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

mark55man

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

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 :rotfl:

Penny. x

Penny I Really appreciate where you are coming from, and understand that the fact my challenge is not an absolute everything included number makes it confusing. I am happy for anyone who is confused to assume its my problem not thiers - but equally its my challenge not theirs and I have gone about as far as I intend to in meeting others expectations

Please readers, do not mistake me for a paragon of thrift or virtue - I am neither. I am just a middle aged bloke with a cash flow problem caused by just the right number of little cost centres coming quite close together and the non MSE ness to be doing so in the SE, whilst still ensuring an upbringing that allows them to find themselves and what they are best at.

I will not account for every penny or every gram consumed, life is too chaotic and I already feel a bit too controlling - yet MSE is about slog and persistence and knowing what things cost and when they are cheap - I happen to be good at that in a scruffy sort of way.

Weezl calculated my cheese budget at around 900g for a week - it was in fact just a little over - so I feel justified in my accuracy, but I can now admit publically I do have mouse like tendencies when working late.

I also will not count the apples in and out of the house - my children are not aspiring to be accountants - but neither do I want them to have the same issues with lifestyle over earning power that I had in my twenties - hence making a bit of a fuss around "girly lunchtime spends" - as although they are fun - indulging a you can buy happiness attitude is not going to happen

Finally I am sure as Phillip Larkin observed I have already passed a few challenges to my kids. To anyone else who is not happy with this stance I suggest they unsubscribe and leave me to my foolishness

poppy-glos

mark88man wrote: »

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

:rotfl::rotfl::T:T:beer:

Alison_Funnell

Mark I love this thread. You and a few others here (Pink_Numbers and SanFran, and many many on OS) have really inspired and educated me in how others work within their budgets and their choices. I shall point out that I am FLAWED ( I had fish and chips for tea with 2 large gherkins - they count as veg, don't they?) so wouldn't judge anyone, just interesting in how others cope and amazed by their ingenuity.

mark55man

Reporting back for Monday 18th January

Wow - what a day on the thread - nearly forgot the most important bit

Today's Summary - 17/18 meals 50p or under
Summary Total - 292/324 = 90.1% = Target 91.3%

Breakfast: 50p or under (6/6)
OP, OH - Lidl Crunchie Oats
DD1, DD2 - Banana
DS1 : ill
DS2 : Porridge

Lunch: 50p or under (5/6)
OP - Leftover curry - 66p
OH - Poorly -
DD1 - 2xEgg and Salad & Apple = 45p
DD2 - Egg Mayonaise Sandwich & Apple & (Food tech Fruit Salad = free) = 25p
DS2 - Tuna Sweetcorn Sandwich + Apple + crisps = 40p
DS1 - Veggie Curry Leftovers = 48p
Supper: 50p or under (6/6)
OH : Oatcakes and fruit
Others: Spaghetti Carbonara (More cheese - sorry) = 48p + 120g cheese 75p + roux = 15p = £1.38

Kazipoo

princessl84 wrote: »

your having far to much cheese and also if you cant afford £2.50 for your daughter to have lunch with her friends then you really need to look at what your spending your money on. also if you are not letting your children have certin things then you are causing them porblems in later life ie. Your daughter cant have £2.50 for a girly lunch then whats stopping her when she is older spending much more on lunch/nights out because when she was younger dad wont let her. I know this cause it happend to me.

I don't think he said he couldn't afford to allow his daughter to have the £2.50 lunch, I think you are actually blowing that a tad out of proportion. Spending £2.50 on lunch for one, when you could make dinner for everyone does seem a little extravagent (sp) when this whole exercise is about saving money.

In my case a £2.50 girly lunch would amount to a tenner, and its not something I would actively encourage if I could possibly help it. Its not about affording it, its about teaching the value of money, so spending £2.50 on a pre-prepared sandwich in a toffed up coffee shop does seem like a complete and utter waste of money, when you consider that the exact same sandwich might have only cost you 30p to make at home.

bunny999

mark88man wrote: »

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

Everyone deserves a treat.

redsquirrel80

"Cheese budget" :rotfl:

BigMummaF

weezl74 wrote: »

OK, I have also analysed this week following on from your post.

The person in the family who ate the most cheese that week was DS1 and I only make it that he ate 165g of cheese. This is an average of 23.57g a day, which is the recommended amount to make sure a child is getting enough calcium and vitamin A.

Only just under 100 kcals of DS1's diet daily can be expressed as coming from cheese which is well within the guidelines for amount of daily calories which can come from a food source containing saturated fat.

the cheese also only gave DS1 averagely 7% of his recommended daily salt amount, so clearly not an excess there.

In short, my response is that after analysis I think this is a very responsible diet made by a caring considerate parent. It contains enough cheese to give him his calcium and vit A, and is well within the healthy ranges for saturated fat and salt.

