£10 a week food budget

Hiddenidenity

You should easily be able to feed yourself on £10 a week, I f you meal plan right and stick to your list when you go shopping.

My budget allows £25 a week for grocerys and thats for me and 2 children (both in nappies one needing formula) so im left with £9-£10 a week for food to feed all 3 of us.

I tend to buy one value mince (1.92) at tesco and split into 4, value carrots, value potatoes, value mixed veg, toms etc its definatly doable

rach-vitendi

A totally inspirational thread - Thanks for the eye opener Teeny Bash.

beautifylife

Hi, thanks for starting this thread.

I wanted to add some more content to help out, if you go here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3327818
you'll find a similar thread I started about a month ago. It has additional ideas as well as some similar ones. You may have already seen, it I'm not sure.

I also took a look at depression cooking as well, and there were some good ideas, easily understood as baking is not my strength, but I could follow ok.

The biggest savings I have made are getting reduced items, I plan my meals around those yellow stickers rather than using a meal plan and trying to make the bargains fit. I do have to supplement with other things depending on what is available, but if you use your freezer well it can help.

I don't eat lots of bread but I have found that Asda do great reductions if you do, you can pick it up at 15p or 20p a loaf (but this is usually a lot later a night) you'll need to check your store and their reduction times. The added bonus is that you can freeze it and it works well at that price I don't consider it cheaper making your own by the time you have bought the ingredients and factored in the gas or electric and your time of course. But making your own you know exactly what went into it. Morrisons is good for reduced fruit.

I also know where all the reduced places are - they often move them around the store. As my diet is high in fruits and veg (and fresh can be expensive) don't be put off if it is a little soft. I use it in smoothies, most fruits can be frozen and then blended in smoothies later. They can also be used in baking, pies, crumbles, jams, etc.

I also have green smoothies - so I use dark leafy greens with fruit. If veggie is about to turn you can put them in smoothies e.g. kale, lettuce, spinach. It's all highly nutritious.

At the moment I am forgaing, apples, blackberries, even crab apples. It's free and wild even better than organic. I also use wild edibles nettles (soups, stews), danelions (salads and smoothies).
Look around your area and see what you can find. Ask neighbours if they have any fruit trees etc. You can even go to the library and get books on it, educate yourself. I know it's a learning curve but worth it. You'll start to view food in a different way.

Price check your receipt, mine are wrong most of the time. At Asda you get money back if they are wrong. Also they do a price challenge, more money back if they are more expensive than others. See the thread for more details.

Use coupons where you can.

I also find Asian markets good for nuts, spices, rice, chick peas, lentils, some fresh veg and fruit but watch this as it can work out more. I don't have transport, it can be heavy. When I realised that my arms were getting longer than my legs carrying things back home as I'm off main bus route and they run infrequently I try to take a carrier on wheels. It takes out the strain.

Be organised, I have found that my bus fare is about £4 return trip, make the best use of it as it eats into your budget. Go to as many places as you can in a small distance, because lugging heavy things around is tiring, but I'm getting fitter there is a bonus.

I have found homebargains good for washing up liquid, paper items, some tinned foods, olive oil, sweets, and I am sure more depending on what you buy.
Wilkinsons is good too. I find them about the same standard. Some of the pound shops can be more expensive, and not such good quality you need to be more discerning.

I think the price book is a good one, I'm going to try that.

These comments are personal to my life style choices like you I don't want to compromise on quality and often reduced items are organic.

I also find batch cooking and freezing helps take the strain of looking in your fridge and saying "what can I make tonight". I found I was becoming a little frantic about my next meals and was getting fed up always thinking about how to stretch the contents of my fridge. Batch cooking has helped a little with that.

But do bear in mind I don't enjoy the cooking process, but like simple food.

So I hope these help, I personally have found it a strain and I have been doing it for many months. I really wish you well.

CouponWoman

I think you need to check out this thread, you will find it really useful.

Updated Printable Money off Coupons & Policies Thread 22 (and chat)

For example there is a coupon for free Campbells condensed soup, a coupon for free crisps and lots more.

good luck

CWxx

LilahDavies

The easiest, cheapest meal you can possibly do is a simple tomato pasta. Just tinned tomatoes and fresh basil is enough for a tasy sauce - just simmer until warmed through and toss through some cooked pasta. Great hot or cold the next day for lunch. If you have it then add a glug of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Lovely!

ska_lover

Noodles might be an idea. You can get value noodles for 10p or so, and you could always add things to them if you wanted, sweetcorn, peas, chunks of meat.

MILLYMOLLY

still reading your thread so don't know yet if this has been posted but you can get a pdf for a free can of campbells soup and you can print as many as you want, link is on vouchers and codes thread

Just seen couponwomans post above

quintwins

i 2nd noodles i buy the chicken ones but i add soy sauce when cooking and it's yummy with a panful of frozen peas and sweetcorn and topped with wee bit of grated cheese

blossom30

TeenyBash wrote: »

Hi everyone :hello:

I hope you'll be able to assist me. To cut a long story short, I was made redundant on 5th July (along with everyone) from my job. Had 8 interviews (3 with one company, 2 with another included!). But no job, yet :-(

I'm now receiving JSA. I've cut my outgoings down to the bear minimum, but I'm still in -£8.99 deficit a month :-( Currently selling anything not nailed down!

Basically, right at this moment I have £14 left from selling on eBay. This needs to get me through the next week, and possibly the next and I really need some creative ideas to get me through with food!

I've bought porridge oats, milk and bananas. So that will do for breakfast for a week. It's lunch and dinner I need to think about. Any ideas, links etc, much appreicated. I'm thinking beans and bread... Ha!

Many thanks.

Hi You could try visiting your local supermarkets after 4pm and there are loads of stuff reduced that you could cook that same day and freeze. I am sure there was a thread on here (if someone here can recall) it listed the best time to go to the supermarket for the reduced bargains. I often buy from my local Asda on a Monday there seems to be loads reduced from the weekend at a very good price. shrewdalx

Elmo1985

not sure if you know anyone with a Macro card? We get the boxes of chicken breasts from there £20.00 for around 18-20 massive chicken breasts - one is enough for a casserole to feed four x

May be no good for this month but worth looking into in future - they last us ages.