A single man living alone on JSA

OrkneyStar

harlina wrote: »

:Done bottle of wine and a case of larger in with it but we work hard so deserve a treat dont u think
And like i say i have family over for sunday dinner and odd occassions but when ur cooking for two few extra veg and spuds go a long way.
I still dont know how one person shops on £20 though id like to see the shopping list they get with it

Your money, your shopping imho .
My only complaint it that hearing the someone else can afford to spend that amount when they have so little (yes we could get into the working hard debate and all that, but I am sure you know what I mean!).
We have much less money now as I am a SAHM but we eat well because I budget, and meal plan, and we have the odd food treat as we don't spend a lot on alcohol or other things. Our main treat is paying more for the lovely locally produced things that you can get here in Orkney (droooooolllll lol).
When I was single a lot of my meals contained pasta, rice, potatoes, reduced meat and veg, reduced bread, diluted fruit juice, no or very little alcohol etc. It was do-able and tbh as I worked FT I used to often be shopping at whoopsie (reduction) times. I had no pets for most of the time either. I used to also eat cheap lunches at the Hospital canteen so evening meals did not have to be so big. hth

harlina

yes i do know what u mean and we all hit hard times in our life but how are ppl expected to spend £20 on food a wk thats my point i wouldnt be able to do it thats why id like to see a shopping list for one person who spends £20 :Danyone got a list for me id really like to see one.
God bless u all and keep u got to go now

OrkneyStar

harlina wrote: »

yes i do know what u mean and we all hit hard times in our life but how are ppl expected to spend £20 on food a wk thats my point i wouldnt be able to do it thats why id like to see a shopping list for one person who spends £20 :Danyone got a list for me id really like to see one.
God bless u all and keep u got to go now

I think if you are on JSA then tbh you don't have much option than to spend very little. JSA is not meant to be a lifetime benefit however so hopefully the OP, and others in that situation, may have better times soon.
I think also if you already have plenty of things in like herbs, spices etc it can make it easier to make dull/cheap meals (e.g. basics pasta with a tin of basics tomatoes tastes even better with some herbs or chilli added, or beans on toast with worcester sauce and cheese tastes better than beans on toast etc).

gunsandbanjos

harlina wrote: »

where do u shop then? I wish my bill could be that but i do like to eat well and i aint no fatty if thats what ur all thinking!;)And ya know bread aint cheap only if u buy the 40p stodgey stuff

I shop in sainsburys and i usually get my meat from Waitrose. I make my own wholemeal bread as it is much cheaper than shop bought bread.

No one ever said you were a fatty!

harlina

I said if thats what u thinking i didnt say anyone had said it now did i? lol:rolleyes:some ppl eh

annie123

Well back on topic OP

My son is living on jsa at the moment too. the easiest way to budget is to look at the bill over 2 weeks min and pref 4 weeks. He will spend £60 pm and this includes free range eggs, and non battery turkey/chicken and extra lean mince.

He has a set menu as a guide for a months eating so it makes it easier to budget, but if somethings on special/reduced to clear then he gets that.

He's a good creative cook, which does help and always happy to try new combinations etc depending on whats on offer.

Look at the price per 100g for pasta for example, and buy the most economical even if it is 2kg! over the month it works out cheaper. Do this with rice etc.
Dinners should be made around pasta/rice/potato's which is cheap and filling.
Rather than just eating a banana add it to some basic range low fat yogurt, again better for you and filling.

He has batch cooking days too to save on electricity, for example, get 1.5kg of lean mince, he will take 1/3 of it and turn it into Chili, or Sheppard's pie or pasta sauce or meatballs, cook and freezer in 1 person portions, take out on the morning that you want to eat it, leave in fridge to defrost and only needs reheating in microwave for a few mins in the evening.

Markets are great places for cheap fruit, so he will make a fruit crumble which lasts several days etc

Its all about planning and its easier and cheaper to do over at least 2 weeks.

HTH
ps.....or do as he does and visit mum when you want someone else to do the cooking!

valk_scot

At the moment I'm spending a maximum of £100 per week to feed two adults, two children and two cats. Oh, and that has to include cleaning materials and stuff like loo rolls and bin bags. I don't know what the current level of JSA is but I would have thought £20-£25 max would be enough to cover food for a single person, with planning.

However....the OP has not provided us with two important pieces of information vis whether he can cook at all, and if he has reasonable cooking facilities with access to a fridge and freezer. No point in suggesting buying meat in bulk when in the reduced section, cooking a batch meal and then freezing some if he can't cook and has no freezer.

However I could do it quite easily. As has been said bulk carbohydrate foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes should form the basis of most main meals. Tinned foods such as baked beans, veg, tomatoes and pulses are cheap and you can use them as good basic ingridients ie tinned chickpeas, tomatoes, sweetcorn and some fresh veg will make vegetarian curry. Mince is incredibly versatile..it's worth paying a little extra for decent quality stuff but getting it out the reduced section and frrezing it raw or cooked is ideal.

Breakfasts? Own brand cereals (plain ones are healthier and cheaper), toast and spreads, basic orange juice, eggs and beans.

Lunch. Sandwiches (make your own ie home made egg mayo, peanut butter, cheese etc), fruit, yoghurts.

