Food Budget

Babyblessed

ppink wrote: »

For the healthy stuff try Aldi's super 6 fruit/veg. The sometimes have good stuff.
Tesco do have 3 for €4 on fruit too i think.
yogurt is also much cheaper in Aldi/lidl where you can buy the big tub of natural and add whatever you like to it.
Popcorn....buy the kernels and pop it yourself?
raisens....buy a pack and dole them out into little tubs for school.

Fussy 6yo will only eat green apples!!! But we do the Aldi/Lidl thing every week.
Kids arent allowed popcorn at school........ yes I know pludy ridiculous.....
He also wont eat raisin/sultanas/dried fruit.
Oh and bananas are a nightmare, he only eats green ones!

lucy2010

Babyblessed wrote: »

Lucy, ''Healthy'' school lunches are the bane of my life... and I use that term very lightly!
I used to bake scones/buns for my sons but we were told they were a no-no cos they contained sugar.
I am happy to see suggestions for healthy eating for packed lunches but my 6yo is really funny about what he eats for lunches, otherwise he eats everything. If there was some way of heating shepherds pie at school he would be well away... but alas there isnt!

All was fine till I heard one kid in the class was allowed choc spread sambos as he ate nothing else..... whereas i was told he couldnt eat crackers & cheese despite fact he wont eat anything else...... oh & then realsied my kiddies isnt a problem kid, didnt have a social worker etc etc etc nearly lost plot at the one rule for one thing

Ayla

I've heard this about schools & their lunch policies (I don't have a kid in the system). Some of it I can understand, but the last few examples given here are ridiculous!

My question: what happens if you send your kid with a healthy, clean meal in proper packaging and it doesn't meet regs? Does your child have to go hungry? Do you get a call from the school, and if so what rights do you have to assert your child's need for a healthy lunch?

cynder

We spend at least 200 euro a week on food. 2 adults 12 year old diabetic, 4 and 6 year old in there too. School lunches included as well as 7 fresh meat portions a week also infused diabetic food stuffs.. Plenty of fresh fruit n veg, grapes strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, melon, pineapple, apples kiwis and so on...... Also a few crisps and treats thrown in as well.

Justask

Ayla wrote: »

I've heard this about schools & their lunch policies (I don't have a kid in the system). Some of it I can understand, but the last few examples given here are ridiculous!

My question: what happens if you send your kid with a healthy, clean meal in proper packaging and it doesn't meet regs? Does your child have to go hungry? Do you get a call from the school, and if so what rights do you have to assert your child's need for a healthy lunch?

Hiya Ayla, the norm is for the school to send home a note to say that ur child has food that is not ok.....but in my experiance it only been kids who did it ALL the time...

What totally mad me mad in my sons school is they banned popcorn...only because the cleaner were giving out about it. I believe loads of schools are banning it to :mad:

cynder

lucy2010 wrote: »

All was fine till I heard one kid in the class was allowed choc spread sambos as he ate nothing else..... whereas i was told he couldnt eat crackers & cheese despite fact he wont eat anything else...... oh & then realsied my kiddies isnt a problem kid, didnt have a social worker etc etc etc nearly lost plot at the one rule for one thing

My lady is the only child out of 700 in the school who is allowed coke, lucozade, chocolate in the school she has a supply cupboard of goodies in case her blood sugars drop, her lunch is also very healthy, but she has a lot of it, she is loving sesame sticks at the moment.

My little guy only eats jam crackers so when he starts school I might have a job tring to vary it

Justask

grindelwald wrote: »

My little guy only eats jam crackers so when he starts school I might have a job tring to vary it

Cream crackers and jam? my god i've not had them in years

Babyblessed

grindelwald wrote: »

We spend at least 200 euro a week on food. 2 adults 12 year old diabetic, 4 and 6 year old in there too. School lunches included as well as 7 fresh meat portions a week also infused diabetic food stuffs.. Plenty of fresh fruit n veg, grapes strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, melon, pineapple, apples kiwis and so on...... Also a few crisps and treats thrown in as well.

We have 2 adults, 2 teenagers (1 taller than me) and a 6yo, 4 cats and a dog. Our food bill is under €100 per week including toiletries etc....

