Tips to lower food bill?

[AvoidingRealHumans]

I have noticed that my food shop has gone up quite a bit and wanted tips or tricks to help bring it down a bit.
I expected it with the kids being off school but they are back now and its still quite high.
It's just me and 2 boys (9 & 6) and I'm currently spending £90 a week in Aldi. I also go to tesco express through the week for random bits but I could easily stop that as its unnecessary things I buy.

I meal plan as in decide 7 meals and only buy the meat etc for that so it must just be utter crap I'm buying although at the time I think I am getting what I need.
I thought it was because I was taking the kids shopping with me but since they've been back at school I've gone alone and still spend 90 +.

Has anyone got any tips on how to stop my over buying and bringing it down? I have noticed I buy things on autopilot that I usually get but then get home and see that we still have whatever it is so didn't need more.
Or on the other hand, am I being tight and this is a normal weekly shop amount?
Any help appreciated

Are you bulking up food? So use mince over two meals and bulk with frozen veg if doing spag bol or lasagne.

Our food bill has shot up in lockdown so it may be one if those things.

I think it sounds fairly normal tbh, we are a family of 6 , 2 adults,4 teenagers so food wise basically 6 adults before covid shopping was around £200 a week now its around £240 on a good week😮
Prices have definitely gone up, theres less offers and often cheaper things are not available so I'm getting more expensive versions, we also buy pet food, toiletries, cleaning stuff etc all from.supermarket.
I think generally advice is know whats in your cupboards, meal plan, go with a list and stick to it and buy supermarket own brands. but sounds like you are doing that already!

Yes to bulk out for normal meals. My spag Bol serves us (2 x adults, DS8 and DD5) for 2 massive dinners but only use 500g mince. Rest is chopped onion, carrot, celery, peppers and a couple of big handfuls of red lentils.

Do you eat veggie meals? They are mega cheap
compared to meat.

Snacks and 'fridge bits' eg yoghurts, chicken slices, fancy cheese take ours up quite a bit.

Less meat

Food has gone up though, we're topping £150 for 4 now.

Prices have gone up and there are fewer offers around.

That said I've operated on a tight budget most of my adult life inc as a single mum (though only 1 dd)

So my tips are:

1 Tighten up the meal planning -

What meals ARE you planning are they expensive meals?

Are you eating meat every night? (I'm veggie but not militantly so I'm purely going from a cost perspective my jaw drops when I see the price of meat!)

Are you bulking out with veg?

With carbs? (There's a reason traditional "peasant" recipes/cuisine is carb heavy - it's cheap!)

Are you supplementing big appetites with soup starter (very cheap and easy and filling) or fruity/carby puds?

2 get organised with the shopping - do a shopping list DO NOT rely on memory - the psychologists that design supermarkets and marketing LOVE people who don't do a list as they are the ones most likely to fall for special offers!

This actually should preempt the meal planning, look and see what you already have in and meal plan based on what you already have rather than choosing meals and buying for them.

Also you need to check what you have in before you shop so you don't do as you said and unnecessarily buy things you've already got in. I've been guilty of that myself and years ago learned to put on shopping lists "DO NOT get beans this week" so there's no "did I check if we need beans?" In your head while you're shopping.

3 reduce food waste

Are you throwing lots of perishable items out? If so you need to address that, that's literally throwing money away! I've been on the frugal foodies thread though that's slowing down now but there's 3 threads in total and LOADS of ideas for using/extending the life of perishables and also great guidance on how long food is actually safe to use eg eggs last ages past use by date especially if using for baking/in mixed in recipes.

I've started using the nest egg app and have even found it worth getting the premium version. You can create a whole inventory for all your food and include expiration dates and you can set alerts for the expiring stuff. I check it most days to see what needs using up and think what to have for dinner based on that.

Also stops you forgetting that yoghurt lurking at the back of the fridge and you can inventory homemade things/leftovers.

