Single person, London, living on £80.00 per month - possible?

quintwins

ScarletRaven wrote: »

Definitely reckon you can do that quite easily, hopefully with still getting some healthy fruit and veg in your diet as well I'm currently trying to work out how to live on £50 a month for food/toiletries etc and that's for two adults and a toddler! :O Wish me luck lol.

Now thats a challenge, hats off to you and good luck, it's all that snacky food, fruit and milk toddlers need that bump it up.

Whats about making a big salad for the fridge? would make a new one every few days thens it's just a case of finding something to go with it, maybe a cooked chicken breast (which can be done in your slowcooker or cooked while your sorting the animals, or even cooked while you watch t.v popped in the fridge and eaten cold), pots of soup or stew in the fridge/freezer for in winter are also good. cut carrot and cucumber (and celery if you liek it) are nice snacky foods and can be popped into a lunch box for lunch, fruit salad with some lemon juice to stop it going funny is also good.

Also my advice to both of you is to try abit of whoopsie shopping, for example i got 4 chicken breast for 44p the other day, thats a generous meal for 3, or 4 meals for one person at 11p per chicken breast.

rising_from_the_ashes

Another one ..... hope you don't mind:o

Keeping a few bits from the stuff bought for the Pasta Sauce - a few mushrooms, 2 peppers and add a packet of savory rice (on offer just now 5 for £3 & loads of different flavours - not tried the Mr A own brand but have tried L*idl ones & they're great
http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=savoury+rice&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=154430):

• Heat oven to around 200 deg C
• Cut peppers in half & put in a tin with a little olive oil (rub outside of peppers in the oil) & roast until browned (about 15 mins usually) - turn over if wanted
• Meanwhile, make savory rice as per packet instructions & add a few chopped mushrooms (any any other veg that needs used up)

Stuff peppers with rice & sprinkle a bit of cheese on if wanted:D yum, yum! (One of my fav dinners, quick, easy & cheap!)

gettingready

Oh dear.. having gone through my cupboards and freezer - I have to say I am quite embarassed as I have:

Fridge:

1 chicken breast quarter
3 chicken drumsticks
1 pk pigs liver (love liver cheap and and great with onion)
3 pork steaks
2 turkey steaks
1 pk 4 cheese tortelini

Fridge:

12 eggs
bit of mayo (should be ok for a week or so)
1/2 tube of primula cheese
1/2 tube of philadelphia cheese
1 butter
bit of ketchup
2xsmall packs of cooked beetroot
4 tomatoes
4pts skimmed milk

Cupboards:

30 (!) single sachets of Quarks oats
1/2 bag (about 0.5kg) or porridge
1/2 small bag cous cous
1kg bad fusili
1kg basmati rice
1 and 1/2 pack rivita
2 breads
15 (!) sachets of popcors (listing everything)
lots spices/stock cubes
4 onions
2 garlic
small packet of yeast
1kg plain flour
1 tin kidney beans
4 tins (small) chick peas
1 jar gherkins (bigish)
1 small jar sun dried tomatoes
4 tunns chopped tomatoes
1 small baked beans
2 bottles (1.5 litre each) sparkling water
1/2 bottle squash
box of loose tea
some herbal teas
swetener
2kg sugar (do not use)
1tin grapefruit


looks like a lottttttttt

Popperwell

That's good...you have plenty to make a variety of meals and/or the makings of your own store cupboard to try and head off the increases in food prices and for the times perhaps where your income may be compromised.

You can rotate your stock and as you use something just replace what you use...you could have perhaps a week where you save some money and not order food...

As you said perhaps doing a monthly shop as opposed to weekly...

ScarletRaven

That is a lot but dont be embarrassed, that's great! It will be a big help to you. I did the same earlier, don't have quite that much but still quite a lot to base meals around for now, I was so happy to see that I had more than I thought lol

gettingready

Well, cats have 96 tins of food and dry food/litter till December. Dog got enough food till December too.

As I said, the £80 per month just for me seems like a lot now

Now... I have just ordered 4 brita maxtra cartdges for my water filter at home (will last me around 6 months) for £9.99 from Amazon.

I drink black tea and can not stand the yukky thingy on top if made with unfiltered water.

