Save Money Good Food ITV

purpleybat

i thought it was a budget version of the BBC show, they didn't swap food for cheaper stuff etc just told them they were wasting too much.
I too agree with the saffron comment, there's no way I can afford it, but then I spend less in a month than they do in a week!
I also agree with the end supermarket shop for the curry night not coming under £5, esp as they were given £15 (I think) to shop for it. that huge lump of pork, shoulder or not that would be £4-5 and caulis are still quite pricey so I think £1. the rest of the dinner would've been quite cheap.
i'll probably watch any other offerings if it's a series but I can't see me learning much from it, other than some people have far too much money

Prinzessilein

I haven't seen this yet....will try and do a catch-up watch.

This sort of show amuses/appals and angers me in more or less equal measure!

Why do they never show families who could really use help with money? The families shown always seem to be the ones with oodles of cash but no fiscal savvy.

Could they not do a show with a family who have NO store cupboard? Feed a family for £x without using supplies they already have. Don't assume that every has a bag of couscous, a few tins of lentils, a selection of spices, a pack of butter, et.c sitting in the kitchen.

How about taking a family that rely on food parcels and showing them how to REALLY make meals out of pennies?

What about someone like me...no cooker...no hotplate (I have a microwave and a little Halo)...one small fridge and a smaller freezer...one tiny cupboard for food (and a shelf I had put into the kitchen....and a single woman (WHY do things come on such large packs????? I don't want FOUR pork chops I want ONE).....but then again, I eat pretty well - I was taught cooking and budgeting by my Mum!

What about coming to the Old-style boards and letting US show how it is done!

Dclutterchique

purpleybat wrote: »

i thought it was a budget version of the BBC show, they didn't swap food for cheaper stuff etc just told them they were wasting too much.

To be fair to ITV, how many of us, when watching Eat Well For Less, would be screaming at the families who threw away large amounts of food each week "Well, if you only bought what you used, you would slash your food bill, without making any other changes to your shopping/lifestyle choices!" I know this is pointing out the obvious, by ITV, but some people need the obvious pointed out to them.

I agree that the 'Banquet' at the end of the week didn't cost £5, it (maybe) cost "£5-for-the-addition-ingredients-on-top-of-what-they-had-at-home".

I haven't read the Facebook/Twitter comments, but I would like to ask the people saying 'They don't need to save money', does the 'fact' that they don't need to save money mean they shouldn't save money?

[Deleted User]

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Why do they never show families who could really use help with money? The families shown always seem to be the ones with oodles of cash but no fiscal savvy.

Could they not do a show with a family who have NO store cupboard? Feed a family for £x without using supplies they already have.

It's been done. A few years ago they had three celeb chefs mentor three people who were living off benefits. They were floundering around without a clue what to do.

James Martin moaned that it was too difficult finding foodstuffs that you can buy in quantities for one person, and another one blew the whole budget on one piece of smoked salmon.

On You Tube (7m55s).

I think Jack Monroe is an exception, she's been there, done that, and knows what it's like to live off a budget for real. Her recipes seem a bit heavy on the salt, though.

Pollycat

Dclutterchique wrote: »

To be fair to ITV, how many of us, when watching Eat Well For Less, would be screaming at the families who threw away large amounts of food each week "Well, if you only bought what you used, you would slash your food bill, without making any other changes to your shopping/lifestyle choices!" I know this is pointing out the obvious, by ITV, but some people need the obvious pointed out to them.

But viewers are 'screaming' at the families featured on this ITV programme.
The BBC have already' pointed out the obvious'.
Do TV networks have to personally visit every household in the UK who are clueless with food & money management to get the message across?

Dclutterchique

Pollycat wrote: »

But viewers are 'screaming' at the families featured on this ITV programme.
The BBC have already' pointed out the obvious'.
Do TV networks have to personally visit every household in the UK who are clueless with food & money management to get the message across?

Realistically, no they don't, but as the BBC has produced 2 series each of Eat Well and Shop Well for Less and ITV has now come up with this rip off, or 'like brand' as they say in retail, I guess the TV companies would say there is a need for these programmes.

For any fellow masochists, next week's programme will be on at 7.30pm (not 8.00pm), will be only half an hour long and is described as an 'Easter Special' helping a family doing lots of entertaining over the Easter Weekend.

Livelongandprosper

The rest of the series is only to be 30 min programmes

I'm just glad it weren't just me questioning their costings. I'm thrifty but not a mission were those meals coming in at those prices

maman

Just watched this on catch up.

I think the prices must have been based on a cost of limited shopping plus what they had in (including in the bin). So £15 to shop for 3 days meals and Monday and Tuesday the chef had bought in essentials.

That pork was definitely more than £5 on its own but not sure they used it all so maybe just portion cost included.

Main focus seemed to be on not wasting food. I wonder how samey next week will be.

Pollycat

Dclutterchique wrote: »

Realistically, no they don't, but as the BBC has produced 2 series each of Eat Well and Shop Well for Less and ITV has now come up with this rip off, or 'like brand' as they say in retail, I guess the TV companies would say there is a need for these programmes.

Maybe there is a need for this type of programme.
It's just a pity that both BBC & ITV do it so poorly.

VfM4meplse

I caught up with this in the early hours.

Once I got over Susanna Reid's attempts at being funny, I found it quite helpful. Firstly I prefer the pair of them to gurning Greg, but also think it may have provided a solution to the bland Aldi cornflakes I was complaining about in another thread (I plan to turn these into chocolate cornflake cakes for the LO). The cake looked good and was an easy store cupboard recipe, so will make it next time I have family over. It seemed like a nice family, and the kids were really cute.

I very rarely cook, but there was no excuse for those awful thick chappatis. If I'd served them to my mum she would have rewarded me with two tight slaps and then disowned me :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: