How much to live on per week

V_Chic_Chick

wintersunshine wrote: »

She's also presumably a girl who tends to eat little (most 18 year old girls are anorexic ) and probably isn't involved in sport - try feeding hungry males who get a decent amount of exercise on £15 and it's a whole different story....

I know I could feed myself on £15 per week (less probably) because I'm almost permanently on a diet - but I have 3 healthy weight sporty males to feed and trust me they eat a lot!!!!

I strongly disagree with the idea that most 18 year old girls are anorexic. Anorexia is a very specific mental health problem that isn't the same as just being slim.

Anyway, I'm short and slim (BMI of 21) but eat just as much as the boys in my house (and substantially more than my dad at home) because I have a fast metabolism and seemingly hollow legs. That was always the case, but now that I cycle everywhere (30-50 miles a week) it's even more the case.

Being unable to concentrate on your studies because you're too hungry isn't a good way to save £5pw!

As for where I shop, I live about 3 minutes from manchester's famous curry mile, so I do do some shopping there. There are, however, some things the area just doesn't do that well - pasta and sauce and the same price or cheaper and better in Sainsburys, for instance, so some things are bought in Sainsburys. East Asian food is best bought in chinatown, which is in the city centre.

IMHO there are much better ways to save cash than eating less. I have a bike, so I don't need to pay £200 for a bus pass (although clearly there are bike maintenance costs and on a night out you can't cycle home!), heating gets turned down, not showing any brand loyalty in the supermarket and going for what's on special offer (there's always one pasta sauce on offer!), knowing which "value" branded products are good and which aren't, pre-drinking, buying clothes nearly new on eBay, selling old clothes on eBay etc etc. On a side note, if your offspring have any fancy dress, male sure they take it with them. They *will* need it!

Whilst you might be able to cut some day-to-day expenses, there will always be some big, unexpected expenses (big water bill, deposit for next years house etc which will run to several hundred pounds and are unavoidable). The costs at the beginning of the year are always higher - freshers week, annual bus pass, society membership, sports kit (team stuff is extortionate but necessary), quite a few people end up buying ikea furniture at the start of second year .... You get the idea. If the budget has been cut down to the wire then there simply isn't any room for manoeuvre when these things happen.

looby75

wintersunshine wrote: »

She's also presumably a girl who tends to eat little (most 18 year old girls are anorexic ) and probably isn't involved in sport - try feeding hungry males who get a decent amount of exercise on £15 and it's a whole different story....

I know I could feed myself on £15 per week (less probably) because I'm almost permanently on a diet - but I have 3 healthy weight sporty males to feed and trust me they eat a lot!!!!

she eats plenty! She is slim (size 8/10 depending on where she gets her clothes from) she just knows how to cook really cheaply.

She buys a loaf of bread maybe every 3 weeks (often when its reduced, theres a small tesco right by her halls so she pops in at the end of the day to see what in the reduced section), and sticks it in the freezer as she tends to use it mainly for toast. Today she's having beans on toast for lunch, there is a huge discount uk store where she buys the multi pack of beans, 4 tins for 99p. So theres a meal for less than 40p (the reason I know is because she text me to say that the branston beans are really nice, she hadn't had them before we usually get beans from aldi)

Last week she went to the market and bought diced turkey breast for £2, she made curry with it £1 for a jar of sauce, 80p for mushrooms, 50p for 2 peppers and 13p for an onion again from the market so £4.43 for enough curry for 5 meals, she ate one the day she made it and froze the other 4 in individual plastic tubs. So thats 89p plus say 15p for rice (huge bag of jasmine rice for £1 from the Asian supermarket) for a filling meal for £1.04. She's did the same when she made chilli, again mince beef from the market for £2 (and it was lean as well) mushrooms 80p, onion 13p, tin of kidney beans 18p (tesco), tin of tomatoes 25p (pack of 4 for a pound) Chilli powder 10p (whole jar for 49p) Garlic powder10p (again whole jar 49p) a quirt of tomato puree, 5p. She only got 4 portions out of that, one to eat on the day 3 in the freezer. 90p per portion plus 25 p for rice or about the same if she has it with a jacket potato (4 large baking pots for £1 from the market)

A box of cereal, from discount uk 99p lasts her a week for breakfast, £1 for 4 pints of milk, 89p for sunflower spread that lasts her weeks. 99p for a box of 80 tetley tea bags, 89p for a bag of sugar which has lasted her over 2 months already as she only uses it on her cereal. 4 tins of Heinz soup for £1 from herron frozen food shop.

She also loves salad, she buys the tesco everyday mixed leaf salad bag for £1 that lasts her 2 meals, with cucumber and tomatoes from the market say 50p each, and a tin of tuna, 50p (4 tins for £2)

She made fajitas for the whole flat 6 people, again using turkey breast rather than chicken, and it cost her less than £10 (once a week they all sit down and have a flat meeting and one person cooks for everyone, or in a couple of the lads cases buys the pizza lol), she was very proud of that as they all really enjoyed it and didn't believe that it was turkey breast not chicken.

