Does anyone else get really frustrated with the women on the Eat Well For Less Program , I feed ourselves for a month on just over what they spend in a week and that's after Greg has saved them money.
Do you think its idleness or more deep rooted.
This is what my cupboards look like at the end of the month waiting for the monthly shop to fill them up
The store cupboard
And shelves.
I could make some meals out of what we have left but there are a lot of things we are out of so i need to do the shop.
For two months now instead of Aldi we have been using Tesco as you just cant get everything from Aldi , Plus we are fed up of not being able to park and look properly as the stores are so small so they get really congested
I am really impressed how Tesco have dropped there prices to be more competitive and the meat range is really good quality also, very cheap .
The only thing i am not impressed with is the wine range, But you get points on your shop too.
So today i did our monthly shop , It cost us £.72.77.
And the Checkout spit out a coupon for £7.00 of £50 so our next shop will be even cheaper .
I dont menu plan any more as we change our mind so much but i will blog about what we have had for meals week by week , The photographed food will last us a month with just a few fresh bits when we need them , Cooking from scratch , Baking our own bread and treats .
The only things i now buy outside of Tesco are toilet rolls, butter sugar & frozen fish from Farmfoods & Tomatoes from B & M four cans for £1.00
And the wine is on special at Sainsbury's if you buy 6 bottles there is 25 % off , They have two really nice bottles for £3.75 ( I only like a quality wine too ) Ones a Shiraz the other is a Chardonnay.
It works out at £2.81 per bottle with the discount.
Wish i had the will power to resist it so that i could stock up for christmas , Ohh no now i've gone and said the C word lol
XXXX
Hi Shabby
ReplyDeletePeople are not taught the basics anymore ie. the budgeting and having a set shopping list for the basics after all it is the basics that get you through each month. Also when you don't have much coming in, it is a matter of priorities and food is one of the highest. If you have a roof over your head food in your belly and a little heat then you are rich indeed and everything else is a bonus. I tend to not rely on one particular store anymore either. I cherry pick or use stores like B N M for bulk buying those items that we do use. I also tend to stockpile when I have the cash and then go without if I haven't secure in knowing that I have the basics in to get me through the month. I prefer to go to a proper butchers there are two that I use when I can. When times are tough I bulk buy from a local butcher who does a lot of the markets in the fens their meat is not bad and it provides a meal. I would rather pay a little more for my meat and have less of it. You look as though you have a nice little haul there. I do like Lidl though and Aldi when I can get there. Come pay day I will hopefully be able to get up to the cash and carry as I am after a bulk buy of stewing steak for stews and meat pies. I have treated myself to a new gadget and it if works as I think it will it will certainly save me time and money as will be able to make my own pie fillings, and either freeze it as cooked ready to pop into a freshly made freezer case or make up the pie with the filling and freeze the lot. Will have to see how it works first/ The best part for me in every month is getting creative with those ingredients I do have left. Glad you are having a little treat now and again. Take care,
pattypan
x
Hello pattypan , I forgot to mention lidl , They do a great de caff coffee for £1.39 and Dave is very fussy with coffee so it has to be good and i buy oven chips from there for 50p a bag and they are nice too but the bulk comes form Tesco now, The butchers around here are very, very expensive and there are no options to buy in bulk , take care xxx
ReplyDeleteI just can't watch that program anymore 'cos I end up yelling at the TV - these families drive me bonkers! What is wrong with these people? Rant over. You shop like I do - there isn't much we don't eat that we don't make from scratch, except cat food, though I do make our dog's food. I am currently getting to grips with a slow cooker, but I think I am over-cooking everything as the meat is often tough. I do use my pressure cooker a lot - nearly every day outside the hottest summer days - saves a lot of gas!
ReplyDeleteI use my slow cooker a few times a week but have never used a pressure cooker, One tip with the slow cooker i tend to flash fry any meat used with onions and garlic in a pan first to seal in the juices I have never had a any tough meat this way , It might be worth a try xxx
DeleteSince my local Lidl was pulled down to build anew one I have split my shopping between Tesco, Home Bargains and Farm Foods. They are all very close and only 10 minutes away. I had to stop watching the program, I was on the point of throwing something heavy at the tv. I hope that these couples are cherry picked to show the extreme but when I see some trollies at the next checkout I think not.
