weekly shop

tomegan2010

Hi guys,
Just wanted to quiz people about any money saving tips on a weekly shop.
I went shopping today in Dunnes Stores and spent 230 euro on a weekly shop. I have a big family and I needed everything I bought.
Every single thing in the trolly was st bernard brand so it was the cheapest of the cheapest.
Like a lot of people in the country I have been let go from work so struggling like a lot of people.
Just looking for some thoughts on this.

daltonmd

I hear you. What I do when I'm shopping is look for spl offers on the likes of soaps, shampoo, shower gel, dishwasher tabs, loo rolls, toothpaste and the like.

I find that these pad out your shopping bill when you are on a budget.
Yesterday in Supervalue, Timotei shower gel was on spl for 1 euro so I stocked up on them.

I try and hold back a few quid to pick up these offers so maybe you could try this? It means that when I do have a strict budget then it's purely for food.

Sorry to hear about you losing your job, I'm out of work sick and lucky enough to have an income continuance plan, still though I am down a fair bit and we're a single income family.


daltonmd

tomegan2010

daltonmd wrote: »

I hear you. What I do when I'm shopping is look for spl offers on the likes of soaps, shampoo, shower gel, dishwasher tabs, loo rolls, toothpaste and the like.

I find that these pad out your shopping bill when you are on a budget.
Yesterday in Supervalue, Timotei shower gel was on spl for 1 euro so I stocked up on them.

I try and hold back a few quid to pick up these offers so maybe you could try this? It means that when I do have a strict budget then it's purely for food.

Sorry to hear about you losing your job, I'm out of work sick and lucky enough to have an income continuance plan, still though I am down a fair bit and we're a single income family.


daltonmd

Hi thanks for that. It can be tough alright to be cut down from a big wage to job seekers.
When I was working I would have no problem at spending this money. I couldn't belive it when I got to the tills today. With the price of the bill.
basically that was over half my jobs seekers gone and with no bills paid at that stage. The main thing I'm doing is keeping a roof over the kids heads and food in the cupboard.
How would you rate Aldi or Lidil on their prices? I havnt tried there yet?

wmpdd3

I do my food shopping online, I spend €65 per week (2Adults and 1 kid).

I keep adding and subtracting until it comes to €65.

If there's a really good offer in another supermarket, I'll get that. I buy but all own brand non-food items without fail. I only buy offers when half price.

My sister does her shopping online too, we brought the bill to the new Aldi when it opened up to compare her shop there, pretty much the same, She has 2 kids, so the lunch box stuff costs her more, where I buy more ingredients.

road_high

tomegan2010 wrote: »

Hi thanks for that. It can be tough alright to be cut down from a big wage to job seekers.
When I was working I would have no problem at spending this money. I couldn't belive it when I got to the tills today. With the price of the bill.
basically that was over half my jobs seekers gone and with no bills paid at that stage. The main thing I'm doing is keeping a roof over the kids heads and food in the cupboard.
How would you rate Aldi or Lidil on their prices? I havnt tried there yet?

You should try Aldi especially; in fact it's a must for anyone in your position feeding a big family on a tight budget like so many. The quuality and value is excellent and you won't feel like you're taking a hit at all; in fact the average Aldi brand good is better (imo) than any equivalent St. Bernard product.

tomegan2010

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I do my food shopping online, I spend €65 per week (2Adults and 1 kid).

I keep adding and subtracting until it comes to €65.

If there's a really good offer in another supermarket, I'll get that. I buy but all own brand non-food items without fail. I only buy offers when half price.

My sister does her shopping online too, we brought the bill to the new Aldi when it opened up to compare her shop there, pretty much the same, She has 2 kids, so the lunch box stuff costs her more, where I buy more ingredients.

That sounds pretty good. What websites do you reccomend?
Especially for the lunch stuff is quite expensive. We have 5 kids here and 4 are in school so you know how it is.

tomegan2010

mfitzy wrote: »

You should try Aldi especially; in fact it's a must for anyone in your position feeding a big family on a tight budget like so many. The quuality and value is excellent and you won't feel like you're taking a hit at all; in fact the average Aldi brand good is better (imo) than any equivalent St. Bernard product.

I will definetly try Aldi next week. Its just hard to believe the price of things especially the way the country is gone. Maybe its just I was to used to have a big wage and trying to survive on half that now I'm only realising how pricey things are.

road_high

tomegan2010 wrote: »

I will definetly try Aldi next week. Its just hard to believe the price of things especially the way the country is gone. Maybe its just I was to used to have a big wage and trying to survive on half that now I'm only realising how pricey things are.

