Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

quintwins

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Soworried- thanks for this brilliant meal plan! Can i ask about the garlic sausage- is it one of those mattesons ones? I haven't seen garlic sausages before? Sorry if that's a stupid question

IT's like processed ham only it's called garlic sausage, it comes in slices like ham, i tried it after it was meantioned on here it was acually really nice.


Gailey you should really try lidl for your fruit and give you hubby a kick up the backside, mine would never tell me i did a rubbish job shopping infact given that he knows hism mother spends a clean fortune he's always really impressed with my buys.

Try home bargains/b&m for your toilet roll i'm heading there now 9 rolls of nicky is £2 but it's lovely and string lasts ages (seriously i bought a 4pack 2 weeks ago and we've only just ran out 4 packs of value barely last us a week) and it's quilted so you don't feel deprived, honestly it's as good if not better than crushelle.

paulineb_2

This is one of my favourite recipes. Im on a low income and Im not a meat eater. I make either thai red or green curry. I got the sachets of curry sauce for 1p from approved foods, thats for a box. I got cocount milk for 40p again from approved foods. There are slight variations on the recipe. But the way I make it is, boil your rice, either white or brown. I use the boil in the bag stuff for convenience. While the rice is boiling put your veg in a wok or large saucepan. I tend to use spinach, onions, peppers. Add the curry paste and half a can of coconut milk (or light coconut milk). You can also add some veg stock. Ive done with and without. I like tofu and again the tofu Im using was from approved foods and think it worked out at 33p a block. Add water (I dont tend to measure, just go by the consistency), give it all a big stir, for an extra kick add some garlic and chilli. Takes about 20 mins and its ready. And it generally makes enough for a couple of portions and to me it tastes better the next day. For those of you who are meat eaters you could use chicken or if you eat fish, prawns. Even if you bought the ingredients at a regular supermarket youd be looking at around £1.49 for the coconut milk and £1-£1.50 for the tofu. Ive made red and green curries. I eat this a lot, particularly when Im in the mood for a takeaway and cant afford it. Any left over veg gets thrown in a pot for soup. In the last few weeks Ive made spinach soup, broccoli, potato and roasted peppers and Im sure it works out at less than £2 for a big pot which was enough to last me about 4 days. I also make mushroom dopiaza and stroganoff from scratch, again v cheap.

WantToBeSE

quintwins wrote: »

IT's like processed ham only it's called garlic sausage, it comes in slices like ham, i tried it after it was meantioned on here it was acually really nice.

Thanks quintwins, i'll keep an eye out for it. I am having to spend as little as possible this week, so this thread is really helping.

TDMum

Found this recipe whilst looking for cheap and healthy snacks/lunches for my littleys and it seemed like a winner!


Cheesy Cauliflower Dippers

Instructions

• 1 medium head cauliflower 50p
• 1 egg, slightly beaten 16p
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided in half 83p
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or use grana padano to make it cheaper) £1.27
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano pennies
• 1 teaspoon dried basil pennies
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic salt pennies
  
  Total £2.76 69p per serving (OK slightly more if you add the cost of the herbs but I'm sure you could get away with using just a cheap bottle of mixed herbs and get something yummy and healthy)
  
  Serve with left over sauce or with soup as a change

1. Wash and clean the cauliflower and cut it into chunks. Make sure you remove the core.
2. Place the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse it until it’s a “rice” consistency
3. In a large saucepan, heat one inch of water until it boils. Add in the cauliflower, cover with a lid, and allow it to steam for 4-5 minutes. Watch it close so that it doesn't boil over!
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the cauliflower. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then place the cauliflower in a clean dish towel and squeeze as hard as you can to remove any excess water.
6. Once the cauliflower rice is drained really well, place it into a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/2 teaspoon Garlic salt. Stir the mixture well.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Spoon the cauliflower mixture onto the pan and use your hands to form it into a 8 1/2 x 11 inch rectangle.
8. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, or even longer until the crust is golden brown and firm.
9. Remove the crust from the oven and top the crust with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
10. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
11. Cut into “breadsticks” and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping. Makes about 10 breadsticks. This recipe could easily be doubled.

Downsizing__for_sanity

gailey wrote: »

Thanks so much guess you know where im coming from with 4kids find food shopping and making stuff last much harder!


I limit crisps like i say to one a day and prefr if in packed lunch or on side of plate with sandwich.

