Great British Budget Menu-BBC

honeythewitch

marmalize wrote: »

hugely annoyed at this programme..they would have done far better if they had taken a look at this blog first..
http://agirlcalledjack.com/

then employed her to do the show...

She would make a great double act with Shirley Goode. http://shirleygoode.blogspot.co.uk/

ash28

scootw1 wrote: »

What struck me is how on earth a family with two wages, one of which is software engineer which would be a good wage, could have so little to spend on food. I can only assume there was some massive overspend elsewhere. Wonder if any of the people shown had sky, massive phone costs, lots of debt from presents, a big mortgage or a big gas guzzler. That may have been part of the reason for the family not having enough money.

I think they said they had £1.66 per day per person and there were 6 of them so it gives a total of just shy of £70 a week for food. I actually don't think that's too bad - especially as it's purely the food budget - no toiletries etc.

I'm not fantastic at budgeting but I could feed 6 on that sort of money - 3 meals a day without resorting to tinned hotdogs......and I'm sure loads on here could feed them well and have change.

The single parent had about £33 per week for 2 of them.....not impossible....

The pensioner said he had a £1 a day...very tough, it makes you wonder if he was getting all of the benefits he was entitled to.

Teg-Rem

can't help thinking they were either "planted" or just playing up to the camera and emptied all their cupboards out, and their fridge just to be "on the telly". how can anyone with 2 wages coming in, in this day and age have only £1.66 a day and not manage. To put it into context, I shop very frugally, have a full fridge mostly, cook from scratch and we all eat very well indeed, or we think so, our fridge never looks like that, and my husband is the earner for us all and only earns £258 per week, paid weekly, and my daughter gives us a bit of money and so does my son, and my weekly food allowance to but food for 4 of us is only £35 per week, so come on, we eat well, it was all a fix me thinks for the telly.

patchwork_cat

honeythewitch wrote: »

One of the families was caring for her mother, so perhaps that is why they had such a large and lovely house, or perhaps they are suffering from a shortfall in housing benefit?

No I think that was the next programme? I don't think that family can be poor and I am pretty sure that people on here manage a lot better on a lot less. If that family was on minimum wage and full time work they would be entitled to £10k CTC and with over £3k in CB!

fairtrade

If you have missed the programme it is being shown again on Wednesday 17th BBC One 23:25 (except Wales 23:50).

MaddyWaddy

I think the main thing that came across in the program was their lack of knowledge on budgeting and cooking.

It really is a shame that the chefs didn't do a full weeks menus based on £15 for the pensioner, £30 for the mother and daughter and sorry but I can't remember what the family had ... I do remember thinking that they needed to learn how to cook better.

I was rather annoyed that the daughter (mother and daughter pair) had a very well known expensive jacket on so was wondering if it was clothing rather than eating that mattered ... They both did look ill though but I did think they could eat better than what they did ... I am sure the sugar cost £3 a week alone

I think menu planning and money saving is about being savvy and managing the best you can on little - It was a shame that just 1 chef brought in porridge which is cheap and filling.

I had hoped on more from the chefs ... a pound per person is a lot easier to work with for 4 people than it is 1. I was hoping for menu plans and costings - it was disappointing that they went over the budget like it didn't matter (a lot of people on here don't have that option) nor does everyone have hours to spend trawling the supermarkets to get the best deal just for one meal.

The program to me was a let down ... I didn't watch the second one.

RAS

Emm-in-a-pickle wrote: »

Yes, they certainly could have picked better (or more suitable) chefs. Many years ago I stumbled on Jocasta Innes` "Paupers Cookbook" and I still remember how delightful HER approach was - humour as well as inspiration, nothing patronising in it, just thought of her and wondered what she would have thought of this sad effort!

After I watched a the first bit of the programme, the first thing I thought about was the poor purchasing and high fuel use that the programme demonstrated.

Jocasta Innes was my saviour when I was on the dole and broke in the 70s. "Planned Cooking" taught me so much; how to buy ingredients for multiple meals and cook or pre-cook the bulk of them even with no freezer. One oven cooking session would produce a cheap casserole or two, baked potatoes, a flan (Tarte Alsace was my favourite), a pudding and some baking. Pretty much cooked properly twice a week.

elona

I got "The Pauper's Cookbook" in the early eighties when newly married and had no idea how to cook. My FIL was shocked when he visited and saw the book till I explained it just meant not cooking with loads of expensive ingredients.

I still enjoy the bacon hotpot and some of the quiche recipes and the"boozy prunes" make a surprisingly posh dessert and no -one guesses what they are!!;)

That book and the ones by Shirley Goode were a life saver when interest rates went up to 15% and I was a SAHM looking after twins.

[Deleted User]

I am a pensioner and eat fairly well on a budget of £60.00 per month that is strictly for food and nothing else Yesterday I went to the shops and spent £17.80. of which £2.99 was toilet rolls 32.00 on washing up liquuid and 1 18 on kitchen roll all of which I had run short of so it would have normally have been under 312.00
this is what I bought and along with what I have in the cupboards and freezer will see me through for at least 7-10 days

kitchen roll 1. 18
toilet rolls 2 . 99
2 x Fairy washing up liquid 2. 00
tin of pineapple 20
tin of creamed rice 16
box reduced black and white grapes 55
1 cauliflower 69
1 melon 79
large red cabbage(reduced) 15
bag of oranges (reduced) 39
box of strawberrys (reduced) 35
1 kilo carrots 49
1 seriously strong cheese 2. 29
1 bunch bananas 49
1 bag of small potatos 65
1 bag pasta 59
1 bottle chilli sauce for dips 1. 37
multi pack baked beans 1. 25
small granary loaf (reduced) 39
1 cucumber 82

All of this I bought from Morrisons and have £42 20 left in my food budget purse to last the rest of the month I eat healthily I think, and keep a sharp eye out for bargains the reduced stuff had literally just been reduced so lots of life left in them :)I think the pensioner is not manageing very well as perhaps he's not good at shopping or cooking parhaps I have always shopped with an eye to what I can make from what I already have and top up with bits when I am out I shall now not need to shop unti I run out of fruit and veg, the tinned rice I use instead of cream with fresh fruit, 16p a tin lasts for at least four days and at a fraction of the price of a tub of cream.Its small economies that can make the differance between eating and feeling full and eating half a bowl of soup. I can make a vat of soup for around 50 p with fresh veg that will last me a week for lunches and is far more filling than the watery stuff the old chap was eating.My soups are chunky and a meal in themsleves, throw a handful of pasta into them after whizzing a bit in the blender and it helps to bulk it out I also have a huge bag of lentils in store that i bought for £2.00 when on the offer and this also helps to make meals .The washing up liquid I will give one bottle to my Dd as its her favorite so I bought the two on special offer.I have more than enough meat in the freezer to add to any of the veg I bought yesterday .The best buy was the cabbage its enormous and had just been marked down to 15p and is definitely my bargain of the week as it will be used in lots of different meals

bmma

Hi I watched the programme too- disappointed they didn't have a vegetarian chef to show them that not every day has to be a meat day (I'm vegan-and paying debts off off on a DMP) so every penny has to be accounted for £1.00 per head for one meal still too expensive!