PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

A £15 Challenge?

Options
13

Comments

  • flufff
    flufff Posts: 899 Forumite
    500 Posts
    Could you not cut your petrol consumption?Car sharing.......walking?
  • flufff
    flufff Posts: 899 Forumite
    500 Posts
    look at this thread for almost free toiletries

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=237370
  • Some brilliant ideas there Flufff - thanks for those - am noting them all down. I would love to stop driving to work - but when I cost the train - it would be 36 pound a week and petrol is about 30 :eek: ! Don't have anyone to car share with as I live in a different town.

    Thanks for the toiletries advice purple p, but having read it on here before - I've already used them all up :D

    Will make sure I keep the spuds in the dark and hope to keep them cold too - thanks all.
  • flufff
    flufff Posts: 899 Forumite
    500 Posts
    Good luck.I have 4 kids and am trying to keep my head above water with my food bill.
    Tescos value custard creams bourbons large packs too n choci digestives are all under 30p a packet,useful cheap treat for kids
  • Sarahsaver
    Sarahsaver Posts: 8,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    But also you pay car tax, repairs, insurance...
    Discipline is a hard habit but once learned it can be quite enjoyable. One cheap meal which I love is mashed potato with kippers! Although kippers are so cheap - and good for you, I rarely have them unless they have been reduced.
    I also cut down on things like sausages, one each instead of two, then one pack will do 2 meals, banger, mash and mushy peas AND a sausage casserole. If you get sainsburys taste the difference wheh they are in a buy 2 for £3, but also reduced then they will be nicer and better for you than economy stuff.
    I keep my bread in the freezer this time of year as it goes off so quick, also this has stopped me snacking on slices of bread with chocolate spread on :rolleyes:
    Cheesey mash is tasty, filling and cheap. Mashed potato (add cauliflower, carrot etc if you have some going past its best) marg or butter and cheese baked in a dish. You can put an egg each in a dip on the top too (thanks mum for the last egg hint) to make it more nutritious.
    We have 'sunday dinner soup' which is the leftover veg, and has often had a standing ovation from my sons :) Don't throw food away, re-invent, put in the fridge or freezer, or use it for lunch the next day.
    When I'm feeling down and dirty and hunger for some junk food a pack of economy/value noodles is just enough for lunch, and about 8p :)
    Member no.1 of the 'I'm not in a clique' group :rotfl:
    I have done reading too!
    To avoid all evil, to do good,
    to purify the mind- that is the
    teaching of the Buddhas.
  • sophiesmum_2
    sophiesmum_2 Posts: 4,965 Forumite
    When the kids come over make fairy cakes for snacks. Just use smart price flour and margarine to keep the costs down. you can make heaps for little money, and the kids won't feel like they have no snacks. Even get them to help make them, they love it.:D
    sophiesmum
    Reduce,re-use, recycle.






  • thriftlady_2
    thriftlady_2 Posts: 9,128 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Good advice about portion control Sarah. It's very easy to overcater things like sausages, one seems a bit mean but large sausages are quite big and if you serve lots of cheap veg and loads of mash no-one will come away hungry(plus onion gravy:)) .

    Cook up plenty of starchy carbs like pasta, spuds, rice, pot barley, or serve with lots of bread and then you can serve up smaller portions of meat and fish.

    Don't forget dried pulses. Soak and cook a whole packet, divide into portions and freeze. Use from frozen in stews and soups.
  • trigger2
    trigger2 Posts: 360 Forumite
    Hey there, you're not alone you know ! My budget is really tight just now too hence my lurking around this fabby thread. My tips - Asda 3kg pasta for £1 (on offer just now), use a pack of mince & pad it out to cover a spag bol then a chilli or shepherds pie. pad it out with tinned tomatoes, cheap carrots & other veg (fresh or frozen - value brand only !). I second someones suggestion of homebaking - muffins, scones etc, much cheaper to make your own, also someone mentioned value porridge - great idea. Value OJ is fine too, I water mine down abit. Mind you I do that with the washing up liquid & soap etc too. You can always use bath foam as shower gel. Oh, & soup (now I'm on a roll !), cheap tatties & veg, stockcubes & off you go, will do for lunch for a couple of days, together with some bread. Tinned fruit is fine too, its still fruit ! A pack of sausages, an egg, some flour = toad in the hole too !
    hope this helps ! ;)
  • I'm really sorry for your predicament but you have come to the right place cos the people on here are brill. I know it has been mentioned before but one of the cheapest meals has got to be lentil curry and rice. Mine is really simple I just fry an onion very slowly until it gets very soft then add a clove of garlic, add one tin of value tomatoes chopped up a teaspoon of salt and then about 2oz of red lentils - you don't have to soak them and some value curry powder (sorry purists!) I rinse around the tin that the toms came in and use this water to thin the mixture down when it starts to stick. It should be nice and soft in about 20/30mins. In the meantime cook some value basmati rice. I have cooked this so often it gets requested by visitors to the house:rolleyes: I pay 69p for 1lb of lentils in my ethnic grocer and can get about 8 curries from that it all depends how heavy handed I am with the lentils. If you know someone with a glut of toms at the moment you could use those instead. If you do know someone with a glut of toms how about rice and beans. Cook up 4oz of black eyed beans, (I cook the whole packet in one go - 40 mins- and freeze in portion size bags and use them straight from the freezer) and 4oz of rice and leave to one side for a bit. Fry 3/4 chopped onions and as much garlic as you can stand with about 11b of chopped toms. Add some chopped thyme and chives (if you have them) once that is a nice saucy mixture then add in the cooked beans and rice and mix around well. Yet another really cheap and nutricious meal.

    You will get through this - just make sure that you have covered all the bases with money you are entitled to and have cut all the bills by getting the best value you can.

    Good luck and don't forget to come back and ask for more help or even boast about how well you are doing.

    BTW 8p noodles work really well in a stirfry - I use powdered ginger and soy sauce (a splash of each) as the sauce.
    True wealth lies in contentment - not cash. Dollydaydream 2006
  • Sarahsaver
    Sarahsaver Posts: 8,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    DD loves yorkshire pudding which costs pennies to make (thanks chickens for the eggs in our garden;) AND she gets to make them herself.
    HM stuff may not always be so cheap, for example an elaborate fruit cake, but it will still be more satisfying and have less uknown/unwanted nasties in it!
    Sainsburys value muesli is excellent for flapjacks, and actually isn't that bad to eat for breakfast either!
    Member no.1 of the 'I'm not in a clique' group :rotfl:
    I have done reading too!
    To avoid all evil, to do good,
    to purify the mind- that is the
    teaching of the Buddhas.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177K Life & Family
  • 257.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.