Is anyone else feeling the pinch? Any tips?

[TattooedGrrrl]

Is anyone else feeling the pinch, with cost of food (and petrol)?

We've started shopping in Aldi- it's not half bad actually. Also making the effort to get to the local market for meat / veg.

Has anyone got any top tips for saving cash with food or drink? Or even better, any recipies that don't break the bank?

lentils

cheaper than chips!

lentil curries and lasagnes are really delicious, cheap and v.good for you.

MENU PLAN
IT IS VITAL
i draw the line at faggots tho

Dishwasher liquid is a lot cheaper than tablets (although personally I don't think it works as well )

Shop with specific meals in mind. Avoid buy one get one free offers unless they are really for things you'd normally buy.

has anyone got an example menu plan + shopping list for a cheap week?

Nothing wrong with faggots! (if you don't think about what's in them!)

Aldi have lovely cheeses btw. And we bought some bratwurst to try- £1.20 for 6, meat content 83% (which is v good i think) and they tasted lovely.

Start with your own. What do you and your family like to eat? Then make a note of what those meals need? Other people's menu plans won't necessarily fit in with your tastes and lifestyles.
Always good to have a few storecupboard recipes up your sleeve so you can throw something together and resist ordering in pizza when you're tired on Friday nights.

i do usually plan half the week's meals.

I'm down grading what i buy though- swopped organic eggs for free range, can't afford organic meat right now either. Couldn't bring myself to buy battery eggs / hens though. Swopped organic fresh milk for UHT stuff too.

www.moneysavingexpert.com
look at the forums - old style money saving
Lots of 'old style' money saving tips (using vinegar to clean etc~) - and menus/meal planning.

How is everyone doing on fruit? I have a huge appetite so eat a lot of fruit between meals to keep my weight down, but am finding it harder to get cheap fruit now. Have been colelcting the feed your family for a fiver things from sainsbury's, but all the meals with meat in are all classed as very high in cals, salt and fat so don't really want to make them.

Aldi is pretty cheap on fruit / veg, but i do find you need to eat it within a few days.

We've got an aldi not too far away (we don't have a car so have to be able to bus it!)-is it cheap on everything or just the offers?

MON pasta with peas, feta and chilli
TUES shepherds pie using lentils instead of mince
WED sausages polenta and green beans
THURS curry( chickpeas and sweet potato or chicken) with rice
FRI up to dh as i refuse to cook on Fridays
SAT : homemade pizza various toppings usually conmsisting of what is left from pack lunches ( ham cheese, chicken,etc) Big bowl of homegrown salad
SUN: GET YOURSELF INVITED TO SOMEONE ELSES!!

tesco has cheap pineapples at £1

Is polenta nice? Easy?

i like it.about £1 a 500g bag.
about 200g does 4 of us.You need to flavour it with butter or cheese to make it yummy. i add lots of herbs from the garden at this time of year to give it some interest.
also can use it as a bruscetta base by letting it go firm and topping with tomato and cheese a bit like pizza.

a typical meal plan for us:
MON - veg pasta (is bacon tonight as we had some in freezer)
TUES - shepherds pie (adding any leftover veg from roast)
WEDS - moroccan chicken/chicken curry and rice using leftover chicken from roast
THURS - salmon, sweet potatoes & broccoli
FRI - takeaway!! /fishfingers & oven chips for dd
SAT - beef stirfry
SUN - roast

we cook 'too much' food so dh takes it to work as packed lunch next day.
dd and I have sandwiches/soup/eggy bread/omeletter etc for lunches.

we cook too much with meat I think and are trying to have at least one meat-free night a week - interestng idea to do lentil shepherds pie. We love our takeaways which are expensive but let's face it,w e never go out ...

We also do tend to look if there is anything that needs using up and chuck that in to dinner (or lunch). Have upped the quality of meat we buy but everything else has become Own brand or basics (sainsbury's basics is fab - tells you why they are cheaper eg fairtrade bananas all different sizes)

oh, and always buy fairtrade coffee/tea and free range eggs...

I bought a can of curry sauce from tesco at the weekend it was 4p, yes 4p, havn't tried it yet, has anyone else?

I make a great dinner which the kids love, and it's cheap!
Get some sausage (you choose how much)
Brown in a frying pan with a chopped onion.
Add a tin of baked beans
Add a tin of chopped tomatoes
Add a small tin of red kidney beans
Cook for about 10 more mins
Serve with rice or pasta

Suppose you could use a bit of bacon instead of the sausage.

buy reduced price stuff but only if you use it and it is actually a decent reduction

i use fewer extras so no garlic, butter, fresh herbs etc they are all too expensive

chicken is too expensive except as a treat

in fact meat is a treat

trout is not too bad for me as i am on my own

you eat differently on your own because lots of things work out too expensive for one as you would waste stuff