I saw this blog and was amazed at how this lady does her shopping. Fair play to her she certaintly is not being ripped off.

http://frugalireland.com/2008/06/17/saving-on-groceries/

I have cut our grocery bill from around €200 a week for a family of four to between €70-80 euro a week. I feel like I could still cut it more, but am happy for now. The best way to do this is to plan. If I plan out a menu and shopping list for the week and know exactly what I am going to get where, I will stick to that and stay on or under budget.  This takes me about one hour of planning per week and maybe an hour and a half shopping.  I figure the savings mean I’m being paid about €40 an hour for the bit of extra effort.  I order my meat monthly from sulmeat.com and this forms the basis of my weekly menu plans.  My basic process is as follows.

Quick inventory of fridge and freezer.  If things need to be used up, they will appear on day one or two of the menu.  Decide what meats I will be using for the week.
Quick look at sales in the various supermarkets. Aldi Super 6 for instance might mean I can plan to use a certain fruit or vegetable more often than I normally would.
Look through cookery books, online recipes, food blogs etc. to find recipes to cook during the week.
Plan a menu for breakfast, lunches and dinner for the week.
Take account of leftovers.  If you will have significant leftovers, then incorporate them into lunch or a new meal the next day.
Look at your schedule, are there certain days cooking won’t be an option? Plan to cook double the day before or use a freezer meal that was prepared on your planning day.
Write out your shopping list.
Start with the discount stores.  Write out everything you know you will be able to get at Aldi or Lidl, then follow up with what you need to hit the big retailers for.
Finish up with any specialty items in different shops.
Print out any coupons from Pigsback.com or Couponmaster.ie that will save you money off brands that you will definitely buy.  Keep in mind that even with a coupon, the store brand is more than likely a better deal.
Go shopping and STICK TO YOUR LIST!
Budget for extra milk or bread that you may need to pick up throughout the week.
Some tips to stretch your menu:

Ground beef, sausage or pork.  These are probably some of the cheapest forms of protein out there and can be enjoyed in so many recipes.  Some of our favourites include Lasagne, Cannelloni, Kids Favourite Meatballs, Sour Cream Noodle Bake, Goulash, Burgers and Bobotie.
Salad is a great and healthy way to bulk up a meal.  For €2 back in April I bought 6 lettuce plants at a farmers market.  I’ve had fresh salad ever since. I clip just the leaves I need for a deliciously fresh taste with no waste.
Avoid costly “shortcuts.” Grating your own cheese takes maybe 40 seconds longer than pouring it out of a bag, but it can save you a fortune.  Next time you are in the shop, compare the price of a KG block of cheddar to a 250g bag.  I think you’ll be surprised, and the taste is far superior!  Same goes for pre-cut vegetables and salad.  Skip it, for the few minutes extra time required, you’ll save a lot!
Beans, lentils and other pulses are a great way of getting vital protein and nutrients, yet are relatively cheap to buy.  Learn about them and try cooking with them!
So those are some ideas I use.  What about you?  Do you have any money saving tips for grocery shopping and or cooking?

Alos see http://www.lidltreats.com/ for the €50 a week challenge.

I started to do the bulk of my weekly shop in Aldi some time ago and saved a fortune! Even stuff like mince is a lot cheaper out of Aldi (and I would presume Lidl too). And some of their wines are tasty too! (havent sampled them all yet, but what I’ve had have been good)

Just a note on what the bolg said about the pre-cut veg - they loose a lot of their nutrients once they’re cut, so really are a waste of money.

When I was doing my shopping last week I needed to get tablets for dishwasher I decided on getting tesco branded tablets (usually get finish) The only difference between the two products is the price. The tesco tabs work just as good as the finish.

I get mine out of Lidl. I think they’re about a fiver for 40 tablets. havent had a dirty dish yet.  I used to get their nappies too, although I only used them during the day and kept the pampers for the night. They were more absorbent (pampers), but the lidl brand for the day were brillent.

Never even thought of lidl will try them next time.

i use the ones that are in a metalic blue box. Perfect 5 I think they’re called. They do do anther varity that are cheaper, but I havent tried them. They have finish as well, I think they’re about 10 euro, but if you read the boxes, the perfect five claim to do the same job for half the price

I will be in lidl on Saturday and I’ll get them, I’ll let you know my verdict next week. I find with some tabs they leave horrible water marks on the glasses.

kiwigrl - what other items from lidl would you recommend?

i wouldnt normally shop there, I prefer Aldi, dont ask, I’m sure everything is the same in both shops! I’ve only got the dishwasher tabs from there because thats where I was when I’d run out. There is one other thing though - if you like lamb, they do decent legs for roasting. I think theyr’e about 11 euro, or there abouts. Aldi do them, but they arnt as big. And they are from New Zealand (I’m not biased in the least!), But it is export quality. My mother was over here last year and she reckoned it was better quality than what they get back home, and a lot cheaper. They’re in the freezer. And they have lamb chops as well. they’re also in the freezer, in a bag. And its NZ as well. (I do feel bad for the Irish famers!)

I love lamb will have a look on saturday. I have to try and start cutting down my shopping bill it’s getting a bit out of order.

phoenix07 - 29 July 2008 12:59 PM

kiwigrl - what other items from lidl would you recommend?

If you like peaches, they have georgous ones in at the moment. They are in a little black tray. 4-5 of them. I cant get enough!

kiwigrl - 30 July 2008 11:35 AM

phoenix07 - 29 July 2008 12:59 PM

kiwigrl - what other items from lidl would you recommend?

If you like peaches, they have georgous ones in at the moment. They are in a little black tray. 4-5 of them. I cant get enough!

I’m not a fan of peaches at all, but my dad is will let him know this evening.

Budget Tip

Register with http://www.pigsback.ie and use the grocery coupons - you can build up on points which you can exchange for Luas vouchers, Boots vouchers etc

I swear by Lidl’s own brand non bio washing powder, I have tried and tested many brands and with extremely sensitive skin the less the product smells the better. cleans as well as top brands, cheaper and does’nt irrate my skin winner all round

ljcoolk - 29 August 2008 07:48 PM

I swear by Lidl’s own brand non bio washing powder, I have tried and tested many brands and with extremely sensitive skin the less the product smells the better. cleans as well as top brands, cheaper and does’nt irrate my skin winner all round

Have literally just come in from Lidl - must look out for it next time - thanks

while I’m on the lidl subect great value in summer potatoes what you pay €1.99 in dunnes or tescos only 49c in Lidl