Food has not really decreased in price at all, actually we've had food price inflation all over the world the past 2 years or so.
Tyr Aldi, you will honestly not feel like you're comprising on quality. Much of their stuff is Irish now. Why not buy the essentials in Aldi/Lidl and buy the special offers in Dunnes.

snubbleste

Aldi & Lidl ahave been here a decade now, can't believe some people still don't darken their doors!
Also keep an eye on the supermarket websites for weekly offers for stuff you normally buy and shop accordingly. Make a list and stick to it.

kildare.17hmr

i started shoppin in lidl a few yrs ago when i was out of work. There are 3 adults and 2 kids. When i got another job i kept shopping there because i could not justify spending more money on the same things in dunnes or tesco. My shopping in lidl now on a week we need everything is between 120- 140 and i spend about 15- 20 in tesco on cheese strings, frubes and cereal bars and the likes. Most weeks my shop in lidl is 100 or less

tomegan2010

mfitzy wrote: »

Food has not really decreased in price at all, actually we've had food price inflation all over the world the past 2 years or so.
Tyr Aldi, you will honestly not feel like you're comprising on quality. Much of their stuff is Irish now. Why not buy the essentials in Aldi/Lidl and buy the special offers in Dunnes.

I will be trying Aldi next week. I have worked out all I need is nappies and baby food from Tesco or Dunnes.

hillbloom

I shop in SuperValu and Aldi. I keep an eye on the special offers in S/Valu. You will gradually get familiar with Aldi products. Its all TRIAL AND ERROR. They dont accept coupons and you pay cash or Laser. No cash back. I dont think they accept cheques. Good Luck

Squall19

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I do my food shopping online, I spend €65 per week (2Adults and 1 kid).

I keep adding and subtracting until it comes to €65.

If there's a really good offer in another supermarket, I'll get that. I buy but all own brand non-food items without fail. I only buy offers when half price.

My sister does her shopping online too, we brought the bill to the new Aldi when it opened up to compare her shop there, pretty much the same, She has 2 kids, so the lunch box stuff costs her more, where I buy more ingredients.

Less than €9.50 a day for 2 adults and a kid.

I'm impressed.

Any chance you can post that bill, see where i am going wrong:D

JONJO THE MISER

tomegan2010 wrote: »

How would you rate Aldi or Lidil on their prices? I havnt tried there yet?

Seriously you need to go to these, most of there brands are excellent and taste better than a lot of the so called premuim brands.
Last saturday they had lots of veg all for 39c each.

Oh_Noes

I'd agree with the general thrust of the replies with Aldi but some stuff from there isn't the best in my experience. Like St Bernard bread in Dunnes is 65cent for a full size loaf and it's nice quality bread but the cheaper breads in Aldi are around the 80-90c mark and they're muck. There seems to be good value in Dunnes on a lot of own brand stuff like bread, pastry, baked stuff. Their own brand bleach is cheaper than Aldi too, and black bags and that stuff.

That's not to take away from Aldi though, I'm really just trying to say you mightn't be fully happy with every item if you only shopped in Aldi. I find there to be great value in a lot of their stuff, especially meat, beer/wine and frozen items but I don't get canned items or toiletries there.

The best thing to do really would be to divide up your weekly shop between a few places but this is a headache with fuel costs and traffic. I tend to try to do a half a fortnight's shopping in Aldi one week, and then the other half in Dunnes the next, if that makes any sense.

I'm a single guy living on my own though so I wouldn't be doing a family shop including kids' things.

swizzle123

Lidl is a super place with great bargains although sometimes I feel they dont have everything your lookin for! Bu they do have most!

Also I think thst shmpoo, conditioner and shower gel etc really hike up the bill. I have startd going to pharamacys were there is always offers on these things so you can pick them up for like 2 euro... or also if u have any bargain busters or discount chemis in your area go there.. these are like cheap cheap shops with all the same stuff!!!!:D

nicechick!

