Breadline Families - Make Stuff Go Further Tips

Memory_Girl

Thanks Chakani

Our biggest saving over the last few years has been in creating a store cupboard - when you are decently stocked, tiny amounts of food - a few cubes of squash and a slice of feta can create great meals.

He is a bit of a foodie though - and his teachers often ask for recipes for the "leftovers" he has for lunch.

But you are right - it is all about attitude - if you can get to the place where your head is around the money problem you can really have a great quality of life without spending a fortune.

BTW - we do the usual frugal stuff too - heating is off, hot water bottles are in, blankets on sofas, double curtains in winter, etc etc, but for us the choice of living on X and chips was NEVER an option.

MG

Tina20

Im dying here, I have a tiny tiny freezer compartment, it's filled to the brim with baby pur!e and meals I've made. I have a chest freezer in storage I'm DYING to get it installed!

When that's installed, I can finally start freezing leftovers again

zcrat41

Memory Girl - will you make my lunches for me! They sound yummy. And big congrats for paying off your debt,.

NewCustomerOnly

Breadline Tips for Healthy Fruity Chicken Curry to cheer the kids up:

noticed Tescos Masala Sauce (big jar) is on at a pound so bought some chicken breasts and to make them go round, added same size chunks of banana right at end - great success! Potato chunks would be cheaper andf just as healthy for non-banana likers!

Good luck (and solidarity lol) to all us working poor! Thanks to all encouraging posters!

NewCustomerOnly

ska_lover wrote: »

I was a bit exited when I saw this thread until I looked into it a little more.

There is a tendancy for some people to assume that because you are skint, you must be on benefits/out of work - and how there must be people who 'won't feed their kids' - the latter as in the ludicrous post above.

Can I just kindly point out, the working poor? Those of us who have not had a wage rise (unlike benefit claimers) for years, those of us who have to struggle with rising transport/fuel costs. Those of us whos' costs are mounting just to survive (rising utilities for one) with no light at tne end of the tunnel, so what is the one and only household outgoing that people tend to cut back on? Grocery shopping! No one here is talking about '' not WANTING to feed their children'' - it is an absolute neccesity nowadays to cut back and eat as cheaply as possible.

Employers these days will constantly tell you you are lucky to be a in job these days with it being a double dip rescession

Now in our house, we are two adults working full time, no benefits,no debts, and by no means going to starve, but in April, just about every bill went up (even after doing the obvious swapping companies for utilities) - we have no control over that, which means we have less money availible for other things - such as food. But we can control our food shopping - it is the only thing we can control in the home budget. A lot of people cannot afford the same amount of grocery budget that they did before as it has been eaten up by fuel increases (petrol, gas)

Benefits rise each year to take into account all these utility rises, wages don't. I hope that doesn't come across as benefit bashing, because it isn't intended - any one who is currently unemployed could easily become redundant, it could happen to any of us, and yes- I have claimed benefits in the past when I have been made redundant- we can all fall on hard times

It is a shame there isn't more of a 'we are all in the same boat' together kind of attitude

Hear hear - and thank you so much for posting!! We don't take any notice of those people as they are uneducated about the infant brain, psychology, behaviour and innocent babies going without because of the dysfunctional homes they were born into through no fault of their own - often to young parents who had no help or love as children themselves - thank you for your extra definition of the 'working poor' I hope the millionmaire government get to hear about them! In the meantime I have thanked all the encouraging posters (PS Labours Ed Milliband is looking into ways of bulk-buying electricity to help our poor families - in France, USA etc no-one believes the 'all Labour's fault' hoax any more.

alyth

this is perhaps going slightly off topic, but I've done both sides of this and have always wondered which one is the best for money saving.

I live in a rural area which has a tendancy to get snowed in - 2 years ago I was snowed in for over a week. I had supplies so survived, but in preparation for last winter I stockpiled - bread mix, frozen food, tinned, etc - I spent about £100 in Lidl & Aldi to ensure I was prepared.

Mildest winter in years - 1 day of snow! On the plus side I'm still munching my way through my stockpile, but it does make me wonder whether putting out the money in advance is actually worthwhile - a bit like the extreme couping progamme where people have a huge amount of stuff stockpiled but I tend to think of the goods in your cupboard being like stock in a shop - you've paid for it so it is sort of a debit on your household income if that makes sense!

NewCustomerOnly

Yes, I know exactly what you mean! Getting stocked up seems a luxury to a lot of poor working familes where it is a hand to mouth existence every day. i have no stock cupboard - I look in the fridge, then a make a list of 3 or 4 things ,basics, for the next day. (I suppose at least my kids food is always fresh daily!!)

Silly Tescos keep esending me 10 off 80 pound vouchers and are puzzled why I m not using them - lol, its easy! I dont have £80 to spare in one go - the idea is terrifying to me and many breadline families I know! Too Risky in the economic climate of fear and anxierty created by this govts budget!

BitterAndTwisted

Your kids' food is always fresh daily? When you feed them on tinned tomato soup mixed with tinned tomatoes and jars of Tesco Masala Sauce?

You don't need George Osbourne to give you more of our money, you appear to need cookery lessons. And to learn the true definition of the word "fresh"

coolcait

I'm still not sure if this thread is:

- just a wind-up
- just a 'political' thread
- a combination of both
- something else

I am absolutely positive that it has nothing whatsoever to do with nutrition. :eek:

And, not very much to do with really saving money or sensible budgeting.

On the political side, you can blame the current government for many things.

You can't blame them for the fact that some people who are old enough to have children, are so clueless about nutrition and budgeting.

Memory_Girl

alyth wrote: »

this is perhaps going slightly off topic, but I've done both sides of this and have always wondered which one is the best for money saving.

I live in a rural area which has a tendancy to get snowed in - 2 years ago I was snowed in for over a week. I had supplies so survived, but in preparation for last winter I stockpiled - bread mix, frozen food, tinned, etc - I spent about £100 in Lidl & Aldi to ensure I was prepared.

Mildest winter in years - 1 day of snow! On the plus side I'm still munching my way through my stockpile, but it does make me wonder whether putting out the money in advance is actually worthwhile - a bit like the extreme couping progamme where people have a huge amount of stuff stockpiled but I tend to think of the goods in your cupboard being like stock in a shop - you've paid for it so it is sort of a debit on your household income if that makes sense!

Well without getting into "what this thread is about" - I too have a stock-cupboard (my Matrix Ladies refer to it as my Armageddon Cupboard) - and of course having cleared the amount of debt that I have you just know I keep a spreadsheet

Last year my "food bills" - for me and two boys, including building a store cupboard, all holidays and Christmas and birthdays came to £1380 ................. which is an average of £26.50 per week or £1.26 per day per person.

Now have enough stock to keep me going another 8 months or so - but that £1.26 provides 3 meals and three snacks per day for three people.

So "does stock-piling" save you money - well in our house, yes it does ................. but we love our food and love cooking.

Last night an Indian friend of mine came on Skype and taught me how to make her "Curry in a Hurry" paste base - real authentic Homemade Indian curry - and the 20 portion mixture cost
£2.10- to make - or a smidge over 10p per portion. Much cheaper than a tin of pre-made sauce.

And it tastes lush!!!

MG