Our shopping habits have changed to reflect the rising cost of food. This morning instead of my usual pack of beef mince at £5.50 kg I bought pork mince for £3.49 kg. Likewise I've bought pork chops instead of pork shoulder and saved nearly £2 a kilo. Even belly pork is over £5 a kilo so the chops were a good buy. We buy cheddar instead of red Leicester and save over £1 a kilo. It's the little savings like these that do make a huge difference to our grocery bill. I'm more than happy to make these switches if it means we eat well and save a bit each month. If I'm being completely honest my meat of choice would be lamb but we have that as a rare treat these days.
Tommorow I'm planning on using up a load of frozen tomatoes and bell peppers from last year's glut. I'll turn the pork mince into a big pan of bolognese sauce with the tomatoes and then I'll turn half of that into a chilli with some of my tinned kidney beans. Each pan full will feed us for two or three days so it's a very cheap way to stretch the meat out.
Hi, Cherie. I don't know what the 'chicken/turkey' status is there in the UK, but we have been substituting ground fowl for beef for over a decade. Easily adapts to all recipes with additions of maybe some olive oil or binders. Here, that is the least expensive option, though we changed meat choices because of health-calories and fat. Last night we had turkey burgers with herbs and veggies in them also...Num!
ReplyDeleteWe've been hit badly with bird flu so I'm nor sure how poultry prices compare. I think pork will be a tasty alternative for me.
DeleteI was born a miser & make the most of every penny we've got, especially in rentrenchment/retirement years.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I can and do live very frugally when I choose to.
DeleteSmall changes so often results in savings and these days to coin a phrase' every little bit helps'.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you lamb is very expensive ...
Enjoy your weekend.
All the best Jan
Every little does indeed help. All the little savings add up in next to no time.
DeleteI agree. I can't remember the last time I had rack of lamb. You are wise to pay attention to the prices and make more budget friendly substitutions. I've been having bone broth regularly. I love pork, but it makes me ache. I have to just have it once in a while. I love chicken, though. We can get that at excellent prices here.
ReplyDeleteI went through a patch of making bone broth and freezing it. It's a lot of faff but we'll worth the effort.
DeleteNot sure if you are still considering moving house - but this is a HUGE expense! Maybe, reconsider this idea?
ReplyDeleteOur main sticking point is access to an NHS dentist. We are very fortunate to be registered with one and don't want to lose that.
DeleteI like pork mince; it has a great flavour.
ReplyDeleteLamb is a 'few times a year' treat really, isn't it? A shame but more appreciated when it does appear on the table. xx
That's so true. We'll be having a nice piece of lamb when we next go to the farm shop. We have a voucher to use up there that we got as a Christmas present.
DeleteI know that I'm certainly making different choices when it comes to what I'm buying. I don't know why companies think people are going to pay such high prices for some things.
ReplyDeleteThe price of lamb is putting us off too. I've swapped beef for pork when making stews - it seems to be cheaper. Of course, I could easily live without meat but we have some meat -toothes in the family!
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