Food Shopping

HoneyBee83

Good morning,

I have a budget of £100 a month for myself and DD, so £25 a week and we eat well so it is possible, you just need to plan ahead really.
I do however have a £30 budget separete for pet foods and cleaning materials - i'm not sure if you are including these? I don't use much each month on cleaning supplies so i have a few extra pounds which i use to stock up for those months when i do feel the pinch (washing powder/pet food/meats), is that something you could do?

DD isn't a huge junk food fan either which helps.
I do buy alot of yellow sticker meat when available and use my slow cooker to make up large portions for the freezer - bolo/cottage pie/lasagne/chilli/soups.
I agree with using lentils to bulk out meals, will give you a few extra meals and is really very easy.
We also grow lots ourselves- cucumber,tomatoes,salad,potatoes,beans-whatever is in season really. If you have the space this can be a real penny saver! My freezer is bursting with runner beans which we'll use this winter.
We have a cheap meal once/twice a week which is something on toast. like egg or tuna.
Frozen veg is just as good as fresh,cheaper and you don't get the waste.
Aldi is brilliant if you have one close. I don't buy brand label foods and i can honestly say we don't noticed any difference.
I tend to do one bigger shop and stock things up so i don't to 'pop in' for anything, i always spend more than i need!:o Bread is fine to be frozen as is milk.
Have you checked whether you are entitled to any tax credits? This could be worth looking into. You can check online so there is no need to call them unless you are sure.

Hope something here helps!
Stay positive xx

[Deleted User]

Thanks for all the replies, there are so great suggestions.When my husband and I split, I wanted to rent but it is almost impossible to find somewhere that will take 2 dogs. I had some restrictions on moving and I have to be close to the school and the train station, so I ended up staying in the house which is why money is so tight. I have applied for free school meals but understand I am not eligible as I receive both WTC and CTC.

Honeybee83 - I have accounted separately for pet food (two dogs and a rabbit) and cleaning supplies. You have made some brilliant suggestions, thank you.

RAS

A few ideas for a three week plan; choose one option from each day. Try and make extra when you cook so that you can put up a pasta/rice/potato salad, soup, chunk of tortilla etc for lunch another day in the week.

Also check out the basics ranges in supermarkets; pasta is 30-40p per bag = 6 portions. Rice is 40p per bag. Oil can be 89p per bottle (rapeseed) which is better for you than the more expensive sunflower etc.

Weekday A Pasta bake (bolo/white sauce with bacon/mac and cheese) Make 1 portion extra sauce and freeze for next week’s baked potato. And extra half portion pasta become pasta salad for lunch for you.

Weekday B Chilli/curry/stirfry and rice

Weekday C Quiche/frittata/tortilla or just omelette/ Make extra (except omelette) and use for lunch.

Weekday D Cottage pie/chicken or bacon, white sauce topped with mash/hotpot

Weekday E Egg and chips/corn beef hash/toad in the hole etc

Weekend A Roast meat/casserole/roast veggies with sausages etc. HM Soup and sarnies for second meal. Use the oven to bake Yorkshire puds, puddings/cakes/flapjack/quiches/pizza etc for the week.

Weekend B Baked potato with filling made last week. Casserole/stew/mince and tatties

Buy YS meat for the roast and casserole, and mince. We used to make one chicken feed 4 for 4 days including HM soup made for the carcass stock and scraps. Even though by day 4 eating the same meat was getting boring. If it has not been frozen previously, you could joint it and freeze in portions (drumsticks and wings with roast veggies, thighs for casserole, one breast to roast, the other for stirfry and a pasta bake and then make stock from the carcass. Alternatively portion and freeze the cooked meat.

Check out the Pauper’s Cookbook for the idea of “planned eating”. Not so much menu planning but cooking the basics of several meals at the same time. Roast, the casserole or the mince for chilli/cottage/pie/pasta bake for later in the week, a quiche, fruit crumble, flapjack, cake, all in the oven at the same time.

[Deleted User]

Yes you can go to the library and see if you can borrow 'A Girl called Jack' by Jack Monroe She fed herself and her little boy on a tenner a week so its doable.Or google her website.Very good recipes and cheap as chips, I loaned my copy to my DGS as he is a penniless student at Uni at the moment.
I have a £60.00 a month budget just for myself and I think I eat fairly well on that but then I have two of my evening meals free from my Dd and one at the local pub on a Tuesday night which is quiz night for £2.00 all in Last night we had sausage casserole which was delicious. Less meat and extra veg help to stretch the budget.I always buy veg loose and not pre-packed. I have worked out my big shop for the month for tomorrow using Lidls and Aldi's and it should come out about £35.00 odd fingers crossed

rockm87

I agree switch to Lidl or Aldi. I cut my bill by over half.

PasturesNew

Food itself isn't always expensive, what can make it expensive is a combination of:
- the treats you pick up because you spot them
- buying "the best"/brand names
- big portions
- waste

Analyse everything you buy and see if you can buy it cheaper - and look at your portion size to see if you can stretch it further.

It's easy, over time, for an occasional treat to become the weekly norm.

What did you make today? How much did that cost? You need to know (or be able to calculate in your head) the cost of everything you cook/eat/buy else you're just sticking your head in the sand.

HOWMUCH

I got a YS chicken today from MrT's at £2.24 I've put in the freezer for the weekend it will be roasted and used as a roast dinner for 2, pasta and chicken in a mushroom sauce for 2, make a chicken lasagna 4 portions and the last breast will be used with salad and Aldee super six new potatoes. The carcass will used to make soup with veg. So something and think what can I do with it.

Money_saving_maniac

rockm87 wrote: »

I agree switch to Lidl or Aldi. I cut my bill by over half.

And me. I shop no where else now. In tesco YS items were great but you can't rely on getting them, Lidl has consistent supplies at low prices.

Also go shopping with a list. That's really important. You have to reduce the impulse buys.

roosterpotatoes

I am not sure if many Mr T's sell them on the deli but my local store sells ham pieces; they are roughly 45p per 100g. They are the off cuts basically, I like them because you get chunks as well as slices, perfect for quiche, carbonara etc.

Maybe you could ask your local supermarket or butcher if they do this

To be honest, for what I buy which is mostly fresh (with the odd frozen pizza and fish fingers for lazy days) I don't find the discount supermarkets any cheaper than the big 4. May just be me though :P

Also, another thing I like to do often (when they are YS of course ) is to chop up peppers into cubes or strips and freeze them as they are. They come out near perfect and have saved me so much money. I believe the same can be done with onions. Perfect combo for fajitas with or without chicken

FrugalWorker

Hi Mrs Gloomy - you've got great advice there. Also a super daughter who loves to eat healthy food - what a head start.

Can I suggest, at 9 that she's old enough to help with meals and will probably enjoy it. If you can make it a game to make healthy meals, very cheaply that you both enjoy. See if she can help you come up with ideas for left overs and how to use them - e.g. left over mash to make boxty, left over veg goes in to soup, etc..

See if she can help cook 1-2 meals a week, but she needs to help work out what they cost per portion (good for her maths skills + home economics + general life skills). I would suggest that you start with what veg is reasonable in the shops - I use lidl, but they tend to have specials in lots of shops.

You said she doesn't like beans, I bet she doesn't like beans in tomato sauce, but home made burgers made with beans are a completely different ball game. A girl called jack has a carrot / kidney bean one. Or home made hummus (chickpeas) is another great addition for lunches.

You haven't mentioned breakfast - porridge +( foraged blackberries when in season, or I like half an apple chopped up small with cinnamon or just plain!). Breakfast is something lots of people eat the same thing, avoid expensive sweetened cereals.