meal planning - where do i start?

oldtractor

Welcome. firstly dont panic and dont try to do too many changes at once. Do one thing at a time,baby steps.
1. the cats. Do you have an agricultural supplier nearby? if so get chick starter crumbs to use as cat littler. they are cheaper [no pun intended!] than cat litter.
2. learn to make soup.And scones. there are lots of recipes on this board. then move from there,it leads to all sorts of home made things and much satisfaction.
3. go to preparing for winter thread. lots of energy saving stuff there,hot water bottles,lined curtains etc.

rosie383

Check out sites like mysupermarket.com and look to see what special offers are around and you can see what nappies etc are on offer without having to trawl round all the supermarkets.
Do you have a freezer? If so, look for very cheap bread/rolls etc at the end of the day in shops and freeze them Works out cheaper than baking your own bread.
Set yourself a realistic budget and try to stick to it. I lift the grocery money out on a weekly or monthly basis and put it in a special wee purse and don't use my card at all. Keep all your receipts so you can look and see where you are maybe overspending in areas, so where you could cut back.
You will find there is so much you can do to cut back if you really need to. Set yourself aside some time to look on the food shopping and groceries board, at the recipe threads, etc and keep coming back here asking for advice and help.

MaggieBaking

I'd recommend doing one shop buying the most value products (if you don't already.) At worst, you might have to put up with bread that's not as light and fluffy as you like... But at best you discover ways of knocking pounds off your shop every week. You'd be surprised at what you might even prefer!

The best meal planning involves making sure you use the most out of what you buy. For example yesterday I made belly pork, and with the leftovers today I made a small batch of stuffing - meaning my husband has pork and stuffing sandwiches for a couple of days. If you bulk buy some mince, you can make lasagne one day and cottage pie the next. When you make the mash from the cottage pie, if you have any spare you can make potato cakes the next day to have with some lamb chops.

I also think it's a good idea to have one cheap dinner day where the quality of food might not be as nutritious but will save you a few pounds every week. For example pasta with pesto and some tomatoes, or jacket potatoes with baked beans.

Soup is a very cheap good for you food if you make it yourself. It's very easy and as it's coming into the winter months you're family will be well fed and happy! A roast chicken on a Sunday can be turned into chicken soup during the week for example.

Ben84

skintasusual wrote: »

Hi All,

We are about to take a massive drop in income and I need to be thrifty! Am useless normally!
We are ME, my OH, DS1 who is 2 and DS2 who is 11 months. He will be off formula soon, but they are both still in nappies - I use LIDL ones which are about a fiver for 50. laundry and toletires I usually buy whatever is cheapest at the time.

We also have 2 cats - need litter & food - any tips for cutting the costs on this?

I dont know where to start with meal planning and budgeting!! I have a slow cooker i would like to start using,

can anyone help me with where to start with all this??? like how to sit down and plan and stuff? I would be open to making my own bread and stuff too if it really is cheaper!!

Thanks in advance xx

I think that a great place to start is collecting data on what you're actually spending on right now, make a spending diary and write down everything for each day. Even the small stuff like bus tickets and milk. Then total it up in to categories. You'll probably be surprised how much little things cost when added up, which is very valuable itself to realise. However, the main thing you'll get from this is a total picture of where your money is going and then you can start deciding where to look for savings. You need to have so idea where you're coming from financially to know where you can go next.

MaggieBaking

One thing my husband did was insist we spent everything on Debit Cards. I use to use cash, and liked not acknowledging how much we were spending on some things!! But I decided if I didn't want it shown up on the statement I shouldn't buy it. Now even at the newsagents, for £2 I'll use a debit card.

Hubby has signed us up to Love Money website which is amazingly wonderful at creating your budget. It automatically collects your bank statments etc and once you set it up to say that anything spent at Tesco supermarket is "food" and anything spent at Tesco fuel is "petrol" it remembers and automatically puts everything into the right column to show you, and helpfully it even tells you what the average spend is so you know if you're being excessive. It splits out spending up into an easy to read pie chart and only needs 5 minutes every month to assign the last few bits of spending it doesn't automatically know.

suzybloo

I would second working out what you spend now and get a rough idea on how your outgoings add up.
Try making a meal plan for a week. Check what you have in the cupboards first to use up before their use by dates and factor that in. Go though day by day writing down what you need and score off what you have in the cupboard already. Whats left will be your shopping list for the main meals. Do a basic toiletries list and work from that - score off what you have, same with store cupboard - do you just buy the same things every week because its a habit etc? In the end you will have a condensed list of what you need. TRy and build up a good store of basic things like flour, sugar, uht milk, rice etc, that way you have the means to do various options without going to the shops to pick up one item and coming back with a dozen. (I am sure there is a thread somewhere about storecupboards - maybe have a wee search) Many of us buy a couple of extra tins etc everyweek and squirrel that away for either when times are tough or in my case I dont intend going shopping from mid-december until the start of February! If you cant bake dont worry start off with packets - I am sure most of us did -for instance in Mr T you get a fairy cake mix for 60p add an egg and you have a dozen fairy cakes for less than 80p. Use Lidl.Aldi and farmfoods if you can (we dont have any near us but when we go to town I always stock up)
On the heating front and keeping your house warm in winter have a look at The preparing for winter thread - it is fantastic - ideas you would never have thought of,
Look at all your energy suppliers, insurance contracts etc even a fiver here and there can make a difference,

good luck, you will pick up lots of good sensible advice on here,

Suzy

squeaky

skintasusual wrote: »

We also have 2 cats - need litter & food - any tips for cutting the costs on this?

I dont know where to start with meal planning and budgeting!! I have a slow cooker i would like to start using,

can anyone help me with where to start with all this??? like how to sit down and plan and stuff? I would be open to making my own bread and stuff too if it really is cheaper!!

Thanks in advance xx

Cats... see our pets board:- Pets & Pet Care

Meal Planning:- We have a weekly Meal Plans thread which is always on the first page or two the current one being Meal plans WB 19th September


Lots of earlier weekly threads in this list:- meal plans threads here on Old Style MoneySaving

And more good well supported threads on meal planning in this list:- meal planning threads here on Old Style MoneySaving

Budgeting:- Pretty much the best way to start on this is to join our Grocery Challenge which is a sticky thread always at the top of the board.

Also see this list:- budgeting threads here on Old Style MoneySaving

Then for general help see:- Getting Started

And for your slow cooker see:- The Complete Slow Cooker Collection

For everything you spend visit the MSE Budget Planner:- Budget Planner


That'll do for starters. I'll be back to do you a pop-quiz in an hour

FairyPrincessk

All of the above is fantastic advice, esp. the links. I'd say the most important thing is to find changes you can live with and make sure you plan for things you enjoy.

For example--making significant changes to your food shop may make you uncomfortable for awhile as you try new recipes, brands, methods. You'll also probably try some things you don't like. Maybe designate one night of the week as "normal" or "special night" and make an old favourite even if it deviates slightly from your overall goals.

Or, if you're cutting back on entertainment costs (one of the first things to go) try to find some new hobbies that fit in better with your new lifestyle. Being OS doesn't mean living a life of abject drudgery!

The most important thing is that you don't make yourself utterly miserable and burn out in the first few weeks--this can be a big transition but it needs to be one you will keep up!

squeaky

Seconded. Here's a quote from our old "welcome" thread:-

Please note: You can't possibly be expected to make all the changes you'll see suggested here in the various threads at once. It's impossible. You wouldn't expect to pass your final exams after one day at school, and you shouldn't expect to be able to do the same here in Old Style.

The best approach is a step by step one. Pick one or two things that you think will be of best help to you and do those until they become normal. Then pick the next best and so on. As you go you'll find that everything gets easier and you'll be patting yourself on the back and actively looking for new ways in no time at all.

sophistica

Meal Planning - here are my ideas. Get a large piece of paper. Write down the days of the week and leave a line for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Then go and look in your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Write what you will eat for each of the days based on what you have. Next to each day write down anything that you will need to buy to make the meal. Then check your meal plans to ensure that they are healthy, have enough fruit and veg and enough variety etc (make any amendments). Use cookery books for some meals to improve your skills. Then get out a calculator and estimate the cost of what you need to buy...modify if you need to. Remember that some items that you buy can be used in more than one meal e.g. a large carton of custard will make a sauce for a homemade apple crumble, can be used in a trifle and can be used in a banana custard. Celery can be used in a minestrone soup, a spaghetti bolognnese and a celery soup. A large portion of mince can make a bolognese and a chilli con carne. Also think "eat one, freeze one" so you have build up a store of cheap ready meals. Keep back a few pounds of your weekly budget to search out bargains for the following week. Example today I was in M&S at 7pm and stumbled on a reduced piece of the finest steak from £5 to 50p...I then went hunting and found a strawberry and clotted cream cheesecake for 50p, custard for 50p, bean sprouts for 10p and custard tarts for 10p. Some of these things are freezable for next week. My other advice is to read cookbooks like novels - in bed and on sofa to get some good ideas and tips. Invest in plastic storage boxes from the pound shop. As far as the cats are concerned, don't buy a load of cheap cat food. Buy one tin or sachet of something cheaper than you normally serve and try them out with it, otherwise you will have a load of cat food that they won't touch. My cat eats better than me as she is dedicated to Gourmet Perle and real dried fish treats!