Help cutting down the food bill
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Forum Name: Budgeting
Forum Description: Want to save before baby arrives? Struggling on one income? Found some great ways to make your dollar go further? Share your thoughts & tips here.
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Topic: Help cutting down the food bill
Posted By: _SMS_
Subject: Help cutting down the food bill
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 7:35am
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or making my money go further.
Im trying to spend $130 a week on food. Thats for 2 adults and 1 child. No nappies. I find im spending $150-$160 which i know is still cheap but i really want to cut this down. Do you think $130 is to little to spend for that many people???? What are you food buying tips to keep the costs down?? -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: MuppetsMama
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 8:36am
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i think $130 is very do-able.
My budget was $150 for 2 adults and 1 child, with some nappies, but I found I was spending almost $200 every week!! I felt awful, as it is my responsibility to manage the finances, so I decided to take action. Every week now on a sunday arvo or monday morning I sit down and plan out the weeks' meals, then I make a list of the ingredients I need for those. I always have pasta and sauce or similar in the cupboard so if our week goes pear-shaped I can whip up something else instead of what I had planned. I do my own baking, and try to make things that have cheaper ingredients (ie, not too much butter- crikey that costs the earth these days!!) I also make my husband's lunches; and he eats A LOT. Every day he has 2-3 pieces of fruit, 2 muesli bars, 2 bits of baking, and either 4 buns or rounds of sandwiches that have meat of some kind in, or 4 pies (Thanks to my awesome Sunbeam pie maker! Great way to use up leftovers!). There are a few things I refuse to buy in cheap brands, but will still only buy the good brands if they are on special - tuna, toilet paper, marg (only get canola or olive spreads). I also only buy eco type surface spray, washing powder (although I often use soap nuts) and washing up liquid. Just telling you all this stuff so you get an idea of my spending habits. ANYWAY after my meal planning started, I now only spend $100 - $120 a week on food!!!! I couldn't believe it! Some weeks it may be $140 or so, if I need to stock up on things like cleaning products or bathroom stuff, or if there is something on special I really need. Oh I should also say that we buy 1/2 a beast every now and again, so I only need to buy meat once a week, so we are not eating just cow! I also make one meal a week meatless, much to my husband's disgust. 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 11:57am
| I need to redo the food budget this yr as I budget $400 a fortnight but go way over & I think it is because I don't meal plan. This is for 2 adults & 3 kids. |
Posted By: kiwikt
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 1:00pm
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I think planning is a big part of it. Some weeks I look in my pantry and am shocked at how the food has built up. When that happens I only shop for the basics that week (ie fruit and vege, milk and bread) and plan all my meals around what is in the pantry. That tends to balance out the weeks where I over spend.
However, the best thing I have ever done to reduce my bill is online shopping. It costs $12 do deliver, but I easily save $30-40 a shop by not impulse buying. It is also easier to see what is on special and plan your meals around that. I started online shopping in the UK because we didnt have a car and it was too hard to carry food home - I fed 4 girls for $60-80 pounds (just breakfast and dinner 6 nights a week). I stopped online shopping when I got home because it wasnt very good, but countdown's online shopping has improved heaps and now I am sold! We have a bit of spare money these days so I budget $170 a week. When I averaged my spending on food for 2010 recently it cam in exactly on budget. But I think you could easily feed a family of two adults and 1 child for $130. The things to watch are large ticket items - Meat, dairy and cleaning products. Try to stock up on these when they are on special so you are not caught out. I should also say I dont buy fruit and vege from the supermarket. I do my online shop every two weeks and then vege shop and the local store every week. It saves money. ------------- Due 14/10/11 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 1:32pm
| Wow!! our budget is $250 a week. It was $200 but I just couldnt keep it to that. I struggle with $250 some weeks. And thats with occassional nappies for 2 adults and 2 kids. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 1:33pm
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Buy things like cheese just a little less often. If it's in the fridge, it'll get eaten. If you have to wait a few more days til the next shopping day, everyone will survive.
Have fresh fruit as your default snacks instead of chippies etc. Buy ice-cream only when you have a special event coming up, or perhaps once a month or something. Try to eat fresh veges and just have one pack of frozens available as a back-up. You can also buy fresh fruit & veges at markets or grocers for much better prices. -------------  |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 1:36pm
what do you buy? |
nzpiper wrote:Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 2:11pm
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I dont buy any snack food. Only things which are for dps lunch. Dd gets crackers or popcorn, fruit etc. All things that are pretty cheap to buy
I found planning meals id spend alot more. I think meat is the major downfall for us. Its just so expensive. I havent even brought potatoes in weeks i refuse to pay $17 for 10kg bag. or $10 for a 5kg bag. I guess i need to go on the hunt for cheap meals. Veges arent really the issue. I normally stock up when cheap and freeze so i always have some available. Today i spent $17 on fruit but we eat alot of fruit, especially being summer -------------
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 2:29pm
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I am trying to cut down our budget too. I am usually spending $200-250 but want to cut down to $150 and use the extra $$ to pay off our debt faster this year.
The most of our shopping budget is spent on meat so I will start reducing that and will bulk up our meals with vege instead of using so much meat. Anyway I don't think it will be easy but I am really going to try.... We have 2 adults 2 kids (1 in nappies) |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 4:04pm
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We are spending $300 a fortnight for 2 adults and 2 kids. One which is in nappies and goes through a tin of formula week. Plus Daniel needs night time nappies.
