Whats lowest amount feeding a famly?2013?

tessie_bear

thankyou for the veggie idea....a good idea i need to try more

Bex296

Hi! Firstly, fabulous that you only buy happy meat. I know it's hard on a budget but always try to do that myself as I'd rather eat veggie than sad meat.

Re: reducing costs, have you got a local market? If you have one nearby fruit/veg is almost always cheaper than supermarkets and you get big bowls, so would be great for keeping your children in fruit snacks. Also, there's a fab blog written by someone who had to feed herself and her son for <£10 a week - I can't post a link but google agirlcalledjack. Decent recipes, costed out.

gailey_2

Hi guys.

agree if shop long distance but spar, co-op and small sainsbury easily walkable, tesco metro and iceland, lilds, aldis and morrions half hour walk or 10 min drive/bus.

Im in walkng distance of pound stetcher and b&m.
Other than that go in places as passing or send hubby check on his way home from work then its not hue detour.

Its not been easy but needs must.

some nights we found stuff other nights nothing.

Theres neearly always reduced bread somewhere most days so when see it buy in bulk and freeze like 3packs crumpets the other day. sometimes reduced crossients and value jam really does depend i reductons good enough.

With value trial and error

dont rate value cereal
washing up liquid
black bags.

but value squash is 40p so not huge luxury for kids.
we always buy value jam.
kids dont mind value cream cheese and value choc spread.
value choc 30p mopst places always w inner but lilds stuff sightly nicer ad worth the extra 15p and some weeknds its on offer.

Also sometimes poundshops better value for cleaning products than supermarket value lnes, find the value has steep and varying prices easch wek tesco passatta just gone up from 29p to 34p.

We always buy value bog roll.

sainsburys value nappies £1.47 ok for days rubish for night only have 1child in fulltime nappies. basic wipes 45p fine as is basic baby bath.

Value fruit and veg dont find that cheap and find aldos super size, lilds better. Sadly we have no good market theres few fruit a veg shops ok prices but they a distance away so dont go regular.

I try stick to cheap basic veg so bananas and apples. only buy rest if reduced they live kiwis and they often reduced as are berries plus tinned value peaches and pinnaples

Often get tomatoes, salads and fresh herbs reduced.

tonights haul

tesco metro

reduced bananas 44p
reduced chillis 25p
bagals 48p thats tommorows breckfast
donuts treat-13p for 5
baguettte 18p
branded bread 28p
2slamon fillets fresh 90p-tommorows dinner with reduced salad potatoes and frozen value peas.
redued cod fllets £1 going to try making fishcakes with them.
have fish in freezer will make one large fish pie.
reduced baking butter 33p so will make cakes and biscuits this week.
diced chicken was £3 65p. might use faitta mix in cupboard brought on offer from co-op 2 for £1 and defrost some wraps reduced and serve with value rice for tea tommorow.

I buy reduced muffins and cut in half use passatta or tomato puree grated chese and make mini pizzas for kids.

Kds also like toasted sandwiches, egg on toast, beans on toast or cheese on toast.

ok roughly typcal menu as like i say varied on whats cheap and how much i had that week but evens out at £50 a week.

week 1

breckfast

cereal-1 bowl each for kids
me and hubby slice toast each sometimes reduced crumpet.

snack
value biscuits

kids fromage frais or fruit.

lunch is typcally light and snacky
soup-h reduced rolls
sandwich often with reduced ham or value with some crips and raw veg to side .

dinners-normally twice a week something with chips.

sausages and chips-usually sausages always reduced.
egg, ham and chips last week for free range reduced 47p m&s value chips 1.03 co-op quite big bag or lilds 7p for small bag frozen oven chips.
suusage casserole with value rice or reduced potatoes now winter salad potatoes often reduced or adli had thm on super six other week.
value pasta with passatta
hm pizzas or sometimes warbertons square wraps reduced makes good pizza base.

Lots of pork steaks latly always redued either by themseleves with gravy or part of casserole padded out with frozen veg and onion.

Roasted chicken thighs or wings or again chucked in casserole.
Only but fillets when reduced managed to get turkey fillets for £1 co-op freedon not value range so made currys and faittas padded out with veg.
tonight didn tuna pasta everyone likes tuna apart from me.
pancakes woth savoury fillngs
omlette or frttatta or quiche.

have some beef steaks in freezer £1 each sometimes manage to get reduced meatballs /diced beef and done beef in gravy or beef curry even.

Co-op what evers on promotion tends to end up in reduced ours is very large branch and always reductions.

