Sticking to a budget

Yes I echo Monica and Floradora, I spend far less than that, in the main it's the two of us, but even with family visits fairly frequently and factoring in expensive gluten free products for gd. I'd never get to nearly £800, my groceries tend to be split between Sainsburys and Waitrose, occasionally Marks. We're still waiting for our under construction Aldi to open, I'll give that a go once it does.

Now that I am on my own, I just shop in Aldi usually, as it is just across the road, two minutes’ walk. I never buy more than I can carry in two bags. What used to cost around £7 is nearer £10. I do two small shops a week. Sometimes I spend around £25 a time if I include a bottle of wine or need to stock up on washing products or find a bargain in the middle aisle. I buy a pack of meat or fish : eat one, freeze one uncooked, cook several in the slow cooker and freeze in single portions.
I don’t really need to worry about the cost but I have always been careful with money. When DH was alive we had a delivery of good quality meat from the independent butcher. I cooked a roast every Sunday, then froze slices in gravy, a joint was enough for four meals for two people, so good value. I miss that, but my son often brings me a plated up Sunday dinner.
We used to have a supermarket delivery once a fortnight but after DH died it took me months to use up some of the store cupboard stuff we had accumulated!

I agree it is shocking how much things are these days. We seldom go out to eat. It was our wedding anniversary last week and we went to Miller and Carter for a meal, last year the bill was just over £50 and this year it was £73 for a main and a dessert, we didn’t have wine just soft drinks as it was £8 for a glass of wine. Our son had given us a £50 voucher for Christmas so it wasn’t too painful. We are also shocked at how expensive trades are these days, DH used to do everything but just can’t now, last year we had to have a new fence and had ridiculous quotes until we managed to get it done for just under £2000, we also had a new front door which was £1000. We are now bracing ourselves to get the bedrooms decorated, DH is saying he will have a go but realistically he just isn’t up to it now as he has T2 diabetes and AF. Food shopping is the least of our worries as both of us have reduced appetites and only have two meals a day and one of them is very light such as porridge with fruit, we get a big bag of oats from Aldi and make it with water, or a sandwich, we have even stopped the Sunday roast as neither of us can eat a big meal now. We also buy tinned fruit in fruit juice now as fresh fruit is so expensive. We used to spend a lot of time in America and eating out and petrol used to be really cheap but my friend in Minnesota tells me it is the same over there, everything has shot up in price.

I join you Floradadora9 I am amazed at paddyanne's expenditure. Usually I say nothing much about our expenditure because we are among the higher incomed pensioners, so do not feel the income pressures that so many others feel, but my expenidture on food each month is less than half *paddyannes and it is still less than half her quoted figure after I include meat and fish. For environmental and climate change reasons, our meat is all from Pasture for Life producers, so it is expensive. i shop in the local market and Waitrose. I am not criticising or disapproving. It is just given, I have few if any constraints on how much I spend and spend so much less I wonder what she lives on? caviar, hand massaged beef and hot house fruits?

paddyann54 I am astounded by the amount you spend on groceries . We eat well and include wine now and again but do not spend anything like as much as you are quoting . I cannot imagine what you are buying would you like to give us an idea .
By the way someone mentioned private pensions. I took out one before my mean employer decided to include part time workers in their scheme . When I retired I opted to take some of my pp as a lump sum though I had no plans for it . This was a mistake I wish I had just taken the greater amount than I get in monthly pension.

If i bought a chicken for roasting, afterwards I would dismember it, freeze the cooked meat in two person size packs. then make stock from the carcase and freeze that. rather than have chicken in different recipes over consecutive days. Neither way is better or worse than the other, but just thought I would offer the alternative.

So, the tinned, dried and canned goods need to be counted in with a budget, as they have to be replaced.

Sago

I think shopping every day is more expensive.
A good weekly meal plan means no waste.

We had a butchers chicken on Tuesday as a traditional roast.
This made a chicken, chorizo and butter bean stew last night.
Tonight is a chicken and lentil curry with spinach and as we speak I have celery soup in the making, I made chicken stock as Lidl were doing beautiful bunches of celery for 69p, two bunches will make plenty of soup.
Tomorrow we will have soup and left over cheese for supper with the bread I made today.
The chicken was £8.50.
I keep plenty of dry and tinned/ ingredients so I don’t have to nip out and spend any more than I have to.
Processed food is not necessary.
I buy double cream whenever it’s reduced or on offer and make butter to freeze.
Lidl often do XXL gammon/pork/beef joints I buy these and cut them in half or thirds and freeze.
Your freezer is your friend when meal planning.
I do prefer to use the butcher but sometimes the deals are too good to refuse.

I love your dishes Sago!
I try to cook well on a budget but have never heard of making butter from double cream as a budgeting trick. I can't see how that would work? A block of butter is - what- £1.89 at Aldi. How much cream at what price would you need to save money? I have only shaken milk in a jar to produce a little but of butter for fun, with children.
Please share your knowhow!

I’m retiring in eighteen months and now starting to realise I will have to cut back. Sad that we’ve worked all our lives and will have to be careful in retirement. Wish I’d done a private pension earlier. But I want time with my husband and if we have to tighten our belts we will.

grace56580

Thank you all for your messages, we have decided to get cash out, make menus. Were very lucky live near to Supermarkets and we shop daily. Today I went into Iceland and Farmfoods to be honest there is not much in it comparing it with Aldi/Lidl. MOH has been looking at Jamie Oliver's meals for a £1 ! I dont like the thought of living on processed food so maybe this is the way ahead, I like cooking so up for the challenge.