4 are you buying expensive "fashionable" items for breakfast, lunch and snacks due to pester power? Hard to resist I know, but you will have to if you're serious about reducing expenditure -

Supermarket brand cereals - really rarely taste hugely different if at all from branded items. You could even try Martin Lewis's suggestion of gradually reducing brand levels for goods, eventually you may reach a point where you go "no I'd rather spend more" but it's worth a try. Not just cereals either

Toast/crackers, crudités, rather than crisps - healthier too

Fruit and I'm afraid yes "everyday" biscuits are cheaper than sweets, chocolate bars etc

Yoghurt - can be cheaper and healthier to buy a large pot of unflavoured and let the kids add bits to flavour. Might seem dearer short term to buy in "toppings" but usually works out cheaper in long term - I managed to persuade dd this was better than buying eg muller corners as she could have 7 different flavours a week. Yes ideally healthier fruity toppings but a LITTLE in the way of treat toppings doesn't hurt if it gets kids on board - sprinkles, choc buttons etc check out the cake decoration section and just don't let the kids go mad with toppings.

Drinks - is that where most money going? Fizzy pop? Ready made juices? Cheapest of course are milk and water (and milk fills you up too) but as a middle ground go for nice squashes/cordials and maybe consider getting a soda stream.

Anyway that's just for going on with

Oh yes! And remember to sign up to AND USE loyalty schemes and regularly check for vouchers etc

I've definitely noticed the cost of food shopping going up and it is really hard to keep to budget.

Meal planning I find is key and to extend this to lunches too. I'm pretty good with planning for dinners but when left to my own devices with lunch bits we end up with loaves of bread, bagels, sandwich thins, rolls, wraps and pittas to last about 3 months after the food shop and bugger all to put in them by day 3!

Do you throw out much? That would be an obvious place to start looking at. If not then it's just looking for cheaper meals. A lot of the time that will mean using little or no meat but just stretching meat out with veggies and lentils can make a big difference.

Cheaper meals we have been enjoying recently have been:
Cheese and onion puff pastry tart
Homemade bean burgers in buns
Frittata/quiche
Egg fried rice
Vegetable and bean stew
Jacket potatoes

It's worth looking at recipes online, sometimes you can get stuck in a rut with meals and buy the same ingredients for the same meals but with a bit of inspiration you may find some cheaper meals you enjoy. Pasta, rice, legumes, eggs and potatoes are all cheap and filling so look for recipes involving those ingredients and when it comes to fruit, veg and meat, try to buy things that are on offer.

The easiest ways to save money are:

Meal plan for a full week - so no top up shops unless it's for things like milk, fruit and bread.
More vegetarian meals.
Homemade snacks - so making flapjacks instead of buying bars etc.
Buy frozen fruit and vegetables instead of fresh - just as healthy and lasts much longer.
Bulk out meat with lentils etc.
Shop with a list and stick to the list! No impulse buys.
Shop around - cleaning stuff is available from places like home bargains for less than a quid, for example.
Bulk buy cupboard staples when they're on offer - pasta, tins and rice etc. don't go off quickly so no rush to use them.

Could you give examples of a weekly menu, snacks and drinks you buy?

Ours weekly shop is costing more too. I do think prices have risen.

I used to do a proper meal every night (eg homemade curry, vegetable lasagne etc). Now I plan 2 basic meals such as beans on toast or Omlete. That’s saved money and meant that I have to very easy meals I can give when I’m feeling lazy/tired. Those meals aren’t too unhealthy either!

I also bulk cook like others have suggested and freeze left overs for meals the following week.

Have you tried making smaller portions if you throw food away often?

Wow, thank you for the replies and the detail given.

Yesterday I did have to throw away a (big) bag of salad/veg from the fridge and a tray of eggs, I'm embarrassed at the amount so won't mention but that is something I obviously need to look at.

We do eat meat about 6 times a week, an example week is roast chicken/pork with trimmings, fajitas, chicken korma, spag bol/chilli, lamb kofte and flatbreads, home made burgers and one night will be filled pasta with sauce, garlic bread and salad etc. I make it all from scratch and the only ready meal i buy is a single portion lasagne because the boys don't like it so they will have an oven pizza if i have that. I have been thinking about having more veggie meals so I will have to get on Pinterest for some inspo. Does anyone have any veggie meal ideas that aren't using meat substitute and aren't just pasta and sauce?

I only take a list of the 7 meals and ingredients shopping so anything else I get is by memory or impulse. I could probably do with going through the kitchen and making a list of everything we have in, that should help future planning and list writing so I don't get what I have.

If in tesco I do buy some branded things but have been going to aldi recently so it could be that I'm buying things because they're cheap but its all adding up.

