cheap/ healthy snacks

lizzywig

Each time you do your shop pick up set things, for me it's rice cakes, cereal bars and laughing cow triangles. I also get some cuppa soups, basically dry things that can stay in the cupboard. Some weeks I don't eat any and so don't need to spend so much next time I shop. Then once a week I get fresh fruit and veg and snack on things like celery with peanut butter in and raisins on top. The important thing is to time your main meals so that you don't need to snack as much.

phizzimum

sorry I don't have any suggestions - I have the same problem! I think kids do need to snack and I try to keep their snacks as healthy as poss, but I agree, I spend more on bits and bobs like this than meals.

I confess I do buy biscuits...lots of biscuits! I know it's cheaper to make my own - only trouble is, I end up eating them if they're homemade - shop bought biscuits don't have the same appeal.

look forward to reading everyone's reply - I'm sure I can pick up some tips

tori.k

i budget for my weekly shopping as a whole, i have 3 hollowed leg lads at home i know each week im looking at 2 /3 750g boxes of cereal, 28 ltrs of milk and 42 bits of fruit and 10 loaves of bread.
Other then bread& milk we dont have the same stuff week in week out but i know roughly it will cost
£12.60 for milk
£7.50 for bread
£9 for cereal
£7 for fruit ......total £36.10
i budget to this figure even tho it rarely cost me that much as i buy to whats on offer, any money left over just goes back into the grocery budget

adelight

include it in your main budget? work out roughly how much you spend on it and see how you can bring that amount down. buy basics/offer fruit and do your own sandwich meat. do a gammon joint, then immediately chop up and put some sliced portions in the freezer away from snackers! this does work out much cheaper, ie £3.99 1.2kg kilo gammon joint from lidl v £2.10 for 140g sliced ham from mrA, even if you use value wafer thin ham it's still slightly cheaper to diy

HappyMJ

tori.k wrote: »

i budget for my weekly shopping as a whole, i have 3 hollowed leg lads at home i know each week im looking at 2 /3 750g boxes of cereal, 28 ltrs of milk and 42 bits of fruit and 10 loaves of bread.
Other then bread& milk we dont have the same stuff week in week out but i know roughly it will cost
£12.60 for milk
£7.50 for bread
£9 for cereal
£7 for fruit ......total £36.10
i budget to this figure even tho it rarely cost me that much as i buy to whats on offer, any money left over just goes back into the grocery budget

That's a lot of milk...at about 2 pints per person per day. I'd start weaning them off that. Maybe a bit of squash if they are thirsty or even water. Each person only needs a half pint of milk per day.

ubamother

For DS10 I tend to have a hot snack for when he comes in from school and then a slightly later tea - I find this helps stop the bedtime stomach rumbles - and is something to eat while doing homework (as an encouragement!) I try to plan ahead so snacks are interesting enough to eat, but not interesting enough to crave! It also means I have stuff in the freezer so it can be produced if he's hungry, but isn't available if it's wanted just because his teeth are bored! Snacks are never sweet as he has a rather sweet tooth, so a mug of home made soup (I often freeze it in mug size portions), tuna & sweetcorn fritters (these I batch cook and freeze in portions). I keep veggie hot dogs in the freezer which he has chopped up with a bit of hot cooked pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan. Cheesy pilchards on toast are a big favourite too for a bigger snack.

betterlife

hi what about having a baking day per week, you can make healthier snacks like flapjacks, oat bars/biscuits, fruit muffins, or try buying some dried fruit to snack on, often on offer in julian graves and holland and barrett, also seeds and nuts. buy some sealable tubs and make your own salads or fruit salads, if you buy seasonal fruit its much cheaper, dont forget chopped apple if you dip in a bowl of lemony water it will stop it going brown hth.

cooking-mama

Thanks guys...I think i need to get them back to basics,maybe a slice or 2 of toast instead of a sandwich on more expensive cooked meat..cereal is as good at night as in the morning.
Adelight,im cooking roast pork for dinner today with the intention of slicing leftovers to use for packed lunches over the next few days..im gonna have to be firm and tell them to have beans on toast at night or anything other than the roast pork..I feel kinda mean sometimes,and obviousley i dont want to make an issue over food(especialy with 2 teenage daughters),but i think my 2(and OH),have developed "expensive food tastes"..lol.
lizzywig,youve hit the nail on the head,I think I need to retime our dinner,its often around 4.30/5pm...OH gets home from work(famished at 4pm),youngest at 3.30 and eldest in at 5 from college..they are usualy fairly hungry after having cereal at breakfast,fruit at break,and a sandwich,fruit and yoghurt or( cheese string type thing at lunch.)..it sounds a lot ,but isnt realy,especialy as eldest is out from 07.30 til 5pm.
its so awkward that crisps and biscuits etc are loads cheaper than decent fruit and low fat options.Eldest is a very healthy eater--reads the labels on everything(wants to be a dietician)so wouldnt thank me for high fat snacks anyway..youngest complete opposite and has to "treats"limited,she would live on crisps and biscuits if allowed,thankfully she's very active with dancing,swimming,girls football etc(altho all this activity just adds to her appetite;))
I think on my next 2 days off from work im gonna do a cupboard audit,wind down whats in there and then start from scratch so that i can get into an average budget..at the moment i can spend anything from as low as £50 a week to as high as £150...ive kinda got our main meals to an average of £5 a meal(some meals cost more,some cost less),so if i can get the extras and suppers sorted i realy feel i could get a lot more organised and save money.
basicaly it looks like were a 4 meal a day family rather than the standard 3(I think our days start too early and end too late to just cope with standard breakfast lunch and dinner:rotfl:)

horsechestnut

When my daughter was a teenager I kept her going with chunky homemade soups (and a piece of toast if she was really hungry).
Also ensure that they are getting enough protein in their main meals. One of the biggest causes of hunger is not getting enough protein. (Think about the new M&S range; they put slightly more protein in the meal and you stay fuller for longer.) I DON'T suggest actually buying these, but the concept is excellent.
500g of lean minced beef should feed 4 adults. This is the base to start from; if you want volume then by all means bulk it out with plenty of vegetables.
If they still need solid snacks then boil up a pan of rice, divide it into portions, freeze it and then you can use it for fried rice, which of course takes only 5 mins to prepare.

tori.k

HappyMJ wrote: »

That's a lot of milk...at about 2 pints per person per day. I'd start weaning them off that. Maybe a bit of squash if they are thirsty or even water. Each person only needs a half pint of milk per day.

Tell me about it milk bill is the bane of my life and im working on it, thats drunk as well as buckets of squash &water, we dont keep fizzy pop in the house, back to topic
Have you thought about using short dated sites like approved foods or big brands for less i've saved a bomb using these.