Can you feed a family of 6 under £30 ??

Butterfly_Brain

What about pancakes? You can have them sweet or savoury. For the savoury ones I fill with chopped up chicken from my rubber chicken adda few mushrooms, sweetcorn, peas or whatever I have to hand, then make a white sauce pour over and pop in the oven until bubbling and golden. My fave is bacon with mushrooms covered in cheese sauce .

By the same token you can make a savoury bread and butter pudding - I put sliced sausages and chopped up streaky bacon in mine.

I don't buy lardons I buy basics streaky bacon and chop up wth a pair of scissors - a lot cheaper option. Use for sprinkling on a pizza, in savoury B&B pud, pancakes etc

Make your own bread and pizza.

83jlg83

Hi guy THANK YOU SO MUCH the advice on this thread is AMAZING also the lady who took time to do a menu and shopping list i cant thank you enough i know it must of taken you sooooo much time. Im going to go through this thread in much more detail when my kids r in bed! theyre 7 5 6 and 2 so i dont get much day time! speak to you all later and again thank you xxx

Alwaysthebusybee

Hi,

I tend to be a lurker rather than a poster but i've read quite a lot of meal idea posts.

A few of my favourite meals are:
Corned Beef Hash, served with yorkshire puddings (Asda have a cheap batter mix 7p a packet which you just add eggs to)
Pasta with bacon bits, chopped tomatoes and a sprinkle of cheese
Chilli, filled out with beans and lentils.
Any type of stew
Lasagne
Jacket Potato with Beans and Cheese

I think Weezle also did a post / blog than fed a family of 4 for £100 for the month if someone can do the links as I can't.

HTH
Sarah

BitterAndTwisted

Great minds think alike, Sarah.

I posted a link to Weezl's site on the first page:

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

There are some fabulous recipes on there.

Butterfly_Brain

This is a great site fiull of information, menu plans, costings etc and most weeks the meals come out at about £25 for the week it is by Gill Holcombe

http://www.howto.co.uk/wellbeing/quick-healthy-recipes/introduction_61/

Or try http://shirleygoode.blogspot.com/ She was a cheap eats guru back in the 80's

gailey_2

83jlg83 wrote: »

Things are a bit grim at the moment for our family. Im really trying to cut down on food spends . I wrote a menu and costs. Can anyone suggest any menus and costs.
I am feedinh 4 children and 2 adults on this .

Monday- chicken nuggets and wedges
Tuesday - Boiled ham , mash and veg
wednesday-fish burgers (boiled fish made into patties) 2 tins of beans
thursday- spaghetti bolanase
friday-pizza & garlic bread
saturday- sausages,wedges,gravy
sunday-chicken cooked dinner

cereal would be breakfast , lunch a sandwich.

My shopping list for this week would be
Iceland
Nuggets £2
Wedges £1
pizza x2 £ 2
Garlic bread £1.50
sausages £2
spag bol jar £1
Bread 2 loaves £1.50

Asda
Boiled ham £4
Bag of spuds £2
Veg for a week £2.50
Pasta 50p
Mince extra lean 500g plus a 250g £5
Bisto £1
Cheese £2
Ham wafter thin £1
Butter £1
Cereal £1.20 (smartprice coco pops)
Milk £2


sainsburys
Chicken -big family one £5

shopping total £36.90

Can anyone help with a cheaper menu and costings ??? also there is no lidal or aldi near me to help bring costs down ;-(.. Im forgetting things like squash that wud ad a etra 50p ... please help xxx

Hi

3things will make this budget do able.

Cooking more from scratch

shopping around-sounds like you do.
trying to buy some reduced my local co-ops the best especially evenings as open until 10 and on sundays I buy lots of meat and freeze.They always have fresh fruit and veg reduced ideal if using that day or next day.

I reccomend aldis/kids for veg but bargains in unlikliest places.
My pet hate is my local corner shop spar as nitemare with buggy and some things quite pricey but at front of shop they have promotional lines includes bag of apples for quid as eldest takes apple each day to school and both my girls have fruit as snacks.

I go local pound shop and get weetbix choc stars for quid a box or I buy value cereal as typical brekkie for them depending how hungry they are and late for school for 4half year old and 15month old is

small bowl of cereal
peice of fruit
value fromage frais-good source of calcuim.
sometimes one slice of toast each with butter.

porridge maybe worth atry as value oats could be used for brekkie nice and warming/filling in winter and can aslo be used to make flapjacks or legendry twinks hobnobs, recipie on this site cheap and easy biscuits.

eldest takes mix of packed luches and school dinner depending how broke we are which includes

ham /chese or tuna and sweetcorn sandwich-2slices of bread cut into 4.
Value fromage frais or value choc mouse usually sainsburys
value crips morrisions do 6pack ready salted for 26p.
or we buy whichever crisps on offer that week
least one peice of fresh fruit apple or satsuma sometimes grapes, chopped strawberries, cherry tomatoes. or raisens depending if they on offer or reduced in small tupperware bowl.
sometimes a few value breadsticks, raw carrots, chopped cucumber sticks and tiny pot of cream cheese to dip into-also healthy snack at home.
sometimes cereal bar if not 2biscuits wrapped in clingfilm or of I been baking flapjack or 1cake.
squash double concentrate in bottle with sports cap top.

in addition to school dinners they have to take 1 piece of fruit in for morning snack as shes in infants she gets free milk and free fruit in afternoon.

