Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

savetosave

Hi
I know this won't hep everyone, but Farmfoods do 3 bags of frozen veg for £2, 2 4 pint cartons of milk or 2 loaves of branded bread for £1.60. Their meat and toilet rolls are also really cheap and cheapest place I've found for buying vege meals for my son.

Downsizing__for_sanity

In my store, I find that they reduce things (by say 30%) first of all after the after school mums have been in, about 3.30 pm. (Things which are BBE the day after.) Secondly, those reduced items which haven't gone are reduced on the last day by at least 50% around 5pm ish.

It works for me as my DD has ballet next door after school, so I'll often pop in for some fruit and veg and check out the reductions. It pays to bring a spare carrier or three stuffed into the handbag as you can never be sure of what you will come home with!

I am a regular shopper in this one - maybe 3x a week for a large shop and a couple of top-ups on F&V - and often they have dropped the prices for me, on say a large chicken to 50% as they knew I would take it instead of the pack of chicken breasts which were in date. Works for me!:D

Pips_Mum

Hello All,

Been following for a while, so Thank You all for your ideas here and on the £7.00 thread :T

Our monthly income has just dropped massively (by about £600 a month :eek:) so I have had to think a lot more about where our food shop money goes.

This is basicaly what we have this week, the total comes to £20.84 which is a little over but I know there are savings to be made eg Tuna is 80p but I know in Aldi or Morrisons its actually only 59p but I used Mr Ts online to be able to get a guide price. There is only 3 of us as Baby too little still but I think you could make this stretch to 4.

Tesco Everyday Value Sultanas 500G £0.84
Tesco Everyday Value Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt 4X125g £0.66
Tesco Sunflower Spread 500G £0.75
Tesco Cheddar Cheese Sauce Mix £0.50
Tesco Everyday Value Chicken Stock Cubes £0.15
Tesco Everyday Value Cheese And Onion Quiche £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Cauliflower £0.89
Tesco Everyday Value Broccoli Florets £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce £0.25
Tesco Everyday Value Pasta Sauce 440G £0.39
Tesco Everyday Value Sweetcorn 325G £0.32
Tesco Everyday Value Crisps 12x18g £0.66
Tesco Everyday Value Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread£0.47
Tesco Everyday Value Apple Juice 1 Litre£0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Orange Juice 1 Litre £0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Onions 1Kg £0.63
Tesco Everyday Value Tuna Chunks In Brine £0.80
Tesco Everyday Value Cornflakes 500G £0.31
Tesco British Semi Skimmed Milk 3.480L/6Pints£1.89
Tesco Everyday Value Soft Cheese £0.49
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G £0.30
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg£0.40
4 Tesco Everyday Value New Potatoes £0.60
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Vegetables 1Kg £0.75
Tesco Unsmoked Gammon Joint 1.3Kg £5.49

Total £20.84

Breakfasts
Cornflakes and splash of milk
Toast
Small Glass Fruit Juice

Lunches (All have to have Packed Lunches anyway)
Cheese Sandwiches
Yoghurt
Handful Sultanas
Packet Crisps

Evening Meals
Sun – Roast slices of Gammon, mixed veg & New Potatoes
Mon – Gammon chunks, Bean, Potatoe Hash (Handful ofSweetcorn added in)
Tues – Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake, Gammon Chunks added in
Weds – Cheesy Pasta, Small amount of Gammon chunks andsweetcorn added
Thurs – Rice with mixed veg and any remaining gammon chunksadded (cooked using stock cubes to achieve a risotto style meal)
Fri – Tuna Pasta Bake (Handful of Sweetcorn added in)
Sat – Cheese and Onion Quiche, New Potatoes & mixed veg


I don't think its too unhealthy, well I HOPE its not too unhealthy, as I say its what we are having this week!! :rotfl:

honeythewitch

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Hello All,

Been following for a while, so Thank You all for your ideas here and on the £7.00 thread :T

Our monthly income has just dropped massively (by about £600 a month :eek:) so I have had to think a lot more about where our food shop money goes.

