Expensive food shop

[nowornever1]

I've been doing SlimmingWorld for the probably 10th time and usually I do an online shop but currently shopping in the supermarket.

My shop for 5 2A, three children 13, 6,5 cost £170 this included no toiletries, no cleaning products and no alcohol! On the positive we are not going out for coffee or having takeaways at the moment.

Apart from 2 packs of chocolates for the kids and some popcorn and frozen chips.I didn't buy anything extra as we have well stocked up cupboards so no staples like tea/coffee apart from
Options hot choc. All the shopping was fruit, veg, fish and meat, rice , pasta !

I do mostly meat based meals but does anyone else find SlimmingWorld very expensive ?

One thing I am finding is I'm cooking two separate meals not nights as I love spicy SlimmingWorld recipes which the children won't eat and apart from spag Bol we cook 2 meals a night. Last night we cooked 3 as my DH had fish and then I cooked two chicken meals for me and the children.

What are tips for reducing the cost of the shop and best family recipes for (very very) fussy 6 and 4 year old?

I only started SW recently. I've been doing my shopping online since lockdown and ive been spending £70-£90 per week, 2 adults and 2 children 12 & 7. Doing it online means I can plan meals easier.

My youngest is a fussy eater but has started to get braver with trying my homemade spaghetti bolognese for example, mainly prefers chicken nuggets, pizza etc but loves a roast so I try and do a roast a couple of times a week. Then days when the kids have pizza night my husband and I will have stir fry (luckly he eats what I put in front of him so only cook 2 separate meals a few times a week)

Don't have any recipe suggestions as I'm really not very adventurous. I used to just buy the jars of sauce for spaghetti or curry so only just learning to make them. We have Jacket potatoes and beans quite often.

So meal planning is the only thing I do to save money, before I did that we would easily spend over £120 a week.

Make a list of your family favourites, and establish how you could make a few changes to ensure they’re Slimming World friendly. You could make pizzas using a wrap base, for example. It’s so easy to adapt family favourites with Slimming World – using 5% fat mince, low-calorie cooking spray for frying and skipping the cheese when making a cottage pie.
If I’m making SW chips, I will cook a separate tray with oil and full fat sausages for family and do mine with fry light and SW sausages.
OR add some extras to keep the kids happy. You can try cooking the same for everyone, but adding or substituting a few bits you know your DC will eat in theirs. If I’m making bolognese l will serve all of us the SW version but the family get extra cheese and a bit of garlic bread – and me extra salad.
Or batch cook and freeze.
Anyway I find having lots of pasta (I buy mine from Lidl when I can as it is normally half the price of the other shops) and cook it with frozen mixed veg which is cheap. Baked spuds are great too, filling but not pricey. Do you have a market near you? Normally fruit and veg is cheaper from them and also from farm shops if you are near enough. Eggs are cheap, can be made into lovely omlettes and scrambled eggs. One of the best meals is veg curry made with red lentils and mixed veg and served with rice. Slimming and cheap plus it can be frozen.

I spend about £100 a week for 4 adults. That's for lots of fresh stuff and I buy meat and top up things that are needed. I usually shop between Lidl and asda. But over lockdown where ever is quiet does me.

I also use things like Iceland's 5% mince for £10 and the cooked sliced chicken to cut down on fresh meats and times when I can't be bothered cooking.

You need to find recipes you all eat or it's not sustainable imo. Most things can be adapted I've found so worth take a look in the daily meal post for idea. I do things like risotto, Mild curry, meatballs, sausage and mash (I have veggie they have regular ones) cottage pie, mild fajitas, spaghetti Bologneasse or carbonara, homemade pizza using light mozzarella, roast etc

£160 per week is a big spend. Where on earth are you going?

Stop cooking so many meals. Chicken one eve with a selection of veg and carbs on the table. Add yourself a spicy sauce.

Sane again next night with fish.

Isn't Slimming World just "cook fresh food, use fry light, make sure half your plate is veg"?

Cost of food has gone recently, plus having the DCs home more means they eat more. Our food bill is around that now.

I really need to get back to proper meal planning though.

All the shopping was fruit, veg, fish and meat, rice , pasta !

This is basic healthy eating though. Not specific to Slimming World.

How much was your shopping budget before slimming world?

What fruit and veg are you buying? Loads of premium things like blueberries give you very little for your money.