We've just started this morning, having picked up supplies on our travels over the past week or so.
It's certainly harder than it was when we first did it three years ago, though this time we've at least managed to include a bit more fresh food (but no cheese) - notably 4kg of onions (mostly for soup) for £1.20 from one of the many shops in east London that sell them for £1.20-£1.39. Last year, Tim and I couldn't agree on what to buy so had each chosen our own supplies with just a few shared things, but this year we joined forces again.
We're quite happy with the amount we got for our (exactly) £10. But it did involve picking up things in a range of shops - not all of which everyone would have available locally - over several days. The list would certainly have been a lot more restricted if we'd simply gone to one supermarket.
We also had to rethink our plans - eg the local Tesco didn't have the packs of 4-for-18p chocolate mousses, so we switched to tinned rice pudding (and 6 hot cross buns for a bargain, reduced, 13p). Something else that has scuppered our calculations a bit is that Tesco's white loaf now has fewer, albeit thicker, slices.
Breakfast was a perfectly acceptable 2 slices of toast each, with a choice of peanut butter or lemon curd. Time now for the first lunchtime bowl of soup, made from dried split peas, onions, a potato and stock. Veggie bolognese for supper, probably with spaghetti.
| price (p) | ||
| Meat free bolognese | 74 | Asda |
| Meat free chili | 74 |
Asda
|
| Sweet & sour sauce | 29 | Tesco |
| Spaghetti - 500g | 20 | Asda |
| Rice - 1kg | 40 | Sainsbury's |
| Potatoes - 2kg | 79 | local shop |
| Onions - 4kg | 120 | local shop |
| Tin of sweetcorn | 21 | Sainsbury's |
| Bread - white | 47 | Tesco |
| Bread - brown | 45 | Tesco |
| Digestives - 400g | 31 | Aldi |
| Peanut butter | 62 | Sainsbury's |
| Bananas - 2 | 23 | Sainsbury's |
| Drinking choc | 58 | Tesco |
| Chopped tomatoes - can |
34
| Tesco |
| Stock cubes |
20
| Sainsbury's |
| Baked beans |
24
| Tesco |
| Carrot (1!) | 15 | 69p/kg Sainsbury's |
| Green split peas - 250g | 55 | Sainsbury's |
| Kidney beans - can | 25 |
Aldi
|
| Rice pudding - 2 cans |
30
| Tesco |
| Sliced mushrooms tin |
39
| Asda |
| Lemon curd |
22
| Sainsbury's |
| Hot cross buns x 6 (reduced from £1.30!) | 13 | Tesco |
A further update will follow later in the week.....
