£10 to £15 for food a week?

debsjc

It's definitely worth looking out for reductions on items almost out of date. Most of them can be frozen, especially the meat.

This week I have found 4 packs of minced beef steak for 70p each, a 4kg turkey for £3.80 (from £19), 4 packs of 2x salmon fillets for 80p each, and 4 packs of casserole steak for £1.60. That casserole steak will do 4-5 meals when turned into a beef stew, with lots of lovely veggies.
My freezer is stocked up, so i won't need to buy much for a while.

pourwitty

debsjc wrote: »

It's definitely worth looking out for reductions on items almost out of date. Most of them can be frozen, especially the meat.

This week I have found 4 packs of minced beef steak for 70p each, a 4kg turkey for £3.80 (from £19), 4 packs of 2x salmon fillets for 80p each, and 4 packs of casserole steak for £1.60. That casserole steak will do 4-5 meals when turned into a beef stew, with lots of lovely veggies.
My freezer is stocked up, so i won't need to buy much for a while.

Very good advice, it's the best plan to buy all you can when it's reduced, i can't do it because i HAVE to stick to my £15 i can't afford a quid over, but it's so annoying when you see loads of carrots cheap and i can't buy them all to make things with.
Obviously if i budgeted £1 for carrots and they are 20p i'll buy 5 lots but i would like to buy 10 lots:p
I bought £2 of chestnuts for 20p each in ASDA a month or so ago. bliss;)

gailey_2

Reading this thread with interest as need to cut back next few months

think if was me be just doable but have meat loving hubby and 3kids.

I think you should consider local ads, freecycle or ebay for small chest freezer or upright seen them go under £10 it be worth it as

you can bulk buy reduced
as you cooking for 1 do what I do I buy

plastic tubs with lids £1 for 6. I do things like lasagne, shepards pie, spag bol and put in tubs and freeze then dont even defrost I blast in microwave.

Essentials for me is

herbs/spices, salt /pepper- i buy value pepper fine and value mixed herbs just 18p a pot sainsburys
other dried herbs -lidls
milk-always fresh with us
double concentrate squash usually 2litres for £2.50 but would last the month.
sugar
coffee always tesco/sainsburys gold nicest instant lidls gran arom nice.

bread flour-lidls can make bread or pizza base
tinned tomatoes and passatta to make pasta sauces, currys ect.
kidney beans-for chilli
tuna-for sandwiches or pasta
beans or tinned spagetti, beans are healthier
red lentils-bulks out any mince dishes or curry
oats-porridge or biscuits-twinks see old style
golden syrup

self raising flour- can make some cakes
plain value flour-makes some biscuits
baking powder
yeast
tinned tomatos
tinned fruit-good way to get 5 a day
value orange juice-1 glass counts as 5 a day and read helps asorb vitamins from cereals better.

bag oven chips
bag frozen peas
bagf frozen sweetcorn
Bag of frozen cauliflower or broccoli.-good with poato in veggie curry

bread-mostly reduced.
value stuffing-just 15p
apples and bananas seem cheapest fresh veg.

big bag of potatoes-can make chips, mash, booiled, roasts, fishcakes

eggs -fritatta, omlette, cooked brekkie, cakes, quiches choice is endless.

value pastas.

bulk do soups

cupasoups, instant noodles handy standby could add fresh reduced veg and reduced meat to noodles.

good luck as you say only for a few months not long term.

Shop around and try get reduced stuff.

CazGreg

Cannot emphasise enough about reduced fruit and veg.

My Tesco has huge bagfuls of large baking potatoes for 11p, whole broccolis for 9p, cartons of tomatoes for 17p, bags of apples for 7p etc. etc. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!
Almost every vegetable and fruit can be found there over a period of about a month.

This is in the reduced fruit and veg section, and the key is to go after about 8-9pm. I often buy loads of veg and make a giant pot of soup - I costed it once - it cost me 64p and made thirteen meals!!

debsjc

pourwitty wrote: »

Very good advice, it's the best plan to buy all you can when it's reduced, i can't do it because i HAVE to stick to my £15 i can't afford a quid over, but it's so annoying when you see loads of carrots cheap and i can't buy them all to make things with.
Obviously if i budgeted £1 for carrots and they are 20p i'll buy 5 lots but i would like to buy 10 lots:p
I bought £2 of chestnuts for 20p each in ASDA a month or so ago. bliss;)

I'm lucky that I've had the opportunity to plan ahead a bit. I reduce my hours to part time from next week, so I have had the money to pre-stock my freezer with reduced meat and fish.

Even after that my budget is monthly, so I can buy freezable things when they are cheap. If you have a set limit each week it must be much harder to take advantage of bargains when you see them.

Material_Girl_2

Just wanted to thank you all again for your tips and encouragement. I have now applied and been accepted for a )%credit card that will let me do a money transfer . So even with the handling fee I will really save on interest fees. I will now be able to pay off the debts a bit slower as I am saving in interest fees and therefore can spend a bit more on my weekly food budget. I have now decided on £25 a week, which should do me fine and allow me to slowly adjust to spending less. I was worried that from never making home cooked meals to spending so little money and cooking all meals at home, I would find it too difficult but now I can spend a little bit more and still save loads on my shopping!

AdmiralX

CazGreg wrote: »

I often buy loads of veg and make a giant pot of soup - I costed it once - it cost me 64p and made thirteen meals!!

