GEORGIE - Bridget Jones's shopping basket!!

In my last blog I got stuck into the idea that frugal supermarket spending can be aided by paying by cash, not card. Researchers say it makes you more frugal and careful about what you eat. So I went and did it. It was fun actually - I worked out how much I was going to be eating at home this week, what I would need to eat, and what to buy as a result. I reckon I spent £20 less then I would on average if I just wandered round and threw stuff into the basket.

Thing is - for me - thinking about what I am spending is not about staying away from the cakes and biscuits - it's an exercise that works in a totally different sense for me - and that is to ensure that I don't fritter money away on food I am not going to eat. I am not used to being only me - I cooked for Eduardo and I for 3 years and loved it - and I still buy enough food for 2 - which is such a bloody waste!!

Thing is - I am NEVER HOME. I work a lot of evenings, and I socialise the others. I spend my days working, visiting friends on maternity leave, playing golf or in the gym before work, I mostly eat two meals a day at work. (I keep stuff in the fridge to add to whatever is on the salad or fresh bar that day)

So, I have identified my '20'. Food I eat all the time and actually need to have. This doesn't include the salad dressings, mayonnaise, salt peppers, tobasco etc. but is my basic diet.

Eggs for omlettes
Ryvita or oatcakes instead of bread
Tinned tuna and tinned sweetcorn for said Ryvita
Fresh soup ( I don't have a freezer so I buy it fresh)
Plain yoghurt, blueberries, raspberries, sunflower seeds (my regular breakfast apart from omlettes and beans)
Rocket, tomatoes, celery, ( a salad a day stops Georgie from being obese)
Chicken Breasts to have on salad
Hummus or smoked mackeral pate to have with celery at work when I start to get peckish
Milk for tea
Baked Beans (my favourite and only processed food - what a treat!)
White and Red wine (of course!!)

That's it! I really do live on a diet of soup, salad, fruit salad and ryvita. I eat nice food when I eat out - and that tends to be the big eats. I don't keep chocolate, crisps or bread in the house as its just a 'no-stop button' problem I've identified. When I want to have fish and veggies, or a chilli - I go out and get the ingredients - and eat them that day. Otherwise, it's still in the fridge and past it's best by date a week later.

Because I am such a creature of habit, online shopping should be what I like - but actually I love the supermarket. I am an avid people watcher and I'm not a big impulse buyer of crappy food so I won't be using Tesco direct.com anytime soon.

I realise this blog is limited to lucky people like me who aren't feeding lots of mouths and planning family meals on a budget every week - but even if you've got 3 kids - try and identify food being regularly thrown out because it rots in your fridge. It's a bloody good way to save money - and hey - Mummies have Ocado and Tescodirect these days - which means no dragging the little monsters around the supermarket if you don't want to!