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NickInTheNorth
10-Nov-10, 19:50
Just to save cluttering up the thread Are you happy with your lot ? (http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=127139) and following on from my thread comparing costs of shopping at Lidl and Tesco I thought I'd start this one.

How much does it cost you to feed your family per week and how many of you are there?

Has anyone got any good tips for keeping the costs down?

Just as a starter, my biggest bestest tip - always plan ahead, decide what you are going to eat and then make a list that has what you need to buy. Don't be afraid to make changes if you spot a real bargain, but don't just hit the shops with a vague "must get some food for the next few day" !

teddybear1873
10-Nov-10, 20:01
It can vary from $120 per week to $250, yes that dollars. If me or the OH see any deals, we will nab them. She has been to a few coupon classes and it makes a BIG difference. One thing about the grocery shops here, is if you see a deal in one shop the other will honour it.

By the way we have 3 teenagers in the hoose.

By the way, do they have coupon classes there? I never seen or known of any.

Commore
10-Nov-10, 20:04
Is that all in, fuel, coal, etc or just food??

lindsaymcc
10-Nov-10, 20:06
My favourite kind of thread!!!

I love to menu plan, but totally forgot this week, and hence £85 in Tesco yesterday and Im not hopeful it will totally last the week!

There are 5 of us (and soon to be puppy!) 2 adults, 2 children with good appetites and a toddler who sometimes eats and sometimes doesnt!

I find my biggest expense is what I call "snacky bits". As the girls have school dinners, they only need a "lunch" for dinner. This usually involves 1 slice of bread either as a sandwich or toast, a variety of fruit (apple, satsuma, grapes, banana etc) and then raisins or yorghurt coated fruit flakes with a choccy biccy and then yoghurt for pudding. It all seems to mount up!!!

The other big expense seems to be vegetables! I love fresh veg, really not keen on frozen at all, and I can spend a fortune! Tonight for just husabnd and I, our veg for dinner is costing about £4! £2 for asparagus, £1 for cauliflower, half a pack of leeks so 60p and mushrooms about 50p! Madness!

I havent tried shopping at Lidl for a long time, years probably, but Im tempted to give it a go next week and see if I can drive down the costs somewhat!!!

lindsaymcc
10-Nov-10, 20:07
Is that all in, fuel, coal, etc or just food??

Just food!

NickInTheNorth
10-Nov-10, 20:12
My absolute total budget for shopping for the week is £90

That covers food, drinks, nappies, cleaning, toiletries

Most weeks we spend less than that. This week was a big spending week as many of the things that will last more than a week needed replacing all at the same time.

If I need to I can get the weeks spending down to about £50, but don't like having to do that too often. Mind you it's not long since I was working to a budget of £35 per week for a family of 5!

lindsaymcc
10-Nov-10, 20:25
I remember those days Nick. It was £40 for us for 4 of us, with 2 lots of nappies plus baby milk! Was a nightmare!

I also hate the weeks where all the laundry detergent/loo roll/cleaning stuff runs out all at once - we had that last week, so we had a tesco home delivery - £104.50!!!!

I have to admit, we are doing ok at the moment, things are not totally comfortable but not on the breadline either. I like to have a max of £90 also, and most weeks come in at around £80, with a £10 top up of fruit/veg/milk at the weekend.

Ive also gotten a lot more savvy with what Im cooking, for example a whole chicken. Im not a fan of the darker meat, preferring breast meat, so we have a roast chicken for sunday dinner, and then with the leftovers I will do a chow mein or stir fry with as you cant really "taste" what meat you are using with all the other flavours. Therefore getting 2 meals out of a chicken instead of 1!

Tesco do 3 for £10 on their meat, so I usually get a whole chicken, a large pack of stewing steak or mince and a pack of pork steaks. That does us 5 or 6 meals! I have used the butchers for meat, but it is pricier. Ok so the quality is better, but with a family to feed, I cant afford to do it all the time!

I will admit to almost every week spending £6 on fresh fish from the harbour - but I cannot abide tesco pre-packed stuff and it is my one food indulgence that is dropped on short weeks!!!

