how much should weekly spend be for average family of 6 one a baby??

getdebtfree

Hi all

Just had to inform our IVA of our upcoming new arrival...

just wondered what you guys with 6 people in the family spend on the weekly shop and housekeeping

we are finding it hard to keep under £120 a week and prices have risen sooooooo muchy...

I remember in sainsburys just over a year a go a sage and onion stuffed chicken was under 4 quid, now its 6 quid..blimey

soontobemrsg

We're a family of 5 (no babies so no formula or nappies to buy) and spend between £70-£100 a week including or toiletries and cleaning products.

I feel we eat very well on this. I cook most food from scratch and this helps with keeping the costs down. Toiletries and cleaning products are named brands bought from a value shop (family bargains, home bargains or B&M) weekly shop is usually in Morrisons.

Hope this helps.

mysk_girl

We are 5, and I spend anywhere between £50 and £90 depending on nappies/toiletries required. That is usually from Aldi, and cooking everything from scratch including bread / cakes / snacks. I've recently been experimenting with cheese, it's surprisingly easy to do the soft cheeses!

soontobemrsg

mysk_girl wrote: »

We are 5, and I spend anywhere between £50 and £90 depending on nappies/toiletries required. That is usually from Aldi, and cooking everything from scratch including bread / cakes / snacks. I've recently been experimenting with cheese, it's surprisingly easy to do the soft cheeses!

I'd be very interested in your homemade cheese recipe...

ampersand

Head for the old-style ms Thread.
One tiny example - no need to buy chickens already stuffed. Just use all sorts of whatever you have - tired celery or onion,with ends of bread, milk or egg or water to bind, chop in a slice of bacon/ham end. Keep a soup pot on the go. Make friends with a real butcher - it IS cheaper.
Imagination and mindset are the key ingredients not only until you are df, but beyond.
Lots of low/no-cost EFFECTIVE cleaning hints/remedies/recipes on the old-style Thread, too.
Good luck. Congratulations on forthcoming arrival and all happiness.

mysk_girl

3l of milk - any kind will do, except UHT, I just used bog standard full fat from Aldi.

Heat it to 95deg (I used jam pan and thermometer as I also make all our jam), then add 100ml of white wine vinegar.

Let it sit for about 10min to let the curds form. Then strain through a muslin ( you can buy special cooking ones, but I find the baby's ones work just fine, I use them for jelly as well)

Discard the liquid (whey - if you can find a use for it let me know!)

Then salt to taste and pack into a cheese mould. I use this one

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16571/Lakeland-Basket-Soft-Cheese-Mould

Leave in fridge to cool. Makes about 1lb and keeps for about a week. Costs less than £2. You could make sandwiches but I usually use it in cooking, mixed into sauces. It goes well with tomato, makes a creamy tomato sauce when stirred through. Or just a lumps for eating with what my kids call 'Picnic tea' - lots of bits on a plate.

mrs_baggins

oooh! I have never made soft cheese. I am going to give this a go. Thank you!!!!

FireWyrm

mysk_girl wrote: »

Discard the liquid (whey - if you can find a use for it let me know!)

.

Traditionally, used for feeding pigs or sickly children (little Miss Muffet) but take a look at this : http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html

mysk_girl

FireWyrm wrote: »

Traditionally, used for feeding pigs or sickly children (little Miss Muffet) but take a look at this : http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html

Thanks for that, I make a fair amount of bread so I'll probably try that, and using it for stews :-) you do end up with a lot of it though!

ampersand

Ah, was just going to suggest bread, scones etc. Thankyou for linky, FireWyrm.

It works wonderfully, esp. with sourdough recipes - I interchange buttermilk/whey.