Clueless at budgeting for food, help please?

gayle1

babycentre like healthvisitors place were u g get them weighed/also when ure in ask the hv to apply for a sleep well eat well fund will provide new bed for ure little 1 also do u know u can apply fr cash4kids fund every kid is entitled to it regardless of income
foodbanks dont need to know why ure there just make sure uve got someone with u u get loads and loads xx
homestart provides support to under5s aswell these r not social work there just somene to talk 2 also have u looked at ure gas/leccy consumption mobile phone package shaved anything else off recently we had swimming lessons for both boys dd 27/mnth they can swim now no need 4 lessons
MAKE A APPOINTMENT WITH CAB who will try to get ure finances in a better order take hubby with u as they dont seem to get a fright till u make them go

gayle1

everything like everything honey
from cereal to salt and pepper incuding whats in ure freezer ps theres a choccy lolly magnum in mine lol

narabanekeater

with the baby milk- assuming your little ones on stage 2 onwards which is fine after 6 months buy it in bulk from Boots. At 8 months my little one was on a tub a week so id buy 5 tubs at the begining of the month stocking up. With it being Boots you get 4 advantage points per pound (not with stage one milk) this would get me 200 points back and free delivery. However theres always extra points deals and codes floating around recently 1200 points when you spend £50 which is basically 5 tubs or a months worth of milk and worth £12 of stuff from boots. Spend those points on your nappies/wipes etc. Ive had our last baby now (we have 3) and by bulk buying nappies on these special 1200 per £50 spend events ive never paid more than 5p for a nappy.

trolleyrun

Re dog food: I found a 15kg bag of Dr John Silver complete food for £10.49 in my local independent pet shop. It's low in protein (18%) which is what my dog needs. The chap in the pet shop said that the producer of this sets the price, so might be worth searching for their website. I've only got a small dog, so this should last her for at least 6 months. Also, she gets porridge for breakfast. Made with the cheapest oats I can find (usually aldi), water and meat scraps (just a couple of small bits to make it tasty). In the microwave for 30 secs, stir, then another 30 secs. I then stir in some of her dry biscuits - small handful. Mutt licks the spoon and then wolfs down her porridge

maman

Sapphire27 wrote: »

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!)

Thank you so much. Always good to add dishes to the repertoire. I've had this out as a pub meal and really enjoyed.

missty25

Just a wee quick update, my Xmas old shopping for the fortnight has come to £95 and that includes almost 3 weeks worth of baby formula and nappies and washing powder.

And for the first year in about 16 not one single item has been purchased on credit card for Christmas presents or anything for that matter.

Thanks once again for all of the advice on the boards and merry Christmas!

lynnejk

missty25 wrote: »

Just a wee quick update, my Xmas old shopping for the fortnight has come to £95 and that includes almost 3 weeks worth of baby formula and nappies and washing powder.

And for the first year in about 16 not one single item has been purchased on credit card for Christmas presents or anything for that matter.

Thanks once again for all of the advice on the boards and merry Christmas!

Well done and hope you've all had a fantastic Chrissy.


Sorry not been on for a while but life happens eh.


Have you thought abut joining the Grocery Challenge next year - you'll find loads of recipes, help and support on there.


Good luck for the new year
Lx

Frugalsod

I would add that if you washed vegetables you can put everything into a soup. I wash mine and then cut for cooking, I do not bother peeling. When you blend it, it all disappears anyway.

Lentils are also high in fibre and so very healthy as well.

As for nappies if you are organised then the old cotton nappies with disposable liners make for a much cheaper solution. You might have a higher initial outlay but the ongoing costs can be significantly less.

camNolliesMUMMY

If it helps both my sons were hungry babies as you can tell from my signature they were big babies especially my first. They both went on cows milk full fat at 6 months.
My friend a midwife says these stage 2 n 3 are not necessary and it's just a load of carp because they get great sources of iron n vitamins etc from cows milk as well as solids and my two were on baby rice from 3-4 mths too.
Also give adsds sp nappies a go when your baby is reaching the size 5 mark. I've been using them and tbh just the same as other nappies but just plain their is no print to them and they aren't plasticky. £1.41 for 20 nappies but also Aldiss nappies I found were fab until I started buying sp ones £4.18 for 50 In a size 5 so you would get more as your baby is younger.
Next time you run out of powder use the value one, it's just as good and buy own brand conditioner but use only 1tbsp of the wash powder per wash and see how you get on. Lots cheaper and still gets everything clean. Also spot treat areas with the powder mixed with water? Or use bicarbonate n vinegar to also get stains out.

missty25

Just a wee update.

For December our food spend from the 1st to 31st was £499.19, this included extras for over Christmas etc but still no need to be spending that much in food for 4 in a month.

January has been much more successful and I have totalled this months spend at £276.34 as I don't need to get anything in the next few days.

I have managed this by swapping down brands, meal planning, only buying in what we need for the meal plans and not buying so many treat type foods. This included everything, cleaning products, cat food and dog food, baby formula and nappies.

I am so glad that I took all of your advice on board as our bank balance is looking not to shabby for the start of February when usually we would be skint come the end of the month.

I'm going to see if I can cut back a wee bit more even by £5 a every other week.

So thanks to everyone of you who took the time to offer any our wise words and advice on how to cut back.