Justask wrote: »

Hiya Ayla, the norm is for the school to send home a note to say that ur child has food that is not ok.....but in my experiance it only been kids who did it ALL the time...

What totally mad me mad in my sons school is they banned popcorn...only because the cleaner were giving out about it. I believe loads of schools are banning it to :mad:

Our school threw my sons home made scones in the bin. Today was last day of term and I gave him 4 milky moo plain biscuits to take in a a break treat as they finished at midday. He brought them home cos he was too terrified to take them out of his bag to eat.....

cynder

Babyblessed wrote: »

We have 2 adults, 2 teenagers (1 taller than me) and a 6yo, 4 cats and a dog. Our food bill is under €100 per week including toiletries etc....




Our school threw my sons home made scones in the bin. Today was last day of term and I gave him 4 milky moo plain biscuits to take in a a break treat as they finished at midday. He brought them home cos he was too terrified to take them out of his bag to eat.....

You can make scones without sugar, next time tell them is a diabetic scone!

Where the hell do you shop that food only costs 100€ a week ?

Meat alone for a week costs at least 50€, must admit the fruit costs a bomb, but its healty for the diabetic lady a punnet of blueberrys or such, would be gone is seconds.

cynder

Justask wrote: »

Cream crackers and jam? my god i've not had them in years

not sure if cream crackers and jam are ont he schools healthy list but ill send them anyways.

Ayla

grindelwald wrote: »

Where the hell do you shop that food only costs 100€ a week ?

I think you'll find by reading through this whole post that many people have managed this, myself included. True, we don't have meat 7 days/week, but that's not necessary for a balanced & healthy lifestyle anyway. We do have a constant supply of fruit, veg & milk, and the total monthly cost for our meat, veg/fruit & milk does not exceed €100 (and we buy everything from local butcher & greengrocer). Outside of this, our monthly bill does not exceed £200 for all groceries (which breaks down to £50/week).

It is possible, it just requires planning.

cynder

Ayla wrote: »

I think you'll find by reading through this whole post that many people have managed this, myself included. True, we don't have meat 7 days/week, but that's not necessary for a balanced & healthy lifestyle anyway. We do have a constant supply of fruit, veg & milk, and the total monthly cost for our meat, veg/fruit & milk does not exceed €100 (and we buy everything from local butcher & greengrocer). Outside of this, our monthly bill does not exceed £200 for all groceries (which breaks down to £50/week).

It is possible, it just requires planning.

My butchers a strip loin steak to feed the the 5 of us in one meal would cost €15 at lease (sometimes sirloin), chicken 8.99, pork chops 5, chicken fillets 6 ham 12.00, bacon 7, rack of lamb 13, joint of beef 16, joint of pork 10, chicken cushions 9.00, stuffed pork chops 9.00. (dont really eat fish YUCK) but my lady will have prawns.

depends really what we want to eat for the week. Have to have a proper cooked meal on the table very evening, meat, potatoes, veg or home made stir frys and rice. Thats the way my husband grew up, so that what i cook, proper cooked meal every evening. suppose we could cut out the cost and have beans on toast but there's not a hope my hubby would have that as a main meal.

Fruit alone costs around 30 euro a week.

Ayla

Not to get in (yet another) argument with you, but are you suggesting that my family lives on beans & toast because we don't spend €50/week on meat alone? Sirloin? Strip loin steak? Stuffed pork chops? Well, if you can afford those, go right ahead, but just because we can't doesn't mean we have crap meals. Can't honestly remember the last time we had steaks - we generally do cubed beef which we make into casseroles & stews.

Many many many healthy, homecooked and nutritious meals can be made sans meat, and like I said, we still have loads of fruit & veg (but even they don't cost more than €15-20/week.

If you're buying those cuts of meat you can't rightly be surprised that people can shop for less each week.

cynder

Ayla wrote: »

Not to get in (yet another) argument with you, but are you suggesting that my family lives on beans & toast because we don't spend €50/week on meat alone? Sirloin? Strip loin steak? Stuffed pork chops? Well, if you can afford those, go right ahead, but just because we can't doesn't mean we have crap meals. Can't honestly remember the last time we had steaks - we generally do cubed beef which we make into casseroles & stews.

