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Original poster

I have cut my food bill by over half!

77 replies

joanneg · 16/11/2004 19:35

I have been spending a fortune on shopping (I reckon between £75 - 100 a week). There are three of us, me, dh and ds.

Anyway we are really hard up at the moment so I have really cut down. I have started shopping at Asda and planning meals. For instance if I decide that we will have a beef stew - I only put the veggies to go with that meal in. - I plan each dinner time like that. I also have started using their own brands - even their nappies which I have found quite good. I write a list and am really strict on what I buy.

On average now I am spending between £35 - £40 a week. I am so pleased. It is amazing the difference it can make in just going to a cheaper supermarket and watching what you buy can do. (also I make dh use a calculator as we go around poor bugger!!)

OP posts:
TracyK · 18/11/2004 11:55

I just wish M&S would do a home delivery/on line service - I love their food - but then spose it would cost a fortune!

sandyballs · 18/11/2004 12:03

I don't understand why M&S haven't got into this TracyK. I would love to treat myself to a delivery from them now and then! Might send them an e-mail and ask them!

Tortington · 18/11/2004 14:52

i cant believe you spend this much money at the supermarket. i know that to some extent you sow your purse to fit your pocket but i must say i think the expenditure on food at sometimes £200 per week is obscene. its good your cutting down

Tortington · 18/11/2004 14:53

sew*

peskykids · 18/11/2004 15:21

I'm sure the previous post didn't mean to sound quite so shocked! But just in case you really were amazed...

People spend that much money at the supermarkets for many reasons - tick those that apply !

They're rushed
They're harassed
They're feeling low
They've got 5 kids built like Rugby players
The food industry spends enormous amounts encouraging us to buy more than we need
The consumer credit industry spends enormous amounts encouraging us to spend more than we need to.
They're rich!

codswallop · 18/11/2004 15:37

I think thet mminimu 399 charge at tesco is steep though

lavender2 · 18/11/2004 15:52

I tried the Waitrose on-line shopping last week and it was brilliant!! got a letter throught the door offering £30 off if order before 29th November 2004...I bought nice cuts of meat (including steaks, a roasting joint for Sunday, bread, yoghurts, a tart, sandwich meats, sausages etc (no fruit and veg as get that from the local market and farmer's market and no washing detergent) bill came to £58...normally spend in excess of £90...definetely would recommend homeshopping as it stops all those impulse buying and you can monitor how much you are spending as it tots it up for you....

Branster · 18/11/2004 15:53

or they simply eat huge amounts of food peskykids!

It is a great sum of money for what it covers really. and apaart from frozen cod fish (the young's one for fish&chips) we don't buy convenience food or crisps or junk food and we never go out to restaurants and hardly ever have a takeaway. so strange as it is, it costs a fortune cooking your own food in this house. most of it must be down to bad management from Mrs Branster

lou33 · 18/11/2004 16:39

my shopping for 6 this week, done online was £69

JJ · 18/11/2004 17:06

peskykids, hope you don't mind a few stupid questions:
-- do you cook everything and then reheat? Eg, the pizza is fully cooked, but you just reheat it?
--how do you reheat them? In the foil?
--do you freeze the mash on top?
--what heat and how long to reheat?

Lou, what are you having for dinner this week? I'm impressed!

I have some 15 GBP vouchers for new customers' orders over 75 GBP for Ocado, if anyone would like them.

MilkyWay · 18/11/2004 20:55

I obviously need some tips on meals to cook that can keep my wekly food bill under £100. If Lou can feed 6 on £69 I must be able to feed 4 on max £100.

anonmum · 18/11/2004 21:03

I started shopping online with asda for about 6 months - it helps me plan, stops impulses and once you have done it once or twice it is really quick. Plus if you have till receipts from non online shopping you can input the details and all purchases will appear in your favorites list.
I reckon I save about 100 a month - so I am a complete convert and would recommend it - weel worth the 4.25 delivery charge

Pagan · 18/11/2004 21:04

Well done!

