Having trouble making groceries stretch

schmucker

I have a weekly budget of £40 a week for food for 2 adults, 2 children and its not stretching far enough.

Take tonights dinner, she has just done the shopping and we are having a couple of potatoes and a birds eye crispy chicken each, you eat it and your hungry 30 mins later as its not enough but then if you make more you miss out dinner somewhere along the line as we don't have enough food to stretch.

I've found really since the start of the year we have resorted to eating rubbish like cheap sausages, processed chicken rubbish. My Mrs works in Iceland so gets a 10% discount but even that doesn't help, Its rare we get decent meat as we can't afford it, every thing we buy is already the cheapest of the cheap so I really don't have a clue what to do.

Any tips appreciated.

crazyguy

Take a look here : http://www.frugal.org.uk/foodtips.html

nuttybabe

hi. i have noticed everything has increased. maybe if you post your shopping list people could suggest other options????

i buy a sack of potatoes 25k for £6 - £9 and that lasts 5 of us a month or over. i get the 17p pasta (500g) from morrisons. i shop around for offers and look out for whoopsies. i also make my own bread, yoghurt and cakes and biscuits. But i am a SAHM so I have time to do this.

Forgot to say, check out this website http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

euronorris

Take a look here: http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

I believe that this was created by a user of this site, and her family follow the meal plans too, as do plenty of others, so it can be done

ETA: Nuttybabe beat me to it!

pigpen

£40 is a small budget for 4 people for a week.. maybe you should look at rejigging your finances and spending more on food.. it is kind of important!!

I spend about £600 a month for 10 of us and we have meat, fresh fruit and veg most days.. granted a lot is value brands but hey.. a potato is a potato and an apple is an apple.

McKneff

Instead of buying this processed chicken stuff, buy a proper chicken, I can get at least 3 meals off one and a pan of soup from the bones.

McKneff

pigpen wrote: »

£40 is a small budget for 4 people for a week.. maybe you should look at rejigging your finances and spending more on food.. it is kind of important!!

I spend about £600 a month for 10 of us and we have meat, fresh fruit and veg most days.. granted a lot is value brands but hey.. a potato is a potato and an apple is an apple.

Wow, Pigpen, I knew you had a big family but wow, I'm impressed, bet theres lots of love and fun in your house, not sure whether Im envious but respect lady.

Annie
(with just the two, up and gone.

schmucker

McKneff wrote: »

Instead of buying this processed chicken stuff, buy a proper chicken, I can get at least 3 meals off one and a pan of soup from the bones.

We do when my Mrs finds it reduced, she only buys meat if its reduced but Icelands meat is chewy and better suited to dog food, Chicken however you can't go wrong with, A chicken would do the 4 of us for a Sunday dinner and usually the legs are still left over for sandwiches for my lunch the next day.

Nicky2905

I think you need to think about adding cheap "fillers" to your dinners to stop you getting hungry after - like a handful of pasta. I remember growing up we always had a slice of bread and butter with our dinner to help fill us up.
Omelettes are cheap and filling (I get the Tesco market value eggs - about £1.50 for 15 - too skint to have ethics, sorry chicks, promise I'll buy free range when times are better!!)
I also discovered tesco create your own pizza (at deli counter) a 14 inch costs £3 and is more than the four of us can eat.
Try visiting your local butchers - some of them have great deals. At mine I can get 3 trays for £9 - I go once a fortnight and buy 8 chicken breasts, enough mince for 3 meals, sausages, 2 lamb shanks and a joint of beef for £18 total - which gives me enough meat for 11 meals.

lynzpower

Im another saying that maybe 40 isnt enough these days....


I know you can probably do the odd meal cheaper but those crispy chicken things are cheap, I have seen it for £1 for 2 in a pack with a bogof.

Suppose the other thing to do would be to try to stretch this out even further, eg, chicken sliced thinly then made into a club sandwich with a bit of ham, bread, salad grating of cheese etc. You could probably eat even less meat this way, as long as you have plenty of sides ( jacket potato, slaw, or roasted veggies, salad)

Maybe she shouldnt buy fruit and veg in Iceland, even with the discount their fresh stuff is pricey.

lynzpower

Nicky2905 wrote: »

I think you need to think about adding cheap "fillers" to your dinners to stop you getting hungry after - like a handful of pasta. I remember growing up we always had a slice of bread and butter with our dinner to help fill us up.
Omelettes are cheap and filling (I get the Tesco market value eggs - about £1.50 for 15 - too skint to have ethics, sorry chicks, promise I'll buy free range when times are better!!)
I also discovered tesco create your own pizza (at deli counter) a 14 inch costs £3 and is more than the four of us can eat.
Try visiting your local butchers - some of them have great deals. At mine I can get 3 trays for £9 - I go once a fortnight and buy 8 chicken breasts, enough mince for 3 meals, sausages, 2 lamb shanks and a joint of beef for £18 total - which gives me enough meat for 11 meals.

Free range are 75p for 6 in lidl- so same price for FR as caged

Making a pizza base from scratch - our cheapie toppings tend around sweetcorn, mushrooms, onions, a few shreds of chicken off the carcass....
Makin