reducing monthly food spend

danlightbulb

Thanks for the replies. Just to pick up on a couple of things:

PasturesNew wrote: »

To be honest - even a pack of cubed meat + a jar of curry sauce + 6 hours on low is "a cheap/hot meal".

I think this is where I'm going wrong. Diced beef in the supermarkets is typically £4 for a 400g container which does 2 meals worth. Curry sauce jar say £1, packet rice £1 (x2 meals). That's £7 total or £3.50 per meal. Not exactly cheap and the equivalent microwave curry is around the same price. So I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.

The second thing is the works canteen. Firstly they do hot food, which is nice to have at lunchtime instead of taking my own sandwiches. Secondly most meals, or a sandwich from the counter with crisps, costs around £3. Some nice bread and some ready cooked chicken tikka, and a bag of crisps, works out to a similar price in my experience.

Pollycat

danlightbulb wrote: »

The second thing is the works canteen. Firstly they do hot food, which is nice to have at lunchtime instead of taking my own sandwiches. Secondly most meals, or a sandwich from the counter with crisps, costs around £3. Some nice bread and some ready cooked chicken tikka, and a bag of crisps, works out to a similar price in my experience.

If you really want hot food at lunchtime then I can see why you pay for it but I really can't see some ready made chicken tikka and some nice bread and a bag of crisps costing £3 per portion.

BrassicWoman

if you are having a hot meal at lunch do you need another at night ?

NewShadow

danlightbulb wrote: »

I think this is where I'm going wrong. Diced beef in the supermarkets is typically £4 for a 400g container which does 2 meals worth. Curry sauce jar say £1, packet rice £1 (x2 meals). That's £7 total or £3.50 per meal. Not exactly cheap and the equivalent microwave curry is around the same price. So I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.

Well...

400g of beef is actually at least 4 portions (3oz or around 85g per portion) - If it doesn't seem enough try adding lentils, onion, carrots, green beans, peppers, and/or cauliflower. You really can't be bothered you can just throw them in the pan as you do the beef.

Curry sauce - We're saying you're being lazy, so fine, use a jar. But it's easier, nicer, and cheaper (long term) to use a mix of garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger and turmeric. Throw the dry spice in once your beef's cooked. Stir, then just throw in a tin of tomatoes and you've got yourself a madras.

Rice - it's 45p a KILO in tesco (that's 4p per 85g portion) - and it cooks in the microwave in less than 10 minutes.

Even if you're insisting on the microwavable packets they're available 2 for £1 - so 25p a portion.

ETA: fairly foolproof recipe - http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2610/beef+and+vegetable+curry

lynnejk

Hiya

Can I suggest you take a look at the monthly Grocery Challenge thread on here. You will find lots of help, advice and support and there's pages of cheap and tasty recipes on the first pages. You will find it here

'April 2016 Grocery Challenge' - just put that into the Forum Search on the Green bar above

HTH
Lx

milasavesmoney

dan, do you have a microwave available? If not, could you perhaps have a couple of sandwich days and eat in the canteen the other days? Or you could get a thermos and take hot stew or soup. My dad did this for years and years. Mother put all kinds of things in there. Great way to use up leftovers.

AnnieO1234

If you're not averse to cooking, eating similar food and/or freezing options, take a look for Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merritt's Economy Gastronomy. A second hand copy delivered from amazon should be less than £5.

In it, they talk (and teach!) about tumbledown recipes. So making up say a tomato and mince sauce on a Monday and adding different spices and carbs to make chilli, pasta etc. (At it's most simple).

FWIW our monthly spend per person is around the £200 mark although that includes drinks and toiletries. Xxx

Money_saving_maniac

You say your spend is £200 and £250 per month currently. If you like a hot meal at lunchtime, then do it that's £3 a day, so around £60 a month. That takes care of around 20 meals. Nothing wrong with boiled eggs and toast for supper - you don't need two big cooked meals a day.
So there's another 10 main meals to go. Slow cookers are great, and as posters have said, you can't find easier, sling it in, go out and come back to a hot meal. That's a win and also a cheap feed for the kids at the weekends. Even a chicken can go in whole, £4 from Lidl and serve with spuds or rice and a sauce. Chili, as others have posted - jar of sauce 80p from lidl, £2.99 for minced beef, 2 chopped up onions, minced up couple of carrots, serve with rice, again all of you are fed.

To put it in perspective, I spend about £240 - £260 a month for two of us, we eat meat every day (OH doesn't like veg) and it includes all meals including lunch and all cleaning materials. No baked spuds or baked beans in sight, OH doesnt like either of those !

danlightbulb

I don't always have a hot meal at lunchtime, just if there is something I fancy on the canteen menu. Half the time I have a baguette made up at the counter. Its normally more than £3 a day as I also would have a drink and a chocolate bar. I do save money if I take in my own biscuits.

Regarding the evening meal - I do need a big evening meal to meet my calorie goals. I don't tend to eat much breakfast so make it up later in the day.

I like my slow cooker but I'm always cooking curry in it and the meat seems to cost alot as I said above. 400g stewing steak goes to practically nothing after 8 hrs in the slow cooker so does 2 portions. That isn't alot of meat - only same as an 8oz steak from the pub.

I buy chicken thighs and roast those (can't put them in a curry due to the bones). I'd take those to work too but its what to have with them that I can take and eat cold.

The kids (like myself) can be a bit fussy. They tend to eat chicken nuggets, sausages or I also do a family size chicken pie. I don't tend to eat at the same time as the kids due to the stress and mess, so I eat after they have gone to bed. Hence I need quick food otherwise its 10pm by the time Im eating.

dylan2011

Next time you do a beef curry, add in a handful of lentils, a chopped onion, maybe a pepper and a chopped sweet or normal potato. Then see if you can get 3 portions out of it. Gradually introduce changes, and it soon mounts up.


Take a couple of chicken drumsticks with some home made potato salad and some green salad on the side.


Make sandwiches/baguettes at home - so much cheaper. Buy multipacks of drinks or fill a bottle at home.