Its not hard to save money with groceries. Ours would be lower again if I actually cooked "real meat" rather than just packaged stuff. I'm a vego and won't touch raw meat at all so if meat gets cooked during the week its chicken nuggets, sausages, tegal chicken take outs and the like which is more expensive. We make most things from scratch like pasta sauces which is really easy. We go through one block of cheese every 4-6 weeks and its mainly daniel that has it on crackers, I don't really use it for cooking. We only buy the cheap cereals like rice bubbles, corn flakes, weetbix. I use vingear and baking soda to clean which does a surpringly good job |
Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 6:04pm
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I've just cut ours to $100 per week for 2 adults + 2 children ( no nappies) and thats with 2 of us GF and DF.
We'll be having 2 meat free meals per week and have things like meatballs/chicken stir fry/ steak + salad etc for the rest. I check the pantry before we leave and then buy the meat that's on special and plan from there. I found making spag bol and halving the meat content then grating carrot into it and adding frozen vege bulked it out a lot and no one complained either. For meat free meals I do fritata which is good for leftovers too, and corn fritters which are a hit with the kids also mac n cheese. |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 6:22pm
ours is the same, DH did the shop this week and spent just over $300. We do buy some nappies but we use the homebrand ones that are $20 for 50 and one is only in them over night and the other is in cloth/pants/disposables depending on what is happening. I make my cleaning products so save money there. We are very picky about which processed food we buy and don't buy much, is mostly all fresh food. We spend a lot on meat, our oldest can't have dairy so we spend extra on his milk and I'm gluten free which adds a bit to the bill when I buy gluten free pasta or cereals, I also quite often will pick organic options which come at a premium too and I also refuse to buy non free range chicken, eggs or pork products. I do however want to cut ours down to $200 and I think I need to plan meals out better to do so, although they reckon food prices are going to keep going up over the next few months so I might only achieve keeping it the same. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 8:56pm
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our budget is $100 for 2 adults and 3 kids, last week was awesome and I only spent $70, altho with the kids at daycare they get a cooked lunch so I am only having to feed them lunch on the weekends.
We also get a beast done roughly every 6mths so Im not buying alot of meat a week, we also have alot of fruit trees and vege garden so we don't buy alot of these either. It has become a bit of an obsession with me now to keep our shopping bill down but im finding that we eat so much better. ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 9:46pm
I am trying to spend $400 at my monthly supermarket shop, plus $90 at the butcher per month. Fruit and vege (plus milk and bread) is bought weekly at about $60 so all up that is about $180/wk for 2 adults and 2 kids (1 TT and 1 in MCNs) - gosh that sounds like alot now that I put it in a per week amount 
I have been following alot of Babe's blog which has given me ideas on where to cut down e.g. making my own cleaning products. I have tried the meat free meals but DH complains so much that I often give that one up. I have found that I don't impulse buy (or don't impulse buy as much) by doing a monthly shop I do my own baking which is cheaper than buying it I have cut down our portion sizes as well. 300g mince will easily make enough hamburger patties or meatballs for us. If I am a shepards pie then I chuck in a can of baked beans or grated carrot like Pudgy mentioned and that bulks it out ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 12:16pm
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If you are spending heaps on fruit & vege, check out your local weekend market. They are way cheaper than the supermarket & way fresher.
Also have a nosy around your local butchers as well, these tend to have meat cheaper as well. We've found a muslim butcher that does lamb really cheaply. Mad butcher is cheap on somethings as well, like this week they have chicken on special. If you keep your eyes peeled, you soon figure out their patterns of discounting meats. Start making stuff from scratch if you have time. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 12:56pm
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*Butchers are awesome - you can ask for just the amount of want and the meat is more often better quality. If you have to drive miles to get to one though can be a false economy.
If you can hit mad butcher when they have a meat sale and get packs you can break them down to last dozens of meals. Buy cheaper cuts of meat and make a casserole *Farmers markets are often good places to get cheap vege but do your research sometimes people get greedy. Our local one has GIANT heads of cauli flower for $1.50 which is much cheaper then the small ones in the store. *If you have any room at all, grow some vege. I only *just* got a proper vege garden (i'm so proud!) but before that we had random silverbeets in among the roses and potatos growing down the side of the garage - you don't need a designated space. Of course our grocey bill is still through the roof because i'm an incredibly picky eater and we are a gluten free house. |
Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 1:06pm
| How much do you spend a week on meat? I think we eat way too much meat!! |
Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 1:34pm
| I'm probably not the best bench mark since its three adults no kids at the moment AND all meat has to be gluten free (so GF sausages and no processed food meats) AND we arent big meat eaters but i am saying no more then $30 a week max. Just because we only have one meat meal every second day on average. |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 2:29pm
| We only spend about $30 a fortnight on meat but then its just for daniel and DH since I'm vego. And any meat eater that says they need meat to feel full, BOLLOCKS! |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 3:59pm
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I spend about $90 (but often less) at our local butcher for 4wks so thats about $22 per week, plus his meat is never on special.
Although I often buy a couple of chickens at the supermarket per month so that would likely bump it up to just over $25/week I would think ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 4:29pm
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This week i spent $15 on meat which wasnt much at all.