If i see stuff good price i buy in bulk ad try keep freezer well stocked/i
if i see naan or garlic bread reduced always buy and stick in freezer for times when have got curry

packed lunches -are sandnwch or roll, 1 pack crisps value or on offer, 1 yogurt or mouse, 1-2 items of fruit.

snacks adults nuts-free chesnuts at moment
lots of free cherries and blackberries in freezer
cheese on value crackers
value tortilas with hm salsa

we grew rasberries in garden they did well as did potaoes and onions .sweetcorn was disaster.


I very rarly but pasta sauces in jars .i buy currys and packet mixes if on offer s then can transform quickly whatever bits find cheap.

I try keep to 50p a head if I can.

i always do large amount freeze or save for next day so sometimes hubby takes leftovers as hes microwave in work.

kids love mini quiches they cheap enough and often find reduced pastry

biscsuits i qite like value ginger 26p, kids like custard creams, bourbans and value choc digestives 50p a pack.

cereals chocolate ones sometimes as they ofte cheap cobined with ow brand weetabix and rice crispies.

value oats as hubby likes porridge plus to use to make flapjacks.

jackel

Hi all - I think the best bargin a the moment is Morrys turkey leg and thigh. Have bought another one today.They are all £3 each and mine weighs well over 2 kg - pick 'em all up and get the biggest ! We are only two but they make several meals, more I find than a chicken for the same money, winding up with a potfull of stock from the bones for soup. They did them last year around this time but after Christmas they went up and ended priced a £4.50. jac. x

any_name_will_suffice

jackel wrote: »

Hi all - I think the best bargin a the moment is Morrys turkey leg and thigh. Have bought another one today.They are all £3 each and mine weighs well over 2 kg - pick 'em all up and get the biggest ! We are only two but they make several meals, more I find than a chicken for the same money, winding up with a potfull of stock from the bones for soup. They did them last year around this time but after Christmas they went up and ended priced a £4.50. jac. x

I have been buying these- in fact we have turkey-leg curry for tea tonight! I cook mine in the slow cooker, and can't believe how much meat comes off!

gailey_2

jackel wrote: »

Hi all - I think the best bargin a the moment is Morrys turkey leg and thigh. Have bought another one today.They are all £3 each and mine weighs well over 2 kg - pick 'em all up and get the biggest ! We are only two but they make several meals, more I find than a chicken for the same money, winding up with a potfull of stock from the bones for soup. They did them last year around this time but after Christmas they went up and ended priced a £4.50. jac. x

Thanks for tip its weird how turkey so cheap in the year.
As im always buyin turkey fillets on co-op reduced and kids cant tell difference like duck but never much meat on it.

Picked up a free slow cooker last week:)

Ok thourght do quick update as hard to think when asked as some days I meal plan night before or on the day.

ot some ok reductions tesco sat nite was worth the trip.

sunday I hit co-op 1st at 3pm as they shut at 4.

spend £9 but got

1extra speacial reduced readmeal £1
mushroom rissoro meal £1-ideal for standby and small boy might hve some for lunch with me when kids go bck school.

2packs freedom turkey 1 diced 1 fillets £1.50 each.

now trying to remember the rest and struggling wasent all reduced as did some offers.

reduced wrap sandwich intended for hubby work mon which he ended up eating in car there and then 75p.

Jar pataks curry sauce on offer at £1

Then I went saisnburys local opposite side of hgh street but they shut later so wasent sure.

got 3pack lettuce 24p
2bags carrrots 24p each-going to make big batch of soup and jacks carrot, bean and cumin burgers.
taste difference 6pack tomatoes on vine were over £2 now 44p each got 2.

spring onions 10p a pack -got 4
bag italain lettuce 50p
reduced fancy jellys with fruit in them 20p brought 3 one for each child.
reduced pain au chocolat 39p.
reduced nice ham 49p.
1load reduced bread.

spent £7.

then drove 5mns away to tesco.

was bit rubbish got 1 reduced stuffed mushrooms £1, reduced donuts 13p for 5-treat -always reduced donuts in there.
2packs fresh chillis 10p already got 2night before so need to batchcook some spicy tomato sauce as pizza base or pasta sauce.

spent £1.50

then hubby drove 5mins to morrisions.where there was no reductions apart from onion bajis.

spent £5 morries

6pack value choc mouses 27p cheaper than co-op 35 for 4
3packet mixes morries own for 90 so got 2sausage casserole and 1 beef.

some min samosas from deli

some pataks naan breads 87p
vaue crumpets 35p.

im sure theres couple bts forgot.

went in small co-op on offchance as past it on way home.

got 3packs fresh breaded chicken goujons £1 each got 3
reduced sausages for £1
reduced sliced chicken £1

meals were as follows.

sunday night was going to have salmon but changed mind so frooze it.

