Does anyone find this diet very expensive?

CJ_06

Full Member
It's my first week back on the wagon and I feel like I've been shopping all week! Spent over £150 on food just this week! Yes I've got a few things in bulk that will last through next week. But forever buying fresh fruit and veg cause I'm eating so much! On top of that I have to buy all the food my OH likes (naturally slim and can eat anything!) so much money :(
How can I do SW without spending a fortune every week?
Thanks all :)
 
Fresh fruit and veg can be bought cheaply if you know where to look. Try your local market as they're normally good value or an adli or lidl store if they have one near you. Aldi always have a 'super 6' - 6 different kinds of fruit or veg that are on offer and they work out very cheap compared to other shops.

Try looking in other cheaper shops like poundland, farm foods or home bargains as they will have offers as well. Buying things in bulk when they're on offer at the major supermarkets will also help. If you don't already, shop online as this really helps you keep a track of your budget.

I also make enough food for me and my OH to eat. It tastes the same (and in most cases better!) than the non SW versions and he is now converted. If he needs any non SW food then that's mostly just snacks and can be got cheaply from poundland or somewhere like that.
 
Can you try and get fresh fruit and veg in local markets and green grocers? thats usually more economical way than going to the supermarket for veg. I know the I use supermarket is expensive for it anyway, but I just choose (at the moment) to swallow the cost.

You can try using cheaper cuts of meat, or less meat overall, which brings the cost down and some people say that green days on the plan work out cheaper than red or extra easy days. You can get protein in things like lentils which can bulk out meals with meat in them.

Really for me though, I think on balance I'm spending about the same because I'm cutting out on the junk and the takeaways and the non-healthy treats that I might have in the week - especially alcohol. I don't know what to suggest about buying your partner's food. My other half eats what he gets and is usually very happy about it - but I know not every partner is so easily pleased!
 
It's going to be really expensive if you don't plan your meals, shop smart and take advantage of leftover and special offers. SW can be as inexpensive as you need it to be if you are prepared to put in a bit of effort. There are loads of thread about doing it on budget so worth doing a search.

Can you post a list of what you bought and your menu plan so we can give you some pointers?
 
It is very expensive but if you sign into the slimming world website there is some 7 day diet plans and one is a student/budget week.

Also, be careful with buying cheaper cuts of meat as they are only free if they are less than 5% fat... Doesn't state that anywhere in the book though!

Good luck! X
 
I think fresh stuff at aldi is great price
I do a couple of veg based meals a week which helps with budget. I also find taking packed lunch is saving me about £20.00 per week at the local sandwich shop
Bron
 
I'm also finding it expensive. But hey it sure tastes good! I can't afford to do the diet online, or go to the weekly groups, (I went once to get the books);). I have an allotment, and today was able to dig a few Potatoes, Swiss chard and Cavolo Nero (black cabbage) so looking forward to having fresh free veg in the summer.

SB
 
There is usually a 3 for £10 offer on meat at Morrisons/ASDA and probably tesco too, it works out really well and if it's only you eating SW meals they will last you ages. We usually get pork chops and mince, we portion it out and freeze it to use as we need it. Only thing is its never extra lean mince in the offer, just the lean stuff, but when I cook it I drain the fat off, then pour boiling water over it through a sieve and it's basically extra lean! I think it's 3 syns per 100g so it's not that high anyway.

Frozen fruit sometimes works out cheaper too, Tesco have 3 packs for £5 and it will last you forever. One pack of chopped mango lasted me a week just having a small portion with my lunch every day. I portioned it into sandwich bags to defrost as I needed it. Frozen veg is cheap too and usually saves time because it's already chopped! Great for stews, soups, curries, anything you cook for ages basically (not so good for salads or stir fry)
As someone else suggested, pound shops like home bargains or b&m will have lots of SW stuff much cheaper than a supermarket. That's where I get things like smash, tinned tuna, herbs/spices, cereal bars, some tinned veg etc. You'll get your non SW stuff there too for your OH.

Also check the reduced sections in supermarkets. I got about 7 sirloin steaks in there once for about £9! And try Farmfoods or Lidl for muller lights - I've seen them in tesco £2 for 4 which I think is too pricey, whereas Farmfoods have 6 packs cheaper than that.
 
Im always shopping where the bargains are at, yes it's more leg work but it saves me money and because I'm walking to all these different shops in my village it gets me exercise in the meantime too... Hehe, I find this works well for me, I get lots of weight watchers bits from pound land, fruit and veg from the market and when bulk buying I always check the where the bargains are at section on this forum and then go and stock up on the buy one get one free. My partner also likes different food but I find I can incorporate some of the dishes we both eat in two different ways, like pasta, I have mine with low fat dressing and salad, but once his is cooked I bulk it up with cheese, we have the same veg in stews and we both have fry ups together but I grill mine while frying his... It does take extra effort no doubt, but nothing worth doing is ever easy is it :) just stick with it, as time goes on you will find lots to ways of adjusting slimming world to your life, I have only been doing to plan for a week and a half and at first it seemed complicated but now it works for me. And remember, bargain hunt, bargain hunt, bargain hunt.
 
I save money doing SW, on all the wine and the meals out I'm not having!