I think that the idea of limiting your spending by using cash is excellent, it removed temptatation!

I agree with others that what we expected to be a pretty comfortable retirement is more expensive than we expected with the food and utility price rises.
We used to live near a Lidl but since moving we can't get to one easily. When we did the bulk of our fruit and veg shopping there it was significantly cheaper than other stores. The pork chops and beef joints were really good too, and also some of the wine.
Word is that we're going to have a new Lidl or Alsi very locally and we're all getting pretty excited, not least my husband who loves the "middle aisle"

I meant £600 for the 10% deposit !!

annsixty

And I am old enough to remember people putting 10 shilling’s worth of petrol in their car. (50p for youngsters)

In 1966 I bought 4 gallons of petrol for £1 1s 6d about £1.07p. I was earning about £20 a week and road tax was a standard £12.10s a year, spark plugs were 4 for £1. We must have been better off because I saved £600 and bought my home in 1972 after getting married in 1971.

paddyann54

I have always kept household accounts ,I can tell you that in May 2020 my grocery bill for a month( not counting meat and fish) was £340.18 ,in May 2022 it had risen to £580.96 and last May it was £779.95 .
This doesn't cover my butcher or fishmonger or catfood and litter etc .Nor does it account for the missing things from the supermarket shelves.There are just 2 of us here most days although I usually have one of my kids and family for dinner once a week .
I shop at Morrisons mainly and dont buy processed or ready made food.I dont know how young families with children can cope withese rises in price

Gosh that's interesting to see the increases. I don't keep records, although I have good intentions. We are a bit random with our shopping, usually a combination of Aldi for groceries, M&S for some fresh stuff (their eggs, butter cheese are a fair price), and then the local Coop for veg. Although the Coop is more expensive, I think that by shopping as we need veg, we waste less. I have never been a menu planner, but am always aware of what is in the fridge, what needs to be eaten within the next day or so.

Batch cooking is your friend here .
You can also eke out meat ( if you eat it ) by adding cheaper things like lentils or grated carrot to many dishes such as cottage / shepherds pie , chilli con carne , spaghetti bol etc.

I have always kept household accounts ,I can tell you that in May 2020 my grocery bill for a month( not counting meat and fish) was £340.18 ,in May 2022 it had risen to £580.96 and last May it was £779.95 .
This doesn't cover my butcher or fishmonger or catfood and litter etc .Nor does it account for the missing things from the supermarket shelves.There are just 2 of us here most days although I usually have one of my kids and family for dinner once a week .
I shop at Morrisons mainly and dont buy processed or ready made food.I dont know how young families with children can cope withese rises in price

Thats how the toogood app works.
Shops and restaurants sell off goody bags for reasonable prices.

Very worthwhile, if you happen to live near one of them.

DH read out that Greggs were doing end of day leftover bags for £2.something If you are near one and like their stuff it might be a fun surprise takeaway . I’ve never tried them although I live in the northeast but I limit my shopping as much as I can.

Living alone, I don’t really budget as such although I do shop around for bargains, special offers and reduced items. I have a very small and rather ‘dainty’ appetite these days and have to tempt myself to eat as I’m rarely very hungry. So there are certain items that could be considered expensive that I buy, for example good jam, yoghurt, bread, coffee etc. I rarely eat meat because I don’t often fancy it and even then it’s chicken, so I save money there. Sometimes I think I spend too much but then I look over my spreadsheet and realise that with little meat, no alcohol (don’t drink) and no takeaways, it’s actually not too bad! I see the challenges faced by those with families (my daughter and her husband have four children) and I realise how fortunate I am.

I shop at different supermarkets to take advantage of different offers. Loyalty cards save quite a bit at Sainsbury's and Tesco. I often shop late in the day to look for yellow stickered items and I go to Iceland on a Tuesday ever few weeks and stock up with what is cheaper there. I do find some of their fresh produce is mory expensive though and so it is important to compare carefully.
I occasionally get things via the Olio app which is where volunteers collect yellow stickered items from the supermarkets at the end of the day and post them on the app. They are given away free but you have to collect at a time to suit the volunteer.

We mainly only eat reduced food. We have the staples that are usual price but if something is reduced it’s soon in the freezer. We shop in Lidl, Iceland, Aldi, Tesco and occasionally Waitrose. The Co-op is great too. Almost Never Sainsbury’s
We just shop around. If there’s a free car park I’m happy.
I never use the self serve checkout and puts me off our local Sainsbury’s.
Sadly our local independent shop is too expensive.
We have fresh veg from the local allotment- so only cost’s commitment.
It’s not easy living on a pension.

Grace
Where did you live before that was cheaper than UK everywhere I’ve been seems more expensive with VAT on food.

We don’t especially need to save cash on food but we always take advantage of discounts and offers, in addition we have a few productive fruit trees and small veg garden to stock the freezer. We eat well for not very much.

I live on my own, so I don’t budget too much. The only two fruits I like are Mango and Banana. And satsumas, ofcourse. £1 a mango is the norm. The sweetest mango is the Alphonso Mango. Unfortunately, it’s not available in Tesco or Asda. I have to drive 40 mins to an Asian store, so it’s not often.

Yes, I've used it 🙂

Anyone use the Toogoodtogo app ?