How much is your grocery shopping?

[annetteevans]

my dad says that he's gonna go shopping with two trollies and buy all the b.o.g.o.f's to see if we can get two week's shopping for the price of one. You could give that a go. they don't seem to do many offers like that on the fresh produce unfortunately. this is the reason i have started to grow stuff, might save some money, and it gives me an excuse to look up some recipies

[Winged one]

I tend to have not too bad a bill - but that's cause I cook a lot from scratch.

Lots of tins of toms, tom puree, coconut milk, tuna etc. Much cheaper and nicer sauces as a result. often with plenty of fresh veggies (either our own or local greengrocer). With plenty of seasonings, spices, herbs etc (GYO where I can, but buying dried is fine too for lots of them).

I tend to do a big stores shop in a large supermarket infrequently, and then try to shop in local stores more often (I didn't actually need to go to a supermarket this week at all as it happens - fishmonger, local store for milk and bread, and the plot, supplmented by the freezer).

Buy larger packs of things where price per unit is cheaper and store these well. Buy BOGOF's when I would have bought those brands or more expensive anyway.

Use lots of vouchers, coupons etc when I get them - for brands of stuff I'd be buying anyway. And loyalty card schemes (yes, I know they get lots of info from them, but there is money off and other vouchers that I might use). And the savings stamps schemes too - by putting in my spare change, I get an extra 2% back (€2 free when card filled with €98) - and they are a great help on big stores weeks.

We do buy a fair bit of wine, but I tend to do this on various offers: Buy 6 or 12 bottles and get 5 or 10 % off. Certain supermarkets have special weekends where any wine/champers bought gets 30% back to the loyalty card on next vouchers mailing (and often STILL have that 5% offer). Bulk reductions on particular brands we buy occasionally (especially New World ones). Various vouchers with the loyalty vouchers or other sources. When up in Norn Irel' - usually buy a good bit then and often boxes (the ones with the tap) are very good value.

We tend to be pretty ok though in terms of "extras" - some biscuits, the toddler usually has some dunkers for creche snack, but very few crisps, biccies, choccie etc (we tend to get a bag of about €5 of Leonidas orangettes as our treat maybe once a month rather than bags of cheaper choc every week). And relatively low on pre-processed food: some frozen veg and oven chips, and the odd "real" chicken kiev (where you can see the whole real chicken joint with the bone still left in - rather than the squished together, made from scraps type) and packet of fish fingers. I've moved away from chicken breasts as my main emergency staple in the freezer (still have some but only a few now) to prawns and our local supermarket does these regularly on a BOGOF so I always stock up then.

I've found pre-planning the menu and writing a list before going to the shops, as well as making my own lunches, and double batches of freezable dinners, have all made a huge difference to lowering the food bils here. And we are much less likely to reach for the takeaway menu if there is a sauce in the freezer that just needs defrosting and some pasta or rice cooked for it (we still have takeaways, just not nearly so often now, maybe 1-2 a month instead of at least weekly).

[Starchild]

£310 a month 4 kids, 2 adults. And the only "junk" food is the odd bag of oven chips and fish fingers for when I am too fatigued to cook. I buy herbs and spices direct now (since the retailer I was getting them from decieved us by selling out to TESCO). Get washing powder every 6 months from a farmers supplier (same for fabric conditioner) usually pro grade so I need less. Toilet rolls the same, ok so it ain't andrex, but then the kids don't waste it either.
I rarely buy eggs since our neighbour works on an egg packing line :-) (yes they are free range, supposed to be for TESCO )

[Sanjo]