Many many many healthy, homecooked and nutritious meals can be made sans meat, and like I said, we still have loads of fruit & veg (but even they don't cost more than €15-20/week.

If you're buying those cuts of meat you can't rightly be surprised that people can shop for less each week.

Suppose that's it, my husband has to have meat dish once a day, i personally would love not to cook as much, i hate cooking..... but if i handed him a pasta dish no meat, i think he would have a breakdown, its not what he call a substantial meal.

Sometimes i have to cook 2 different meals one for the boys and one for us adults, my husband would turn his nose up at pizza and chips, yet the boys love it.

Sometimes i would have to cook 3 different dishes, as the eldest lady loves prawns so hers is a prawn stir fry, ours is a chicken stir fry, the boys and i dont like garlic so my husbands stir fry would be cooked separate from my own and the boys, chaos..... beans on toast is so much easier and less time consuming and tastes good too


I would be at loss what to cook if we didn't have meat at every main meal, perhaps if ever needs be i should get a vegetarian cook book.

How Strange

grindelwald I think to achieve ayla's impressive shopping bill you'd either have to change your cuts of meat which I'd consider premium cuts for weekends or special occasions or find a new butcher. Personally I hate filletted chicken breasts; they're dry and rubbery when cooked. I prefer it on the bone which is far cheaper or chicken legs and thighs for things like
stir frys or curries.

A greengrocer is cheaper and more economical than a supermarket as you buy the quantities you want as most things are loose.

I went to aldi on Monday and did my weeks shopping for €80 which I was very impressed with. No goodies or alcohol but that's a good thing as I'm trying to lose the last of my baby weight.

Ayla

grindelwald wrote: »

Sometimes i would have to cook 3 different dishes, as the eldest lady loves prawns so hers is a prawn stir fry, ours is a chicken stir fry, the boys and i dont like garlic so my husbands stir fry would be cooked separate from my own and the boys, chaos.....

Oh yikes, your family would starve at my place! We make one meal and everyone either eats or goes hungry

cynder

Im a fussy eater, dont like garlic or spices, i always ate separate to everyone else. wish i could eat it but i cant that's why everything is home cooked and in different pans. I can only eat 1 dish in a Chinese and that's chili beef and BBQ ribs dont like anything else on the menu , even doing pork chops mine are plain and my husbands and daughters have seasoning.

How strange what you said about the chicken portions that got me thinking (good idea for 1) and the other was that when i was younger we lived near cappoquin chickens and my dad used to buy the chickens direct from them, he would come back with a big bag of chicken stuff, be it chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, whole chickens, chicken nuggets and so on, i mean a big bin liner sized bag not a carrier bag sized bag and they would give him the whole lot for 10 pound, wonder if they still do that?

It would be handy for anyone who lived near a chicken place to buy direct from it, cutting the cost of the middle man.

We never buy alcohol, well maybe once ever 3-4 months if there is an something special coming up.

lonestargirl

Ayla, I have to say I'm in awe of your organisation. I find that's it's the fresh food that really ups our bill, I do one €200 shop a month but I probably spend another €60 a week (€20 each in butchers, veg shop and on dairy products). I cook all our meals and these figures do include lunches too. We do eat non-meat meals about twice a week and I cook a lot of casseroles/curries where I would make 6-8 portions and freeze the extras. I always have a list on the go of what's in the freezer and I don't let stuff build up.

Ayla

Lonestargirl, Sounds like you're doing great to me! We get to save a lot of money by not having to do lunches (our main meal of the day is at 2pm), and we have a light snack around 6pm. That saves a lot of money!

lonestargirl

Ayla wrote: »

We get to save a lot of money by not having to do lunches (our main meal of the day is at 2pm), and we have a light snack around 6pm. That saves a lot of money!

We're bringing lunches into work, I do a lot if pasta/couscous salads with roasted veg, hummus and baba ghanoush with veg and pittas as well as soups in winter. There is nothing worse that an overpriced, soggy bought sandwich for lunch.

Justask

grindelwald wrote: »

not sure if cream crackers and jam are ont he schools healthy list but ill send them anyways.