We dont have any local butchers only mad butcher etc but they arent cheap. Also the market is in the next town too so not that local, it'll cost me at least $10 in petrol -------------
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 6:07pm
| Wow we spend average $8-$10 per dinner on meat so up to $70 a week. This is potentially our biggest place to save :-) Tonight was good - had DF's freshly caught fish for dinner :) Delish! |
Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 8:07pm
I normally spend $50 on meat but i wasnt paying the prices for sh*tty quality meat this week. 
i wish we had a good butcher near by -------------
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 10:31pm
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Something i'd forgotten until the chickens came up - i learnt this while flatting. Depending on the size of your family buy the big roast chickens on sale and cut them up - if you get 2 chooks then you have 1x meal drumsticks and up to 4 meals using the breasts (in a stirfry to spread the meat out). Then you can boil the carcass to make chicken soup, also using up the random left over bits of meat left on. 2 chicken carcasses make a heck of a lot of soup and it freezes well.
Or get one, roast it, have your roast meal, left overs for sammies the next day - or shred it up and make a large quiche (shredded chicken can go quite a way - and if you make extra roast vege the night before it leaves you basically no prep as all you have to do is make the egg mix and bake) then do the soup thing again with the left overs on the carcass. Might be a bit student povvo for some and the DH's out there that like their meat meals might turn their noses up at chicken soup....but it is a good way to make one chicken go 2 - 3 meals and if you can get them on a good special it can be worth it. |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 10:53pm
Another thing that we do with left over chicken is make chicken tetrazine which is fettacuni pasta partly cooked then in a microwave bowl add 1 chopped onion 2 rashers of bacon chicken 1 c chicken stock (which you can make from carkas) and pkt of mushroom maggi soup mix made with 1 cup of water microwave for 10min then mix bread crumbs and melted butter together and sprinkle ontop microwave for another 10min. Its a fave of hubbys 
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 12:25pm
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I also make a chicken and roast vege pie with my leftovers, although the price of pastry pushes the meal cost up ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 4:10pm
Pastry is super easy to make and you can use a good oil instead of butter. Basic pastry 25g plain flour 55g butter 2-3 Tbsp cold water Pinch of salt Mix flour and salt in a bowl, then add cubes of butter. Rub butter into flour until there are no lumps, then slowly add and stir in enough cold water to bind dough. Wrap in clingwrap and chill for 10-15 minutes before use. It works really well GF as well and use oil to make DF |
Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 4:25pm
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oohh - good to know about the oil. How much do you use?
I made a super pie to use up the last of the turkey and roast vegies. It was the first pie I had every made and it was yummy. Even my picky girl scoffed it  -------------   
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 4:35pm
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I don't make it with pasty...gluten free and all.
I will have to dig out the exact quantities for the recipe but basically get a dish, put all the food into it and then pour over an egg and flour mixture and top with cheese (if you want you can put cheese in the mix as well but cheese is expensive!). I guess its more of a giant fritatta then a quiche - they're reffered to as 'self crusting quiches' ETA: http://joseagar.com/recipes/category:small-courses-and-brunch/throw-it-together-self-crusting-pie/ - here is the Jo Seager version. We have left over quiche all the time, rouge roast vege, potatoes, left over meats... |
Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 8:02pm
I guesstimate it  Haven't had a dud yet.
mmm fritatta is yummo |
Posted By: happymum21
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 8:19am
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Milk - I hate having to pay more than $4 for 2L of milk so often I buy the UHT milk in boxes. Most of the time they are less than $2 per litre and I'm stoked they now have calcitrim in the boxes. It's also handy as I live quite some distance from town to have them in the cupboard so we never run out of milk.
They can be found usually in the tea/coffee aisle together with the boxes of soy/rice/evaporated milk etc. ------------- Becs |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 12:55pm
| DH & I have planned some meals out to use what what we have instead of doing an extra shop. So I cooked some chicken pieces & used the meat in a rice dish. I made home made pizzas last night & tonight I am making spaghetti bol & making the pasta from scratch. Tomorrow night I will use up the left over fresh pasta in a carbonara. So would of save $. I am enjoying making stuff from scratch so will plan out more meals when I do the shop this week & see how much I can knock of the bill & if we eat better. |
Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 1:06pm
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I'm going to go a bit more vegetarian. I can soo live without meat but DF can't so I will take more vege options and I am just going to portion control his meat.
He and the kids will have lamb chops for the next two nights while tonight I will have fresh caught snapper from yesterday (thanks DF!) and tomorrow egg plant steaks - yummmmy! |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 1:17pm
Does it taste any different? I can get milk up the road for $6 for 4L but when we use up to 2L a day it can get expensive. Does any one else have any other cheap milk buying options? I remember years ago my aunt (in Kerikeri) used to be able to buy milk in bags which was cheaper but I haven't seen those here. I am wondering about using milk powder in my baking and cooking but last time I tried it I wasn't fussed on the taste for cereal etc ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 1:30pm
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I used to get the milk in bags from the mad butcher after a friend put me on to it, it was $1 a ltr bag..those were the days I used to get the milk boxes when we lived in the country, stuff driving 20mins to get milk, lol.