Dinner. As above. Try to include at least two portions of fruit and veg. Tinned sweetcorn or frozen peas or mixed veg are cheap and simple. Chilli, spaghetti bolognaise, vegetable curry etc are all student staples and extra portions keep in the fridge and taste better the next day. Try to make sure you make a meal in advance this way if you're not going to have time to cook the next evening ie if you're going out. It saves the expensive temptation of the carry-out. Try and have two courses ie soup if you have veg to use up, or fruit and custard or ice cream.

If you can't cook, check out the library or charity shops for cook books aimed at students on a budget. Same problems, same lack of cash. One tip they always give is to try and cook as a group for one or two meals a week...you may not share a house with others you could do this with, but cooking for three friends once a month and rotating round can be fun instead of going out for a meal.

PS. Got to comment on £160 per week for two people and a dog. I'd love to see your shopping list too! What do you eat, to spend all that money? Do you buy straightforwards ingredients and cook from scratch, or is it all ready cut/diced/rolled and ready to bung into the oven, a la M&S? Or readymeals?

PlutoinCapricorn

It might help to treat it as a project and a challenge: how much you can get for how little money.

It does indeed help to look at a whole month, and set the budget for that. £130 seems a reasonable amount to start the ball rolling with. This way, you can take advantage of special offers when they come up and buy staples in larger quantities.

There are innumerable tips on this forum about buying, cooking and storing food. I wonder whether you have heard of 'freeganism' where people find perfectly good food that supermarkets throw away at the end of the day?

missymugwump

Maybe they eat only organic food and premium brands
You would be surprised how it adds up
& if that includes a couple of bottles of good wine or premium beer ?

I'm only jealous :rotfl:

It's belt & braces for us now

1) I do the self scan/pack thing if I am in Sainsburys,as I add an item I can see my running total,no nasty surprise
2) I always take a list which I have checked first on "Mysupermarket" and I go to which ever is cheapest
(I have an asda,morissons,sainsburys,somerfield,tescos,iceland and aldi cose by)
3) Add 10% for reduced,short date items because you always get tempted by something


Last night I made a suet bacon pudding
4oz flour
2oz suet
milk to bind
salt & pepper
2 rashers chopped bacon (pre fry)
1 chopped onion (pre fry )
Mix all together put in pudding basin ,cover with foil simmer for 1 hour


Cost next to nothing fed 2 with leftover

Tasted lush with gravy & cabbage shreddded & fried in olive oil with a little chopped garlic


Followed by a lovely lemon tart from iceland £1
And again half of it's left for today


Eating cheap does not have to mean eating plain,flavourless pasta or noodles

My husband says I should write a cook book
I know I can feed 3 adults on £25 a week 3 meals a day 2 course evening meals every day

harlina

:rotfl:

valk_scot wrote: »

At the moment I'm spending a maximum of £100 per week to feed two adults, two children and two cats. Oh, and that has to include cleaning materials and stuff like loo rolls and bin bags. I don't know what the current level of JSA is but I would have thought £20-£25 max would be enough to cover food for a single person, with planning.

However....the OP has not provided us with two important pieces of information vis whether he can cook at all, and if he has reasonable cooking facilities with access to a fridge and freezer. No point in suggesting buying meat in bulk when in the reduced section, cooking a batch meal and then freezing some if he can't cook and has no freezer.

However I could do it quite easily. As has been said bulk carbohydrate foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes should form the basis of most main meals. Tinned foods such as baked beans, veg, tomatoes and pulses are cheap and you can use them as good basic ingridients ie tinned chickpeas, tomatoes, sweetcorn and some fresh veg will make vegetarian curry. Mince is incredibly versatile..it's worth paying a little extra for decent quality stuff but getting it out the reduced section and frrezing it raw or cooked is ideal.

Breakfasts? Own brand cereals (plain ones are healthier and cheaper), toast and spreads, basic orange juice, eggs and beans.

Lunch. Sandwiches (make your own ie home made egg mayo, peanut butter, cheese etc), fruit, yoghurts.

Dinner. As above. Try to include at least two portions of fruit and veg. Tinned sweetcorn or frozen peas or mixed veg are cheap and simple. Chilli, spaghetti bolognaise, vegetable curry etc are all student staples and extra portions keep in the fridge and taste better the next day. Try to make sure you make a meal in advance this way if you're not going to have time to cook the next evening ie if you're going out. It saves the expensive temptation of the carry-out. Try and have two courses ie soup if you have veg to use up, or fruit and custard or ice cream.

If you can't cook, check out the library or charity shops for cook books aimed at students on a budget. Same problems, same lack of cash. One tip they always give is to try and cook as a group for one or two meals a week...you may not share a house with others you could do this with, but cooking for three friends once a month and rotating round can be fun instead of going out for a meal.

PS. Got to comment on £160 per week for two people and a dog. I'd love to see your shopping list too! What do you eat, to spend all that money? Do you buy straightforwards ingredients and cook from scratch, or is it all ready cut/diced/rolled and ready to bung into the oven, a la M&S? Or readymeals?

If u had read what i said i never buy ready meals there full of crap. I always cook from scratch and have family over for sunday so my joint is a big one:Dand im a very good cook thanku very much im not a mcdonalds fan for my sunday dinner u know