feed a family of 4, almost vegan, on a rather small budget! Old Style!

catkins

ThemeOne wrote: »

Tinned pulses can usually be bought so cheaply meaning I don't very often use dried ones. Dried pulses enable you to only boil up what you need admittedly, or do more and freeze, but against that is the faff of having to plan ahead with soaking, then having a kitchen full of steam while they're cooking.

If you can buy big bags of pulses they definitely work out cheaper than tinned. Most supermarkets only sell silly little bags, if they even sell them at all but I buy mine in indian supermarkets.

Can you even buy tinned beans such as mung, black eyed? I'm pretty sure I have never seen them.

missymoo81

Mrs lurcherwalker, thank you, I've thought about getting an electric pressure cooker as I've asked for Amazon vouchers for my birthday.
Hey wanttobese, I've read the China study and have how not to die by Michael Gregor, I do think it is an amazing way of eating. Thank you for the links, I'll check out the other links!!
Jackyann, we live pretty far from any sort of Indian supermarket so wouldn't be cost effective. But found on the market yesterday they do lots of spices where you can buy them by the 30g.
My children love popadums, but I'd rather make chapatis as I can actuallymake them and they cost pennies.
Brassic woman, nice thought, but I'm not kidding when I say my OH can't boil an egg, he can just about turn the cooker on and cook pizza and chips from the freezer..... I think most things will go in the slow, I'm sure he can manage to shove things in there..... Maybe!!!!
Catkins, thank you for the lovely long post. We live in a city and the market produce is twice the price of Tesco and aldi!!!! Crazy!

Egg fried rice I'm going to use gram flour and water as the eggy bits and some soy sauce for flavour.

[Deleted User]

There is a wonderful online company called SPICES OF INDIA who do a whole huge range of not just spices but Indian groceries and cookware too. The prices are really reasonable and the ranges are extensive and even with the postage costs it still works out very reasonably. We've used them for years, might be worth a look and you don't have to lug about very heavy packages the postman brings the goodies to your door!

Upsidedown_Bear

catkins wrote: »

Can you even buy tinned beans such as mung, black eyed? I'm pretty sure I have never seen them.

Tinned black eyed beans

Tesco have lots of tinned beans

Other supermarkets are available :cool:

missymoo81

We're going to have a roast on a Sunday, Friday night will be make our own pizza night with banana ice cream and a film. Also Saturday will be date night, with a fakeaway! Quite looking forward to it.

missymoo81

Oooh thanks mrslurcherwalker, I'll check that out!

Dustyblinds

I'm not vegan or vegetarian but do have quite a few vegetarian meals.
Two of my favourites are morroccan chick pea soup, I found a few recipes on Pinterest and picked out the easiest one.
I also love potatoe and bean casserole. Fry carrot onion and turnip in olive oil until browned, add new potatoes and fry for a few minutes then add stock and beans of your choice, I usually add a mix of black eyed and cannelloni. This is delicious, my whole family surprisingly love it, especially if I treat them to some crusty bread to go with it.
Good luck with all this.

jackyann

Some years ago, needing to feed a family in an unfamiliar town, I went into the nearest large supermarket (also unfamiliar).
going up and down the aisles, I saw "ethnic food aisle" (!) and there found my usual brand of red lentils, bit dearer than my usual shop, but OK. However, I had already put in the trolley, the supermarket's own brand lentils from another aisle - at twice the price - same size pack!

My priority had to be getting a meal on the table, not complaining, though I did hand the expensive lentils back at the checkout.

Missy, can I recommend Jane Grigson's book "Vegetables" ? Your library probably has a copy, or abe books a cheap one.

missymoo81

Oooh thanks dustyblinds, that's on the list now!
Jackyann, thanks for the tip! I've found that with lentils and other sweet chilli sauce, as well as noodles in Tesco!!!!

Have been to aldi today to buy some bits. This is how tight the budget is, I bought items so I could count them, so I'm counting the rich tea biscuits in the pack and the slices of bread. To see how far they will stretch. And found out that my supermarket doesn't list all of the things my local aldi has, such as sweet potatoes, chick peas and yeast. I'm a bit cross as I was going to count the bananas in the packet but forgot to buy anyway. Does anyone know the amount of bananas you get in the 68p packets? Feeling optimistic. Thank you all for your kind advice and words of encouragement. I'd be lost without you all! Am At my dads but should be home by 9. Will do some more workings then! I'm so almost there, I feel Like my hard work and late nights are starting to pay off!

jackyann

Missy, I couldn't tell you the price now but 30 years ago I used to find flapjacks the cheapest way to give the kids a sweet treat.
I used basic marge (so not strictly vegan) golden syrup and oats bought in bulk. I would add whatever dried fruit was on offer, and sometimes choc chips. It is still remembered fondly - now I make it for the grandchildren, but my budget is not as strict.

As for bread, I think the best value is to do different things at different times. The breadmaker may be cheaper if you aren't having the oven on for another reason. If you have a big enough freezer, then buying sliced bread when it is cheap means you can take slices out as needed.

Could you have a family outing to pick blackberries and make jam? My great- grandmother told me that when she was little, shop-bought sugar was so expensive that it was only used to make bramble jam. That jam then was of course, spread on bread, and used to sweeten porridge and make puddings. Blackberries freeze beautifully as well.