I am cutting my kids milk down as D1 & 3 love it & will drink it all day, & DS3 is getting a bit chubby so its water & 1 milk a day & its going well & saving the $$ |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 7:48pm
| We get the milk from the petrol station 2 x 2l bottles for $6.50 we go thru it pretty quickly even the petrol guy commented about it lol. |
Posted By: happymum21
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 8:35pm
Nope doesn't taste any different to me. I am not a huge milk drinker, just have it on cereal and in coffee/tea. I hate the taste of blue top milk, too fatty for me. I have milk powder to use when baking but yeah I don't really like drinking milk made with milk powder, we grew up on a dairy farm but always had skim milk made with milk powder  ------------- Becs |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 8:56pm
how much flour do you use as 25g won't work...I need an easy pastry
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Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 9:31pm
whoopsies  typo should be 125g
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 18 January 2011 at 4:22pm
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pudgy thanks I want to give it a go
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Posted By: SquishysMum
Date Posted: 18 January 2011 at 7:58pm
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We always buy the big chickens, size 26 or 30, they seem to ALWAYS be on special at Pak'n'save! So we have roast one night, and in winter pie the next with the leftovers, or pizza on homemade bases...mmmm....
in winter I buy chicken frames, got 2 big bags (8kg) from the mad butcher for $6, it was insane! Seems the shops caught on though, I saw 3 frames for the same price at the supermarket. These get made into soup, 3 frames or so to the stock to get a decent amount of meat. Our grocery budget averages about $170/week, that's for 3 adults and 1 child (plus lunches for a couple of extra kids on weekdays). Some weeks I spend more (last week was $270), and some much less (tomorrow should be hardly any, although I need things like robocan refills that will push it up). I am trying to be tighter again on the budget again, need to get back into my meal planning. |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 18 January 2011 at 8:12pm
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Was speaking to SIL today, a friend of hers was told by a budgeting advisor that you should budget $175 per week for 2 adults and 1 child, that incl meat and fruit and vege ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 19 January 2011 at 12:59pm
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I have just done our food shop for the week and it was $60 that includes fruit and vege.
I am really impressed with myself, since I looked in the cupboard and worked with what we got I had to hardly buy anything, Altho, this week we didn't need any cleaning products, pet food or loo paper which all tends to make the food bill go up. So our menu for this week is: Wed - Chops, potato, sweetcorn Thurs - wraps with mince and salad in them Fri - Steak with home made chips Sat - Stuffed marrow and crusty bread Sun - Beef roast Mon - penne sausage Tues - Fried rice with the left over sausages from the bag Wed- home-made chicken kababs ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 19 January 2011 at 1:48pm
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we go through a kg cheese a fortnight & sometimes over. If you take into account the amount of meals you get out of the $10 block it is pretty good. I make home made pizza weekly (cheese ones), cheese scones, toasties etc.
If you have flour & yeast in the pantry you will not be stuck for a meal. |
Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 19 January 2011 at 2:29pm
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I am impressed with what you ladies come up with for meal ideas, that is where I am really lacking I think and end up spending a fortune on easy to prepare foods.
So any further meal ideas would be much appreciated 
So for 2 adults, 1 infant and a wee dog I spend $130-$150 a week. I would absolutely love to get it down to $100, but would be happy with $110-$120. We don't need nappies or baby food so that helps, but DH drinks 8ltrs of milk a week so that's a huge chunk. -------------  
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 19 January 2011 at 9:18pm
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I know what you mean MamaT about milk, we must go through at least 12L a week. I am going to have a look at the price of UHT and I am going to check the Mad Butcher when I go this week and see if he sells milk in bags and whether it is cheaper.
I am going to go through my cookbooks again and have a look for some new recipe ideas before I do my monthly shop in a few weeks ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: blossombaby
Date Posted: 19 January 2011 at 9:43pm
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wow don't know how you ladies do it its just me and dp (and a baby but dont include nappies etc in the big shop but them sep)
we spend about $150 on the 'big shop' once a week, (doesnt include milk we don't drink it, or fresh vege as we arent huge vege eaters mostly salads etc) and maybe another $100 per week on 'top ups', a takeaway or two and lunch at a cafe or such. i can not for the life of me cut the big shop down! ok i can cut the takeouts and cafes out but sometimes its cheaper to get takeouts then cook eg f/chips etc |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 20 January 2011 at 10:32am
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i was horrified that the supermarket was going to charge $3 for a lettuce the other day. my husband picked one up from the local fruit and vege for $1 though. having a garden helps. i love home grown tomatoes, and hubby got our first cucumber from the garden the other day. i hate the supermarket fruit and veges but have been having trouble finding a good fruit and vege shop. i know i should go to the market instead but saturday is sleep in day ! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 20 January 2011 at 11:36am
| I've just started a new thread in the recipes section for vegetarian recipes that meat eaters will enjoy - a meat free meal or more a week helps the budget! |
Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 4:05pm
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I'm not sure if this has been covered, but does anyone know which supermarket has the best value for money, or is it likely to be different in different areas?
We currently shop at New World, purely because it is just around the corner from us. But I wondered if Pak n Save would be a better option, particularly with their shop & go option. Thoughts? -------------
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 4:15pm
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PNS were the cheapest place to shop according to the consumer mag (I am sure I got that right). I mainly shop at PNS & go to countdown now & then.
You also have to add up how much on petrol you are spending as if you are driving a distance to get $1 off something it is not worth it...but I still find the few extra ks to PNS worth it. |
Posted By: pudgy
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 7:29pm
| Mama T PaknSave is a lot cheaper. For some of my GF stuff there can be up to $3 difference between Countdown and Paknsave. |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 7:40pm
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PNS and Countdown are the cheapest options of the 2 supermarket 'empires'. With PNS and New World both being Foodstuffs, New World will likely be a bit dearer
By the way what is Shop and Go? ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 10:25pm
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I'll give oak n save a go next shop xnd let you
know how I get on. Its about 2min difference in driving time between that and new world so no big deal at all. Linzy - shop and go is where you scan your grocery items yourself which means you can easily keep track of your spending. -------------
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 22 January 2011 at 8:32am
I don't find Countdown cheap. I used to always shop at Foodtown as I hated our local PnS but started shopping there after it was done up & always feel I walk out with more than at Countdown now. Wish they has shop & go at pns |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 22 January 2011 at 9:45am
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Oh I wish we had shop and go here!
