healthy eating too expensive...

aurongrande_2

... for those that live alone.

I really hate this, and it's set to get worse when food prices go up.

When you live on your own, trying to eat healthily is too darn expensive. Almost every food produce on sale, frozen, tinned, fresh etc is portioned for at least 2 people.

Even though I typically have to eat a lot each day, these portions are usually too much, and thus, food goes to waste.

Sure, there are products that can be stored away like pasta and rice. A pack of pork chops can be split up into portions, that sort of thing, but the vast majority cannot be frozen and thus have to be consumed within say 24 hours or opening.

I've never found a jar of curry sauce small enough for one person like pasta sauces. eg, 100g of pasta spiral and a single 350g jar of sauce makes a single meal for me. (I sometimes add a small tin of mushrooms depending on the sauce thickness.)

The cheap pies I find are those Fray Bento's which can be split quite well between 2 people.

For me alone, food that keeps, and keeping my meals varied through each day is not cheap.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or any questions on anything that I haven't covered?

bulchy

When you make a meal with your curry/pasta sauces, you could freeze single portions of this, I do it all the time for baits etc
hth
Sue

Owain_Moneysaver

Jars of pasta sauces etc will keep for 3 days in the fridge i.e. you can have pasta on Mon and Wed and curry on Tues and Thurs.

EllieA_3

Hey there, a tip for things like curry sauce is to make a HUGE pot of curry easily enough for 2 days all at once and freeze two portions. Not only do you not have any go to waste but you have a meal ready in the freezer for those "can't be bothered days" ... same with tinned veg etc if you plan to use up what ever you open make a meal for several days as i find most things can be frozen,

hellokitty08

having just finished my third day in a row of the same thing for dinner, i just say make it larger and eat it until its gone. Thats what i do. i plan on cooking three meals next week, stew, chillie and chicken curry. thats works lunch sorted for 5 days and dinner for 7! yummy.

i try not to spend more then £60-£80 a month and I eat tons of vegtables and always buy healthy products, eg lighter butter, lower in fat crisps, brown bread etc.

lynzpower

The cheap pies I find are those Fray Bento's which can be split quite well between 2 people.

but why not buy a pack of 4 pies then you will only make one for yourself and save the others for a later date?

garthdp

Cook your own stuff from fresh ingredients and freeze whats left.Processed food is always going to be moreexpensive than fresh

~~Diane~~

I've frozen half jars of cook-in-sauces, just use what you want and stick the rest in a tub or food bag and freeze until you next fancy it. I've done this plenty of times when my son has wanted something I'm not having, he likes just Morrisons mushroom or hot & spicy pasta sauce (89p) or thereabouts, with pasta, no meat, just the sauce so just freeze 2 more portions of the sauce for the next time he wants it.

I find most things will freeze, you can buy fruit and veg already frozen and just use what you need.

lilac_lady

Your best friend is your freezer. I freeze most things freezable from garlic cloves, pasta sauces, pesto, anything that's been opened and not used up.

There's always somethings that can't freeze so I have it for 2/3 days running. I hate waste and very rarely dump food.

alandbailey

I am trying to run down my 3 freezers as I am now on my own. Today I used 3 packets (total 1.2kg) of steak to make a beef and potato casserole in the slow cooker. Most of it will be frozen in small quantities.
It is a must to have a freezer when living alone, unless you are well off and can afford the exorbitant prices for radymade single meals. I buy BOGOF and freeze the surplus. The danger is in doing this too often and your freezer will soon be full. I have reluctanctly learnt to curb my desire for a bargain, however cheap it is.

DCFC79

It is doable, just cook a large portion of say chicken curry, sweet and sour with chicken or chilli and then divvy it up into suitable containers for freezing, you could also have canned soup as an option with a crusty roll or yu could even make your own soup and rolls/bread,

you even do a lasgane and add meat or keep it as veg