FestiveJinx
New Member
I defo spend more on my weekly shop now as I buy fresh fruit / veg / meat which is a lot more expensive than buying convenience food. Like others have said though it's evened out by the lack of wine I'm buying 
Do you find it really expensive?
- Thread starter Mags12
- Start date
The only thing I've found more expensive is the lean mince as opposed to the cheap frozen mince I used to buy, so now I buy quorn instead..about £1.20 for a bag of frozen quorn mince.
Went to the butcher man van on the open market at the weekend and got a pack of 18 big skinless chicken fillets for £20 and a 19lb bag of liver for £12 so we've put them in portion sized bags and in the freezer, that'll last us probably til November
Went to the butcher man van on the open market at the weekend and got a pack of 18 big skinless chicken fillets for £20 and a 19lb bag of liver for £12 so we've put them in portion sized bags and in the freezer, that'll last us probably til November
Hayleyberrybenj
Full Member
hmm wonder where I'm going wrong then because I'm spending a fortune!!
Yeh, I think my shopping bills gone up since doing SW. But then again, I know we werent eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day so my bill's prob what it should be if I had been buying and eating taht amt!
Then again, DD is being weaned so I'm buying her fresh fruit and veg that I wouldnt normally buy (avocado, squash, organic apples etc...)
Then again, DD is being weaned so I'm buying her fresh fruit and veg that I wouldnt normally buy (avocado, squash, organic apples etc...)
clambertina
Full Member
Our shopping bill has definately increased BUT we are eating lot more fruit and veg.
Mid-week I have to go for a "top up" shop for these items as well.
I just wish we had a fruit & veg shop or local market that we could use as supermarkets are quite expensive unless they have offers on.
Mid-week I have to go for a "top up" shop for these items as well.
I just wish we had a fruit & veg shop or local market that we could use as supermarkets are quite expensive unless they have offers on.
Basically it can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you need it to be. Simple household management of planning your meals, shopping for deals, batch cooking, using leftovers etc all help keep the costs down. There is someone one the board who feed 5 people for £70 a week so it can definitely be done on a budget. But it does take some effort and planning.
Agree with a most of the other post's and would also say that eating healthy food doesn't have to cost more. To many of us rely on supermarkets, I drive to work everyday and everyday for the last year drove past a farm shop without ever stopping. One Sunday we pasted it and decided to stop and the veg was so much better and cheaper and didn't go mouldy in 2 days like supermarket stuff. Look at other places around you, for example this summer we have been apple picking, strawberry picking, to pick your own farms, on a 2 hour sea fishing trip and caught about 12 fish, so we got the freshest food cheaper than a supermarket and had a nice day out. You cant beat that.
Good luck
Good luck
jaylou
Gold Member
Fresh fruit and veg is not expensive if you buy seasonally.
Thing is, people at my group buy tons and tons of berries and say they spend a fortune but you don't have to have them. Apples are cheap! Frozen fruit is cheaper. Okay, it's not the same but it's cheaper.
Alpen lights and mullers seem to be a fair amount of people's staples - I tend not to buy either. Not because I can't afford it but because they are expensive and to be honest, not really worth it. I buy a big tub of FF natural yoghurt and it lasts me all week.
Admittedly, I grow a lot of my own veg and salad stuff so I do save money BUT carrots, onions, cabbage etc are all fairly cheap veg - you don't have to buy the dear stuff.
I also disagree that convenience food is cheaper than healthy food - how cheap is a jacket potato and baked beans? Or some pasta with tomatoes and veg?
So, no, I don't think SW is expensive, although on our Friday steak night it is!!!
Thing is, people at my group buy tons and tons of berries and say they spend a fortune but you don't have to have them. Apples are cheap! Frozen fruit is cheaper. Okay, it's not the same but it's cheaper.
Alpen lights and mullers seem to be a fair amount of people's staples - I tend not to buy either. Not because I can't afford it but because they are expensive and to be honest, not really worth it. I buy a big tub of FF natural yoghurt and it lasts me all week.
Admittedly, I grow a lot of my own veg and salad stuff so I do save money BUT carrots, onions, cabbage etc are all fairly cheap veg - you don't have to buy the dear stuff.
I also disagree that convenience food is cheaper than healthy food - how cheap is a jacket potato and baked beans? Or some pasta with tomatoes and veg?
So, no, I don't think SW is expensive, although on our Friday steak night it is!!!
Its cheaper for me.
I'm a single mum at home with a 2 year old (have a boyfriend but he lives about an hours drive away). I am a full time university student studying psychology.
I think I was making bad choices before - I definitely got pre-packed sandwiches quite often (at £2.50 a pack?) and I went across the road to the cafe and bought barms and coca cola (full sugar!) at lunch. Also I bought more jars of sauces which average out at about £1.70 per jar.
Now I buy fruit, veg, eggs and fish from the market. Some veggies I get frozen from the supermarket. I make slimming world quiche or soups which last a couple of days and the food which includes veggies seems to go much further. For example, before to make bolognese I would use a lot of mince and 1 jar of dolmio, nowadays I use maybe 1/3 of the mince and fill it out with any veggies I have to hand (carrots, courgettes) - I make the sauce from scratch and I make twice as much which lasts me two days. It also means my daughter is eating healthier.
The only expensive stuff is mullerlights, but I tend to get the ones on offer (currently eating shape zeros cos they were on offer at asda). Oh also alpen bars are a bit pricey.
I think no matter how skint you are, its worth using some money to eat well.
I wonder if the people saying its too expensive spend their money on other non-essentials? I really hope this doesn't upset anyone, but I know people who say they can't buy healthy food because of the price, but they buy several bottles of wine a week at £5 a bottle.
x
I'm a single mum at home with a 2 year old (have a boyfriend but he lives about an hours drive away). I am a full time university student studying psychology.
I think I was making bad choices before - I definitely got pre-packed sandwiches quite often (at £2.50 a pack?) and I went across the road to the cafe and bought barms and coca cola (full sugar!) at lunch. Also I bought more jars of sauces which average out at about £1.70 per jar.
Now I buy fruit, veg, eggs and fish from the market. Some veggies I get frozen from the supermarket. I make slimming world quiche or soups which last a couple of days and the food which includes veggies seems to go much further. For example, before to make bolognese I would use a lot of mince and 1 jar of dolmio, nowadays I use maybe 1/3 of the mince and fill it out with any veggies I have to hand (carrots, courgettes) - I make the sauce from scratch and I make twice as much which lasts me two days. It also means my daughter is eating healthier.
The only expensive stuff is mullerlights, but I tend to get the ones on offer (currently eating shape zeros cos they were on offer at asda). Oh also alpen bars are a bit pricey.
I think no matter how skint you are, its worth using some money to eat well.
I wonder if the people saying its too expensive spend their money on other non-essentials? I really hope this doesn't upset anyone, but I know people who say they can't buy healthy food because of the price, but they buy several bottles of wine a week at £5 a bottle.
x
krupskaya
Gold Member
To be honest it's as expensive as you make it. I had a tight budget, so this week lived out of my storecupboard and freezer with fresh veggies thrown in. I'm always stocking up on bargains when I see them so had plenty to fall back on. I don't buy yoghurts, or cereal bars (too easy to keep snacking on) so I find my weekly shop is quite reasonable. I also batch cook even though I'm on my own as it saves money and time. I'm a veggie on green too, which helps.