I didn't necessarily mean that Countdown was cheap but of the Progressive supermarkets Countdown is their cheapest option ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 22 January 2011 at 10:26am
| I know what you mean. I now feel a bit ripped off when I go to Countdown...that is till I get the rewards in the mail, don't think I will get any this time though. |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 29 January 2011 at 7:03pm
Made a few changes to what DH will have in his lunch this month and the baking I will do and I came in UNDER budget today at the supermarket!!!  I have to go back and buy cat biscuits because they had run out of the cheap ones but that shouldn't be much. Plus I bought $20 xmas club and bought an extra chicken that I didn't need! Very proud of myself . Just hope I didn't forget something!------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 07 February 2011 at 7:43pm
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Well i couldnt really stick to my budget so its been increase to $140-$150.
I dont know how i couldnt do it Ive also built another vege garden so hope that will help come winter. Also hoping increasing the food budget now i can stock up on stuff to make meals etc when #2 is due.
I use Shop & go every week. I can keep track of what i spend. Also shop at paknsave. Its definitely the cheapest. Countdown is darer now that they have joined with woolworths. Our local woolworths is now countdown, silly town has 2 countdowns  I find some of there stuff is better quality but as an over all shop it is darer.-------------
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Posted By: QTMum
Date Posted: 08 February 2011 at 10:25pm
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Edited because woops I just typed my post into the wrong thread.
------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 09 February 2011 at 9:06am
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SMS are you meal planning?
I try & do a couple of meals a week that are budget. Like if we have a roast chicken then DH makes a soup & puts in a few meatballs & I will do some toasties. I make pasta & pizza weekly. So can have a couple of meat free meals without feeling deprived. |
Posted By: sarasal
Date Posted: 03 April 2011 at 7:10pm
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For 2 adults, 1 toddler, we spend $100-$150 a week on food.
We are vegetarians so no meat makes it cheaper - vege sources of protein cost practically nothing if you cook from scratch, eg beans, lentils, chickpeas to make hummus, falafel, bean burgers, soup etc. Even buying canned chili beans etc is cheap compared with meat. We don't buy any cleaning products or cosmetics besides laundry detergent, toothpaste and soap. I use re-usable microfibre cloths for cleaning, with a little baking soda, salt or vinegar if necessary. I wash my hair with 1 Tbsp baking soda dissolved in a cup of water (it works great, no frizz and gets tangles out). I use a mooncup which saves heaps on tampons - they're about $28 on trademe and last for years. We have a small vege garden of the easy stuff to grow - we still have to buy veges but we grow all our own herbs, salad stuff, beetroot, peas, beans, silver beet, pak choi, strawberries, rhubarb. I avoid buying processed food as much as possible - like jars of sauce, those are really expensive. I used to make all my own bread using the breadmaker, that saves heaps. We still buy quite a few luxuries, as DH is a food snob and insists on good coffee, imported muscovado sugar, lots of herbal teas, real maple syrup, good chocolate, free range eggs and he'd have a fit if I used cheap soy sauce or cooking oil. So we don't spend much, but we could cut back quite a bit more if we had to. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 04 April 2011 at 5:23pm
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Arhhhhh my bill is getting back up there again. Time to re read this post.
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Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 07 April 2011 at 10:56am
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we just spend just over $200 this fortnight on groceries, and that is expensive for us (just DH & I). we have been trying to reduce what we are spending and buy better food for the price. and not buying as much junk food, that really hikes up the bill.
one thing I will say is SOUP!! I bought a bacon hock the other day, a really good sized one for $7. I made pea and ham soup. All i needed was the bacon hock, water, half a pack of green split peas and half a pack of yellow split peas, a carrot (grated) and an onion. This made dinner, plus enough soup to put two more dinners worth in the freezer for both of us, and then two smaller portions for either lunches or for one person's dinner. This cost me a total of about $10, so was a super cheap dinner, and really yummy! Or if you don't like pea and ham then vege soup with the bacon hock is also really good, don't even have to have many veges, just whatever you have floating around. potato, pumpkin, leek, onion, silverbeet, capsicum, etc. add some soup mix and some stock and you are away laughing. same with chicken soup. mum makes an amazing chicken soup, i asked her the other day what she puts in it, and all she does is boil up a chicken carcass (usually from the day before's roast) then take the meat off the bones. when making the soup she just reheats the stock, throws in some salt & pepper, some chives or spring onions and a packet of cream of chicken soup. and it is sooo yummy! eta: the beef casserole in the Edmonds cookbook is really yummy too. I made it the other week, and it says to use (from memory) 1kg of beef (like chuck steak) but all we had was just under 500g. This made enough for dinner and i also got to put some in the freezer surprisingly enough! Just had it with mashed potatoes and some spinach and was really filling. Not much to it either, just beef, onion, carrot and beef stock pretty much. So if you get beef on special would be a nice cheapish dinner. pumpkins are great too because ATM they are so cheap, i got a huge one the other day for $1.99 from P&S. They last long if you store them properly too, so you can stock up while they are so cheap. You can also freeze them really easily, just cut them up into whatever sized pieces you want and pop in a plastic bag in the freezer. Great for roasting, not so good for boiling as they tend to go a lil mushy. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: InthemiddleMummy
Date Posted: 03 July 2011 at 9:20pm
| has anyone else read/done the $21 challenge just got it out of the library and just starting to get the grasp of it spent $85 this week , but thats better than $250+, see how it goes next week. 2 kidies 1 cat me & dh to feed. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 03 July 2011 at 9:57pm
I was looking at it, but can not get my head around it unless to are well stocked up so the $21 a week would be if you have all meals planned & all the ingredients...so then it would not be impossible to do. DH & I sat down & redid the food budget today & I was shocked at how much I could spend compared to what I do spend. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 9:53am
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I need to drop the food bill down as saving for other stuff & we waste a lot on food.
