£70 budget for a family of 5... Is this doable?

PixieDust

Once a week (because of late nights the night before) our two children have a two-pack of sausage rolls each - 50p each pack from A$da. We know it's more expensive than a sanger, but it's once a week and they look forward to it (thinking for your bread-less wonder)

Do try to find out what it is about bread that he/she doesn't like....perhaps a bagel/bread roll/cold toast/crackers (A!di)/breadsticks/tortilla wrap might be more palatable to them...or tuna/pasta/mayo in a pot (or pasta/tom sauce...many variations on a theme!!)..or perhaps they might like to just have a small pot of ham and cheese cubes, or leftover chicken....or prawns....one of ours had an anti-bread thing going for a while and that's what he had

I have taken to buying the Smart Price chocolate(again from A$da) @30p, breaking it into thirds (each with 6 chunks) and wrapping it in foil....as a lunch box snack, 10p is ok in my book.

A$da sell packs of Smartprice chocolate digestive bars....pack of 20 for 99p...which I think it a marvellous bargain!

We no longer put fruit or veg in our teens' lunchboxes for school....I know, I know, bad parents....but it seems to end up all battered and bruised, and the kids just don't find it appetising when it's warm and bashed....so they have a sarnie and a bar of some kind, and then they can have apples, satsumas, carrots, cucumber etc as snacks when they get in from school...all fresh and cool and nice (and stops them raiding the biccy box as soon as they get in!!)

Look at the stuff in the snack isle in the 90p + 9p store (and similar shops) and work it out per unit...they can often be quite economical as well as convenient. Things like A$da Smart Price cereal bars are perfectly acceptable to our two (the choc & Nut one), they are 79p for 6 (13.2p each)

andygb

Don't rule out markets for fruit and vegetable shopping. Last Saturday we went to our local one and spent £8 - 3 kilos large onions, 5 lemons, 2 large cauliflowers, 2 brocolli, 6 large baking potatoes, 3 bunches spring onions, 2 bunches radish, 1 large pineapple - and muggins here nearly got a hernia lugging it back to the car.
We went to Lidl later on, and I bought 3 x 1.5 kilo bags of breadmaking flower @ 65p per bag, which is enough to make 12 large loaves (add one packet of 8 x 7g instant yeast for about 80p). That works out around 20p per loaf, and will put all supermarket bread and most bakery offerings to shame.
Iceland do 12 large free range eggs for £2 and they are really good.
As for the sweet treats and junk food (Fridge raiders), a bit of education would not go amiss.
There is no place for fussy eating in an economy drive.

patchwork_cat

miasnanny wrote: »

Today for example I am going to make a 10 egg sponge mix, I will then divide it down into cupcakes, banana cake, lemon drizzle cake etc some for the tin and some for the freezer.

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Do you do this in one bowl?:eek: I wouldn't have a bowl big enough!

PixieDust

No, or me

dasophster

Its definitely doable, our average spend is £60-£75 a week for a family of six; mainly branded stuff and with the occasional treat as well-this includes everything including cleaning products, laundry products, toiletries and nappies/wipes. I use any coupons I can legitimately get my hands on in conjunction with the cheapest special offer prices I can find and only spend £15 on meat every few months and then split it up into smaller portions and freeze. My boys are under 10 but can really put away as much food as any teenager, they are lovely and slim though as very little of what they eat is junk. They aren't fussy eaters either; in fact we had a bit of cash to buy sandwiches the other day and they said no thanks they wanted my cooking at home xx

Soworried

I see you have a Lidl close by op, make use of their weekend offers. This week they have mince for 99p that you could stretch to 2 meals if needed. Even at 1 meal that is a great deal. Carrots for pennies today as well.

Doris65_2

Hi
We have a budget of £60 pw for 5 (3 teenagers) and my youngest wont eat bread, so takes veg curry or pasta with sauce for lunch, so do the older two. I make oat cookies and cake which they also take.

I agree with other posters there is no room for fussy eaters and we eat vegi at least three times a week,(despite the three males always wanting meat with every meal) Jacket pots beans and cheese ( i bulk this out with homemade coslaw) is vegi, but they dnt realise it!!!!

Meal planning and making a shopping list are my best tips, also posting the weeks menu on the fridge so you dnt forget to get stuff out of the freezer the night before (my undoing many times !! )

You just need to put aside half hour every week to do a bit of planning.

