Help! £40 to feed family for the month

clairelouise100

This probably a really silly question but I have read that people are using oats to make bolognaise etc go further - what oats do you use - porridge oats? x

Caroline73_2

Not sure about the oats, I'm still a lentil newbie.

I've added two handfuls (about 100g I reckon) to each of these dishes this week. Bolognaise, chicken&veg curryand a chili. OH and the children haven't noticed - YAY!

pandora205

The lentil tip is a great one, just don't over do it otherwise the texture gives it away (if you are trying to 'hide' them).

On the semi-skimmed milk front I see 1litre cartons are half price in Netto this week (something like 38p) as is sugar. As I make my yoghurt, this is very good value and will make it even cheaper. It's also useful to have a few cartons for midweek, making smoothies etc.

JoolzS

otterspasm wrote: »

Hi there,
if you mix equal quantities of cooked red lentils to a made up pack of sage and onion stuffing you can make this mixture into great veggie burgers. Just form it into burger shapes when cool and dip in egg then flour then breadcrumbs and fry off. Served with homemade bread rolls they will serve 8 hungry people for about 15p per person and you should still have half left to freeze.

That sounds scrummy. I've just added it to my "What can I make from the cupboards?" list that I've been making for the past couple of weeks.

Julie

1HANNAH

clairelouise100 wrote: »

This probably a really silly question but I have read that people are using oats to make bolognaise etc go further - what oats do you use - porridge oats? x

yes its porridge oats, I have tried it this week after reading about it in this thread and it really did work!! (hubby didn't notice the lentils or the porridge!):j

Pitlanepiglet

1HANNAH wrote: »

yes its porridge oats, I have tried it this week after reading about it in this thread and it really did work!! (hubby didn't notice the lentils or the porridge!):j

The cheaper the better for oats if you're hiding them in food!! Tesco value or moonflake all the way!

lill

Jesus its taken me about 3 days to finish reading this thread :eek: in that time Ive made the lentil and stuffing burgers, bought my first BM ( £24 so still money saving and fine for what I need) I have a batch of spag bol /chilli sauce cooking in the slow cooker complete with lentils, oats and carrot, bought a massive bag of turnips and same of parsnips from asda whoopsie @ 10p to go in my HM stew for lunch at work in a thermos ... so a massive THANK YOU to everyone involved in this thread :T

All this added to the vinager for the laundry, stardrops for cleaning and big bar of that old fashioned buttermilk soap and washing soda ready for turning into HM washing powder and ill be a millionaire this time next year!!

clairelouise100

Well I have just made a chilli using a 500g pack of mince - added some lentils - and I cannot believe how much more it has made, I am sooooo impressed. I did use a tin of baked beans instead of kidney beans because I am not fussed on kidney beans and it is so nice. Just hope the kids like it now. Think i will be giving the home made burgers a go next, need to find now where it read how to make them. Keep the tips coming - some of them are brill!!!!

macwah97

Hi All

Found this thread by chance and have read all of it - WOW!!:j

Congratulations Mbaz on succeeding in your challenge.:T :A

I had read elsewhere about the lentils and oats but it was on here that I picked up the recipe for the mince mix for sphag bol and chilli that's made in the slow cooker. Tesco over here has buy 3 meats for £10, included whole chicken, mince, pork shoulder roast, fish and chicken fillets - something else I', sure. Anyway got the mince and bunged it into slo cooker with all the other bits - DH declared yummy best ever, - no problem eating it with Value Penne pasta and value cheese grated over. Children loved it as well and enough for lunches or single dinners. Made it again last night and have split it into freezer to make chilli and lasagne.:j

WHole chicken has become , sandwich meat, chicken and chickpea curry (value curry sauce) and soup.

Lunch today was the remainder of a Tesco meatloaf, chopped up, fried on pan with onion and a tin of Value spaghetti added, stirred through and eaten with toasted (nearly out of date) bread and cheese grated on top. - Yummy

It has taken a while but everyone in this house is getting used to the idea of eating cheaply.:D

I do not compromise on the milk, although by necessity some people may have to, nor yoghurts or bread.

Weekends are 'soup days'. The only thing I ask DD4.11mths is what colour of soup do you want - usually she says the colour I have in veggies !!!!! White - potato and leek, orange - carrot and whatever!!, red - peppers and tomato, green = eugh!!! but they will eat it anyway with HM bread.;)

Anyway have waffled long enough on here.

I think the secret is not to see being money short as a problem but as a challenge and if you think 'out of the box' and make it fun for your children you will get there.:beer:

I have to think carefully/radically from Friday 19th December to 16th January as my work has closed to save money for this time and even when we return on 5th Jan it will be the following week before we get paid - and I only work part-time - so creative is the buzz word.:rolleyes:

OK gotta go.

One last waffle - Tesco now do 1 litre of wine (value) for £2.89 - the white is not bad!! - packed in Tetra type cartons.

Keep up the good work all you Savers and I totally agree on removing the person who had a problem with 'benefits' - I was raging!!!!


PS: AM NOT ANGRY AT THE TOP OF THIS THREAD _ JUST PUT THE FACE IN THE WRONG PLACE!!!!!

nich29580

Hey avid lurker here, this post and indeed this whole website is an inspiration, ive definatly curbed my money wasting ways.

One of my faves was cook up enough pasta to fill a baking/ovenproof dish. Drain it off leaving in a little of the cooking water then add into the pan 1 tin of value chicken soup plus any veg (frozen or fresh) you may have. Give it good stir and pour into you oven dish. sprinkle with herbs/salt & pepper then cover with grated cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbling.
I once cooked this on a Sunday and had a portion every day for the rest of the week as a 'reheat'. Was a bit boring but as I had no money it was a godsend. To liven it up I got creative by adding tomato sauce or grainy mustard.

I do another variation on this by cooking up the pasta and adding a tin of tomatoes soup and a tin of tuna, put in a oven dish and top with cheese and cook for about half hour, serve it with some garlic bread (i always seem to have YS garlic bread lurking in my freezer lol) always goes down well in my house and i always tub up any leftovers that do for lunch as they are easy to reheat.

congrats to all again.......:T
xoxo