How big is yours? Can you cut it?

0ph0rce0

ted1 wrote: »

Your an idiot, food is often better in Aldi.

No no I just know crap when I see it, its not better in Aldi, Its ****e

Whispered

Deleted User wrote: »

Indeed but I do not mention these things in the expectation anyone and everyone can emulate them. I merely mention them as a way to show how far and wide the possibilities go with the application of some imagination and effort.

As for balconies do not underestimate the power of window boxes. Not everything has to be grown out doors. Some of the herbs I grow are indoors and I particularly like targetting ones that give off a good odour. So not only do I get herbs for free - I do not need to invest in commercial air freshners either.

Some people even rent mini gardens and plots for growing such things. That of course reduces the money saved but you still tend to save some. But to go that route I think it needs to be more than just a cost saving measure but something of a hobby too. I personally find tending to the herbs and veg to be massively relaxing and good for my health. The veg simply tastes better too.

The point anyway to repeat it is not to take my post as me suggesting things to copy but as me suggesting that there are ways available to all of us if we explore them for acheiving better and healthier food at lower prices. Quite often simply ways that people simply never considered before.

Is it a lot of work? Do you really have to know what you're doing?

I had some chives, chillies basil and rocket growing in window boxes, everything is now dead, apart from a tiny chilli plant with no leaves and one yellow chilli. Not sure where I went wrong. AND I never know where to take the leaves from, when to cut them back etc.

hardCopy

xzanti wrote: »

I haven't really tried Lidl tbh.. I may try them for a change some week.. I've heard Aldi food is generally nicer though.

Lidl is closer to me but I still go to Aldi as I find a lot of the stuff is just nicer

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

No no I just know crap when I see it, its not better in Aldi, Its ****e

I'd have to strongly disagree.

OP, if you stock up on basic non-perishables you can keep the weekly cost very low.

Once a month I'll pick up a few tins of mixed beans for 79c each, cartons of passata for 70c each. Pasta, rice, soy sauce will usually last me longer than a month. Aldi do a nice frozen veg mix of carrots, peas, green beans and sweet corn. Their 12-packs of Irish beef meatballs are nice as well, I usually freeze them and defrost as needed, this only takes about 20 minutes.

Head to the local discount butchers and get 10 chicken fillets for a tenner.

On a weekly shop I just buy perishable stuff like cheese, bread, Back Forest Smoked Ham (fantastic stuff), chorizo this covers my lunches and saves me going out for food every day. €25 or so is usually plenty.

0ph0rce0

I'v worked in factories where they do Own Brands and other Weird Brands for cheaper shops.

We'll say like Tayto make own brand crisps for many other stores as an example.

Everybody seems to think its exactly the same product just because its says its made by Tayto but in different packaging.


Trust me if you've worked in any food factory that makes the cheaper versions of food, its not the same, its doesn't have the same ingredients, its doesn't have the quality of the main brand, everything that goes into it is ****e, and that's from Meats to Cereals, From Tinned foods to Sweets, Its all the crap.

All that ****e about Irish produce and Irish Meat most of the time is bull too, It comes in from Asia and gets packaged with an Irish flag on it. They get caught out all the time doing it.

Its the reason why its cheap, because it is crap.

You can believe what you want but I've seen it first hand everyday and I tell you it may taste okay but it does nothing for your body.

I'll admit not all Branded stuff is great, and i'm not an Aldi or Lidl Snob I just know the truth.

So I stay well clear of ****e names Globenshtagen & Dreikendine, they aren't even names but you know what I mean.

Oh and youd be better off cleaning your house with piss than that W5 dross from lidl


If any of you seen the difference youd never buy ****e again

Whispered

Whispered wrote: »

Is it a lot of work? Do you really have to know what you're doing?

Not really. It is a progressive and iterative thing. You of course have baffling failures on occasion but mostly you learn which thing grows best where - what it needs - and how much. There are forums all over the net to advise you. I think even here on boards. Books too.

There is some trial and error and a little effort and dedication required, but it pays off in the long run. Both in terms of flavor, price and just sheer personal satisfaction.

Basil is a good example. It can be over wattered so that is one thing to learn. Also spotting when it will flower early and removing the flowers is a good thing to learn and practice. It makes the leaves grow better. Learning how much to take off and from where is also trial and error. You can under or over cull any herb.

So while I would not call it _easy_ exactly it does not take a _huge_ effort to over come the initial learning curves.

toexpress

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

You loyally buy gold blend, cif and flash? Eh why. Waste of 15 euro and then you complain?