That causes problems at work as:

1) Kettle is yukkkkkk
2) Water is yukkkkkk

We have water cooler but it does not filter water (!!!) just cools tap water - I only discovered it recently when fed up with drinking cofee (make with just milk, cup of semi skimmed into microwave to avoid kettle/water and mix coffee into it), decided to boil the water from the cooler (thinking it is filtered - was drinking it since march) in a mug into microwave... put my tea in and yukkkkk all shiney yukky stuff on top So next I used bottled water.. sigh.... I may need to invest into a filter (Brita) jug for work and my own kettle.... sigh....


Few things I am very particular about and my water for tea/coffee is one of them sigh...

Also ordered this:



£3.48 from Amazon with free delivery of course (filters are free delivery too).

That is my preparation.. for the 28th which will be my starting date

Popperwell

gettingready wrote: »

Well, cats have 96 tins of food and dry food/litter till December. Dog got enough food till December too.

As I said, the £80 per month just for me seems like a lot now

Now... I have just ordered 4 brita maxtra cartdges for my water filter at home (will last me around 6 months) for £9.99 from Amazon.

I drink black tea and can not stand the yukky thingy on top if made with unfiltered water.

That causes problems at work as:

1) Kettle is yukkkkkk
2) Water is yukkkkkk

We have water cooler but it does not filter water (!!!) just cools tap water - I only discovered it recently when fed up with drinking cofee (make with just milk, cup of semi skimmed into microwave to avoid kettle/water and mix coffee into it), decided to boil the water from the cooler (thinking it is filtered - was drinking it since march) in a mug into microwave... put my tea in and yukkkkk all shiney yukky stuff on top So next I used bottled water.. sigh.... I may need to invest into a filter (Brita) jug for work and my own kettle.... sigh....


Few things I am very particular about and my water for tea/coffee is one of them sigh...

Also ordered this:



£3.48 from Amazon with free delivery of course (filters are free delivery too).

That is my preparation.. for the 28th which will be my starting date

I think that deserves a :T

You will find anything cooked in a SC will be moist and I have yet to hear of anyone burning or drying out no matter how long the SC is switched on.

I buy roasting bags in Wilkinsons and use them to cook my food in the SC and that saves having to wash the SC out.

But let the pot cool down to avoid the possiblity of damaging it and it will be hot to handle. Though the actual appliance should be quite cool on the outside,

I still like to read a book but there are so many threads at MSE and in general online. The book you have chosen looks a good choice. In a neighbouring town there is a book shop that sells great books at low prices and you are spoilt for choice on cook books...it's worth popping into charity shops too, you get some really great cookery bools as good as new and often for much less than the cover price...

http://www.slowcookerrecipes.org.uk/cooking-with-slowcookers.htm

vanoonoo

could you take some filtered water from your home jug, to work each day in a bottle perhaps?

great news about your stores - looks like you have a fighting chance of getting thru to the 28th and then building up good stocks from there - you can do this!

eta - is it worth giving hte kettle at work a descale? you can do this with bicarb and vinegar leaving it to fizz away for a bit (not swtiched on!) and then rinse a few times and boil up a couple of times to freshen it up.

paddypaws101

Yoohoo GR!!!
Followed you over here from your thread on pets.
Glad someone mentioned Walthamstow Mkt.....cheaper than cheap, in fact the only difficulty is carrying it all home. I know you say the bus takes 40 mins, but I still think it is worth the trip...nice stroll down the market and to the International Supermarket at the bottom.
I love to buy the £1 a bowl things of peppers and stew them up to make soups or to add to casseroles.
remember that the butchers shop I use also gives away those big bags of 'pet pieces' for free.
I wish I had known you loved liver.....my 'posh' butcher gave me a whole carrier bag of pig and lamb liver last week....way too much for my cats to eat and I can't bear it. I had real trouble getting rid of it, one Indian friend took a load to make curry but I still have a couple of pounds in the freezer.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Hello

Be careful with the Amazon free delivery - if its the Amazon Prime thingy:

'Amazon Prime free trial
FREE One-Day Delivery is available to Amazon Prime members. To join, click "Add to Basket with FREE One-Day Delivery" and confirm your Amazon Prime free trial sign-up when you check out.

Amazon Prime members enjoy:
Unlimited FREE One-Day Delivery, with no minimum purchase requirement
Express Delivery for just £4.49 per item
Shared benefits for members of the same household

Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a full year for £49.00.'


There is also the possibility of giving visitors a shopping list of things to bring with them



By the way, welcome to this side of the boards!