We Spent ALL Our Grocery Budget! #frugal #costoflivingcrisis #shoppinghaul
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Our end of month shopping haul spending the last of our January budget. Frugal Queen in France Like the menu board & Budget …
That’s interesting adding pesto to stews. I’m making one this weekend so will try it. Thank you.
I usually try and get meat when it’s yellow sticker but I’m finding the meat is now so expensive that the reduced items are not such a bargain any more
I don’t buy fabric softener, as I don’t believe it does anything but scent your clothes. In fact, my towels became softer when I stopped using it! I add a few drops of essential oils to my final rinse if I want scent, as on the sheets wash.
Shopping wise, locally we have Lidl and Sainsburys, 6mls away we also have Waitrose and Morrisons. Our main shops are at Morrisons and Lidl. I go very occasionally to Waitrose for some dairy free items (vegan) as more choice,. I also go to B&M snd Home Bargain and top up with tinned goods. I got a jar of tiger balm at one recently for £1, wishing I bought more as I’d usually £7.99!
Hi there from Oklahoma, USA. We shop a lot the way you did there. However, we DO have a stockpile (several 😆) & a lot of it can be traced back to the Great Depression era. We learned then that life can hit you in so many directions, whether job loss, illness, etc that it really does pay to have a stockpile of food & other resources to help you get by until things are better. Usually, we shop at several stores depending on what’s available to us, especially close by. I love Winco, but they are so far away from us & I prefer to stay in my area (or areas I will be in normally) & the only time I venture out towards 1 of the 2 Winco’s in our greater area (easily 30 minutes away or 50 minutes away for the nicer one). So I usually go to Crest or Homeland (loss leaders only) or Costco or Sam’s (big warehouse stores that you pay a fee for but we only buy certain items at each one), & RARELY Aldi’s unless it’s NOT produce because you’ll be lucky if their produce lasts 24 hours after you buy it. It’s terrible & I refuse to pay for something that is rotten in a day. We have an App called Flipp that you can put in to see what is on sale (NOT JUST FOOD) & you can even put in the search engine what you are looking for ~ hammer, bananas, etc. & if any is on sale or even mentioned, it will bring up all the ads that have that available, including the price for how much (a lb (sorry, a pound), a package, each, etc. I’ve heard quite a few of the other MUCH BIGGER CITIES (NY, California area, etc) that have apps for getting food free or close to it otherwise it will go in the trash. We don’t have that … yet. Someday maybe. You’d be surprised what you can freeze!😂 1 kitchen fridge that also has a freezer, then 1 fridge & 1 freezer in our garage. Except for the extra fridge in the garage, all the rest are packed. Extra fridge does hav things in it but it’s not packed.
Love the tip about pesto in soups. Wow. Will definitely try this. We make all our meals at home and that would be a nice change in this cold (soup!) Weather
Really interesting!
Thank you for your very interesting videos! What I do is I am trying to limit how many times I go to the grocery store each month, so I will stay within budget, and I am refraining from buying eggs at $5 or $6 a dozen (cheapest brand) currently. Have a blessed day. From Maria and Mike in SC
I just want to say a quick thank you from Canada for "translating" the amounts spent at the beginning–it is helpful when I'm trying to get a sense of how our prices/budget compare to yours. Also I love watching your grocery haul videos; it's nearly as satisfying as shopping myself, and these sorts of videos are now my go-to replacement to prevent myself from "boredom shopping."
So my fellow American viewers give you grief over the pink toilet rolls? I don't know why…we used to have multiple colors and they came scented as well. Our weekly grocery store offers come every Wednesday and I check to see if there are values great enough to warrant using the gasoline to get them. We have the paper delivered and unfortunately most of the coupons that also come with it are useless to me, they are for the highest priced branded items that I don't purchase normally. it is very kind of you to take the time to post the currency conversions, thank you.