If we flush and daughter has hot dinner in school that week then tea/dinner is similar to packed lunch normally cold and snacky or sometimes soup and a roll/bread.

If shes had packed lunch dinner is always cooked and more substantial.

ideas for dinner include

tuna/swetcorn pasta-just cook dried pasta , drain and add tuna /sweetcorn and grated cheese.
I have use tuna bake packet mix from morrisions think it was 35p.

bangers and mash with value gravy granules.

cauli and broccoli bake just frozen and boiled then add cheese sauce and breadcrumbs and bake.

I buy lots of frozen veg so mixed veg is great or mine like peas and sweetcorn mix as i try to ensure they have there 5 a day prtion of fruit and veg. Both like frozen mini corn on cob-iceland sell those lovley with butter.

The kids thankfully not huge meat eaters but hubby is.

I havent used oats to bulk out mince but have used red lentils quite sucessfully and chop lots of onions in it.
I can stretch small 500g pack lean of mince to 2meals for 2adults and kids.

I tend to buy 2 for 4pound fresh mince from sainsburys sometimes portion it off into smaller portions in tupperware and freeze until needed.

1.50garlic bread seems pricey sainbursy basics fresh garlic bread is 44p a baguette.often find fresh garlic bread in reduced section, freezes lovley.

Sauces I stopped buying jars.

the 2easiest ways to make sauces are

tinned tomatoes-you may need 2-4value tins and simmer for longer until less water and it thickens with sauce its best to batch cook huge load then freeze remaining portions so got to hand.

Passata-seived tomatoes usually sold in cartons is lot thicker and more sauce like takes less cooking down but its about 40-60p a carton but still cheaper than jar of sauce.

My kids are fussy well eldest is she likes plain tomato sauce no herbs or onions.

with ours ie the adults I chop chilli, onions, sometimes pepper,garlic and fry for few mins then add tinned tomatoes or passata , herbs, salt, pepper and simmmer down on low heat with lid on instant sauce.

One thing you can do if you have blender or even those chep hand blenders for 5quid is add lots of veg and blend so kids dont see and full of goodness then.

I prefer to make huge lasagane as large dish splits off to 10portiions and I freeze into cheap tubs from pundstretcher 6 for quid to have instant readymeals which i then blast in micro and serve with oven chips sometimes bagged salad as thats often reduced.

Anoether good idea for spag bol sounds mad is like italian shepards pie.

cook miince as normal
add hm tomato sauce until hot.
put in oven proof dish
add mashed potato ontop
then lots grated cheese
bake for 20-20mins at about 180-200 its like italian version shepards pie.

If we have cheapy pasta night and hubby still wants his meat fix I add chopped ham or bacon/bacon peices.

Found we were getting through tonnes of cheese so got smaller grater than grated cheese more sparingly plus parmasan more expensive to buy but as e use less of it as so strong money saving with pasta dishes and lasts ages.
value mozzarella is 49p and use on homemade pizzas and pasta dishes.

cheese valuable source of calcuim.

your milk worries me as guessing 2quid its roughly 8pints.
we family of 4get through 4pints a day with cereals, coffees, kids drinks we get 8pints from farmfoods for 1.50.

bread farmfoods 2 hovis for 1.25
value supermarket bread 50p a loaf so cheaper than what you paying now.
Thres always reduced bread in my co-op i bulk buy and freeze.
I sometimes make too.

Another good dish is the frozsen fish fillets in iceland or farmfoods get the whitefish as chepest.

place in baking tray from frozen
pour over 1carton of tomato passatta
pinch of value dried mixed herbsherbs morrisions/sainsburys
salt and pepper
bake at 200 for 15mins
take out
add grated chese
cook for further 15-20mins you have lovley tomato baked fish ideal with frozen sweetcorn/peas i cook in micro and potoes with butter.
or mash up fish put in balking tray
top with mashed potato and chese and bake for further 15mins to make tomatoe fish pie.

With a chicken I can stretch to 3meals but have smaller family

so have chicken as usual on sunday eat most of meat then

then next day boil up carcass in pan be amazed how much meat comes off.
drain into sieve and pick off as much chicken as possible.
the water should be simmered down into a stock bin carcass then and any bad bits you should eb left with some fresh chicken stock and chicken off carcass.

add value chicken stockcube or oxo into pan
add potatoes and frozen leeks or carrots
simmer with pepper and salt to make soup.

alternatvily add hm chicken stock and chicken to chicken cube and cook rissoto rice to amke rissoto or add to rice to make savoury rice and stor in in cooked frozen swetcorn/pea mix to make savoury rice with chicken and least 2vegetables.

when you cook rice in stock gives extra flavour.