Just the two of us with the occasional packet of biccies for grandchildren but usually averages around £70 a week. Having said that I also do as some of the other grapes. I make my own bread (albeit using a Morphy Richards Fastbake) perhaps three loaves a week, I usually batch cook things like spag bol, soups and stews. We bottle all fruit from the garden and this usually produces around 70 - 80lbs of various ie apple, apple and blackberry, jostaberry, goosberries, blackcurrants. I bottle into 1lb and 2lb jars and they last us all winter. It means I can produce an instant dessert - just add a bit of custard or ice cream or go really mad!! and make a crumble or pie or add to smoothies. I have also now gone back to my wine making since I had all the equipment sitting there idle and now that we are both pensioners and having to budget, trips across to France are not going to be that frequent. I often buy own brand stuff and make comparisons all the time as I go round. Also, make a list before you go and try and stick to it. Impulse buying is fatal. I swear that the big stores deliberatley change their stock around to force you into other areas of the store that you would normally miss. We have a Tesco clubcard (yep - I read all the comments from the other Grapes re these and other "loyalty" cards and I am sure there is a lot of truth in the comments but it works for us). We have a Tesco credit card which also gives us points and which is ALWAYS settled immediately. We therefore get double points on all shopping. The clubcard points have virtually paid for our main holiday this year in Bulgaria. We saved the points up for two years and have had to add only a few quid. We do all our washing (and winter clothes drying when the weather is foul) using cheap rate electric. We have the machines set on timers so I don't have to get up at some unearthly hour just to switch them on. I never use the dryer when there is a possibility that they will dry outside. We don't have central heating (got our love to keep us warm ha ha!) and we are regarded as oddities by many of our friends for that. I would say though that it is a good idea if within your budget plan you allocate a small amount of money to be used for the occasional treat. Living on a budget through necessity (rather than an experiment which you can stop any time you like) can be boring and demoralising, especially if you see other people around you apparently living a high old life, and a little treat pot will cheer you up. I sometimes stand at the supermarket checkout and wonder how other shoppers can get through the mounds of stuff in their trolleys. Drink (especially the alcoholic kind!!) I can understand but box after box of pizza etc.????

[ailsasyl]

Spend about £20 to £30 a week for the two of us used to be a lot more but was made redundant and then out of action for six months when I had op on ankle, morgage ins refused to pay out so now am ecconomising big style as credit card maxed and arrearson morgage working again but earning much less than before, ust about making ends meet roll on Feb when arrears on morgage will be paid.
Happybunny likes cooking and were doing more fresh cooking together but I as I work shifts it can be hard think i need to take a leaf out of Lynda66 book and do a big cook day once a month

[Winged one]

Lynda66's idea of a whole day cooking sounds great - but our freezer isn't big enough for that and I wouldn't get a whole day of peace from the toddler. But I do find that I can get stuff done on Sunday afternoons. When I am cooking the family dinner anyway (try to have a nice big family dinner together on Sundays at least and often a roast), I make a dinner suitable for Monday and freeze half for another night middle of next week. Like a spag bol, lasagne, shepherd's pie, fish pie, various curries or stews etc. They usually taste much nicer if they've had a day to "rest" and it means far less rush on monday evenings after work.

And if I DO make a roast, I'll often do a large tray of roasted veggies (usually mediteranean kinda mix) with it (may as well use the oven when it's on) and use the leftovers either with pasta for dinner or with couscous for lunches until about wednesday (usually don't have enough til then, but I reckon they're ok to use til then, IYKWIM).

[SueA]

I've noticed the prices going up a lot recently. We used to spend about £40-£50 a week on our main shop in the supermarket for the 2 of us but now it's more like £50-£60. I do try not to buy too many ready made things but sometimes it works out fairly cheap as there are only two of us & occasionally just me when hubby is away. I use all the coupons I can find & buy in advance whenever they have 'bogof' offers on & buy whichever brands are on special offer.

[Beki]

We try to stick to £30 a week for food, loo roll, washing powder etc. for 2 adults and 2 children.

The it's about £10 a week for dog and chicken food.

So probably £40 total. We never buy chicken unless it's reduced - and even then only if it's free range, or FR organic.

Knowing what times the stores reduce their stuff is key, i've found. For example we only shop at tesco on sundays, and we get there for about 2.45pm, as they start doing the 'up to 90%' reductions at about 3 to 3.15pm

We make our own bread - we've worked out that it costs us around 23p a loaf. Even the 'value' bread is now almost 40p.

However, we just bought 10 granary loaves reduced on sunday, for 22p each, down from over £1 each Lucky we have a chest freezer out in the nissen hut!

I'm trying to reduce our budget even more. I get a great feeling of satisfaction when i don't spend very much! It's mostly out of necessity, but it makes me feel good too!

[SlugLobber]

Well, after all this talk of fruiterers and butchers being cheaper, I decided to put it to the test and have just got back from Banstead (quiet afternoon in the lab!).

Not impressed, I'm afraid.

