Food budget £12.50 a week - help please!

melanzana

Isn't it just so sad in this day and age, that people are left with so little for food.

I'm sure there are people much worse off, but it's a disgrace. I wish you well OP.

I can't add anything really to the other great contributors, except...and I hope no one has a go at me for this....

I am in the lucky position of not having to be frugal at all. But man plans and god laughs...so I try once a month to live on £20 a week for food only.

I have to say the challenge is so eye opening, and doable. It's a lesson for me, in case I ever had to do it. Please don't have a go at me. I understand how hard it is for many.

Anyway, for the frugal week it's

Pasta,
Tin toms
Eggs, eggs, and eggs.
Bread,
Milk
Bacon bits Aldi
Tins of sardines
Cheese
Veg, super six Aldi.
And other odds and ends.

Comes to in or around the twenty quid

Bear in mind that I have a store cupboard of herbs and spices and have butter and stuff in the fridge.

It's a great lesson in making do.

And I enjoy the meals...it's the challenge I enjoy!

I hope I haven't made you all mad or anything.

iammumtoone

Do you have a supermarket within walking distance? Are you or your husband fit and able enough to walk there every day? If the answer to these is yes, then go every night to try to get the YS bargains, you might have to hang around a bit until they reduce but it will only be for a few weeks until you manage to build up stocks.

Buy what you can and freeze it. You should be able to pick up ready meals for under 50p each, not healthy and not a long term solution but helpful for a few nights whilst you build up stocks. Any meat you can pick up separate into single portions before you freeze. A pack of 3 chops can last you three meals, 1 between two of you will give you the taste of meat so you are not missing out you will just need to bulk out with pulses and vegetables.

I second the idea of posting a SOA on the debt busting board, people over there are extremely helpful and they will come up with some suggestions to help cut spending elsewhere meaning you can increase your food budget.

As other have said get into the habit of having porridge for breakfast, its cheap and filling.

Dazedandconfused

Things I would buy

Porridge oats or the basics version of wheatabix - the tesco or sainsburys version should be under £1 and that's your breakfasts for the week. You can't afford to be picky

You can get frozen veg in sainsburys 2 bags for £2.50 or I think it's less than that if you could get to an Iceland

I would get a mix of frozen veg of your choice
Tinned tomatoes - bum bargains have got them for 22p for a tetra pack at the mo
Lentils - cheap and go a long way
Some kind of dried beans or chick peas
A big bag of potatoes
Basics rice and pasta
Vegetable or sunflower oil

Frozen white fish if you don't want to go totally veggie
Eggs
Basics cheese
Milk or if you can bear it powdered milk
Whatever fruit is cheapest

Each week I would also try to build up your store cupboard so one week buy a bag of basics flour, cheap herbs and spices - curry and chilli powder are important , pickled garlic and olives are cheaper than fresh and you can't tell when they are in things. With the flour you can make your own bread, pancakes, pizza bases etc

You could easily make soups for lunch

Butterfly_Brain

Have you read the £7 a week thread, there are lots of ideas on there.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4084527

You both need to sit and make a list of meals that you will eat, you can't afford to be fussy about whether you eat this or that, it is not doable on such a small budget.

Butterfly_Brain

Not all carbs cause weight gain, as a diabetic I have to know this, so I can tell you that new potatoes are a really good option as are baked potatoes in their jackets as long as you eat the skin, pasta is also ok as long as it is cooked al dente, rice is a nono unless you are having basmati, which is quite expensive.

Have you asked for help at the local foodbank?
It might give you a few days grace in sorting out meal plans.

76rosie

If you can sign up to some apps such as shopitise and checkout smart.

Have been getting free milk each week.

Checkout out the coupon thread and the elite thread.

Also check out the freebie section try me free hunt.

Nada666

Sky_ wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but try using Swagbucks and InstaGC too for Amazon vouchers. I work full time, have a family etc. and still manage to get £5-10 worth of Amazon vouchers each week from them. Very useful for stretching my food and household budget.

What use is an Amazon voucher for stretching your food budget?

skogar

Hello again,

If I did a second week plan it would include the following. Remember things carried over from last time. Again all priced Tescos except where stated.

I would buy
Meat
500g minced beef £2.00
500g cooking bacon 81p (morrisons or asda)

Dairy
4pt milk full fat £1
15 eggs £1.35
ball of mozzerella 44p

Veg
600g frozen mushrooms
1lb onions (loose) 36p
1lb carrots (loose) 34p

Storecupboard
2 x 47p bread 94p
2 x 20p spaghetti 40p
2 x 24p baked beans 48p
1 can kidney beans 30p
2 x 34p cans tomatoes 68p
tomato puree 40p
chilli powder (asda) 62p
jam 29p
Sugar 1kg

total £12.23 27p left to carry over

Breakfasts
similar to previous week

Main meals
1 mushroom risotto
3 days meals - bolognaise (use 1 (or more) carrot and 1 onion and some of the mushrooms, 1 tin tomatoes) should be able to squeeze out 6 servings. Save 2 servings worth and add chilli powder, stock cube, kidney beans to make chilli and simmer. To the other 4 servings worth add dried herbs and simmer. If chilli looks a bit sparse add a tin of baked beans to make it a mostly bean chilli!
1 pasta carbonara
1 tomato and mozzeralla pasta
1 lentil bacon and tomoato pasta

lunches
as last week but also could use some of the ideas for last weeks main meals

Hope that helps. Although its a bit boring.

tessie_bear

some very useful posts...hope they help you out

eggs are quite cheap and can make a few meals...quiche/scrambled/poached/with cheeky chips....also mince is very versatile...we like to get a sack of spuds and do jackets in the winter but might be a bit warm to have oven on in the summer

porridge is great for breakfast and frozen veg is economical

best of luck

Gigervamp

Nada666 wrote: »

What use is an Amazon voucher for stretching your food budget?

Amazon sell groceries.