Extra Easy SW on a serious Budget!

S

Steph86

Full Member
Hi, I am really struggling to afford to continue to do SW, I have found that my shopping bill has doubled, I only have about £40 a week to feed myself, husband and 2 year old son. Am finding fresh meats to be massively expensive, why is it cheaper to eat unhealthy!!! Does anyone have any tips? I don't eat rice, and don't really like pulses/grains! Eat pretty much everything else!! Thanks xxx
 
As pensioners we too are having to think again on food bills, I have compromised with more frozen veg, more veggie options, we now eat meat perhaps three times a week rather than 7, the weight is still coming off nicely.
 
totally relate to this - i had to stop because i couldnt afford it, if i was rich id eat fancy slimming world everything!
xxxxx
 
I agree I am spending a lot more, especially on fruit and veg. I thought it would help to go to a market garden for my fruit and veg, which was cheaper but went off very very quickly so I've gone back to buying it at Asda. I have cut back on meat though and am making more veggie things instead.
 
Frozen veg instead of fresh

Try green days-potatoes, soups, omelettes all cheapish options. Also, keep your bread in the freezer-stops it going off and means you get to use every slice

Drinks-not sure what you guys drunk but I know the most expensive part of my shopping list is the 10bottles of diet coke I buy. Maybe switch to water?

Freezing meals that you've batch cooked-it may not work for others but its worked for me-I can make 500gm of mince in to 6or 7 meals by bulking it up with veg-chillies, spag Bol,stew etc.

Look at the reduced section in your supermarket. Most of the stuff is fine to use within a day or so.

Hope I've been some help, good luck.
 
I buy icelands diced cooked chicken, £5 for a 875g bag. Ideal for casseroles, pasta bakes and chicken fries rice. I also buy their cooked chicken breasts £4 a bag. Cooked from frozen in a tray covered in foil. It's saves so much money when doing Sunday dinner. Would dread to think how much I'd pay for fresh chicken breast for family of 4. (hubby is body builder so always needs more).
 
Frozen veg from iceland, farmfoods even asda theirs is £1 bag usually!! We get all ours frozen even frozen diced onions which you can cook from frozen.
Frozen cooked diced chicken a fiver makes all my lunches plus more, ainsly harriot cous cous is no more than 3 syns if i remember rightly depending on the flavor and 1 pack does me 2 lunches usually with some chicken. Plain cous cous is free just add spices etc....
Pasta is cheap as chips :) amazing how creative you can be on the cheap if you plan ahead hun x
Oh we always get a chicken for sunday and we have 2 legs and 1 1/2 the breast left over which we use for either my lunches or chicken noodle soup etc.. goes a long way am sure will with all of you too xx
 
Frozen veg has become my best friend. Though this week I went all out and bought a few fresh bits and a whole chicken, my shopping bill was £30 up! Back to frozen next week!
 
yeah i buy lots frozen and only buy fresh if its on offer or reduced and use it in 48hrs or chop it up and freeze ies is great and asda doo frozen pork and beef which are good for casseroles and stuff also turkey mince is cheap and free on EE. we have a meat van mad in the town centre and i time it to go near when he packs up to get bargains as he normally will sell you loads for £20 just so he can go home and get warm last time he sold me 3 small joints ( leg of lamb beef and pork) 12 pork chops 8 lamb chops and 20 sausages all for £20 which did feed us family of 4 ages :) also reduced meats in the supermarket and chuck it straight in the freezer it will be ok.
 
Jenna88 said:
Frozen veg instead of fresh

Try green days-potatoes, soups, omelettes all cheapish options. Also, keep your bread in the freezer-stops it going off and means you get to use every slice

Drinks-not sure what you guys drunk but I know the most expensive part of my shopping list is the 10bottles of diet coke I buy. Maybe switch to water?

Freezing meals that you've batch cooked-it may not work for others but its worked for me-I can make 500gm of mince in to 6or 7 meals by bulking it up with veg-chillies, spag Bol,stew etc.

Look at the reduced section in your supermarket. Most of the stuff is fine to use within a day or so.

Hope I've been some help, good luck.
Click to expand...

I too have moved over to frozen veg. Someitmes its only me hacing veg with dinner and I was wasting a lot so have bags of frozen carrots, broccoli and mixed veg in the freezer now and I just take out what I need.

I also have an issue with how expensive healthy food is - it literally is cheaper to buy rubbish grrrrr
 
I buy a lot of veg at Aldi when they have their value sales, great prices, Iceland for the pre-cooked chicken pieces, great value £5-00 for a large bag! Buy a sack of potatoes from farm shops, Asian green grocers etc.usually very cheap. look out for deals in Poundland=12 cans of tomatoes £3-00 also branston baked beans at £1-00 for a pack of 4
Good luck
Pete
 
I have switched to aldi for my weekly shopping as tesco was getting ridiculous!
I freeze spare portions when cooking our meals and have frozen veg.
One of my problems is my fiancé will only eat branded cereals (2.50 a box when I can buy non branded for 80p) and branded yogurts so I nip to the sainsburys next door to aldi, to get branded food so I get 2 or 3 bags full of shopping for £20 in aldi and 1 bag full for £20 in sainsburys!
 
stivesliz said:
I also have an issue with how expensive healthy food is - it literally is cheaper to buy rubbish grrrrr
Click to expand...

It's ridiculous, we are constantly bombarded with figures of how the UK is fast becoming one of the most obese nations and that the obese are draining the NHS yet you can get a McDonalds Happy Meal for £2 but it costs an arm and a leg to buy fresh vegetables. It's no wonder there are kids being given McDonalds 5 nights a week...£10 for a weeks dinner with no prep sounds pretty good to me.

I have NO knowledge of economics/budgeting/government etc. but surely they can see there is a clear imbalance and it can only lead to things getting worse.
*Jumps off soap box and strolls on*
 
Check out butchers shops in your high street, one of mine does 12 chicken breasts for £10, steak mince 2lb for a fiver......a lot cheaper than supermarkets and a lot nicer x
 
totally agree with you jenna!! we r a family of 6 and my shoppign bill is just crazy!! - the thought of the happy meals is quite appealing lol!!
 
Thanks very much for your help! It is def the meat and veg that costs! I do sometimes by frozen veg, don't know why I haven't more often! My butchers does a good deal on ELmince 2.5lb for £5 so I do but that! And have brought frozen chick breasts when they are on offer in tesco! I don't have an aldi near me. Will try iceland for some meats then!! X
 
I agree with the others Aldi is really good they do their own version of just about everything I've made a list of all the free foods from Aldi so I can get most of it there they do their own cereal bard which are 2 for a heB and cheaper than Alpen lights, free yogurts again cheaper than mullers- much cheaper 4 for 99p. Frozen veg is also good from there and they do frozen fruit which is free and good for porridge with yogurt or even on top of a meringue nest Aldi also do special offers on meat usually 2 things each week on offer.

The key for me is LOOKING. So many times I go to the supermarket and pick up the same thing without even looking at other stuff. If I actually look what's on offer I get those things Instead so it's cheaper and my diet has a lot more variety so I don't get bored x
 
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