can someone help me cut down on my weekly food shop?

[cheapandchic]

we are struggling with money and I spend about 100-120 per week on food/nappy/cleaning, etc and I have two young children and husband.

I dont drive. so usually I end up with delivery, organic veg boxes, ocado, sainsbury. I realise that many people recommend aldi or asda but there is no shop near me. There is a Lidl, but its so difficult to get there and back with a toddler and baby and shopping...so I end up getting just a few things.

Please offer some tips on spending on the weekly shop. I keep thinking I could be saving...

I spend £100-£120 a week on my family of 6! Including all food, packed lunches, cleaning products etc for 2 hungry teens, a 4yo and 6 yo, myself, DH ... So yes you definitely are overspending IMO. The very best tip is to menu plan - I do 2 meat free dinners a week to keep costs down. Also everytime you cook from scratch make double and freeze half. Don't buy any brands as the quality is no different - good luck!

Oh - and stop buying organic veg / veg boxes etc - and shop online at tesco as its much cheaper than ocado and sainsburys

I spend around the same as you but that's all organic Abel and cole with pastured, organic, free range meat. Ie the most expensive options available! Do you cook from scratch?

I cook from scratch every day! I have stopped abel and cole, but it has made no difference. I do vegetarian one a week, but much more for the kids and me lunch.

Can you get to a local market towards the end of the day and buy really cheap perfectly decent fruit and veg? If you do not drive you can maybe share a cab with a friend living nearby if it is only a mile or so?

Could you share childcare with a friend freeing you both up to go to Lidl/market etc? Then you can buy bulkier stuff?

Also if you double up with a friend/family member on delivery charges for online supermarkets, you can also take advantage of cheaper prices for bulk purchases such as toilet rolls, wash powder etc. Then divide up the items.

Can you bulk cook, and put stuff in the freezer? It's usually cheaper to buy in quantity - look for BOGOF deails etc (though I think they are not always as cheap as they sound).

We often buy a big joint of meat which we cook on a Sunday/Monday, which then lasts us for 3 meals for four adult portions. (Roast, cold meat with fry-up, curry, rissoles etc).

Agree you should stop buying organic - Sainsbury's do a good basics range - and there's nothing wrong with funny shaped fruit and veg.

Veggie meals are often cheaper too, as someone above suggested.

1. Start with meal-planning and include plenty of simple things like vegetable broths, omelettes and 'things on toast' or 'things in a jacket potato' for the main meals. Porridge is the cheapest breakfast option. (Use up cupboard and freezer contents in the plan before buying more)
2. Convert your meal plan to a shopping list
3. Either order online and choose one of the cheaper delivery slots or send your DH to get it. If you order online, trim your purchases to meet your budget.

Loyalty pays. I use Sainsbury for all the shopping and pay for it with a Nectar credit card. In the last three months I've amassed £60 in Nectar points by taking advantage of various offers and using the credit card for all purchases. Plus I go on the Nectar website where you can complete questionnaires for extra points etc. That's going to get me a week's free shopping shortly.

I shop at ocado and only buy organic meat although not always organic veg. I shop for 7 people and spend between 50-75 a week.
My advce is plan the week as a whole rather than thinking in terms of 7 different days of food so for example I get one LARGE meat thing every week, say a large joint of pork and then make three main meals from this (all made the day i get it and frozen. The other days do something like pasta, cauliflower cheese etc. Homemade soup, leftovers or cheese sandwiches for lunches.
Dont buy anything that is made for you (no ready made deserts, cakes etc these are massively overpriced and take in some cases a matter of 15 minutes to make.
Also if you run out of something during the week then thats it its gone, no more running to the shop for extra this or that - make do with something else its no good halving your food order if you go for top ups every other day.

Upload your most recent shopping list, i am sure we can come up with ways to shave the pounds off it.

£120 seems a huge amount for a family of 4 - are you buying a lot of preprepared foods e.g. ready meals, cut fruit/veg, etc? Are you choosing the more expensive things in the aisle?

We occasionally order veg from Riverford but it is much cheaper from our local turkish supermarket, if you have something similar near you would be worth doing some shopping there. Otherwise choose supermarket fruit/veg carefully and preferably in season as this will save money. If you need to order, Ocado isn't a bad option as long as you stick to basics and don't get tempted by the posh stuff!

Lentils, beans etc are cheap and filling, and you can make a surprising number of main course meals with them. Meat can be reduced if you are eating it quite frequently.