Well done Mark!:T:T:T:T

Weezl xx

I just knew you could do it! Geeks Rool
I don't proclaim to have any deep & soulful knowledge of nutrition & its values [all too evident if we ever met in real life ] but I was beginning to wonder what a vegetarian alternative to a cheese sandwich might be? I know you can buy veggie 'cold cuts' but they are incredibly expensive & I believe not that appetising & as many have said, surely the benefits of cheese far out-weigh the pitfalls when being eaten as nature intended

Raini wrote: »

Hi Mark, Just wanted to say well done on a brilliant thread & an excellent challenge!! :T:T:T

Speaking as a mental health professional (that has worked with adolescents in crisis although clearly I don't work in nutrition) if the worst thing you do is feed your kids a little too much cheese or not enough veg (which thanks to Weezl I think we can see is untrue (also thanks for signposting me to this thread in the first place!)) whilst showing them how to manage & balance the books and showing them an excellent example of responsibility I think they will do alright! You very clearly care very much for your kids and I'm shocked that people would try & make you feel bad for trying to stick to a budget. I'm sure that there will be many kids going to bed hungry tonight because their parents can't put anything or much at all on the table - not through want of trying I'm sure. Would everyone condemn them too? You do want you can with you have.
Cheap doesn't have to mean carp!!

I'm surprised that there are so many people that can afford (high) horses on a site like this.

There have been lots of posts I wanted to refer to, but this one encompasses my beliefs best. Some comments left me & I have managed to keep quiet--a rarity so be thankful --but I'm not enjoying this game anymore :cool:
It really doesn't matter how much the Benefits allow for food--it is entirely left to the individual to spend that money! I read posts on here [the site as opposed to this particular thread] & can't ever imagine having that many credit cards/ paying over £1000 for a holiday/ spending £200 on a handbag/ wot-effa....but THAT IS MY CHOICE. It has only been in the last few years, that Child Benefit was made accessible to mothers to stop SOME dads spending it down the pub or at the race track. From Time Immemorial, charities have had families where the children have been malnourished because of neglect & parental selfish ways, so let's not even go there anymore with Mark & his crew!
It is very early on in his experiment to decide if we should put the hospital on alert for 8 cases of rickets, so if you don't like what the OP is doing, then don't bother to read the thread....seempulls!

Allegra

BigMummaF wrote: »

I was beginning to wonder what a vegetarian alternative to a cheese sandwich might be?

Weezl's lentil pate !

boredofbeingathome

BigMummaF wrote: »

I just knew you could do it! Geeks Rool
I don't proclaim to have any deep & soulful knowledge of nutrition & its values [all too evident if we ever met in real life ] but I was beginning to wonder what a vegetarian alternative to a cheese sandwich might be? I know you can buy veggie 'cold cuts' but they are incredibly expensive & I believe not that appetising & as many have said, surely the benefits of cheese far out-weigh the pitfalls when being eaten as nature intended

There have been lots of posts I wanted to refer to, but this one encompasses my beliefs best. Some comments left me & I have managed to keep quiet--a rarity so be thankful --but I'm not enjoying this game anymore :cool:
It really doesn't matter how much the Benefits allow for food--it is entirely left to the individual to spend that money! I read posts on here [the site as opposed to this particular thread] & can't ever imagine having that many credit cards/ paying over £1000 for a holiday/ spending £200 on a handbag/ wot-effa....but THAT IS MY CHOICE. It has only been in the last few years, that Child Benefit was made accessible to mothers to stop SOME dads spending it down the pub or at the race track. From Time Immemorial, charities have had families where the children have been malnourished because of neglect & parental selfish ways, so let's not even go there anymore with Mark & his crew!
It is very early on in his experiment to decide if we should put the hospital on alert for 8 cases of rickets, so if you don't like what the OP is doing, then don't bother to read the thread....seempulls!

Hear, hear:T

I do love the concept of this thread and others like it.

Plus i appreciate the way Mark has taken on board the comments made, whilst adding his own wry take on the situation.

I do like a Philip Larkin quote, as well as the odd Black adder quote:D They encapsulate the moment.:rolleyes:

On the cheese debate, i was happy to see Weezl confirming the nutritional value. We are not big cheese eaters in this house, and i am always looking for ways of boosting calcium intake.

I just wonder if this would add fuel to the fire or give others something to ponder about.

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Food/DF_cuisine.shtml

Scroll down to "The French Paradox"

So there you have it Mark- there needs to be an increase in your partaking of red wine to balance your intake of cheese:beer::rotfl:

Vive la difference:D

Someone was asking about Polish diets here before- i found this link which may be of interest.

http://www.staypoland.com/poland-food.htm