Cutting The Shopping Bill.

If you are looking at cutting back, one of the first places to look at is your monthly shopping bill. I do not advocate living on bread and water for a month. But a shopping trip can cost dramatically less by buying unbranded or own branded products. Aldi and Lidl are great for reducing the budget, but I do find I cannot do a full shop in there. Life is too short to visit 2 supermarkets per week, so I do 1 big shop per month in both then, top up in with vegetables.

Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise. Squeezy bottle 430ml £2.49

Tesco Own Brand Top Down Mayo 480ml £1.00

That is a saving of nearly 60%, plus an extra 50ml.

Both are creamy, but the Hellman’s is a little more whisked egg white consistency.

Heinz Tomato sauce, top down squeezy 460g £1.85

Tesco Tomato Ketchup, top down squeezy 460g 85p

Tesco Everyday Value, top down squeezy 590g… wait for it 18p


PG Tips Pyramid Bags, 160 £3.50 (2.18p / cup)
Tesco Original Bags, 160 £2.40 (1.5p / cup)

You can also stop buying expensive ragu sauces. 1 jar of Dolmio at £1.99. Instead buy two tins of chopped tomatoes at between 31p - 50p (buy the extra value they are fine) and add one small tin of tomato puree at 35p which will thicken in. A sprinkling of dried herbs and / or garlic bulb and the pasta sauce is done. Cost 97p.

Value pasta also tastes fine and the swop will not be noticed by family members. Nor will it be detected if you only add half the usual amount of mince to your spagetti bolognaise and top it up with porridge oats. Healthier too!

If you buy a lot of snacks then I would recommend PoundStretcher or Poundland. The Chap loves Wheat Crunchies which are normally £1.88 for a 6pk in Tesco but only 89p in Pound Stretcher. I have to walk past the shop every day to get to work.

Own brand washing detergents work just as well as their more expensive labelled neighbours too.
Persil Powder Non Bio 25 wash / 2.125Kg, £7!!
Tesco Powder Non Bio 25 wash / 2KG, £4

The list is endless to own brand alternative - spirits, biscuits, cereal, fish fingers, frozen veg, chips etc

However, if I can give just one piece of advice please do not buy own brand or cheap washing up liquid. Nothing beats fairy for value!

Frugally yours
Abigail
x

P.S. Living with The Chap does amuse me. He came home from work late yesterday about 9.30pm as  I was cleaning the poop from the litter tray. He takes one look at me and states "I was going to kiss you, but now I am not as you are holding a bag of sh*t". He was right I was. So I popped the poop in the bin and washed my hands. Walked back into the lounge to finding him waiting for me puckered up!! :o)

Ratatouille, A Freezer Favourite

Evening, hope you have had a good weekend. Sunday evening, perhaps the most depressing part of the week.

I went and did a shop on they way home from work, I will update the shopping page tomorrow, but here is a quick look at what I got minus a massive box of soap powder, 6 bottles of coke and some Lidl own brand white rum which comes in at the bargain price of £8.99.

Lidl is very good for some cupboard staples, decaf tea, nuts, coke (39p / bottle) and a large box of soap powder. I bought my last box at xmas so I can definately live with buying soap powder 4 x per annum. Buying in bulk with those things means I reduce the amount of times I go food shopping and therefore reduce those impule (radish) buys. Yea, Go Lidl!

I saw some aubergines, officially my favourite veg and there and then decided to make ratatouille over the weekend, it is so simple especially with a slow cooker. Plus it is virtually fat free, packed with veg and freezes brilliantly.

You will need

• 1 Aubergine
• 1 large courgette
• 1 onion
• 1 pepper - i prefer red
• 2 tins of tomatoes
• 1 small tin of tomato puree
• some garlic, I used garlic granules for the first time
• 2 stock cubes, I used 1 chicken and 1 beef
• and some mixed herbs

Cut all the veg into smallish chunks and bung in the slow cooker with the courgettes at the bottom. Turn onto high and leave for 6-8 hours until the vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Leave to cool and decant into Tupperware ready to freeze.

It is great with a BBQ, but I love it best taken to work and put cold on hot toast for a very cheap and healthy lunch. Ooo or add a teaspoon of chilli powder if you like a bit of kick.

Did I mention it is very cheap too - about £3 worth of ingredient provdies abou 12 portions. 25p / portion.

I have told you before I am no cook, but really you cannot go wrong.

Just call me Delia...

Frugally yours
Abigail
x

Shopping At Lidl.

I had visitors for a night over the weekend. They arrived mid afternoon on Saturday and left just before lunch time on Sunday.

It lovely to see my friend B, she brought her new chap for me to meet. He was nice too, which was good!

So on friday on the way home I did some more food shopping. Quite a bit of my monthly budget blown.

£33.64, but that does include £8.99 spent on a bottle of white rum, I am trying to not buy Bacardi anymore and am looking for cheaper alternatives.

I think looking back through this receipt what has shocked me is the amount I have been willing to spend on nutritionally dreadful foods.
lemon cheesecake      £2.99. (However this was a pudding after the lunch I cooked on Saturday and after costing it out for my homemade version. Buying it was a few pence extra)
Creme caramel          £0.72
Honey balls cereal     £1.59
12 toasting waffles    £0.55
Caramel Choc Bars    £1.29
Total                        £4.15
(not including the 2 frozen pizzas)

This is a warning I think to me,
do not go food shopping again without a list!

I always go with a list normally. The one time I do not, look what happens?

I will be fat and skint! ha ha ha!

So April Food spend - £33.64
Left to spend - £46.36 with 3 weeks to go.

No doubt in my mind Lidl is cheaper, but I cannot do a full shop there and like most places they do not cater for the single person.

So I am continuing to flutter between the market, Tescos, Lidl, Aldi and Morrisons.

Frugally yours
Abigail
x