Any tips saving money on food shop

[Thismumrunsonhugsandtea]

I am a single parent to a little boy who is eight. I feel like every time I go shopping it's going up just wondering how much everyone else spends on their food shopping and any tips on how to save money thank you

Meal planning is very effective
Also freezing leftovers

Following with interest. I have a son the same age as yours. I have discovered making split pea soup, very simple and costs much less than tinned soup. I have a bread maker too. These things are more for me as my son wouldn't eat them.
If I use beef mince I don't use a lot and bulk it out with vegetables or beans. I am trying to focus on buying the things he is asking for and I know he is still keen on, I mean if he hasn't asked for crisps for a bit I don't buy any.
Quorn sausages are quite reasonable and I do a toad in the hole with quorn sausages, so that is a roast dinner that is not expensive.
I use the cooks bacon that is not sliced up for cooking, its under a pound for a good size packet.

👍🏻x

👍🏻

Thank you Xx

Meal planning is key. Draw up a menu.
Buy herbs and spices, tomato paste, rice, in large quantities in the ethnic section of the supermarket.

Dried pulses are incredibly nutrious and cheap, just pop them on to soak the night before.

Porridge for breakfast is filling, jazz it up with some orange zest. Then you can use the orange for something else.

Frozen spinach and peas are really handy.

Use leftovers.

Never buy jar sauces.

Definitely meal plan, and do meals that will do a few days, like a cottage pie or lasagne, left overs of both are good. Or slow cook a joint like a ham which can do a few meals, ham egg & chips, a roast, sandwiches or with a salad for lunch ect

I would just say shop around different supermarkets, make the most of any coupons/money off vouchers, but when on offer and freeze and always always use leftovers up in another meal!
I’m a bit rubbish though and spend too much at times but it’s easy too with an 11 1/2 and an almost 15 year old!

@TheWashingMachine

Meal planning is key. Draw up a menu. Buy herbs and spices, tomato paste, rice, in large quantities in the ethnic section of the supermarket.

Dried pulses are incredibly nutrious and cheap, just pop them on to soak the night before.

Porridge for breakfast is filling, jazz it up with some orange zest. Then you can use the orange for something else.

Frozen spinach and peas are really handy.

Use leftovers.

Never buy jar sauces.

I like the idea of a meal plan thank you

Food is getting expensive. Can you identify which items are the culprits - treats, breakfast cereals, drinks or is it main meal stuff like meat/fish/salads?

I try to limit the treats so we might get some fizzy drinks or crisps or nice yoghurts but not all of them, every week.

It's hard to know - where do you normally shop and are you trying to be frugal already? What things are important to you? Do you scratch cook or buy mostly ready prepared? Where do you think you could save?

@greyspottedgoose

Definitely meal plan, and do meals that will do a few days, like a cottage pie or lasagne, left overs of both are good. Or slow cook a joint like a ham which can do a few meals, ham egg & chips, a roast, sandwiches or with a salad for lunch ect

👍🏻❤️Xx

@Crikeymalikey

I would just say shop around different supermarkets, make the most of any coupons/money off vouchers, but when on offer and freeze and always always use leftovers up in another meal! I’m a bit rubbish though and spend too much at times but it’s easy too with an 11 1/2 and an almost 15 year old!

❤️👍🏻

Aldi!!

Meal plan with a mixture of more expensive and really cheap, easy meals.

Cheap fruit with occasional treat fruit (or tinned fruit is seen as a treat in our house).

Own brand stuff

@NotMeNoNo

Food is getting expensive. Can you identify which items are the culprits - treats, breakfast cereals, drinks or is it main meal stuff like meat/fish/salads?

I try to limit the treats so we might get some fizzy drinks or crisps or nice yoghurts but not all of them, every week.

It's hard to know - where do you normally shop and are you trying to be frugal already? What things are important to you? Do you scratch cook or buy mostly ready prepared? Where do you think you could save?

Hi shop at Aldi I try and make everything from scratch because I have a very fussy little boy only eats certain foods,i think I need to meal plan more looking at all the posts Thanks for your help X

@Greenmarmalade

Aldi!!

Meal plan with a mixture of more expensive and really cheap, easy meals.

Cheap fruit with occasional treat fruit (or tinned fruit is seen as a treat in our house).

Own brand stuff

Tin Fruit seems like a good idea I've not tried that before x

Definitely meal planning as pps have said.

Can you cut out any meat? I don't eat meat, but still brought it for DH in the early days of our relationship. When he decided it was too much bother to cook separately, our food bill went down a lot. (Although I accept there are varying opinions on the necessity of meat in a meal, buy DH has veggie parents).

I batch cook a lot of cheap meals because they're healthy, quick, freezable and go down well with DH and toddler.

