Help with food budget, 8 days left and only £20

sweetpeas_2

Hi :wave:

I'm having a bit of a dilemma this month.. basically, we've just completely run out of food and do not get paid (therefore do our next monthly shop) until 17th Feb.

I need to plan meals for 4 of us for every day except this Thursday (my Mum and Dad are going away at the weekend so are cooking for us this day) and next Tuesday (DH got some frozen lamb and dumplings from asda on woopsie a few weeks ago to have on Valentines day so they are in the freezer.)

That leaves 8 days to plan for. The kids need pack ups and me and DH need dinner for work also.

The things we have in at the minute (not alot as I've already pretty much exhausted my food cupboards this month )

pack of chicken thighs - frozen
big bag of frozen chicken legs - frozen
packet of pasta in sauce
packet of savoury rice
3 packs of long spaghetti
2 tins chopped tomatoes
tin carrots
tin mushy peas

Can anyone help me or am I too much of a desperate cause?

Thanks

squeaky

Is that it?

No flour? pasta... rice...?

Taters? veg...?

Hmm... anyway... try browsing here:- Store cupboard challenge

The trick on these long threads is to use the "Search this thread" link (towards the top right) and put your main ingredient in to see all the suggestions which use it.

This might help too... How to survive on what’s in the store cupboard (plus a little money)

JBD

Make a stew with chicken thighs, tinned carrots and 1 tin of tomatoes [add a chicken stock cube and dried mixed herbs if you have any]
Drumsticks - serve with savoury rice
Long spaghetti - goes well with tinned tomatoes. I would also look on the deli counter for some cheese on special offer and serve grated into the spaghetti.
Pack ups - I would look at the basic cheese spread. For husband and you how about a flask of homemade lentil soup?
Homemade scones can be very cheap and filling. I use 8oz SR flour [use the basic], 2oz marge, 11/2 oz sugar. Add a little bit of grated cheese instead of sugar for savoury,
would also do for lunches.
Scone mix also makes a cheaper pizza base.
Should have added, if you are really skint husband and you could skip lunch. Have a big bowl of porridge before you go out for work [basic oats are much cheaper than cereal and will fill you up all day].

VJsmum

Invest in red lentils and / or dried soup mix. Try for whoopsied bread at the supermarket and freeze it - I have several loaves for 9p each.
If you have an Aldi near you look at their super 6.
Save the bones when you cook your chicken thighs and legs and turn into stock for soup with an onion, lentils, dried soup mix
Porridge oats are cheap and filling
Jacket potatoes with baked beans

Look for any spare cash you might have around the house - pockets, down the sofa, all compartments of bags, purses. We recently found £40 worth of Euros that we could cash back. Any nectar points / tesco vouchers? Boots vouchers for sandwiches?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Buy a big bag of potatoes.

Two bags of basics pasta.

Two tins of basics baked beans.

Two tins of basics soup.

Two tins of basic tomatoes.

Bread.

Milk.

Strong cheese.



You'll manage.

jollymummy

Potato, pasta and egg based meals are the way forward when you're on a budget - that's what I do
The threads Squeaky mentioned are excellent, lots of good ideas.
Good luck.

sweetpeas_2

Thank you everyone for the replies. Sorry yes I do have some plain and self raising flour. Can you tell I'm no good at this

I have half a 2.5kg bag of rice left but no pasta, only the spaghetti.

Thank you for the links I will go and have a look at them now.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys, you've given me some good ideas

Valli

op HAS pasta - 3 packs of spaghetti!

If you get any leftovers/whoopsied veg minestrone soup with some 'broken down' spaghetti made with tin chopped toms/fresh toms & whatever else you can lay your hands on.

pink_princess

sweetpeas wrote: »

Thank you everyone for the replies. Sorry yes I do have some plain and self raising flour. Can you tell I'm no good at this

I have half a 2.5kg bag of rice left but no pasta, only the spaghetti.

Thank you for the links I will go and have a look at them now.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys, you've given me some good ideas

I'd turn some of the rice into a cheap paella. Just use 1 thigh shredded, a few peas & carrots from the tin, with any stock/herbs you have.

The pasta & sauce, I'd use as a side to an omlette.

Chicken, spaghetti with a few peas & carrots with spaghetti.

With the £20 I'd buy some potatoes to bake, roast, chip or mash. Also a block of extra mature cheese ( a little will go a long way).

Do you live near a supermarket? If so shop about an hour before closing to get some real bargins.

It is times like this that make us inventive, that is how I learned to cook:)

You will be fine OP, just do not dive in to that £20 until you can not make something with what you have in.

sweetpeas_2

Valli wrote: »

op HAS pasta - 3 packs of spaghetti!

pink_princess wrote: »

I'd turn some of the rice into a cheap paella. Just use 1 thigh shredded, a few peas & carrots from the tin, with any stock/herbs you have.

The pasta & sauce, I'd use as a side to an omlette.

Chicken, spaghetti with a few peas & carrots with spaghetti.

With the £20 I'd buy some potatoes to bake, roast, chip or mash. Also a block of extra mature cheese ( a little will go a long way).

Do you live near a supermarket? If so shop about an hour before closing to get some real bargins.

It is times like this that make us inventive, that is how I learned to cook:)

You will be fine OP, just do not dive in to that £20 until you can not make something with what you have in.

Thanks

I never thought about paella.. what a great idea! I have written that on my little list as one of the meals. I do have some saffron which my friend brought me back from Egypt so I can chuck some of that in aswell.

We do live near a supermarket - only problem is we're car-less until 1st March, and bus fairs to get to and from the supermarkets is £4 each way (2 buses). It's actually only about 10 minutes each way in the car, but this is something I'll definitely start doing when we get the new car.

I do feel very inspired by looking through the threads (and the links provided above) at what people can make when they need to. It's brilliant :T

Valli

actually this thread has made me wonder - is there a store cupboard essentials thread/list anywhere?

I don't mean a stockpile but a list of basics worth always keeping a stock of in for meal rustling-up; a sort of skeleton on which to have meals.

For instance I usually have tinned (whole and chopped) tomatoes in and passatta; rice and pasta.
Range of dried herbs/stock cubes.