pandaeyes
Full Member
the syns for bisto gravy are less than tesco gravy for instance and of course bisto is a lot more expensive
Is it just me or is SW expensive?
- Thread starter Kate77
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Purple-Ney
Full Member
I agree with you we often leave our shop till late and the amount of good stuff we've gotten!
I think it tends to feel alot more expensive in the beginning because you just sort of jump in and go ok let's buy all the healthy stuff but don't have any clear plan of what your realistically going to make, but it does get better.
I think it tends to feel alot more expensive in the beginning because you just sort of jump in and go ok let's buy all the healthy stuff but don't have any clear plan of what your realistically going to make, but it does get better.
ticktock
Full Member
I find it really expensive too, its no wonder there is an obesity crisis when most of the supermarket food is cheap unhealthy but delicious rubbish, with tonnes of money saving offers! I usually spend around £100 a wk for 4 of us, but its crept up to more like £120-30 due to not buying cheaper crisps/choc/cakes and buying so much fruit and low fat yogurts. Just been to sains for meat and veg and spent £80 even though i tried to stick to the offers :-/ Fruit isnt as filling as our usual snacks so find that my son will sit and eat whole punnet of strawberries and a yogurt at a cost of about £2.50 whereas he would have had a doughnut/cookie cost about 20p! I treated myself to some yellow extra sweet fresh cherries, tiny punnet £3... soon adds up!, but on the plus side, we are all feeling much healthier already! Ive tried shopping at markets and at aldi instead of sains but never seem to save anything just means more running around and hassle!
Browsie
Silver Member
Try looking at the cost per kg / lb on the fruit lables. I hardly ever buy the pre-packed stuff cause even when its on offer it tends to work out more expensive than if you buy it loose. Mushrooms and carrots are the biggest culprets! It can seem expensive at first, especially if you are buying herbs and spices. But a lot of things will last for more than one meal so in a few weeks you have the store cupboard basics to cook up a storm!
I also agree with what everyone has said about planning. Write down your meals for the week take into account what you already have left in the fridge cupboards and only buy what you need. Yes it is a lot of work but it I find it saves us £' and lb's!
I also agree with what everyone has said about planning. Write down your meals for the week take into account what you already have left in the fridge cupboards and only buy what you need. Yes it is a lot of work but it I find it saves us £' and lb's!
Ticktock, the fruit you are talking about (strawberries, cherries etc) are all out of season. You're paying more to have it grown in greenhouses, and then flown half way across the world - of course it is going to be more expensive!
In winter, the only fruit in season in this country are apples and pears. Clementines, satsumas, tangerines, grapefruits, kiwis and dates are in season elsewhere in the world, and although you'll be paying a premium to cover their airfare, at least you won't be paying even more for them to be grown in artificial conditions in hothouses etc. Buy in season, and things are a LOT cheaper!
In winter, the only fruit in season in this country are apples and pears. Clementines, satsumas, tangerines, grapefruits, kiwis and dates are in season elsewhere in the world, and although you'll be paying a premium to cover their airfare, at least you won't be paying even more for them to be grown in artificial conditions in hothouses etc. Buy in season, and things are a LOT cheaper!
NotsofattyPatty
Gold Member
Unfortunately, cherries are expensive at any time of year and buying fruit out of season is expensive. If you don't have an Aldi nearby (I don't), places like Morrisons and Asda sell good fruit such as apples and pears for £1.00 a bag and I find bananas particularly good value at Asda. Melons are often on offer at 2 for £3 - you could chop into small pieces and dip into yogurt? Buy frozen berries - £2 buys far more frozen raspberries/blueberries/blackberries than it does fresh. Stir some into a sugarfree jelly, pour into a shallow tray and cut into squares when set for a low Syn snack.
There are other low-Syn snacks too - check out the recipe threads for some ideas.
pandaeyes
Full Member
Agreed I buy lots of frozen fruit. they double up as coolers for your lunchbox. put them in frozen and they cool your lunch box and are defrosted by lunch yummy
AnnaFaraday
..
the syns for bisto gravy are less than tesco gravy for instance and of course bisto is a lot more expensive
And how do Tesco make it cheaper - they add more fat. Fat is cheap.
pandaeyes
Full Member
I know
doesn't make it fair haha!! surly some time soon the supermarkets are going to have to take responsibility for this. I will openly admit I quite often have to use my syns so I can buy the cheaper brands. Can't afford Bisto in this house haha
Happy Hippo
Full Member
Hiya, I do feel the need to take issue with this post, but not in a nasty way (promise!) because it encapsulates some of the attitudes I've seen on here occasionally, also in group every now and again, but usually before people get going, that is before they see the results and get the hang of the plan.
