Weezl and friends Phase 2 -giving it a whirl for Shirl! Testing meal plan for a month

weezl74

maybe we see shirley differently?

Like how desperate her circs are?

And therefore I'm more gutted I can't help her quicker.

Could that be it?

nopot2pin

weezl74 wrote: »

Tis a good tip potty

What I would add tho is that as the sat fats are very low in most of the main meals, you might end up with a falsely 'high' number of points if you calculated it that way, leaving you with fewer points to spend on other foods, so well worth looking at the actual sat fats figure whaen we have a chance

Absolutely

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

Sometimes it is evolution not revolution :cool:

Brilliant :T

weezl74

nopot2pin wrote: »

Absolutely


Brilliant :T

potty m'dear! Do you have a spare bit of project energy?

kitty has 3 types of houmous, tomato, caramelised onion, red pepper and normal. I kinda need some fdifferent titles that aren't that long (so the planner table doen't crowd small monitors)

Can you have a think of any (short) but yummy sounding titles we can give these spreads?

Sian_the_Green

shanks77 wrote: »

But maybe if she is following it she is going from £5 a day to £4.75 a day and that is still good cause then the following month if she picks another meal that is more money she is saving. It might take her longer to get her LBM but she will get there in the end and kick herself for not trying it sooner but she will get there xx

Yes! Weezl, I think this is what I am trying to say; that it doesn't need to be all or nothing, hole or no hole. If you can save a Shirl and Bob £50 a month then that is going to still make a big difference if they put it on the mortgage, or pay it off the cards. I think, as someone who is intelligent and forward thinking and brave and married to a lovely supportive man, you may at times underestimate how scary this plan could be for some people.
Weezl, I think you are fabulous, but I am trying to think like Shirl

Claw_back_money

weezl74 wrote: »

thanks sian

do you mean the site implies do the whole month or don't bother with it at all? Or did you mean I'm giving off that message (whole thing or naff off) on here, or sommat else I haven't got my head round? I agree with your thoughts and just wanted to check I wasn't giving off an alternative message by mistake

*creeps out of lurkdom!*

I didn't ever think you were being hard on Shirl, Weezl! The impression I did get though was that the recipes in your site work best when the plan is followed, as every recipe - nay every ingredient has been measured and calculated for nutritional value, cost, and to avoid waste. And you're absolutely right! You helpfully illustrated, that there are cheaper ways to do specific recipes (but that these recipes had been adjusted to include certain vits), or tastier versions of recipes (but that each recipe also works together to avoid waste from ingredients).

So the website will do the most good when used as intended, with the shopping lists, menu plans etc.

What I was saying yonks ago (about my sons), and what the others may be saying if I understand them right, is that as well as the website being used in that way, there is also mileage in seeing it as a resource for people who will get there one recipe at a time (and I think I talked about my son and the spag bol). He's not baking bread yet but he's improving and doesn't see ready meals as the answer to everything :rotfl:

A Shirl might come to the website with £5.50 and a sense of desperation, but by trying a couple of recipes and finding that they work (of course, they've been really well tested), and they taste good, she is much more likely to come back ready to commit the funds to follow the plan.

Does this help?

Cbm

weezl74

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

Yes! Weezl, I think this is what I am trying to say; that it doesn't need to be all or nothing, hole or no hole. If you can save a Shirl and Bob £50 a month then that is going to still make a big difference if they put it on the mortgage, or pay it off the cards. I think, as someone who is intelligent and forward thinking and brave and married to a lovely supportive man, you may at times underestimate how scary this plan could be for some people.
Weezl, I think you are fabulous, but I am trying to think like Shirl

that's very helpful, and yes, I am a bit blind to the scariness!

Dear (sian, or anyone else thinking like) Shirley,

What scares you about the meal planner?

I will happily spend my energies revamping it if it will scare you less

Love weezl x

weezl74

perhaps I should add why the scariness is a bit mystifying to me. I recognise there are some difficulties in putting in the work to feed a whole family, get to the supermarket, write a list, stick to budget and try to keep it healthy and varied.

But if she does all that already, ours is surely less scary? Like the list is there, the meal plan's there, the batch day guide is there....

So it's mainly that I need you to explain to me why this is more scary than what she has right now.

Not that I'm saying it isn't, I'm sure you're right! But why is it?

xxx

Sian_the_Green

weezl74 wrote: »

Dear (sian, or anyone else thinking like) Shirley,

What scares you about the meal planner?

Before I write these, I should say that I am not scared by the plan at all, I am an ENFP, I have no fear! If I were in a 4 person family where I had control over food and budget I would have followed the plan . However, the things which I recognise as scary are...

* What if I buy all the stuff and try to make it and it doesn't taste right or I am not good enough at cooking
* What if my kids outright refuse to eat it and go and tell their friends they are moving in with them instead so they can have oven chips?
* What if I don't have £100 at a time to go shopping?
* What if I don't know what some of the ingredients look like when I go to the supermarket?

I am sure there are others, I will think

weezl74

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

Before I write these, I should say that I am not scared by the plan at all, I am an ENFP, I have no fear! If I were in a 4 person family where I had control over food and budget I would have followed the plan . However, the things which I recognise as scary are...

* What if I buy all the stuff and try to make it and it doesn't taste right or I am not good enough at cooking
* What if my kids outright refuse to eat it and go and tell their friends they are moving in with them instead so they can have oven chips?
* What if I don't have £100 at a time to go shopping?
* What if I don't know what some of the ingredients look like when I go to the supermarket?

I am sure there are others, I will think

interesting, interesting, interesting!

So she shops weekly, buys what the kids have led her to think they will eat without moaning and which she is familiar with, and thinks she can make taste nice.

That sounds pretty normal, I understand that....

Is it mainly the marrowfats and the BNS that are unusual for her do we think?

Fascinating and helpful, thankyou

Claw_back_money

This is difficult, as it could end up totally negative which I wouldn't want at all.
Every Shirley will be different. Some will come up with barriers because they're not ready to make changes; I spent years debt-busting and saw that all the time on the DF forum. But the things they might say are:

My family have never tried xyz - what if they don't like it and I cook it and then end up at the chipshop.
I have never done this much cooking and I don't think I've got the kit / time / space / energy / patience / ability.
Things are tough - why should I invest money in lots of things I've never bought (or even heard of).
My family have allergies / are fussy / need more/less calories/nutrients/choice

I don't think that just because people say any of this stuff it means the site is wrong, just that they're not where they need to be to start to follow the plan. So for those people, gentle encouragement to try one or two recipes......... which will build confidence and start that virtuous circle off!