I shop between Aldi & Tesco (I would't darken the door in Dunnes I find that generally they are more expensive but more so the very lack of customer service)

Don't buy into all the promotion stuff look but before picking up the product look at the same products and compare prices its not actually always value for money (its always looking lovely with big displays but its eye catching)

Always bring a list and try go shopping on your own as you might not be as easily distracted

Bulk buying is fine but be realistic is there real value to be had (only because I didn't need to buy shampoo for months cause I tended to always pick up the ''deals'' on offer adding more cost to my weekly bill)


Online also is a good way to go more time to think and less likely to do the impulse buy (as most of us will all have been lured by lovely displays/smells/tasters)

Nanazolie

I cycle between the different stores to save on petrol, and that allows me to buy the best value from every shop. You'll find that some items are on special offer here but the rest is more expensive than the other shop so you need to keep an eye open to grab the best offers. The website cheapeats.ie lists them all

I also shop in the evenings when shops are more likely to mark their fresh items down to clear. Most fruist and vegs are perfectly ok, sometimes not even ripe yet. The bread is still fresh and I buy loads that I freeze.

I've also reviewed our diet: more pulses and wholegrains to make up for less meat and fish, I cook everything from scratch and in bulk (eat one, freeze one) so I save on gas and electricity too.

borderlinemeath

There's plenty of stuff I get in Aldi, but the bread isn't that nice, also goes off quicker, have had to throw half pans out cos they had mould growing after a few days.

I always buy the following as there's little or no difference taste wise:

Jams & Honey
Cereal - their special K equivelent.
Biscuits & crackers
Fruit & vegetables (their super 6 always has something for everybody)
Pasta & rice
Some meats, usually if I'm using it in a stew or casserole, rashers, sausages
fish - smoked salmon/prawns- for making fish pie or seafood pasta
All Dairy - milk, yogurts, cheeses, butter etc.
Juices
sauces - ketchup, vinegar etc
Some of their crisps, tortilla chips are lovely
Baking products, flour, ground nuts, sugar
creamed rice, custards
tinned fish - sardines (only 49c!) mackerel
wine
toilet roll/cleaning products/bin bags etc
detergent/dishwasher tabs/handsoaps

There's a few things I won't get - tea bags, hellmans mayo, colgate toothpaste and ariel washing detergent but I can always get them on special offer in Dunnes/Tesco so I stock up.

daltonmd

borderlinemeath wrote: »

There's plenty of stuff I get in Aldi, but the bread isn't that nice, also goes off quicker, have had to throw half pans out cos they had mould growing after a few days.

I always buy the following as there's little or no difference taste wise:

Jams & Honey
Cereal - their special K equivelent.
Biscuits & crackers
Fruit & vegetables (their super 6 always has something for everybody)
Pasta & rice
Some meats, usually if I'm using it in a stew or casserole, rashers, sausages
fish - smoked salmon/prawns- for making fish pie or seafood pasta
All Dairy - milk, yogurts, cheeses, butter etc.
Juices
sauces - ketchup, vinegar etc
Some of their crisps, tortilla chips are lovely
Baking products, flour, ground nuts, sugar
creamed rice, custards
tinned fish - sardines (only 49c!) mackerel
wine
toilet roll/cleaning products/bin bags etc
detergent/dishwasher tabs/handsoaps

There's a few things I won't get - tea bags, hellmans mayo, colgate toothpaste and ariel washing detergent but I can always get them on special offer in Dunnes/Tesco so I stock up.

Completely agree. But would add that if the bread goes off quicker then that may mean less preservatives which means it's healthier. I freeze bread and actually use very little. I have switched to bagels and wraps. But when I do freeze it I do so in freezer bags of 4 slices and take them out as I need them.

daltonmd

Shelflife

Some good tips here, I run a small foodmarket and you shouldnt rule out your local shop.

1. they too have good offers on a regular basis

2. in my case a trip to aldi/tesco/lidlwould be a 20 mine round trip so in order to save the petrol money the shop save would need to be approx €2.50 thats a lot of 5c difference on various products to make up.

3. sometimes by buying a large shop or in bulk you will end up losing out as the products will go off/expire before you use them.

4. sometimes you can get sucked in by their marketing, we currently sell washed roosters 10kg at €4.99 thats our std price not special offer, supervalue have washed roosters 10kg at a special offer of €6.00 normal price €12.00. thats a saving of €7 on their regular price. and we will carry the spuds out to the car for you.

5. all im saying is that in the better run local shops there is good value too, dont rule them out give them a chance as well.

Shelflife.

borderlinemeath

Shelflife wrote: »

Some good tips here, I run a small foodmarket and you shouldnt rule out your local shop.

1. they too have good offers on a regular basis

2. in my case a trip to aldi/tesco/lidlwould be a 20 mine round trip so in order to save the petrol money the shop save would need to be approx €2.50 thats a lot of 5c difference on various products to make up.

3. sometimes by buying a large shop or in bulk you will end up losing out as the products will go off/expire before you use them.