Hello Jane&Michael, first of all i love your video,it is so reflective and direct. It helps me to ponder and find areas that maybe i could&would consider doing differently. For example,i no longer buy prepared cleaning products. I remember my grandmother using baking soda and lemon juice to scour the kitchen sink with. I also remember her using rubbing alcohol to clean the bathroom sink,baking soda and vinegar for cleaning the toilet,for mopping the floor she would use a bucket and a scrub brush with just a drop or two of dish soap in a pail of water. I figured if it was good enough to clean for her maybe it would work out for my cleaning. So far success and what a savings i have experienced!
I always check the advertisements from our local shops. After that, I make a weekly meal plan with recipes matching the offers – and I stick to it. Secondly I reduce the amount of meat in the recipes and increase the amount of vegetables. When there are real good offers, I use my "special-offer-budget" to stock up on these things.
What a beautiful home
For UK fans of your channel, I'd like to recommend looking in Superdrug and Boots for 'specials' on anti-perspirants. There's almost always some kind of deal, the best being half-price. If you want a particular one it might not always be so good, but if you don't mind what brand you have, the saving is really well worth it.
G'day Jane & Mike Would like to thank you for the monetary conversations on your food shop in this video. We thought it very thoughtful and it was much appreciated
I'm in the US and think your prices are still good. Even with the conversion rate, your prices are good. You may not be used to the current prices, but for us in the US your prices are still very good. I shop at Aldi, Walmart, Winco and the dollar stores. The savoy cabbage is beautiful ! Very nice grocery haul Well done ! Thanks for sharing 🥰🌷❄☃💗✝
I am in Las Vegas Nevada USA. I'm now a 52 yr old disabled grandma who was forced to leave my long term job in a supermarket after a bad car accident. IF you pay attention and follow the trends grocery stores do follow a type of pattern with their sale items.
Ironically enough I DESPISE shopping at the supermarket that I previously worked at. The prices are much higher on MOST things and It is irritating to me to be shopping and see the exact same people still shoplifting groceries that were stealing groceries 9 years ago when I worked there.
Anyway I do like the meats from this grocery store as they are much better quality than walmart or the cheaper stores which never put their meats on sale.
I set aside $25 monthly (used to be $20 but had to raise that some) I wait and only purchase the protein that is on sale. It usually works out that one month the store will have a great deal on ground beef and then in a couple weeks the store will have chicken on sale and about every 5-6 weeks they have an incredible offer on Bacon. We do not eat bacon by itself or even with breakfasts we instead use it one slice at a time on a homemade breakfast sandwich or a slice or two on a homemade bacon cheeseburger so this literally lasts us until it goes on sale again. I am not limited to building my grocery meal plans around what is on sale that week because I always have proteins available for whatever mood hits us. I roll over whatever is left into the next month's budget and here recently that was a major win as they offered a 3.5 pound bag of chicken wings for $5 and then another amazing offer was a slab of ribs and the cost was just under $6 for the entire piece which will break down to 2 meals for 2 so 4 servings of ribs for under $6.
I ONLY go in for the sales and you MUST remain disciplined and not allow for impulse purchases.
Another tip whether you consider it "ethical" or not is up to you……. I did payroll for the grocery store so I know what the store directors were paid and what their bonuses were so I personally don't feel bad about this practice ESPECIALLY when I see the same damn people STILL stealing their groceries and I'm paying for mine but trying to save where I can. I have an app account for the store on MY phone and my son who just turned 18 now has his OWN account app on HIS phone…. we can BOTH take advantage of the special offers that are limited to 1 per purchase and after awhile of him NOT using his app he gets coupons that I am not offered to try and lure him into shopping lol so his last coupon was $5 off a $5 order. I still spend the $30 to take advantage of the pick up service as I am disabled but sometimes I use MY phone app and sometimes I use HIS and if it's a week with REALLY good deals I do an order from BOTH of our phone apps.
Love your channel and linked you in my description (new Frugal February video) as an inspiration. Pity that in the actual video I said "Princess" instead of "Queen" haha!