I find the kids are eating more & getting a bit fussy. I am going to do 2 cheap meals a week, like home made pizza & soup & toasties. We are cutting down meat portions & buying seasonally veg or frozen. I spend way more than I budget for & after doing a basic list & pricing I was shocked to see how much I could save. We are going to write down where every cent goes this fortnight so we can see where we can save & where we waste. I am also buying a $20 card at PnS & putting it away for xmas. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 2:11pm
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I am alwas conflicted about buying the free range ethical stuff and the cheap stuff. I refuse to buy cage eggs for example or imported pork. I also refuse to buy ordinary mince and buy premium instead. To me i can buy a smaller pack cause it has less fat. the same with sausages - i dont buy flavoured sausages as they are fatty and not as good for you. i think that is about all the meat we eat now - mince and sausages lol! oh and bacon cause all the kids and the husband like that. That is getting expensive as a meal though by the time you use half a dozen eggs etc. Oh and i was shocked at the price of a bacon hock the other day...!!! it was way over priced compared to last year.
i have almost stopped buying biscuits for the kids now because i bake more. i havent attempted many biscuits though as i havent been very good at them in the past but i have found a recipe i am dying to try out that seems very economical. It makes 120 biscuits and you can freeze the dough. http://120dollarsfoodchallenge.com/2011/01/19/sweet-treats-jodis-sugar-biscuits/ - link to biscuit recipe just worried about the amount of butter it uses. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 2:22pm
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Jazzy, I think it's more of a "we have a bill this week & crap need the shopping money", so you challenge yourself to look at your cupboards and make the weeks meals out of that & then limit yourself to $21 of food at the supermarket, I'm pretty sure that doesn't include stuff like toilet paper. Plus it's a good way of getting rid of some of the stuff lurking at the back of the pantry for a while.
Today I only spent $38 and that is cause I have all my flour/yeast for bread so that dropped the shop down, I went to a different shop & got two G/F loaves for the price of one at the supermarket. I didn't need to buy things like pasta as we already had those. I've probably forgotten lots & couldn't buy our oatmilk or cocoa cause PnS didn't have them so I need to do another shop somewhere else which will mean I'll probably spend another $40, but I got out $20 so hopefully can limit myself to that???------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 3:31pm
| Bizzy thanks for that bikkie recipe, I am after a good one & will try it this week. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 3:36pm
that's what I was thinking...but if you shop fortnightly & plan all meals & get everything on your list then you could even save the $21 the next week as you would need nothing. I was talking to a friend today about my costings for the 2 week meal plan & everything including non food items came to $255, I usually budget $400 & way over spend. There is no junk or snacky foods on my list & all in season or cheap veg/fruit. Also $100 meat for 2 weeks but can cut that down as a couple of meals will be meat free or soup made form roast chicken. I won't know till I shop this week if my plan works or is realistic. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 05 July 2011 at 3:57pm
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Let me know how the biscuits turn out!
I wish i was more organised. I strugled to think of meals for a fortnight but it is such a good way to do things. My problem is that my husband gets paid monthly. I put the mortgage in a separate account as soon as he gets paid so that is out of the way and the power and phone etc goes out monthly but the every day expenses i am crap at! If it wasnt for WFF we would be stuffed! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 06 July 2011 at 2:15pm
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This is something I constantly struggle with but I have found buying rolled oats is awesome, buy a big bag of them like 1kg then use them for porridge and to make biscuits/slice/muesli bars etc. I also make a batch of muffins every week, just banana muffins or berry muffins with no butter, so that we have things to snack on rather than buying biscuits in the shopping and usually I have all the ingredients at home sometimes just need to get oil. I also find having some meat free dinners eg home made fish cakes with a can of tuna, soup and bread, or a pasta bake or risotto or something, is helpful. I also buy the 1kg mince on special when it is and split it to make a few dinners. But baking has definitely been saving me money lately, sometimes you have to spend a bit to get the startup ingredients but I find once you have them you can make a lot with them. Buying things like mixed berries, dried apricots etc is also good because although they can sometimes be pricy you can use them in baking, to make smoothies, to put with yoghurt etc. ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 06 July 2011 at 2:16pm
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And we always add up as we go and if we go over budget we have to put things back or take it from our own spending money for the week. And I always write the list from the catalogue so we can get the good specials.
With baby food I try and buy extra carrots, potatoes, apples, etc and then use them for baby to snack or for meals and I save a little chicken or mince from meals we're having to make something for him, saves a lot on baby food ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 06 July 2011 at 2:29pm
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I think that's a pretty good effort Jazzy, $125 I think would be what we would realistically spend if we bought meat each week. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 06 July 2011 at 4:56pm
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Bizzy for the fortnight plan. Start out with week one. Just as you make things put it on a list of meals. Then when you have all your favourites down put it into a fortnight plan thing.
