Hello Dear Reader,
I often get emails asking how we manage to keep our grocery bills so low. I will admit, I have it easier than some people. We don't have any children at home and neither of us are fussy about what we eat. We'll happily eat stew every night for a week if that's what there is. Neither of us are 'foodies' which to be is just food trends and snobbery. I don't need anything to be 'artisan'. I try to buy as much local food as I can and then British. I buy NZ lamb but often the lamb I buy from my butchers is Welsh.
The picture above is my week's shopping. It came in at a whopping £29.09! It's scary how much we pay for food. There are no cleaning products, I buy them cheaply locally by using the re-fill scheme at the local shop. As there are no children in the house, a nine pack of loo rolls will last us a fortnight and they are always cheap at Aldi. I buy 'basics' from Tesco on a bi-monthly order and have a stack of flour, pasta, rice, ketchup, stock cubes and so on that I buy every other month or when my stocks have run down. We don't eat much bread and I make two small loaves a week. Neither do we regularly eat cakes or biscuits and when we do, I have dry goods in store. I also buy UHT milk every other month and we get through a litre every two days. My bi-monthly Tesco basics usually comes to £50 including delivery.
Here is my meat purchases, these will last over a week. British belly pork was on offer at £1.89 so I bought two and we have one slice each with vegetables in one meal. The chicken thighs are for our Sunday roast and we'll also eat them the next day too. The lamb shoulder chops will also be for as Sunday roast either this week or next. I always freeze the meat I buy or just buy it frozen. The pack of sausages will also 'do us' for two meals.
Here's my fish purchases, mackerel, tuna and sardines. We usually eat fish with salad for lunch. I make our salad dressing from oil, vinegar and mustard. I buy good olive oil and vinegar in Aldi and then make it last as long as I can. I buy frozen pollock too from Lidl and it's really good.
The week's dairy purchases. One of our lunches will be feta with salad. The block of mature cheddar lasts almost a month. I make it last by grating it very finely and using it in cheese sauce, on top of pasta and sauce or to sprinkle on to something I have cooked or part of a recipe. It's expensive and it's not a snack food. I use butter as I've de-chemicaled our diet and we don't eat 'spreads' any more.
Vegetables. Salads are usually white cabbage, beetroot, cucumber and celery. As I said, we're not fussy and can quite happily eat the same things over and over. We also eat the veg that's on offer, usually for 39p in Aldi, this week (remember The Fast show? and Jessie's diets?) we will mostly be eating cabbage, carrots and brocolli.
Even with careful planning, watch our portion sizes and cooking everything from scratch. Food is so expensive and I know it's a real struggle for families to pay for food. I also appreciate the fact that we have really great fresh food, at affordable prices (I know, that's also relative) and our supermarkets and local traders do some amazing offers which is why we don't need to use coupons.
If anyone from else where in the world is interested in our supermarkets and food prices or if you want to do price comparisons to lower your own food budget. You can take a look at www.mysupermarket.co.uk. I could go to our local supermarkets when they reduce the prices and buy it even cheaper but I'm conscious that people need the bargains more than I do.
Over to you, how do you keep prices down? Any American readers who 'coupon'?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxx
The school holidays are a nightmare for a lot of kids , theyre constantly hungry and ive seen some sad sights this year . Parents coppering up to buy a bread loaf and the cheapest spread just so the kids can have toast . Houses where there is literally nothing in the cupboards . but the worse is those who have to bite the bullet and go to the food bank then admit they cant take anything that needs cooking because they have no fuel . Surely the government must realise that if you get free school meals because youre on a low income, then you cant afford to feed your kids through the 6 week holiday
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with your Mackeral.?....It looks like a good option. Not sure if we have it done up similar in Canada. We do have tinned mackerel.
ReplyDeleteWe eat smoked mackerel, I flake it into salad usually
DeleteMost of the time it's just the two of us and portion control isn't a problem. However, I find this more difficult if we have friends to stay - don't want to risk not having enough or appearing mean but sometimes end up with too much left over. Sometimes it's possible to immediately refreeze this for later use, but not always. Any tips?
ReplyDeleteI do the same for guests, we just jeep eating what ever I made until it's all gone
DeleteMostly I shop without coupons and tend to find that they are most helpful for toiletries and condiments when the item is already on sale. Just the two of us and we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables as well as using leftovers for lunch or to make a new meal. I shop 3 stores to get not only the seasonal items but also to get items that are best for our food restrictions (low sodium, non-dairy) at the best price. Food costs continue to increase in the US but are still lower than in Europe as a percentage of take home income. Being able to cook and be flexible with what is fixed really help.
