1 weeks food shop for 1 adult

RainbowDreamer

I need to spend the least amount possible for a weeks food shop, for just me.
I am not good at cooking (but will have a go) and my freezer is on the blink.
I need to feed myself for the 3 meals a day. Will be cutting out all snacks etc so need to try and find food thats filling, but healthy.

I wondered if you had any ideas? Or a rough amount I should try and budget with?

jpscloud

If you have a fridge in good working order, and a slow cooker, you can make stews that will last all week if kept really chilled (I do this routinely but it's my fridge that's on the blink at the moment!) My stews usually cost around £3 to £5 depending on which meat I use - not bad for 5 main meals.

That's assuming you don't mind eating the same thing for main meal each week, of course - you can vary it by having it with different things, or make a bolognaise base instead of stew and have that as chilli or spag bol or whatever.

I'll leave budgeting and other meal/menu suggestions to the more experienced and adept (the stew for 5 days thing saved me a lot of money last winter so just wanted to share it).

RainbowDreamer

The problem I have is my fridge freezes things (has all frost and ice at the back) and my freezer is not cold enough to store meat and regularly defrosts for no reason lol.

I didnt realise you could keep something cooked in the fridge for a whole week? I always thought if you didnt eat it the next day it would be off.
I do have a slow cooker, but I hate going to too much effort just for me.
I guess there is no time like the present to properly learn how to cook better.

fairy3

Hi RainbowD
I was going to post earlier but was not sure how to advise however have had a thunk so will try. I would really try and get the fridge/freezer fixed if you can as food could spoil easily with the hot/cold thing going on and you might end up ruining your best efforts or worse, become unwell.
Advice on budget is difficult as only you know what you like and are used to, what do you spend now? what do you spend on?
Once you have a rough idea then you can start making small changes for the longer term or you can be drastic but restricted for a short time.
I would try and look at the week as 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 main meals for a start.
Porridge or cereal every day is cheap and healthy, add a piece of fruit and there you go.
Lunches depend on whether you are at home/work and what if any facilities you have eg kettle, microwave,fridge etc. Noodles, pasta,soup and good old fashioned sandwiches all work well.
Evening meals depend a lot on what you like and how much time you have to spend in the kitchen. Batch cooking at the weekend and portioning up are easy for things like spag bol, chilli and stews. A packet of 8 sausages cooked and divided into 4 portions with gravy are easy to defrost and add jacket potatoes and veg.
Good luck
Fairy x

Waffle_On

Firstly, I agree with the importance of getting your fridge/freezer fixed or replaced. Getting food poisoning would mean a few days less food to pay for, but really??

If you're new to home cooking and budgeting, and funds allow, I'd suggest starting with a fairly generous budget and gradually reducing it as you find what works for you. I'd start with something like £30 for the first week, and if you get on well £28 the next week, and continue from there.

Cooking for one is a challenge as most supermarkets sell things in larger packs than you need. This is where batch cooking and your freezer become vital. You can cook enough stew for the whole week in one go, but I would then eat one portion and freeze the rest in portions. If you can find 7 different evening meals you can do this with, you could cook daily for the first week, and eat from the freezer for several weeks after without having the same thing 2 days in a row.

sandraroffey

do you have an ICELAND store nearby. first thing when they open, their reductions on meat are fantastic.

i bought a tray of minced pork, reduced to 50p. put it in the slow cooker with millions of veg and it lasted me four days. first day as a stew with mash. second i had it with pasta. third as a sort of shep pie, topped with sliced spuds, and the last day there was just enough left to top a jacket spud.

eca_

Bulk up on the simple staples, pasta, rice etc.

Something simple and delicious I made yesterday for £3...

Pasta boiled and drained, put it in an oven tray, cover in a tub of double cream, buy a big pack of salmon offcuts (£1-2 from morrisonns for a kilo) and chop up and drop in, squeeze a bit of lemon in, salt and pepper and bake for 30 mins. Amazing! And takes no time to prepare.

GreenQueen

Hi RainbowDreamer,

Cheapest way is to go veggie for a week. Pasta sauces are very easy to make - stirfy a few veg (mushrooms, peppers, etc) and add tinned tomatoes for a tomato based sauce or soft cheese and a little bit of milk for a cheesy sauce. The tomato one will need simmering for a few minutes, but the cheese one is ready to serve as soon as its bubbling. Serve with plenty of pasta of your choice.

Cheesy mash is always good - boil some potatoes, carrots, sliced onions, drain and mash with a bit of butter and add grated cheese. Serve with baked beans, tinned tomatoes, a leafy veg. If you get a meat urge, stirring in a small amount of chopped, fried bacon is nice (you can also add that to the pasta sauces above if you are a determined carnivore!)

For lunches, if you don't want to keep buying fresh bread, some oatcakes/ryvita with cottage cheese or hummous and some fruit is a nice change to sandwiches. The value versions of cott. cheese and hummous are usually just as good as the more expensive ones.

Agree with the porridge breakfast suggestion - cheap and filling - can add some fruit to make it more interesting.

The advantage of cooking for yourself is that you haven't got anybody else saying "I don't like...", "can't we have..." and eating everything in the fridge that you've saved for the evening meal! Within your budget, you can choose what YOU like!

GQ

jpscloud

Yes I'd definitely get the fridge freezer fixed, if it's not doing the job properly. I have had no ill effects at all from eating stews kept chilled for a week, but that was with a reliable working fridge set on very cold, and I always heated up to piping hot before eating too.

RainbowDreamer

Thank you for your replies
Unfortunately I have no spare cash to repair the fridge freezer. I need to get rid and buy a new one really, but cant do that with no money lol.
So managing as best as I can for now.

RAS

RD

Have you signed up for www.freegle.co.uk and www.freecycle.com?

Like e-bay but the stuff you get is free.