Point me in the right direction

I have read here something about a "feed people for £12 a week" thread
Cant find it allthough I have made a search.
I usually spend 350/month for 2 adults and 2 children. I need to cut this cost down alot.
I have read Black Saturns mealplaner and the store cupboard challenge which gave me some good ideas.
I am new to the old style board and are trying to find my way around but I don't really know where to start. How do I budget my food.

Also can someone here answer this question. How can I make more than one meal out of a chicken if it should't be reheated (or is it ok to reheat chicken?)?

I am a terrible cook, I'm brought up on ready meals and I most of the time feed my family on ready meals (or frozen burgers and fishfingers:) ). I need to start from scratch. Any help is welcome

Comments

  • wigginsmum
    wigginsmum Posts: 4,150 Forumite
    Personally I cut up any cooked chicken that's left and make it into a curry or stirfry. If I have leftovers from a roast, I chop and freeze in bags, and do the same, making sure that the final meal is properly cooked right through.

    For starters, you could go through and list everything in your store cupboards. I'm planning to do this and not shop again except for bread and milk and a bit of fruit and veg till the end of the month.

    We've found for meat that buying in bulk from Costco and freezing is the way to go - it's so much cheaper and the quality is great.

    Try making a list of items you buy in a week, check the cost on say Sainsburys online, compare with a cheaper place like Lidl or a local market, and work out there where you can make some savings. A spreadsheet is a big help for this - I worked out I could save 40% on a weekly shop by going to Lidl instead of Sainsburys.

    Start simple - shepherd's pies, bolognese, that kind of thing. And don't forget to have fun! If you can read a recipe, you can cook.
    The ability of skinny old ladies to carry huge loads is phenomenal. An ant can carry one hundred times its own weight, but there is no known limit to the lifting power of the average tiny eighty-year-old Spanish peasant grandmother.
  • thriftmonster
    thriftmonster Posts: 1,712
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    Don't forget to use the carcass from the chicken once you've taken all the meat off it. Put it in a big pan with onion trimmings, carrot peels and a bayleaf and a bit of celery if you have it and cover generously with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer on the lowest heat for 2-3 hours. Strain into a bowl and you will have chicken stock for soup, risottos etc
    “the princess jumped from the tower & she learned that she could fly all along. she never needed those wings.”
    Amanda Lovelace, The Princess Saves Herself in this One
  • moggins
    moggins Posts: 5,190
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    sorry greenpixie the search facility is not working for me, all I'm getting is a blank white page :(

    Have a good look at the indexed threads though, that will give you a great starting point for menu planning and how to shop.
    Organised people are just too lazy to look for things

    F U Fund currently at £250
  • calleyw
    calleyw Posts: 9,822
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post I've been Money Tipped!
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    You mean this

    It has been archived so that is why the search could not find it.

    Can you tell I am bored tonight ;)



    Yours


    Calley
    Hope for everything and expect nothing!!!

    Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz

    If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin
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