Where do you all do your food shopping

[lovemykiddies]

Hi all as a family of six I'm always looking at bargains to try and cut my food bill down. I'm just going through the process of becoming a childminder so I know my food bill is going to get higher. My questions are where do you buy your food shopping from??? Do you buy family food and childminding food separate?? X

[mpullen17387]

I'm also looking at where is cheaper, so will watch this thread xx

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I do all my shopping together as we all eat the same, family or childminded. I do online shopping to keep my bill down as I don't picl up the "extras" as I walk around but I do get additional brad and milk if needed from morrisons during the week.

My advise is sort out a menu for the week and order what you need and not what you want. Works a treat! I used to feed 14 mindees and 4 family members on £120 - £140 a week for everything, including toiletries

[lovemykiddies]

Woooowwww I spend that on just my family of 6 I'm going wrong somewhere aren't i. plus i do get 10% off because I work at Asda so I think home shopping is the way forward lol x

[bindy]

I do a weekly menu, saves money ( for me anyway) I always like to buy organic mince meat and sausages and British chicken. I go M and S, for meat, veg, and fruit. Tins, bread, cleaning stuff any where that has offers! I have tried buying meat from other supermarkets but £10 for 3 pieces of meat at Marks is such a good offer. I try and make good quality meals and would never give mindee children cheaper food. What I do, is make sure I don't over full their plate and then get up set if they don't eat it all. I would much rather give a little and give more if they wanted.

[shortstuff]

I shop at asda as i found moving from tesco to there saved me about 40-50 per week.i now spend about 60 per week x

[kellib]

I flit between Asda and morrisons for main shopping, it's only me and my 8 year old here plus whatever I buy for mindees.

I can spend as little as £20 a week but can also spend up to £60 if I'm feeling flush lol.

[Koala]

Aldi - good honest prices constantly - No buy one (at a high price) and get one free which you don't really want or need, just consistently low prices.
Not a massive range and that takes a bit of getting used to but once you really ask yourself - Do I need 100 types of biscuits, 20 types of butter or can I manage with what they have you can save a fortune and I mean a fortune and their nappies are cheep £4.99 for 48 and great.

[tulip0803]

I sometimes ASDA shop on-line.

Otherwise DH mainly does the shopping! FarmFoods is our fav at the moment but you need a big freezer. Lidl's and Morrisons are visited regularly. We only go to Tesco for cat litter as I find it too expensive for other stuff but the cat litter is good. It is 14 miles to the nearest supermarket and as DH works in the town we send him shopping

Agree with working out a menu in advance as you know what to buy.

[VeggieSausage]

I buy fruit and veg from Riverford and then do a once a month from Asda - I feed a family of 5 (4 adults) and 11 mindees for under £100 a week easily.....I don't buy meet though which is cheaper but we do eat organic....

[clareelizabeth1]

I buy fruit and veg from river ford. Or local farmers. I get all my meat from a friend who owns a small farm. It does mean you eat meals depending on what went to slaughter that month but it also tastes better than anything I have bought from a shop.

I do rear my own pigs which saves loads but only if you eat all cuts if your fussy it ain't for you. And try to grow my own veg but I am rubbish at watering so some years I lose money on it.

[catlyn]

I shop at Tesco and follow a thread on martins money saving expert .com that lets us know when there are "glitches" in the system....then I get food for free or cheaper......this week its almost free pizzas....buy 2 large pizzas 2 side dishes and pay £6...get a voucher back for £5......= almost free pizzas!! You have to buy at least 8 more comparable items to get the price promise voucher but I buy 10p sweets or 15p batter mixes...

[cathtee]

I shop at Aldi or Lidl and just once a month I do an Asda shop on line because I like their washing powder and some of their own brand
products, so it's about 80 -100 3 weeks a month then 100 -120 for the asda shop, and i shop for family and mindees all in one.

[mpullen17387]

I shop at Tesco and follow a thread on martins money saving expert .com that lets us know when there are "glitches" in the system....then I get food for free or cheaper......this week its almost free pizzas....buy 2 large pizzas 2 side dishes and pay £6...get a voucher back for £5......= almost free pizzas!! You have to buy at least 8 more comparable items to get the price promise voucher but I buy 10p sweets or 15p batter mixes...

Wow really?? Going to have to fine this xxx

[caz3007]

Catlyn, could you send us a link to the thread please, as I cant find it on MSE

[Nicola Carlyle]

I shop online at Asda. I spend between £60 and £80 per week and that feeds my family of 14 and 18 mindees every week. (I do not feed mindees evening meals). It's much easier to budget online and you can see exactly what you have rather than being phased with the "oh I might need that" etc then getting a shock at the checkout. Asda is by far cheaper than tescos and moving saved me approx £30 per week.

[charlottenash]

Your family of 14?!?

[Nicola Carlyle]

Whoops - family of 4! ☺

[charlottenash]

I was going to say you must be a miracle worker to feed that many on that much lol!

[Kiddleywinks]

Planning, lists, and online shopping for me!

Plan meals a week ahead
Make a list of the things I need to buy (You forget what you have already in the freezer and cupboards)
Then online shop so I don't pick up stuff I don't actually need
Bread and milk from the local co-op, and any extras in the week

I live my life through lists - and even mindees tell me to 'put it on the list'