Clueless at budgeting for food, help please?

missty25

Thanks everyone for the advice and the encouragement. We have lost £200 per month income but i have managed to claw back some of this. My DD is now on,y taking packed lunches instead of £7.20 per week £28.80 a month kn school dinners also she is not going to after school club anymore which is saving £26 a month, my phone bill has been reduced by £10 per month and a bit of a bonus that out child tax credits are going up by £15 per week so £60 a month due to an earlier overpayment being settled. So all in all the £200 we have lost is now only £85 per month. Still a lot to loose but more manageable.

I have been number crunching again and also being realistic I think that I'm going to aim for £50/60 maximum for shopping per week.

My OH agrees that we should take out the money from the bank and just leave in what is needed to cover the direct debuts/ bills so we know where we are rather than just spending will nilly on our cards and then running out of money a few days before pay days.

samsmoot

missty25 wrote: »

The cat will only eat whiskas, kit e kat and Felix, tried it with every other shops own brand and it just turns it's nose up at won't touch it. The dog is not fussy.

Dogs don't need feeding every day and should be fed scraps and leftovers. Spaghetti bolognaise is good, sour milk, chicken carcasses, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, porridge and any cereal with milk, plus a licking of the butter wrappers and yoghurt pots. Chocolate is bad for dogs but sardines are good. Tinned dog food or suchlike is an unnecessary expense if your dog isn't too big and you also have leftovers.


Cats will eat anything, including tinned tomatoes, chips and curry. No animal will starve to death with something edible in front of them.

maman

Would welcome your mushroom stroganoff recipe if you have time, sapphire?:)

lynnejk

Sapphire27 wrote: »

Hi there!

I'm a student, and currently feed myself and OH on as little as possible, while still trying to be relatively healthy.

Any vegetable peelings, onion/cabbage/leek roots go into homemade chicken stock. You end up with a poached chicken (my 1.4kg stretches to 10 portions) and a nutritious stock without any additives of shop bought stock cubes

4. Bulk Cook!

Like your idea of poached chicken - suppose could do in the SC.
I usually roast them and then make stock with bones and peelings


Have any of you had a gander at the GROCERY CHALLENGE DECEMBER 2013 thread? Has loads and loads of moneysaving recipes at the beginning of it and very supportive as well


Have a good day
Lx

missty25

Lynnejk, I've attempted the grocery challenge once and I think I lasted a week, but I am now going to rejoin and stick to it as we don't really have an option. I'm going to have a gander just now.

I have today joined save the change with my bank, so hopefully this will save some small amounts that will add up and I'm also going to round up my direct debits and save this small change too.

My heads spinning with ideas but don't want to do to many at once and loose interest iykwim.

gayle1

aldis does babystuff food like yoghurts
what age is baby?
babymilk from babycentres is cheaper !
do u qualify for freemilk?
free school meals??
we have a staffy and we get a huge bag of dry stuff from petshop £10 for 4 months supply gets fed x2 a day just add ht water its a complete mix so doesnt need anything else.
did u know that aldis vitacat has a higher meat content than whiskers/felix u get 2 packs for a fiver?
freeze bread so uve always got something for toast
we use farmfoods 3 bags chicken breasts for a tenner loads of chicken just defrost and use like normal
some people also get a vegbox/healthystart vouchers and if ure really really gumphed FOODBANK

missty25

gayle1 wrote: »

aldis does babystuff food like yoghurts
what age is baby?
babymilk from babycentres is cheaper !
do u qualify for freemilk?
free school meals??
we have a staffy and we get a huge bag of dry stuff from petshop £10 for 4 months supply gets fed x2 a day just add ht water its a complete mix so doesnt need anything else.
did u know that aldis vitacat has a higher meat content than whiskers/felix u get 2 packs for a fiver?
freeze bread so uve always got something for toast
we use farmfoods 3 bags chicken breasts for a tenner loads of chicken just defrost and use like normal
some people also get a vegbox/healthystart vouchers and if ure really really gumphed FOODBANK

Hi , Baby is coming up 9 months and luckily not fussy and will eat anything so far.
What is babycentres for the milk?
Might see if I can get a single tin of the cat food at Aldi's and try the cat with that.
Don't qualify for free milk or school dinners, we have a lot of debt and that is why we are having to budget to try to get it paid off ASAP so we can live our lives without robbing peter to pay Paul in the future.

Thanks

krustylouise

samsmoot wrote: »

Dogs don't need feeding every day and should be fed scraps and leftovers. Spaghetti bolognaise is good, sour milk, chicken carcasses, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, porridge and any cereal with milk, plus a licking of the butter wrappers and yoghurt pots. Chocolate is bad for dogs but sardines are good. Tinned dog food or suchlike is an unnecessary expense if your dog isn't too big and you also have leftovers.


Cats will eat anything, including tinned tomatoes, chips and curry. No animal will starve to death with something edible in front of them.

While I agree with alot of what you have said - any animal will eat if its hungry enough, I do not advise anyone to give their animals chicken carcass. The tiny bones may get stuck in their throat and choke them. By all means strip all the meat off and give them that - and if that's what you originally meant then I apologise for the misinterpretation.

Sapphire27

Of course Maman - here it is

Mushroom Stroganoff
1. Fry onions and mushrooms in a little oil/butter until cooked. (I sometimes use the microwave if feeling very lazy!)
2. Season with paprika
3. If you like it to have a stronger flavour (or are normally meat-eaters) add a crumbled beef stock cube
4. Stir in around 150ml of crème fraiche (could also use cream cheese!)
5. Add mustard to taste.


Serve with rice/pasta/vegetables.

This is a firm family favourite!

Additions:
Beef is really nice with this too (if your budget allows)
If you have some, lemon juice at the last minute really lifts the dish.
(Left-over crème fraiche, onions, and mushrooms will make a lovely chicken and mushroom/vegetable pie!)

Sapphire27

LynneJK - Poached chicken is really lovely in the sc. The meat falls off the bone, so I find I get a lot more off it. My OH prefers poached to roast chicken!