What's your weekly grocery spend?

Cavey · 26-06-2017 11:25pm

Went to Lidl earlier today, Shopping for one male adult. Budget Ketogenic diet.

Total spend about 15 euro. Should last about a week.

1. 1 x 125g 81% bar of dark chocolate, e1.79. 2 squares per day so should do for next 5 days.

2. Cheese. 1 x 400g block of mature cheddar, e2.19. I eat a lot of cheese but this will do about 5 days too.

3. Cheese. 1 x 350g sliced Emmanuel @ e1.79. For throwing on top burgers, bout 6 days.

3. Smokey streaky bacon, 1 x 250g packs at e1.49 each. Get about 5 days.

4. Organic Eggs - 1 x 6pack at e1.99 each. Should last 3 days.

5. Broccoli - 500g for .99c. 4 or 5 days.

6. Beef Mince 20% fat. 900g for e3.59. Made 5 burgers so dinner for 5 days.

Few other bits still here from previous shop so should see the week out.

kyeev · 04-07-2017 1:18pm

We spend about 120 a week (80% Aldi) for 2 adults and 2 growing kids. That includes wine (Aldi) and milk/bread topups during the week. We waste very little, hardly ever throw anything out, so I'm happy enough with that.

aflossj · 06-07-2017 5:04pm

5 students. €50-60 p/w.

Take turns shopping, paying.

Use the Lidl/Aldi East Wall as they're across from eachother and have plenty of bike locking posts.

Use a deliveroo bag and a camping backpack. Always bring along someone as a cargo donkey.

Mostly stick to Veg & Fruit 39c/69c special offers (Super 6 etc.)

Also Meat Super 6 is a great addition.

Bacon offcuts ~€1.79 900g - Great for breakfast, snacks even boiling trad style.

20 Large Eggs, 1kg Rice + Pasta. Spices every now and then.

All thinking of giving up meat next semester just to save money and sample the health benefits. Should drive down the price even further.

Edit: This includes cleaning materials, bin liners etc.

Toilet paper, take the odd roll from college if it's lying about.

Also Dealz for toiletries.

If we spend less than the €60, which we usually do, the change goes into a kitty for milk.

Would love to hear other student group's methods.

draiochtanois · 06-07-2017 5:14pm

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Jellybaby1 · 11-07-2017 9:39pm

aflossj wrote: »

5 students. €50-60 p/w.

Take turns shopping, paying.

Use the Lidl/Aldi East Wall as they're across from eachother and have plenty of bike locking posts.

Use a deliveroo bag and a camping backpack. Always bring along someone as a cargo donkey.

Mostly stick to Veg & Fruit 39c/69c special offers (Super 6 etc.)

Also Meat Super 6 is a great addition.

Bacon offcuts ~€1.79 900g - Great for breakfast, snacks even boiling trad style.

20 Large Eggs, 1kg Rice + Pasta. Spices every now and then.

All thinking of giving up meat next semester just to save money and sample the health benefits. Should drive down the price even further.

Edit: This includes cleaning materials, bin liners etc.

Toilet paper, take the odd roll from college if it's lying about.

Also Dealz for toiletries.

If we spend less than the €60, which we usually do, the change goes into a kitty for milk.

Would love to hear other student group's methods.

Quite an impressive system. Many mams and dads must be taking notes! However, giving up meat is a great saving, but you still need iron, so get that from something else. You need to be healthy for all those exams! Free advice from an Irish mammy.

aflossj · 12-07-2017 9:01am

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Quite an impressive system. Many mams and dads must be taking notes! However, giving up meat is a great saving, but you still need iron, so get that from something else. You need to be healthy for all those exams! Free advice from an Irish mammy.

Thanks. Have been experimenting over the summer with some readily (and cheaply) available iron sources like lentils, spinach, brown rice, pumpkin and oatmeal. All quite cheap and easy to prepare.

Taking Food Science in college using my housemates as guinea pigs for these diets, possibly write a research project on it.

Jellybaby1 · 12-07-2017 8:37pm

aflossj wrote: »

Thanks. Have been experimenting over the summer with some readily (and cheaply) available iron sources like lentils, spinach, brown rice, pumpkin and oatmeal. All quite cheap and easy to prepare.

Taking Food Science in college using my housemates as guinea pigs for these diets, possibly write a research project on it.