In the fruiterers, the prices were MUCH higher and although it all looked fabulous, I was dismayed to see Italian cherries on sale, when cherries are now in season in the UK. Same for lots of other fruit, too. He did give us a free 'donut peach', though, so not all bad! Spent £10 there, just for me. I do like making smoothies and eating fruit, though!

Went on to the butcher, over the road. No rabbit or venison. Lots of free-range, but no organic. Not a huge commercial meat eater and don't like beef or lamb, so just bought a 'chicken rosette', which is chicken and bacon wrapped together. £1.50 there. He tried offering me '2 for £3', cheeky git. Do I look that thick??

Into local chemist - hurrah! Lots of BOGOFS, including conditioner and shower gel, which I'm using a lot of in this weather! Also got citric acid there, so total of £10 (£9 summat).

Given that I also had to then go to Waitrose for the dairy stuff (milk, cheese and yoghurt, plus Covent Garden soups, £10 altogether), I don't think I saved anything. I also got drawn into 2 charity shops, so spent an extra tenner!

So, I'm £40 lighter (£46 if you count the horse treats I bought on the way back!). Mind you, I did enjoy the exercise and being out in the sunshine, rather than having my knees frozen off in the cool supermarket! Would have to work out what I would have spent in the supermarket, but overall a pleasant experience, if not more expensive on the whole and I STILL need to buy cat food!

[Claire72]

Well, I am buying for 4, 2 adults and 2 kids, we cook very little from scratch though, as neither of us are confident cooks, but planning on trying harder this summer.
After the summer I will be working just one job, instead of the 2 I have been doing, also working 4 days a week, so planning to spend Wednesdays preparing foods for the week.
I guess I just need to get more organised and store foods better and stop relying on jars of sauces etc

[Rockhag]

We have a budget of £200 a month and that's for 2 adults (we dont smoke and are both veggies) and 2 cats (who also don't smoke and are not veggies hahaha). There's the odd month where we go over and some months when we spend less.

[Snadger]

Forgive me for I have sinned! I've just paid £1.78p for a cauli at Tecos!
It was a BIG cauli (the only type they had) and 'her indoors' would have been deeply upset if I'd returned without one considering I'd just bought the cheese for a cauliflower cheese supper!
The annoying thing is mine in the allotment will be ready in about a week!
Dammed annoying.........but I'll try not to let it appen again guv'nor!

[Alison]

Currently running at about £28 each per week for the two of us. That covers all our meals (3 per day) and most of the household stuff too. We don't eat out much as I get fed up with finding that so much of the time I could cook something equally good at home for a fraction of the price. Majority of what we eat is organic or at least locally and ethically sourced with the minimum of chemical interference and in season. I cook pretty much everything from scratch which makes it so much easier to know what is in the food you eat - firmly believe that all the hidden and unncecessary extras in processed food are adding to people's ill heath. However, do get annoyed when people look at me as if I'm missing out by doing it myself - personally think that they are the ones missing out by eating bland, mass produced food full of filllers and packaged in 10 layers of plastic!

[petal]

when I am work our food bill is around £120 a week but when I am on my hols its a lot less as I can economise and be bothered to make 3 meals from 1 chicken etc. We have at least one meat free day per week and tuna pasta is a cheap, filling meal for kids. I must admit, I love filling our plates with things we have grown at the allotment and I have found a source of fresh organic lamb and beef - its whether my freezer is big enough! I made my first 4 jars of strawberry jam this week yet I expect lidl jam would work out cheaper - not as much fun though!

[HeyWayne]

We got to the point in the not too distant past where we were spending £120 a week on shopping - just two of us, and that was before takeaways.

We're now budgeting around £60 a week.

We rarely (maybe once every six months) buy/use ready meals, I cook pretty much every night before LadyWayne gets in. We have takeaway on a Friday evening and enjoy the odd drink with dinner of an evening.

The biggest thing for us was portion sizes and learning not to be wasteful - we used to throw an awful lot of food away that wasn't used at the end of the week. Now though, the fridge is almost empty by the end of the week with only a few long lasting items remaining.

Shopping around makes a difference, but we find that often the time/money spent finding them makes the difference less obvious/attractive.

I am however considering selling my car and buying a Smart car to get to and from work in the not too distant future.