£100 for 5 weeks food - family of 4

neetsy15

Great post, I've been watching with interest and taking inspiration from you guys. Have even invested in a slow cooker and my brisket is cooking away as I type! Keep the updates coming xxx

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

Just wanted to wish everyone good luck with slashing their food bills, very difficult these days..

I made a lovely chick pea curry in the SC the other day...soak a bag (89p) of chick peas overnight. Boil for 10 mins. Fry onion and garlic and add any leftover veg (I chucked a wilted salad in mine and carrots) add some cuury paste or whatever spices you have then add the chick peas and 2 eggcupfuls of rinsed red lentils and a can of tomatoes. Top up with water if necessary and cook all day in SC.

Very cheap meal which we have had 2 nights running and still some leftover (4 of us).

Also has anyone mentioned making bread? 68p a bag of bread fliur in Lidl makes 3 loaves.

Good luck

Butterfly_Brain

ceridwen wrote: »

Speaking of stuffing balls - I did buy a packet of readymade stuffing at one point to try out an MSE recipe for lentil and stuffing burgers and thought "Thats okay - would do that again". But - hit a snag - as the readymade stuffing mix I would buy (having read the list of ingredients on the other one) is WAY dearer than the conventional non-organic ones. I look at the packets there for pennies and then turn to pick up the organic equivalent of Sage and Onion stuffing and put them back down - as they are over well over £1 a packet.

Result = no stuffing then for me:(

Has anyone got a recipe that I can use to make my own equivalent of P*xo Sage & Onion packet stuffing? (I DO have a sage plant growing I can use).

Yep...I know...I know...its gonna be long-winded to:
- first make own stuffing
and then
- make those stuffing and lentil burgers

but thats how I want to play it - so I could do with a suitable stuffing recipe...

Dried breadcrumbs, grated onion, sage to taste and boiling water then add a little bit of butter and mix - allow to cool and form into balls that is all that is in a packet of stuffing mix

ixia

Like the sound of the chickpea curry i think i'll give it a try thanks.

patchwork_cat

My Grandpa used to make stuffing - bread made into breadcrumbs, onion grated, sage and butter. You can fry the onion in the butter and mix everything else in or just add the melted butter to the dry ingredients.

Butterfly_Brain

Have any of you been to a B&M store? They have lots of good deals on some items of food, but if you see it you have to buy it because it won't be there next week. I got a catering 3kg Chicken Bisto powder for £3 (and I have seen it online for £15.99) last month, I have had lots of similar deals from there and it will last me ages, I also get biotex in there ( I get my stardrops in 99p stores)

I am from a time when having a well stocked store cupboard was drummed into you so that in times when money is tight there is always something to fall back on, it is common sense and has got us out of a few holes I can tell you. Just be vigilant on stock rotation.

DebtFree2012

Hi guys

I am still here! Just! I have been reading to keep up with things but been SO busy. I have been updating my DFW diary and about time I did a quick update on here.

We've been lucky enough to be invited out 4 times since we last spoke so 4 less meals to cater for

I have been using the meat which I spoke about and also cooking my weekend bought vegies and using enough for tea then freezing the portions so we've had plenty of meals like this. I've also been using pasta with tinned tomatoes and veg stock, boiling it down and adding meat with cheese over. We haven't had one meal that hasn't been home made I am pleased to say.

All of your suggestions are FAB and I love the stuffing idea. I also agree about having a well stocked cupboard and am trying to build mine up for emergency use over the winter which we hopefully won't need to use as "emergency".

Update on spends - I have £10.62 left. The problem I have now is we are virtually out of loo roll and toothpaste!

I will do my shopping list on Saturday and go for in on Sunday.

Tesco have sent me £12.50 vouchers which normally I would use but this is turning into principle now and I don't want to use them unless I have to. I didn't have them when I started this challenge and I want to know if I can do it now.

I will also be doing this next month so shall keep updating and hopefully more often.

I have to say we're also having a lot more water with ours meals so healthier too but I need to include more fruit as concious what we have is the same every day and only just hitting the 5 a day.

My thread looks like I am doing it at just the right time given the state of the economy again.

I hope everyone's managing ok and food cost isn't getting too much for ppl.

gailey_2

Hi

just seen this thread and wondered few things.

you work fulltime what happens with childcare?

Only ask as my 23monthold does nursury 1day a weekand gets fed 2snacks, drinks and lunch/tea within the price.
myeldest 5is in school but finding packed lunches cheaper.
my 4month old not eating yet!

I use cloth nappies with my youngest used for other 2when they were smallhuge saving.

how do you keep milk so low? as 3quid is 8pints and we get through least 4pints a day here as nearly 2year old and eldest like to drink milk and cereals.

I buy value fromage frais butanother thing you could do is buy natural yogurt add forgaged blackberries reduced fruit.

co-op best for reductions here.

I do try and ensure my eldest 2 eat 3portionsof fruit and day and 2veg.
even raisens orvalue sultanas would count as 5 a day and last ages.
glass of orange juice also counts as one of 5 a day.
Buy some value bananas and make a banans smoothie or banana cake.

I buy lots of value lines including toiliet roll.

have you got any boots advantage points?could get tootpaste and teething gel there!
have used kitchen roll and wetwipes in an emrgancy.
tesco and sainsburys value wipes were 17p a pack. there value baby toilitries so cheap.

maybe make a batch of twinks as a treat snack as you already have oats for porridge.
I limit crisps to one pack a day each buy value or on offer.

I buy the doubleconcentrate own brand squash usally 2.50for 2bottles and lasts ages!

Maybe buy lots of frozen or tinned veggies

My girls love tuna and sweetcorn sandwiches.
add swetcorn or peas with their fishfingers and chips.
those big bag mixed veg are good just add small amount with most meals.

i make veg curry with diced potato, frozen cauliflower, peas and whatever other veg have spare with tinned tomatoes and currypower .

I makeown pasta sauces with tinned tomatoes /passatta.

I really need to reduce my bill down as its crept up because been eating more fresh as on sw diet so eating much better than before but also everythings going up.

Seraph123

B&M have some fantatsic bargains but as you say you have to get them when you see them or they are gone gone gone. Bought some jars of Pataks curry sauces for 49p. Great to have in the store cupboard for a quick curry. I always check if there's any really good bargains and if I've any money left from the weekly budget I will buy them and add them to the store cupboard. Every couple of months we have a week where we buy no shopping at all and just create meals from what we have in together with goodies from the store cupboard bargains.The money we save from not shopping that week goes into the Christmas and the emergency jars. Always feel like I'm getting something for nothing that way .