This is basicaly what we have this week, the total comes to £20.84 which is a little over but I know there are savings to be made eg Tuna is 80p but I know in Aldi or Morrisons its actually only 59p but I used Mr Ts online to be able to get a guide price. There is only 3 of us as Baby too little still but I think you could make this stretch to 4.

Tesco Everyday Value Sultanas 500G £0.84
Tesco Everyday Value Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt 4X125g £0.66
Tesco Sunflower Spread 500G £0.75
Tesco Cheddar Cheese Sauce Mix £0.50
Tesco Everyday Value Chicken Stock Cubes £0.15
Tesco Everyday Value Cheese And Onion Quiche £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Cauliflower £0.89
Tesco Everyday Value Broccoli Florets £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce £0.25
Tesco Everyday Value Pasta Sauce 440G £0.39
Tesco Everyday Value Sweetcorn 325G £0.32
Tesco Everyday Value Crisps 12x18g £0.66
Tesco Everyday Value Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread£0.47
Tesco Everyday Value Apple Juice 1 Litre£0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Orange Juice 1 Litre £0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Onions 1Kg £0.63
Tesco Everyday Value Tuna Chunks In Brine £0.80
Tesco Everyday Value Cornflakes 500G £0.31
Tesco British Semi Skimmed Milk 3.480L/6Pints£1.89
Tesco Everyday Value Soft Cheese £0.49
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G £0.30
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg£0.40
4 Tesco Everyday Value New Potatoes £0.60
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Vegetables 1Kg £0.75
Tesco Unsmoked Gammon Joint 1.3Kg £5.49

Total £20.84

Breakfasts
Cornflakes and splash of milk
Toast
Small Glass Fruit Juice

Lunches (All have to have Packed Lunches anyway)
Cheese Sandwiches
Yoghurt
Handful Sultanas
Packet Crisps

Evening Meals
Sun – Roast slices of Gammon, mixed veg & New Potatoes
Mon – Gammon chunks, Bean, Potatoe Hash (Handful ofSweetcorn added in)
Tues – Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake, Gammon Chunks added in
Weds – Cheesy Pasta, Small amount of Gammon chunks andsweetcorn added
Thurs – Rice with mixed veg and any remaining gammon chunksadded (cooked using stock cubes to achieve a risotto style meal)
Fri – Tuna Pasta Bake (Handful of Sweetcorn added in)
Sat – Cheese and Onion Quiche, New Potatoes & mixed veg


I don't think its too unhealthy, well I HOPE its not too unhealthy, as I say its what we are having this week!! :rotfl:

It all looks delicious but I am a bit confused about the amounts.
How do you stretch the eight yogurts, twelve packets of crisps and one packet of soft cheese to do twenty-one meals?

Pips_Mum

Do you know what Honeywitch you are right about the cheese!
I am missing a £2 small block of cheddar :eek: The soft cheese is for the cheesy pasta.

Crisps and yoghurts are fine, LO is only 4 so I half a yoghurt into a little pot so 3 will last him a week and he, I and OH don't actually eat the crisps every day. I find I do theirs first and I have whats left.

I have also realised I am missing a lunch on Saturday and Sunday so it just proves how hard it is to do for £20. We have a good stock cupboard, Thanks to this forum :money:, that I can fill this gap in with but if you had nothing it would be really hard. Maybe I would do a couple of extra tins of beans and have beans on toast or maybe some cheese on toast?

Despite my errors on here I am still pleased with what I managed to buy this week

honeythewitch

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Do you know what Honeywitch you are right about the cheese!
I am missing a £2 small block of cheddar :eek: The soft cheese is for the cheesy pasta.

Crisps and yoghurts are fine, LO is only 4 so I half a yoghurt into a little pot so 3 will last him a week and he, I and OH don't actually eat the crisps every day. I find I do theirs first and I have whats left.

