General Chat

I watch this programme on a fairly regular basis as always keen to see where the savings can be made on the grocery bill but having just seen tonights episode where in a cupboard under the families stairs, they had over 150 packets of snacks!!! These were made up of crisps and similar items.

They made 13 trips to food shops during a single week and spent over £300!!

They clearly had no idea what their weekly spend was. I simply cannot understand these families unless they are so well off, they dont really need to save money?

But more importantly was the diet of their 3 children. Hardly any fruit or veg and the only meal they ate together was a take away pizza.

As a parent of 2 children myself and not well off, I always managed to cook a meal everyday and always had fruit.The only day we had something quicker was a Friday as that was shopping day after school and we didnt get home til after 5 so usually a cooked chicken with coleslaw and salady things and some chips.

I cannot imagine not knowing how much I have spent and would have felt very guilty not giving my children decent healthy meals.

If someone told me by buying cheaper alternatives I could save £7000 a year, then I think as a parent and a responsible adult, I have failed myself. Its not rocket science when shopping to compare brands & prices is it?

Florence in the hebrides

I agree, Florence.
I don't watch these sort of programmes, because they make me so angry!!

I brought my children up alone, and we NEVER had take - aways. The nearest we got was when I'd occasionally buy a pizza from the supermarket, and at least once a week we'd have something like tuna and rice - with veggies like peas added in.

When there were 'proper' butchers around, we sometimes had stuffed ox heart as Sunday roast, and ate things like liver and kidneys. Almost every dinner was meat & 2 veg.

Now, I feel really chuffed if I can actually find kidneys, and I regularly have stuffed lamb heart (just the right size for 1) as a Sunday roast .

My other 'trick' is to add red lentils to things like cottage/shepherd pies.
It bulks them out and adds more nutrition.

Since living alone, if I find I have a slight excess of potatoes, I make cauliflower and potato cheese.

The odd time someone's come around and suggested ordering a take-away, it's taken so long to arrive, I could have made a meal in the time!!!

Maggie, having lived previously 30 miles from the nearest take away, we only had a chinese about once every couple of months on a sat evening as we also had to take into account the cost of fuel for 60 miles!

Im on a tight budget but im a dab hand at making my own chicken chow mein and curries too.My go to staple was always a cheese & potato pie with grated carrots and onions, served with peas or baked beans. Served 5 very generously for not much money.

As im not with the "choccy biscuit eater" anymore, I def saved several pounds a week lol

I have to admit to having a sweet tooth, and I love plain chocolate biscuits!

I probably spend as much money feeding Betty (cat) as I do feeding me!
She's become very fussy in her old age, and has developed ways and means to annoy me into feeding her 'something'.
That 'something' appears to be anything other than what is in her bowl - the stuff she loved half an hour ago, but, when she's given the other half of the sachet, is now, somehow, unpalatable.

We have always stuck to a budget although now we don't need to be so strict we don't go over a certain amount nor are we wasteful, not a lot goes in our food recycling bin.

Maggie, my old landlady fed her cat fresh salmon, chicken and tuna. The dog also had fresh meat, rabbit etc. She spoilt them rotten and never bought pet food! She always maintained the animals lived better than she did lol.

My old cat years ago would only eat Whiskers rabbit. One day we had run out so went to the corner shop and bought some other brand. She smelt it, then looked at me and then walked away refusing to eat it...Funny creatures arent they but we are fussy too sometimes!

No ZZzzz we dont throw much food away either. Left over curry etc is always frozen and will do a meal another time. It really pains me if i have to throw away food especially as there are many starving in this world.

One of my sisters couldn't buy her cats usual food so bought the next best thing, well if the cat could speak it would have said, you expect me to eat that? They were pedigree /ex show cats though so that could explain a lot.

I’ve always thought that cats are one of the fussiest eaters on the planet, except when it involves their own catch ;-)

I saw the last half of last nights programme and was shocked at the savings. But I have noticed that their ‘saves’ come from a variety of shops. Who has the time and money to try out all the cheaper products from all the supermarkets. Wouldn’t it be better if they asked which supermarkets they go to and then use their products as the ‘saves’?

I agree names but Im still baffled why they needed to make 13 trips on a weekly basis??? I wouldn't have the space to store all that in my cupboards. Even before I moved here, when there were 4 of us in the house, I only did one shop a week in my supermarket and occasionally had to buy milk or bread from my local corner shop.

Can you remember what jobs they did as they must have been well paid!!

Florence in the hebrides

Sorry, I only wAtched the second half and it wasn’t mentioned.