Good luck
Dx

[Deleted User]

My DD just about manages to feed her tribe of 6 for around £100.00.She did spend more than that but by down branding and ignoring the whining she stood firm and said it was a case of eat it or go without.She makes all her own cake and they have two 'joints' usualy leg of lamb on a Sunday which will do them two meals at least and a chicken mid-week I looked at the Tesco large chickens and they were £6.00 and the M&S onces were 6.32 so I got her and M&S one as it looked better quality.Iceland is doing a pack of Richmond sausages for £1. 50so thats another meal padded out with veg.She makes the boys Pizza for friday nights as its youth club night so they have to be out by 7.00.p.m. and Saturday night is usually what she can fish out of the freezer or streetch from the fridge .some times it may only be egg chips and beans but the boys are happy and fed.She downbranded her loo rolls and diswashing stuff and even manaed to get some kibble for the dogs (she has two) at half the price .The little dog used to have pouches of stuff now he eats whats put in the bowl for him no problem.She has cut her food bill buy about £80.00 just by down branding from big named stuff and using stuff more economically.Her bread she buys in Iceland as two Kingsmils cost £1.70 in there and because all of them have packed lunches they got through a loaf and a half of bread a day.She works full-time as does her OH so can't make her own, or she would.Biscuits are good value in Icelands as well.She's also cut back on snacky things and the boys have home cooked cakes or fruit as a snack.I buy a big block of cheese to help her out at times as all the boys love cheese toasties.Its suprising what minor cutback you can make if you have to and kids are quite adaptable when you explain to them that if they want something else there just isn't the money to get it anymore.I treat them to a big ice cream box now and again so they get their ice crams but as a pudding after their dinner in the evening They all have a sit down meal every night with meat and veg no matter what and know they aren't allowed 'junk food'like burgers or fish fingers unless its their birthday then they can choose what they have to have for dinner that night

patchwork_cat

JackieO wrote: »

My DD just about manages to feed her tribe of 6 for around £100.00.She did spend more than that but by down branding and ignoring the whining she stood firm and said it was a case of eat it or go without.She makes all her own cake and they have two 'joints' usualy leg of lamb on a Sunday which will do them two meals at least and a chicken mid-week I looked at the Tesco large chickens and they were £6.00 and the M&S onces were 6.32 so I got her and M&S one as it looked better quality.Iceland is doing a pack of Richmond sausages for £1. 50so thats another meal padded out with veg.She makes the boys Pizza for friday nights as its youth club night so they have to be out by 7.00.p.m. and Saturday night is usually what she can fish out of the freezer or streetch from the fridge .some times it may only be egg chips and beans but the boys are happy and fed.She downbranded her loo rolls and diswashing stuff and even manaed to get some kibble for the dogs (she has two) at half the price .The little dog used to have pouches of stuff now he eats whats put in the bowl for him no problem.She has cut her food bill buy about £80.00 just by down branding from big named stuff and using stuff more economically.Her bread she buys in Iceland as two Kingsmils cost £1.70 in there and because all of them have packed lunches they got through a loaf and a half of bread a day.She works full-time as does her OH so can't make her own, or she would.Biscuits are good value in Icelands as well.She's also cut back on snacky things and the boys have home cooked cakes or fruit as a snack.I buy a big block of cheese to help her out at times as all the boys love cheese toasties.Its suprising what minor cutback you can make if you have to and kids are quite adaptable when you explain to them that if they want something else there just isn't the money to get it anymore.I treat them to a big ice cream box now and again so they get their ice crams but as a pudding after their dinner in the evening They all have a sit down meal every night with meat and veg no matter what and know they aren't allowed 'junk food'like burgers or fish fingers unless its their birthday then they can choose what they have to have for dinner that night

Was just looking at the sausages you mention and noticed that they do 18 frozen for £1.75. Might be worth mentioning buy 2 packs and you have saved £1. Not much, but every penny counts!

To the OP you might want to join the grocery challenge sticky at the top of the page. Read the first few posts with recipes and links to other sites with recipes.

miasnanny

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Do you do this in one bowl?:eek: I wouldn't have a bowl big enough!

I have a dirt cheap plastic washing up bowl from one of the budget shops cost me under a £1 which I keep for baking purposes only.:dance: I have another in a different colour for mixing mince for burgers, meat loaves, rissoles etc. Just gotta love big round washing up bowls:dance: