Help us mealplan, and eat more healthily and cheaply...

sammiebmouse

Hello All,

Im currently overdue our 1st baby (due last friday), our income will decrease and I am also hoping to breastfeed.

What I am looking to do is make our grocery budget go alot further (both me and OH allocate £100 each, every month-so £200 per month but we never seem to have much in-and also I would like to eat more nutritious foods, esp if breastfeeding.

Up to now-we just go to tesco, buy whatever we want, usually potatoes, some meat, veg, kievs, chips,beans, milk,eggs etc, and as it was only us before it didnt bother me as I was working full time-and we always got in quite late in the evenings, but now that Im on maternity leave I'd like to be able to make nice dinners, spend less and eat better, so would appreciate any help.

Even just to be directed to where I can find some decent recipes, some new ideas especially for quick to make recipes for when time is limited when little one has arrived.

Also my OH is not great with money and i havent been before finding this site-but would like to be able to save some of the food budget, instead of using it all.

OH will eat anything.

Thanks for any/all help xx

halight

Hi,
First good luck with your new baby!!
You can save some money by going to a buchers in the high street of even better on your local market late on saturday afternoon. thay sell what thay have left cheep. as a lot of the time thay can not or dont wont to keep it untill the next week. We have had some really good bargins by doing this.

Cook as much as you can from scrach. its a lot cheeper than buying things pre done or ready meals. cook some meals and freeze them ready so when you dont have a lot of time or your feeling tired you can just do these quick. Also cook more than you need and freeze what you dont use and this agin is another quick meal for you.

I hope this haelps you a bit.

All the best and good luck

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi There!

I would suggest making a list of all meals that you like. Quick & nutricious (sp) meals in our house are meals such as:

Shepherds Pie & Veg (Make double and freeze one)
Chilli & Rice (same as above)
Spagbol (as above)
FishPie (as above)
Toad In hole, mash & veg
Egg, chips & beans
Cheese & pot pie
Stews
Curries
Roasts

When breastfeeding high energy snacks are perfect-things like:

Tuna & salad sarnies
Nuts
Dried fruit
Peanut butter on crackers or wholemeal
Pasta or rice salad
HM soup


HTH

PP
xx

ifonlyitwaseasier

come and join the grocery challenge and try the meal plan thread, i have gotten so many recipes from both,

on the GC thread we even have a list of recipe links on the first page so you'll find it easy to eat some great food

hth

ioiwe x

Trinny

Congratulations on your new baby - hope all is going well

I am a total newbie Money Saver - the most helpful threads to get me started are to do with meal planning and cheap and easy recipes - i havent been here very long - but we are starting to save money already.

Just done my first freezer inventory - and planned ( with support of OH) to work from the list when meal planning. This is a major step forward as we cant resist a whoops bargain - and i had no idea what food was in the freezer - also done this with store cupboard.

Learnt a lot from the leftovers thread. I am the most disorganised person on the planet - but i am getting better

Trin