Ah, clarity is a great thing! Well done on the budget.

draiochtanois · 13-07-2017 10:14am

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Jellybaby1 · 13-07-2017 10:59am

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Anyone think that might be possible in Ireland today? I'd be eager to give it a go except for certain problems I would have (a) needing coeliac-friendly food, and (b) my family are quite attached to certain brands, both of which counteract my wonderful frugal plans.

draiochtanois · 13-07-2017 11:12am

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aflossj · 13-07-2017 11:18am

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Big fan of articles and guides such as that. Also a big fan of Elon Musk.

I actually think that €54 ($62) would go a lot further on one person per month here with the likes of Lidl/Aldi and Moore/Meath St. The Oriental supermarkets are great too for buying bulk, especially rice and spices.

Raw supplies are much cheaper here in Europe compared to the US which is quite a privilege in this day and age of processed foods.

Can't speak for coeliacs or a full family for that matter but I've learnt most of this frugal shopping from my Mom who feeds a family of 4 on ~€50 a week. We never buy brands unless their price per weight undercuts off-brands. I do know that Lidl has a good selection of gluten free items though.

draiochtanois · 13-07-2017 11:20am

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aflossj · 13-07-2017 11:32am

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Yes, she sticks to a strict budget and buys these only from places like northern import stores and only the larger bottles/packs. Also, when using she measures out the amount needed to the milliliter, milligram to achieve the promised washes per pack. Toiletries from Lidl/Dealz.

We also get a lot of our meat in bulk through our food business and freeze a lot of food that is bought near the use-by date.

Mom is German btw

aflossj · 13-07-2017 11:39am

Also, on days like Christmas eve, Easter Saturday, days where big stores overstock but are closed for a day, they sell off a lot of meat at reduced prices.

I remember coming home last year on Christmas Eve and the table was a mountain of meat, which we're just about finished.

We have a running total of four low-powered freezers.

Jellybaby1 · 14-07-2017 12:09am

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Off the top of my head just now, (1) Weetabix, the gang here tried the cheaper alternatives but still came back to it, (2) Brennan's Bread, again the cheaper alternatives have been rejected, and (3) Lyons Tea, we found some of the cheaper brands are very weak and we didn't like the flavour.

14-07-2017 9:09am

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Off the top of my head just now, (1) Weetabix, the gang here tried the cheaper alternatives but still came back to it, (2) Brennan's Bread, again the cheaper alternatives have been rejected, and (3) Lyons Tea, we found some of the cheaper brands are very weak and we didn't like the flavour.

Did you try the tea from Aldi? We find it nicer than Lyons and big saving. Might not be to everyone's taste though.

mailburner · 14-07-2017 9:54am

Deleted User wrote: »

Did you try the tea from Aldi? We find it nicer than Lyons and big saving. Might not be to everyone's taste though.

if it's mc graths reserve blend then I agree
I had it somebody elses house and that was enough for me, much nicer than lyons

Jellybaby1 · 14-07-2017 12:31pm

Will give McGrath's a go so. I'll try anything to reduce the spend.

14-07-2017 12:35pm

Yes mcgraths it's really lovely. Also saw on supershoppers the last day that Aldi's washing up liquid is better than fairy - we would have also bought fairy liquid thinking it would last longer but apparently magnum (in the grey bottle) is better and much cheaper.

Hollister11 · 14-07-2017 4:44pm

I can't eat some of the own brand products anymore. My mum still buys them, but I can't eat them there horrible imo.

I need Brennans bread. Lidl/Aldi alternative is grand, but you can't compete the two.

Its the same with teabags and milk. I need Lyons and Avonmore. The alternative are so much worse.

clairek6 · 14-07-2017 5:04pm

Hollister11 wrote: »

I can't eat some of the own brand products anymore. My mum still buys them, but I can't eat them there horrible imo.

I need Brennans bread. Lidl/Aldi alternative is grand, but you can't compete the two.

Its the same with teabags and milk. I need Lyons and Avonmore. The alternative are so much worse.

You do realise the 'alternatives' are the exact same most of the time just in different packaging?

14-07-2017 6:43pm

Hollister11 wrote: »

I can't eat some of the own brand products anymore. My mum still buys them, but I can't eat them there horrible imo.

