Help! £40 to feed family for the month

PasturesNew

FiftyPents wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, where do i get the 10p noodles? Are they just bags of noodles in supermarkets?

Yes, bags of noodles in the supermarkets. Most of them do them, from 8p to 12p.

Somerfield they are a yellow/white packet.
Tesco it's a red/white/blue packet.
Asda it's a green/white packet.

I usually have the curry ones - and I nuke a packet with water for 2 minutes/stir/1 minute/stir/serve.

Sometimes I chuck in half a tin of peas (garden or marrowfat, but frozen ones are gorgeous) and nuke those on top for a minute at the end. Or, if you get "red kidney beans in chilli sauce" then half a tin of those is lovely mixed in with the plain (chicken flavour) noodles (or any flavour and just leave the sachet out). The chilli beans are often 37p/can in Tesco.

Which shops do you have available?

cheesy_grin

You don't need spuds that are labelled "jacket potatoes" to make jackets from. I use any kind except new ones and no one has ever complained..... Best jackets - nuke until soft then bung in the oven on high for 10 mins to crisp the skin. Yummy!

OrkneyStar

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes, bags of noodles in the supermarkets. Most of them do them, from 8p to 12p.

Somerfield they are a yellow/white packet.
Tesco it's a red/white/blue packet.
Asda it's a green/white packet.

I usually have the curry ones - and I nuke a packet with water for 2 minutes/stir/1 minute/stir/serve.

Sometimes I chuck in half a tin of peas (garden or marrowfat, but frozen ones are gorgeous) and nuke those on top for a minute at the end. Or, if you get "red kidney beans in chilli sauce" then half a tin of those is lovely mixed in with the plain (chicken flavour) noodles (or any flavour and just leave the sachet out). The chilli beans are often 37p/can in Tesco.

Which shops do you have available?

Just to say, not all supermarkets have these in stock. Our Tesco does not have them in- its fairly small though (not a Tesco Metro).

whatatwit

The cheap noodles tend to be with the SuperNoodles and the Pasta n Sauce packets, rather than with the usual dried pasta/rice.

If you see any cheap chicken thighs, these cooked with a jar of the basic/smartprice curry or sweet n sour sauce (37p last time I got some) makes a great meal. I tend to chop up a tin of new potatoes quite small in the curry one and add some pineapple bits and frozen/cheapo peppers to the sweet and sour.

If you are close to a supermarket, call in after teatime, they often have stuff reduced to clear and you can grab some bargains. Especially bread for toast.

LMB1980

Scrambled eggs on toast for your lunch one day is a cheap meal. Plus you have tomatoes and onions - chop then finely fry then until the tomatoes go quite mushy and then add you beated egg to the pan...I love my scrambled eggs this way and often have this for my evening meal on toast when feeling lazy!

anguk

Buy 2 packs of 10p instant noodles, 1 pack of fresh beansprouts (about 50p) and a jar of value curry sauce (about 30-40p) and you've got 2 meals.

Cook 1 pack of noodles in a pan, add half a pack of beansprouts and half the jar of curry sauce and heat through for a few minutes. Quick, tasty and only costs about 50p for the meal.

Glpark01

egg mayo sandwiches for lunch? thats what we're having this week, cheap mayo and homemade bread. We always tend to have jacket potatoes when we don't have much money too, if you buy a block of cheese and grate it you'll be suprised how far it goes.

OrkneyStar

Macaroni cheese is a cheap meal, especially if you use value milk, flour and strong cheese (so less needed) for the sauce. You could even make it with chopped spaghetti as I see you have that.
Buy some cheap carrots and some lentils and make lentil and carrot soup, add a little tomato (tinned) to make it more interesting ? This is healthy, filling and cheap.

skintchick

I do a bacon pasta thing that's nice and cheap:

Cut up bacon into bits and fry off with an onion, wile getting water to boil for pasta, when bacon cooked, add some garlic and fry off, then add a tin of tomatoes, black pepper (and some cayenne pepper if you want), and herbs, and simmer to thicken while the pasta cooks.

Drain pasta, add to sauce and stir to mis then serve. You could also put some grated cheese on top.

I find bacon a good cheap meat, and also make a bacon and courgette risotto:

Cut up bacon, and an onion, and dice a courgette, then fry them all off in a pan.

Add two-thirds of a mug of arborio risotto rice and stori around to coat the rice in oil, then add the same amount of water and stir in some herbs. I usually also add some concentrated stock bouillon but gravy granules would also do.

Simmer for ten mins and check it every so often to ensure it has enough water - you may need to add mroe if your lid is not tight.

both of these dishes are quick and cheap and my fussy OH sometimes even asks for them!

ETA they feed two hungry people very well, so maybe three normal portions (dinner plus a packed lunch for someone).

QueenBeruthiel

5 lunches
Scrambled egg on toast
Boiled egg and toast soldiers
Omelette
Pancakes x 2

5 dinners
Tuna pasta bake
Jacket potato and tuna
Sausage and mash
Egg, chips and sausage
Sausage toad

Need to buy:
Sausages
Flour
Pasta
Onions
Tinned Tuna
Bread
Cheese

Should get change from £10