Crackers and honey should do the trick

Moonbeam

There is also a big difference in the price of a full shop done up north and down south.
I can get way more for my money in Sainsburys then my local Tesco.
Superdrug is also brilliant for deodorants and shampoos etc,esp when they have special offers:)
I always notice this more when I am just back!

Ayla

Exactly. There's nowhere down here I could get 2 massive trollies full of nappies, cereal, toilet paper, pressed juice, etc (everything to supply my family for 4 weeks) for the equivalent of £200. Ireland still has a lot of catching up to do to make our prices & value genuinely competitive in the grocery sector.

And as it's just as easy/close for us to shop in Fermanagh as it is Donegal/Sligo, it makes sense for us to go over the border.

Justask

Moonbeam wrote: »

There is also a big difference in the price of a full shop done up north and down south.
I can get way more for my money in Sainsburys then my local Tesco.
Superdrug is also brilliant for deodorants and shampoos etc,esp when they have special offers:)
I always notice this more when I am just back!

I've tried that.... products are cheaper yes but by the time you add up pertrol, lunch and time I didn't think it was worth it.

All about Eve

I go shopping in Dunnes. Family of 3 . Bill is usually 125 per week. But I like my brands on alot of things, and cleaning products. I wont compromise on toilet paper either! I know i could rain my bill in cheaper. Oh god i feel guilty now!

Babyblessed

Justask wrote: »

I've tried that.... products are cheaper yes but by the time you add up pertrol, lunch and time I didn't think it was worth it.

I'd agree, we went up one year for alcohol and Christmas bits. We saved a fortune but probably bought more than we would normally..:p But by the time we took into account petrol, accommodation and tolls, we probably didnt save that much. Unfortunately living in Cork its a bit of an expensive trek but we had a great weekend and would probably do it again in the future!

grindelwald wrote: »

You can make scones without sugar, next time tell them is a diabetic scone!

I told them that but it was still 'not allowed'.:rolleyes:

grindelwald wrote: »

Where the hell do you shop that food only costs 100€ a week ?

We do because we have to, its either that or dont pay the ESB/oil/gas/mortgage......

grindelwald wrote: »

Meat alone for a week costs at least 50€, must admit the fruit costs a bomb, but its healty for the diabetic lady a punnet of blueberrys or such, would be gone is seconds.

We have meat/chicken on a daily basis except Friday when its fish and chips or tuna pasta and Saturday when the kids have pizza/hot dogs or macaroni cheese, their choice.

For example last night they had sweet and sour chicken thighs and savoury rice (I cheated last night and bought some from Aldi 3 packs for €1.47). The sweet & sour marinade was about €1 and the chicken thighs were €2.99, 2 each for the kids and 3 for the old man. I had mushroom stir fry with some of the marinade €1.... oh and I added some sweetcorn to the rice and to the stir fry 49c total €6.95

Tonight is pork casserole, cubed pork and 1 chop to add to the meat content €4, carrots (canned) 22c, sauce-not sure yet but about €1 extra veg €1 (max) rice/spuds about 50c... total €6.77 if I do the rice I will add extra sweetcorn (it encourages the little one to eat more).

Tomorrow will be fish & chips and peas or whatever the kids want Fish €4.36 chips (frozen and made in a oil free fryer...delish btw) €1.19 and kids will prob want beans/spaghetti 44c for both cans total €5.99

Hubby is the fussy one, wont eat pasta but loves curry. When we have curry, he makes it from scratch, in bulk and its virtually fat free if you use chicken and to die for!

The cats are the cost at the moment and hubby wants to re-home them; I cant do that to the kids but they arent fussy and eat home brands.

