Getting your grocery shopping cheaper.

I thought I'd write a post on grocery shopping and how to make your weekly shop cheaper. Food is one area where everyone spends, but not everybody really takes notice of what they are buying. 

We have some friends who are the same age as us, who don't understand why they never have any money. This weekend, I spent some time with them, and also went food shopping with me and, to be honest, I was amazed. They went round the supermarket, just popping any random thing that took their fancy in the shopping cart. 

At the end, I asked them what kind of meals they were going to have this week, and my friend answered "Oh, I don't know. We'll work that out when we're going to eat."

How can you possibly go shopping for food (they spent over £80 in that shop) when you don't know what you need, what you're going to eat during the week, and what you already have in at home?

My tips are:

- Plan your menu. I can't stress this enough - knowing what you're going to make during the week is helpful for two reasons. 1 - you know what you're having so that you don't have to think about it during the week. 2 - you know what meals you're having so you know what ingredients you need to get. 

- Eat seasonal. There's a reason why strawberries/raspberries/pineapples are really expensive in January - because they're not in season. Eat things that are seasonal, because they tend to be cheaper. 

- Go veggie. Have one or twos meals during the week that don't include meat, as it's healthier and also lots cheaper. Maybe have a soup night once a week, again another cheap, healthy option. 

- Check what you have before you go. Seriously, my friends didn't know if they needed anything, because they hadn't got a clue what was in their kitchen at home. Before you plan, check and see if anything needs eating up. That goes onto the menu first. Then, once you've written your menu, check and see what you have at home first - I bet it's more than you think! 

- Think about cost of food vs. calorie value. This may seem a bit strange, but some things are cheap and easy to cook, and very good for you at the same time! Take porridge oats - get the basic ones as they're pretty much all the same. Oats are really good for you, and yet they don't cost too much. There's so many varieties you can do with oats - breakfast is an obvious one, but use them to bulk out meals too. Bananas are always on our list too, as they're cheap and nutritionally very good too. Same goes for eggs, 

I hope that's helpful to someone. I've been to get some food today - a mixture of the market and the supermarket, and I've spent £21.32 on our weekly shop. Our menu for the week is:

today - roast pork with the trimmings

Monday - chicken fajitas

Tuesday - pizza

Wednesday - coq au vin with rice

Thursday - pasta with sauce

Friday - fish and chips 

I love food.

Meals for the week.

As per usual, Sunday's post is about the meals for the week and food shopping.

I was disappointed last week when we spent quite a lot at the supermarket, and was determined not to have a repeat of that! Due to using some of the things in the freezer and careful planning, our spends at the supermarket this week was £38.31 - that's more like it! This total even included some beer for DH, so I'm very pleased with that. 

Our meals for this week are:

today - out at the in-laws for Sunday dinner

Monday - coconut prawn curry

Tuesday -pizza 

Wednesday - chicken fajitas and salad

Thursday - pasta and sauce (DH) slim fast (me)

Friday - spaghetti bolognaise with garlic bread

Lots of stuff to be used from the fridge and freezer for this week's meals. 

A little confession next... I've given up chocolate, crisps, biscuits, cake and sweets for Lent, as I do every year. This year though, I'm finding chocolate especially hard, not sure why. So, I've been planning (as you do!) for when Lent is over. DH has a chocolate bar every day with his lunch, as he walk 7-8 miles a day in his job, so he can eat quite a bit. We buy chocolate bars on offer/whatever the best deal is. Over the past two weeks, I've been snaffling some of DH's chocolate bars and keeping them safe in a box.....:

Mmm.... the only thing I haven't bought in this box is the bag of peanut butter cup miniatures - they were a Christmas present - and all the rest were on good deals. I'm especially looking forward to the peanut butter kit kat chunky - yes, I'm cool! 

Have you given anything up for Lent? How are you finding it?

Happy Sunday everyone. 

An upset and an enlightening.

Now, I'm going to say that I might sound a bit over-dramatic in this post, but I'm upset, with myself more than anything. 

