small, individual six-inchers to stack in the freezer, very handy for a quick tea. one bag of mozzie, 50p from lidl, and one can of toms, 33p, cut clove of garlic and a slug of olive oil on a hard boil for a fifteen min pizza sauce.

pointydog · 21/04/2011 21:03

Prices are rocketing.

I'm going back to my most basic of meals. I'm gonna knock Jamie's 30 minute meals on the head apart from weekends because they cost a packet.

AitchTwoOh · 21/04/2011 21:12

we should all start hitting our student cookbooks... sosmix, anyone?

pointydog · 21/04/2011 21:13

Variations on a Theme: Tomatoes.

That's how to keep it cheap

expatinscotland · 21/04/2011 21:21

I've got old copies of Grub on a Grant, More Grub on a Grant and Vegetarian Grub on a Grant - 3 for a quid in a charity shop!

This is an old but good source for your slow cooker.

expatinscotland · 21/04/2011 21:22

If you really want to go cheap on the toms, go for plum ones, which are always a bit cheaper than chopped. Whizz them up with a stick blender or food processor.

I'm determined to be debt-free in 2 years AND have saved enough for a deposit on a decent vehicle (for which we will probably have to take on some debt again, but not like we're in now).

But it means trade-offs, that's how it works. :)

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 21:24

I have the meat and veggie versions of GOAG too!

I'll look into a breadmaker then.
In fact my friend never uses hers so I'll see if I have anything she'd like to swap it for.

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 21:27

I chop up the whole tinned tomatoes with scissors, well I don't but DD does, that's her job.

I've just bought bacon from the local shop. Smoked streaky reduced to 40p a pack, so I bought all five packs they had, portioned up and froze.
I got two blocks of mozzerella too, for 20p each.

pointydog · 21/04/2011 21:28

lol @ Grub on a Grant.

All those lucky buggers who had the luxury of a grant.

vintageteacups · 21/04/2011 21:44

It's a bit weird. Sometimes, I'll pop into Tesco express and grab say, 4 small items and it comes to £8 and then I'll go into the co-op or Tesco Extra and buy what I think is quite extravagent for a week's worth of shopping and it comes to less than £80.

It's hit and miss and I hate having a planned menu as I have very fussy kids (1 is food phobic) so kind of have to buy stuff to bulk up ds and I spend half the shop guessing what he might eat!

Meat is very expensive - even turkey (that I hate) is creeping up towards chicken prices.

We have chicken perhaps once a week, mince once or twice and more egg based meals for protein. We also eat more Quorn - DH isn't as keen but I love it and the kids prefer it to mince which they hate chewing!

It's when you buy alcohol, loo rolls, toiletries and cleaning prods that it starts to get a bit Shock.

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 22:00

I buy my cleaning stuff and toiletries from semichem mainly, and loo rolls from Farmfoods.
9 rolls for £2, and they're decent ones too. I hate thin, crappy loo roll.

I was shopping with my friend today, my full big trolley came to £100, her full, small trolley came to £85.
The difference is, that apart from fruit, bread and two packs of crisps (£1 each) there's nothing really in my trolley you can eat as is, it's all ingredients, most of hers was ready made things.

nometime · 21/04/2011 22:02

My problem is that the local butcher is expensive - a few months ago I paid £12 for a large chicken! Tasted delicious but it didn't do enough meals to warrant the price.

We eat a lot of jacket potatoes and pasta and have veggie meals two or three times a week.

I try to buy seasonal fruit and veg and use my slow cooker and bread machine all the time. I also bake and freeze but I still think that prices are getting worse and worse. However, if I was prepared to feed the family on turkey shapes etc every night it wouldn't be so bad! Where do you all find these cheap outlets where eggs are less than a £1 and milk is 99p - tell me please!

ivykaty44 · 21/04/2011 22:14

Greengrocer in town sells eggs for 69p per half dozen, they are medium size eggs. The butcher I use in the other town sells eggs at 12 for £1.50, I wouldn't buy a whole chicken from him though as his would be around £10 but do get his sausages, I only buy 4 and they are 85% meat so the best of the three butchers around, and I get his ham as he cooks it and vacum pack its and it is also the best of the three butchers around. I get my chickens - if and when I buy a whole one from an out of town farm place that sells in bulk directly, great place for some stuff but I wouldn't buy there sausages or ham.

I do remember this in the start of the 1990's prices went up and up - until the % rates goes up to stop this food will get more and more expensive, it is rumoured that the % will move upwards in the coming months so food may start to level of for a while...?

NettoSuperstar · 21/04/2011 22:21

Farnfoods also do cheap milk and eggs, but not organic/free range.

I often buy duck eggs from the fishmongers in town-£2 for 6 but they are much bigger than hens eggs and richer too so make a great tea with soldiers.

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