Help please with meal planning and what to buy on the CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!

sweettirana

Thank you thank you thank you! You guys are amazing! Thank you so much! :j:j:j

I now have so many more ideas - all of my ideas before consisted of mince and something! The toad in the hole was my far out idea! :rotfl:

I don't have a slow cooker, but I might be able to get my Mum to give me my Christmas pressie early especially as it benefits Jessica (my princess!)

I felt so stupid before not knowing how to put things together but all your explanations have really helped and thanks for the baby food advice

:beer:

Penelope_Penguin

sweettirana wrote: »

I have just had a baby this year and am on maternity pay. Added to that we have just bought a house and the flat that I own we are selling at a loss :eek:

The house you bought will likely have been priced lower now than when you bought your flat, too Having traded up in a rising market, you'll be better off, in fact, assuming you needed a bigger property :money:

sweettirana wrote: »

Just wanted to say that I don't know why there is a thumbs down on the title of the thread, how it got there or how to remove it - it wasn't intentional!:)

Go onto the post, and press the "edit" button at the bottom. Then press the "go advanced" button. You'll then be able to change the icon with your post from the thumbs down

sweettirana

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

The house you bought will likely have been priced lower now than when you bought your flat, too Having traded up in a rising market, you'll be better off, in fact, assuming you needed a bigger property :money:
We are moving to be close to my Dad who is disabled and lives an hour away at the moment and I really want my daughter to know her lovely Grandad The upside is as you say that we have got a property at £20-30k cheaper than it would have been a few years ago :j At the moment we live on the outskirts of London (zone 4) but we are moving further away so we will be getting a lot more house for our buck - currently living in a small 2 bed flat and will be moving to a reasonable sized 3 bed terrace - but most importantly with a garden and close to my Dad The debt that we are getting in is not collossal but I have never been in debt before so it is enough to have me worried, but it will be all worth it for my daughters future


Go onto the post, and press the "edit" button at the bottom. Then press the "go advanced" button. You'll then be able to change the icon with your post from the thumbs down Done! Thank you!

Thanks again everyone for your help ... some people are so kind :A

slowandsteady_2

do you both like eggs?

i seem to remember my health visitor preferring us to wait before giving our now 22 mth old egg untill she was one in case of allergy, but if you and hubby like them, there is some cheap meals there-omelette with for example a cheese/ham/tomato etc filling, scrambled egg on toast for a quick and easy lunch, i believe a quiche is quite easy to make but to be honest ive never tried myself but there is bound to be a recipe here somewhere. You could hard boil a few the night before and make hubby egg mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch for a change.

Also i noticed you said you were paying about 70p for 4 baking potatoes-STOP! lol! Just get a bag of value/smartprice potatoes for around 99p for 2.5kg. You will find plenty of potatoes in there that are fine for a jacket potato lunch and there will be plenty left over for other menu ideas. The supermarkets also do 5kg bags of potatoes cheaply, but i tend to get mine from Morrisons, a huge 10kg sack for around £4.50- (we eat a lot of potatoes!)

Also already mentioned but Lidl an Aldi are great especially for fruit and veg, well worth a look if you have time one day. There is a thread on the Food Shopping and Grocery board about what the Aldi Super 6 are each fortnight.

While its on my mind, a bit off topic but have you shopped around to make sure you are getting the cheapest deals for your utilities, insurances etc and double checked you are getting any benefits you are entitled to? Worth a look anyway if you have chance x

stiltwalker

Hi,

My easy any veg creamed soup is a great lunch recipe, your OH could take it to work in a flask or heat is a micro if there is one he can use and you and baby can have it for lunch at home.
Just fry off an onion til it's translucent in some oil - whatever you have is fine, add your chopped (and peeled if necessary) veg, this works with cauli, broccoli, carrot, butternut squash, mushrooms, leek and potato - whatever you have or is cheap at the shop, cover with stock (stock cube is fine) and cook til soft, add a good glug of milk and whizz with a hand blender or in a processor until smooth. You may need to thicken with a couple of teaspoons of cornflour mixed with water til smooth. It can be as simple as that as you get more practiced be more adventurous with types of veg or try adding herbs or spices - coriander leaf with carrot, curry powder with butternut squash - add fresh herbs at end and spices in with the onions.

As long as you are careful with the amount of salt then this is fantastic weaning food for your little one, even better that she can eat the same as you then no extra cooking. I always break up bread into my DD's soup until it is the consistency of porridge then it's easier feed without going every where.

[Deleted User]

If you are really a bit of a 'newcomer' to cooking ,if you have a 'pop-in parlour' or 'Age concern' anywhere near to where you live stick your head around the door and ask any of the ladies there if your not too sure about cooking terms.Most of us 'old ducks' love to help out and pass on any tips .I have been cooking now almost 50 years and when I started I couldn't boil an egg and my poor OH laughed himself silly when I once blew them up (forgetting they were on the gas)But both he and I survived my culinary disasters .I always think of cooking a bit like learning to drive ,no one is born with a ladle in their hand or a steering wheel we all have to learn and you have come to the best place .no question is daft or silly on here I have been picking up tips on here since 2004 and I am the wrong side of 65.Good luck with your cooking and take one day at a time .
Myself I would buy a Moulie-grater to whizz up what you eat for your little girl, lots cheaper than buying jars and you know what she is eating as well.Once you have made yourself a pot of home made soup you will never buy a tin again I promise you.
cheers JackieO

bitsandpieces

You are eating at least some veg - tinned tomatoes in sauces, beans in chilli (I expect). Do you add onions and garlic to sauces?

Veggies can be cheap and tasty (very much cheaper than meat). You can use kidney beans to stretch your chilli to good effect, for example, or pasta bake is nice with some fresh mushrooms or tinned haricot or cannelini beans added to it. If you can get used to eating veg as a side dish then frozen brocoli and cauliflower is pretty reasonable and you can just microwave it with a drop of water. Or fresh cabbage tends to be very cheap - just wash, shred, add salt and pepper, put in a covered container with water and cook for a few minutes in the microwave.

Eating more veg and less meat is likely to save money, so you can have more choices about the foods you buy. Just make sure the little one is getting enough fat and protein when they are weaned.

Kitcaboodle

If you are looking for ways to make veg (and fruit) more interesting, try googling organic vegi box sites. Many have recipes to help people think of something to do with their veg. I also have a 'detox' cookbook I picked up from The Works a few years ago for a few quid that has a lot of veggie recipes in and I'm sure you could pick up something similar these days for not too much if you have a browse.

Edited to add a few examples to start you off!:

http://www.riverford.co.uk/cook/
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes
http://www.edenfarms.co.uk/recipes.php