ReplyDeleteLol , I couldn't afford a new tv at the moment so i have to control myself doesn't stop me from shouting at the tv though , You can pick up some good recopies though wich this week i am going to try one out xxx
DeleteUgh....Aldi....they arrived in recent years in South Australia. We checked them out recently...omg what rubbish especially the meat and fresh veg. The hunt goes on for cheap edible food that we can afford ! xx
ReplyDeleteIts always a challenge like you say meg to find edible food that is reasonably priced but it has to be done for us so we can have quality meals that help us live within our small income xxx
DeleteWell, THAT was fun - going grocery shopping with you... Do you shop from a list? (I don't, except for those things I KNOW I need. Otherwise, I look what's on special and shop around it. I still spend less w/o a list than many who use one.)
ReplyDeleteNo Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteLike you i dont use a list and also like you i just jot down the things i dont want to forget , Its like you say without a list you can concentrate more on the offers and save even more money xxx
I get the fruit and veg from West Brom market (and sometimes the Thursday car boot sale) but Jon does all the rest of the shopping from Lidl. I clean the floors with hot water, lemon juice and olive oil and the surfaces, bathroom and windows with white vinegar and wash our clothes in soda crystals. The only ready-made cleaning products we buy are Lidl's own brand washing up liquid and bleach.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of Morrison's booze, award winning and really good value.
I've never ever been in Walsall's Tesco! xxx
Some great tips there vix , I do buy wine from Morrison's when its not on offer in sainsbury's , We actually travel to Tesco in Wilenhall as its empty in the week , The Walsall one is to busy and not that easy to get into and brownhills keeps deleting products from there range , We usually combine it with a trip to the charity shops over that way but all this is done with keeping daves life as stress free as possible as anything to do with hassles parking really gets him worked up xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to combine the shopping with visit charity shops, makes a mundane activity a lot more fun. I haven't been to Willenhall in ages! xxx
DeleteI by a lot of my fresh fruit and veg in the Summer from the car boot sales, not always cheaper but certainly fresher and top quality. I don't watch the programme I find it too irratating. Education is what a lot these people need on how to budget.
ReplyDeleteI still watch the program even though it irritates me , Some of the recipes are ok too xxx
DeleteI watch because I like being shocked at the people on there. :-) When the lady said she had NEVER cooked a chicken dinner before, I just thought, well WHY not. It is simple and cheap.........padding out less meat with oads of veg, and then I boil the carcass for stock for soup/broth. Amazing how much money they all get through.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe that she had never cooked a chicken dinner either , Even if i was a lot better of financially i dont think i could spend as much as they do on food xxx
DeleteI've not watched the programme but from reading all the comments I can see that these people haven't the faintest idea on how to eat well for less. I love to stretch meals and don't throw any food away.
ReplyDeletexx
The only thing i throw away is lettuce and cucumber as there are only two of us we can never eat them before they go off xxx
DeleteI tell the hubby that we are having Surprise Surprise for tea. It is as much a surprise to me as it will be to him as I make my mind up and change it so often. We buy trays of 30 free range eggs for £3.50 at a local farm. Spuds are £6 for a 25kg sack. The spuds get cheaper later in the year too.
ReplyDeleteLol , I like that surprise surprise , I used to buy sacks of potatoes but as we dont eat that many, they sprouted and went soft before we eat them , That's one of the problems just feeding the two of us xxx
DeleteI have no idea how you manage to do a months shop on £72 I'm very impressed. I would be very interested in seeing a months menu plan etc. I have always cooked from scratch don't buy ready made or processed foods and only have meat/fish twice a week but I can't get anywhere near as low as you for my shopping. How do you do it?
ReplyDeleteHello Wendy ,Thanks for the comment , £72 is my monthly shop ,I already have a well stocked store cupboard with the basics wich really helps but i try really hard not to spend and more but if i have to i will , If you look at my latest blog post it gives you the first weeks meals all in all with the farm foods buys wine and any extras i have to buy it is usually around £100/£120 per month , Like this month i did not have to buy coffee washing powder or fabric softener but next month i will,This weeks meals so far are Monday , Sausage egg and chips , fish fingers that are already in the freezer) and chips , Today i am making a steak pie out of some reduced stewing steak that was in my last shop ,Just normal everyday food , Nothing special but the home made stuff is very tasty xxx
ReplyDeleteI only watched the program hoping that I'd learn something..... but didn't. I also find that I can't get everything I need in Aldi although I do a monthly shop there. I'm sad that Tesco have stopped some of their value range, deodorant & washing powder especially that I used to buy.
ReplyDeleteYes i found that too with the deodorant even when i used to shop at Aldi i popped into Tesco for the value one but i have now been using the cheapest roll on they do its a value range and its fine, The only problem i have found out about Tesco is if you live in an affluent area they target the food they sell to what they think people want in that area , I go to a less affluent area as the prices of the meat there is very good and its also good quality xxx
ReplyDelete