Help/advise needed please...

haistay

This year I decided to take control of my weight...but I've noticed that buying healthy food and snacks for the week is adding to the food shop bill. I buy a lot of basic/value stuff anyway but they aren't always the healthiest of things but I can't afford buying the next brand up all the time. I'm on a pretty rubbish wage at the mo (working as an apprentice of £2.68 ph) and I do get some help but things are really tight.

So my questions are:

Did you notice your food bill going up when you decided to eat better? If so, how did you get around this? And for the parents, how did you manage this and still cater for things you child/ren want?

I'm really struggling so any suggestions will help!

X

AlongCame_Molly

Buy things in bulk, like dry beans and rice, and load up when produce goes on sale or in in season and freeze leftovers whenever possible. Watch the newspaper or grocery store website for clearance deals. Make sauces and dishes from scratch, not out of a jar or package. Try making your own bread, on top of it being much cheaper (I worked it out to be about 67 cents a loaf for me, including the energy cost for the oven) it's healthier, because there are no preservatives, and you know exactly what went into it.

As for kids, it's easy. They eat what I cook or they don't eat at all. Just like I did when I was a kid. There's no "catering" involved, I'm not a hotel concierge, for pete's sake. I'm not a short-order cook, I don't do special orders. I think it encourages respect and appreciation for what they do have when you put up boundaries, and makes kids less likely to grow up self-entitled spoiled brats who expect special treatment.

indianarunner76

^^^ agree buy in bulk.

Seajolly

Limit your meat and seafood, which are expensive. Eat a lot of beans and nuts for protein.

lmccull1982

I am having the exact same problem right now! If you find a good answer, let me know! Cuz there's only so many beans you can eat in a week.

Unknown

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3boysunder3

Know that problem well. Healthier=more expensive.

Buy dried chickpeas, lentils...all sorts of pulses.
Frozen veg
Bulk buy and bulk cook then freeze.

We also found over all we end up saving because our portions got smaller when calorie counting (and we never throw anything just freeze or use next day)

And as above, no special treatment for kids, they eat was is served

AlongCame_Molly

I am having the exact same problem right now! If you find a good answer, let me know! Cuz there's only so many beans you can eat in a week.

WHAT? Only so many-? You are definitely doing it wrong, then. Look up recipes for feijoada and feijao paulista. SO GOOD, SO easy, SO cheap, and NEVER gets boring.

Francl27

Well for us the bill came down because we stopped buying extra junk.

Buy in bulk, freeze extra, stock up when things are on sale etc. My kids eat what we eat, but I still have some extra kid-friendly 'junk' on the side (they never like the new recipes I try unfortunately!).

beattie1

I assume you already cook as much as possible from scratch. if not, that's the first place to start.
There's a very good website featuring cheap to cook recipes - http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/
Google £1 a day for more useful recipes and ideas.

I find Lidl and Aldi have some fantastic bargains. I check their websites to see when they're selling stuff I like at a price I like even better.
People in the US will say - "shop at farmers markets" - in the UK (and I note you quote your pay rate in £) "Farmers Markets" are incredibly expensive. If you have a street market near you, you may get some bargains, particularly if you go in the afternoon. I've also come across greengrocers selling off produce cheap at car boot sales but you need to know what you're going to do with a whole box of short-dated tomatoes, or apples or whatever! A freezer is useful here.

aprilh47

fresh fruit and veg can add up too, and you rarely get nice healthy food on 2 for 1.

haistay

Thankyou for the ideas guys! Okay I don't think I've had the dried lentils and stuff before. What do I do with them? I know you have to soak them... but that's as far as I know on them. Any ideas for easy recipes with lentils and split peas as I saw they were relatively cheap at the shops. As for my daughter, she eats what I do 80% of the time... but there are times where we dont.. I do not make a habit of cooking her different meals all the time.

X

oiseau17

Thankyou for the ideas guys! Okay I don't think I've had the dried lentils and stuff before. What do I do with them? I know you have to soak them... but that's as far as I know on them. Any ideas for easy recipes with lentils and split peas as I saw they were relatively cheap at the shops. As for my daughter, she eats what I do 80% of the time... but there are times where we dont.. I do not make a habit of cooking her different meals all the time.

X

Lentils are so easy and don't need to be soaked, just rinsed. Here's a super easy recipe that you can tailor however you like (with veggies, spices, etc): Put one cup of lentils and a tbsp of olive oil in a pan and toss over med heat for one minute (I like red lentils best, but they're all good). Add 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil (you could use water as well, but the broth will provide more flavor). Reduce heat and cover, let simmer for twelve minutes. Season to taste. So simple!

