Over breakfast the other morning, my husband Jeremy suggested, that as a family, we should start trying to economise. Now, we are comfortably set, but Jeremy worries that we can sometimes be a little too free with our money. It’s not unusual for him to come up with the odd money saving scheme, and to try to rope the whole family into the adventure. Well, I like a good challenge as much as anyone, so I decided to see how much money we could save on our weekly food bill. Determined to prove to Jeremy that I could be as economical as the next woman, I cut our weekly food budget down to £500 for the week, and with our daughter Alexandra’s help set out to do the weekly shop. Truth be told, it was more difficult than I expected. But we managed to see it through, and even completed our weekly food shop with a little money left over.

Our Weekly Shop – Household Basics

Alexandra suggested that we should start our shopping adventure at Waitrose, loading up on basic household necessities. This seemed a sensible approach, so we headed into London to begin our weekly shop. At Waitrose, we stocked up on basic household items like toilet roll, bin liners, and kitchen and bathroom cleaners. We also took the opportunity to pick up a couple of packages of dry dog food for our Airedales, Alfie and Bella. Waitrose store brand was the better value at £3.25 per kg, but I decided to go with Lily’s at £6.99 per kg as that’s what our dogs are used to, and I do like to pamper the little darlings.

All totaled, we spent just under £63 and were able to get all of basic household items including toiletries for the week. Not too bad for our first stop.

Our Weekly Shop – Food Basics

Next, we headed to Fortnum and Mason for our basic food shop. I know we could have gotten some of our staples at Waitrose, but Fortnum and Mason really does have a better selection and I was sure that if we cut a few corners we could still keep to our budget. For example, Jeremy and I love to serve F & M’s Foie Gras En Croute as an appetiser when we entertain on Sundays. But at £320 I knew that would put too much of a strain on my budget. So I substituted with F & M’s Goose Foie Gras with Truffle at £73, thinking that we could get away with it as long as it was paired with a good Sauterne. That’s an immediate savings of £247. Well done me.

I put Alexandra in charge of the majority of our staples while I handled the specialty items. I gave her strict instructions to economise, and she did a super job. Alex made some smart cost cutting substitutions, like choosing Piccadilly biscuits over our preferred Lucifer’s, and opting for the Pale Navy Marmalade instead of the Nonpareil that Jeremy loves so much. Meanwhile, I was able to source a variety of decent cheeses and a selection of wines at what I considered to be good prices. Again, I had to make a few concessions to our new budget, but ultimately, we were able to bring in our major food shop at just under £265.

Next, it was on to our butcher.

Our Weekly Shop – The Butcher’s

I know that Waitrose and Fortnum and Mason offer meat and poultry at more budget friendly prices. But we have a good relationship with our butcher at Allens of Mayfair and he usually has a bone or two going spare for the dogs. So, it was off to the butcher to pick up our meat for the week. Again, I knew we’d have to make a few concessions to the budget, so I asked them to suggest a few cuts that could do double duty as main courses at both lunch and dinner, figuring that the children could use the leftovers for their tea after school.

For entertaining, I tried to economise by choosing less expensive cuts. Instead of our standard 5 bone rib for Sunday (£99), I opted for a striploin (£72). For our mid-week meals, I chose a 1.8kg free range chicken (£13.50), lamb cutlets (£15.30), and tenderloin pork fillet (£5.20 each). Jeremy and I usually eat out a couple of times a week, and on those nights the children like to order up take aways. I figured, with the money we were saving, the take away meals could easily fit within our budget.

When all was said and done, Alexandra and I cut our butcher bill down to £96. Not too bad for a couple of novice budget shoppers.

Our Weekly Shop – Baked Goods

Fresh bread is a staple at our house, and we like to have a fresh loaf on the table at breakfast and dinner. Alexandra and I picked up a couple of loaves to see us through til Tuesday, and put in a standing order for the rest of the week. As I said, Jeremy and I like to entertain on the weekends, so I also ordered a cake for Sunday for only £27.72 so our guests could enjoy a lovely desert.

I must say, that all in all I thought Alexandra and I had done a fairly good job keeping to our budget. So, using some of the money we’d saved, we splurged on a half dozen Eccles cakes as a family treat for later.

Total bakery costs – £39.

Home Again

When Alexandra and I arrived home with the shopping, I must admit we were fairly pleased with ourselves. We had not only managed to keep well within our £500 budget, but we had ended our day’s shopping with a surplus of £48. Not too shabby. It was difficult at times, but I think Alexandra learned an important lesson. It is possible to live well, and feed a family of four on a tight budget. A lesson I’m sure she’ll benefit from in the future.

Total Spent = £452.25

Not bad for a weekly food shop.

You can follow Laura on Twitter – @SaveWithLaura or on Facebook here.