Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

moneyistooshorttomention

That probably took the person concerned about 1 hour to do - with the first posts they could "lift" from this thread. I recognise the idea of only having one "course" for breakfast as part of a discussion we were having some pages back, but the person who produced that "mealplan" didn't read on further to read the comments from people that many of us wouldn't find that enough and would still be very hungry. True, that this person hasn't thought through the stew couldn't possibly do for extra meals (bar someone being content with one bite of sausage per meal).

Personally, I occasionally make a version of a "canteen stew" I had in one workplace, which was basically sausages/canned tomatoes/onions. I use qu*rn sausages in mine and put 4 of them in with a can of tomatoes and reckon on that being 2 meals worth for me (with accompanying potatoes and green vegetables). Hence = 2 sausages per portion.

fairy3

Agree that the menu plan is poor - a generalised 'two school aged children' means what? They can range from 4 - 16 and the food on offer would simply not be enough calories. This thread offers much better options, perhaps we should email the DAS and tell them about BB and they can pay her for the privilege.
Also seems irresponsible to advocate feeding a family for £20 a week as this thread has shown that it is very difficult to achieve even with the frugalista's on here.

Our go to frugal meal is HM chips, egg and beans with a plate of bread and butter - only used occasionally but seen as an absolute treat by the hollow legs in my house, simple things.

Butterfly_Brain

As this thread is coming up for three years old, I think it is fair to go to £25 a week, but saying that, we are all living under austerity for austerity's sake and many people still only have £20 a week to live on and some have even less than that

I have really got the bit between my teeth now and as I am having an NSD day I am going to show that I can do better than their menu plan so I have printed it off and am going to prove that you can do a meal plan healthier than theirs.

BBL xxx

gayleygoo

That "meal plan" does not look very good at all. Maybe it would work for a week, but there is nothing on that webpage to tell people that it would not be suitable in the long run. There are not enough calories, calcium, iron or many other nutrients to support a growing child, or an adult who could be hard at work during the day!

The person who wrote that meal plan clearly has not tried to make 4 sausages, 2 baked potatoes and a small bag of casserole veg into 10 meals.

At least on this thread, people who really do only have £20 (or less, as the case may well be), can be advised on how to make best use of their money by getting current deals, using up stuff in the cupboard, buying yellow-stickered fruit and veg, topping up calories with cheap biscuits if necessary, and ultimately that it may be a struggle to eat for very long in this way. We would suggest use of a food bank, forgaing, growing own veg, baking own bread, cutting out meat (like replacing those terrible sausages with a bag of lentils), cutting down on other bills where possible.

The webpage seems to suggest that this is an acceptable diet for a whole family for however long it takes to get out of debt. I know that there are many people out there who may struggle to find £20 a week for food, and perhaps do not eat as well as even that sub-standard meal plan suggests (at least everyone will have food in their tummies several times a day), but it is an irresponsible and poorly planned article that could lead some government officials into believeing that a family *should* be able to live like this in the long term.

moneyistooshorttomention

This is my fear too, ie that the Government would believe people "should" eat on that amount.

Speaking personally, my food-shopping is a lot more economical than it used to be and I try to waste nothing, but it costs me around £25 per week to feed one female stomach (mine). Okay, I could cut out the coffee (though I just wouldn't), but that would still be around £22 per week for just me and I definitely don't eat luxuriously.

mashedavocado

That meal plan is shocking. It makes me so sad that anyone would think that's an appropriate meal plan for a family to live on.

NewShadow

£25 per week seems doable, at least if you do £50 per 2 weeks. I'm assuming some basic spices in stock.

It would benefit from some more veg, but this isn't far off what I used to buy to feed three adults for 2 weeks:

Carbs
Morrisons Unwashed Potatoes 12.5kg £2.00
M savers Pasta Twists 500g 29p
M savers Spaghetti 500g 20p
2 x M savers Oats 1kg £1.50

Veg
Morrisons British Garden Peas 1.5kg £2.00
Morrisons Brown Onions (R) 5kg £2.49
2 x Morrisons Red Cabbage (R) Typically: 600g 94p
2 x Morrisons Carrots (R) 1.2kg £1.38
12 x KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g £4.00
M savers Sultanas 500g 84p

Protein
Morrisons British Lean Mince Beef 445g £3.33
Morrisons Unsmoked Bacon Joint 900g £3.34
Morrisons Whole Chicken 1.3kg £3.33
M savers Thick Sausages 8 x 56g £1.32
M savers Grated Cheddar 1kg £4.40
M savers Eggs 18 per pack £1.62
KTC Red Kidney Beans 500g 99p
KTC Red Lentils 2kg £3.49
8 x M savers Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 410g 24p

Baking/cooking
KTC Vegetable Cooking Oil 5L Offer £4.00
M savers Plain Flour 1.5kg 45p
M savers Self Raising Flour 1.5kg 45p
Allinson Dried Active Yeast 125g 64p

Tea
Morrisons Red Label Tea Bags 240 Pack £2.89
4 x M savers UHT Skimmed Milk 1L £2.20

£50.01

Meals - Assuming adults eat at home, and kids are fed at school, for lunch?