Cereal get through 2boxes a week.£4-5


Cakes and biscuits are my family downfall.i have to hide and ration.
sat brought some treats as been hard few weeks and lasted 1day


i spent £16 sat £4 nappies £2 on 6pack value toiliet roll waas in .

Gailey,

If I were you, I would cut out the crisps in pack ups if you can or maybe let them share a pack when they are eating lunch at home. My daughter age 6 only gets either a small pack of crisps or say a fun-size chocolate bar on a Friday, and that's if she's done all her homework (or whatever reason I come up with!) So for her it is a treat for a job well done rather than a "given" every day.

Cereal - we have switched most of ours to Tesco Value/Lidl/Aldi brands as they can be much cheaper - eg compare real "Cheerios" to the Tesco value, maybe £2 cheaper a pack? And we have a lot of porridge with raisins or other fruits if it's colder weather. There are some which we don't substitute, eg Weetabix, but that's mainly because my husband prefers that brand. He doesn't ask for much branded really, so I'll pick my battles wisely!

Definitely ration the cakes and biscuits. My kids are not allowed random access to the biscuit tin. They have to ask every time. I tend to empty things like Halloween bags, party bags etc for the cake and chocs, and it pretty much works out that we never buy sweets like lollies, because we have a stash of them on top of the cupboard year round. They are awful for their teeth so I end up giving them away often in their party bags at their birthday parties. Friday night is usually "movie night" at ours and I'll make some popcorn, some mini pizzas and let them have some chocolate afterwards. We're still getting through the chocolate coins from Xmas! I might be a mean old mummy but I don't actually care if its not the 'right' or their favourite Milky Way or whatever - they are kids and any chocolate is a treat is what they think.

I buy cheapo biscuits from Aldi etc - usually the malted milk type with a cow on, approx 34p, and maybe a posher chocolate packet for visitors (which I have to hide:)) This usually does us the week.

Oh, and 'when it's gone, it's gone' is the motto. They won't get the idea of spreading it out and 'budgeting' their treats if you buy more once its all gone. Be firm...

Aldi and Lidl nappies are at least as good as the big brands. Maybe ask on Freecycle for reusable nappies if you feel like having a go? It saved us a fortune. Even getting a couple of pairs of washable, thick trainer pants saves a lot on pull-ups if you are near potty training. Some people think this can make children faster at being 'dry' as they can feel the wetness more but the jury is still out I believe.

I second the Nicky toilet roll. Very good value.

Good luck Gailey, and everyone else on this and the other challenges. I often lurk to catch up while I'm on the train or in breaks, but I rarely get the chance to post. Been following the OS threads for years now and thanks to all who keep them up to date and a pleasure to read. Some other forums are not as friendly and helpful.

Off to inventory my store cupboards now!

DFS

Butterfly_Brain

Poundland have some branded cereals most of the time, for example this week I got some Jordans muesli and Kellogs Honey boulders, porridge is ok for winter but summer it is a bit of a bleargh.
Tesco have 500g boxes of cornflakes for 31p and Coco snaps 500g for 83p
Potatoes are a horrendous price at the moment but I have been picking up a few tins of new potatoes from Aldi @14p a tin, they are nice rinsed and roasted or chopped up in a veg curry or veggie pasties. Aldi have some good deals on meat all the time such as 800g of beef mince for £2.49 which does three meals for a family of 4, I just bulk out with lentils or broth mix, plus they usually reduce their meat by between 30% and 50% depending on how many days are left on the date code, I picked up a medium chicken for £2 (50% off) today because it is going out of date tomorrow, it is now happily sitting in my freezer, I also got 2 packs of stewing beef for £2 each (30% off)

Butterfly_Brain

Gailey if you let us know your family's likes and dislikes maybe we can come up with a meal plan or two for you x

lizalloareds

When is the best time to get reductions in Aldi

Butterfly_Brain

lizalloareds wrote: »

When is the best time to get reductions in Aldi

There is no specific time, you just grab them when you see them, but you have to get in there pretty early in the morning, I mean before 9.30am, because the stuff flies out

FairyPrincessk

I must admit that I rarely find things that we normally eat on reduction in aldi. Sometimes the fresh meat will be reduced, but if you notice the fresh fruit and veg in Aldi doesn't have dates on it. They keep a smaller amount of stock and turn it over faster than other supermarkets, which makes for lower prices but also makes for fewer reductions.