Some examples:
Chickpea curry
Bean chilli
Ragu
Jackfruit chilli
Enchiladas
Lentil daal
Etc etc

Can you identify where the bigger areas of your spends are? For us, it's fruit/salad/fresh veg, so I try and use as much frozen veg as possible. Oh and branded dairy alternatives for DD, but there's not much we can do about that.

Home baking? Fun for your DS as well as saving money and better quality items.

Ah it's difficult with fussy boys, but Aldi have some decent stuff. Maybe watch out for stuff that's expensive for what you get - baby corn vs carrots, fresh blueberries vs frozen etc. Having a planned menu will definitely help.

I second the above suggestions. With children it’s often the snacks that push the food shop up.

We buy popcorn kernels and pop a huge pan of popcorn and store it in a large Tupperware pot. It last all week and means we don’t buy crisps. One bag of kernels lasts for 6 weeks.

Also, I peel a bag of carrots and have them in the fridge. This has saved a lot of money. Whenever they would eat an apple they now have a carrot.

I also buy a huge pot of yoghurt and decant in to bowls and add sprinkles, fruit or jam.

Definitely shop in Aldi or Lid. Use the same basis for several meals:

• Bolognese - save half for night two which you can add a tin of beans and some spice for chilli. Or just serve with baked potatoes instead.
• Roast on a Sunday - use the leftovers for Monday as Omelette, pie filling, stir in pasta, chicken fried rice etc.
• Sausages - half with mash and veg/baked beans, half as toad in the hole/sausage stew or as a breakfast for dinner (add scrambled egg and some toast)

Add at least one night a week of something super cheap like jacket potatoes, beans on toast etc.

Oh and a cheap but fun breakfast is pancakes. Just milk, an egg, some flour plus a little sugar. Can be served with Jam, syrup, lemon and sugar, melted chocolate etc. It seems like a real treat but is low cost.

Hello OP

the price of food has definitely risen! I have some tips for you, I hope they are of some help!

1. Don't waste anything! Freeze anything that's not useable right now! leftover veg/ meat can be added to rice, fry with an egg and you've got an eggy fried rice meal. You can freeze soooo much!

1. Keep a well stocked pantry of things you've bought in bulk - rice pasta tins etc - usually ethnic food shops have this cheaper. If you have a pantry space you can also stock up when things are cheaper.

1. Know the price of a good deal in grams or kilograms just for the basics - it can help you know when to buy.

1. Don't buy branded anything - alidi and Lidl own brand food is great

1. Meat is usually the most expensive part of a meal - cut down a few nights a week if you can, know your cheaper cuts eg. I never buy chicken breasts I buy chicken thighs much cheaper per kg. Deli meats are usually expensive for what you get - you can cook your own ham at home for much less.

1. Fish - learn to love mackerel! It's cheap and full of omegas. Also Learn some tinned fish recipes.

1. Consider a bread maker - it can cost a lot originally but pays for itself over a year if you use it frequently! Learn what you can do with stale bread!

1. Branded Cereals are very expensive - switch your family to porridge if possible. You can also jazz it up with honey and fruit that would otherwise go bad.

1. Fruit and veg in season will often be cheaper - have a look on what the supermarket has in their weekly offers and plan around that. Frozen veg is also cheap. Grow your own if you can, potatoes for example can easily be grown in large tubs. Herbs along windowsills. Broccoli stems are delicious! You can cube them and lightly fry until it's softened, the outside leaves on your cauliflower can also be eaten!

10. Learn to make your families favourite meals cheaper - my son loves pizza, I can make it cheaper at home with the dough setting on my bread machine.

11. Think outside the supermarket - food sharing apps, foraging, market stalls near close.

I'm not sure Aldi do it but Lidl have an app and give you money off once you've spent so much in a month and there are some vouchers on there too. Equally Sainsbury's do Nectar points which equate to money off so many shops so might be worth looking into that as your spend could reward you.

I agree with the PPs with meal planning and potentially batch cooking so you can have a little extra for other nights which will save money and be convenient.

We keep all our takeaway boxes so any spare portions can be frozen as a ready meal for one/two. If there are just the two of you, batch cooking will last you a good few meals.

Thank you so much everyone for the suggestions I've actually got a list going on now writing it all down @2021WillBeGreat I never thought of that with the bolognese and making it a chilly the next day brilliant,And the Meal planning we don't actually buy that much meat because my son doesn't like it I don't think I could afford to even if he did to be honest at the moment,Thank you I am really grateful for all the suggestions Xx

Is there any way you can increase your income or cut other costs? How much do you have available for food and how much do you think you are short to get what you need?

Because it sounds like you're doing everything right (shopping at Aldi, cooking from scratch, not buying a lot of meat) so your bill should already be pretty small unless you're wasting a lot.

You haven't said how much you're spending so we can't tell if you have any room to cut down or is it a case that you've reached the limit of how low you can go? Do you need to cut your grocery bill or is it just a case that you think you should be spending less than you are?