I think my food shop bill has gone up heck of a lot recently because the supermarkets have put the prices up. Used to be able to do a weekly shop for £80, now it's at least £100.
 
I find it expensive too but only been doing it a week, I suppose once I find my feet with it all then I will be able to get the shopping bill down.
 
Tescos do the Market Value Chicken Boobs and there massive, I normaly butterfly one & have half one day & half the next. Frozen Stirfry veg works out loads cheeper than buying all the ingredients fresh & making it yourself. Aldi do large chickens for less than £4 & this normaly gives 2 of us a roast dinner each TWICE, Marks Snapp for work & a little for me with a salad, thats 6 helping, it might even stretch further, but I have 4 very expectant cats.
Farm Foods, have some fab deals on there meat. 3 Bags of pork loin steak £10. 3 large packs of backon £6 which works out very cheep and doesnt make me feel guilty that im only eating the medalions. They also have 2 bags of beef steak £12 3 Bags of gammon steaks for £10.

Asda do value tuna chinks there about 55p supermarkets own tomatoes & beans are also very cheep compared to branded. Also I buy a standard medium sliced whomeal loaf for less than a weight watchers loaf & freeze half for the week after, you are allowed 60g as an HexB, a slice of tescos bread weighs 32g, so I just cut a crust off.
 
Also, last week was my first week back on track so my food bill was loads more than this week as I had nothing SW friendly in, so needed to get everything.
 
I've been doing this nearly a year now, and I find it impossible to get everything for the right price from one shop.

I find myself going to Asda, Home Bargains, Aldi, Iceland and Lidl for my shopping.

Well worth it though, you can definitely do this plan on a budget if you shop around.
 
Wow!! Thankyou everyone for such fantastic ideas! I'm overwhelmed! :)
Looks like I'm going to have to shop in various places but I'm happy to do that! Going to give lidl a try too! Wish we had a home bargains round here!
Think maybe it's because I've had to get SW friendly things in the house inc herbs and low fat spray etc.
So many wonderful ideas! I feel so much more positive now! Thankyou :)
 
I think the trick is to be tactical about where you shop to ensure you pick up the bargains and save money.

There's a great sticky on here about the latest bargains (sorry i'm on my phone otherwise I would have attached the link)
 
There is usually a 3 for £10 offer on meat at Morrisons/ASDA and probably tesco too, it works out really well and if it's only you eating SW meals they will last you ages. We usually get pork chops and mince, we portion it out and freeze it to use as we need it. Only thing is its never extra lean mince in the offer, just the lean stuff, but when I cook it I drain the fat off, then pour boiling water over it through a sieve and it's basically extra lean! I think it's 3 syns per 100g so it's not that high anyway.

Frozen fruit sometimes works out cheaper too, Tesco have 3 packs for £5 and it will last you forever. One pack of chopped mango lasted me a week just having a small portion with my lunch every day. I portioned it into sandwich bags to defrost as I needed it. Frozen veg is cheap too and usually saves time because it's already chopped! Great for stews, soups, curries, anything you cook for ages basically (not so good for salads or stir fry)
As someone else suggested, pound shops like home bargains or b&m will have lots of SW stuff much cheaper than a supermarket. That's where I get things like smash, tinned tuna, herbs/spices, cereal bars, some tinned veg etc. You'll get your non SW stuff there too for your OH.

Also check the reduced sections in supermarkets. I got about 7 sirloin steaks in there once for about £9! And try Farmfoods or Lidl for muller lights - I've seen them in tesco £2 for 4 which I think is too pricey, whereas Farmfoods have 6 packs cheaper than that.

Sainsbury's currently have the extra lean beef mince on the 3 for £10 offer :) Not sure if that is all across the country though?
 
mumof4girls said:
Sainsbury's currently have the extra lean beef mince on the 3 for £10 offer :) Not sure if that is all across the country though?

Thanks for the info I'll have a look when I'm in there this week.
 
I only do Green days and not finding it expensive at all. Using a pressure cooker (yes those old things) and cooking lots of dried beans and lentils - curries, bolognese, soups, cottage pies etc and adding veg that are the cheapest on the day of making.
Making 4 portions and freezing 2.

Porridge for breakfast - 35gms out of a big bag of supermarket own brand with yoghurt and fruit.
Lunch - usually home made soup - big bowl - change flavour often - or eggs, beans and jacket potato etc. Banana.
Afternoon snack - Ryvita and 30gms cheese and some salad bits.
Evening meal - a lentil curry - a veg curry and rice. Some kind of S.W. pud.

No meat - no wine - no take-aways etc.
 
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I tend to use asda on line and do a monthly shop, I know that not all people can afford to do this but it helps me plan what I am going to eat, you could do it weekly the min amount to spend is £25. As it says above they have 3 for £10 offers on meat however I do not do the mince as it is not extra lean however asda are doing 2 for £6 on Malcolm Allan Mince Extra Lean so 4 works out at £12, this deal is not always on but for the last 3 mths it has been, I take my time and keep looking over my trolley and checking this site to check syns and recipes so you can plan meals and get the ingredients u need, hope this helps good luck :) :) (x)
 
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