Jun 26, 2010
Another Method of Keeping Food Bills Down
Food has often been one of the most expensive items on our list of expenditures – even by making a weekly meal plan, shopping for stuff that was on sale, downgrading to the store brand and making lots of things from scratch – we would spend between £230 – £260 a month on food for the two of us.
Last month I managed to drag our spending on food right down – to £180. How did I do this?
By shopping every day. I gave myself a daily budget of £5, and from that £5 I had to get breakfast, lunch and dinner for the two of us. I thought it would be more difficult than it was. By shopping every day on my way home from work, I was able to pick up the fruit and veg that was being reduced, and snap up any major bargains. It meant I didn’t have to plan beyond the next three meals, so I never forgot any vital ingredients. I frequently came in under budget, which was a dramatic difference from my weekly shopping.
It didn’t even mean that I missed out on bulk buys – picking up 8 cans of baked beans on a ‘Buy 2 for £3′ deal, and several ‘buy one get one free’ deals on frozen pies etc.
It did mean I had to downgrade some things. I couldn’t spend £4 on two slices of cheesecake for a start. I also had to downgrade my washing powder – to a brand that actually made my clothes smell nicer.
In short I would say the experiment has been a great success. I certainly haven’t felt deprived – especially since I’ve been feasting on a fantastic greek salad for the last three days – olives are always amazing!
Hmmm. Wonder if I could convince B to let us try this? If I finish work later than seven though, I really don’t want to go to the shop afterwards.
It’s actually not too bad shopping when it’s just for a couple of items. It takes hardly any-time, and you don’t have to carry loads of stuff home.
You can also do it prior to work, or on a lunch break or whatever – or you could probably make it work even if you did it for every two days.
Suzie: well done! It’s amazing how much the food bill can be reduced with a little bit of effort.
Thanks Tony! I’ve found I couldn’t go from spending £60-70 a week to £40 a week… I had to do it slowly. But I’m getting better and better, and I look forward to the time when I’m spending £10 a week – if that!