1ZenGirl

Regarding kids. Yes I agree with the idea that they should eat what I do. I have a 15 year old who can really put it away and he also wants his "junk" food that I don't eat. I'm OK with that. I buy one or two things and that is it. He can take a week to eat it or take a day and eat it all but when it's gone, it's gone.

We all have to practice moderation, including the kids!

TheRealParisLove

I save money buy buying at ethnic grocery stores. There is a Halal market, and Asian market and plenty of Mexican groceries in my area. They tend to be less expensive than the big box grocery stores.

I also buy foods in their most natural form. For instance, I'll buy fresh fruit instead of fruit juice. I buy oatmeal instead of boxed cold cereal. If I want convenience foods I'll opt for cleaned and ready to eat greens and veggies from the produce department. Also, frozen plain fruit and veggies are very affordable.

I also buy canned beans for convenience. Make sure to get the reduced sodium kind, as traditionally packed beans are a sodium bomb. I get reduced sodium beans for $1 a can at Kroger. Sometimes I can find them for less.

I buy 32 ounce containers of greek yogurt and add my own ingredients. I can find greek yogurt at that size for under $3 at low cost grocery stores like Walmart or Winco.

Bulk is a good way to save money on very expensive items. I buy all my nuts in bulk. Shelled walnuts and almonds are just crazy expensive if you buy them in the pantry section of the store, but in bulk you can find them for less than $5 a pound at times. Usually bulk nuts are never over $7 a pound.

I eat very little in the way of breads or pasta. I've tried to replace those items with rice and potatoes. I cook up large batches of baked potatoes and rice on the weekends, and use them throughout the week.

When shopping for organic produce, I prioritize by whether I peel the item or not. If it gets peeled (like oranges and bananas) I just buy conventional. If I eat the whole food (like celery or berries) I buy organic. That way I can eat as healthfully as possible in a budget. Most of the pesticides are on the skin of the produce. If you don't eat the peel, there is no reason to pay extra for a pesticide free item.

Edited to add: I just realized you aren't in the US. Hopefully some of this info will be helpful anyway.

CeleryStalker

Did you notice your food bill going up when you decided to eat better? If so, how did you get around this? And for the parents, how did you manage this and still cater for things you child/ren want?

Absolutely. I look at it as an investment in my health and my life, though, so I don't mind so much. One thing that helps a lot is shopping at my local farmer's market. The produce there is CHEAP, organic, fresh, and delicious. Plus the feeling I get from supporting the local farmers as opposed to the mass food producers leaves me with a warm fuzzy. I also buy some meats there because on certain things, it's cheaper than in the store. Seriously, check out the farmer's market. It's insane how cheap it is when you go straight to the source instead of having to pay for the countless number of people in between a mass food producer and your grocery cart.

As for my kids, they love the changes. Several months ago, I stopped buying store bought snacks in favor of making home made cookies. Sure, there are still junky ingredients in there like chocolate chips or butterscotch, but what's not in there is the preservatives and stuff I can't pronounce. They typically eat oatmeal in the morning, turkey & ham sammich for lunch with some cookies, a piece of fruit, and a yogurt for lunch. They hit the string cheese, fruit, or nuts for a snack when they get home, and eat what I prepare for dinner. They are 9 and 10 years old, and have adjusted quite well. I don't think they've noticed, aside from the fact they get home baked goods instead of Little Debbie, and I've heard NO complaints

healthytanya1

I've been eating healthy for almost a year now and living with my boyfriend and his teenage son, who don't eat healthy. I can tell you my food cost is way lower than theirs. I eat tons of fruit and veggies. For breakfast I eat oatmeal and fruit. Lunch and a snack will either be a couple more fruits or if I want to cheat a little then maybe a sandwich or soup for lunch. The only "diet" brand foods I buy are dessert stuff that are around 100-150 calories. Dinners may include something from scratch that we can all eat or I have a saladwith baked chicken breast and low calorie dressing.

megsmom2

I think our grocery bill stayed pretty much the same. Yes, I'm spending more on produce and better quality meats, but I'm not buying a lot of junk food, so it averages out. We eat out a little less often, but go to places with better food, so that averages out too. I do buy Bountiful Basket produce a couple of times a month, that helps a lot. And some household staples are bought in bulk, like rice or oats. We only buy a few things organic, and we don't eat a lot of bread, but the ones we do use are important. I think we are coming out slightly ahead, rather than behind, especially if we are careful to use leftovers wisely.

megsmom2

I assume you already cook as much as possible from scratch. if not, that's the first place to start.
There's a very good website featuring cheap to cook recipes - http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/
Google £1 a day for more useful recipes and ideas.