ReplyDeleteI did an Aldi shop this week ,It came to £34., with good planning, this will last us two weeks as there are only the two of us , even with my husband being fussy , toilet rolls we always buy nikki ones farm foods , we make our own bread as bread is expensive or the really cheap stuff tastes horrible .we are pulling potatoes from the garden at the moment and after a bit of a let down in the learning process of growing our own we have decided to grow lots more next year to reduce our food bill even more.
ReplyDeleteYour food and housing prices seem incredibly low compared with Australia's. I might get the vegetable part of the shopping for $29 but certainly no meat and fish is very dear here. I only buy Southern Hemisphere fish I must admit. When we visited England a few years ago it seemed that your prices were much the same as ours but we called them dollars and you called them pounds. Can't compare by income percentage. People should not feel embarrassed about using food banks as people donate willingly. Our fellow citizens understand about sharing even if our politicians have forgotten. Cheers to all.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, food prices are significantly cheaper in UK than in Australia. At the moment a kilo of beans at the market is $16. Who can afford that, I ask. On a recent trip to Europe, bananas were selling for as low as 99 euro cents per kilo. Here I am paying $2.46 at Aldi and $3.49 elsewhere. Doesn't make sense.
DeleteJust curious about your breakfasts? We struggle to keep food costs down with a household of eight spread over three generations. Per head it is cheaper to feed large numbers but not in total! We buy large bags of potatoes and veg at our local farmers' market where seasonal veg is better and cheaper than the supermarket. We supplement with frozen veg. Fruit is a major expense for us as is sufficient protein for active teenagers. We tend to add pulses to casseroles and soups. Thankful though that I do have food to put on the table.
ReplyDeleteAt the weekend I make a cooked breakfast of grilled bacon and poached eggs, on a weekday we usually have a milky coffee and out the door.
DeleteI read a blog called The prudent homemaker she feeds a family of 8 or 9 for 3 dollars a day. Saraelizabeth might find some great ideas there.
DeletePatti
Thank you-I will take a look.
DeleteHi I have not commented before but frequently read the blog. I allow a set amount and shop online once a fortnight, we get a local veg delivery every week. I use my freezer to store excess veg each week and split larger portions to make an extra meal or two. My fav thing is to make roast potatoes in one go and freeze they are then really simple to just pop in oven when needed. Also I know someone who has been to the food bank and they say a max visit of four times a year (whats that about) but they were very helpful. We are on a pension so have to be careful.
ReplyDeleteI`ve just worked out that you have more money available to spend each week than me. And I thought that you had it worse. This week (after deducting all our outgoings necessary for bill payments) I was left with just £45 to spend on groceries, any sundries, cleaning needs and any clothing requirements. Luckily there was no need for cleaning materials as I make my own at home, and there was no need for clothing either. You seem to be very well clued up on how to stretch the pennies, so now I must learn to make the most out of our meagre purse each week, too.
ReplyDeleteI could make 4 meals with the pack of sausages you divide into two. A whole chicken can make upto 10 different meals for 2 in my household. Your pack of 3 slices of belly pork could easily make 3 different meals for 2 people. That`s how far I must stretch things to make the pennies last. Don`t get me wrong. You are doing a fab job with your blog in educating others out there in the bloggersphere. but some of us have it much harder than you. I take a little inspiration from the meals you might make, but have to stretch my budget a lot further than you do. I still learn something from your blog, even if most of it might seem like you`re teaching me to suck eggs.
I'm careful with money by choice Sarina, I certainly appreciate how lucky we are. I read your blog and you do amazingly well x
ReplyDeleteI'm in the US I don't use coupons because usually they are for items that I don't eat or want. Most of the coupons are for junk food, frozen meals or just stuff I don't buy. We recently got a flier that said an Aldi's was opening here. This is the first time I've heard of that supermarket here. It's quite far away from me though and it wouldn't pay to drive there. I am curious though! I think you do a great job with your budget. I usually spend a lot more than you do every week on food. I think the food here where I live (close to New York City) is high. It's probably the highest priced area in the country. I try my best with the budget but think I could do better than I do. My husband is a diabetic and we both eat a lot of fruits and veggies and they are expensive, even in season.
ReplyDeleteYou might like this YouTube clip about aldi shopping in the us http://youtu.be/-dYvqLii-Dc
ReplyDeleteCall me odd, but I just love looking at other people's groceries and finding out how they utilize them.
ReplyDeleteMy budget is £75 per week for a family of four but that is food, toiletries,loo rolls cleaning stuff washing powder etc.I cook from scratch, grow a lot of veg ,salad and fruit and make bread.most of my stress comes from the rest of the family wanting stuff we can't afford.even my husband hasn't a clue about the way food has gone up,I keep telling him that's too expensive and so is this its like having another kid,he thinks cause he works all week he can have an endless supply of treats.he had a wake up call two years back when he was out of work but he seems to have slipped back into wanting gourmet meals.I always say he has champagne taste on a beer income!!
