We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

£10 a week....

135

Comments

  • JIL
    JIL Posts: 8,849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 9 June 2022 at 11:07PM
    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeMYL1EDmwt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    Dont know if this will work but heres the 5 family meals for £25.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cc3GRqKqB0p/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    And another.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cdgh9DwFupF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    I just felt this would help some people as it isnt just run of the mill dinners, but things that seem different but also economical. 
  • joedenise
    joedenise Posts: 17,942 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    London_1 said:
    I'm another one who thinks Shirley Goode's recipe book is excellent
    She was a very down to earth lady and her recipes are easy to follow if your not a confident cook yet :)

    I found her book in a boot sale years ago for 25p but maybe if you search the charity shops or even ask at the library you may be able to find a copy.

    I have found lots of odd recipe books in boot sales my grandsons have all gone to Uni with a copy of The Student Cookbook mainly found at boot sales and invaluble for teen age lads who maybe have never cooked much before.

    As I have had so much involvement in their upbringing I made sure they knew how to streetch the pennies as much as possible and that they didn't live on pot noodles and pizza for three years.

    Ben (26) now lives in north London where he is a teacher, and as he lives in Camden its a very cosmopolitan area and he loves to cook foods from all over the world, and has access to many local food shops, not just supermarkets, and buys a lot of herbs and spices and tries his hand at some pretty exotic stuff now :)

    Jack (22) is a real health fanatic and gym bunny and although living at home at the moment will often cook stuff for himself, and likes to try different things

    Henry (21) has just finished Uni and as his part time job there for the past year has been working in a kitchen restaurant, and like to try all sorts of food.

    As he's not yet decided on what he want to do I wouldn't be surprised if he may try hospitality as he does like working in the kitchen, even the peeling and dicing he has got a real good lad at doing :) 

    The youngest  Mikey (18) is a canny shopper when it comes to buying food and knows the value of a penny bless him.
    He will hunt round to get the best price and is quite capable of cooking for himself and is looking forward to this September when it will be his turn to set off for the next three years to Uni.
    He has definite ideas on what he likes and dislikes so I think he will be fine he's not keen on tinned stuff preferring fresh food to any ready meal or tinned food.

    But all four learned at a reasonably early age how to make a decent cuppa (I made sure of that :) ) and also simple cooking
    I have no worries that they will go hungry or expect someone else to cook for them

    They are all 6ft odd and have very healthy appetites :) Their Dad is the main cook in their house as its his hobby ,although my DD is a good cook as well

    My son-in-law Simon really does make some delicious food.I think as a surveyor he really missed his vocation as he really does enjoy cooking and  his Moroccan lamb is my favourite, just melts in the mouth bless him.

    Rising food prices means adapting to find food that's not only affordable but tasty as well.
    This is where a decent stock of herbs and spices can make the blandest of food taste a whole lot nicer.
     I have at least two shelves in my kitchen cupboard that I keep all my flavourings in, and would be lost without them.
    I just don't do 'beige food ' at all.
    If you have onions, potatoes, cheese and even a pack of 'cooking bacon' you can conjour up a tasty meal or three out of a few ingrediants. Omelettes, quiches, even the humble cheese and potato pie from spuds layered with cheese and onion can fill empty tums for very little, add a tin of el cheapo baked beans and throw in some mild curry powder into the beans, and you have a filling tasty meal for very little outlay.

    JackieO xx
    JackieO - would love his recipe for Moroccan lamb if you could get it from him please?  
  • Lidl £1.50 veg boxes are brilliant. They usually come out just after 9am. Around 10am other things are reduced and the lowest reductions are 20p and 70p. Get there after 11 and they bin the lowest reductions though.

    If you can store them (and have the money to buy them in the first place) get sacks of onions and potatoes from fruit markets to save a fortune, you have to look up how to store them so they don't go off though.

    I don't know the PC way to say Indian supermarket, but head for your local multicultural area and get big sacks of rice and trays of tinned tomatoes. Yellow split peas are cheap and make soup thicker. Also check outside because round here they have reduced sections. And for herbs and spices they are really good value, get bags of turmeric instead of little jars for the same cost.

    Morrisons do excellent reductions on fish and meat but at random times. They are also one of the few places I have found soup mix - barley, dried peas and beans that you need to soak overnight before adding it to soup and cooking for a long while (unless you pressure cook). A couple of handfuls of soup mix goes a long way.

    The Too Good to Go app is ace, I got a whole sack of sourdough bread for £3 once. About 8 loaves plus cakes. I had to give lots away to the neighbours because there wasn't enough space in the freezer. There are usually veg boxes on offer as fruit or smoothie boxes, be prepared to do a load of batch cooking if you get one.

    Slow cookers or Instant pots save money on cooking, they are cheaper to run than an oven. You can slow cook most veg (not cauliflower though 'cos it tastes like feet if you slow cook it). 

    Forage - nettles make a good spinach substitute. Blackberries are all over the place too.

    I don't think I could feed me and my teenager on £25 a week without really working at finding bargains and doing a lot of food prep.


  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,164 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    I've just purchased a vegan spicy cookbook, £2.24, and I'll be cooking meals for next to nothing due to using homegrown herbs and veg, with shop purchased pulses.
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • doingitanyway
    doingitanyway Posts: 10,379 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Mortgage-free Glee!
    D924 said:
    Easy enough if you don't care about your macro ratios and only look at calories. Protein is brutally expensive without exception, fat and carbs can be practically free.
    True. I buy most of my protein YS and freeze it. I could not eat as well as I like to without doing so.  
    If you have built castles in the air, your work should not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them

    Emergency fund 3501000
    Buffer fund 0/100
    Debt Free (again) 25/072025
  • bouicca21
    bouicca21 Posts: 6,720 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Where do I get an onion bag?  
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 258.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.