Help! I am fighting a losing battle!!!! URGENT reply needed!! :D

[Blonde Logic]

Hello there peeps!

Quick question for you -

SInce we have started eating again, I have noticed since going back on food, my weekly shop has gotten much more expensive.

Can I be really nosey, and ask what you spend a week on groceries? OH thinks I am spending far too much on fruits and veg, and that there is too much variety which drives the cost up?

What do you think - are you spending more then you used to? The same? Is there variety in your menus or do you stick to pretty much only one or two kinds of fruits and veg?

Salads - are they just lettuce and tomato, or do you put other veggies in it too? I put all sorts.

SO, can you help me out here and let me know if I need to keep justifying myself??





Thanks!

xx

 

[toller-girl]

I think weekly shops go up because you don't have things like take aways or buying the odd impromptu snack.

If you're sensible, in the long run it can work out cheaper.

Keep the fruit and veg in season, look out for special offers, and even look into frozen rather than fresh because it's cheaper.

Plan your meals so you can reuse stuff and keep waste to a minimum.

On RTM a lot of it is buying store cupboard ingredients that will last, so the shop does drop significantly as time goes on.

Shopping online can be cheaper because you can take longer over it.

 

[Blonde Logic]

Thanks ladies

Yes, I do ALWAYS buy what is on special, or blue stripe products (to a degree-I do draw the line on some things).

The most luxorious items I buy are Blueberries. Thats it.

Last night, we spent 56 quid - and a lot of that was because I ran out of all my frozen veg, all my fruit, all my nuts/seeds/dried fruit all at once. So yeah, they total up - but they will last weeks. Ya know??

He just doesn't get it.

Neither of us won. ANd its not very nice. We are equally frustrated with each other.

And as I have said before, money is the worst thing for me to argue about. Brings up too many uncomfortable things. <sigh>

I don;t know. Maybe I am being a brat. BUt I don;t think I am being unreasonable.

I just think he is so out of the loop with meal planning and food costs cause he hasn't done any of it at all for 8 years.

We went round and round till after midnight, and I am spun this moring. My neck is painful becuase I slipped when in Brighton yesterday, and now I can't move it. Thats stress and tension. But I just feel really crappy about it all.

THanks ladies.

 

[toller-girl]

The thing that sticks out for me is that you seem to feel you CAN'T tackle your money issues.

What would you have said a couple of years ago if someone had asked if you could tackle your food issues?

The fact you find it difficult to talk about money will be causing problems I think. I expect your husband feels frustrated that he can't about it.

Did you used to have take aways before? Or buy lunches? Work out what you used to spend on food before LL, and then show him the difference (only if it's cheaper!)

Sounds like you're doing really well if you are already looking at specials. Perhaps compromise and only have blueberries every other week?

That's still a lot less than a weeks worth of Lighter Life isn't it?

I think you need to be able to talk about money so it doesn't become something that bubbles away under the surface causing resentment.

What about if you agreed a weekly food budget, and you just stick to that?

Or even don't do one shop a week, but a couple of little shops, get your fruit and veg from a little market, meat from a butcher etc. It could work out cheaper, will support local businesses but it might work psychologically on your hubby because it wont all be in one go.

Online shopping really is great, really helps cut down impulse buys (even the healthy ones!) and it's something you could do together and talk about at home where you feel safe?

 

[catznolan]

hunni i went shopping today, now i know there are 3 of us, but my food cost me €91, and that wasnt including dog food which was another €31!! today in my shopping the luxury was strawberries, but for only one punntet, i do think it was a bit ott!! not really sure how im spending so much on shopping, and i might add come mon, i will have to do a top up!! think im gonna have ta start online shopping cause cant affors to spend that sort of money on a weeks shopping!!

xxx

 

[slendablenda]

Don't forget Pixies

and the Farm Shop.
Pre-packed fruit and vegetables are much more xpensive from the supermarket.
At the greengrocer you can just buy a small amount of each item and keep the costs down. Spread the costs
I'm not sure if Worthing still has the weigh your own shop in the Guildbourne Centre, if not there's one in Rustington where you can buy nuts, cereals etc.
and quite a good green grocer there too as well as some charity shops.
Do you want to come over on Saturday morning and I could show you and we could do some girly shopping (or just looking) and I could buy you a coffee ?
Give me a call tomorrow evening?
Lots of love. You need to get rid of this stress or you will just be swapping one anxiety for another.
Lots of love, Slenda xxx

 

[Kitteh]

Yeah.. agree with splenda.. i was actually shocked when i went to my local greengrocers and saw how much (or how little) everything was.. a massssssive tray of mushrooms for a quid.. and so on.. it may be worth checking it out.. your local butchers, etc..

x x