I have also realised I am missing a lunch on Saturday and Sunday so it just proves how hard it is to do for £20. We have a good stock cupboard, Thanks to this forum :money:, that I can fill this gap in with but if you had nothing it would be really hard. Maybe I would do a couple of extra tins of beans and have beans on toast or maybe some cheese on toast?

Despite my errors on here I am still pleased with what I managed to buy this week

I think you have still done very well because it is so difficult, especially when the prices shoot up every time you turn your back.

Butterfly_Brain

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Hello All,

Been following for a while, so Thank You all for your ideas here and on the £7.00 thread :T

Our monthly income has just dropped massively (by about £600 a month :eek:) so I have had to think a lot more about where our food shop money goes.

This is basicaly what we have this week, the total comes to £20.84 which is a little over but I know there are savings to be made eg Tuna is 80p but I know in Aldi or Morrisons its actually only 59p but I used Mr Ts online to be able to get a guide price. There is only 3 of us as Baby too little still but I think you could make this stretch to 4.

Tesco Everyday Value Sultanas 500G £0.84
Tesco Everyday Value Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt 4X125g £0.66
Tesco Sunflower Spread 500G £0.75
Tesco Cheddar Cheese Sauce Mix £0.50
Tesco Everyday Value Chicken Stock Cubes £0.15
Tesco Everyday Value Cheese And Onion Quiche £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Cauliflower £0.89
Tesco Everyday Value Broccoli Florets £1.00
Tesco Everyday Value Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce £0.25
Tesco Everyday Value Pasta Sauce 440G £0.39
Tesco Everyday Value Sweetcorn 325G £0.32
Tesco Everyday Value Crisps 12x18g £0.66
Tesco Everyday Value Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread£0.47
Tesco Everyday Value Apple Juice 1 Litre£0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Orange Juice 1 Litre £0.65
Tesco Everyday Value Onions 1Kg £0.63
Tesco Everyday Value Tuna Chunks In Brine £0.80
Tesco Everyday Value Cornflakes 500G £0.31
Tesco British Semi Skimmed Milk 3.480L/6Pints£1.89
Tesco Everyday Value Soft Cheese £0.49
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G £0.30
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg£0.40
4 Tesco Everyday Value New Potatoes £0.60
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Vegetables 1Kg £0.75
Tesco Unsmoked Gammon Joint 1.3Kg £5.49

Total £20.84

Breakfasts
Cornflakes and splash of milk
Toast
Small Glass Fruit Juice

Lunches (All have to have Packed Lunches anyway)
Cheese Sandwiches
Yoghurt
Handful Sultanas
Packet Crisps

Evening Meals
Sun – Roast slices of Gammon, mixed veg & New Potatoes
Mon – Gammon chunks, Bean, Potatoe Hash (Handful ofSweetcorn added in)
Tues – Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake, Gammon Chunks added in
Weds – Cheesy Pasta, Small amount of Gammon chunks andsweetcorn added
Thurs – Rice with mixed veg and any remaining gammon chunksadded (cooked using stock cubes to achieve a risotto style meal)
Fri – Tuna Pasta Bake (Handful of Sweetcorn added in)
Sat – Cheese and Onion Quiche, New Potatoes & mixed veg


I don't think its too unhealthy, well I HOPE its not too unhealthy, as I say its what we are having this week!! :rotfl:

Don't knock yourself out, this is very well done and we have all missed days....with me it is a touch of old timers disease I think :rotfl:
What do you have in the house already, flour, sugar, canned and packet goods ? Maybe we could put our collective heads together and squeeze some meals out for you.

Butterfly_Brain

gailey wrote: »

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

Just milk alone 4-6pints a day means £10-12 a week out of £50 budget.

11packed lunches a week as eldest has school dinners friday and middle child does lunch time club preschool wed so need snacks for that.