4. sometimes you can get sucked in by their marketing, we currently sell washed roosters 10kg at €4.99 thats our std price not special offer, supervalue have washed roosters 10kg at a special offer of €6.00 normal price €12.00. thats a saving of €7 on their regular price. and we will carry the spuds out to the car for you.

5. all im saying is that in the better run local shops there is good value too, dont rule them out give them a chance as well.

Shelflife.

There is a small independent shop near me which I find very reasonable, it used to trade under one of the well known "convenience store" brands but since it's gone independent the prices are far better and there's great value to be had.

The smaller stores usually get a bad rep as they are usually lumped in with the likes of spar/centra but you're quite correct in saying there is value in them.:)

Macy0161

tomegan2010 wrote: »

Just looking for some thoughts on this.

Switch to Aldi and always do up a list!

We find Aldi is brand equivalent quality for most things, at a price that's equal to the Tesco Value stuff (which we do find is poorer quality). Aldi white sliced bread is 65cent, and is far better than the tesco and dunnes at that price. They've nice granary type breads as well (their farmhouse is lovely). Off the top of my head, their own versions of petit filous, frubes, cheese strings, laughing cow, cheese singles, nutrigrain, baked beans are at least a match for the brands quality wise. Even the cat is a convert to their pouches and dry food. Only problem is avoiding wasting the savings on the specials!

Lidl is ok, but we do find Aldi better quality, plus the brands in Lidl are more than tesco/dunnes. We shop around for the few things we insist on branded stuff between centra, supervalu, tesco and dunnes.

Finally, remember your local butcher. Quality wise, much better than any of the supermarkets, and I can genuinely say usually cheaper. Perhaps the only exception is whole chickens (but it still tastes nicer than the mass packaged stuff to be honest).

Davidth88

Macy0161 wrote: »

Switch to Aldi and always do up a list!

Finally, remember your local butcher. Quality wise, much better than any of the supermarkets, and I can genuinely say usually cheaper. Perhaps the only exception is whole chickens (but it still tastes nicer than the mass packaged stuff to be honest).

I totally agree with this !

foggy_lad

mfitzy wrote: »

You should try Aldi especially; in fact it's a must for anyone in your position feeding a big family on a tight budget like so many. The quuality and value is excellent and you won't feel like you're taking a hit at all; in fact the average Aldi brand good is better (imo) than any equivalent St. Bernard product.

Give yourself plenty of time when trying Aldi and Lidl as you wont know the layout and will want to check prices as well as ingredients etc

I know of a family with 7 kids including 3-4 teenagers and their weekly shopping in Aldi is around €200 they buy most of their meat in Aldi but get some and a few extras locally to support their local shops.

tomegan2010 wrote: »

I will definetly try Aldi next week. Its just hard to believe the price of things especially the way the country is gone. Maybe its just I was to used to have a big wage and trying to survive on half that now I'm only realising how pricey things are.

Try aldi one week and Ladl the next and you will see which one suits your family needs and tasts the most.

The products are of good quality and are a lot cheaper due to the companies buying direct from manufacturers etc and limiting the amount they spend on advertising and unnecessary staff etc. tings like white sliced pans for 55-60cent is great value for what you get and is great for lunches toasting etc and unlike tesco their low prices are all day every day and not limited to a few dozen cheap pans in the morning!

tomegan2010 wrote: »

I will be trying Aldi next week. I have worked out all I need is nappies and baby food from Tesco or Dunnes.

my sister has used Aldi nappies for a few years and finds them great.

Nanazolie

If you feed a large familly, try to find a wholesale butcher. They usually do boxes deals and most people I know recommend them.
A good way to make meat streches is too bulk it up with pulses and vegs. For instance, a chicken in our house (2 adults, 2 kids) can have 3 lives: roasted with plenty of potatoes, turned into a pie with leftover vegs and as a curry or soup with some rice or noodles

For bread, I would indeed advise to freeze half, in separate bags, so you always have some fresh bread and the loaf won't go mouldy. You can also have a go at making your own bread, and involve the kids, it's great fun and not at all difficult. Plus a large bag of flour and some yeast is all it takes and you won't get any additive

iMax

We have newborns (2) & prefer aldi nappies over pampers & huggies, much softer, less expensive & generally better. Not mad about certain Aldi/Lidl stuff, as mentioned above, the cheap bread seems very cheap.

Fruit & Veg is generally good value, but I've found it to go off earlier than the majors ones (this is probably a good thing).

Meat in Aldi is great value & the quality is higher than Lidl.

