Reducing Food Bill when you live in the middle of nowhere

[TeuchterTraveller]

Don’t know if this should be in Rural Living or here, but anyway looking for tips on reducing our monthly food bill. We currently spend around £120 a week for a family of 4 as we live in the middle of nowhere and have no access to online shopping, Lidl, Aldi etc. Our local ‘not so super’ market is extortionate. We grow our own where possible, we meal plan, pay with cash etc etc but still costs are so high.

Having been through every outgoing, the food bill is the only place we haven’t been able to make cuts, in fact we’ve had to increase it. If we’re ever near an Aldi or Lidl we will do a big food shop and stock up on basics but this isn’t very often. It’s so depressing so looking for any top tips to get the costs down.

how far do you have to travel to the nearest bigger supermarket? and how often do you go?

Remember things like milk, cheese, butter can be frozen. If you find a bargain, stock up.

If you grow your own, are you storing them properly to last? dehydrate fruits and herbs, jams, compote, freeze excess veg and fruits.

Cook meals so you use up the fresh ingredients first, and then can use frozen or longer lasting things later in the week to save having to shop in nearer more expensive shop. Things like frozen spinach, peas and garlic are great basics. We tend to cook things like fish and vegetables straight after shopping while fresh, then later in the week its stuff like risotto and simple pasta with the longer lasting items.

You say you live rural, how rural? and do you have more space or scope to become a bit more self sufficient than you are now ie planting a few more fruit trees, keep chickens?

Saying all of that, food is just expensive in general nowadays. I don't think £120 between 4 is that terrible, but i hope you can decrease it a little bit.

How rural are you? Do you have neighbours?
Do you have access to a large freezer?
Do you know you can do a food order online and have it delivered to a holiday cottage etc... do they deliver to the nearest town? Could you have a weekly delivery to a local cafe etc and meet it there?

Do you struggle with Amazon deliveries?
If not I'd look on the pantry / groceries sections n on there for bulk buying cheap items like pasta, noodles, tins etc etc.