Black-Saturn's Menu Planner

Becles

How do you run your own business and still get free school meals?

I was told that if you were self employed and claiming Tax Credits you were not entitled to free school dinners, regardless of your income size. They said you only got free school dinners if you were claiming just the Child Tax Credits. Was I told the wrong information?

Penny-Pincher!!

Becles-that information is correct!!

PP
xx

black-saturn

Becles wrote:

How do you run your own business and still get free school meals?

I'm in receipt of DLA too for my 11 year old daughter.

Queenie

black-saturn wrote:

Wow, this thread grew since last night.

I qualify for free school meals because I am on an income of £9k for 3 people per year. If you are on a benefit or on a low income you will qualify for free school meals.

May I ask, did you include that when you calculated £50-something per 6 week spend in the other thread? I only ask because "technically" it would be misleading to other posters in the sense that 5 meals a week, times 2 children over 6 weeks is the equivalent of 60 meals that wouldn't be included in your calculations. Yet other posters may miss that aspect when trying to use your calculations as a basis for their own. It would be a pity because they may find it unattainable and perhaps .. discouraging in their endeavours?

How much are the free meals "worth" in money? Sorry if that sounds nosey or you feel it's rude to ask.

black-saturn

Maybe I should have done the thread when the children are on school holidays instead of free school dinners causing so much confusion.

School dinners cost £1.37 each per day. During the school holidays I would not spend this amount every day on their lunch. More like £4.00 a week for the 2 of them.

Spendless

I think it depends on your LA how much school dinners are Queenie. I pay £1.50 a day (£7.50 per week), but when school dinner money has been mentioned before on MSE some members living in different parts of the country to me have paid a different amount.

Chipps

Hi black saturn, just wanted to thank you for this list, it's always good to get a few extra ideas! Thanks for taking the time to write & cost it all out.

The fruit cobbler is very like the one I posted ages ago from "More with Less", (if not the same one?!) and I agree it is the fruit which determines whether the topping is soggy or more cake-like. I found that draining tinned fruit is best (if the fruit it tinned in juice that makes a good drink! - probably not a great idea if its done in syrup, though!)

thriftlady_2

Chipps wrote:

The fruit cobbler is very like the one I posted ages ago from "More with Less", (if not the same one?!)

I noticed that one too Chipps,I tried it once,I think black saturn's is better as she uses twice as much flour,sugar and milk,so the result is more substatial.She also uses self-raising flour rather than plain+baking powder.

Queenie

black-saturn wrote:

Maybe I should have done the thread when the children are on school holidays instead of free school dinners causing so much confusion. .

No, no, no; not at all!!! (To be honest, that would have been even more misleading LOL )

Last time I worked it out, children had roughly 13 weeks a year school holidays, so for the remaining 75% of the year, the amount you are given for the cost of "free" school meals is actually very pertinent (trust me, the Government would have done their budget very similar to how we are advised to when calculating these matters ).

£13.70 per week is what another OS'er living in your area would need to calculate if they were not in receipt of "free" meals. But, if they lived near Spendless, it would be £15 (based on 2 children).

£13.70 x 6 weeks £82.20 - which is one and a half times again the figure you quoted on the other thread. Obviously, to you, this is "free"; but to those who are not receiving "free" meals, it would in fact make a considerable difference. (As I'm certain it would to you if you found yourself having to find that amount extra every 6 weeks. )

The word "free" is in itself misleading because the value of those meals over an academic year is over £500; which makes it interesting that you *don't* include this when mentally calculating your food expenses, as it is in actual fact more than *you*pay out on food shopping (especially when you deduct the dog food from the equation).

Realistically then, in addition to the amount you pay over 6 weeks for food shopping, there is a further sum of £82.20 being spent on food/meals.

I take your point that you wouldn't spend that amount during holiday times but equally, during holiday times, your children wouldn't be eating 2 dinners and puddings per day as they are during school times either.

Please don't take my post the wrong way, I'm just clarifying things in my own mind.

loopylass

thanks very much for doing this i have printed out lots of recipes but always on the lookout for more i would love it if we could have all your meal ideas i have 6 in my household but seeing what you do on so little ingredients is amazing

thankyou:T