I also cant think of a fortnight meal plan but when I started to write things down on what I actually make then you got your meal plan right there. I agree on the bacon hock prices. It is freaking expensive. Soy milk for me and Andrew is coming out dear as well. And add on top of that all the colorant free things for medicines, sweets etc. (I know sweets not necessary but when the kids go to parties I have to swop out and that works out quite dear). I think prices have generally increased quite a bit. We get paid monthly and put out $1000 per month for all food, included in this is gifts for other kids parties, eating out (if we want) and all bits of extra stuff for school when it comes up. I would say we spent about $750 to $850 now on food. Bake bread is working me out a lot cheaper. Just flour, oil, salt water and yeast. And the kids and hubby eat so much less as it is more filling. We do currenlty: One fish night (mostly salmon and that can work out expensive but not giving it up), soup night, take away type night (we make at home, pizza, burgers, dumplings, sushi or anything the kids request), pasta night, chicken night stew or caserole/curry type thing, Meat and veg type meal and then whatever we want to experiment with or try out. Thai green curry can work out real cheap. One can coconut milk, curry paste, chicken, green beans on rice. And that can stretch to two nights. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 06 July 2011 at 7:33pm
Our local butcher is an independant and makes ( ???) alot of the meat he sells so smokes his own bacon. I usually buy a bacon end from him instead of a hock for my soups and he often only charges me a few dollars.
I find too that his meat is alot better than the supermarket or chain butchers, there is not a drop of fat in his mince so I tend to buy alot less, for 2 adults and 2 kids I try to stick to about 300g meat or 6 sausages per meal, it is more than enough for us and cuts the bills down ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: InthemiddleMummy
Date Posted: 07 July 2011 at 4:50pm
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I certainly havent kept within the $21 limit. I spent $75 at supermarket, $4 on free range eggs, $12 milk, bread $4.50 at differnt cheaper places, so all up that is far beter than the usual $250-$300 I spent, so yah now I can go and buy the $169 cell phone I need as my phone has no sound and I can only txt on it and its a right pain. Next week I hope to spend under $100, so have more money for in the school holidays the following week.
can someone post a good receipe for the butter free muffins, does it have oil? Sounds good. I am coeliac, so need lotsa gf food which is more expensive too. bread I like is $7.65 a loaf, but I manage to make it last a week just for me, get subsidy for pasta.flour so that helps |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 09 July 2011 at 8:51am
| I have lost count of what I have spent so far...but way more than I wanted too. Hoping next week will only have to stock up on a few items. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 11:34am
| Bizzy I made the biscuits, everyone loved them. I froze some & baked during the week. Don't think I will do it again as want to cut out cookies in the house, lol... |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 11:35am
| DH wants to add no meat meals several times a week, I am all for that, not sure about the kids. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 11:46am
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we do that anyway... or just small amounts of meat. My kids have never been big meat eaters and even the supposed favourites of mince and sausages werent popular. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 1:04pm
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I do some meals with little or no meat. Winter is good for soup once a week with fresh bread. Sometimes I make corn and bacon fritters and that only uses about 2-3 slices of bacon so a pack of bacon goes quite a long way. Or I make up a tomato sauce with a few slices of bacon to put over pasta. According to the 'experts' we don't need as much meat as we tend to eat and we don't need it every night ------------- Lindsey
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Posted By: SpecialK
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 2:38pm
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Girlsrock - this is my standard muffin recipe, I made it with gluten free baking mix for GI friend and it works fine.
2 c flour 3/4 c caster sugar 2 t baking powder mix together in a bowl. Add whatever flavourings - I usually do 1 c frozen berries and grated rind of 1 lemon, chopped apple and cinnamon, chopped banana, etc. The beat together and add to dried ingredients: 1/3 c oil 1 c yogurt or sour cream 2 eggs 1t vanilla essence Mix quickly, bake at 180 degrees. We (I ) seriously need to cut our food bill down, it is getting out of control. 2 kids, 1 cat, DH and I , is it realistic to get it all for under $200 a week? Including nappies x 2, wipes, and lactose free formula. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 2:44pm
| Special k - yup it is. We have the same thing with 2 kids, 2 adults and 1 cat. Daniel has night nappies and Alex nappies, plus formula and we spend about $150 a week if you average it out and I get protein powder which is $35 a tin. The odd ocassion its more if we need to get razor blades cause those things are bloody expensive |
Posted By: SarSar
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 2:51pm
Agree about razor blades! Looks like marketing costs have pushed prices up on most of them, the budget ones actually work surprisingly well |
Posted By: Chickadee
Date Posted: 01 November 2011 at 5:32pm
| Our budget is $60 per week for 2 adults and a 1 yr old, plus takeaways once a fortnight. We only buy free range eggs too. No nappies or formula as using cloth nappies and breastfeeding. I do miss the luxuries such as ice cream and nice drinks but we just can't afford them! |
Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 7:21am
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Wow $60! That is amazing, how do you do it? Just one week where we need things like cleaning products or deodorant would blow that way out of the water. I spend about $40 a week for two adults and one child just on fruit and veg. ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 12:41pm
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Thought I might come on here & say about how to make cheap jam, not sure if anyone has put it across before.