You see, me and the husband creature went food shopping today, as we normally do on a weekend, armed with a shopping list and a menu in place for the week. We wandered round, getting what was on the list and only one thing in our trolley by the end of the shop was not on the list. That was a meal in the reduced section, which is now in the freezer. 

Sounds fine, right? But, this shop came to £80.22....! Yep, over £80. I couldn't believe it, yet it was almost £90 before all the offers kicked in. As I scanned the receipt, I couldn't see anything that wasn't essential. [Apart from the supermarket's own brand of amaretto I suppose, but that'll last me months!] We did buy cat food, which will last the month. I got some more shampoo and conditioner, but it was half price. We got some laundry detergent that was on offer, which will last us about two months. But still, I was shocked. That's the most we've ever spent on a grocery shop.

I'm also upset with myself. I feel like I've taken my eye off the ball. Spends keep creeping up. We can't afford to spend that much on shopping each week. That, combined with the petrol I got on the way home, mean we'd spent over £130 in just over an hour, on things we need to get through the week. 

I need to address our spending, Look at outgoings. See where we can make cutbacks again, so that we can continue to over pay our mortgage so that we don't have it for the 25 years it's supposed to run for. 

Why is money the solution/problem always? I'm finding life a bit overwhelming at the moment, if I'm honest. 

This photo shows my current love for breakfast - cinnamon and raisin toast. I'm toying with the idea of trying to make my own, but worry it'd be rubbish. Also, this is with natural light, and a much better photo. 

This is what we've just had for tea and what a rubbish photo this is. I need to get a better camera. It needs to be light [oh summer, where are you?]

Gosh, what a grumpy mood I seem to be in. I think it's the lack of chocolate [I've given it up for Lent, along with crisps, biscuits and cake] That's my excuse, anyway. 

Meal planning and making your pennies go further.

Things I have done today:

- Used a 10p off a litre of petrol voucher that would have expired today, had I not used it, saving me a whole £2.90!

- Went Christmas shopping with my mum and had a lovely time

- Had a posh brunch and tea

- Managed to buy 4 more Christmas presents

- Wrote most of my Christmas cards

A productive day!

I also wrote our menu plan for the week:

Sunday - mushroom risotto

Monday - soup and a sandwich

Tuesday - summer-in-winter chicken with rice

Wednesday - stir fry with noodles

Thursday - pizza

Friday - chicken with mushrooms and rice

Lots of rice this week, but then we've got lots of rice on the freezer. The chicken with mushrooms dish is already in the freezer, so no spends there, as was the pizza. Soup from the store cupboard and the only thing I needed to buy for the risotto was the mushrooms! 

Today has been a good day. How's your Saturday been?

[I love the house in this picture - it looks magical with snow on as well. ]

Menu planning and the week ahead.

Whenever I mention how much we spend on food shopping, most people don't believe it. They also don't believe that we tend not to throw any food away. One of the biggest things that I think helps when it comes to budgeting is meal planning. 

First thing to do is look at what you already have in - is there anything that needs using up? That could be made into something? Then write a list of what you have that can be used and then think of meals you like to eat and are easy to cook during the week. 

Our meal plan for this week looks like this:

Saturday - out, date night :)

Sunday - Sunday lunch with the in-laws

Monday - Fish fingers, waffles and beans (to use stuff up from the freezer)

Tuesday - Spaghetti Puttanesca

Wednesday - Homemade sweet and sour chicken with rice

Thursday - Shepherds Pie with broccoli and gravy

Friday - Ham and Pineapple pizza with salad 

We have lots of spaghetti in the store cupboard, so I wanted to use a recipe involving that. We also have lots of broccoli in the freezer, so wanted to use some of that somewhere. It's all about thinking ahead, and reducing your food waste.

Our food shop this week came to £31.43, which includes some treats, and a couple of things that will last more than this week ( for example, I bought some more value porridge oats even though I think I've got enough for this week. These will last a month or more in our household!)

Do you meal plan? How do you do your food shopping? 

N xxx

Life's just peachy.

So, bought a few more bits and pieces today, so will update that in a second.

Firstly, I had a very yummy breakfast today. Well, it was around 11AM, so I'm not sure if that's not technically breakfast, but still. 