18pack eggs we buy invaluable as can do

scrambled egg for snacky lunch or weekend brekkie.
omlette add what you like we add chese and ham
frittata like bakes omlette i fidn easier and I add cooked potato and pepper.
mini quiches kids love these usually chese and ham or cheese and bacon.
boiled egg and soldiers always a winner.
pancakes with savoury fillings.
baking cakes or making pastry/gingerbread men

good source of protein.

homemade pizza actually dead easy but you do need regular supply of flour in house and yeast plsu water and sugar.

for toppings use same stuff as you use on pasta for your base.
add whatever toppings and cheese you like.

other usefuls
tinned beans-protein
tinned spagetti.
tinned sweetcorn

dried herbs
salt
pepper
cooking oil.

Used to work for iceland they really quite pricey.

You dont mention toilitries or household into your budget

We buy one big box of cheapest soap powder which lasts us months.

we buy value toiliet roll from sainsburys

value bleach
value polish

value disinfectant in water bottle part water for cleaning kitc surfaces and dining table

toiltrioes superdrug/wilkos sometimes work out cheaper.

we dont buy value black bags or washing up liquid as found it false economy.

value wetipes and cloth nappies
value bath/shower gel/soap.

Parting words to my essay.

know what its like to pay off debts but even with dmps ensure you got enough not just to feed family but to sustain them so right balance of

proteins, calcuim and fruit and veg plus allowing for snacks as little tummies graze a lot more.

try as hard as it might slowly by doing more from scratch and bulk cooking can save time and money.

good luck.I cant maneg to get below 50quid a week.

83jlg83

Thanks gailey that post was epic!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Frozen peas and sweetcorn can be used to make a lot of otherwise boring, bland meals a bit more interesting - like fish cakes, potatoes & peas, pasta with ham, chicken & sweetcorn, tuna sweetcorn, etc - and you only need a couple of tablespoonfuls each time.

mcculloch29

Regarding buying at Iceland, there are other frozen food outlets. In the North of England we have both Farmfoods (I'm afraid I don't like shopping here much, though) and Heron.

I wrote a letter of thanks to the local paper in praise of the staff in my town's Heron store. I get my shopping packed for me cheerfully and efficiently and the bargains are amazing. On Saturday I had quite a big shop and my shopping was carried outside for me and put in the luggage pannier of my adult's trike. You don't get service like that in any other shop.

Six probiotic yoghurts for 79p, four luxury yoghurts with chocolate raisins for 99p, pastrami for 99p, jumbo prawns for £1.75, massive gateaux for £3.99 ... It's difficult to mention the bargains as so many are ephemeral. If you don't get it when you see it, forget it in many cases.

In the meat line they do a 500g garlic sausage for 99p which I use for all sorts of things. I've sliced it up and used it to replace pepperoni in home made pizzas. I've finely chopped it (I actually grated it, for speed) and used it in a stir-fry and for fritters.
One of the things I bought on Saturday was a lovely tin of Carr's Biscuits for Cheese for £2, not an everyday buy, but indicative of the great Christmas bargains they have,

Old_Meanie

Hello again. When I was younger and worked full time and my children were young I used to save on fuel as well as food by oven stacking.

I dont know the size of your oven but in my old gas cooker I would do the following: rush home from work on Monday in lunch hour and put in oven:

First shelf - CHEAP JOINT that requires longer slower cooking. I used to do shoulder of lamb or large pork shoulder or other cheap joint (brisket is fabulous delicious hot or cold). Put in roasting tin on rack and cover with double thickness of foil.

Second shelf: - BEEF CASSEROLE OR OTHER CHEAP STEWING CUT OF MEAT 2lb stewing steak (shin is good for this and very cheap) 4 large carrots, 2 large onions both sliced and other root veg say swede or turnip. I used to be very poor then so I just used to cover with water I could not afford stock cubes (quite new then). When cooked I would thicken with Bisto. ALSO SAVOURY MINCE OR SAY SAUSAGE BAKE 2lb value mince two large onions sliced, carrotts, celery root veg as above put in casserole dish cover with water and make sure sealed well with foil and lid if necessary. For sausage bake 1 and 1/2 pounds reasonable sausage, 2 tins value tomatoes chopped, 1 large onion chopped 2 tins mixed beans Lidl do good one at only 36p 1 tin sweetcorn and a few herbs and garlic if liked. cook as for mince above.

Bottom shelf or floor of oven - LARGE MILK PUDDING OR STEWED FRUIT WHICH IS QUITE HARD LIKE PLUMS. Baked potatoes can also be put here pricked rubbed with oil and salt and covered with foil.
I used to leave oven on lowest setting but today I would say about 100 deg 150 at most.

I used to leave for work again at about 1.30 and would get home about 5.30 to 6.00 pm. when a weeks meals would have cooked therefore saving fuel costs as it could be reheated with minimal gas. We would eat the roast for tea that day perhaps with the pudding. All the other meals would go in fridge when cool (could not afford freezer) and would be reheated throughout the week perhaps adding extras to make spag bol or chilli or cottage pie.

NOTE PERHAPS THIS IS BEST DONE TODAY IN EVENING OR WEEKEND AS I DID NOT THINK ABOUT SAFETY SO MUCH THEN.