2 large cans of fruit @ 2.15 each 750gm sugar $1.65 1 pkt of pectin/jam setting mix $2.12 1 teaspoon citric acid (100gm = $2.64) approx .13c $8.20 I get 5 1/2 jars so $1.49 a jar All you do is drain the fruit, puree up, heat & then add the other ingredients & bring to the boil for 5 mins. Cool & put in jars ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Chickadee
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 3:04pm
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I generally just clean with vinegar and baking soda. Washing powder is bought in bulk and only when on special, and we just try to eat seasonally.
For example, this week I got from the fruit and vege shop: 1 large bag of kiwifruit $2; 1 large bunch bananas $2 1 bag apples $2 2kg carrots $2.50 leek $2 strawberries $3 total fruit/veges : $13.50 And we already have a big bag of potatoes and other veges plus pears left over from last week so that'd be our fruit and veges for the week. I think for the rest it went something like this: mince (3 meals worth) $9 pork (2 meals worth) $6 milk $3 (2L) bread $2.50 (2 loaves) - the rest I make at home ham $2 corn chips $4 spaghetti $1 baked beans $1 chilli beans $1 easiyo yoghurt packet $3 fish patties $5 conditioner for me $6 new baby toothbrush $3 Total: $60 In the freezer we have some chicken, previously bought when on special. I'm reasonably well stocked up on baking ingredients at the moment but will top up supplies when I have leftover money. Next week my main purchases will be butter, eggs and cheese which will total $25 by themselves, plus probably $15 fruit and veges, $10 meat and $10 other ingredients. Our meals for this week are: Baked chicken thigh, Fish burgers, Potato and Leek soup, Pork strip on rice, nachos, homemade pizza, quiche. DH takes sandwiches, baking and fruit for lunch and we have sams or leftovers. Phew long post, sorry! |
Posted By: Gen2011
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 3:09pm
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So after reading all of these tips I started to really knuckle down on the budget for me and DP as now that I am up the duff with complications im on the sickness benefit.
Our total grocery bill for the month was $276, and we ate so well! Salmon and everything, this included feeding the dogs but excluded the horse. DP still is sneaky and will buy his lunch every so often snacks and powerades so I have no idea how much to add on top of that. I dont hit him up about it though because he has cut down heaps (used to buy everyday) and he pays all the bills, and manages to put away savings each week so I amm happy. This week im going to do a big shop and include some baby items that I am going to start stock piling each week. A tip from me is if you have animals (I have heaps of dogs) Chicken frames and Coprice bulk dog food is amazing. I buy one 90kg bag from an outlet feed store for $7 and chicken frames for about 50c each from mad butcher. 1 Chicken frame means you only have to give them 1 scoop of coprice (working dog is higher calorie and same price so feed less) the 90kg bag lasts me about 3 months, and a chicken frame every secound day is about $14 a week for me. If you only had one dog this would last you much much longer. Just dont cook the chicken frames. I also use any leftover rice and free range eggs (free from my mother) with bulk peas and make a huge mash up of rice, eggs and peas and give this to the dogs about once a week or if any have coats looking lacklustre.. this keeps them really healthy and I find is really cheap. If you cant get free eggs then any old rice/pasta will do. that might be a bit spoilt to some but I have some competition dogs so have to keep them in top nick without forking out for science diet or something. |
Posted By: lsttcdiver
Date Posted: 23 January 2012 at 1:44pm
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I have read through this forum a few times now and have managed to cut my weekly food bill down from $250 to $100 for me and DH, the funny thing is he says he hasnt noticed, in fact he thinks we eat better.
Must admit it takes a lot of planning on my part, pre-preparing things, having a plan for leftovers and baking but the result has been fab, it has only been a few weeks and already our general financial situation feels much better! I love food and it is my one real weakness when it comes to money but this is such a great feeling being in control. I must admit to having to let go of the guilt when serving an 'easy' meal, but what really made the change for me was at christmas, nothing felt like a treat because we ate like that all the time, now I look forward to 'special' food. Look forward to hearing more tips, maybe I could get down to $60? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 25 January 2012 at 10:30am
how did you manage that?
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Posted By: EmDee
Date Posted: 25 January 2012 at 12:18pm
That's awesome! I keep meaning to read over this thread and get tips (AND put them into action) now that we are down to one income for a while I should make it a priority! We spend a ridiculous amount on groceries ------------- DS 8 DD 6 DS 4 DD 2 |
Posted By: lsttcdiver
Date Posted: 25 January 2012 at 3:55pm
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jazzy for me planning is everything, I check my cupboard then I plan my meals for the week. So I write out each meal and the ingredients I need to make it. Then I write next to each ingredient how much it usually costs rounded to the nearest dollar. As I go through the list I often adjust my meal plan to utilise an ingredient more than once, ie: this week we are having beef stroganoff so we are also having tacos, quiche and an apple cake so I can justify the luxury item of sourcream!
Then I only buy what is on the list! Though I do get some things that are on special if there is any money left over, this week it was canned tomatoes. I have started a veggie garden and plan to use what is ready there (not much currently with the funny weather!) and bake twice a week. I still buy real butter and managed to add razors, batteries and a new clip it container to the shop this week without going over budget. I'll give it a few weeks and and then try for more of a challenge! Anyone got any more tips to share? ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 28 January 2012 at 11:29am
I agree meal planning saves money...I need to plan better & use what I have in the cupboards. I cleaned out the fridge & threw heaps out 
I find the extras like non food items add up. |
Posted By: blessedmama
Date Posted: 29 January 2012 at 5:42pm
| If you keep razors in a bit of any kind of oil they last so much longer. |