6000 meals under 50p in 2010; feeding your family on a low budget

Raini

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

just putting an alternative point of view

No it isn't - Martin Lewis asserts copyright, and anyone can contribute to any thread, as long as they follow the Forum Rules

Well here's an alternative point of view - lets get back to the food! I need some more recipes!!

baileysbattlebus

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

We discussed this earier on. The benefits and Tax Credits system is designed that no child should ever be going hungry For parents on a low income, they now get Child Tax Credits which should provide a good basic diet for children.



I've not been criticising anyone's diet, but cheese does contain a fair amount of salt, too. It's well recognised that there are a lot of poeple in this country who exceed the recommended intake.

Can I ask Mark a qustion, please? Your budget on this thread for "meals" is 50p/day for 6 people, or £273pcm. On the GC, your budget is £550pcm, which is more than double. Can you please tell us what the rest of the budget is for?

TIA, Penny. x

It could be this from Mark's first post.

Excluding fruit/other things taken as snacks does confuse the issue, but its not any more than pre challenge so I am leaving it out

* In first 10 days we have eaten 100 pieces of fruit 10litres fruit juice 2kg of peas and 1Kg sweetcorn

He is only costing meals not fruit/snacks - they are available as they were pre challenge. I remember reading on one of his posts that fruit was freely available.

Penelope_Penguin

baileysbattlebus wrote: »

It could be this from Mark's first post.

He is only costing meals not fruit/snacks - they are available as they were pre challenge. I remember reading on one of his posts that fruit was freely available.

No offence, but I'd still like to hear it from Mark

redsquirrel80

Been following this thread with great interest Mark - I think you are doing really well and making a tremendous effort - no doubt you will trip up along the way but who doesn't with any sort of challenge?!

When it comes to your daughter's £2.50 lunch, I can't see any harm in explaining to her that you're having to make some budget cut backs at the moment, and if she wants to go for these lunches, she'll have to pay for them herself out of pocket money or whatever, or maybe pay for every other one/ half the cost? At some point kids do have to learn that parents can't magically afford everything and have to make tough decisions for the wellbeing of the whole family. One day they may well have to do the same themselves! I would say that loving and supporting and teaching your kids well are the important things to lead to them having a happier adult life, not whether you give/ pay for certain things for them. It's clear that you are trying to do your best by them and you should be proud.
Loads of luck with your mission!

balmaiden

I am enjoying following this thread but only really as an " interested bystander". I popped on to queery why Mark has been asked to give us a break down on his grocery challenge budget . Surely that is his business and not relevant to this thread. Or am I missing the point ?

mark55man

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Can I ask Mark a qustion, please? Your budget on this thread for "meals" is 50p/day for 6 people, or £273pcm. On the GC, your budget is £550pcm, which is more than double. Can you please tell us what the rest of the budget is for?

TIA, Penny. x

Penny

Yes I have been wondering that - all I can say is I set the budget before I really understood the challenge. I would hope to come in well under. I do pretty much buy everything out of the challenge pot - broadly anything from any shop that sells food. I can see three scenarios:

* a. I come in well under my GC challenge - Likeliest scenario based on current spends and using up storecupboard
* b. There is a lot more fruit eating and snacking than I think is going on which is good for 5-a-day points, but makes the challenge slightly less hard (but why I did the challenge is to reduce the average cost of 6000 meals not 6000 snacks)
* c. I am wrong on my numbers - eg more cheese than I am claiming - agains as I said in a earlier post aprt from the dreaded cheese word we tend to use whole packs of stuff - so I don't think this is likely
* d. I am suffering from a severe case of bistromathematics - which is Douglas Adams theory that the numbers don't add up when it comes to calculating food costs - this is least likely (an improbability factor of 2^222222)

Thanks for your interest

mark55man

poppy-glos wrote: »

I am a huge beleiver in the 'walk in my footsteps before you judge me' school of thought.

I agree, before you criticise someone you should walk a mile in their shoes; because then, you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes

mark55man

balmaiden wrote: »

I am enjoying following this thread but only really as an " interested bystander". I popped on to queery why Mark has been asked to give us a break down on his grocery challenge budget . Surely that is his business and not relevant to this thread. Or am I missing the point ?

Very astute - I suppose I ought to stop washing it all down with a chateaux lafite rothschild 1990 @ £399 a pop

Penelope_Penguin

balmaiden wrote: »

I am enjoying following this thread but only really as an " interested bystander". I popped on to queery why Mark has been asked to give us a break down on his grocery challenge budget . Surely that is his business and not relevant to this thread. Or am I missing the point ?

The reason that I ask, is that since this thread started, several people have been worried, elsewhere on the OS board, that they are "failing" because they can't stick to the low 50p per meal that the OP of this thread is aiming for.

When someone starts a thread where they challenge themselves to live on what is at first sight, very low budget, they must expect people to ask for clarification. I'm not being critical or nosey, just asking for a fuller picture so that I can assist others

And if anyone thinks it's none of anyone's business, they can decline to answer, or ignore the question This is an internet forum, after all, not a job interview, or select committee :rotfl:

Penny. x

weezl74

SunnyGirl wrote: »

I'm sure that I read on Weezl's 50p a day challenge that 80g of onion is a portion. No doubt Weezl will come along at some stage & put me right :rotfl:

I shall PROVE you right, m'lovely!

Yep, 80g of any fresh fruit and veg, or 20g of dried fruit or veg.

150 ml of juice