'I only buy dear things, not better than cheaper alternatives, why is my bill large? '

Gold Blend is the coffee I like. I have tried others. I don't like them.

For cleaning products, again I have tried some of the others, they do not work as well. I am the first to admit I am a clean freak and value things like that. When you find a cream cleaner from W5 that doesn't leave a powdery residue I'll buy it!

Captain Chaos

cournioni wrote: »

Eh?! What's the difference? I buy Clonbawn and regularly drink Avonmore at my parents house and there is no difference. Milk is milk, and both brands are from Ireland so the likeliness is that cows eat, **** and drink in the same fields!

Milk is not milk. There are massive taste differences between them. Unless you are a smoker then you won't be able to tell them apart. Some milks are creamy compared to others and have very different tastes and textures. Also I find the more expensive brands last longer and some of the cheaper stuff goes off a day or 2 before it's best before date.

0ph0rce0

And no one has made a dick joke of the thread title yet??

For Shame After Hours, For Shame!!

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

A few simple things cut my bill down massively.

I try not to have meat with every meal. Normally 3 of my 7 main meals in the week are meat for example.

In fairness only having meat 3 out of 7 days is a massive sacrafice rather than a simple thing.

I have meat/fish with every lunch and every dinner, otherwise it isn't a meal.

bluewolf wrote: »

Never buy processed sauces or whatever (except el paso bbq spice that I haven't learned to make myself yet).

I don't see sauces as a massive expense, There is often a special offers for instance 2 jars of Dolmio for around 3 euro or so and that's 4 meals for me.

Rented Mule

BBDBB wrote: »

before you go shopping

1) check your cupboards/fridge for what you still have as base ingredients and start thinking about meals you can make
2) make a list of what you need
3) eat before you go. Dont shop when hungry or you wont stick to your list

All three are great advice especially #3.

About twenty years ago, I made the mistake of getting high with some friends before shopping. Let's just say that they didn't have a trolley big enough for the amount of items that I was buying.

coffee_cake

Carolina Limited Smorgasbord wrote: »

I don't see sauces as a massive expense, There is often a special offers for instance 2 jars of Dolmio for around 3 euro or so and that's 4 meals for me.

It's not just expense, it's better to be having stuff with only one or two ingredients in it! Less salt and sugar and so on

desertcircus

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Milk is not milk. There are massive taste differences between them. Unless you are a smoker then you won't be able to tell them apart. Some milks are creamy compared to others and have very different tastes and textures. Also I find the more expensive brands last longer and some of the cheaper stuff goes off a day or 2 before it's best before date.

I'm sorry, but I just don't buy this at all. If someone can point me in the direction of a double-blind taste test that indicates that there are identifiable and consistent taste differences, I'll stand corrected, but as it stands I don't see how taking milk from a cow, pasteurising it and sticking it in cartons can produce even marginal differences. It's interesting that you mention smoking, given that something like 98+% of smokers can't identify their favoured brand in a double-blind test.

Duddy

Donegal Creameries do the Lidl milk? I know where I'm going this afternoon

I find that if you look in your cupboards there's usually a half packet of curry sauce, a few potatoes and a long forgotten bag of uncle bens lying around: 3 in 1

But then, I am a messy student...

mariaalice

jessiejam wrote: »

I'm not a huge one to talk because i have difficulty keeping my shopping bills down too.

My brother on the other hand keeps a list on the inside of one of the cupboards and when something runs out in the house he adds it on to the list. Brings the list with him to the supermarket and sticks to it. He never doubles up on anything then.

I usually fill my cupboards with Dunnes and my fridge with Aldi. Works for me mostly unless I go to Dunnes hungry then i'm useless with sticking to the list!

2 adults, 2 kids and 2 dogs in our house and about €60 - €80 per week in Aldi, and maybe twice a month dunnes would cost me about €80 to fill the cupboards and washing powders, shampoos etc (I only buy if on special offer). So weekly about €100 - €120 Max. When I only went to Dunnes It was costing me €150 per week.

Thats not bad at all you have to be realistic, you are feeding 4 people plus two dogs.

whatsthetime

wyndham wrote: »

Who the fck drinks instant coffee granules nowadays anyway? It's not 1993. And at €8.50 a jar?

Lots of people do. I prefer the taste.

suicide_circus

plys wrote: »

Like I said, I use both, and in my opinion, Avonmore tastes better, AND lasts longer. Whether that means it's fresher than Clonbawn, or goes through a different pasteurisation process, I don't know. All I know is that I prefer Avonmore.

sorry, i'm gonna have to stop you there. I can just about get my head around your delusion that the two milks, which come from the same animals in the same country, taste different. However, your claim that one LASTS LONGER???? What does this even mean? If you have two 1L cartons of milk and you use them in the same way, how can one possibly last longer than the other? You're a marketers dream

kneemos

desertcircus wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I just don't buy this at all. If someone can point me in the direction of a double-blind taste test that indicates that there are identifiable and consistent taste differences, I'll stand corrected, but as it stands I don't see how taking milk from a cow, pasteurising it and sticking it in cartons can produce even marginal differences. It's interesting that you mention smoking, given that something like 98+% of smokers can't identify their favoured brand in a double-blind test.

If cows are grass fed or kept in houses it would affect the taste I'd imagine

ash23

kneemos wrote: »

If cows are grass fed or kept in houses it would affect the taste I'd imagine

It does but that's a seasonal thing as opposed to a brand thing.

looksee

You'd have to be buying a lot of pre-prepared stuff to spend that much for one. I mostly shop in Tesco, I look for offers and bargains, some of the best beef is the stuff in the reduced cabinet. I don't buy their market brand usually, but the Tesco finest is still often cheaper than some of the branded stuff, and reliably good. Fresh fish is a silly price.

Shopping in a butchers is usually better than supermarket, and a lot cheaper, but you have to hunt around for a butcher that suits you.

I went and had a look in Lidl last week, bought a few things but I couldn't see that they were noticeably cheaper than Tesco. Aldi is a bit of a distance away, I will go and check them out some weekend.

Agree about sauces - a box of Tesco passata or tin of chopped tomatoes, around .70 (dont get the passata with basil its nearly twice the price and a pack of dried basil will last for ages) add a pinch of salt, a half teaspoon of sugar, basil, a finely chopped onion softened in a drop of oil. Heat through. Sauce for pasta and enough for two days easily, less than a euro.

Vojera

About once a month I do my "big shop" in Aldi, which is toiletries, cleaning supplies and non-perishables, like pasta, rice, jars of kidney beans and the like.

Once a month I also go to the local butchers and buy all my meat for the month (usually just a load of chicken fillets and some mince), divide it out into portions and freeze it.

Then weekly I buy all my veg, dairy and anything I might take a notion of the odd time, like bread or ham.

I always like to know what is in the press so if I plan my meals for the week (e.g. stirfry on Monday, chilli con carne on Tuesday, etc. etc.) I know what to pick up and I'm not buying things I already have.

I do about 80% of my shopping in Aldi, and the rest is the butchers and Tesco. I only go to Tesco once a month for things I've found I tried in Aldi and didn't really like (e.g. deodorant) or things that Aldi doesn't have (certain herbs and spices, a wider selection of herbal tea, coffee pods for my Senseo).

Aldi do loads of Irish products (esp. dairy and meat) so you can still buy Irish if you want to.

My monthly shop varies, depending on what I need and what didn't get used the month before (could be €50 this month, €150 next month, but I reckon it's normally about €75 - that's the Aldi shop, the Tesco shop and the butchers together), but my weekly shop (for two people and veg for 14 guinea pigs) is normally no more than €40 (usually around €30).

It might seem scabby, but I often calculate things up on my phone as I'm going to get an idea of what I'm spending. That way I take more notice of things that might otherwise get thrown into the trolley without thinking (e.g. this week Aldi have Twinings hot chocolate, yummers!). I can still buy them - I'm not the shopping police for myself! -but when the total is read out at the end I don't get a fright and wonder how I spent so much.

toexpress

Superquinn used to have this great thing that you could scan all the items as you went and it gave you a running total of the cost of your shop which would be a bloody good idea here

Vojera

toexpress wrote: »

Superquinn used to have this great thing that you could scan all the items as you went and it gave you a running total of the cost of your shop which would be a bloody good idea here

Definitely. I always find I spend more on the shops where I don't monitor the running total than the ones where I do. Individually things might only be €1-2 but they really add up!

ash23

toexpress wrote: »

Superquinn used to have this great thing that you could scan all the items as you went and it gave you a running total of the cost of your shop which would be a bloody good idea here

Online shopping has a similar effect. A running total is really handy.

planetX

Lot of love here for Aldi - Every few months I try it out again, and hate it. Maybe it's just my local one, but I've found their fruit and veg are old, a lot of things I buy to try out I end up dumping because it's horrible. For me it's cheaper to look out for offers, save up tokens and buy in Dunnes or Tesco.

