Please help me reduce food bills

[TheGander]

We are a family of foodies. There’s 2 DS: 18 and 22, both live at home , plus DH and me. Apart from DH who can only cook about 3 dishes, the boys and me love cooking. But it’s gotten out of hand, I estimate I can spend £40 per day so that’s £1200 pm, half my salary. I’m the main earner. The boys are obsessed with chicken, each meal has to have a protein.DH doesn’t eat meat. We shop mostly at Sainsbury’s, also Waitrose about once a week and Lidl occasionally. Trying to be more mindful, planning meals, agreeing on some value meals either the boys. Any other ideas? TIA.

Stop shopping at Waitrose and Sainsbury's for a start.
See if you can find a local food hub. It's not about affordability it's about reducing food waste.

Would meal planning help?

I definitely think meal planning would help. Being more mindful with the shopping and cooking. What is a food hub?

I get that feeding four adults is expensive, especially boys of that age.
If you did your normal shop at Lidl or Aldi that would cut some of the cost without reducing quality.
Does this include lunches? Are they having protein for breakfast? Are you buying free range / organic?

I hardly waste food. I have an allotment and all uneaten veg ( and there isn’t a huge amount of that) gets composted. I nearly never throw away pasta let alone heat it chicken as the boys will hoover up any leftovers.

It would help if you give examples of meals and quantities.
Does one person cook for all or are you all doing separate meals?
Is there a lot of waste / unused leftovers?

Maybe you need to adjust portions so that there is more veg / carbs than meat. I know my eldest DS is obsessed with protein and eats more than necessary imo ( he doesn't live with me).
Traditional food is often cheaper than "foodie" food.
Big casserole type meals with added lentils and less meat.
Avoid imported fancy out of season fruit and veg. For example cabbage rather than "tender stem broccoli" which is just broccoli.

@Nissii example neals: chicken chow mein ( chicken for husband has to be free range, preferably organic). Spaghetti bolognaise, husband will have the push pesto instead of meat. Home made fish and chips ( fish unfortunately is expensive). On Sunday, roast chicken. In winter, more traditional British stuff like shepherds pie ( hone made) and I make a separate vegetarian one for DH. Other meals: Risotto with chicken. Or I’ll buy curries ( has to be M&S) mid week when I’m working from office and cook rice and a Dahl to supplement. SH and I will eat jacket potato, beans and cheese quite happily but the boys won’t entertain that ( it’s “ sad”).

Minor changes:
If you are having a large piece of chicken on a plate, have you tried switching some dishes to thighs or drumsticks rather than breast.
If you are having bite sized pieces of chicken, have you tried putting in less, and increasing the protein with beans or lentils?
Would everyone go for a veggie meal once a week?

I'd also look at trying a couple of weeks shopping at Tesco or ASDA if you have one fairly close (we found Morrisons expensive).

BUT, I think the major thing that sends our costs spiraling is the snacks. My teens will demolish sausage rolls, scotch eggs and those sort of junk like they are going out of fashion if I buy them. Plus sugar. I tend to make fruit muffins, tealoaves, and sponge cake to satisfy that side.

Protein at each meal is not unreasonable, protein is good for you. It doesn't all need to be meat though. Eating veggie more often would help reduce your bills, eggs, tofu, lentils, beans will all be cheaper than meat and still high in protein and good for you.

Switch to cheaper fruit and veg.

Cut down on packaged snacks if that's a problem.

What do you spend £40 a day on? It seems an extraordinary amount even if you do eat a lot of chicken!

Could you either freeze your excess veg, or make it into something and then freeze?

The single easiest step would be to cut down dramatically on meat. There's plenty of protein in legumes (beans, lentils) and eggs, Greek yoghurt, cheese etc. I'd be very clear with your kids that meat is a luxury and should be treated as such.

Then when you buy meat, focus on the most economical ways to do it - so a large whole chicken (MN mythical chicken blah blah) but crucially, treat it almost as a side dish. So you might make French-style put lentils, garlic bread, baked halloumi/feta, roasted sweet potatoes, and then have some shredded chicken on the side to add it all together to make salad bowls. Or after you've roasted the chicken, make your broth/stock and then use that for a soup and add orzo/pearl barley etc and go big on veg if you have an allotment, and then much less shredded chicken than you'd usually add. If you're using chicken for lunch sandwiches, add chopped cucumber, sweetcorn and red onion along with your mayo/yoghurt dressing - the chicken is still there as a flavour but you focus on the veg.

