Help! £40 to feed family for the month

leiela

Sometimes i think a shop would rather a child ate something the parent was willing to pay for rather than have a tantrum causing a scene and distrubing the other customers.

My mum is type2 diabetic too so i know what your mean, she always carry's food with her, but in someways in a shop that can be worse just because you get it out of your own bag to eat doens't mean the shop KNOW that. My mums been stopped a few times at the tills and asked if she was gonig to pay for something she actually bought into the shop with her and didn't come of thier shelves.

Personally i've never let my kids eat wandering around a shop, nor do i eat wandering around a shop but it doens't bother me that other people do, as long as they "pay for it" at the end. Opening eating food and putting things back on the shelves bug's me though because that is theft.

what also bugs me when people get half way around the shop and change thier mind about something and take whatever it is out of thier basket/trolly and dump it where-ever.. espec fresh food, i can't count the amount of times i've found things like loaves of bread in the freezers, and even if the shop clerk did find it it can't go back onto the shelves, because it's frozen..it's not so bad with tins and packets but fresh fresh food needs to go back into the fridges so another customer can buy it. i always take things back to where i found them if i change my mind i can't see why others can seem to manage it.

chezba

I'm not making any comments on the recent posts but just wanted to add that the last two pages has made what was a fascinating thread on how to cope with very little money into a b*tching ground. I'm not sure if the moderators are able to remove posts but if they can they should be so the thread can be returned to the helpful and inspiring one that it was.

Tracy

DianneB

I so agree with chezba, I think the last two pages are totally irrelevant and should be removed, they totally ruin one of the best threads ever!!

jembie

I am going on holiday in 4 weeks and have hardly been able to save any money.
My cupcoards and freezer were practically bare and I have been panicking so much about food and holiday lol

So I borrowed £30 and my friend took me to Tesco on Thursday and I have managed to do a whole shop and a full menu plan from now until we go away.

Here it is...

Sun08 chicken portions, veg Yorkshires, roasts
Mon09 Sausage casserole with bread
Tue10 Homemade pizzas
Wed11 lasagne
Thurs12 chops and veg,potatoes
Fri13 Pie and chips
Sat14 Eating out (My Birthday night out)
Sun15 Do what you like (My Birthday - No cooking)
Mon16 Bolognaise
Tue17 Chicken portions & Chips
Wed18 pasta leftover mince from bolognese
Thurs19 wraps
Fri20 noodles and sausage
Sat21 Beans on toast
Sun22 Do what you like
Mon23 Egg & Chips
Tues24 Wraps
Wed25 Meat veg pots yorkshires
Thurs26 Pie pots veg
Fri27 burgers chips
Sat28 EAT OUT (Son's birthday)

Sun29 Chicken roast veg pots potatoes
Mon30 Chicken pittas
Tues31 Pasta bolognaise
Wed01 Sausage and mash
Thurs02 Egg and chips

leiela

Ugh how do you guys do meal plans...

I know, i know i need to do one otherwise im going to be eating the weirdest food ever by the end of the month, if i was buying everything from scratch i think i could do it but im trying to do a combo of spending very little and eating what i already have and im getting lost it's just so daunting.

SunnyGirl

leiela wrote: »

Ugh how do you guys do meal plans...

I know, i know i need to do one otherwise im going to be eating the weirdest food ever by the end of the month, if i was buying everything from scratch i think i could do it but im trying to do a combo of spending very little and eating what i already have and im getting lost it's just so daunting.

I started off by maiking a list of whats in the cupboards/freezer (which you've already done ) and then went through the list picking one thing out that was the basis for a meal - chicken, sausage, leftover roast etc. I did this for however long the meal plan was for, a week, fortnight, month etc. Then I picked things to go with the meal basic like mash, pasta, rice, veggies & added that to the list also. By now you should have a basic meal plan. Then sort out on which nights you want to make something depending on what needs using up 1st, what everyone is up to, how much time you have each day (weekends are usually not as busy as weekdays although the kids'll eat more when they're at home :rotfl: ) Then I add things like lunches, treats & snacks on. I keep a blank piece of paper next to me so that I can add things that I need to buy on it & this becomes my shopping list.

It sounds daunting but its not once you get going with it - honest Plus you'll know exactly what you're all going to be eating until payday comes around again. Ooh I also stick the plan on the cupboard door so that everyone can see it & can psyche themselves up to eat something they're not keen on HTH

leiela

Ugh i can't do this...

how do people cope??! im only upto friday and im already runing out of food!!! there is no way im not going to end up using the credit cards this month :mad:

I'm really trying, i understand that my diet it usually really strict, and i am trying to comprimise but there is only so far i can push my husband because he'll get stroppy and use his credit cards to get "proper food", i can't fill him up on things like bread rice or pasta because he simply won't eat it, because he thinks eating that stuff with "undo months of hard work", it's not a carb issue he just see's that stuff as nutritionally void and says he might as well eat cardboard for the good it does the body... but "good" food is expensive...

I'm cutting down and cutting back, but i look at my meal plan and i feel like im starving us all and i know my husband won't stick to it, and tbh i'm not sure i can, yesterday was a nightmare i went from 8 meals a day to 5 and i was starving all day... but i need to cut back further because even with 5 meals i run out of food before the end of the month.

I just don't see any way out of this..... we've spent years eating for the purpose of training...I know we eat like robots, we accept that most people can't/wont/don't eat the way we do.. meals tend to be a mish-mash of foods that provide the "correct nutrients" rather than a collection of ingredients that make a pleasant meal... hell most of the time what we eat wouldn't even be concidered a meal by any normal standard.

i can't do this... wheres my credit card ... *sigh*

SunnyGirl

At least you've tried though. It's difficult with husbands who aren't keen to get involved & will use cards to top up. You shouldn't have too much on the card as you'll at least know what you've got in stock! Good luck.

leiela

SunnyGirl wrote: »

At least you've tried though. It's difficult with husbands who aren't keen to get involved & will use cards to top up. You shouldn't have too much on the card as you'll at least know what you've got in stock! Good luck.

He won't stock up on things we need though he'll buy out half of flipping asda while he's at it, i sware he should have shares in the company by now. :mad:

zippychick

Leila, in that case are you able to do some damage limitation? Say hubby goes and spends in asda, he will come out with a load of expensive stuff as you said before.

Now, i know its not ideal - however...... Say if you gave yourself £30 on credit card to spend on food on top of what you have - would that be enough to provide the extra meat etc so he doesnt feel deprived of food? So by allowing yourself the small spend on food, it should prevent him from taking the cred card out and spending ridiculous amounts on stuff he thinks is "good food" (but of course probably wont be worth its value)

Just an idea. Wouldnt normally suggest it but it sounds like you're in a quandry with husband. Don't give up though. If you do allow yourself the £30 or what ever, if it was me, i would MAKE SURE it could be paid back next month so no debt is run up. You could even call the cc company, find out your billing date and work out how long u would have to pay it before it starts to earn interest. Again im not advocating credit cards, but with sensible use you might save yourself a fortune.