Thank you for another great video. Jane, I've been trying to find the video where you pinned blankets to your curtains to save on energy but so far with no luck. Could you let me know which video it is as I'd like to send the link to my daughter. Thanks
Your prices are a lot less than here in the United States
Its pays to share what you already have. We mince casserole beef so that we pay 8euros per kilo for mince, I am happy to loan my mincer to my friends and neighbours so that they can do the same, its just a cheap attachment that came with our blender. My friends may have kitchen gadgets that we can occasionally use when baking and cooking to help with our cost. I recently loaned a cot when my granddaughter visited rather than buying one which helped and saved us having to buy one.
I am in Ohio, USA. I am astounded by the prices now a days. I paid 4.89 for a dozen eggs just yesterday. Our family doesn't have eggs for breakfast now, I only use them in baking. We also have cut down portions of meat, stretching it with pasta or vegetables. Now a days, I look at the price before I look at the product to see if I want it. I am also looking for recipes to make my own mixes and herb blends, like my own Mexican blend, and a "cream of something" soup mix. Much more cost effective. Oh and I have a homemade soup every week. That lasts us for one dinner and 2 lunches per week.
I love the pink toilet paper. I would buy it too. 🌸
My friend has been taking me shopping for the last few weeks and we’ve been horrified at how much things are going up in price week on week! We both wanted a whole chicken on sat so we picked up the cheaper “value” chickens. My friend just picked 1 up & walked away. I rummaged to the back and picked up the heaviest bird I could find. I checked the 2 birds and mine was 2 kilos heavier than my friends. The same price for both mind you! I showed her the difference then got her a heavier 1 too. She had no idea that these shops do this kind of thing and make extra money from unsuspecting customers. I ALWAYS look for the heavier item! I managed to get Beef cheeks in the reduced fridge so I grabbed a pack for the freezer. Beef bourguignon for me next week! Yum! Not had beef for months! Thanks for the great video. X
Hi Jane. Can I ask, what is ‘savon de Marseille’ used for? Is it just a general spray cleaner?
Лайк и комментарий в поддержку канала👍 thank you very much
I live in North Florida and shop a discount store. They had miscut chicken breasts for 1.25 a pound. I bought a family size package, went to put it in the oven and there was a whole chicken in their too. While I did not expect it I will use it, baked and put in the oven and will use the bones to make bone broth with veggie scraps. We will get at least 4 dinners from that pack of chicken. First time baked. Next deboned and diced added to noodles and broccoli with a cheese sauce, third time dice chicken on salad. Fourth time will be soup, maybe chicken and vegetables with additional tomatoes and a couple zucchini in it. 3 people 12 or more individual meals from 7.00 of chicken. Also got pork spare ribs for 6.00 will feed us 6 individual meals with sides like potato wedges or baked beans and green beans. That is a weeks worth of dinners for us with what I call hint and pick night which is where we eat leftovers or cereal, oatmeal, or a sandwich. No snacks in grocery cart, fresh fruit, vegetables, coffee and a package of toilet tissue, and noodles.
I also search for copycat versions of restaurant meals to keep from missing out on some favorite meals. I just cannot go I to a restaurant and pay 15 to 20.00 for a single meal and get poor customer service on top of that.
Enjoyed seeing your grocery haul and price fluctuations.
Jane, the other thing we have started doing is saving till receipts in a box, so it gives us an idea on weekly basis how much each essential item is going up by! It’s eye watering, but now vital to keep them instead of relying on the ever decreasing memory, how much items are in different supermarkets! If at all possible, buy the BIGGER version of everything, it’s the packaging that costs more after all! And if you are lucky enough to have Asian grocery stores, do check them out, sometimes items are cheaper, especially if you cook Asian meals!
We too , have gravely accelerated prices on all food and necessary home supplies, Yikes!
This was a very helpful episode. I managed to come under budget this week and last, and I want to stock up on things we will need later. Lots of good ideas here.
To come under budget this month, we've settled on less expensive snacks, swapped brands of tea and milk (half the price of og), and purchased sale meats to repackage for later.
I really find these shopping hauls fascinating, the products and the prices. I always think the fruit and veg look amazing. I bought a Savoy cabbage a few days ago as the broccoli was so expensive but it was just under £1 and sat in the palm of my (quite small) hand. I have also been buying more pork shoulder, lovely sweet meat, and saw you got some really good prices on yours. When I went to the dentist a couple of months ago I asked her about toothpaste and the cheaper tubes on offer. She told me to look for a certain %age fluoride – sorry, rather unhelpfully I can't remember the amount , unless I read one of the tubes upstairs! – so as long as that hits the mark then all good. And I do love a bit of "controversial" toilet paper!
We are planning a trip to France after my son finishes his exams – the North, Normandy, then Brittany or Mayenne – so this price information is really helpful in giving me a basic starting point for our budget I'm costing up travel and accommodation so will see how much room we have after that.
Actually your groceries are significantly cheaper than they are in the US ❤
Hi there, do you shop at the local market for fruit and veg etc ? Is it cheaper than the supermarkets?
many thanks; we live in france as well and have noticed how much the prices are rising: my budget is around the same as yours, but unfortunately quite often spend more; doh trying to be more carefulx
We only buy what we need and look for short dates, which are usually discounted. We've swapped to roll on deodorant from spray, which is a big saving. I don't enjoy shopping now, it's quite challenging and stressful.
💖
I make my own cream cleanser it's cheap and no nasty chemicals it works well on sinks and the bath
1 cup bi carb/baking soda
1 tsp liquid glycerine (found at supermarket or pharmacy)
Add Enough liquid dishwashing detergent to make a paste. Keep in a recycled jam jar and use 1 tsp per use
I wanted to share to help others save money 💰😊🇦🇺
I haven’t been supermarket or brand loyal since we moved to France over 15 years ago. My grocery shopping is always combined with other errands as the diesel prices here are eye watering! We have no food waste. We only shop when we need to which is fortnightly, sometimes stretches to 3 weeks. I use the love food hâte waste site to find recipes using up what’s left in the fridge.
I shop at a variety of places including the farmers market and the farm shop. The worse possible thing to do is buy everything in one supermarket. They will hike the prices on staples and basics because they know a lot of people don’t shop around. It doesn’t take that much longer and I enjoy the farmers market and our local shops. Chatting with friends and neighbours I run into makes food shopping a more relaxed and sociable time.
I always thought that buying an own brand, Lidl or Aldi sugar would be cheaper but in our SuperU a bag of Daddy is 96c and if you can find the 5 kg bag it's cheaper still. Just goes to show that own brands aren't always the cheapest.
I found that only using only 30 MLS of quality laundry detergent does the job! That is about one plastic medicine cup full in one load of laundry. Hang On World!
We (NL)have at Lild also the XXL weeks. Your coffeepads are in the Netherlands E 3.29 for the XXL version. However I then noticed the XXL version here contains only 46 pads and not 60. So France for the win (cheaper 🙂)
In Australia here on our last shop I had to stop myself from making too much of a scene as I watched the register tally go up and up. I'm finding most shoppers are leaving the supermarket whilst performing the art or act of receipt reading/checking. It is really becoming frightening.
Hi Jane and Mike
To keep prices down I shop around. I Buy my fruit and vegetables from the markets. Asian grocery is good for sauces and spices etc
I shop at aldi alot and I eat in season. I have fruit trees so I sometimes swap a bucket of plums and peaches for eggs and other fruit like grapes. And I am not fussy.
Cheers Leesa
Thanks for the conversions, Jane – it really puts the prices in perspective – and OUCH, our prices are getting bad here in Australia but gosh – yours are eyewatering! I'm really focusing hard on wasting less because that's something I absolutely can control. I'm cooking smaller portions to avoid leftovers that might go to waste – unless I specifically plan a use for that leftover. For example, I made extra polenta and sliced and breaded it the next day as part of the evening meal (first try – and oh yum!). I'm shopping at the end of the day because that's when they do the markdowns. I too scour the catalogues online and plan my shopping accordingly. I try not to stress about it – which is hard. My parents went through some very tough times, as have my husband and I, and looking out for the positives can make a big difference. Your puppies at the end always make me smile!!