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How can we eat healthily on £20 a week?

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Is it possible that we can eat healthy, home cooked meals for this amount or am i just kidding myself?

I have been trying to buy shopping every fortnight with just £40 (so £20 a week) to feed myself & DD (11) but it seems I'm always having to pop back to shops in between to buy more.

I don't mind batch cooking (occasionally) & we've plenty of freezer space. I've been reading the threads on here & considering buying a slow cooker too as I don't really like cooking that much.

If anyone has any ideas I'd glady appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance
"Just do it - If you mess up, there's always someone who can put it right"
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Comments

  • piglet6
    piglet6 Posts: 1,532 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I think it can be done, and there are lots of threads on here which cover this type of thing (I’m sure someone cleverer than me will be along soon with some links to them for you...!:rotfl:).

    I would say that meal planning is essential, and batch cooking is the way to go, as is bulking out your meals with pulses and extra veggies (which will save you money on meat, which is often the most expensive part of the meal). The other thing I would recommend is keeping an eye out for offers and being flexible – for example, Lidl/Aldi have various veggies very cheap every week. I tend to look up Lidl’s offers on their website every week on a Monday, and then plan my menu to take advantage of their vegetable offers (this week its red peppers, aubergine, iceberg, spring onions, vine tomatoes and mangoes – and they have also marked their mozzarella down to half price at 27p per packet which is a great price). Also, keep an eye out for BOGOFs in supermarkets and stock up on things when they are on offer (but be careful only to take advantage of the stuff that you would buy anyway – don’t get sucked into buying extra stuff just because it is cheap!). Since joining this website I have become a bit of a “supermarket tart” :p – my loyalty goes wherever has the best offers for me – and most websites will list the week’s offers, so I tend to spend an hour trawling the web once a week, noting where has what on offer, and then whenever I’m passing a certain supermarket during the week, I already know what I am looking for in that particular shop. It sounds time consuming, but we eat better for a lot less cost these days... ;)

    Another tip is Yellow Stickers – try and work out what time your local supermarket marks down its fresh foods, as this can be a great way to get meat (and other things!) cheaply, and if you have a freezer, you can take advantage of this fact and stock up when you see a bargain.

    The only other thing to bear in mind is that, depending on what you already have in your storecupboard/freezer, you might find that you are spending a bit more to start with while you build your stocks up. Similarly, on weeks where you buy loo roll/washing powder (often buying these in bulk is cheaper) you might find you go a bit over budget, but you will then find that the following week (when you don’t need to buy them again) you will be under budget, so it will work out in the long run.

    Good luck! :D

    Piglet
  • LilacPixie
    LilacPixie Posts: 8,052 Forumite
    it is possible but it all depends on how much you can cook and freeze. For example Lidl had a 1.5kg bag of new potatoes for 49p when I was shopping on sunday so I bought, washed, halfved and then par roasted with a spritz of oil and a dusting of paprika for about 20 minutes. I then took them out, let them cool and froze. Now all i need to do is take some out and cook for 20 mins in the oven andi have a quick, cheap meal accompaniment.
    MF aim 10th December 2020 :j:eek:
    MFW 2012 no86 OP 0/2000 :D
  • LeeSouthEast
    LeeSouthEast Posts: 3,822 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    edited 4 August 2009 at 9:34PM
    I manage comfortably (just me) on the equivalent of £12.50 a week so for 1 adult and 1 child, £20 should be doable with care. Batched meals, good planning and an eye for the bargains and reduced goods should see you through. I get plenty of fresh fruit and a well-balanced diet and I'm actually set to only spend £45 this month if my meal planning goes according to plan ;)

    Good luck. Check out the OS board for some meal plans somewhere!

    Honestly (completely irrelevant comment) but it's amazing how much money you can save by just taking time to plan, trying new things and cutting the rubbish. I've cut out the nonsense from my monthly spend, downshifted from premium organic to value stuff in the kitchen, canceled unnecessary monthly subscriptions (why pay for gym membership when I have a free one at work!) or reduced them (mobile down from £41 to £19), and I'm spending on average £350 less a month now than I was 8 months ago. No noticeable reduction in standard of living and £4,200 better off for it ! Incredible.
    Starting Debt: ~£20,000 01/01/2009. DFD: 20/11/2009 :j
    Do something amazing. GIVE BLOOD.
  • LeeSouthEast - please let me in on your secret!!!