You can also use coupons to save There's a great (LONG) thread here where you'll find many more

www.loveirishfood.ie/coupons.aspx
www.supersavyme.com
www.bubblegum.ie
www.facebook.com/bubblegum.ie
http://studentoffers.pigsback.com/grocery/
www.pigsback.com

wmpdd3

I use Tesco.ie

I'll try paste the last order:



All my order items
Quantity Product Price Total
1 Tesco Fresh Milk 2 Litre €1.49 €1.49
1 Tesco Cool Tortilla Chips 400G €2.15 €2.15
1 Tesco 2 Boneless Salmon Fillets 240G €4.99 €4.99
1 Tesco Premium Cat Food Cuts In Jelly 12 X 100G €2.99 €2.99
1 Sanex Dermo-Protector Body Wash 500Ml €1.64 €1.64
1 Pregnacare 30S €5.89 €5.89
1 Sanex Dermo Invisible Roll-On 50Ml €0.89 €0.89
2 Finest Apples Loose Class 1 €0.49 €0.99
1 Milupa Aptamil Follow On Milk 900G €9.39 €9.39
1 Lucozade Energy Orange Barley 1 Litre Bottle €1.29 €1.29
2 Pepsi Regular 2 Litre Bottle €2.19 €4.38
1 Tesco Variety Crisps 6 Pack €1.49 €1.49
1 Tesco Fromage Frais 6X60g €1.35 €1.35
1 Tesco Butter 454G €2.19 €2.19
1 Tesco Multigrain Hoops375g €1.65 €1.65
1 Heinz Organic Biscotti Baby Biscuits 60G €1.19 €1.19
1 Tesco Cool Salsa Dip 300G €0.86 €0.86
3 Tesco Mozzarella And Cheddar Grated 200G €1.17 €3.51
1 Spring Force Toilet Tissue 4 Roll €1.49 €1.49
1 Tesco Crinkle Cut Oven Chips 1.81Kg €1.60 €1.60
1 Tesco Long Life Alkaline Batteries Aaax4 €0.32 €0.32
1 Bistro Salami A La Lyonnaise 1X250g €2.00 €2.00
1 Tesco Fresh Cream 250Ml (Bottle) €1.19 €1.19
2 Tesco Guacamole 200G €1.59 €3.18
4 Heinz 4 Month Mum's Own Egg Custard 128G €0.56 €2.24
1 Cully And Sully Mushroom Soup 400G €2.49 €2.49
1 Duracell Instantcharger €1.90 €1.90
1 Tesco Market Value Lamb Chops 800G €4.99 €4.99
1 Tesco 10 Cod Fish Cakes 500G €2.09 €2.09
3 Wheatfield Ciabatta Roll 2 Pack €0.59 €1.77
1 Tesco Pole And Line Tuna Chunks In Brine 3*80G €1.86 €1.86
1 Tesco 12 Mini Vegetable Spring Rolls 216G €1.50 €1.50
1 Goodness Bananas Pack €1.59 €1.59

After offers €65.70


Bought Nappies in Super Value on Children's Allowance day and bought wipes on the same day the month before, have loads left.

Dont drink / smoke.

This is the receipt we brought to Aldi, it has proper descriptions on it so we could compare, not like the crappy receipt you get in the shop.

As the poster above said, it was just the Frubes and stuff that she didnt want to get in Aldi, even though they do a version.

uck51js9zml2yt

For those living anywhere near Howth its often cheaper to get your fish out there.

I go out once a month and stock up. I got a whole salmon in Wrights last week for €10 and had it filleted. It will do 2 meals or 3 if I make the portions normal size.

Panga is also a good fish to get.Its a vietnemese cat fish. Its really nice and half the price of cod. just soak it in milk overnight to remove some of the flavour, it makes it very mild. and just coat in egg & flour and fry on the pan.

maxer68

+1 for aldi - one tiny example = tomato sauce 79c v €2+ in tesco and it tastes as good as heinz.

Local shop for small "as you need" items

but don't forget the local butcher who will often have bulk deals that will alst a week.

use tesco/dunnes for their offers only and only if you need them.

Despite passing 2 tescos on my home every day, I haven't needed to go into one for about 3 months now. (Aldi opened nearby a while ago)

wmpdd3

Agree about Aldi ketchup, its lovely, nothing in any of the other stores comes near it esp on price, same with the jar of Columbine coffee they do for €1.99, its way better than Kenco and much cheaper.

But, my other half has bought loads of condiments and frozen stuff in Aldi that he doesnt like the taste of.... but he had to eat them in the end. Trial and error.