food shopping on a budget. UK

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  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    How are you on tinned fish? You can usually find tins of sardines or sild in tomato sauce for about 50p.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I'm on a similar budget, and I go to Asda around 7:30 to 8:00pm, when food that's about to go out-of-date is being reduced to its lowest prices. I look for things that will last several days, so that I can divide them into portions and freeze them. I also look for things that you can eat way after their use-by date, such as yogurt - I get sets of yogurt drinks for 10p, for instance. I find it's very good, healthwise, to be on such a budget, because it forces me to look for the most nutritious food and avoid junk.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    As far as working with animals goes - as with many professions, often you can do better by starting from the bottom and working up.

    I was fairly lucky to get a first IT job in the right company that was happy to give me the responsibility and roles that I could show I justified. They were happy to see that I could do the job - and I saw plenty of people that couldn't that came in with 'bits of paper'.
    Ok, pay in that first job was generally below industry/company standard for me, but I didn't begrudge them for that considering the experience it gave me (and one I said "give me more money" they did :).

    So me, I'd say the best thing to do is to try and get your foot in the door and get paid to be involved in doing something around what you like.
    Even maybe volunteer to start with?
  • haylz247
    haylz247 Posts: 435
    thank you all SO much. defo given me some ideas on what to buy :) i'm just crap with food and would love it to all be done for me haha i'm not lazy i just don't enjoy cooking. really helped me out though :)
  • haylz247
    haylz247 Posts: 435
    Just remember, if you have any local supermarkets, hit the shelves a few hours before they closed for the reduced section. You can often find cheap fruit/veg in there! I spend about on average £20 for two people per week buying mainly fruit and veg (plus bits like lentils, chic peas etc) and we buy our meat mostly from the reduced section.

    Just to echo what everyone else has said, soups and stews are fantastically cheap meals (and can be packed with veg). A slow cooker can be a life saver, as you can do a big batch of a meal to then freeze into portions.

    Don't be afraid to buy one 'big' thing if it will last you an entire week, I know you don't like raw meat but take this week for example, I did a roast chicken yesterday (3.50 from Aldi- ours was a touch cheaper as it was reduced, but to give you a rough idea on prices) with loads of root plus leafy green veg yesterday. However, the roast will feed us for just under a week (with added veggie extras)- with bubble plus squeak tonight, chicken + veg stir fry tomorrow, chicken curry Wednesday, chicken salad Thursday and I've also made some chicken stock from the bones which I can use in other meals next week. So, whilst it was a big outlay in terms of money, in terms of nightly meal cost it's been quite cheap- and it's certainly healthier for you than the £1 ready meals out of the freezer section!

    Also, I noticed you want to work with animals. Have you thought about doing any volunteering whilst you are looking for a job? I volunteered last year at a rescue centre for around three months, where they then offered me a job for that summer (honestly, I would have kept the job had I not been going back to college). It was so rewarding, I got paid pennies for what I did, but I got to make a difference to so many animals lives over the course of eight months - and I lost quite a bit of the waistline as well (I went down three- almost four - dress sizes over the course)! Certainly worth considering, and any experience to add to the CV is vital if working with animals is what you want to do! Just remember, any jobs that do crop up in rescue centres etc are normally offered to insiders before the general public.

    i'll defo look into volunteering at a centre! i never even thought of that!

    aldi seems very popular! it's down the road from me so it's a nice walk :)
    i'll go next week and see how i get on!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Remember Aldi have their offers listed on their website if you want some things to aim for.
    They have special deals called 'super 6' or something, which is 6 fruit and veg they've discounted that week.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    Start haunting the aisles of your local asda or sainsbury's in the early evening and check out the reduced sections. They have specific times each day usually that they will reduce their foods, whether that be produce or microwave meals. The same goes for Tesco, mine tends to reduce their produce and meats between 4 and 5pm. Also, Asda often have 50p offers on their fresh vegetables and salad stuffs. Lidl/aldi are good for things like cottage cheese. Asda sells big boxes of about 15 eggs for a few pounds and reduce their bread in the early evening too. Canned beans can be gotten for around 30-40p a tin, or stock up on the dried variety. Smart price pasta is dirt cheap as are baking potatoes. Sometimes asda sells these whole frozen wild salmon for £3 also, so keep an eye out for those as that is 3 meals right there. Matter of getting canny and finding where the best deals are, and when the reductions are done.

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