I have just been in my kitchen and seen that I have a load of 'bread type' items - wraps, crumpets, bread, bagels.. in all honesty they probably won't all get eaten

Some nights I will make different mains at dinner time as I fancy something different from the kids so I do need to stop this i think. My sister has a go at me for buying chopped chicken breast as she says its more expensive and having a roast and not using up all the meat.

I buy squash and am partial to diet coke, could easily knock the diet coke on the head, i get supermarket high juice, little bit more expensive than normal squash but I find it that bit nicer. Any cheaper, nice squash ideas I'm happy to try.

I started this thread wondering why I spend so much but reading the replies and thinking about my habits I can kind of see how its happening.
I will definitely have to take a list and strictly stick to it because I easily veer off course in a shop.

Were the eggs actually off, though? In my experience, eggs are fine for weeks after the "best before" date. From that comment, I do wonder whether you're unnecessarily throwing food out - ignore the date on the packaging (unless it's raw meat) and go by smell/feel instead.

I have eggs in my fridge that apparently went out of date at the beginning of June - they're absolutely fine DH had some for dinner yesterday and I'll use a couple more today to make burgers too. If you google it, there is a test you can do on eggs to check whether they're okay to eat or not.

The meat you've listed is pretty expensive too - pork and lamb aren't cheap. Have you tried turkey as a substitute? Or different cuts of meat? Buying a whole chicken rather than cuts of meat, for example, can save a fortune. Cook it, carve it, and then you can freeze it into portions, or have it in the fridge and use it over a few days. Buying frozen is often cheaper too.

Also, what about fish? Frozen fish is really cheap and just as good as fresh - you can get four haddock fillets from Morrisons (frozen) for £2, for example. You can do homemade fish and chips for not a huge amount of money - make a home-made batter, fry the fish and make some homemade wedges.

I cook vegetarian a few days a week - macaroni cheese, veggie burgers, stir fry, vegetarian pizza, butternut squash or mushroom risotto, vegetarian pasta bake, couscous with various vegetables and pesto etc.

Less meat, as others have suggested.

It really does make a huge difference.

You have answered your own question...stop popping in to Tesco's to buy random bits you could do without.

I have no idea how to reply to individuals on my app..
The eggs said mid June and I had bought more so I threw them

I will look up recipes for cheaper cuts and different meats. I think I have a terrible habit of buying whatever I fancy for dinners when I could be more practical regarding cheaper and things that could stretch further and can be bulked out. I've definitely got some great tips and food for thought from all of the replies.

Veggie suggestions for you
Fritata
Dhal and rice
Mushroom risotto
Chickpea and cauliflower curry
Vegetable tagine
5 bean chilli with jacket potatoes
Carrot and kidney bean burgers
Baked falafel in pitas with salad
Shakshuka
Macaroni cheese
Broccoli and blue cheese quiche

We meal plan every Sunday, and try not to eat meat every night. Agree with pp with stretching out mince with lots of veg for things like chilli and bolognese. I also freeze a lot so nothing gets wasted, particularly things like pita breads where we never use a whole pack, and they are easily defrosted in the toaster in a minute.

Our menu this week is fairly typical:

Monday - chicken and red pepper risotto - we’re having a roast chicken tonight so that will use the remaining meat
Tuesday - vegetable pasta bake - good for using any sad looking veg, everything gets chucked in!
Wednesday - shepherd’s pie (freezer) with frozen veg
Thursday - baked potatoes with cheese and coleslaw, salad
Friday - full breakfast for dinner - this also leaves sausages for sausage sandwiches on Saturday morning
Saturday - veggie burgers, chips, salad - I stuck some brioche buns in the freezer from last time we had burgers
Sunday - spaghetti bolognese - this will do Monday too

We do an online grocery shop twice a month for bulky stuff. In lock down I have been going to the M&S foodhall which is our closest shop, and snagging a lot of yellow stickered things which I stash in the freezer. By late afternoon they are on a second markdown.

@AvoidingRealHumans

Wow, thank you for the replies and the detail given.

Yesterday I did have to throw away a (big) bag of salad/veg from the fridge and a tray of eggs, I'm embarrassed at the amount so won't mention but that is something I obviously need to look at.