I buy value brands, including bread as my tall 13yo eats it mainly as toast and in bulk! I also go shopping in the evenings if I can and buy stuff thats reduced and freeze it! Currently have loads of sausages in the freezer and loads of pork chops and chicken pieces that I bought when SV was doing a promotion about 4 weeks ago!

meg3178

We are a family of two adults and two teenagers, 2 dogs and a cat. I spend 115.00e a week including pet food. I make a huge batch of soup every week, keep some out and freeze family size portions, which are easy to reheat.
We have a meat/fish dinner every day, packed lunches for school/work and a substantial breakfast.
We sit down every week and we all choose the meal plans, which stops complaints and also saves time in deciding what to cook every day. I then check online what staples, toiletries, detergents etc are on special offer in which shops (Dunnes usually follow Tesco a week later) and if Pigsback have coupons available, if they do, I will stock up on these (Also check out the couponing thread in bargain alerts).
I make scones, apple tarts, Lasagne, pasta sauce, curry and other things in treble batches and freeze them.
I grow herbs outside in a grow bag, which cuts the cost of buying them and they're so easy to grow. I grow the mint separately, as it goes mad, then chop it up with some orange or lemon zest for great herbal tea.
I save bread which is going stale, blitz it in the food processor with the herbs and freeze that for stuffing. We make fruit juice ice lollies and our own ice cream.
I don't buy veg which is out of season, it costs too much.
I might sound miserly, but my daughter has coeliac disease and I had to learn how to shop differently, so its easier and cheaper to make and I know what ingredients are in the food.

Babyblessed

meg3178 wrote: »

We are a family of two adults and two teenagers, 2 dogs and a cat. I spend 115.00e a week including pet food. I make a huge batch of soup every week, keep some out and freeze family size portions, which are easy to reheat.
We have a meat/fish dinner every day, packed lunches for school/work and a substantial breakfast.
We sit down every week and we all choose the meal plans, which stops complaints and also saves time in deciding what to cook every day. I then check online what staples, toiletries, detergents etc are on special offer in which shops (Dunnes usually follow Tesco a week later) and if Pigsback have coupons available, if they do, I will stock up on these (Also check out the couponing thread in bargain alerts).
I make scones, apple tarts, Lasagne, pasta sauce, curry and other things in treble batches and freeze them.
I grow herbs outside in a grow bag, which cuts the cost of buying them and they're so easy to grow. I grow the mint separately, as it goes mad, then chop it up with some orange or lemon zest for great herbal tea.
I save bread which is going stale, blitz it in the food processor with the herbs and freeze that for stuffing. We make fruit juice ice lollies and our own ice cream.
I don't buy veg which is out of season, it costs too much.
I might sound miserly, but my daughter has coeliac disease and I had to learn how to shop differently, so its easier and cheaper to make and I know what ingredients are in the food.

Sounds great! I cant tolerate white flour products so I know what you mean about thinking/shopping/cooking differently.
Had to laugh at the mint thing tho!! Will never grow it again, I used to grow it in pots and over a winter it took over part of my garden......took forever to get rid but it smelt lovely as we were digging it up!

meg3178

LOL I know what you mean, the same happened to me! I now have the pot on the patio, along with pots of lavender.

implausible

Great thread guys. There's just myself, my husband and the wee fella in it and I reckon we get by on €300+ a month for groceries. This thread is inspiring me to start watching it a lot more closely - I'm amazed by some of ye!

I add up as I go along (run out of steam quickly enough though), take a list and avoid lots of convenience food (jars of readymade sauce, babymeals). Tinned tomatoes are a lifesaver, they keep forever and are so versatile - pasta sauce, shepherds pie, stews and curries. I usually buy them in A*da at 20p a can and buy 10+ at a time. (When you're close to the border, the novelty wears off, so extra expenses like diesel and coffee are ruled out). I breastfed the wee fella for 7 months and only ended up buying formula for a few months - the price of it nearly gave me a heart-attack the first time I bought it! I only ever buy nappies and wipes on offer and he eats what we eat now, fortunately.

One of the things I really need to look at is bread - we go through a lot of bread, buns and cakes. I'm making it a mission to learn how to bake.

Babyblessed wrote: »

I use own brand tablets and only use 1 each time... even tho the packet always says use 2! i got that tip off a washing machine engineer, years ago!

Now, here is where I am disciplined! The vast majority of people use far too much detergent. Last year, when I was heavily pregnant, I bought 2 huge boxes of Fairy for £46. The second one is only half way down. It says 120+ washes, but I think I've taken the + bit too far! I never buy fabric conditioner, use the dishwasher every second day, and only buy tablets and washing-up liquid on offer. I stopped using lots of cleaning products - f@iry liquid, bleach and jif is all I have now.

Loads of great ideas on here - keep them coming!