    I've given myself a budget of £20/week, just for me (plus one cat), but I am struggling with this, even though I am only on the 3rd day of the week.

    I have started to keep a spending diary to try and work out where I am going wrong - I don't think I am profligate with my cash, but I am full of admiration for your £12.50 - would you consider sharing your meal plans for a typical week??
  • LeeSouthEast
    LeeSouthEast Posts: 3,822 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    It'd be a pleasure. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Been awake 20 hours now and my bed is calling ;)
    Starting Debt: ~£20,000 01/01/2009. DFD: 20/11/2009 :j
    Do something amazing. GIVE BLOOD.
  • Thanks everyone for your replies.

    Yes, looks like i'll have to sit down & draw up a meal plan for the 2 weeks. Must admit I have tried this before but found it difficult to stick to it.

    Went shopping this morning & was still £5 over my weekly budget & it doesn't look as if what I got is going to last a week & there's hardly any fruit.
    "Just do it - If you mess up, there's always someone who can put it right"
  • Jvic28
    Jvic28 Posts: 1,596 Forumite
    We go to our local market on a sunday for fresh fruit and veg. we can get a load there for a fiver. much better than getting them at a supermarket.
    DMP Mutual Support Thread Member No 190
    17/05/08 - Total on DMP: £10025.70
    07/05/14 - Total on DMP: £1666.20 DFD: July 2017!!
    Baby Tomos born 5th June 2009 - 6lb 5oz :j
    Weight Loss Target - to lose 60.8lb by NYE 2015 - 37.6lb TO GO
  • Queen-Bee_2
    Queen-Bee_2 Posts: 828 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Hello Tinks - like you, I am trying to cut down, and have set myself a budget of £20 (me and one cat).

    Have to say that at first I thought it'd be a breeze, but I'm struggling!

    My last Big Shop was on Saturday and £20 seemed to go nowhere. Plus there's all the little extras that are so easy to forget, but soon add up.

    I am now keeping a spending diary - a little cash book I bought from a local newsagents - and am writing everything down to see where it's all going to... It's the small things that add up.

    Yesterday, I cycled to Asda to buy myself a few plastic pots to save leftovers in, and saw some Stardops, so I bought some of that cos I have read such good things about them, plus a big bottle of soy sauce (another £1.50) and before I knew it, I'd spent £6 on things that will come in very handy for the OS lifestyle, but aren't exactly necessities at this precise time...

    Plus on the way home, the chain broke on my bike, so that was another £10.

    The same comments apply to a slow cooker that I bought last week for less than £10 at Tesco. I'd read great things about these but haven't used it yet! Ah yes, and last night, I bought a small bag of soapnuts on-line for another £4 (eek... I'd forgotten about that - only just remembered, into the book it must go)

    All that said, I guess it does take time to adjust and one step at a time will make it easier. After all, there are people posting on this board who have years of experience at living an OS lifestyle so I guess it's unrealistic of me to expect to do the same in just a couple of weeks!

    Look forward to exchanging tips and experiences as we both move forward.

    Queen-Bee
  • LilacPixie
    LilacPixie Posts: 8,052 Forumite
    Tinks did you take a list shopping. the key seems to be plan, plan and plan some more. We are a family of 4, two adults and two kids and we were £44 in lidl on Sunday and that included apples, bananas and pears plus cauli, onions, tomatos, peppers and potatoes. plus it is enough to do us until next Sunday. I bake alot so tend to be buying flour and butter more than sweets and cakes I also bake own bread and make jams/chutneys etc. I don't use ready meals at all but do buy pasta /rice alot. Have a look at the meal plan thread. See what everyone is having and then ask for recipes and even costings and servings. I make my own curry in the slowcooker, I use tescos market value diced turkey thigh instead of chicken breast and a batch that does 4 x family meals costs i would imagine under £4 including the rice and it is very very yummy.
    MF aim 10th December 2020 :j:eek:
    MFW 2012 no86 OP 0/2000 :D
  • Queen-Bee_2
    Queen-Bee_2 Posts: 828 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    LilacPixie wrote: »
    I make my own curry in the slowcooker, I use tescos market value diced turkey thigh instead of chicken breast and a batch that does 4 x family meals costs i would imagine under £4 including the rice and it is very very yummy.

    Hi there LP - I've not used my slow-cooker yet... Can you explain how you did the curry in it and also perhaps the recipe? I have a boneless chicken thigh I was going to cook for supper, and this sounds like a good opportunity to start using it! Thanks, QB
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