Up to 4 tea bags per person a day, and 1L of UHT per week

Breakfast
35g Oats, 70ml water, a teaspoon of sultanas, spices (cinnamon/nutmeg/sugar) if in stock

Or toast if there's any lurking jam or butter

Possible lunches - to feed 2

• Make bread and serve with veg, or lentil, or onion, or potato soup (chicken stock, gammon water, carrot, cabbage, onion, lentils, potatoes)
• Scrambled egg made with added fried onion and a handful of peas and a splash of UHT, with bread/toast
• Tomatoes on toast
• Cheese on toast - use an egg, onion, and a handful of grated cheese to make a paste. Spread over thick cut home made bread and grill. With or without soup.
• Eggs, chips, beans (optional sausage), slab of bread if hungry
• Baked potato with beans and a sprinkle of cheese
• Bubble and squeak - onions, cabbage, potato, a sprinkling of cheese, oil

Dinners - to feed 4

• Carbonara(ish) - Fried onions, 4 sausages or shredded gammon, flaked into tiny bits, spaghetti, 3 eggs, breadcrumbs, salt/pepper
• Mince and onion (half pack of mince + couple of handfuls cooked lentils - fry together with onions and make gravy using mince liquid and flour) with peas, carrots, potatoes
• Chilli (and/or Bolognese if no spices) - mince, onions, lentils, grated carrot, tomatoes (optional beans), kidney beans (optional spices), serve with pasta shapes or potatoes
• LO Bolognese lasagnie - Make tortilla wraps using flour and water - dry fry. Once cooked use to layer in place of lasagne pasta. If no bolognese left, make a savoury lentil mix using lentils, onion, grated carrot and tomatoes
• Poached chicken - in slowcooker, with cabbage, potatoes, peas, carrots
• Chicken and ham pie - make a pastry using oil and flour. Use some chicken stock to make a sauce, fill with onion, carrot, peas, scrappy chicken and off cuts of bacon, serve with potatoes and whatever veg you've got most of
• Boiled gammon joint with potatoes and eggs
• Gammon hash - shredded gammon, diced potatoes, and onions fried together and topped with a sprinkle of cheese
• Spicy bean burgers - Kidney beans, beans, lentils, onions, egg and breadcrumbs, with storecuboard spices. Serve in home made rolls.

Cheaper to shop around, but I hate trawling through shops. Am I missing anything?

RAS

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I read this with dismay
http://www.debtadvisorycentre.co.uk/advice/feed-your-family-for-less-than-20-a-week-0-4204-0.html

Seeing as it is from the debt advisory centre, most of it is processed rubbish

That is scary; not singularly coherent or sensible. I have heard of rubber chicken but this pack of sausages seems to be infinitely elastic.

Protein content is actually fine and there is some fresh fruit but there is no fat for spreading on bread or cooking. Nearly a quid spent on salty goo when it could be spent on a couple of tins of tomatoes and some decent recipes.

Plain pasta mixed with tuna and frozen mixed veggies? Sausage, rice and mixed veggies?

The mince is wasted on the chilli when a tin of kidney beans would allow some of it to be used for another meal.

Anyone done a calorie count on this?

mashedavocado

RAS wrote: »

Anyone done a calorie count on this?

I'll do one later if I think on. Won't have chance til later tonight, but I'd be interested to see.

tessie_bear

bb thanks for posting that link...always interesting to read ideas but i wasnt very impressed...one pudding quarter of a pint of sugar free jelly...might as well eat fresh air...i buy that jelly but chuck in a tin of fruit to try and perk it up a bit i also make 2 packs for 4 people

has anyone had the so called ham trimmings in aldi ? they are about £1.60 and you get a big box...good for sarnies/quiche/in a pie with chicken/with pasta in a sauce/with chips .beans and an egg

i went to the local market today...bowl of 5 huge cooking apples a quid i have cooked them and have enough for 3 pies or crumblles or with yogurt...17 satsumas a quid and 15 eating apples again a quid...great value if u have access
cheers tessa