Agree with basics range.
You could also switch to frozen meat and veg rather than fresh. I usually get frozen basics chicken breast, pork chops, peas and mixed veg.
For all other meat, I go back at 8pm and buy reduced. Then I freeze anything I'm not going to use right away.
For fresh veg I get the basics range, which is exactly the same as normal veg only funny sizes/shapes.
I've had organic veg boxes in the past and I don't think they are that good value tbh.

not buying prepared foods at all. but I do buy a quite a few toddler snacks that I think are overpriced but so handy (bear yo-yos, mini raisin boxes, organix gingerbread men or rice cakes)...what do I do to replace these?

I also buy a wine or two, but I only get ones on offer for 5.99. I suppose that might have to go.

I have a thing about organic meat...but am willing to compromise on everything else. Which online shop has the cheapest loo roll,sugar, washing up liquid, clothes wash?

I have a great turkish shop for veg and fruit, but I do find even there its hard for me to stick to my list.

Instead of buying pre-prepared or packaged snacks, make your own!

Things like flapjacks, cookies or muffins. You can bake a whole batch of these for the cost of just 1 or 2 shop-bought ones.

Mini raisin boxs are a particular rip-off.

Buy one bag of raisins and portion them up yourself.

Ooh Jelous of your Turkish Green Grocer! Bet your getting some excellent fruit and Veg. Your not in North London by any chance? I used to live off Haringay Green Lanes and ate very well out of Yasser Helim :) Happy Days.
Anyway, toddler snacks
Humous (if you've got Turkish Green Grocers this should be cheap as chips)
Carrot sticks
yy to Raisins decanted from big bag
Cutted Up Apple
Toast
Reduced Stuff! Seriously, there are things I only buy reduced nowadays. Go to the supermarket at 8pmish and see how cheaply you can get stuff. This is the source of ALL my pre prepared stuff and the majority of my meat these days.

i cant get to my shops in the evening. husband rarely get home before 8pm.

Where are you? I can't think of anywhere that doesn't have 24 hour shops now.

Meal planning will make a difference.

Use meat as a flavouring rather than the main point of your meal. For example, you can make a lovely stir fry for 4-6 with 2 chicken breasts (or, even better, 3-4 chicken thighs if your DH isn't a freak who refuses to eat anything but breast meat). Bulk it out with loads of veg (you can use frozen if necessary) and serve with a mound of rice. If you half to amount of meat you serve per person in each meal, you'll see a big difference.

You can easily get 3 meals for a family of 4 out of a roast chicken (or a roast anything). One of them will usually be soup.

And include a couple of tasty veggie dishes each week.

Plan meals so there'll be leftovers for lunch the next day.

Erm ocado is cheaper than tesco!!

I am in London, but there is no way I am hauling off to the shop on foot in the freezing cold during my only free time (9-10pm).

Ok so I went and compared my ocado shop to a sainsbury shop. I saved 7.00, but another 7 or so if I included sainsbury own nappy and wipes.

But this was buying their 'basics' range. I agree ocado is not worse than any other if you buy name brands...but ocado doesnt have a super cheap line like sainsbury.

my husband hates soup...have no clue why. But I love it. So yes, more big roasts should be an idea. Husband will also complain about non name brand cereals...but until he makes more money...tough!

ok. so no more raisin boxes or kiddie treats. no name brand cereals, wipes, nappy, soap, shampoo, soda. Fruit and veg from turkish local. More big roasts. More vegetarian meals. Less cleaning products. wish me luck. I have never been this broke.

I spend £60 approx for my dh & 2 young dc's that includes packed lunches etc. If u get delivered shipping go for offers and switch brand on things like dried pasta / lasenga sheets, spaghetti etc as value ones cost a fraction of the price and taste same. Perhaps by more frozen veg than fresh then u can eat a mixture and won't have to waste any u don't use, perhaps try and have 2/3 cheaper meals a week (pasta bake, pizza baguettes etc.

shop online at tesco
buy only value brand
bulk cook and freeze

Check if asda will deliver to your postcode; use them for branded stuff; buy things that won't go off in the largest sizes and on deal. Meal plan. check out mysupermarket.com.

My little tip is to not do cleaning products or cosmetic type things with your normal shop but go to pound land or wilkinsons - they are so so much cheaper.

how does my supermarket work? do you like it?