I need to reduce my shopping bill - help!

[Sonnet]

I really need the collective power of mumsnet brains please

I really need to reduce my shopping bill to £80 per week to feed 2 adults and 2 children. Breakfast for 4, PL for one hungry DH, Evening meal for 4. Weekends = 3 meals per day.

The problems I face in implementing the simple ideas I can think of are these:

1. Children leave house at 7.50 and need a good breakfast to last them until lunchtime - neither eat cereal so it is boiled eggs, bacon sandwiches, muffins with ham/cheese, toasted cheese ect - not cheap
2. I often get back late and have multiple supper times so I need things I can cook once and then re-heat, I need to get a meal on the table inside 30 mins
3. I do cook ahead but will soon be working an extra day so curtailing my time in which to do this

ideas welcomed by everyone......please....

blimey, even I wouldn't struggle reducing my shopping budget to £80 per week, and I'm a terrible spender on food. You just need to meal plan. Maybe eat less meat?

I do meal plan, honestly and have been doing in since 2001. I don't eat ready meals, bought desserts or anything lik ethat - just meat, fish, poultry, bacon, fruit and veg!!
So what am I doing wrong?

they dont eat any cereal? whats wrong with two slices of toast and an apple for break?

Not necessarily going to reduce the amount you spend but; how about have a batch cooking day once a week or fortnight? Then freeze whatever you've made in big enough portions for your family & when you need them just defrost & re-heat. Would maybe help with the get a meal on the table inside 30 mins thing

Maybe try dropping down a brand for some things as well where the kids & dh may not notice the difference? Other than the packaging a lot of things are pretty much the same as more expensive brands.

hth

Nothing Custardo - and that is the route I shall have to take. It is hard getting out of the mindset of a good breakfast setting them up for the day that is all

I would really welcome some help. I know £80 may seem a lot to a lot of people but also there are plenty more on here who spend a lot more

I havere-read old threads ( 2 hrs last night) but the ideas seem to involve being around in the day or cookig ahead lots - and I will have even less time to do that.

Thanks Lucysmam - yep think that is what I will do. I do that currently on my day off but will have to squeeze it in to the weekend now

Interesting about the brand thing - I buy own brand pasta, rice etc, tinned toms, passata - in fact aprt from Loo rolls and washing powder I don't buy much brand stuff at all.

We spend about £80 on 4 people.

What sort of meals are you making atm?

Things like spag bol, meat or veg curry, soup can be made as per lucysmam's batch cooking/freezing suggestion.

Do you do an online shop? There are always codes on MN and I find I can budget better when I'm not just throwing stuff into the trolley.
Eat more veg (can you get to a local market/greengrocers? Far cheaper then)
Buy meat from butchers, cheaper and better quality
Make up tomato sauces and freeze, can be used as a pasta sauce base/Pizza topping/tomato soup/chilli sauce base.
Veg soup is easy, cheap and filling
I'm trying to do an online shop once a fortnight and use local greengrocers/butchers for rest.

Porridge and fruit for breakfast - add raisins, cinnamon and golden syrup if it helps

Have you got a slow cooker? try Freecycle if not. Or you can get one el cheapo from Argos. Chuck stuff in it in the morning, hey presto dinner's ready when you get home. Loads of ideas online.

Batch cook curries, spag bols, casseroles, stews etc.

Reduce the meat portions (healthier!) and bulk up meals by adding chopped root veg, lentils, beans etc.

You've got loads of room for improvement in that budget (I'd be planning what wine to spend the spare £20 on ... )

Hi mercy - We eat - spag bol ( as that or a base for lasagne), chick cass, raost chick one day, chick leftovers the next, homemade pizza, beef cass, toad in the hole etc

I don't spend widley over £80 on the basic supermarket shop but I tend to run out of things and thr top up shops take me over the amount

I do an online shop once every 4 weeks and top up shops in between so maybe that is where I am going wrong?

Thanks Lizzylou for butchers tip - i use to do this but stopped because it was easier to get it in one go, I will now give this a go again
Veg soup sounds good - I am ashamed to say I have never done soup - It scares me for some reason...

ThnaksIateDavinafordinner... helpful suggeations
Lentils - they scare me too....what do I "do"
i have got some pearl barley inthe cupboard that I read onhere was good for putting into chick casseroles - but it is still unopened

Toast made with quality bread, honey/peanut butter/marmite and fruit is a breakfast that will set them up surely? And it's cheaper than bacon butties every day.