Porridge with the last of the blueberries, sliced peach and a glass of grapefruit juice. 

I love the fruit you can get in the summer; blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, melon - delicious! 

I popped to Sainsbugs this afternoon for a few things:

- one white loaf - £1

- 4 peaches - £1

- one blueberry muller corner - 61p

- salad bag - £1.50

Total: £4.11

So, the grocery total for this week now stands at £17.38. Not too shabby! 

I've spent the afternoon with a friend helping her clear her garden, and spending time with her gorgeous little boy in the sunshine.

Summer 2011 is turning out to be pretty good, so far. 

N xxx

Week Three.

Things have been so hectic lately, I've not had a moment to think! 

We're on the third week of trying to keep our food budget under £30. This week is slightly different. The haddock we had for tea this evening was given to us by my grandparents, with leftover veg. We're going to a friend's house for tea tomorrow, so haven't needed to buy anything for that. Wednesday and Thursday I'm doing a fruit juice detox, which includes only fruit juice, green tea and water for 48 hours, so I have only had to buy some fruit juice. This weekend we are going to a family wedding, so are away Saturday and Sunday, so it's left us with very little to actually buy!

So, our receipt for this week:

- bottle of water - 60p

- 2 quiches - £3

- Grapefruit juice - £1.60

- Tomato and mascapone sauce - £1.26

- Pizza - £2

- Blueberries (reduced) - 87p

- spaghetti - 78p

- 5 bananas - 76p

- Cucumber - 40p

- 1 x white loaf - £1

- Skips - £1

Total : £13.27

Amazing!

Our food menu for the week looks like:

Monday (today) - haddock with roast vegetables with an orange and honey sauce

Tuesday - out for tea :)

Wednesday - pizza (oh), juice (me)

Thursday - quiche with salad (oh), juice (me)

Friday - meatballs with spaghetti and tom sauce (oh), soup (me, from cupboard)

Our tea was very nice, especially as the fish was given to us for free!

 

The only problem is I love roast veg, and can never judge the portion - oops! Still, definitely got our 5-a-day today. 

N xxx

the food receipt, week one.

So, first week trying to stay within £30 on the food budget. We popped to do our food shopping today, and we got the following:

- 1 tin chicken soup - 74p

- 4 x branston beans - £1.50

- 2 x peach barley water - £2

- 2 x white onions - 48p

- salad cream - £2.09

- 2 x carrots - 14p

- 2 x orange pepper - £1.60

- 2 x baking potato - 79p

- broccoli - 70p

- baby spinach - £1.25

- bananas - £1

- 2 x chicken breasts (value) - £2

- mushrooms - 84p

- cashew nuts - £1

- crispy chicken - £2

- fajita mix - 59p

- tortillas - £1

- 2 x hovis loaves - £2

- pepperoni pizza - £1.79

Total: £23.51

Now, some of the things on that list will be used in different weeks - for example there are 4 pieces of crispy chicken, so there will be 2 left over for another week. Also, the salad cream will last longer than this week. The branston beans were on offer, so they'll last us a while. The pizza is for the other half, when he's at work late, so it's something easy for him to pop in the oven. If I were better at this, I'd have pizza dough ready made in the freezer, but I'm not. Likewise the bread, other half has 2 sandwiches a day for his lunch or tea, and again if I was better, they would be in homemade bread. But, I'm only just starting out, so baby steps. 

The menu for the week looks like this:

Today (sun) - lamb chops (from freezer) with mustard mash, carrots, with a red wine (left over) and mushroom sauce.

Monday - chicken fajitas with salad 

Tuesday - Meatballs with tomato sauce and spaghetti (him), soup (me)

Wednesday - Veg stir fry with rice

Thursday - Pizza (him), soup (me, from store cupboard)

Friday - crispy chicken, chips and beans (him), egg on toast (me)

Now, the salad, meatballs, spaghetti, rice, soup and eggs are all things we have in already, but that's part of the challenge. Another thing to aim for is that we never chuck any food out, and incorporate leftovers into the next day meals - so we're doing that. 

Overall, pretty pleased so far. Just realised that I forgot to get tomatoes though! D'oh!

N xx