ShelleyCowie
10-Nov-10, 20:32
I love this kind of threads!! :lol:

Family of 6, 2 of which are in nappies. Shopping budget - £60, actual weekly spend is about £80 :lol:

But...i can justify myself for big shopping spends. When i see a bargain, i take it! One week i got 3 packs of mince for 40p each. That will do us 1 meal for something like mince and tatties. But its straight in the freezer and there until i need it. I always look at the reduced section and see what bargains i can get. I do 1 massive "meat spend" every 6 weeks or so where i will stock up on chicken, beef, pork, mince etc etc. Then every other week i just need to buy things to go with a meal such as veg and tatties.

Our killer is....snacks! Hubby takes alot of snacks to work with him on night shifts. Also he eats 6 oranges a day! Athrun eats 2 packs of grapes a week too. But buying fruit doesnt bother me.

Also im not including the cost of nappies or baby formula in my shopping budget. Nappies i buy in mass bulk. Got Jay-D over 100 pampers nappies in Asda for £12, doubled up some of my Tesco vouchers today to get the same amount for Athrun.

lindsaymcc
10-Nov-10, 21:08
I really do wish I, and my kids, liked Soup! It is so quick, easy and cheap to make, and yet only hubby likes the stuff! I have tried all sorts of soups, and just do not like them!

A typical week for us is.....

Tues : Beef Stew
Wed: Spag Bol/meatballs & pasta
Thurs: Pork steaks, pots & veg
Fri : Fish with pots and veg or chips
Sat: Pizza or Sausages for kids, curry for us!
Sun: Roast Chicken/Pork/Beef
Mon: Chow mein/Stir fry with left over sunday meat

I just need a bit more variety really! Its all getting a bit boring, and yet hubby is a trained chef!!!

Im also doing slimming world at the moment, so really watching what Im eating, and a lot of the recipes from the books are really good, but not what I would call universal for families! Ive also started using Quorn mince and chicken style pieces for bolognaise and curry - its usually on offer at £1 a bag, and you really cant tell the difference!

squidge
10-Nov-10, 21:20
My budget is around £80 per week but that's for 3 adults, 1 teenager and two babies (1 in nappies full time and 1 just nights). My best tips are cook cook cook. No ready meals. I find this saves me money. Also making soups, using up leftovers, and making your own pastry. With three big men to feed I often make pies - the pastry doesn't half fill you up. Cheese and onion pie is really the only meal without meat the men will eat lol. I shop at lidl quite regularly and find their nappies very good indeed. The big pain for me is snackage. Teenagers and 20 year olds eat all the time. Instant noodles and toast are what I provide lol. I don't often buy crisps but I do buy packets of biscuits. The wee ones like a bourbon or custard cream and it's nice for after their dinner. I also try to cook so that the babies can either eat with us or have the leftovers the following night for their dinner.

Meat and veg are my biggest expense and I always look out for bargains. Last week I got chickens from tesco for £2.50 each. They were just selling them off from the butchers counter. I jointed them and made a casserole from one and cooked the other with basil lemon and garlic.I was well pleased.

orkneycadian
10-Nov-10, 21:35
Has anyone got any good tips for keeping the costs down?

Rabbits! Free meat!

cuddlepop
10-Nov-10, 21:43
When you only have the choice of the co-op or the co-op,shopping is an expensive necessatity.:(

I can spend a £100 in the co and know I'd get it for £50 in Lidils.

orkneycadian
10-Nov-10, 21:50
Prog on BBC2 at the moment where they are making sheep head stew! That should be fairly cheap too!

Bazeye
10-Nov-10, 22:01
Prog on BBC2 at the moment where they are making sheep head stew! That should be fairly cheap too!

Should see you through the week.

Dadie
10-Nov-10, 23:16
Bazeye ..bad joke!
I have expensive weeks at over £150 for a main shop of everything from nappies, loo roll and washing powder and wipes (bought in bulk when on offer)
To cheap weeks at £50 which is the basics..veg etc and eating out the freezer etc..
but thats all the shopping not just food!
I go mad on deals...and have on occassion wondered where to put 100 loo rolls or 12 packs of dishwasher tabs (less than half price)