Eat for £12 a week?

pixie1

Im going to try this next month, im getting better at OS but its hard as Im not a great cook.

Ive brought a sc and Im cooking in bulk and freezing the extra, i just need to meal plan a little more.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Pixie

Katgoddess

This American woman has designed an emergency $45 menu for a family of 4 which works out at £6 each. As well as a $70 menu which works out at £10 each.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm

She bakes all her own bread, cooks from scratch, and there is hardly any meat instead there are lots of beans for the protein. Drinks are homemade iced tea, frozen orange juice, and powdered milk.

Interesting reading.

thriftlady_2

That is interesting reading Kat.I've read a few of these sort of things from US websites.Don't you have to take into account the fact that some foodstuffs are cheaper over there than here?From my reading of the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn I get the impression that meat is much cheaper and dried milk considerably cheaper than fresh,whereas here dried milk is only a bit cheaper than fresh.I've never shopped for food in America so I don't really know,just a general impression from things I've read.

Katgoddess

thriftlady wrote:

Don't you have to take into account the fact that some foodstuffs are cheaper over there than here?

Thats what I thought too. Frozen orange juice is something else that is cheap in the US as they have places with lots of sunshine where they can grow them. All we have is economy bettabuy cartons.

They have lots of different recipes as well. Corn bread I've heard of, but snickerdoodles.

tigerlily

I don't doubt that alot of the things on the menu's are cheaper in the US than here but it makes a good guide of what is possible...Thank you.

ceegee

This thread has made me angry.....with myself!

Having read through it I realise that at £50 approx per week, my food/toiletry/cleaning spend is too much. Or when people say how much they spend, do they mean just food and not toiletries/cleaning stuff?

There is me and my 2 teenage daughters, no pets and we all have.....errr..... healthy appetites and an addiction to chocolate!

So, is it just food or is it everything that people are talking about when mentioning their budget?

I really, really have to get my spend down. I think I will set myself some sort of challenge.

thriftlady_2

My £50 a week for 2 adults and 3 kids does include household stuff-looroll,toothpaste etc.But Ceegee if you are spending the same on 1 adult and 2 teenagers I reckon that works out about the same.My 2 youngest(9and5)have fairly small appetites but my 10 yo eats like a horse(as do me and OH ).Teenagers really count as adults in what they eat don't they?

Sounds like you're doing pretty well to me

moggins

My budget of £50 is for 2 adults and 2 kids (used to be 3 adults before DD1 moved out), 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs and 4 fish and yes that does include everything, toiletries, laundry and cleaning stuff and petfood, it also includes twice weekly sweets for the kids which I buy in big bags from Lidl and then split into sandwich bags to be doled out on their sweetie days.

jobbingmusician

If anyone still wants details of money-saving recipes, there are LOADS here! (But you probably already knew that....)

lallyaya

I'm spending far too much for a single person! I'm having a freezer clear out over the next few weeks to try and eat out all the stuff i've got and then i'm going to do a proper meal plan! You've inspired me to give it a go!