Grocery Crisis - Please help !!!

daysieblue · 28 March 2007 at 9:40PM

Hi All

I have been lurking around here for a while, trying to absorb all your hints tips and advice.

However, I would be really grateful if you could throw it directly at me now as I have a bit of a crisis!!!!

DH has just announced that due to some "unforseen expenditure" (I truly hate SONY!!!) we have about £200 to spend on groceries in April. Our last Sainsburys bill was £130, which, if we're lucky might last us the fortnight, although I am determined that most of it should now see us to the end of the month.

Our needs are this:

DS & DD packed lunches (although just about to start 2 weeks hols, but will still need them for holiday club)
DH & me lunch for work to avoid the dreaded tesco overspend
Then just normal meals for the evenings and weekends.

I have:
A slow cooker
An oven

A food Processor
A fridge freezer
A will of iron (not sure where that came from, definitely went missing during the PS3 discussions!!)
500g beef mince
9 chicken breasts
2 braising steaks
red & green lentils
loads of pasta.
plus about 10 days meals in the freezer

Please, any suggestions would be gratefully received, anything at all!!!

db xx

airforce_beret · 28 March 2007 at 9:44PM

can't go wrong with things like stir-fry's (chopped chicken and a 59p stir in sauce), spag bol/chilli with ur mince, pasta sauces are cheap too and normally serve 4. chop ur steaks up and find some casserole type sauce and whack in the slow cooker.

freeze any left overs for your lunches

nothing extravagant but you did say anything

Paulie'sGirl · 28 March 2007 at 9:51PM

Hey!

Poor you. Umm, these lovely ladies and gents will be able to help more than me, but looking at your list:

if you have tinned toms etc, the mince could be a spag bol (with the pasta) and then stretched to a chilli with a tin of value kidney beans. served with rice. if your kids are small there might even be enough to go with a mircowaved jacket for someone's lunch?

the chicken could be loads of things
chicken bolognese style (in chucks, we call it italian chicken) served over pasta (obviously not all 9!!!)
chicken wraps (see the piadine thread, make spicey chicken and wrap it in the piadine)
chicken stirfry (gives veg to kids, could even use the 8p noodles without the little sachet of stuff)
if you do have or buy rice for the chilli, you could make chicken fried rice, there are LUSH recipes on this forum if you search for it (will try to search and then edit this for you)
could you make a curry with some lentil and some chicken or veg? serve with rice?

very amature advice, a pro will help you!

PG xx

catznine · 28 March 2007 at 9:54PM

Pasta bakes, sauce is very easy to make with a tin tomatoes, onion, tom puree or tom sauce and herbs if you have them.

Home made soup using up the leftovers - just pop veg into a pan with a stock and seasoning, simmer until soft and process until smooth, add knob of butter/marge some milk and you have cream veg soup, serve with lots of bread.

Shepherds pie if you haven't got any mince try a couple of sausages sliced in gravy with some carrots and onions, top with mash and pop into oven. Serve with lots of veg.

Pasta is very cheap in Asda - big bag for £1

We often have fried rice adding whatever needs using up from fridge and freezer.

£200 is quite possible have a look at the monthly challenge threads for inspiration.

JillD_2 · 28 March 2007 at 9:57PM

We (2 adults 2 preschool children) spend £250 a month on food and householdy stuff and that includes disposable nappies and wipes, and we could bring that in a bit more if I could persuade hubby that we really should. So it is doable.

Aside from anything else, don;t shop at Sainmsburys. Go to Asda which I find heaps cheaper, or better still Lidl and Aldi. I don't use them (not local enough for me) but as I understand it, the veg in Lidl's in particular is very cheap.

Make sure you buy value everything.

Pad out all meals with loads of veg, it is cheaper than meat.

With the stuff you've got:
9 chicken breats is at least 3 meals for 4, if not 4 if you do caseroles or something and bung in loads of veg.

500g mince should be a couple of nights spag bol/chilli/shepherds pie again if you pad out with lentils and/or veg.

2 braising steaks - we are veggie so I have no clue if this would stretch to 2 nights dinner if done in a caserole.

So those 3 plus your 10 days frozen comes to 16ish days dinners at least so you are halfway there dinner wise, just top up with veg for it.

- You also said you have loads of pasta, use tinned tomatoes/veg/ham/tinned soup as sauces
- You could do omelettes and potato wedges, jacket potatoes and beans/cheese
- You can make pizza dough from scratch and make very cheap pizzas.

For lunches do leftovers if you can. My kids have sandwiches most days with youghurt, fruit, if they have crisps its value crisps and as a treat we make brownies or crispie cakes as a sweet treat.

For breakfast toast or own brand cereals or better still value porridge , its so cheap and lasts for ages.

There was a recipe on here for something cllaed Piadines that sound like tortilla wraps, we are going to try ,aking those this weekend as will beheaps cheaper than buying them. My son loves wraps so a nice cheap lunch for his lunchbox.

HTH and good luck, maybe you will be converted and end up saving a fortune every month thereafter
Jill

troll35 · 28 March 2007 at 9:58PM

I would definitely menu plan including good wholesome cheap meals like shepherds pie, spag bol, chilli and stew. Throw in a couple of rubber chickens (roast followed by stirfry/pasta and soup from carcass).

However bearing in mind your DH's desperation for the PS3 I would be tempted to feed yourself, DS and DD a nice range of foods and give DH pasta with a basic tomato & veg sauce for a few days and tell him to lump it being as he spent the money:D

I'm sure someone will provide the necessary links to the menu planning threads (It takes me ages to figure it out every time I try).

Good Luck

JillD_2 · 28 March 2007 at 10:02PM

oh yeah forgot to say menu plan, and don't deviate from the plan!!!
You can definitely do it and good luck!
Jill

tumbleweed261 · 28 March 2007 at 10:15PM

If the kids will eat curry there is a recipe for tarka dal (lentil curry) in the OS index which is lush and costs pennies to make - you can have it with rice and bombay potatoes to bulk it up a bit? Good luck!

edit: it's here :j

edit #2: I'm a student and even shopping for one I've noticed huuuuge savings shopping at Aldi/Lidl/Asda instead of Tesco, it's definitely worth it!

daysieblue · 28 March 2007 at 10:22PM

Wow! Thanks guys , so much info so quickly!

I have been to the Piadine thread and printed the recipie out. I can't believe how easy they look! I have 1 portion of hm chilli in the freezer, and I think these would work with that. Plus the kiddies (DS-9, DD-5) love wraps, so these should work a treat.

Already have CurryQueen's best stuff printed out, I was going to try some of them this month anyway, so looks like even more reason to do so. Will try to stock up in Asda instead (nearest Lidl/Aldi is apparently 5 miles away, but I think it must be in a straight line!!!)

Going t o pop off now and try to get a bit further with my menu planner, but thank you so much for all your advice so far!!!

db xx

JillD_2 · 28 March 2007 at 11:36PM

you must let us know how it goes, we will be dying to know that you did it (you will note I did not use the word "if" .....):j

angchris · 28 March 2007 at 11:44PM

to save you buying baby wipes why not cut up an old towel or use old flannels im sure baby doesnt care either way as long as they have a clean bum

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Grocery Crisis - Please help !!!

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