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

Rebelle

Hey OP

Can sympathise with you about feeding a carb-monster OH on a small budget, only good thing about carbs is at least they are, on the whole, pretty cheap and it's easy to pad a meal out for him with extra bread/spuds/rice/pasta - I try not to eat too many but he can stuff himself all day long and stay skinny! :mad:

Used to spend loads on 'treats' for my OH too which I inevitably ended up eating as well - now I only buy stuff like that sparingly and if on offer or in the poundshop etc. Leftover fruit is used up in baking (muffins, fruit loaf etc) which makes great snacks very cheaply and avoids waste, chocolate muffins with value choc chopped up instead of choc chips also go down very well here and cost pennies each, don't think my OH misses the fact I don't buy loads of junk anymore but it does mean a bit of extra time in the kitchen. I batch cook stuff like spag bol/chilli/shepherd's pie/lasagne at the weekend to save time during the week, found it a pain at first but now really enjoy it, especially as I save so much money and eat so well at the same time! :T

If there are brand name things you can't compromise on (like Ribena), then stock up when they're on offer or do the 'drop a brand' thing and try supermarket own brand, then if you like that try the value range, and if that's a step too far go back to the own brand - you get the idea! Used to be sceptical about value stuff but now buy loads of it, Sainbury's Basics are particularly good and been using Asda Smartprice loo roll for ages here with no complaints!

You should def check out Lidl if it's really near to you and you've never been, bit different from the usual supermarket but some great bargains to be had and mostly excellent quality, used to get loads for my money when I had one locally, now I make do with Netto which is also suprisingly good! Knowing your prices and shopping around can make a huge difference on a tight budget, but again you need to have time to do it.

Good luck and all the best to you in 2011! x

building_with_lego

Rebelle wrote: »

....


If there are brand name things you can't compromise on (like Ribena), then stock up when they're on offer or do the 'drop a brand' thing and try supermarket own brand, then if you like that try the value range, and if that's a step too far go back to the own brand - you get the idea! Used to be sceptical about value stuff but now buy loads of it, Sainbury's Basics are particularly good and been using Asda Smartprice loo roll for ages here with no complaints!

...

I was going to suggest going value then, as you'll probably find it dreadful, 'treating yourselves' to own brand high juice.
Good luck, I'll be watching this thread and [STRIKE]stealing[/STRIKE] being inspired by all the good ideas!

costaerer

Buddingblonde wrote: »

If you do decide to go down the route of monthly shopping - make OH sandwiches in one batch and freeze them - take them out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge for him to take with him.
I did this a while ago - making sandwiches in one go is very quick and I could make different ones - ham and pickle were good, roast beef and mustard, chicken, cheese and onion all work

Also rather than buying chicken breasts buy two or three full chickens and roast all of them. Strip all the meat off them and freeze. Then when you want to make a curry/stir fry/ chicken pie etc you have the meat already there - just take out a large handful per meal. Use some of the bones to make gravy and some to make stock and freeze Ham houghs are cheap and can be done the same way.

hes a fuss pot! he wont let me make them the night before because he doesnt like them in the fridge over night! so i let him get up early and make them! he only likes cheese or tuna which isnt so bad...

some times if i have left over etc i do send him with that to heat up which he doesnt mind occasionally.

costaerer

thanks so much for all your responses!

so im going to go to Lidl from now on NOT tesco or asda i will make a massive saving there, i just have to get it in my head i cant afford luxuries and i should stop thinking i 'deserve' them!! im going to try and eat at my parents more which they are happy about and they also give us food sometimes as my mum often bulk cooks and freezes.

there are certain things i am really going to try and reduce:

cereal, change from branded to supermarket brand or if theyre on offer.
not buy juices from the fridge and only long life juices.
crisps and chocolate are a treat- if i need to buy i will buy from lidl or quality save.
not buy expensive fruit such as strawberrys, grapes etc...i can survive with apples and oranges!!
i dont need to buy fairy washing up liquid (even though i really do think its the best) and buy cheaper ones!
try and start using washing powder, not gel or liquitabs - in 3 yrs ive never used powder, dont even know where it goes!!! :-S
try and get OH to stop drinking so much beer- well weve got 6 x 18 bottles at the moment (3 for £20) so should last a while i hope!!
dont buy things like coca cola....ever! though its better to buy in supermarket on offer than it is to buy £1 a bottle when out.

im going to go to quality save/b&m once a month and buy all household stuff. toilet roll is very cheap there, i think £2.99 for 15 rolls? and its MUCH better than the cheapy economy supermarket one!!

i dont mind baking, i actually do it quite alot but im trying to lose weight so dont want to eat it and my husband doesnt really like cake or biscuits so they generally get wasted or i give them away to friends which kinda defeats the purpose.

xxx

bluebag

I use frozen vegetables with the exception of carrots, they don't freeze well. I find it cuts down on waste , there is no preparing and I can keep a good variety. Instead of cooking them in water I steam them from frozen.

costaerer

yeah, i also buy frozen green beans, peas, sprouts, sometimes cauli and broccoli (though isnt as nice for cauliflower cheese) but i mean tomatoes cucumber, lettuce, peppers for salad, spring onions, onions etc....cant buy frozen really

Rebelle

costaerer wrote: »

i dont need to buy fairy washing up liquid (even though i really do think its the best) and buy cheaper ones!
try and start using washing powder, not gel or liquitabs - in 3 yrs ive never used powder, dont even know where it goes!!! :-S

Sounds like you've got it sussed in the main OP but when it comes to washing up liquid, you might find sticking with Fairy better value in the long run as a lot of cheaper versions can be very runny and you end up going through it much faster and buying more, which defeats the object really!

Also washing powder, you can get away with using much less than stated on the pack (I use about an eggcup-ful) and your clothes will still look and smell as clean, I buy the big boxes of powder, either supermarket own brand or brand name on offer, whichever is cheapest, same goes for fabric softener and they last for ages.

costaerer

Rebelle wrote: »

Sounds like you've got it sussed in the main OP but when it comes to washing up liquid, you might find sticking with Fairy better value in the long run as a lot of cheaper versions can be very runny and you end up going through it much faster and buying more, which defeats the object really!

Also washing powder, you can get away with using much less than stated on the pack (I use about an eggcup-ful) and your clothes will still look and smell as clean, I buy the big boxes of powder, either supermarket own brand or brand name on offer, whichever is cheapest, same goes for fabric softener and they last for ages.

im terrible, with fabric conditioner i use 2-3 x the amount stated!! im so baddd!!!!:eek::eek:

Penelope_Penguin

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

Hi there costaerer.
The big deal with the slow cooker is the cost. They typically use around 100w an hour x say 10 hours = 1 unit of electricity. A normal electric oven is approx 2-3kw per hour that's 20 or 30x the electric. So a slow oven cooked 3 hour roast would use around 6 units of electricity. The merits of taste etc when using a slow cooker are regularly debated on here, but the cost advantage is plain.

When I cook something long and slow in the oven, I use that heat for something else - I cook a rice pudding, baked potatoes, cakes, cookies, at the same time.

When you factor that in, the cost saving is no longer so plain

Bitsy_Beans

Rebelle wrote: »

Sounds like you've got it sussed in the main OP but when it comes to washing up liquid, you might find sticking with Fairy better value in the long run as a lot of cheaper versions can be very runny and you end up going through it much faster and buying more, which defeats the object really!

Also washing powder, you can get away with using much less than stated on the pack (I use about an eggcup-ful) and your clothes will still look and smell as clean, I buy the big boxes of powder, either supermarket own brand or brand name on offer, whichever is cheapest, same goes for fabric softener and they last for ages.

I second sticking with Fairy. I've tried various different WUL and none of them last the same. They don't even keep the water nice and bubbly so I have stopped wasting money buying cheap WUL as I got through it twice as fast and just stick to Fairy. it's the one brand I have to buy.