Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

grannybroon

We have bought reduced items in the supermarket - some are cheap and nasty, some are very good but worth a try. Bought Huggies nappies when DGS1 was born - a full change of clothes and nappy change every time. Now on Pampers and No 3 on the way. Managed to buy loads with my Boots points the other day. Never buy babywipes (Pamps sensitive) unless on offer -Asda great for these.

DD1 just phoned - she is still being soooooooooo sick.. Still GD3 but maybe think GG1? Different from lat 2? Don't care so long as all OK.

GB

Fivenations

Bean and pasta or barley soups are my standyby meals - they easily come out at under 25p per person if you use home cooked beans from the freezer and they are very healthy if you add lots of veg.

RainbowsInTheSpray

I say we should all make good use of our freezers and leftovers during Christmas and New Year so as so ensure a plentiful supply of cheap meal ingredients!!

gargoyle

I've just been reading this thouroughly as I have the grand total of £19 to last three of us until the 9th. Don't even have much in the cupboards or freezer after xmas. Any more recipes would go down a treat right now.

cordial

If the £19 is to be strictly for food, I'd go out straight away and make sure you have adequate basics - pasta, rice and potatoes. Like that, you're insuring yourself. Maybe £5 - £10 on that.

Next, I'd go in for a bag of the legendary Tesco value chicken portions mentioned many times in the thread. I think they're about £2.50 per bag. Use the rest for buying fresh fruit, veg and bread occasionally and perhaps milk. If there's any left over, buy a few tins of value baked beans.

Your next job is to scan all the recipes on here to see if you'd want to change any of the list above for anything else - cheese, eggs etc. Your primary task however is to stay disciplined. You have 10 days over which to spread that budget. It can be done, especially if you still have things like jams, cereals etc in the house.

gargoyle

Well, I went shopping and I spent £5.81 on pasta, 2 tins chopped toms, 2 tins peas and carrots, 2 packets of sausages, a packet of mince, 2 tins baked beans, mushrooms and peppers. I have plenty of milk and bread in so not too bad. A friend gave us three pieces of steak she was going to cook tonight for us but couldn't so that's tomorrow's dinner. And SIL wants to takes us out for a meal Monday. So I'm covered for 7 days already . Will go down veg shop on Tuesday and get loads of cheap fruit and veg to have in. Phew, that was scary for a minute.

Edited to add tin of corned beef.

apple_mint

Things were tight when OH and I were both students with two children. The favourite meal for us and the DDs was:

Pasta (the cheap stuff at 19p a bag) cooked in:
vegatable stock (stock cube)
Stirred into this was some peas (handfuls of frozen peas heated up)
Then we added some quartered hard boiled eggs (still hot) - half a dozen cheap eggs - if things are tight then one per person
and poured over cheese sauce made from a packet mix (around 30p at the time plus 1/2 pint milk)
If we had any cheese left over in the fridge we grated it to go over the top

Doesn't sound much, but the DDs loved it and it was filling.

So costs - I don't know what this would cost today as 1) I tend to make things from scratch (e.g. pasta and sauce mix) and 2) DD now grown up and I don't make it any more.

Pasta - about 1/2 of a bag = 9p
Peas - guessing at about 10p?
Eggs - don't know (I buy free range so don't know the value egg costs)
Cheese sauce mix - guessing at 35p for an ASDA version
Milk - 1/2 pint = 27p (though if you have a freezer and can take advantage of reduced milk it can be frozen)

Edit - forgot the cost of stock cube - but to be honest you don't have to add it - it just adds a nice flavour to the pasta.

More than the 50p but we were feeding four with this.

RainbowsInTheSpray

apple_mint wrote:

Things were tight when OH and I were both students with two children. The favourite meal for us and the DDs was:

Pasta (the cheap stuff at 19p a bag) cooked in:
vegatable stock (stock cube)
Stirred into this was some peas (handfuls of frozen peas heated up)
Then we added some quartered hard boiled eggs (still hot) - half a dozen cheap eggs - if things are tight then one per person
and poured over cheese sauce made from a packet mix (around 30p at the time plus 1/2 pint milk)
If we had any cheese left over in the fridge we grated it to go over the top

Doesn't sound much, but the DDs loved it and it was filling.

So costs - I don't know what this would cost today as 1) I tend to make things from scratch (e.g. pasta and sauce mix) and 2) DD now grown up and I don't make it any more.

Pasta - about 1/2 of a bag = 9p
Peas - guessing at about 10p?
Eggs - don't know (I buy free range so don't know the value egg costs)
Cheese sauce mix - guessing at 35p for an ASDA version
Milk - 1/2 pint = 27p (though if you have a freezer and can take advantage of reduced milk it can be frozen)

Edit - forgot the cost of stock cube - but to be honest you don't have to add it - it just adds a nice flavour to the pasta.

More than the 50p but we were feeding four with this.

Great emergency savings meal and pretty tasty, I bet. Round it off with a fruit for desert (and to up the vitamins) and you're home free.

Three_Dancing_Dragons

Bean Paprikash. 400g tin of baked beans, 400g tin of rinsed red kidney beans warmed up in saucepan with 100g (half a tub) of creme fraiche and a dessertspoon of paprika. Serve with rice or pasta. As a non-vege I find this a bit bland even using the sweet smoked paprika so I'd add leftover bacon bits.

cordial

Here's one with a Christmas theme... herb 'meatballs'

Use the cheapest packet of sage and onion stuffing you can find.

Rehydrate according to instructions.

Add some very finely chopped up bacon, mushroom, sausage or whatever other ingredient comes to mind... maybe extra onion?

Allow to cool.

With wetted hands, form into small balls of about 3cm diameter and bake on a thin tray in preheated oven at Gas mark 6 for 20-25 mins.

Quite tasty and can go with e.g. green salad.