£20 a week for food for the next 3 weeks any ideas?

lukemed1

WOW!

just had the most delicious veg curry that i bought in a tin at sainsburys earlier! I bought 2 tins at 78p each= £1.56 and used some leftover rice we had in the cupboard.

not bad! a meal for 2 for £1.56:j

keep the ideas coming!

Luke:beer:

newleaf

Have a look through this
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=110684
and you will get some good ideas about what you can expect to find in the cheaper supermarkets. There's no Netto near me, so I can't speak for them, but the quality and prices at both Aldi and Lidl are fantastic. They are particularly good for basic storecupboard items like olive oil, dried pasta, and also their meat, cheeses and yoghurts are great value.
You need to be thinking in terms of 'student food'. There are some websites specifically designed for students away from home for the first time, with recipes and simple instructions. I'll look for links and post them as an edit later. If you have access to space in a freezer that's also very good news. Whatever you make can be portioned up and any spare can be frozen for another time.

Edit http://www.cheap-and-easy-recipes.com/recipe-choices.htm
http://www.uqu.uq.edu.au/survivalguide/survivalguide/recipes

lukemed1

hi newleaf,

will check out Aldis 2moro I've heard they're really cheap on tinned stuff like beans and tomatoes, anything else?

best wishes

Luke:beer:

newleaf

I tend not to buy much tinned stuff myself, so hesitate to recommend, and I don't know what your tastes are. Their laundry powder and cleaning products come highly recommended. I get my basic ingredients there, meat is good quality, dairy products and also ice cream which is excellent (but not on your tight budget for the next 3 weeks!). I think you'll just have to go with an open mind and have a look, but have a plan in mind and stick to it - don't just get things randomly because they look good. Also try not to go shopping more than twice a week, and never, ever, ever go when you're hungry - you'll buy allsorts of junk!
Another good thing about Aldi & Lidl, they only take cash or debit cards - it makes you shop more carefully!

twink

you might like to look at www.madaboutbargains.com to find out about bogofs and best buys etc

Anne_Marie_2

Lukemed1 - before you go shopping tomorrow.......can we find out if you have some basics like stock cubes, tomato puree, flour, herbs, spices already in your cupboards, or do you have fresh herbs in your garden or in tubs/pot plant - or free access via a kind friend? (Am assuming that you have salt and pepper!);)

Reason being as you bought tins of curry sauce, you could have made your own up if you had a cupboard full of spices. If you don't would suggest getting a jar of curry paste, which will do more meals than the jars/tins of curry sauce.
I like whole spices and grind myself, make up paste.........however it can be expensive to buy them all at once, and with your budget in mind, this might be an idea.

Home made tomato sauce requires herbs and possibly tomato puree and garlic - depends on your individual taste. For the moment, unless you can get a free supply of something like oregano or basil, I would go for a dried version of one or the other, or an Italian mixed herbs version - not a clue about Aldi as we don't have one here, but we do have a Lidl's, and they do sound similar. Think you can get tubes or jars of garlic there too....but if you can get a garlic bulb dead cheap even better. (You can always mince it all up and freeze in small portions - icecube tray - or in jar with oil).

roversbabe

twink wrote:

you might like to look at www.madaboutbargains.com to find out about bogofs and best buys etc

What a great site - I've just added that to my favourites.

Many thanks

rb

Prudent

Choose the time of the day you shop very carefully. I find my local morrisons makes dramatic reductions around 7pm. Good bread /packs of scones/ cakes/crossiants to 10p, cheese to 10p, milk 10p, meat proucts uncooked 20p, cooked from rotesserie up to 50p (whole chicken), fruit and veg 9p per packet. I spend very little this way and you can treat yourself. I buy stra drops and white vinegar for cleaning. It is fairly common for me to spend around £80 per month on myself and teen daughter plus have visitors for a meal quite often.

Good luck, I have been doing this for ages. Nice thing is its very varied - I jus go with the offers. Although I do routinely freeze bread/ cakes/ milk and especially cheese as we use a lot.