Surely meat and fish must be the most expensive foods to buy?

Many friends say that their main outgoing  is meat/fish. I can get that cheaper by looking for reduced items at the right times, using cheaper cuts, looking for good offers or using vouchers. Also we don't eat meat or fish everyday. We might have omelettes for tea, or a dish made with beans such as kidney beans or chick peas. 

Meat can be stretched. A roast chicken is cheaper than buying breast. We can make a chicken do three main meals and the bones make beautiful stock if you've time. Mince can be bulked out with veg, tomatoes and pulses such as lentils. Personally my favourite in mince are green lentils, but also red lentils. I've heard of grated carrots and porridge oats being used. Sausages can be chopped into a casserole so you need less, this is true of any meat or fish really. By bulking out with veg/pulses less meat is needed

Our biggest food outgoing is.....

I've been asked many times recently about what is our biggest food expenditure? 

Well for us it's fresh fruit and vegetables. I snack on lots of fruit and try and incorporate at least '5 a day' into meals for the three of us. We're extremely lucky that bubba enjoys his fruit and veg (with the exception of broccoli). We could spend up to £15-£20 or more a week, before our budget was bought into line. 

Now I try not to spend more than £10 a week. It's hard, whilst I'm at home I try and portion fruit out or I might eat the whole bowl! 

So how do I do it? 

* I look at the 'whoopsies' section first to see if there's anything there on my list/or could substitute something on the list. 

* markets are generally cheaper, especially towards the end of the day. 

* look for offers before shopping

* when meal planning I might write 'two veg' so that I can be flexible to what is available. 

* attempt to eat local/products that are in season. Sometimes tricky as so many things are available all year round now. 

* frozen or tinned veg are a great alternative to fresh ones. Often work out cheaper and obviously don't spoil if plans change last minute. 

* when buying reduced items, more with vegetables I prepare them (occasionally steam slightly) and portion them up and freeze for convenience. 

* we eat a lot of what i call 'staple veg' which are the 'cheaper' veg such a carrots. I can buy 1kilo for 69p, others such as swede often are good value. 

Sorry I've been a bit AWOL

There have been a few family problems going on so I've got to be honest budgets, eating, shopping etc have been one BIG muddle!

I'm positive that things seem to be be settling down. I'm hoping my plans for the week should stay the same, where I'm going, where I'm eating and who'll be eating at my house! Later on today, at a more sociable hour, I will do my meal planner and shopping list. 

For the next couple of months until my return to work we'll be trying to live off the stockpile of tins and frozen food I've been stashing away over the last year. Until I return to work in August pennies will be tight so this is the time we've been waiting for.....fingers crossed :-)