ReplyDeleteOops forgot I feed the dog in that budget too.
DeleteI am delighted to be moving house so I do not have to use the car and fuel to get to Aldi. I can usually get everything I need in Aldi and we live very well on around 25 pounds to 30 a week. We often have visitors Grown up children in and out so I like to keep the dry goods cupboards stocked up. I have a small chest freezer so nothing gets wasted. Free food for today was a large bowl of blackberries from the footpath near my house :)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this. For instance I went to Aldi yesterday and bought four things. A kilo of bacon, 2 packets of loo rolls and a battery. That was just shy of $20 Australian. The bacon was the lowest cost one too.
ReplyDeleteThere are now four of us but we also buy fresh fruit for dad to eat as the nursing home does not supply his favourites. I stretch stuff too. I swear my biggest budget blow outs occur when others are with me.
I'm in the US and I coupon as much as possible--but nothing extreme like you might see on television. I only cut out the coupons I "might" use, and the rest go to my daughter and granddaughter after her. I will buy 2, 3, 4 items if the offer is for multiples, but only on items I use anyhow. I put my shopping on a credit card and pay it off every month--easier since we are retired and all our money is direct deposited. I try not go to the bank more than once or twice a month in order to get cash out. Lately we have seen a decrease in the number of coupons available, a shortening of the length of time they are good for (6-8 weeks at most) so it's harder to "save up" coupons and hold them for a good sale offer. My store doubles coupons up to 99 cents. Occasionally they will print coupons to allow you double (4) $1 coupons for that week. Last week I used 8 coupons--this week none. Just depends on what I need or what is on sale. In summer I buy at farm stands also since I live in a farming area. It saves a little money but mostly gets me better produce. I buy the largest quantity I can use without spoling but we are only two people, and older at that.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to use more beans in our diet, although I don't love beans. Yesterday I had some leftover ground beef, already cooked, and some lentil taco filling I took from the freezer and mixed about half and half. That made good burritos and we had a black bean salad with it, so got some beans into that meal. Much cheaper than meat, although I'm not giving meat up entirely--just stretching it further. I could do a week's groceries for 4 of us (kids were small then) for 5 pounds in those days! Now my budget here is roughly $350 per month for two, including pet supplies, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. I do a lot of cooking from scratch as well, and almost all my own baking including bread. I do have a fondness for sweets, but try to control myself so they are occasional treats.
That NZ lamb got me through many a "week before payday" when we lived in the UK in the mid-60's. I used to have a whole menu for the last week of the month which included lamb and also some small ham steaks which we inexpensive at the time.
I think buying ONLY when items are on sale and buying enough to last until it goes on sale again, and cooking from scratch, and USING leftovers are the best savings tips, the ones that save the most for me.
I'm in the US. I don't use many coupons as most of what I buy is from Aldi and they don't take coupons. I have shifted my shopping, I used to shop Aldi one week and then another big store the next week, but now I do almost all Aldi shopping. With the rare loss leader purchase from another store or some buying at a farm stand. I just can't afford the other stores for the most part...
ReplyDeleteI coupon but our savings are not phenomenal usually around $20 a shopping trip. I always skip the soda, chip and cookie aisles. I only use coupons for what we would normally use. In an average week for our family of four, which includes one teen and preteen, we spend about $400 a month on groceries.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend years ago who relied on a rice cooker to cook up large amounts of rice and a crock pot. She would cook up batches of beans and add the rice and seasonings and any vegetables she could afford. She had hungry teenagers and this was the cheapest way she could feed them. She also usually had a pot of soup going. Her kids were healthy and no weight problems existed because she couldn't afford junk food. I think you do a great job of keeping food costs down
ReplyDeleteI feed 7 of us (2 adults, 5 children under 10) for £65 a week. I shop at Sainsburys online so that I can add up the cost as I go along. I meal plan, I check what I have in the cupboards before I sit down and plan what we're having and I always try to stretch everything as far as I can. I also use as many basics as I can. I don't buy fresh veg though, I stick with frozen as it's cheaper and there's no waste. We also now have "something on toast" one night a week when my daughter has Brownies. It saves on cooking, washing up and cost. It's usually baked beans or scrambled egg and beans. Funnily enough, the children like that tea time better than the ones where I've spent lots of time cooking!
ReplyDeleteFroogs I was fascinated to see how much food you were able to buy for about 30 pounds. Thank your lucky stars that you live in the UK...in Dubai , the equivalent of what you just purchased would cost around 165 pounds...I will try and make more accurate calculations but just looking at what you have purchased for an equivalent of AED 180 , I estimate that this amount would only cover my dairy and meat products. Pork is astronomically expensive here (for obvious reasons) so we only really buy pork sausages every two weeks or so...chicken costs around AED22 for 300g (about 3.50 pounds) and cheeses cost around 3 pounds for 150g. So as you can see, it is really difficult to be frugal and eat well here...I am constantly in awe of your frugal ways and in particular your ability to manage to feed two people on 29 pounds a week! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your food related blogs Froogs :) I know you have had growing teenagers in the house, especially a boy, so any tips on how to fill them up cheaply? My 14 year old is constantly eating. He happily eats 3 big meals a day as well as lots of snacks. He is very expensive to feed. No weight problems though.