I try to do my food shopping locally. That is decide what I'm cooking and go to the butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer and buy what I need. Contrary to popular belief they are not more expensive that supermarkets and the quality of the product is usually better and (for butchers) usually sourced more locally. That way I'm not spending money on petrol to get to supermarket and then being tempted into buying crap I don't need with no dinner to show for it.

Bozza · 18/11/2004 21:16

None of those shops in walking distance for us. But in a way having food delivered is going back to the old way of doing things.

morningpaper · 18/11/2004 21:20

I use a local organic farm delivery - 8.50 for a fruit box and 7.50 for a veg box.

Do all other shopping in Asda.

It means I've ALWAYS got fresh stuff which tastes GREAT (no awful hard tasteless fruit which goes rotten before it's ripe). I do lots of soups and veggie bakes and find I use less meat.

Also supports local farmers so will go straight to heaven!

lou33 · 18/11/2004 21:49

We had sausages, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings, peas and gravy tonight. Last night was chicken kiev with jacket potatoes and salad. Pasta once or twice, rice dish as well probably, sometimes home made soup, that sort of thing.

My shopping is usually nearer to the £80 mark usually, but Tesco messed up quite badly this and last week, so they knocked off about £12 both times.

lou33 · 18/11/2004 21:51

Meant to say, I always start the online shopping on the special offers, buy what is relevent to me there, then finish off with the things in my faves that I haven't covered already. I get lots of bogofs or cut priced deals that way, and it means we aren't having the same things week in week out.

MilkyWay · 19/11/2004 18:33

Complete failure here.

I did a Sainsbury'sonline shop for two weeks worth of shopping which did include beer and wine at about £50 but the total for everything else was £148.00. Mind you, that's still about what we have been spending in a week normally. Wonder if I can persuade dh to stay out of Sainsburys whilst at work next week?

carla · 19/11/2004 18:51

Have to say, Joanneg, I'm amazed that your food bill was only £100 a week to start with Does that include toiletries etc that I also get at the supermarket?

Original poster
joanneg · 19/11/2004 19:11

carla - sometimes it was more than £100 . I think that it was so high because I shopped at Waitrose and very much chucked anything I wanted in the trolley! It does include all household stuff (toiletries, nappies and so on).

OP posts:
Original poster
joanneg · 19/11/2004 19:12

how much do you spend then??

OP posts:
beansmum · 19/11/2004 22:02

my food bill this week was £26! And that included 2 sleepsuits for bean and nappies. It seemed like loads of food though, nearly tipped the pushchair over.

bonniej · 19/11/2004 22:06

i spent more when shopping online. don't ask me why (haven't read all of this thread btw). we are really trying to cut down. spend£110 per week , me, dh, ds (16) dd (17 months) I think that's far too much and we're always running out of things. Went to Morrisons last week to try and cut down and got it down to £92. That was with really economising on things. Don't know how to get it lower. wrote a list but that didn't help

carla · 19/11/2004 22:09

About £35/50 a day

Demented · 19/11/2004 22:11

Every month I have a lean week (or two ), there is always more month than money. I live near an Aldi and today discovered I only have £57 left in my bank to feed four of us for 10 days (although DH owes me £30 so that will help), so for the first time I decided to do my weekly shop there, I like a lot of the stuff and tend to pop in midweek for a few bits and bobs anyway, I spent £37 , included the wherewithall to make about 8 meals, one of them a roast, a nine pack of toilet roll (so what if we have scratchy bums for the next 10 days), cheese, milk, a dozen eggs, dried fruit, apple juice, fruit and veg and a few treats, flapjacks for us and Dreamy bars (a bit like Milkyways) for the kids and more. Granted I didn't need any cleaning items or shower gels etc but I think I might start shopping in Aldi more often, although there isn't a lot of choice so wouldn't want to do it every week.