new to the forums:help desperately needed!

wantingtochange08

apologies for repeat post but was told to try this forum.

I apologise if this is not in the correct forum, but i have no idea where to post this! so here goes!
My wife and I are in a desperate state, as it would appear that at the end of this month when all the bills are paid, we only have approx £70 left for food for the rest of the month!

My wife has really bad health problems, and is at the point now, without exaggerating, of no return!! for several years now we have tried so hard to eat healthy, but keep getting caught in the, buy crap coz its cheap scenario!!

if there is anyone out there who can help us change the way we are doing things so wrong at the moment. As a result my wife is only getting worse partly due to the crap we are eating, that to be honest isn't filling so are eating more of it.

This may be starting to have a detrimental affect on our mental states (always arguing), as cannot seem to pull our selves out of the deep doggy doo and get so agitated at the stupidest of things!!

Please help us as this is our last chance to make a difference before one of us either gives up completely or worse still go to the big place in the sky!!

we are after any help that can be offered, even a little help, may go a long way to helping us. Recipe suggestions, meal suggestions, where to buy cheap but healthy food, etc etc, anything that you believe can make a difference
thanks for your time,and look forward to reading the responses real soon.
wantingtochange08

10past6

Hello wanting :hello:

Welcome to the forums :j

I'm sorry to hear of your situation, but take some comfort, were all here to help.

OK, click on the following threads which may be of some assistance, don't hesitate to post if your need any receipe advice, or questions;

Easy, cheap Vegetarian recipes?

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

Show Jamie How To Cook On A Budget Champagne Contest

miggy

Hi, have you seen Weezle's thread? http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1007423
She has to be the ultimate authority on very healthy food for next to nought. It's very long (and there is a link in the first post to her earlier thread), but you don't have to read it all to benefit. There is a list of recipes at the beginning (though I think there are more recipes in the thread that didn't make it into the index.
She looks into nutrition as well as cost so it's good from that respect too.
There is also an inpiring thread by Mbaz at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1129333 She had £20 to feed four of them for a month and she has just completed it tonight (so you asked at a very good time).
I am too sleepy to think of more but you will find plenty of knowledgeable and helpful people here to help.
Meanwhile I just wanted to let you know you are in the right place when it comes to food in particular, and there will be help to get both you and your wife onto a better diet.
I'll be thinking of you both, will pop back and see how things progress. My very best wishes to you both.

Obukit

Firstly, welcome to the forums . Things may seem tough but the good news is that food is one of those things that you can cut down on very easily and still eat very well. Some of the things I've found most useful are: -

• Pop down to your local supermarket when they do final reductions and buy any good deals - but go for fruit and veg, don't waste your money on the fillers and chemicals in ready meals. If it's a good deal buy loads and make it into soup/stew/freeze it - it's food that would otherwise go to waste. For instance, last night my local Sainsbury's had broccoli down to 5p each so I've made a huge pan of delicious, healthy soup for 50p. Local markets at closing time often have similar bargains.
• Bulk out your bargains with staples like potatoes, rice, pasta, beans and grains - flavour with some value herbs and spices and even cheap cuts of flavoursome meat like bacon.
• Have porridge for breakfast - 2oz oats, 12fl oz water, chuck in microwave for 2 mins, stir, back in for another minute and you have a filling, quick breakfast for pennies that will save wasting money on unhealthy mid-morning snacks.
• Eating crap isn't cheap and isn't easier than healthy food - there are loads of simple dishes that can be made in minutes. Some of my favourites are Weezl's gnocchi (make up half packet of instant mash, add 8oz flour and some herbs, roll into sausage and cut into 1" pieces. Cook in boiling water for 3mins); easy tomato sauce for pasta (can chopped value toms and some herbs, in microwave for 5 mins to thicken, done) - there are loads on these forums.
• When at the supermarket pay in cash. You know your budget - £70 - so split this up to £17.50 per week and stick to it. If your bill comes to more than that, decide what you can do without and leave it at the checkout. It's easier to spend more without thinking when paying by card.
• Allow yourself some treats, just because you're eating cheaply there's no need to be miserable! Forage some blackberries (loads in hedgerows at the moment!) and you can have a delicious apple and blackberry crumble for not much money.
• Finally, be proud of being able to eat well frugally - just remember that you're eating for less than a banker spends on their morning latte in a week. Now who's good with money? :rolleyes:

Good luck and I hope it works well for you - just remember we are here if you have any questions!

hollydays

Is there anything else you can tell us about your wifes illness that might allow us to give more specific nutritional guidelines?
I would wholeheartedly agree with shopping in the evening for reductions,particularly if you can freeze it.

celyn90

Hi OP, welcome to OS! :wave:

What sorts of thing do you like to eat? Is there anything you don't like or won't eat?

wantingtochange08

Thanks everyone, some wonderful replies already, on this and the other post I made in the wrong section

hollydays wrote: »

Is there anything else you can tell us about your wifes illness that might allow us to give more specific nutritional guidelines?
I would wholeheartedly agree with shopping in the evening for reductions,particularly if you can freeze it.

In my confused state earlier(this is my first time posting on a message board) I forgot to mention a few important things.

Bulking our diets up with carbohydrates is a big no go. My wife has severe PCOS and any Carbs she eats mostly turns into fat. She has tried the Atkins (and similar) diet in the past though, and it makes her very ill, so a low/no carb diet is out of the question. It needs to be balanced really, which will be difficult.

At the moment she is suffering with numerous abscesses, wholly due to poor diet. The most important thing to start with, is finding a way to afford fresh fruit, citrus is best for this. In the past when we have been better off financially this worked a treat.

I know we could quite easily do this if the carb thing wasn't a problem, as rice, pasta, potatoes and the like could be bought and consumed in quantities to keep hunger at bay, yet not break the bank. This is where we are really struggling, and most definitely have been going wrong so far.

Plus I work long hours myself, and I am also responsible for cooking, as well as all other household chores and helping my wife attain a certain amount of comfort after spending all day alone without help. It's tough, which is why it has to change, and fast. She also had a minor heart attack a few weeks back ... she is only 30 So I don't have much time available to cook. So whatever I cook needs to be as quick as possible.

To be clearer. My wife weighs in excess of about 36 stone, and suffers with Agoraphobia. Getting outside help is not an option. We have tried and failed too many times to risk wasting time going that route again.


Wow, doesn't look very promising does it?

Would it help if I did an inventory of what food we have in the house already? I think I saw that done on one of those threads.

Wantingtochange08

10past6

wantingtochange08 wrote: »

Would it help if I did an inventory of what food we have in the house already?

Yes, many members will be able to provide recipes based on your ingredients.

10past6

wantingtochange08 wrote: »

To be clearer. My wife weighs in excess of about 36 stone, and suffers with Agoraphobia. Getting outside help is not an option

I'm not going to take this of topic, one question I'd like to ask, have you contacted your MP - local councellor?

They're very powerful poeple, and have the right "contacts"

10past6

I know your time is very limited, but if you or your wife could find the time to read through the following threads, I’m sure you’ll find some of the information / advice very useful.

Diet/recipe Help Please

Balanced Diet Help

Healthy meals for women with pcos (polycystic ovaries)

Depression and Obesity. Thats me!

hollydays

Is there any way your doctor could put you in touch with a dietician,maybe you could speak to her on the phone?

There is an organisation called no panic that offers 1 to 1 telephone counselling free to people with anxiety/phobias.
Helpline 0808 808 0545 its freephone.