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

bread -would say if we have couple packs rolls a 800g loaf lasts 2days so 5loaves a week 5-6 do try get reduced and have baked my own in past but slicing anightmare and feel like i get less but only have small loaf tin might try bigger tin.

keeping the fruit bowl full costs least £5 reckon spend least £10 a week on fruit and veg.

new aldis opening up so will loyally do super six now.
we normally get mot in lidls.
or get veg box from dairy.

heard about cheap fruit and veg shop which deliver so going to try them them too.

we grow our own and pick own strawberries
we also forage.

its the snacks and desserts i find tricky as im quite good at doing cooked meals to budget.

i always buy value biscuits or on offer only
same with crisps.
same with yogurts


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

1pack value digestives
small choc sponge half price- gave everyone dessert.
pop on offer
6pack crips on offer 90p.

but yesterday was fed up as had really mental weekend was up to 1am sat morning sorting stuff out for jumble sale.
sat went shoppig up high street, tidied house and defrosted freezer.

sunday 9-2 did jumble sale sadly didet clear much
tidied and fixed the girls room afternoon
cooked pasta and bacon peices with cheese and garlic bread

for snacks there was

toast with choice of butterm nutella , peanut butter or jam
cereal we had 2types plus milk
value fromage fraid and hubby and eldest whinged they were hungry he had no snacks and hubby said I did bad job shopping friday .considering was snowing and went to local co-op think we did well.

last few weeks meals have been very basic so friday he had

turkey curry and rice for tea and fresh turkey breasts reduced thur
fri breasts reduced so did chicken faiitas and reduced faittas.
sat did kids reduced meatballs and spaggetti for their tea and baked potatoes for ours.

yesterday they had reduced fresh pizza-hubby moaned no oven chips and buying lots of frozen cheapest and better way to feed everyone but one small bag oven chips and box breaded fish would only last one meal! Im better off getting fresh and cooking from scratch.

last nighst tea was pasta which he hates but keep telling him cant be exiting gourmet every night and we need to eat less meat to bring costs down.

It like he think I have magic wand and think hes being unrealistic.
he shops with me and his mum so knows what prices are. if he goes he comes back with loads of snacks and frozen then self congratulated himself on what a fab shop hes done.

i spent £16 sat £4 nappies £2 on 6pack value toiliet roll waas in express shop so was limited. cans pop £2.10-treat for him, choc cake £1.50 still cheaper than baking as price cocoa so high. crisps 90p on offer, twin pack garlic bread £1,squash £1 and few other bits wasent a lavish bulk shop. I never planned out to buy 5 days worth of meals as knew we had enough to get by weekend and pay day today 25th which means our grocery challenge always 25th to 25th.

I have baby group today up near high street
so going to pop deli see if they have sausages and make sausage casserole and mash as brought bad reduced potatoes friday.
hubbys next off so has car wed so will just get enough today to last us next few days.

I have to pick something up after school near lidls so might try op in if kids well behaved.

new aldis opens thursday.

im bit fed up will do some home baking this week.
Try do some flap jack tonight for lunch boxes tommorow.

want to try spread my shop this month several different places.

so today is deli, co-op reductions ad possibly lidls depending on how cold and tired kids are.

Will write a list and stick to it.

Will take a look at approved foods and see if anything useful.

If you have four children then that means that you are getting £80 a week child benefit and have you checked to see if you get tax credits?

honeythewitch

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

If you have four children then that means that you are getting £80 a week child benefit and have you checked to see if you get tax credits?

It isnt twenty pounds a week for every child, just the first. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/taxcredits.htm#5

Pips_Mum

For 2 children we get £134.80 a month child benefit, as Honeythewitch says its half for the 2nd, 3rd etc. All helps though!!

Thanks Butterfly Brain x x As I say Thanks to being on this Forum for a few years now I have a pretty good stock cupboard of tinned goods and longlife items so we will be ok for a while yet, Its stressful enough dropping that much money even with a good stock cupboard, doesn't bare thinking about if I hadnt joined here and accumulated a good stockpile.