Tips for dropping my food bill?

losethedebtlou

I am trying to pay off as much debt as I possibly can and currently spend £20 a week on food . I am the only person in my household and would like to drop this to £10 a week. Any recipe tips or ideas on how I can do this? I like to eat relatively healthily if possible but want to put some more money towards paying off my debt. Thanks all!

Apricot

Have a look on the Old Style Board for recipe ideas and how to stretch meals further. I spend £17.50 per week for me and two cats (also feed my bf 2 nights per week) - I don't think you can go too low without practically becoming a vegetarian though!

DarkConvict

This might be worth a read - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2234113&highlight=groceries

pinkneonmartini

I'd have a look on the student money saving aswell!

When i was a student i used to live on the giant £1 bags of pasta from tescos, and i must have gone through tonnes of tinned economy chopped tomatoes (17p each). Bought super cheap herbs (59p) from aldi/lidl, a bag of red onions (£1), and the supermarket own brand tuna in brine. Long life wholemeal bread (50p), economy corn/bran flakes (27p).

Oh and huge bricks of mild cheese from lidl that were £3 for a kilo! lol

Total spend was about £10, but the cheese and pasta would last atleast 2 weeks, so the next weeks shop i'd have an extra £4/5 to spend on some chicken/mince/veg to keep the pasta from getting boring.

At one point i was so desperately skint that i lived on economy bran flakes (27p) and asda's own 7p chicken supernoodles lol total spend 27p + 14 (lunch and dinner) x 7p = £1.25!!!! but it was absolutely nutritionally void!

zarazara

loads of things on the Old Style board here on MSE. Make your own soup and bread,sandwiches for work lunches, rinse and reuse plastic bags for putting sandwiches in,use up all left overs of food,throw nothing away,,even orange and lemon peel can be chopped,frozen and used to eek out HM marmalade.Pearl barley or lentils are good for making meat stretch further.

Denis_UK

http://www.recipecottage.com/


Plenty of recipes above

Cook large batches and freeze some

misscousinitt

I used to live on £10 a week for food when I was at Uni - but that was 17 years ago!!!!!

I would try to drop to £15 a week first and see how you get on.

Mince dishes, veg soups, pasta and jacket potatoes are filling.

What have you got in your storecupboard now?

Check out the OS boards - there are quite a few recipe ideas for 50p!

Good luck.

RobertoMoir

I think misscousinitt has a point - if you drop too far too fast and can't do it you'll not save as much as you will by dropping halfway (at least at first) and getting used to it then seeing if you can go further or not.

rachmac_2

bulk meals out with veg but buy from market stalls as cheaper x

MyopicMoo

Hi, there is a thread on OS for eating for 50p a day (I think).

slummymummyof3

Can you visit friends or family one evening a week for tea?