I need to slash my weekly shopping bill. Tell me your money-saving tips!

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

We’re a family of five going through a bit of a financial squeeze at the moment. We spend way too much on food...probably about £150 per week. I know this is too much and want to slash this to about £100 or even less if possible. I reckon we can knock about £25 off easily by cutting back on booze during the week and I’ve been trying to go for supermarket own brand stuff rather than branded foods which helps too. But I’m always baffled by how some people say they spend £50 per week on food...what do you/don’t you buy and what kind of meals do you eat? How much meat and fish do you eat? If you are really thrifty with your food and household shopping, what are you secrets and tips for keeping the cost down and minimising wastage? Where do you shop? Any family friendly super cheap meals you can recommend?

I spent £83 at Tesco this week for 4 of us (not including DS’s school lunches. We are having:

Lamb shish kebabs, with pittas, salad, yoghurt and mint, houmous
Prawn stir fried rice
Salmon with new potatoes and salad
Homemade pizzas
Huevos rancheros and nachos
Veggie curry, rice and naan
Something on toast night when we are all busy.

Shop included an £8 bottle of wine.

DD is pescatarian, DH lactose intolerant so some juggling required.

The £50 a week does include household stuff, though I don't buy much of it - tend to use microfibre cloths and water for cleaning. I buy 5L bottles of laundry liquid, fabric conditioner and handwash from Amazon probably twice a year, £around £15 each. Saves on single-use plastic too. Places like Home Bargains are really good for shower gel, shampoo and toothpaste - brands we like for half the price.

Lentil hotpot
Mackerel chilli
Sardine Pasta
Omelettes
Italian Butterbeans
Falafels
Mixed bean salad
Creamy bacon pasta bake
Butternut squash lasagna
tuna, mayo, sweetcorn baked potatoes
Home made pizza
Home made burgers
Chickpea curry

(We tend to serve most things with salad. Peppers, tomatoes and spinach are good value because they are multi-tasking and versitile. We also do half the week meaty, and the rest veggie)

Use diluted washing up liquid to clean almost everything, a small amount of bleach (its strong stuff, people use too much), cheapo cream cleanser for tough scrubbing, zoflora disinfectant for work surfaces. Buy big boxes of washing powder, mix 50/50 with cheap soda crystals to make it stretch. Use a scoop with a measured sharpie line for recommended amount but use slightly less. Don't guess as its easy to over use.

Go shopping after 7pm and buy bread for the freezer at less than 10p. They also sell sweet treats like apple pies and cream cakes for pences.

Stop eating out and buying ready made food from supermarket. Take sandwiches and drinks with you.

Portion control your food - try and get an extra portion from your dinner to put in the freezer for a later date, or a lunch the next day. Drink more tap water and less tea and coffee.

If you like a drink at the weekend treat yourself to a couple of cans of G&T (85p in lidl) better for you because they are lower alcohol content but still feels like a treat and cheaper than wine.

For personal products don't buy in supermarkets but look in discount stores (as long as you are disciplined not to buy the extra tat). Toothpaste, deodrant, loo roll, shampoo and conditioner, sanitary products, soap, shower gel are nearly always cheaper but obviously know your prices.

Family of five (3 kids)

Monday - beef curry adults / fish fingers, bread + butter & peas for kids

Tuesday - stir fry chicken & noodles

Wednesday - sausage, mash & peas

Thursday - beans on toast

Friday - pesto pasta, peas & bacon pieces

Saturday - homemade pizza & salad

Sunday - cottage pie & veg.

Cost about £40.

Breakfast is cereal/porridge/egg/toast

Packed lunches for one adult and one child (the rest get lunch given to them).

Desserts are fruit & yoghurt or homemade cake.

No alcohol. No snacks. No jars/premade anything.

My best tip is a slow cooker. Really cheap cuts of meat/veg on offer can be turned into appetising smells at hometime, followed by a delish supper, with leftovers being converted to soup. Economical use of power, which adds to the savings.

The biggest tip would be to buy produce in season and not to follow recipes. Lentils, dried beans, rice, pasta, and potatoes will be your good friends. When it comes to cooking, just wing it! Don't be afraid to experiment in the kitchen by playing around with herbs and spices.
I have found that creating a weekly meal plan, and shopping list with a budget in mind works well. It also seems fairly efficient to only go to the grocery store once a week, if possible.
I buy items such as laundry detergent, dishwasher pods, toilet paper, coffee, cheese and meat when they are on sale, as they all seem to have a very high mark-up.
Items like onions or potatoes are often 8-10x the price if you opt to buy them per each, vs larger bagged quantities. (I find that they keep well and don’t have any trouble with them going bad).
Good luck! :)

I agree with the idea of having a couple of meat free meals.. lentil curry is quick, cheap and easy (and you could make it milder for the kids / add more spice for the adults). Veggie chilli is good, I use quorn mince, peppers, onions, tomatoes, kidney beans.. it keeps and reheats really well as well. Fried rice is always a good way to use up leftovers, stir fry any veg, or add things like peas or broccoli when you cook the rice, if you have a small amount of meat you can add that too (so the odd chicken breast from a pack of four or whatever). Another way to make a little meat go a long way is fajitas or tacos, bulk it out with onions and peppers, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce.. add cheese for all except the dairy free child, salsa for those who like spice, etc.

@stream26

The biggest tip would be to buy produce in season and not to follow recipes. Lentils, dried beans, rice, pasta, and potatoes will be your good friends. When it comes to cooking, just wing it! Don't be afraid to experiment in the kitchen by playing around with herbs and spices. I have found that creating a weekly meal plan, and shopping list with a budget in mind works well. It also seems fairly efficient to only go to the grocery store once a week, if possible. I buy items such as laundry detergent, dishwasher pods, toilet paper, coffee, cheese and meat when they are on sale, as they all seem to have a very high mark-up. Items like onions or potatoes are often 8-10x the price if you opt to buy them per each, vs larger bagged quantities. (I find that they keep well and don’t have any trouble with them going bad). Good luck! :)

Like a friend, I switched to a planned / scheduled working model. As a result of my research, the budget spent on food is too high. First of all, stay away from buying bulk products. Do not buy 3 products with cheap intention. Compare all your shopping with the previous week. For this, create and edit a weekly blank calendar.

Stay healthy, know your money.

I recommend the following for the blank calendar in the form above. Good forums