Now as I posted a a blushing comment on Aldi’s facebook about how I wait all through the cold months just for their vine tomatoes (of course i posted a link to this site) I was asked does the food budget include….. wine, lager, ice cream, crisps, fruit shoots, clothing, cakes, snacks, microwave meals (things you can whip out the freezer and cook) and canned drinks.
Honestly, what we cant make out of the above items we really dont use, or miss. With the exception of clothing of course… but then I have a nifty little trick for that. But more on that later.
What about Junk food was basically the question above… and dont get me wrong…. junk food can be convenient and glorious… but we all know too much is not good for you. Juice wise the kids get a cordial bottle per week. which little miss E would have got (and shared) since she is under 5.
Cakes and biscuits (and some snacks like MrC’s pasties) are home made, so no rediculous E numbers or unnecessery preservatives. We dont really eat crisps, drink canned drinks and I loath fruit shoots. When the kids get them elsewear i keep the bottles for pic nic drinks 
.
Alcohol…. it wasnt rationed in the war, but MrC and I are only occational drinkers. As much as we love the occational tipple, these things cost money, so we save our £££ for special occations, when visitors stay over or our wedding anniversery in 2 weeks.
Below is this weeks shopping list… the only top ups we will need is more milk later in the week.
Shopping list
| Item | Price | ration | notes |
| Corned beef | £ 1.55 | points | |
| Sweets 250g | £ 0.79 | sweet | |
| Milk 4pints | £ 1.00 | milk | Red items are off either the |
| sugar 1kg | £ 0.95 | sugar | regular rations or points ration |
| margarine | £ 0.89 | fat | |
| baked beans | £ 0.30 | points | |
| baked beans | £ 0.30 | points | |
| baked beans | £ 0.30 | points | |
| cabbage | £ 0.39 | ||
| broccoli | £ 0.39 | ||
| Lard 250g | £ 0.39 | fat | |
| butter 250g | £ 1.19 | dairy | |
| cauliflower | £ 0.79 | ||
| cheese | £ 1.49 | dairy | |
| cucumber | £ 0.39 | ||
| carrots | £ 0.39 | ||
| red apples | £ 0.99 | ||
| green apples | £ 0.99 | ||
| jam 250g | £ 0.99 | preserve | this apricot jam was pricer than the usual mixed fruit jam that we get… but worth it on this one off. |
| swede | £ 0.59 | ||
| minced beef 800g | £ 2.49 | meat | this will go to make our meat balls and pasties later in the week |
| ham 250g | £ 1.18 | ham/ bacon | |
| leeks | £ 0.69 | ||
| sausages | £ 0.95 | off ration meals like sausages and offal often made up the meat ration when nothing else was available | |
| bacon 250g | £ 1.19 | ham/ bacon | |
| pork chops | £ 2.99 | meat | our Sunday lunch and perhaps sandwiches later if theres any left |
| cornflakes | £ 0.69 | points | |
| tomatoes | £ 0.69 | weirdly not as readily available as they are today | |
| 6 free range eggs | £ 0.99 | eggs ration | |
| Wholemeal bread | £ 0.47 | not on ration but I usually bake myself, however im down with a horrible cold/ flu thing so 1 loaf gives me a break | |
| TOTAL | £ 27.39 |
Aaah, yes my nifty little clothing trick… Every week MrC and I pay just over our estimation of what the bills will be at the first of the month…. we this into a seperate internet saver on our account and at the end of the monh, we pop it accross for the bills to come out on the first. This was we know the bills are sorted (planned for). It also means theres a little left over which i squirrel away and use to buy the kids clothing (and ours) when we need it. The last three months bought all 3 of our kids the basics of their summer wardrobes from Asda (gawd bless George). And anything else can be added as the summer goes on.
The amount is usually upwards of £50, the exact amount depends on how much we spent on sky watching films…. which we have been watching less and less of.
