I’ve already started thinking about money saving in 2013 and number one on my list is grocery spending. The cost of basic grocery items keeps going up - our regular bread I noticed yesterday – and it will pay in the long run to stay on top of everything.
I’m trying to work out the cost of our regular meals (as I make them now) using my price book
Yesterday morning made a chili and cooked 7 chicken breasts (in the same oven) for the freezer. I left 4 plain to use in curry’s, and spiced 3 to make fajitas and burritos.
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| (before and after) |
One pot of chili makes (for us) 2 meals (chili and rice x 2) or 3 meals (chili and rice + 1/Chili on nachos x 2)
Cost to make chili:
£3.33 500g Organic Steak Minced Beef
£0.15 Onion
£0.26 400g Tin Tomatoes
£0.31 400g Tin Baked Beans
£0.25 Chili Mix
£4.30 Total
Cost to make meals…..
Simple Nachos
£0.97 Nachips
£0.60 Sour cream
£0.34 Salsa
£1.08 Chili
£2.99 Total
Chili & Rice
£2.15 Chili
£0.33 Rice
£2.48 Total
Chicken Curry*
£2.00 Chicken Breast (x2)
£0.25 1/4 jar Curry Paste
£0.26 Tin Tomatoes
£0.30 Onions x 2
£0.33 Rice
£0.50 Yogurt
£0.50 Naan (x2)
£4.14 Total
* I also throw in any fresh tomatoes, peppers I have to use up
Fajitas
£2.00 Chicken Breast (x2)
£1.05 Peppers
£0.30 Onions
£0.15 Spice ?
£0.34 Salsa
£0.20 Fresh Tomato
£0.50 Grated Cheese
£1.05 Sour Cream
£0.63 Tortilla Wraps (x5)
£6.22 Total
Burritos
£1.00 Chicken Breast (x1)
£0.50 Peppers
£0.30 Onions
£0.15 Spice
£0.34 Salsa
£0.20 Fresh Tomato
£0.25 Cheese
£0.25 Rice
£0.60 Sour Cream
£0.38 Tortilla Wraps (x3)
£3.97 Total
Wow fajitas needs to be a treat meal, or I need to make sure I get yellow stickered peppers all the time!
Agree the grocery costs are skyrocketing. Some suggestions:
-get yourself a bread maker or make bread the old fashioned way for pennies by comparison to what stores charge. I have learned to make rolls, hot cross buns, pizza dough as well.
-make your own taco/chilli seasoning mix and store in a jar. Besides avoiding/reducing salt, you can skip some of the quesionable ingredients found in the packets sold
-dried beans cost 1/2 of what canned do. A real cost savings. Cook up a few lbs (crockpots are great for this)and store in 2 cup increments in plastic baggies for the freezer. They will be ready when you are.
-cull any reduced peppers (as well as other veg) from the marked down shelf, slice into strips/chop and freeze for future meals. I have 2 gallon sized bags full of pepper strips. When peppers go for $4/lb, I can easily turn to these frozen ones for Winter cooking.
Good luck!
Hi CTMOM
Thank you for all the suggestions. I need to get my hands on a breadmaker, and next time I’m in the supermarket I’ll buy frozen peppers – good tip!
That’s a good idea. It is useful to be able to see the cost of what you are eating like this and then make a choice based on that. I second the bread maker idea, mine is brilliant and easy to use, and the bread costs a fraction of the cost in the supermarket. Freezing peppers is a good one too, if you are lucky enough to find them reduced (I never do!!!!)
I’m definitely going to look into getting a breadmaker. I think I’ve found reduced once before – but you’re right it’s rare to find them.
Yummy!! I did a BIG $200.00 grocery shop yesterday as it had been a few weeks ! Now i need to make a menu plan and make it last!! Prices are obscene here too… Supposed to rise another 4-5% this year. I buy sales and buy double when I can.
Menu planning definitely the key to sticking to a grocery budget
What is the cost of vegetarian mince? I can get a bag of frozen veg mince (not Quorn, which the family don;t like) for £1.50, and I use half in a chilli or lasagne for two of us, topped up with oats or lentils. Just a thought? x
Thanks fostermummy, I’ll give it a go
I also use frozen Peppers when peppers started to get expensive from Farmfoods £ a bag great for Stews,curries you name it and also when peppers reduced I bag then up and freeze.
We also use vegetarian mince (I am veggie)OH is a meat eater and loves it I buy Morrisons or Tescos mince and prefere to Quorn and around £1.25 -£150 a bag.
Hi Welsh Poppy
Thank you for all the suggestions. I’ll try frozen peppers – not sure why I haven’t bought them before.
Great way to watch those pennies and save money too. Bread maker is a good idea.
Yes, I’m going to get one (or borrow one if I can!)
Love the way you track this. I need to do the same, to figure out which meals cost us more. I am a huge pepper fan (one of my favorite veggies to have on hand – I buy six at a time from Costco (bulk purchase shop) for around $5.50, & use them diced with eggs for breakfast, raw with dip, sauteed with chicken for fajitas, etc. All produce is so expensive.
Thanks!
Thinking about the cost of each main meal is the next step after menu planning and can only help with the rising prices.
Good reminder! I haven’t priced my meals for ages. It made an impact the last time I did it – guess what I’ll be doing this week
Thanks again Laura 
It’s a good thing to do – I hadn’t really though about how expensive some meals are!
I’m spending less than £100 per month since 2 of the 3 of us swapped to a plant based diet ( the other is pescatarian). We did it for health reasons, and I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s definitely much cheaper shopping wise, and as a welcome side effect I’ve lost more weight. Like others I also make my own bread, cakes etc as then I know what is in them.