First up, nobody is making anybody buy junk food. Don't blame the supermarkets, if anybody blame yourself for being taken in by their marketing. They know that Jan is the month for slimmers so fruit etc is expensive, and supermarkets are crammed with fradulent "offers" which are doubled one month and reduced the next. That's another story.
If your kids insist on junk food when you shop then either learn how to say no or just don't take them shopping. Not easy with a little one and if you're on your own (I know!) but with supportive OH and family it can be done. If you want to keep the bills down and buy crisps and doughnuts then great, but don't expect SW to work for you. It isn't a diet, more of a way of retraining you how to cook and eat, for life.
Some of the posts on this thread it amazes me that people pay the prices they do for fruit. Sainsbury's is one of the most expensive places. Aldi and Lidl are good, also markets. I choose the "reduced" route and eat like a King for next-to-nothing. Right now I am chomping my lunch, a 2inch thick smokes salmon sarnie (salmon 99p for 120g reduced from £4, 2x 400g wholemeal slices, 14p for the loaf, cucumber which was 39p for a biggie), a banana (8p for 5), coffee with HEa milk (14p for 2 litres). I didn't need to eat all the salmon but for that price why not?! I regularly have a pot of stew bubbling away where the entire pot has cost less than £2. It CAN be done. People in group are dumbfounded and often have no idea how to shop on a budget (not being patronising), you have to learn how to do it. Ignore brands, get to know which shop is best for which thing, snap up bargains, cook to what you find and don't food-shop to a list.
When I get lucky with reductions (often I don't) and they have silly prices on meat, fish or wholemeal bread, I stock up the freezer to bursting. That way I only need to get lucky about five times each year. Veggies and fruit are always reduced at the end of the day. For extra-lean beef, try Lidl which is £1.89 for 250g. Bulk-out bologneses with mushrooms and peppers; for chillies add kidney beans and chickpeas which are very filling and far cheaper than the equivalent weight in mince. If you're serious, I hear that those with a Makro or Booker card have reported huge bargains on extra-lean from the resident butcher. Or why not buy huge cheap stewing cuts and a mincer?
A lot of Slimmingworlders obsess over the price of Mullerlights and Mug Shots. The rpice of chickpea dahl is a constant topic in group (and great fun!) I can't be bothered with all that. Penne is 29p for 500g in Aldi and a tin of tomatoes is 31p in Tesco. With storecupboard ingredients I can make that into a feast! FF Yogurt is 45p for a 500g tub in Lidl. I had in some food colourings and essences so a drop of those with sweetener and chopped fruit I can have my own Mullerlights for a fraction of the cost and experiment too! Kiwi and choc sprinkles anyone?
It's great news that your son is happily muching a whole punnet of strawbs. They're out of season so are pricey at the moment. In Autumn you can usually find apple trees to pick for free, and fill tubs with blackberries for the freezer which will last for months. This is all free food in more ways than one
"Fruit isn't as filling as our usual snacks" - sorry but it is, that's one of the basic tenets of Food Optimising. It might be true to say that at first it isn't as comforting?
"on the plus side, we are all feeling much healthier already" That's fantastic news, you're on the right track.
"Ive tried shopping at markets and at aldi instead of sains but never seem to save anything just means more running around and hassle!" You need to retrain yourself in how you do things and prioritise other things if you want to get to target, both slimming and economic. What I did is when I and my OH had a quiet day go through routines and recipes, make a spreadsheet of favourite buys and where to buy them from, and also an agreement to cook from scratch (doesn't have to be complicated cooking) and never to pass by a supermarket if we're on the road after 7.30pm. Yes it might be hassle but after a year you may find you've saved enough cash to go on holiday with...
Anyway, don't take this personally, I'm not so much having a rant at anybody as trying to help out those trying to lose weight on a shoestring and with little hungries by their side. To say that living SW is expensive is a pure myth, sorry but it is.
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pandaeyes
Full Member
Although I agree that nobody is forced to buy junk and I have to say that I don't even for my kids. Not afraid of the NO word here. But there is no denying that extra lean mince is a hell of a lot more expensive than value frozen mince and proper quorn (syn free) is almost double tesco's own meat free variety (1 1/2 syns a sausage)
I can't afford the quorn so use my syns and buy the cheaper option.
I can't afford the quorn so use my syns and buy the cheaper option.
Happy Hippo
Full Member
Happy Hippo not everyone has time to run around every shop looking for the 'cheapest' foods.
Fair enough, in which case I hope you don't compain about prices
For the help of those with less time we have the fantastic bargains thread where others do the hunting work for you.Pandaeyes - yes, quorn can be pricey. Lidl had mince for £1.49 a big bag the other week. In Tesco it has shot up which is probably to say it will be on offer in Feb. They do have dried soya mince though, I must try that one day, that is £1.89 for a 500g bag which rehydrates to significantly more; and keeps almost indefinitely. Extra-lean is also expensive. The value is cheaper because as others have said, fat and cheap beef (or horse, yer pays yer money etc etc) are cheap. I wait for EL to be reduced and stock up. It's just my way but it doesn't half work
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pandaeyes
Full Member
Don't have a lidl. Problem with living in a small town :cry:
we have a tesco, sainsburys and a TINY aldi that i get my fruit and veg from but no mince.