I need Brennans bread. Lidl/Aldi alternative is grand, but you can't compete the two.

Its the same with teabags and milk. I need Lyons and Avonmore. The alternative are so much worse.

How are the bread and milk different?! Do avonmore have premium cows or something!

Water John · 14-07-2017 6:59pm

Milk and butter are def, the same. Own brand milk comes from the same processors. Generally, Aurivo, Donegal, Arrabawn, Glanbia, Strathroy. all these milks are homogenised. The only taste diff would be if you can get a milk that is not homogenised, ie fat not broken into small globules and dispersed through the milk.
Butter price diff can be 50% dearer, just for the brand.

Hollister11 · 14-07-2017 9:12pm

Avonmore taste creamier than lidl own brand.
The bread smells fresher and taste nicer.

I know this forum is for frugal spenders who believe it's the same, but it'd not. There's a clear difference.

14-07-2017 9:15pm

Hollister11 wrote: »

Avonmore taste creamier than lidl own brand.
The bread smells fresher and taste nicer.

I know this forum is for frugal spenders who believe it's the same, but it'd not. There's a clear difference.

We will agree to disagree! When you are buying your own rather than your mum doing the shopping you many be less picky (I was fussy when I lived at home too now I'm more objective).

clairek6 · 14-07-2017 9:16pm

Hollister11 wrote: »

Avonmore taste creamier than lidl own brand.
The bread smells fresher and taste nicer.

I know this forum is for frugal spenders who believe it's the same, but it'd not. There's a clear difference.

Aldi milk is arrabawn milk, I'm not sure who supplies Lidl but it's definitely a well known brand under a different label.

Water John · 14-07-2017 9:39pm

Lidl used to be Strathroy, not sure if its Aurivo ATM. There often would be two suppliers. This is the standard practice of Aldi, any way.

gizmo81 · 14-07-2017 9:43pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes mcgraths it's really lovely. Also saw on supershoppers the last day that Aldi's washing up liquid is better than fairy - we would have also bought fairy liquid thinking it would last longer but apparently magnum (in the grey bottle) is better and much cheaper.

No Lidl's Fallon's Tea all the way.

Quackster · 16-07-2017 12:36pm

Hollister11 wrote: »

Avonmore taste creamier than lidl own brand.
The bread smells fresher and taste nicer.

I know this forum is for frugal spenders who believe it's the same, but it'd not. There's a clear difference.

Absolute nonsense as to there being any difference in taste between Avonmore milk and the supermarket brands. All full-fat milk has about 3.5% fat and so has the same creaminess. The only possible taste difference is between milk from plastic cartons and from tetrapak.

Same with butter. Producers often wrap the exact same butter in three different wrappers; their own, Kerrygold and whatever supermarket(s) they're supplying. Zero difference!

As for Brennan's, it's the same mediocre muck as any other mass-produced 'bread'!

L1011 · 19-07-2017 8:17pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Off the top of my head just now, (1) Weetabix, the gang here tried the cheaper alternatives but still came back to it, (2) Brennan's Bread, again the cheaper alternatives have been rejected, and (3) Lyons Tea, we found some of the cheaper brands are very weak and we didn't like the flavour.

Most of the own-brand versions of Weetabix are made by Weetabix - look at the factory address on the Marshalls one for instance. Internal packaging is also identical, batch codes the same format etc.

However I think this is one of the cases where they do use different recipes as we found that one of the German's versions was even better at turning in to ceramic cement if left dry...

The remaining products I buy branded are:
1: Milk - I've a milkman and anyway I have a severe, logical hatred of plastic milk cartons. Tetrapaks were invented for insulative and UV blocking properties, a thin plastic carton has neither.
2: Heinz ketchup and beans, I prefer the taste. I know Heinz ketchup is probably the worst on the market in terms of ingredients etc these days but I've tried others and don't like them.
3: Nearly all toiletries as I've found issues with the own-brands on most stuff. Some are dirt cheap if you only buy on sale. Going to reconsider shampoo and razor blades though as those have mostly stopped ever being on offer. I use own-brand hand soap, toilet roll etc though.

Other than that it's a few random brands of biscuits and stuff that aren't even common purchases. Fruit and veg from a greengrocer; meat from a butcher so all inherently unbranded anyway.

What's your weekly grocery spend?

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