50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

Beki

Hi all,

This is my first ever post - and i have to say i've been SO inspired by you all! I stayed up until 3am last night reading this and other related threads, and i'm still only on page ten of this one!

Just thought i'd pop in and say hi! :beer:

There's the four of us - me and my partner alan, and our two children who are 9 and 2. We've decided to budget 75p a day each for me and alan and 50p a day each for the children, so £2.50p a day in total.

We'd managed to get our food shopping in at around £30 per week before reading up on this, and it sounds so do-able we HAVE to give it a go!

Thanks to Weezl and all who have contributed to this thread! :beer:

Beki xxxx

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon everyone..

Well, after working out menu plans for September , october and some of November (just need to put them on the PC now before i lose the bits of paper;) ) I have started pondering about getting supplies built up ready for winter :eek:
The meal plans are based around what is allready in the freezer, cupboards etc.. I will still need odds n sods to complete the meals but nothing major.
So i think im going to spend some of the next couple of month budget on getting more pulses etc in ready for those lovely warming winter dishes..

I have found the following web site

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/

..I don't know if its of any use to anyone... but i was also hoping for some feedback from you as to how good the prices are on the dried beans/pulses... Obviously i will order enough to get free delivery and if i get it sent to hubbies work address it will be counted as UK postage so i will still get it free.. but what do folks reckon to the prices of what i have picked so far
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/cgi-bin/ca000001.pl?ACTION=SHOWCART

I have been out gathering more tomatoes and the aubergines are coming along nicely :T I have had 1 off a week or so a go but have 7 more on their way ... will definitely grow more plants next year.. 8 fruits from 1 plant is one heck of a return..
Im also saving tomato seeds to plant next year along with other varieties im going to treat myself to:p


right i will get off and look up other possible sights for getting my pulses -see if i can find better value
thanks for the inspiration everyone

Ohh poop... glad i checked that spices web site..they charge £8 -£13 to post to BFPO numbers... that is crazy.. They only pay for postage to London..then the forces deal with it from there... so it should be free... ohh well -back to the drawing board

cw18

Stocked up on pork loin steaks this morning -- local Somerfield had packs of 8 that are normally £6 in the Whoopsie! section at £3. Pork chops/steaks is a favourite meal of my blokes -- so at 37.5p/steak I brought all three packs home and repacked before managing (just) to find freezer space for them..... so that's meat for another 8 meals in the house.

Pulled out some braising steak to do tonight, but will be putting half of it back in after cooking as it's too much (weight and money) for one meal -- should really have split it before freezing in the first place :rolleyes2

Realised an hour ago I didn't have any potatoes in to do mash with it, so I've just been back down to the shops...... In the past week or two I've noticed the value bread, the value bananas and the granulated sugar have all gone up in price -- and if our local shops are anything to go by it would appear potatoes have too !!!! So I came home empty handed and will be using my 'emergency supply' of smartprice instant instead. I'm not a lover of instant myself, and I know my son will complain, but at 15p for a pack of that instead of over 80p for fresh potatoes it makes a huuuuge difference to my grocery costs !!!!

boredofbeingathome

Hello all, am back off my hols and just had a quick catch up. You will be pleased to know young weezl that whilst i was away, i have had a bit of a splurge on the old budget front but also did a bit of foraging , windfall apples and blackberries..loads at the side of a very nice riverbank ( valley where we stopped) also bargained stuff off of a very nice shopkeeper, who thought i had gotten tips off DOM..i soon put him right and said MSE and this website!Had a few NSD as well. so back on challenge and looking forward to trying out some delicious recipes..my beans, courgettes and strawberries are flourishing..must be all this lovely weather!
Hope decorating coming along.
bob x

In_Search_Of_Me

yeah me troll is back!! Hello bob! baby bob says hi...welcome beki! Those plants look great mrs m...have been appalling at going to allotment last 2 weeks (ok well most of the summer...cos there wasnt one!) but must plan better next year...just popping in before I go to [STRIKE]fat club[/STRIKE] sw to be told that I prob put back what I lost teh last two weeks...but at least much of food has been in the cupboards!! hello weezl's...how be the decorating olympics? Any gold medals in sight?!! Hope youre having time for chilling amongst the hard work?

liz545

queen_of_string wrote: »

I have just made these and they are so economical they might even be suitable for weezls!!

Courgette flatbreads

I had mine with weezl's sag aloo, theyre quick to do and tasty and i think you could vary the spices. Super cheap if you happen to have HG courgettes.

Hi Queen of String - is the flour strong bread type flour or just plain wholemeal? And they don't need any yeast or baking powder? I've got some courgettes need using up, these sound like they might freeze well...

carriebradshaw

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

I have found the following web site

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/

..I don't know if its of any use to anyone... but i was also hoping for some feedback from you as to how good the prices are on the dried beans/pulses... Obviously i will order enough to get free delivery and if i get it sent to hubbies work address it will be counted as UK postage so i will still get it free.. but what do folks reckon to the prices of what i have picked so far
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/cgi-bin/ca000001.pl?ACTION=SHOWCART


Ohh poop... glad i checked that spices web site..they charge £8 -£13 to post to BFPO numbers... that is crazy.. They only pay for postage to London..then the forces deal with it from there... so it should be free... ohh well -back to the drawing board

couldn't see your cart MrsM it said basket empty.. anyway rushed over to see how much lentils & split peas were and :eek: they make my local shop look cheap,pity really would love to be able to buy a bulk load and have them delivered

Aril

I noticed in Waitrose [I was there buying milk for work:D] that they have chicken livers in the freezer section for 50p!! The minute I see the figure 50p I think of this thread:rotfl::rotfl:Didn't stop long enough to check the weight but have been unable to find the frozen ones in Mr T here. Already had bought some fresh and have really enjoyed a chicken liver risotto tonight for tea from the Gill Holcombe book of cheap recipes that I recently borrowed from the library [and true OS spirit dutifully wrote a good chunk of the recipes down before returning!!]
Aril

Boodle

Aril wrote: »

I noticed in Waitrose [I was there buying milk for work:D] that they have chicken livers in the freezer section for 50p!! The minute I see the figure 50p I think of this thread:rotfl::rotfl:Didn't stop long enough to check the weight but have been unable to find the frozen ones in Mr T here. Already had bought some fresh and have really enjoyed a chicken liver risotto tonight for tea from the Gill Holcombe book of cheap recipes that I recently borrowed from the library [and true OS spirit dutifully wrote a good chunk of the recipes down before returning!!]
Aril

While on the suject of liver, I bought a pack of fresh pig's liver at the weekend for about 48p (usual price) I think, and made pate with it. Tastes really nice - wasn't sure it was gonna be as nice as Chicken Liver Pate (which I usually buy frozen at "Mr T") but it was, yay! Used about a third of it to make Liver and Onion Casserole for the freezer too. I'm quite chuffed with mesel' with all this frugal lark so far

In_Search_Of_Me

Wel done boodle...sure a lesser spotten weezl would be proud! As she would with starting a trend for pigs heads!! Poor butchers wont know whats hit em will they eh!