Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

ani*fan

I have a quick question...this thread is linked to the £7 a week thread, apparently. I'd like a read of that but can't find it and the search is not being particularly helpful. Can anyone post a link please?
Thanks very much.

Ladyluck1

ani*fan wrote: »

I have a quick question...this thread is linked to the £7 a week thread, apparently. I'd like a read of that but can't find it and the search is not being particularly helpful. Can anyone post a link please?
Thanks very much.

Link is in the first post but here you go!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4084527

ani*fan

Thank you so much LadyLuck1. I must've missed that in the first post.

Soworried

Yategirl wrote: »

Hi Everyone! Arguments (ahem discussions ) aside, I always find this thread really inspiring and helps me keep my own budget for a family of 4 as low as possible (2 adults, 2 young teens eating adult sized meals...and more!).

Can I ask for packed lunch ideas? I know if you are on JSA or certain tax credits or have a child in primary school then you get free school meals but what if you are working, on a low budget and don't meet criteria or need a packed lunch yourself?

For example: My husband takes a packed lunch. If he's in the office, he can take leftovers but quite often he's not in the office or doesn't know where he will be so no access to microwave or plug for our mini portable slowcooker if the meal needs heating. He also eats tons so whatever he has needs to be filling and spread out through the 12+ hr day. My children take packed lunches - like most kids they want to eat quick and go so it needs to a) be very portable as carried round all day and b) be quick and no mess (flasks are out). My eldest hates sandwiches with a passion and my youngest won't eat eggs so no quiche! Wraps, sandwich thins, pitta breads and cold pasta are our usuals. They also don't like to be *too* different from their friends!

Lunches also need to be safe out of a fridge for a few hours. Ice packs are available (doesn't mean teens will use them!)

If anyone has any ideas of cheap portable lunches (especially sandwich/wrap fillings), I (& im sure others) wouldn't be grateful for the suggestions!

Hi
I'd second the idea of making HM wraps, cost pennies to make and don't take long either.
We fill them with HM cheese savoury or egg mayo. If I make a chicken curry then the left over chicken mixed with a tablespoon of LO curry and mayo makes a lovely filling.

I also make HM yoghurt, costs very little to make a kilo and throw in dried mixed fruit which is cheap at most super markets.
I freeze an ice block and keep my lunch in a sml kids cool bag in my car. It keeps fine until lunch time and I can eat it where ever I end up.

I also make pots of HM potato salad using up LO boiled potatoes. I just mix a teaspoon of mint sauce with mayo and stir them together. Great side to go with my wrap etc.

Raw veggies are good fillers that carry well, carrot sticks, cucumber batons, celery. I eat these with nut butters that I take a small pot with me.

If it is cold then a flask of soup is my favourite go to with JJ's herb and cheese bread YUM!
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/52771349#Comment_52771349

ariarnia

Yategirl wrote: »

Can I ask for packed lunch ideas?

How about couscous? Weezl made a lovely couscous salad in her 50p meal thread couscous - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=10935691&postcount=504

On that same thread were some excellent 'pate' and home made nut butter recipes which would be nice in home made wraps.

Liver Pate - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=30362819&postcount=2113

http://weezl.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/tangy-bean-pate/

http://weezl.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/pumpkin-seed-butter/

http://weezl.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/houmous/

http://weezl.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/savoury-scones/

The wraps I learnt to make were just flour, water, and a dollop of natural yogurt - everyone else make the same?

These are all from:
1 mortgage, 2 babies, 3 years to be MF
Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge
and
Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation

Whatever happened to Weezl anyhow?


FM - Not to prolong the discussion too far, but if you'd like a new thread on a specific topic I suggest you make it.

If you explain in the new thread why you want it and why you think it's useful, plus outline some of your ideas, you'll attract people that agree and want to try your challenge.

But challenges are always games - none of us are actually, currently, in the position of needing to use one of these menus or starve. It's always a possibility in the future, but for now it's an intellectual exercise (game) - how well can you do within the budget.

A diet of entirely ramen noodles fits the budget - but is that the best you can do within the budget? - That's the challenge.

determined_new_ms

ok have just spent the last hour working this out! I have gone over budget by £2.77 as I threw in some multivits for the sprogs - but figured if I'm on JSA I will get fortnightly payments and some items will carry forward to next week... I would strain the yogurt to make greek yogurt and use the whey to add to risotto, curry and chicken soup to add protein

Breakfasts:

Porridge & foraged berries/sugar with a little milk (made with water)
breakfast burritos - scrambled eggs
Pancakes

Lunches:

Lentil & tomato soup & hm rolls
refried beans burritos
ham/jam/cheese hm rolls

fruit & hm yogurt

Dinners

roast chicken - carrots, sweetcorn, potatoes, yorkshire puds
chicken, carrot & chickpea risotto
potato, chickpea & carrot curry, rice and yogurt
veggie lasagne
ham, cheese & mushroom crepes
hm chicken noodle soup - noodles, carrots, onions, chicken stock, rubber chicken, potato - & hm rolls

foraged fruit (or tinned but would increase cost by say 40p?) crumble and custard for a couple of deserts...

Shopping list:

Aldi:

flour x 2 - 90p
lard - 39p
eggs 15 - 1.15
porridge - 75
uht milk (for making yogurt) - 48p
sugar - 45p
apples (super 6) - 59p
bananas - 68p
potatoes 2.5kg - £1.15
chickpeas - 35p
ham - £1.39
rice - 40p
medium whole chicken - £2.99
onions 1kg - 55p
instant noodles x 2 - 36p
puree - 37p
sweetcorn 35p
carrots 1 kg - 41p
marg - 79p
lemon juice - 32p
salt - 27p
cumin - 49p
sunflower oil - 99p
mustard - 39p
children's multivits - £1.99
extra mature cheese - £1.49
6pt milk - £1.29

Tesco
custard powder - 27p
dried pinto beans 500grms - £1.15
red lentils £1.80
yeast -65p
lasagne sheets - 29p
gravy - 20p
jam - 29p
teabags - 25p
probiotic yogurt - 50p

Lidl

mushrooms 350grms - 59p

Pound Stretcher

4 x tinned tomatoes - 80p

given a lot of these things I already have in my stores - and am in the position to buy things in bulk so get them for less I think at a push I could do this meal plan for a week for £20

Total £27.77

eta I have realised I have only made 6 evening meals! I think I could scramble together either omlette/cheese & ham toasties/some soup and a cake with what I have in!

ariarnia

determined_new_ms wrote: »

refried beans burritos

Recipe?

mumtoomany

Have just read the article about feeding your family for £40. They are only eating for a working week, five days. So are spending £8 a day or £56 per week! No wonder they can afford frozen mash! M2m.

midnight_express

How do you make yogurt ?

ariarnia

midnight_express wrote: »

How do you make yogurt ?

http://www.greenfootsteps.com/how-to-make-yogurt.html

I use cartons of UHT (they're cheap and don't need sterilising)