Food Shopping

I was wondering how you all shop
are you make a meal plan and shopping list and get just that
or
wing it see what the offers are and make a plan once you have bought stuff
or
are you like me which is make a plan and a list then buy offers as well and end up having to go to the shops lots of times in a week because you are basically a shopaholic!

I am going to try very hard next week to just go to the shops once.....only once
I used to be able to do that but the last couple of years i have been awful popping in and out, scared incase i miss a bargain but then spend loads of cash that i dont need to.
So i will pick a shopping day next week and that will be it and whiney kids can just shush cos im not going!

We kind of menu plan.

Each week we'll have a night with pasta, one with rice or spelt, one with potatoes, we always have curry on Friday. We have a look at what's on that week - if we're out, or need to have something quick one night etc. So we have a pretty good idea of the kind of thing we're going to have and I write an outline plan and shopping list. But we play it by ear when we get to the shop and buy whatever they have that's a good price. So instead of mushroom and spinach curry we might end up with squash and chickpea or we might have courgette layers in our layer bake rather than sweet potatoes, we just sub as we go along. It's not all that bad for us because we always have dried beans and lentils in, so it's not like wanting to have beef and finding out pork's the best value. I think it's easier to keep things flexible.

But I only ever plan 5 evening meals, that way we make the most of leftovers and all veg gets used up rather than planning for 7 days, plans changing and ending up with uneaten things going off in the pantry.

Don't know how much sense that made...

we have a chat at the start of the week see what we might have and go from there.

On sunday, We tend to have what we call a sunday meal not necessarily a roast but what Will thinks is a sunday type dinner.

Apparantely there is a difference between a Monday night tea and a Sunday night tea.

That made loads of sense and actually answered a question i was going to ask you about shopping for veggies
I was going to ask if you made a list or went shopping and bought what looked best as i have found out we have a farm shop opened up a couple of miles away and was thinking of doing my veg shop there and working the meals around the veggies that i get from them as they grow everything they sell so fresher and less food miles.
lol TP my lot are like that, if i do a roast or something during the week they all go why are we having sunday dinner today!

There's usually a way you can sub veg into a recipe so it's fun to look round a pick up what looks good, is cheap and in season. As I said the other day if we buy something that's going to be at peak flavour within one or two days we jiggle things so we eat that first then will move on to potatoes, leeks, squashes, onion etc that last longer towards the end of the week. Sorry to repeat but it is a big part of the menu planning for us!

Thanks for that alec i am definately going to go and see what they have then plan around that rather than the veggies being almost an afterthought

That box scheme comes tomorrow so i'll changing how I do things.

When DH paid on Tues i'll be ordering all my meat for the month to be delivered.
I'll use what ever veg we have from the box with some potatoes.
I'll plan for sauces and maranades to go with the meals.

At the minute I'm spending 70squids a week on food and I just know I can get it down.

HM bread next week too.

I'm going to go to aldi tonight for 3 days food then Tues it's all change.

I've a freezer in the garage just wasting electricity so need to fill it. About time I got to grip with the shopping budget because we need as much spare money we can get for the fuel bills in the next few months.

Going for the fresh stuff first always helps ideas pop into my mind so hopefully it'll be good for you too.

Froogs, don't forget to tell us what's in your veg box when it arrives next week

We've not been going over budget but we've been right up to it for the past couple of months so I'm going to tighten up in October so I'll be on the look out for recipes and ideas, hopefully we'll be able to share stuff here.

I'm a menu planner and shopping list type of shopper. I do two weeks worth of menus at once and write the shopping list as I go. During the second week I usually only have to top up on fresh fruit & veg and sometimes yoghurts. I always try to factor in which nights need to be quick, which child is where and when, who is going to be here for an evening meal (friends of the boys, my Mum & Dad, daughter visiting etc) what the weathers like and other such jollies

When I do the shopping I buy enough of everything to last the two weeks, even things like cat food, dog food, cat litter, flour, milk, bread, meats (cooked and fresh), dishwasher tablets, cleaning stuff and personal stuff like deodorants, toothpaste, shampoos, razors & sanitary products. What can't stay in the fridge goes into the chest freezer. When I was working full time I used to do it all monthly and it was a massive time and money saver. It still is now its scaled back to two weekly. I check the websites for offers as I'm doing the meal plan and can then incorporate it in.

It's interesting seeing how we all do it

Im just like sunnymummy, meal plan and lists and top up with fruit and veggies in the week.

Am going to start checking out mysupermarket price comparisons after I have completed my bulk cooking this weekend and see if it makes any difference. I spend approx 45 squid per week for 2 so am sure I can cut this down.

After reading how Alec Eiffiel got out of debt am impressed with the whole way of life change regarding food and this has got me thinking on how I can change what we are eating, quantities, etc.

I know Mesh. It's why I've been battling with the box scheme idea. It feels like an extravegance but I'm hoping that by doing it it will actually help lowerig the meal costs. I can but try.

I wonder if it's worth us having a thread about our spends on groceries. I know there the MSE grocery challenge. Maybe I should just join there. What do you all think? Do you do the grocery challenges over there?

no do one here

ok

I shop as i go along, its only me really, sometimes a friend comes over.

I don't meal plan as I never know what we are going to fancy to eat later in the week but I do keep a good store cupboard so very rarely have to ask OH to bring an ingredient home.

I shop online and get it delivered as they have yet to invent a trolley that has a perspex divider between the baby and the toddler seats and DD likes to pat and stroke DS as we go round the supermarket and DS puts up with this for about half an hour less than it takes to do the shop so ends up shrieking the rest of the way round. Then I am the annoying mum with the screaming baby who looks like she needs a large gin and a lie down in a darkened room! It also takes us ages to go round the shop as OH works there so various colleagues of his like to stop and say hello and coo over the children and ask how DD is getting on with her walking etc. All in all nightmare and I do come home needing that gin!

I also find that as I was a chef for many years I can produce something edible out of pretty much anything a la ready steady cook although the meals can get more unusual (shall we say to be polite) towards the end of the week.

froogs wrote:That box scheme comes tomorrow so i'll changing how I do things.

When DH paid on Tues i'll be ordering all my meat for the month to be delivered.
I'll use what ever veg we have from the box with some potatoes.
I'll plan for sauces and maranades to go with the meals.

At the minute I'm spending 70squids a week on food and I just know I can get it down.

HM bread next week too.

I'm going to go to aldi tonight for 3 days food then Tues it's all change.

I've a freezer in the garage just wasting electricity so need to fill it. About time I got to grip with the shopping budget because we need as much spare money we can get for the fuel bills in the next few months.

what marinates do you like? do you have any marinating butchers where you are?

My veg box hasnt arrived yet, just checked and the money has come out so I hope it comes soon. It was defo for today.

I don't know what marinades I like TP. I either chuck the meat in something, cover it with a sauce or have it bare. It's a very exciting prospects to have flavoured meat without all the calories of a sauce.

There's no marinade butchers near us no, we have a butchers a short ride away but they don't marinade anything other than the ribs.

I'm looking online for recipes - I like sweet chill flavour

There's no marinade butchers near us no, we have a butchers a short ride away but they don't marinade anything other than the ribs.

move to Worcester

lol, I'd be in your shop every week TP if I did

Seriously though, I think you're on to something good with yours because if I could buy my meat marinated I would!

I make meal plans, not strict ones but many many meals which could be made with the same ingredients. then it still feels like we've got choice rather than having a set menu all the time.

froogs wrote:lol, I'd be in your shop every week TP if I did

Seriously though, I think you're on to something good with yours because if I could buy my meat marinated I would!

whats the name of the butchers that only marinates the ribs?

does anyone enjoy food shopping or is just a chore?

I love it.

When we were paying our debts off it was the only shopping we did and even though we had to plan to the smallest detail I still enjoyed doing the shopping, unpacking everything and all that stuff. I love doing it not and hate it if we ever have to rush round.

TP wrote:does anyone enjoy food shopping or is just a chore?

Not when it packed with people

I very rarely go food shoping as DH passes Tesco on his way home from the office so always does the main food shop it also means I don't have to make unnecessary car journeys thus saving petrol monies and doing my bit for the envirnoment.

We tend to keep a well stocked kitchen and freezer while most of our fruit and veggie's come from the garden.