The Roasting Tin cookbooks are good for balanced meals that use meat as a flavouring rather than the main thing.

I always add green lentils to Bolognese and red ones to curries. For chilli, I add way more beans than normal plus sweet potato. We also eat a lot of daal, which is very cheap!

Another useful thing is to get a cheap second freezer if you have somewhere you can fit it, i.e. a shed/garage. Then you make the most of offers when you see them.

Have you tried TooGood2Go?

I am a shameless foodie so it is partly my issue. I’ll cycle off to Waitrose to buy goats cheese because I consider they have the best ones, and while there stock up on tea leaves, Parmesan, lardons etc. On top of the regular Sainsbury’s shop for dinner. It’s really spiralling out of control.

Honestly, tough shit if "the boys won't entertain that".

They want meat at every meal, they'll have to pay for it. They can bloody well eat cheaper meals otherwise!

I have had a chat with them about it. DH agrees with me. DS1 is at uni but also picks up casual work and has agreed to pay for his own chicken if he wants more. DS2 is taking a year out after A levels and looking for work . He’s an entitled little so and so but when he gets work I’ll gave the talk with him, he’ll need to contribute.

Really? They're living in your home, eating your food. They eat what they're given. Have you always pandered to them like this?

’The boys’ are going have to learn at some stage about budgeting to feed themselves. Sounds like now is the time. They each have one night a week when it is their turn to cook for the family. They get to do all the planning, buying, cooking, washing up, dealing with whinging. Tell them they have £10 to spend, and can use oil/spices from the cupboard.
Make it their problem. They come up with stuff they will entertain and everyone wins.

I hear you OP, I am the same but prices are getting out of hand.
I've been batch cooking vegetable based soups - French onion, mushroom, carrot & coriander etc. Ones without masses of carbs. I then serve them before meals with a bit of bread, or as meals with potato wedges and maybe a few cheeses or cold meats. If you serve them before the meals it helps fill everyone up. (It will do me as a meal but not always my family.)

Edit to say : Boys here too. Bottomless stomachs it seems !

Try Aldi and Lidl for fish, both fresh and frozen. Good quality and way cheaper than where you currently shop. Chicken from there would be a much better price too.

Oh, and stop wandering the aisles of Waitrose, picking up things you fancy. You can't do that when you are on a budget, so BUDGET!

I think that this is the best plan.

The person cooking does all of the job - shopping, cooking, clearing - and you have a rota for who cooks when. There is a budget for each meal.

Then you do a weekly online shop for breakfasts, lunches, cleaning products etc. People can add meal ingredients to the online shop if planned in advance but must still stick to their budget.

Pretty much, yes. When it comes to food anyway.

If you are the main earner and half of that is £1200, you can't afford to be spending that much, stop pandering to them all. You could meal plan and budget with them all to highlight this, I frankly wouldn't bother with that but it could be illuminating

Surely if your boys love cooking @TheGander, they help or do some shopping for the family and realise the price of stuff?
You sound pretty well off to me, have your sons been sheltered from life's realities up till now?

Do you really need to cut down? You enjoy the food, you don't waste it, you buy quality. It's your luxury. It sounds like you can afford it, are just feeling a bit worried by the cost.

We're a household of 5 adults and spend about £1000 a month - I think that' okay.

Cheaper dishes that go down well -

Falafel and hummus- chickpeas cost so little but really make some great dishes.

Macaroni cheese - there is plenty of protein in the milk and cheese but you can add bacon.

Special fried rice - use up any leftovers hanging around.

Pulled pork - often can get inexpensive shoulder joints and is great for protein, just needs rice or bread with salad.

Pasta bakes for the winter.

Curries and soups - lentil and chickpeas are high in protein but cheap.

@Thanksforyourlackofthought im actually serving up a minestrone for supper tonight before the main course in the hopes it'll
fill them up a bit. Plus it’s healthy. @ThreePears i do agree, my Waitrose habit has to stop. I think I’ll set myself the goal of only going once a month. @Namechange822 and @persisted i am going to ask them to do that. I’ve already asked them to shop once a week each ( lack of help with housework is also and issue) and they have agreed.