Help! £40 to feed family for the month

mon1o

i know this thread is an oldie but my word the ideas ive got from it!! lentils and oats to make mince go further.....whod've thought it?!

On a serious note, this month is going to be tight for us due to dh being made redundant in a couple of weeks time. So i shall raid my cupboards, see what there is left and hope that i can spend around £20-£30 this month and make some fabby meals with what ive got in and a few extras!

Monica x

miggy

Just to wish you all the best with your 'lean and lovely' month, Monica! I agree, this thread is fab, and I'd also commend anything by Weezl, she's a legend - even if the photo diary of the pig's head is not to everyone's taste!
If you get stuck for what to do with the interesting cupboard-finds, there is a thread called Leftovers? Use it up! Don't throw it in the bin! which is active and very helpful.

mon1o

thanks miggy!

i have more than i thought i did in my cupboards so going to see what interesting things i can make with it all! Will take a look at the thread you mentioned also thanks for the link!

Monica

Lisaberry

I love this thread! Found it last night and I've read up to page 10

I'm now impatiently waiting for Mr Tesco to deliver my lentils so I can stick a bol in the slow cooker!

I really need to start paying off my credit cards and the only way I can really 'make' any money is to cut down on my food bill (I have just started shop and scan, Nielsen, pinecone and the odd bit of mystery shopping too)

my beef casserole is a new hit (more veg than beef, instant mash to thicken) and it goes a long way so hopefully if I carry on this way, using this thread as my bible then pretty soon I should have at least an extra £100 a month towards my nasty nasty credit cards!

Just hope it doesn't affect my waistline too much as I normally shun cheap carbs in favour of expensive protein!

jasperconran

hi all, this is probably on completely the wrong thread! but I was wondering how you get 'invited' to this shop and scan I've heard so much about. I tried to register and it says I need an invite number?

any help gratefully received! thanks

kezlou

Hi Jasper,

No idea which shop your on about so can't help you that way.

To the mods, i know this cheeky and i shouldn't even be asking this.

Maybe this thread, if its okay with mbaz, could be made into a sticky.
This thread was the first one i ever read on MSE and has been a god send and has helped me out so many times its unreal. But at the same time its awe inspiring and inspirational.
I tend to refer it to people, but it often falls from the first page or the link i give is wrong. Yes i know i'm a pain in the back side.

Just think it might really help some people out.

Thanks

Please forgive and accept my apologies if i have over stepped the mark.

Thanks again

Kez x

miggy

kezlou wrote: »

To the mods, i know this cheeky and i shouldn't even be asking this.

Maybe this thread, if its okay with mbaz, could be made into a sticky.
...................

Just think it might really help some people out.

I'm not a mod but wanted to say this thread is such a classic, one of the ones people go back to again and again (along with 'Having fun withDebitas' and anything by Weezl!) (JMO, they are sooo good).
It would be lovely if threads could be voted to be 'classics' and there could be a sticky with links to these, all in one post.

Mbaz, I haven't come across your posts recently but hope things are going well for you?

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi

I have only just discovered this thread and am totally hooked, still reading through all the posts but I have been inspired.

My hours at work are being almost halved and as I am the main breadwinner this is a worry. There are 6 of us at the moment (we have 'borrowed' a teenager for the last 6 months), 2 Adults 2 Teenagers an 11 yr old and a 5 yr old. The kids are pretty easy to feed, not fussy.

I have done an inventory of the freezer and started meal planning, reacon we have enough to last at least 2 months, just need to buy fresh stuffs like fruit, veg, bread and milk. I do have a BM but the kids prefer cheap bread (LOL!).

Made my first batch of bulked out mince yesterday, threw in grated carrot, LENTILS and oats, plus the usual mushrooms, onions and peppers. Microwaved some jackets potatoes, removed the flesh from inside and made into mash. So last night we had cottage pie (served 7 of us - DS1;s GF was here) and we have loaded potato skins (left over from the mash) filled with chilli for 6 of us tonight. Not bad from 500g mince (which was the extra lean tyoe and whoopsied at 93p!). Every one said how nice the cottage pie was.

I know there was a debate as to whether to let OH's in on the secret, I HAVE told my DH as he cooks a lot too and I want to make sure he bulks everything out to maximise the savings.


THANK YOU to everyone who has posted on here and congratulations to Mbaz - what a great thread and some wonderful ideas for money saving/cutting down on waste.

taka

3 kids 2 jobs 1 dog - You may want to have a look at Weezl's meal planner too. Its not quite finished as a monthly plan yet as it is still being tested, but there are loads of very cheap yummy meals. It is based on £100/month for a healthy meal plan for a family of 4 and a lot of thought has gone into getting all your calcium/omegas/vitamins etc so should be fairly healthy if followed in full. Good luck!

babyblooz

fantastic thread, working my way through it bit by bit, will be keeping up with this one :beer: