50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

Toonie

The thing I have found that helps with budgeting is working out what you would normally have in a month. My BF and I did this last month, so for example we worked out we normally need around 24 meals for a month as I occasionally eat at work, so we said per week we might have
Fishx1
Chicken x1
Jacket spuds and toppings x1
Simple suppers x1-beans on toast/egg on toast
Sausages/burgers x1
Pasta x1

So we bought enough of each main ingredient x 4 and then got worked out the whole meal like veggies/carbs/protein for each one and bought a months worth of food (we have two freezers and a large larder). We also bought a couple packs of mince for mince and tatties/cottage pie, but they are if BF is rehearsing on a Sunday and would like a filling meal when he comes in (like tomorrow).

We also did our best to work out how many lunches we would need-I get lunch paid for at work three days a week and BF buys his own when he's working, so its not a big cost for us.

The only thing we've bought week to week is milk and fruit.

I find it really helps for lunch to do either pasta meals (chuck pasta in, three minutes before ready chuck in some frozen peas/sweetcorn/other veggies and add some sliced ham/grated cheese and it doesn't matter if it goes cold) or prepare some things in the morning, like hard boil some eggs which you can have with some salad/mixed cooked and cooled veggies, diced potatoes or even just a nice egg mayo sandwich.

gizmomum

I never would have thought of doing it like that in a million years.we're forever 'popping down the shops' but I couldn't see a way round it..doh!
I've been using a new baby as an excuse but that's going to have to stop and we're going to have to get organised....it seems that that is one of the main keys

I'm trying to plan meals for little one as well and it sounds like alot of the ones on here can be adapted easily for that......I'm determined to give him home cooked as much as possible

I'm feeling positive and inspired now, you've all worked your magic
xxxxxxxx

OddjobKIA

Pancakes...cheap flour cheap eggs and water.............total cost for about 2 meals.............£1.00

Psykicpup

gizmomum wrote: »

I'm off to put my thighs in the slow cooker

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
please make sure its the chicken thighs not your own! :rotfl:


Glad you did so well - there are lots of hints & tips on this board & everyone is very friendly & helpful :hello:

gizmomum

there's not a slow cooker in the world big enough:rotfl:
Sorry about that everyone, will check my phrasing in future
Well chicken is in the cooker with sauce and bulked out with veg and I'm just baking a couple of potatoes for me and little one which will have tuna and veg mashed into them (well maybe not mashed for me, I'm not quite as gummy as him!)
what a great website

[Deleted User]

Sometimes I have bought a Turkey leg from Mr T's and its about £1.20 . I bung it in the SC and then I make a big dish of curry with lots of veggies for my eldest DD. It feeds four of them for a main meal with rice .My DGS has hollow legs so it helps her out when she is busy at school with meetings,plus she's often not got time to cook whereas I have. Its a good quick meal that she can take out of her freezer to defrost for them all first thing in the morning so when she comes home she only has the rice to cook.
I love to try to streeech things a bit, so I also cook some potato's which then get chopped up and go in it as well.A meal for four for less than £2.00, I suppose you could half it, and freeze some. My curries have almost everything chucked into them to 'bulk' them out

shaz_mum_of__2

ceridwen wrote: »

Hi Shaz

That looks like Square Foot Gardening style to me. How big is this "bed" please?

about 10 ft square, i do kind of follow the principles of square foot gardening i have 5 smaller beds and this one

Shaz

shaz_mum_of__2

mooloo - i stir fry kale with garlic and a bit of bacon its yummy or you can cook like cabbage but for a bit less time ..............tastes very similair to spring cabbage

Shaz

Penelope_Penguin

gizmomum wrote: »

Hi everyone
I've managed to scrape together thirty pounds to go and get some essentials this evening. Once I've got petrol and baby food/formula I think I'm going to have ten pounds left to get as many meals as poss for me and hubby to last at least til Tuesday but maybe longer. Which supermarket is doing the best deals/cheapest food at the moment? I have a lidl a tesco, an asda and a morrison very close by. Am a bit wary of tesco and have been hovering between the other 3 for a while and wondered what deals and tips others had

Glad to see that you've had some good ideas from here :T I'll add this thread to the current thread on living on a restricted budget (50p pp/day) where there are lots of recipes and support from others in a similar situation.

Best of luck, Penny. x

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

We have about 7" of snow and its still going :j

Well this morning I made us individual steamed suet steak n veg puds ...mmmm they were lovely -the filling was braising steak, carrots, onions, mushrooms and I thickened with oats and a stock cube -so it was real comfort, stick to your ribs food ...I used the rest of the filling to make 2 shortcrust pies for the freezer .... oh and the leftover suet pastry got turned into a mini jam roly poly with strawberry n rhubarb jam ..we had it for pud with custard -it was stunning .... and took me back to being a kid as my mum made puddings a lot of the time and this was a fave

I have the bread out and cooling (done in the remoska).... and tomorrow Im turning the rest of my whoopsed chicken into chicken n leek pies for the freezer .... To say I was trying to use up the stuff in the freezer -it seems rather full again ..still It will be a cheap month again in December and hubby can feed himself "home made" stuff whilst im in hopital -no excuses for takeaways

I seem to be stretching food further n further at the moment..everytime I make something I seem to have stuff left to turn into something else :rotfl:

Im planning on using a chunk of Decembers GC budget to add to the store in the basement -if todays weather is anything to go by... getting stuff stockpiled was a good idea
right I will get off back to my crafting..hope everyone is having a good day