I find Lidl and Aldi have some fantastic bargains. I check their websites to see when they're selling stuff I like at a price I like even better.
People in the US will say - "shop at farmers markets" - in the UK (and I note you quote your pay rate in £) "Farmers Markets" are incredibly expensive. If you have a street market near you, you may get some bargains, particularly if you go in the afternoon. I've also come across greengrocers selling off produce cheap at car boot sales but you need to know what you're going to do with a whole box of short-dated tomatoes, or apples or whatever! A freezer is useful here.

I think what we call a farmer's market here is what you would call a street market....big difference!

megsmom2

Thankyou for the ideas guys! Okay I don't think I've had the dried lentils and stuff before. What do I do with them? I know you have to soak them... but that's as far as I know on them. Any ideas for easy recipes with lentils and split peas as I saw they were relatively cheap at the shops. As for my daughter, she eats what I do 80% of the time... but there are times where we dont.. I do not make a habit of cooking her different meals all the time.

X

lentils don't need soaking..they cook really fast. I make lentil soup once a week this time of year...just sautee some aromatics (onion, celery, garlic...) and add lots of veggies and lentils and chicken broth. I like thyme with my lentils, but you might prefer something else, rosemary or basil. Makes a big pot of soup...enough for lunch for me for four or five days, or dinner for two of us for a couple of nights with a nice crusty roll or a tortilla. Split peas are the same...fast cooking---and so delicious with ham!

moejo3

I try to shop each week with a certain dollar amount to spend. I can cook 3-4 meals a week and then we eat leftovers for lunch / dinners the other nights. I have a Whole foods grocery store or Farmers market I can go to. I only buy what is on sale for fruit and frozen veggies and the meat specials for the week. I then make a batch of something yummy/healthy for a treat (for the family) and it has to last all week. My bill has actually gone down and my weight is moving too.

skinnyinnotime

Buy things in bulk, like dry beans and rice, and load up when produce goes on sale or in in season and freeze leftovers whenever possible. Watch the newspaper or grocery store website for clearance deals. Make sauces and dishes from scratch, not out of a jar or package. Try making your own bread, on top of it being much cheaper (I worked it out to be about 67 cents a loaf for me, including the energy cost for the oven) it's healthier, because there are no preservatives, and you know exactly what went into it.

As for kids, it's easy. They eat what I cook or they don't eat at all. Just like I did when I was a kid. There's no "catering" involved, I'm not a hotel concierge, for pete's sake. I'm not a short-order cook, I don't do special orders. I think it encourages respect and appreciation for what they do have when you put up boundaries, and makes kids less likely to grow up self-entitled spoiled brats who expect special treatment.

THIS!!

Steph_in_Mississippi

I also find that buying family packs of meat that is on sale is great like chicken breast and can be versatile.

Example. Large pack of chicken. Buy it skin and bone in. You can easily de-bone and remove skin. Why pay someone?

You can put it in crock pot with taco seasoning or salsa. Chicken tacos. Kids love.

You can bake and/or barbecue.

You can grill it. Add with something inexpensive such as pasta with few frozen veggies. Kid friendly.

Always popular grilled chicken sandwiches. Or coat with cornflakes for a baked fried chicken.

Leftover chicken is great in a quesadilla.

Add with great nothern beans, onion, garlic, canned tomates for a white chicken chili.

Chicken and rice.

Chicken salad with diced eggs and mayo (I use light)

Top a fresh salad with chicken.

You can take a couple meats and make many meals. I find pork butt is very versatile also.

Good luck!

Plus when you have leftovers, put in the freezer for another night. Throwing away is a waste of money. I do understand. I have 4 kids. And they're picky. I'm fortunate enough to have a two year old that will eat anything and I refuse to feed him junk very much.

seeingthelight

Buying in season and on sale and freezing are the things I find most helpful. I look at the ads for my local stores the night before I shop to see what is on sale. If ground meat and salmon are on sale I buy 3 dinners of each and freeze them. This way I always have a variety of meats in the freezer. I buy what we can eat in a week of on sale produce and supplement with canned and frozen fruits and veggies. I try to cook from scratch as often as possible. I often find a larger cut of meat is cheaper so I either cut it up before I freeze it or cook it and freeze the leftovers. I often make soups with leftover vegetables, bones and meat. We love turkey noodle and split peas or beans with ham. When my children were at home we had a garden and canned or froze the produce and went out berry picking every summer. I remember an article on how people couldn't feed a family of 4 on government subsidies that equaled $50 a week, even though they also got hand outs of cheese and milk and some fresh veggies(yeh I'm old) - I was feeding a family of seven at the time on $50 a week. I mixed dry milk with my whole milk, baked bread, had tuna noodle casseroles, ground meat gravy over mashed potatoes, split pea and ham soup, meatloaf, and chicken, chicken, chicken, but the kids were healthy and so was I!