Larbre34

It sounds miserable scabby and boring, but I had to do the following, and it saved me 30-40% on groceries so well worth it.

1) Make a list of every supermarket item you consume, whether daily, weekly, occasionally, whatever

2) Examine the list critically, pick out the brands you know you won't change, ones you would consider changing, and ones where it doesn't matter what the brand is.

3) You probably know that you can get everything in Dunnes or Tesco, so visit Aldi or Lidl and make a list of what they have that you would accept, or at least test out.

4) Once you have your goods divided up between shops, try and plan to shop no more than twice a week, preferably taking in both shops in a single trip so your time and fuel aren't wasted

Less waste, more savings, more satisfaction. It may sound bleedin obvious and very anal but once you make a point of doing it you will be stunned at what youre saving. And that way, you and the dog both get the odd treat in Superquinn!

By the way, Dealz is awesome, saving of 60% on shaving gear, bog roll, dry goods, kitchen and cleaning supplies - and theyre the brands you know as well

toexpress

Larbre34 wrote: »

It sounds miserable scabby and boring, but I had to do the following, and it saved me 30-40% on groceries so well worth it.

1) Make a list of every supermarket item you consume, whether daily, weekly, occasionally, whatever

2) Examine the list critically, pick out the brands you know you won't change, ones you would consider changing, and ones where it doesn't matter what the brand is.

3) You probably know that you can get everything in Dunnes or Tesco, so visit Aldi or Lidl and make a list of what they have that you would accept, or at least test out.

4) Once you have your goods divided up between shops, try and plan to shop no more than twice a week, preferably taking in both shops in a single trip so your time and fuel aren't wasted

Less waste, more savings, more satisfaction. It may sound bleedin obvious and very anal but once you make a point of doing it you will be stunned at what youre saving. And that way, you and the dog both get the odd treat in Superquinn!

By the way, Dealz is awesome, saving of 60% on shaving gear, bog roll, dry goods, kitchen and cleaning supplies - and theyre the brands you know as well

Doesn't sound scabby at all sounds perfectly good to me.

I'll say this about things like toilet roll if you just buy whats on special offer in Dunnes/Tesco/Super Valu you can get premium roll for a good price. I have a sensitive posterior!!

This comes with a health warning though. I was buying top end bog roll for myself for next to nothing, my ass was never better cared for ... my drains were not so lucky came home from work one night had a nasty shock and had a nasty job to do was a huge big wad of what I suspect was bog roll ... quilted 100 ply stuff :-(

SusieBlue

If we're having a bad week money wise, my boyfriend and I spend about €25-€30 on food. On a good week, when we can afford to be more luxurious, we'd never spend more than about €50. We can't cut the bad weeks down any further, we barely survive on what we buy those weeks.

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

It's not just expense, it's better to be having stuff with only one or two ingredients in it! Less salt and sugar and so on

looksee wrote: »

Agree about sauces - a box of Tesco passata or tin of chopped tomatoes, around .70 (dont get the passata with basil its nearly twice the price and a pack of dried basil will last for ages) add a pinch of salt, a half teaspoon of sugar, basil, a finely chopped onion softened in a drop of oil. Heat through. Sauce for pasta and enough for two days easily, less than a euro.

To be honest I'm not the biggest fan of home made pasta sauces, I've done them a few times and find them too bland and watery. I do like the sauces made by my Italian friends but if it came down to it I'd still chose Dolmio extra spicy bolognese sauce, its lovely stuff.

Back on the topic of how people are reducing their bills, some people are going to a lot of effort, driving to different shops and keeping running totals. Personally I hate shopping and I'm not too bothered about spending 50 to 70 euro per week for myself with only the effort of going to one shop on a monday night and getting what I need, yes I keep an eye on offers and pick things but in general I buy what I need/want.

One thing I would do is buy meat in much more bulk especially as there is usually different meats on offer every week and I go through a fair bit of it but where I'm renting at the moment has a tiny freezer between 4 and its a struggle to fit in a few days stuff never mind a few weeks worth of bulky things like meat and fish.

Hogzy

I usually buy the cheapest milk I can get my hands on. I do agree there is a taste difference but not to the extent that justifies paying so much more.

Besides, I bet 90% of milk consumed in this country is mixed with something else (tea/coffee, cereal etc) which means the taste difference goes out the door.

snubbleste

I'm still waiting for a copy of your receipt OP