instead made curry with

£1.50 diced turkey fillets
£1 sauce
87p naans
value rice in cupboard think was 20p tesco few weeks ago
10 mini vef samosas £1.40
reduced bombaby potato mix 39p reduced sainsburys.
reduced onion baiijis 75p reduced

total £5.50 but actually idinto 4servings so £1.30 per portion.

me and hubby hd that for tea tonight hubby took some in tub monday lunch in work have 1 left in freezer.

kids had gooujons reduced £1 little bit valaue mixed veg so say 30p and half bag oven chips 50p so /3 60p per serving.

for their dessert.

made some jellys 1 40p pack makes 6mini jellys and served with vaue tesco soft scoop 79p have lots left.

monday

kids had cereal brekkie.
hubby had toast.

got soaked in rain so when got n they had value hot choc with little bit value choc 30p and a value apple.

lunch for hubby-curry leftovers.
me-reduced ready meal £1
kids sandwiches with reduced bread, chicken nd ham-both reduced, side portion crisps, little salad reduced, some reduced cheese-crips were from pound shop .

estimate cost of their lunch to be around 40-50p each

afternoon they had another apple and 3p donut.

dinner

reduced saausages £1 half bag £1 oven chps 50p, tesco value spagetti 25p. so £1.75 approx 62p each.

no dessert just biscuit and milk .

i had baked poato with butter, reduced cheese and reduced salad.approx cost 60p maybe all in.

snacks had some free chesnuts and bowl of own brand cereal.

hubby had fresh defrosted haddock fillets reduced down to 39p in morrsions last week have quite a bit fish in freeszer.
half bag taste the diffence baby poatoes sainsburys39p last week used half so 20p and some reduced salad 25 so whole meal came in at 85p.

This morning we all had the reduced bagals 48p for brekkie s 1 each as 5pack. kids wanted theirs with nutella s treat and value hot choc as ran out value squash and trying limit their milk addiction.

snacks they can have this morning are fromage frais and fruit.

hubbys made sandwiches with reduced bread and ham, 1 value choc mouse, 1 apple and bag criisps.

we try keep packed lunches at £1.

half term here have no idea what im doing for lunch.

picking up load free apples fom mates mum so making some apple crumble later go with their value icecream also plan to make some chutneys this week.

I do need mealplan.

i have beef, fish and pork in freezer.
plus few standby readmeals.

thinking fish cakes
fish pie
grilled fish
mght try making hm fish fingers.
beef casserole
pork casserole.

carrot soup-batch cook and freeze.
pasta with passatta,
mini roast with baby potatoes and frozen veg with gravy.

reckon have least 20 days work meals .

just have to check reductons each week and keep freezer well stocked

brought some rissotto rice morrsions to make salmon rissotto one night .

buying reduced allows us to eat better stuff and more if no reduced would be hardly any meat and fish in out diet.

we need more

milk
value squash
value biscuits
value chips as dont find making my own any cheaper.

mrsmortenharket

You do so well Gailey x

Wish I had your determination!

JulieGeorgiana

We are struggling on £60 a week for a family of 4 soon to be 5 (and I'm planning on putting it up to £65 when baby is 1y)! It used to be £50, for 3 of us, then £55 for 4 once DD was 1y but when I fell pregnant we put it up again as I crave so much milk and protein... and we have consistently gone over £10-20 a week!!!!

and I love to bulk out my foods. We found the hardest thing is actually my dietary issues... I am not allowed to eat more then 35g of rice/pasta and we don't have potatoes... this seriously cuts down on the amount of bulking and frugal recipes we can use

I do try and make the family have more rice, pasta and potatoes to bulk out our meals, but I refuse to make separate meals for us to cut costs... as we love to eat as a family.

We make all our own bread, pizza dough, rolls and yogurt. But the problem is more that I have to use granary flour so I'm paying 85p a loaf and I am not able to compromise that for my health.

I think £50 a week for a family of 5 is pretty amazing and you should just keep doing what you are doing and try not to let it creep up... But you have given me the determination to try and get back into my budget and possibly even cut it back down again

joedenise

JulieGeorgiana - if you have a Morries near you they do there own brand wholemeal bread at 2 loaves for £1 - could you eat that rather than granary? Whole is just as healthy as granary.

Denise

JulieGeorgiana

Denise - I have the family on wholemeal/white HM Bread which is much cheaper...

But it is higher on the Glycaemic Index then Granary bread, unless it's stoneground wholemeal (which I can buy as flour) but the truth is I HATE wholemeal... Can't stand the pasta or the rice either...

Which unfortunately limits me further. It's a surprise, as I am actually not that fussy an eater and I cannot tell you why I dislike it so much

But making my own bread saves me a small fortune over buying it