ReplyDeleteI used to make a tin of cakes and buns, I would made a dozen or so pasties a week, usually with just veg and a bit of cheese, lots of homemade soup, I made a loaf of bread a day in my bread machine, sometimes spicy fruit bread, I would also make quiche. I would also suggest, though I think this's May be not what any teen wants to hear, is that they learn yo go without between meals.
DeleteThanks Froogs, I hadn't thought about homemade soup and pasties using up leftovers. Heaven forbid I tell him to go without, but I am thinking that if his 'snacks' are more substantial then maybe he will have less. We'll see!
DeleteOh my gosh Frugal - colour me green with envy. Our food would cost at least double that. Most meat in our supermarket is at least $22 a kilo (about 11 pounds), a packet of six sausages is $7.80!!! I try and stock my small pantry and freezer with things on special, and can only afford to buy cheap meat on special. Chicken legs or thighs, and sometimes cheap lamb chops. Chicken breasts are usually about $12 for two (6 pounds), and it can cost the same for one small slice of salmon. Still nothing wrong with eggs on toast for dinner, or a vegetable stir fry!! Or chips and gravy!!
ReplyDeleteLove your food posts.
Julie Q
NZ
Oh and I meant to say. We can't afford to buy NZ lamb in NZ. A leg of lamb is often about $28 a kilo, going down to $11 a kilo for lamb necks. Don't understand how with crazy air miles and transport costs involved, that UK supermarkets can offer our meat for cheaper than we can buy it here. The same occurs with milk, butter and cheese, often out of reach for real New Zealanders on any kind of budget. Still we are luckier than a lot of people in the world, we can afford to pop into the supermarket and do eat well.
ReplyDeleteJulie Q
I live in the US, and my budget is about $100/week for 4(two of which are teens). But prices keep going up, and I am starting to spend more.
ReplyDeleteI load e-coupons onto my Kroger card-$2 off $10 produce, etc, but I have gotten away from paper coupons except for toiletries.
For Dinkydee: Thanks for that Youtube video. Wow, that gave me a good idea on their prices and whether or not it would be worth driving there. I think it would if I needed a big grocery order. Some of those prices were incredibly reasonable. Compared to what I usually pay, they were very low priced. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteEverything is so expensive. I am vegan so don't buy meat, dairy or fish for me though I do buy meat and fish for the pets! In the past few years I have gone from a reasonably well paid long term job to being very ill and eeking out and living on my now long gone savings. After starting on the road to recovery I pushed myself last year to do a college course last year to qualify for a new, less financially rewarding but infinitely more worthwhile career. I am now back at university and have a miniscule amount to survive on.It's hard and often very difficult to have so little money but having been so unwell I am just thankful to be here. I am not starving, have friends and family who love me and am luckier than many in this world! My way of saving money is to have meals which are very largely vegetable based and buying nuts and seeds when cheap and on offer to make up my protein quota. I make lots of soup which is nutricious, cheap and filling. I eat virtually any veg raw including broccoli and eat salads a lot with seeds and nuts sprinkled on. If you are buying tofu as I do one tip is to buy it from the Chinese supermarket if you have one as it's much cheaper here than elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteFor Kearneygirl, glad to help. I'm based in Dublin, Ireland and the popularity of Aldi has become huge here since it's initial sceptical entry into our grocery market. They have continually added more Irish friendly products here to their usual Continental European food list. I'm sure they will do the same in the US. Our local supermarkets Tesco, Dunnes and Supervalu are busy working really hard to keep their customers from leaving them. Since it's arrival it has become more middle class and among the yummy mummys it is seen as a badge of honour to shop there whereas initially there was some sort of embarrassment factor.
ReplyDeleteI spend $150 a week on groceries in Australia, for a family of four, a few pets and a flock of chickens. That's equivalent to around 83 pounds. Sometimes I have to go over budget because its used to cover so much. I suspect the reason food in Australia is so expensive to buy, is the cost to get food to retail is more. Our labour force is well paid compared to the rest of the world, taxes are higher for business and paying leases for shop frontage is murder.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant to see your usual weeks shop Froogs.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how other peoples purchases always seem much more interesting than your own. You do amazing well to keep your spend so low, but it's the convenience and junk foods that eat up the money for those that buy them. I am usually behind someone in the supermarket with a trolley piled high with ready made things and am never surprised when their bill comes to over a hundred pounds!!