DESPERATELY need cheap meal ideas

Carmen_Queasy

I'm veggie as well and I like to do home cooking to save money as a lot of the ready meals are a bit pricey. Join some vegetarian and vegan forums as posters there often post their own recipe ideas, and borrow books from the library if you're new to home cooking. Also a lot of veggie groups will send you free go veggie starter packs with recipe booklets in them. If you have a Holland and Barret near you, you can get huge bags of textured soya protein for a pound something which you can use instead of mince(just pour boiling water over it, wait a couple minutes till it "swells up", drain then use), in chillis, bolognese sauces, etc. You can usually pick up value kidney beans for about 14p in most supermarkets, which I use a lot, and other own brand tinned beans for about 50p. Red lentils are really cheap and easy to cook, and ideal for soups. If you have time buying other dried legumes is even cheaper but they do take a while to cook, so it's something I personally don't tend to bother doing often. I spend about £30 a week average on food for my fiance and I.

Carmen_Queasy

vicshippers wrote: »

noodles packs when they're on special offer (or just getting the asda price value type ones). )

I think the asda value noodles have chicken or fish stock in them? I may be wrong as they might have changed their recipe since then but they did the last time I looked.

CrashUK

wordsfan wrote: »

food bills getting outta hand!! theres only me and 8 yr old daughter and i DO cook and don't eat out and rarely get takeaways (twice or less a month, naturally they're going!!) but food bill regularly £50 a week! and thats at asda (no other supermarkets here) only place in my budget left to cut back on is food! (don't drink, don't smoke, don't have a social life)

I'm vegetarian, daughter isn't but eats vegetarian at home. she gets free school meals as i am disabled and not working. I need ideas for main evening meal as apart from everything else we seem to keep having the same thing!! casseroles/stews, pasta, stir frys/curry's. would also like tips on making own sauces for these and other meals and advice on what can and can't be frozen.


Thanks in anticipation of the great ideas i know i'll get.

WF

£50 a week is very cheap now days.. me and gf spend about £65 per week at adsa. We look for special offers and buy every thing they have..

when asda had bread mix for 29p we got like 10-20 at a time and got a bread mixer for £3 at a car boot.

For cooking like for recipes like Chill Con can be with out jars... its made from tomatoes so you can make it with chill power and a cheap tin of chopped tomatoes.

tin of chopped tomatoes can make Chill Con, Spaghetti bolognese, and most curry's.

Currys are easy to make copped Onion and chill powder and curry powder and tin of copped tomatoes and add some meat and rice.

also stir fry's are very cheap to make and are good for using up veg that is going out of date.. all you need is some meat, veg, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chicken ox. take 10 mins to make.

Sorry did not see the bit out you being vegetarian

Tightwadways

For anyone on a budget I'd recommend reading through Weezl's 50p a day challenge on the old Style forum :money: The front page of that has links to some of the recipes given in the large thread

brightonman123

made a big batch of sausage or burgers with tinned tomato, baked beans, potatoes, peppers onions etc in a large pot, cook in oven, eat as required.

chill remainder in fridge and go again the next day!

dirtyflannel

Buy Quorn mince when you see it on offer can be used for all sorts curries shepherds pies chilli. I spice up quorn sausages with spicy sauces and bake them with yorks puds veg and jacket potatoes. Jacket potatoes are nice with salad and other fillings. £2 for a big bag at Lidl.

wilf55

i find shopping at the local greengrocers is great cheap in season foods but best of all bags of tomatoes 10p when they need to be eaten same for mushrooms peppers caulies etc etc and fruit also

see what they have every couple of days then batch cook and freeze

Debt_Free_Dreamer

minxeme wrote: »

I tried using morrison voucher last nite at tesco-spent £50-other coupons worked but morrisons wouldnt scan

They will not scan. The Sales Assistant has to put it in manually as a non scanable voucher. I normally go through the self scanner, but have had to stick to the normal tills at the moment to off load my Morrisons vouchers. Luckily I have just found a great SA who puts through loads of coupons for me. £17 today.... :T:T for my £42 spend.

Thank you Mr T.