Ideas needed plz:-)

mummytofour

Hello,

I could do with some help here and I hope somebody may take pitty on me and show me the error of my ways.

We are a family of 7 thats moi, dh and our 5 little sprogglets aged 9,7,5,1 and 3 months. ( 9 yr old is a girl the rest boys who eat,eat and umm eat!)
I have just been over to debt free wannabe as I would like to be debt free (think I went to the right place:rotfl: )

Wellllll I think the food bill is a big place to start, I dont have much time and I am very lazy! At meal times its like feeding the 5000 and the mess to go with it!

We eat loads of pasta and we are not really fussy eaters, but its more a case of time being my main issue.

So I wonder if anybody could suggest some ideas for feeding the 5000 that dont take long and dont need a huge great list of things to make that are filling and good for them oh and I do my shopping mainly in tesco as they deliver as thats the only way I can get lots of food to my house in one go.
Also my kids are real snackers and ideas for these that are CHEAP, they do eat loads of fruit, but from what I undertsand fruit is not too good for you ( sugars and teeth) and costing me an arm and a leg.

I would like to say thank you to anybody who has now read the rambelings of a loopy mummy!

Thank you.
Vxx

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, mum to four - do you now need an update to five? :rotfl: :rotfl:

Fruit isn't so bad. Sugar, admittedly, but it's complex carbs, so released slowly, and not so bad for the teeth.

I understand what it's like continually feeding hungry mouths. I cook large batches of food - pasta sauces, meatballs, chilli, curry, and freeze what we don't eat in serving sized portions.

As for snacking, I love baking, so there's always biscuits, cakes, flapjack. I'm also concerned about sugar for my children's teeth, but not worried so much about calories, as they're always active, so need feeding up. I'm happier that they're eating snacks where I know what's gone into them.

Best wishes, Penny. x

Tracey04

is there anywhere with simple quick recipes or a shopping list etc

elona

There is a huge recipe thread and someone who knows how to do it should be along to give you a link.

I got the Tightwad Gazette and the recipe for muffins (sweet or savoury) is fantastic. Dead cheap and easy and DDs love them - especially breakfast muffins with cheese and onion and bacon in them and sweet apple and cinnamon ones.

Tracey04

whats Tightwad Gazette?

youngie

get a slow cooker a few minutes putting ingredients in then it takes care of its self great for bolognaise stews curries etc you can also do pot roasts it even cooks cheap cuts of meat very tender and is cheap to run

moggins

tracey04 wrote:

whats Tightwad Gazette?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0375752250/026-0442794-2214811?v=glance&n=266239

wizzkid_3

Hi Mum of 4 (5)

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. We have 5 kids between 17 and 2. We were spending around £1000 a month on groceries and nappies. We were just not focused on the household budget and were overspending. We have cut this down to around £350 and could probably cut this down further. Here is what we did.

1. spent hours on this forum!
2. Stopped getting the shopping delivered.
3. Strict menu planning and looked in the cupboards to see what we had.
4. cut out: most meat meals, bought cakes biscuits and puddings, cordial, ready made meals.
5. stopped buying highly priced washing and cleaning products, and switched to ‘gloop’ and vinegar for the washing machine, washing powder and vinegar for the dishwasher, stardrops, vinegar, soda crystals and bicarb for cleaning. Bought microfibre cloths.
6. put the baby in washable nappies bought off ebay, now that he is trained, it has all gone back onto ebay.
7. we now bake and cook meals from scratch.

The bottom line is, get focused, you DO have time, you just don’t think you do. I can do this and run a business from home. You will not achieve your goal of being debt free if you don’t.

There is loads of help and support on this forum, use it and it will help you though. You will be amazed at how your life will change.

HTH WIZ

Louisa_2

wizzkid thank you so much for your post. Although I am not the original poster I have been slipping off the OS bandwagon and your post has really motivated me! I am going home in a minute to sit down and have a jolly good think about it all, will probably join in the Grocery and pin money challenges this month to get back on track.

Am just about to start a four day week instead of full time (wish it was 3 but there we go), so that I can spend more time with my dear little boy (20 mths) , so might have a bit more time to do OS stuff like baking etc which he will love, so your post has pushed me in the right direction!

Thank you thank you thank you

mummytofour

Deleted_User wrote:

wizzkid thank you so much for your post. Although I am not the original poster I have been slipping off the OS bandwagon and your post has really motivated me! I am going home in a minute to sit down and have a jolly good think about it all, will probably join in the Grocery and pin money challenges this month to get back on track.

Am just about to start a four day week instead of full time (wish it was 3 but there we go), so that I can spend more time with my dear little boy (20 mths) , so might have a bit more time to do OS stuff like baking etc which he will love, so your post has pushed me in the right direction!

Thank you thank you thank you

Thank you louise, you basically posted what I was about to say!

Thank you everybody for the advice, I already own the tight wade, slow cooker and gloop, all gathering dust, I hang my head in shame and I pray I have seen the error of my ways:o

I also have 2 in cloth nappies, which have not had a chance to gather dust!

All is not lost...
I will pay this money off the cc and stay focused, I will stop looking in auto trader and ebay for cars:o
I will because one day I would like the morgage free wannabe board ( have to pay cc off first tho)

Thanks again, of the motivation!

Vxx

PS I am mummy to five, but I dont know how to change my user name without losing my post count.

Gingham_Ribbon

Mega Index Browse this at your leisure.

I'll have a look for some menu planners for you too.