Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

nicki_2

I agree with your point of view weezl! Very well put. First thing to go for me when I'm trying to cut back is the "brand", although thats kind of difficult when the majority of foods are already Smartprice :rotfl: I would love to buy free-range/organic stuff but for me it is more important to give my family a balanced diet than to buy more ethically as I just can't afford it.

You are an amazing lady weezl and I'd back you in any way I can - including lobbying government & I'd buy everyone I knew the book if you wrote one

vandanfc

Weezl can I throw in a couple of comments/thoughts, which will be very controversial:

How was the £100 per month figure arrived at ? Trigger figures are much higher, so why so low ?

As you can see from your own 2 days of juggling it is not really enough, why cannot it be slightly higher ?

The more difficult a task this is the more likely people are going to fall off the wagon and go back to their old ways.

You also do not allow for regional differences or locational differences, many people don't have access to Asda, for some people getting to Asda would cost a fair amount of money. These people who cannot shop at asda are being set up to fail as we can all see that costs can be way different from store to store. You are struggling with this amount based on Asda's prices, people shopping elsewhere will have to drop things off this list to meet the cash limit.

The principle of what you are doing is brilliant, but not flexible enough.

weezl74

vandanfc wrote: »

Weezl can I throw in a couple of comments/thoughts, which will be very controversial:

How was the £100 per month figure arrived at ? Trigger figures are much higher, so why so low ?

As you can see from your own 2 days of juggling it is not really enough, why cannot it be slightly higher ?

The more difficult a task this is the more likely people are going to fall off the wagon and go back to their old ways.

You also do not allow for regional differences or locational differences, many people don't have access to Asda, for some people getting to Asda would cost a fair amount of money. These people who cannot shop at asda are being set up to fail as we can all see that costs can be way different from store to store. You are struggling with this amount based on Asda's prices, people shopping elsewhere will have to drop things off this list to meet the cash limit.

The principle of what you are doing is brilliant, but not flexible enough.

Vanda I only wanted just a little more time before the other shops plans could be come up with, I only meant I'd be able to do it in about a month, not ages and ages.

I really hope I didn't make it sound like I wasn't going to do other shops, I just asked if we could slow down on them because it was too much for me at that point. I will do it as soon as I can. I'm sorry I haven't done more for people but I also know that DH and Fergus and kester and my jobs also need me, and I'm trying to hold it all in balance. I hope that makes sense and people don't feel short changed.:o

Please do say in what ways you'd like it to be more flexible? I thought people would just follow the plan if they wanted to/chose to and not ever bother reading it if they didn't. I wasn't sure how to make it any more flexible than that.

I'll say more about the £100 if people want me to, I guess I was just trying to keep this thread about the recipes and post my political views in a seperate place, but again, apologies for any confusion

vandanfc

Sorry Weezl maybe I came across all wrong. This is not about you not spending enough time on it or not doing things quick enough. It was more a thought about the masses finding the plan too restrictive and struggling to adapt it as they went along. This IMHO would set them up to fail before they started. Not everyone can lateral think in the way that you and many other os's can. When you set people a budget, this is what they spend because this is what they are allowed, many don't try to spend less when they can, but spend the full amount because it's there.

This will be a great tool, but it may just need phrasing slightly differently. I am probably seeing it too black and white and rushing ahead whilst you sensibly are sorting the basics out first.

weezl74

vandanfc wrote: »

Sorry Weezl maybe I came across all wrong. This is not about you not spending enough time on it or not doing things quick enough. It was more a thought about the masses finding the plan too restrictive and struggling to adapt it as they went along. This IMHO would set them up to fail before they started. Not everyone can lateral think in the way that you and many other os's can. When you set people a budget, this is what they spend because this is what they are allowed, many don't try to spend less when they can, but spend the full amount because it's there.

Ah right I'm with you now, I only had 3 hrs sleep last night so I'm a bit foggy :rotfl:

You'd like the plan to offer peple lots of options.

Here here! I would too!

If I thought computers were clever enough I'd love to invent a website where you could say Tesco are out of onions! and it would automatically rejig the whole plan for you, that would be fab

grannytwice

weezl, thank you for this inspiring thread,we are practising to live on the state pension, and i think your £100 is a great building block we need the reassurance that we can get back to basics and still provide a healthy diet for our families, i really hope you think seriously about writing a book i for one would buy it , i follow yours and nykemedias thread with great interest i,m sure their are many like me who read and find the information usefull but dont post a lot, Take care and dont wear yourself out i,m astonished at how much you manage to acheive,and a big THANK YOU

weezl74

nicki wrote: »

You are an amazing lady weezl and I'd back you in any way I can - including lobbying government & I'd buy everyone I knew the book if you wrote one

:rotfl:

Quick, tell me how many people you know and I'll do the maths :money::money::money::money:

:rotfl:

vandanfc

A website like that would be great.

With this resource, I simply wonder if you are going a bit too deep ? Inform people of what a healthy sensible diet consists of, give them examples of this, ie with your meal plans, recipes, a shopping list to cover the meal plans and a general idea of what it will cost a a variety of stores.

So still achieving your original aim (I think ?) but giving you a bit less work. Some people might achieve your basic concept at the £100, but other may spend £120, but they will both probably have come a long way from were they used to be.

I am simply talking a load of ???? and have missed the whole point ???


When you get the time, write that book, it would become a best seller, think about it 9 million people can hit mse, even 1% buying your book would be great.

In_Search_Of_Me

weezl74 wrote: »

apologies for giving the wrong impression, I hope this that I posted earlier clears that up:

dont worry wasnt saying you were telling me to buy them but was just proffering that I couldnt. Would rather not have eggs if it came down to it....

in terms of the 100 budget would it be orth having a treat allowance in it so people like me dont feel that theyre on a "diet" as such? Just thinking of us rebellious types who will automatically fail before weve started cos were busy pulling the opposite way?!!

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

I was just experimenting to see if the roast meals could be cheaper, I would still be really interested, and find it most useful if you thought 100g per person of belly pork would suffice if with the veg potatoes and stuffing I listed earlier

What do people think about replacing a roast with a pie on one occasion at least ? We will sometimes have "pie with all the trimmings" as opposed to a joint of meat, and 100g of meat could easily stretch to feed 4 with some veg/pulses etc. if stuffed inside a nice crust. Is that just too non-traditional for an average Brit, and is the health aspect affected too negatively by the possible change ?

As for the budgetary constraints - I kinda feel that the worst part of being really strapped for cash is that one could find it really difficult to learn how to fish because the budget would not allow for equipment, bait, etc. etc. - so one would have to rely on being given fish, month in month out. Am I making any sense ? Probably not. What I mean is that having just £100 to feed 4 for a month will only allow for the food for that month, and not for building up a good storecupboard, stocking up on deals and whoopsies, buying herb and lettuce seeds etc. - all strategies which will allow much cheaper and healthier months ahead.

So, if a debtor's budget allows for £120, then a £100 plan for a month that only caters for 5 a day and £20 put into buying essential gardener's supplies could mean 6 months ahead of 7 or 9 a day with no more money, plus FR eggs, plus whoopsied meat every other day, and so on. In effect, we are giving them a fish and teaching them how to fish.

I know this is not nearly as thought through as it ought to be, but perhaps it is something to think about for the finished resource ? Not just feed-a-family for a month on next to no money, but also make sure that they are fed progressively better for an indefinite period without increasing the budget. And that way, any perceived "deficiencies" of the first month would not matter quite as much, because the way would be paved for addressing those in the future.