If DP needs a packed lunch, just make extra of whatever the night before and give that to him. I find that doesn't add massively to cost (assuming you're not doing steak, obviously) and it's more hearty than 6 sandwiches.

Eat less meat definitely. Use bacon/chorizo/chicken breasts in vegetable sauces rather than big chunks of lamb or beef as it goes further and is much cheaper.

Soup is fab, so cheap, filling and easy. I use it as a way of using up any left over veg (that or veg curry), just add lentils and herbs and blitz. If you have a breadmaker and have nice crusty bread even better!

I do one big shop every week, with maybe one top up per week (usually for milk or fruit).

We are having leek and potato soup tonight actually, do you want a recipe? It's very simple.

Risotto is another fave, here. As is roasted veg and cous cous with mint yoghurt.

Lentils are great and bulk up meals well. Just add a good handful to soups/sauces. I use red lentils.

Hi Sonnet
Well we have a monthly budget of £150 and that is 1 child 2 adults various visitors for dinner and the dog. It includes alcohol. The other thing we do is have a housekeeping pot of about £50 a month (which NEVER gets used up completely) for the fresh milk, bread, more fruit and veg thru the month when the delivered stuff is used up.

We online shop and have been since about 1999 I think, I find it helps keep the cost down and time.

Concentrate on the essentials, fruit and veg etc and make up your meals yourself do not use ready meals. If you make a big dinner one night, portion control and put some aside in the freezer for another day.

You may need to reeducate that toast, ready break and yoghurts are the breakfast, this is fast food but also healthy food.

My son eats a bowl of cereal or porridge, two small petit filous and a rusk to dip into them for breakfast, at weekends we usually have boiled eggs or poached eggs and now and again bacon rolls.

Watch the meat portions too. I find that mince is now sold in such huge containers that people use the whole thing. Either separate it into two or cook it all and freeze half.

Buy a HUGE bag of spuds, if kept folded at the top you should have enough for a few weeks at least and they should last too.

I know I have waffled on, but this is something I am good at budgeting and watching the bills.

I use my supermarket.com too, it helps you shop around.

Good luck.

Lentils masterclass:
Make spag bol. Add some red lentils. Boil for 10 mins then reduce heat and simmer as normal. Voila.

Soup masterclass:
Fry onions. Add chopped up carrots. Add tatties/lentils/yellow split peas. Add stock (made from bones of your roast chicken, simmered for an hour). Season and boil for 10 mins, reduce to simmer and ready in under an hour. Delish!

soups are dead easy, just chuck everything in the pot and blitz when its ready. and there are so many diff recipes that you can try.

We had broccolli soup and bread rolls last night and dd1 and dh have taken the rest for their lunch in a little thermos each, so thats 2 meals for under £2.50.

turkey instead of chicken

cut out bacon

medium/thin cut bread so goes further

try value brand

tin of tuna (chunks cheaper than tuna steak) with pasta to replace meat (creme fraiche, dill, veg and stock is yummy and very cheap)

two smoked haddock stretches two four people if you make a risotto with veg

Sorry meant to say I only use the online shop monthly but once the fresh stuff is low I only use local veg, fruit, bakers etc, keeps the cost down and tastes GREAT!

If I make a stew/casserole I tend to add a large tin of chickpeas. It's very filling and means that I can get away with putting just a bit of meat/chicken in. None of mine have complained about the lack of meat in it, they just sit about looking full!

Incidentally, my shopping bill came to £68 this week (Tesco) which I will top up with a bit more milk and fruit.

stretches TO four people... silly cow

Lots of good suggestions already.
Leftover soup would be a really good and filling addition to DHs lunchbox.
Beans on toast for breakfast for the children?
Red lentils are very unscary. They cook very quickly and can be added to loads of things. Just make sure you have enough liquid because they soak up a lot!
You say you only buy branded washing powder etc. I do normally but did buy some own brand stuff last week as I am trying to cut our shopping bill (incidentally a lot more than £80 per week ) and if I'm honest I haven't noticed any difference.
This week my online Tesco shop was a bit cheaper. Instead of just clicking on My Favourites, I used Express Shopper to do a list. That way I saw all the products available and chose the best value.

SpinMeRightRound - where did you get little Thermos flasks from? They sound cool!

I'd second using own-brand washing detergent. I use Tesco's own tablets and always only use 1 instead of 2 and it works fine!

Salmon fishcakes made with tinned salmon (80p at Tesco's) are really nice and very cheap.