Her quick junk food meal, pitta bread pizza, 19p for 6 tesco every day pitta breads, a squirt of tomato puree, sliced red onion, a couple of sliced mushrooms and or tomato, a sprinkle of garlic powder a sprinkle of mixed herbs, some grated cheese, if she has any ham in a bit of chopped up ham (59p for 8 slices of every day value cooked ham tesco) She'll usually have 3 of those and then use the 3 other pitta breads with her salads.

rubytuesday

I really don't understand why some people feel the need to dispute that some are capable of eating well for £15 a week and have good budgeting and batch cooking skills.

I've looked at my daughters food expenditure and it's averaging out at £18.11 a week but as I've already stated she doesn't subscribe to a weekly amount she shops when she needs to and also stocks up.

She is eating very well and like the sound of Looby's daughter is seen as the 'cook' of the flat.

She too is as skinny as a rake but people are shocked at the amount of food she can put away - she loves food!

Cheese seems to be her biggest expenditure - she absolutely loves it and a birthday present was sent a wonderful vacherin from Pong and a cambembert baker.

It isn't a competition and if people need to eat more calories and have to spend more in order to achieve this then so be it.

But don't imply that those of us who have children who are budgeting (minus the ski trip!) and using various skills to eat cheaply and well are sad starving anorexics!

rubytuesday

No no no Looby - haven't you gathered they musn't eat chilli if they want to reach the grand old age of fifty!:eek:

looby75

rubytuesday wrote: »

No no no Looby - haven't you gathered they musn't eat chilli if they want to reach the grand old age of fifty!:eek:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:she's in trouble then because its one of her absolute favourites, the hotter the better too.

I'm allergic to peppers so I've never have them in the house, just the smell of them makes me feel sick, so now she can use them she's putting them in everything, I joked to her that she's going to turn into one soon if she doesn't lay off them lol

mumps

I think I am a bad parent, really negligent! Three of mine are graduates and one still at uni and I couldn't tell you how much they spent on milk, meat or eggs in any week. Do people really know what their children buy and the exact price of every item? Like I said I think I am negligent but I know they eat, well I don't think they could have gone three years without eating. I know they managed on how much money they had as they didn't get into debt, other than student loan, I know they all chose to live in cheap halls but that is as detailed as it gets.

looby75

mumps wrote: »

I think I am a bad parent, really negligent! Three of mine are graduates and one still at uni and I couldn't tell you how much they spent on milk, meat or eggs in any week. Do people really know what their children buy and the exact price of every item? Like I said I think I am negligent but I know they eat, well I don't think they could have gone three years without eating. I know they managed on how much money they had as they didn't get into debt, other than student loan, I know they all chose to live in cheap halls but that is as detailed as it gets.

the only reason I know how much she spends is because she likes to brag about it :rotfl:I always complain about the price of shopping and how everything keeps going up each week and she's now determined to prove me wrong lol

I met up with her last Wednesday afternoon and she took me round all her cheapy shops to show off

mumps

looby75 wrote: »

the only reason I know how much she spends is because she likes to brag about it :rotfl:I always complain about the price of shopping and how everything keeps going up each week and she's now determined to prove me wrong lol

I met up with her last Wednesday afternoon and she took me round all her cheapy shops to show off

Well you have an amazing memory to be able to quote figures like you have. I can't even remember what I paid for milk when I went shopping at the weekend let alone what someone else spent on cereal, milk, turkey breast and I can't even remember what else you quoted. Maybe I'm not negligent just senile and not able to remember or too busy with work, running a house and helping with grandchildren.

looby75

mumps wrote: »

Well you have an amazing memory to be able to quote figures like you have. I can't even remember what I paid for milk when I went shopping at the weekend let alone what someone else spent on cereal, milk, turkey breast and I can't even remember what else you quoted. Maybe I'm not negligent just senile and not able to remember or too busy with work, running a house and helping with grandchildren.

I live a sad life :rotfl: the reason I know the price of some of the things is because I buy them too for home and have to stick to a very strict budget as I'm currently on benefits.

I spent exactly £32.48p on the weekly shop for me and my son this week (including a few toiletries and loo roll) and could probably tell you the price to within a few pence of each item I bought simply because I have to shop as cheaply as I can.

Believe me when I was working, running the house and looking after the kids (and my now ex husband ) I couldn't have told you the price of a pint of milk either. It went in the shopping trolley and that was that, it also ended up with a lot of food going to waste, now hardly anything goes to waste as I shop to a meal plan.

mumps

looby75 wrote: »

I live a sad life :rotfl: the reason I know the price of some of the things is because I buy them too for home and have to stick to a very strict budget as I'm currently on benefits.

I spent exactly £32.48p on the weekly shop for me and my son this week (including a few toiletries and loo roll) and could probably tell you the price to within a few pence of each item I bought simply because I have to shop as cheaply as I can.

Believe me when I was working, running the house and looking after the kids (and my now ex husband ) I couldn't have told you the price of a pint of milk either. It went in the shopping trolley and that was that, it also ended up with a lot of food going to waste, now hardly anything goes to waste as I shop to a meal plan.

I don't waste food, just don't memorise the price of everything and when I talked to my DD at uni we usually had too much to talk about to focus on food, I do admit at exam time I would anxiously ask if she was eating OK but wouldn't go through the shopping list with her. I guess we all have things that interest us.