We do eat meat about 6 times a week, an example week is roast chicken/pork with trimmings, fajitas, chicken korma, spag bol/chilli, lamb kofte and flatbreads, home made burgers and one night will be filled pasta with sauce, garlic bread and salad etc. I make it all from scratch and the only ready meal i buy is a single portion lasagne because the boys don't like it so they will have an oven pizza if i have that. I have been thinking about having more veggie meals so I will have to get on Pinterest for some inspo. Does anyone have any veggie meal ideas that aren't using meat substitute and aren't just pasta and sauce?

I only take a list of the 7 meals and ingredients shopping so anything else I get is by memory or impulse. I could probably do with going through the kitchen and making a list of everything we have in, that should help future planning and list writing so I don't get what I have.

If in tesco I do buy some branded things but have been going to aldi recently so it could be that I'm buying things because they're cheap but its all adding up.

I have just been in my kitchen and seen that I have a load of 'bread type' items - wraps, crumpets, bread, bagels.. in all honesty they probably won't all get eaten

Some nights I will make different mains at dinner time as I fancy something different from the kids so I do need to stop this i think. My sister has a go at me for buying chopped chicken breast as she says its more expensive and having a roast and not using up all the meat.

I buy squash and am partial to diet coke, could easily knock the diet coke on the head, i get supermarket high juice, little bit more expensive than normal squash but I find it that bit nicer. Any cheaper, nice squash ideas I'm happy to try.

I started this thread wondering why I spend so much but reading the replies and thinking about my habits I can kind of see how its happening.
I will definitely have to take a list and strictly stick to it because I easily veer off course in a shop.

I often have roast chicken on Sunday and then use the left over chicken to go with a salad or curry on the Monday. I find there is easily enough chicken if I make my kids more sensible portions (they’re only 3 and 6).

Shop around - cleaning stuff is available from places like home bargains for less than a quid, for example.

Definitely!

Housebound at the moment and this has definitely increased my costs.

When I'm not I get cleaning and toiletry products from home bargains, Wilko, b&m, semi Chem, body care, pound shops etc

Does anyone have any veggie meal ideas that aren't using meat substitute and aren't just pasta and sauce?

Veggie 30+ years here there's LOADS

Have a browse online too.

Examples off top of my head:

Risotto (mushroom or pea are my favourites)

Vegetable tarts/pies (either bought or home made)

Omelette/frittata - stops you throwing out eggs too

There's TONS of veggie curries/stews/casseroles/chilli you can do and these are great for the cook too as they're generally just a one pan job easy to do. Including bean stews, stroganoff, ghoulash... all sorts

Stir fries - I love a stir fry! Veggies that work great inc peppers, mushrooms, mange tout, baby corn, onion, celery, courgette, broccoli, beansprouts, you could even get in things like bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. I must admit I'm being lazy and using the ready made sachets at the moment but it's dead easy to make your own (it's just hard to do in small amounts it's only me at home now) either simply use soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce to season or make using soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, spices, ketchup... tons of recipes online

It's good just to get out of a rut too.

But may I ask why "not meat subs"? Cos I use those too and get on fine with them. I know not for everyone but curious what the issue is.

anything else I get is by memory or impulse which as I said in 1st post makes you a prime target for marketing!

I do my shopping lists by meal/category so:

Breakfast

Lunch - eg you note you have too many bread products likely due to lack of planning. You don't need bread, rolls, wraps and thins every week. I get bread every week (just a 400g loaf as it's only me) and occasionally get rolls/wraps/thins to ring the changes.

Dinner

Drinks

Snacks

Household

Toiletries

I have a running "template" list on my phone I go through when ordering each week (I shop online) so I don't forget stuff!

I agree with your sister it's daft to buy ready chopped chicken when you've a decent sized family who likely would manage the "mn chicken" idea.

My mum (from a VERY poor background where stretching food was essential) when we were all living at home would do:

A roast on the Sunday, usually but not always chicken. She'd use the slow cooker and said the meat would "fall off" the bones. She is an expert of getting every ounce off it I must admit, it's a skill but you can learn!

Then Monday would be a pie or casserole/stew made with the leftovers

Tuesday if there was any left (family of 5) she'd use for our packed lunches, while I'm veggie now I do have fond memories of leftover sandwiches - chicken with mayo and tomato, pork with thin slices of apple, beef with horseradish or gherkins.

Your nut understanding why you were spending so much is common, we're often too close to the situation to see it objectively. The frugal foodies posters have MASSIVELY helped me on that, I'd got into some bad habits too not only expensive but unhealthy.