I can't deny with a bit of work cheaper alternatives can be bought and I'm so glad it works for you but I can't shop around and supermarkets do need to take responsibility for the fact that they are happy to flog cheap food that is full of fat and additives yet they charge a fortune for the healthier options!
we have a tesco, sainsburys and a TINY aldi that i get my fruit and veg from but no mince.
I can't deny with a bit of work cheaper alternatives can be bought and I'm so glad it works for you but I can't shop around and supermarkets do need to take responsibility for the fact that they are happy to flog cheap food that is full of fat and additives yet they charge a fortune for the healthier options!
Happy Hippo
Full Member
Supermarkets are there to make as much money as they can and the best way of doing that is to fleece their customers without them realising. The "healthy" demographic is what we are talking about but it happens to other people too. If you're buying DVDs, or wine for example, or if you are a brand-monkey. I go into every supermarket thinking it is a battle of wits between them and me (that bit doesn't take any time!) and I refuse to be outwitted. I swear that sometimes I even make a profit out of them
It would be nice if they did take responsibility but they aren't charities and they got that big for a reason, so I'm not holding my breath.The bottom line I suppose if one wants to save money then make time, if one wants to save time then make money.
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pandaeyes
Full Member
Which leads back to my original point that its hard when cheaper alternatives are higher in syns because they are better quality.
Happy Hippo
Full Member
Oh yeah, I definitely agree with that bit. It does work both ways though, sometimes the cheaper option is lower in syns than the brand.
One of the problems which I try to ignore is with SW's "pet brands" like Frylight and Muller. I would not be surprised if there were some sort of quasi-official partnership going on, after all SW is a business too. It bugs me but I do begrudgingly use Frylight! All I will say is don't be afraid to experiment as you can find alternatives to some things for very marginal nutritional differences (my Consultant said at the beginning, "we're talking minute amounts of calories here, if it works for you just bloody do it" or words to that effect!)
pandaeyes
Full Member
I have the big dictionary and the syn values for some products that are the "same" is unbelievable.
I've been a SW dieter for years now so got most of it figured out.
I just CHOOSE to ignore it and gobble junk doh!
I think your right about the partnerships. I don't do muller yogs unless they're on offer as tesco do a fat free version.
I'm the weirdo wandering around tesco scrutinising the prices with SW dictionary in hand to compare the price/syn value/amounts. One day I would love to walk into tesco like others haha
I've been a SW dieter for years now so got most of it figured out.
I just CHOOSE to ignore it and gobble junk doh!
I think your right about the partnerships. I don't do muller yogs unless they're on offer as tesco do a fat free version.
I'm the weirdo wandering around tesco scrutinising the prices with SW dictionary in hand to compare the price/syn value/amounts. One day I would love to walk into tesco like others haha
Happy Hippo
Full Member
Yeah it can be a minefield. Did you know though that sometimes the products have the same calories but one is highly-synned and the other not? I fiddled around with the calculator a while back and it sometimes comes down to differences between protein and carb content of the items. I think a lot more nutritional knowhow goes into the syn values than we give them credit for, it isn't always as simple as 1 syn=20 kcal. Likewise with takeaways, McD's has no freefood allowance for the scrambled egg in a Big Breakfast. Wagamama's has no freefood allowance for the veggies and noodles in their ramen. You could make a freefood Wagamama's at home with the exact same ingredients minus a little griddling oil. Why no allowance? Well, SW want you to stay at home and cook from scratch rather than eat out. That way you know what is going into your food. This "retraining" stuff I was banging on about goes a lot deeper than people think.
Oh so do I, definitely on WI night
Beware some of the FF yogs have sugar in them. Onken and Aldi particularly!
We're peas in a pod!
pandaeyes
Full Member
I know its a nightmare and I am guilty of standing and comparing the nutritional value in the aisles trying to figure out the difference. I think your right about the sugar/protein etc
I don't like to worry about it too much as the diet works. My books are 2008 so I know a million values have changed and many of the rules that used to be ok and are now poopooed ie lasagne sheet crisps.
As long as I am losing and generally feel GOOD I try not to obsess or I would really obsess if you know what I mean.
A positive attitude is sometimes just as effective as the diet.
I don't like to worry about it too much as the diet works. My books are 2008 so I know a million values have changed and many of the rules that used to be ok and are now poopooed ie lasagne sheet crisps.
As long as I am losing and generally feel GOOD I try not to obsess or I would really obsess if you know what I mean.
A positive attitude is sometimes just as effective as the diet.