Yam... Thanks good to know - I did not actually - One can add in the soup pot some barley, and perhaps grain or bit of rice, a spoon of cous cous, break in some rice noodles. ... and half a lemon. The soup tastes better when leave it in the fridge one night.:)

freeoffers

Material_Girl wrote: »

. I have now decided on £25 a week, which should do me fine and allow me to slowly adjust to spending less.

You'll eat like a Millionaire now MG. Great stuff, keep posting and let us know how you get on.

[Deleted User]

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

I am surprised at the ignorance that people like McKneff that think that having so little money means you can’t eat healthy! I can get you below £15 a week AND give you 7 of your 5-a-day!

And to add to this… All recipes suggested below either take less then half an hour… or you bung them in a pot and leave them for ages (Slow Cook/Pressure Cooker) and your prep/finishing will not be more than half an hour either! I call them my lazy meals!

Porridge Oats will last 20 portions so 4 weeks worth of breakfast!

Oats (1kg) 89p (1/4 per week... PS. value costs more then own brand)
Milk £1.18
Value Jam 35p

£2.42

HM Soup (Ham and Pea) can be made cheap (a Ham Hock will make two 5ltr pots of soup, each will serve 10 lunches)... so that's 2 of your 5-a-day and lunch for 4 weeks!

Ham Hock £1.50 (Half per Soup)
Split Peas 49p
3 Carrots 24p
Leek 50p
Value Garden Peas 85p (Half a bag per Soup)
Onion 20p
Value Veg Stock 10p

£3.78

A beef stew would last 7 portions (4 of your 5-a-day)... so a weeks worth of dinner!

Frozen Casserole Steak £3
Seasonal Veg (1.5kg) £1.50
Value Chopped Tomatoes x 2 76p
Value Beef Stock Cubes 10p

£5.36

Add some bread and margarine!

Value Wholemeal Bread 47p
Value Spread 75p (should last 2 weeks)

£1.22

Snacks... Cheap yogurts, buy digestives to have with tea...! Fruit!

Value Yogurts x 2 58p
Value Digestives 19p
Value Coffee 47p
Fruit £1 (I can normally get mine this cheap by buying seasonal)

£2.24

TOTAL £15.12
Fruit/Veg: 7
Protein: Yes
Dairy: Yes

And remember the Lunches last 2 weeks and you have Ham Hock and Peas left for another Batch in week 3. Porridge lasts 4 weeks so you don’t have to buy it every week, so week 2 would cost you £9.15, week 3 £10.58 and Week 4 £9.15.

Other Snacks can be HM Hummus on Toast when you have the extra money freed up to buy the initial ingredients.

I have many other evening meals with are CHEAPER than the ones above!

A Chicken Casserole would last 7 portions (4 of your 5-a-day)... so a weeks worth of dinner!

Chicken Legs £2 (you need 2 of the 5 in the pack)
Seasonal Veg (1.5kg) £1.50
Value Chopped Tomatoes x 2 76p
Value Chicken Stock Cubes 10p

£4.36

Spag Bol would last 7 portions (4 of your 5-a-day)... so a weeks worth of dinner!

Minced Meat (Not Value!) £2.50
Value Mixed Frozen Veg 85p
Valu Chopped Tomatoes 38p
Value Pasta Sauce 39p
Value Mixed Herbs 19p
Value Pasta 25p

£4.56
(NB Add less minced Beef, saving £1.25 and add red lentils instead… a whole bag would last a month and cost 88p)

Other Lunches which is CHEAPER:

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup 10 Portions.

Ham Hock £1.50 (Half per Soup)
Lentils 88p
Value Carrots (2kg) 89p
Onion 20p
Value Veg Stock 10p

£3.57

So I say to you… yes it is possible… yes it can be healthy… and you can mix and match your meals to avoid bordom!

Ps. I feed 2 Adults, 1 Child and 4 pets of £50 a week (including all toiletries, and while having a health condition which means I have to eat more expensive and complex foods!) So I knew £10-£15 is easy!

And think about all the leftovers if you say it only has to be for 4/5 days a week...! Means week on week it'll get cheaper!

Good Luck x

Julie G you and I are virtualy twins in that your diet is very similar to mine I have spent under £15 since Christmas Eve and have more than enough food to last me till the end of the month.I bought a chicken on Thursday which with a few additions I have had 5 sandwich meals off of and 4 dinners and have 6 single portions of pasta,bake to go into the freezer.This was a 1.7kg fresh chicken from Sainsbobs which I cooked in my SC overnight on Thursday night I also have enough stock to make one and a half litres of veggie soup for 6 lunches this week from my 'free stock' which I will have with some garlic reduced bread from the freezer.I allow myself £100.00 per month cash in my food purse and that is more than enough to feed myself with admittidley I get a sunday roast at my DDs every Sunday night which helps the budget out but aften come home with LO bits of maybe veg to use up on Monday for my dinner.I love streeetching out my food stocks and enjoy the challenge of 'cobbling together' another meal out of what I have in store already:j

AdmiralX

JackieO wrote: »

I love streeetching out my food stocks and enjoy the challenge of 'cobbling together' another meal out of what I have in store already:j

yes, that is a good idea, and things last long because you prepare your meals yourself from scratch... That is what I do too.:)