I'm eating SO much better now and saving around £30 a week

Eggs last ages past the "best before" date. "Best before" merely refers to the product being at highest quality before that date. With eggs it means to me they're good for things you need the yolk to stay intact for - fried, soft boiled or poaching. After the best before they're still absolutely fine for ages for scrambled, omelettes, baking (you can use for AGES for baking), glazing etc

I have ocd and am VERY cautious on food safety (partly as I also have a stupidly sensitive stomach!) and I will happily use eggs 2-3 weeks past the best before

Friday - full breakfast for dinner

LOVE this! I'm a Scot so a glasgow fry is a huge thing culturally. I'm
Afraid does include meat subs but I love sometimes having:

Fried eggs, fried mushrooms, tattie scones, beans, veggie square sausage (seriously yummy!), veggie link sausage (Linda McCartney lincs are my favourite at the moment, most of that brands sausages are delicious, the originals ones work fantastic in my sausage and baked bean casserole which is one of my Omni dds favourite meals) and toast all washed down with a cracking mug of scottish blend "builders tea" or irn bru.

Forgot to say mum would also use the bones from the roast to make stock which she'd then use for soup, stews etc.

Scots as I say so soup is a huge thing culturally too.

Mum STILL always has a big pot on the go even though it's just her and dad now. But they get through it. Dad is very ill and it's a good way of getting nutrition into him without overloading him.

But as a kid we had soup most days after getting in from school to "keep us going" until dinner, usually with a roll or couple slices bread and butter. Much healthier than crisps and other snacks too.

Our non Scots friends often thought it was odd, but upon trying it they were also often impressed and asked for seconds!

It's a cheap easy way of filling a family up.

I did the same with dd and I except of course my soup was veggie. You can do a "proper" recipe or do an "odds and ends" soup - soup is great for using up past it's best veg and even sneaking into kids veg they "don't like" (especially if you blend )

Dd has spent years telling people she doesn't like spinach, courgette, mushrooms... all sorts but has been eating them in my soups and complimenting and polishing off said soup!

Forgot to say mum would also use the bones from the roast to make stock which she'd then use for soup, stews etc.

Scots as I say so soup is a huge thing culturally too.

Mum STILL always has a big pot on the go even though it's just her and dad now. But they get through it. Dad is very ill and it's a good way of getting nutrition into him without overloading him.

But as a kid we had soup most days after getting in from school to "keep us going" until dinner, usually with a roll or couple slices bread and butter. Much healthier than crisps and other snacks too.

Our non Scots friends often thought it was odd, but upon trying it they were also often impressed and asked for seconds!

It's a cheap easy way of filling a family up.

I did the same with dd and I except of course my soup was veggie. You can do a "proper" recipe or do an "odds and ends" soup - soup is great for using up past it's best veg and even sneaking into kids veg they "don't like" (especially if you blend )

Dd has spent years telling people she doesn't like spinach, courgette, mushrooms... all sorts but has been eating them in my soups and complimenting and polishing off said soup!

If you live in a large town or city the ethnic food shops are really cheap.
Try to buy some stuff you use all the time in bulk, it also minimises packaging.
Always make a list.
As for the salad bag, a lettuce lasts longer.

graphista I am also a Scot! We call it “brinner” and it’s usually sausages, eggs, bacon, baked beans, and potato waffles. I might look for some tattie scones before Friday though! Definitely with big mugs of tea.

LOVE tattie scones! One of my favourite things which is also very much a Scots thing is a hot roll! Preferably a Morton's black roll, heavily buttered with 2 tattie scones and a yolky fried egg filling - very messy but so delicious!

The weight I piled on when I first "moved home" as I was eating all the things I'd normally only eat once or twice a year when visiting grannies was shocking

I was forging myself on hot rolls, fry ups, macaroni cheese pies, Aulds strawberry tarts, coffee buns, tablet, macaroon, pizza crunch...

Fine to eat like that one or 2 weeks a year - not all the time!

Forging? GORGING need an edit button!!

Have a day a week where you use up stuff.

Check cupboard before shopping and buy ti use up stuff. Eg if you've got sausages in plan to have sausage pasta.

Have a cheap night once a week. Egg and chips or jackets and stuff.

Embrace leftovers.

Freeze the wraps, bagels etc.

Stop throwing away food that's fine just because it's got passed the date. Those eggs were fine lettuce if fine till it looks like it's gone off.