£10-15 a week food challenge - any advice and pointers?

BlueNose1984

It's the middle of the month, and I always seem to run short at this period but I've read some posts on here that some people managed to survive £10-£15 a week food wise.

Can anyone give me some advice and any recipes/meals to make and try?

Thank you in advance.

misskool

Are you feeding one?

When feeding myself for a week very cheaply, it's roast chicken for one day, then slice as much of the meat off for sandwiches and things and pick any of the meat off for pies/lasagnes/curries. Then you make stock and have chicken noodle soup.

Bulk things out with lentils and pulses. Chickpea curry or lentil soup is a fav or mine. Things like quiches and omelettes are cheap and filling. Baked potatoes with cheese and coleslaw or any sort of filling.

Vegetarian food/pulses are cheaper but if you need to have meat, be more imaginative with cheaper cuts. There's a great pork belly recipe on bbc food, kind of a hot pot thing. Lamb neck and shoulder are great stewed or grilled.

I manage about £15 a week for one person most of the weeks. Do one big shop, don't pop into the shop for one thing.

Loads and loads of ideas on this board, maybe you could do a store cupboard challenge?

BlueNose1984

misskool wrote: »

Are you feeding one?

When feeding myself for a week very cheaply, it's roast chicken for one day, then slice as much of the meat off for sandwiches and things and pick any of the meat off for pies/lasagnes/curries. Then you make stock and have chicken noodle soup.

Bulk things out with lentils and pulses. Chickpea curry or lentil soup is a fav or mine. Things like quiches and omelettes are cheap and filling. Baked potatoes with cheese and coleslaw or any sort of filling.

Vegetarian food/pulses are cheaper but if you need to have meat, be more imaginative with cheaper cuts. There's a great pork belly recipe on bbc food, kind of a hot pot thing. Lamb neck and shoulder are great stewed or grilled.

I manage about £15 a week for one person most of the weeks. Do one big shop, don't pop into the shop for one thing.

Loads and loads of ideas on this board, maybe you could do a store cupboard challenge?

It's for 2 really as I've got a tenant living here and sometimes my Dad stops with me.

Cheers for that

djbd1973

misskool wrote: »

Are you feeding one?

When feeding myself for a week very cheaply, it's roast chicken for one day, then slice as much of the meat off for sandwiches and things and pick any of the meat off for pies/lasagnes/curries. Then you make stock and have chicken noodle soup.

Bulk things out with lentils and pulses. Chickpea curry or lentil soup is a fav or mine. Things like quiches and omelettes are cheap and filling. Baked potatoes with cheese and coleslaw or any sort of filling.

Vegetarian food/pulses are cheaper but if you need to have meat, be more imaginative with cheaper cuts. There's a great pork belly recipe on bbc food, kind of a hot pot thing. Lamb neck and shoulder are great stewed or grilled.

I manage about £15 a week for one person most of the weeks. Do one big shop, don't pop into the shop for one thing.

Loads and loads of ideas on this board, maybe you could do a store cupboard challenge?

Totally agree with misskool. I do similar things such as by a large amount of mincemeat from the butcher, not a supermarket. Cook it up with an onion and a little bit of garlic and some other bits and bobs that may be in need of using up. Then I freeze it into a set of containers. From this you can use it for, shepherds pie, chilli con carne, mix it with beans, on a jacket potato, spaghetti bolognese, with some salad etc. I also knock up a large saucepan of vegetable soup every few weeks and I put any vegetable in the fridge that needs using up in it. There are loads of ways of making a soup and I won't go into it here but needless to say, if you are looking to save money, and in my case, time after working a long day, getting out a batch of something on the morning you get up so its there for you to use when you get home works wonders.

parsonswife8

You could also make a curry using minced beef, or some left over chicken and have that with rice. If you make more rice than you need, you could make an egg fried rice a few days later, using fried onion, cooked frozen peas, a piece of chopped up ham or bacon and seasoning. Once those are stirfried, chuck the left over rice in and stirfry until heated through, then add a beaten egg or two to the rice mixture and stir quickly. Or cook a two egg omelette separately and cut into strips and add that to your rice mixture.
You can often pick up a pack of stir fry veg which has been reduced, stir fry those and chuck in a pack of those straight to wok noddles and some soy sauce.
Tinned sardines, pilchards or mackeral on toast with some sliced tomato and onion is also nice and good for you and tinned fish is quite cheap.
Hope this helps!

patchwork_cat

Do you have a freezer?

djbd1973

parsonswife8 wrote: »

You could also make a curry using minced beef, or some left over chicken and have that with rice. If you make more rice than you need, you could make an egg fried rice a few days later, using fried onion, cooked frozen peas, a piece of chopped up ham or bacon and seasoning. Once those are stirfried, chuck the left over rice in and stirfry until heated through, then add a beaten egg or two to the rice mixture and stir quickly. Or cook a two egg omelette separately and cut into strips and add that to your rice mixture.
You can often pick up a pack of stir fry veg which has been reduced, stir fry those and chuck in a pack of those straight to wok noddles and some soy sauce.
!

If you recook or reheat rice you are in dangerous terrority and this is a sure way to get seriously ill. Rice can carry bacteria in its dry format and after being cooked and reheating it is a serious no-no I'm afraid.

I personally wouldn't take the chance. Sorry

BlueNose1984

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Do you have a freezer?

Yes I have a freezer though I am a tad annoyed the smaller one is being used as storage system for my lodger's mate :rolleyes:

Thanks for these pointers. It saves buying loads of stuff that would only go off or get wasted/given away.

I shop at Lidl and there is good bargains, but I think my one is a tad expensive. Somerfield has some good bargains, any recommendations?

djbd1973

To emphasis my point, have a look at the foods standards agency website link about rice as this explains it better than I can.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/

Pink.

Hi bluenose,

This recent thread should help:

Eating for one month on £60


Also there are lots of ideas for cheap meals on these older threads:

Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

The Cheapest Healthy Meal Ever!

Feed 6 for £1.62

Cheapest meal

Your Cheapest Evening Meal.

cheap, easy family meals


Pink

MRSMCAWBER

Hi ther bluenose..

I was on the £60 to feed 2 for a month thread..and im still doing it...it is slightly different for me as i am in Germany so if i shop around i can get a lot of stuff cheaper than the UK..although for a 300g jar of nescafe we are paying about £4 :eek: so i guess it evens its self out! but at the moment i have enough stuff in my freezer (mainly HM stuff i have portioned) to last us a month...

I think making a meal plan is the first thing to do...and then things like cooking extra veg and potatoes when you do a dinner and then the following day turning it into bubble n squeak say with sausage.. Im a big one on for casseroles/stews etc... corned beef hash is really tasty, filling and cheap. and makes huge amounts so you can freeze it up...

I have decided -more for health reasons than anything else.. to cut down the amount of meat we eat... we still have meat most days.. having fish on the others... but i now use smaller quantities.. say make it into a pie with carrots, mushrooms etc....

When you have enough money.. frozen mushrooms and peppers are great... someone on here suggested them and i have found it great not to be throwing pots of manky mushrooms out.. they are great for stir frys, casseroles, pizzas etc...