£50 a week to feed family of 6, does anyone do it cheaper??

Icemaiden · 28 July 2008 at 11:31PM

Another one not meaning to be rude;) but there are loads of things in your trolley which you could make yourself from scratch, at a quick glance, pitta bread, normal bread, malt loaf, scones, cereal bars, custard, jams, fishcakes.....etc
If you were to also ditch the crisps, squash & lemonade you could make even more savings.

Ice
x

jackk_2 · 28 July 2008 at 11:32PM

I feed 5 for about £200, i rely on finding whoopsies though lol.

Jackie x

bandraoi · 28 July 2008 at 11:38PM

The pasta sauces (value sauce and the lasagne sauce) are the two that jump out at me.

Tin of tomatoes, and onion some garlic and some basil and you're sorted.
Cheaper, healthier and tastier.

sproggi · 29 July 2008 at 12:23AM

MUMOF4

The issue of FRESH fruit and veg often raises it's head on here and has even been bad enough to put people off of posting!!
Please do not let this put you off.
I read that you were on a very tight budget and commend you on your mealplan, it is by far healthier than a lot of people I know with 10x the food budget!!
You have included fruit (whether by tin, fresh or dried, it all counts) and veg, it does not consist of a mountain of fried foods and it does contains the protiens that your family needs to replace that that omnivores would obtain from eating meat:T
I also noticed that you had looked into making your own bread, but at the end of the day, if money is that tight, you opt to feed your family by whatever means necessery in the best way you can.

Before my divorce, it was not unheard of for my exhusband and myself to eat nothing but potatoes so that our 2 children could have a piece of cheap meat, the fears of not feeding 5 a-day, let alone 5 fresh a-day, did not enter into our heads, our children could eat and that was all that mattered.

When money allows, then maybe you can consider changing your diet accordingly..............in the meantime.........WELL DONE:T

moo2moo · 29 July 2008 at 7:00AM

Once in a while kids need a reward, a treat, a chance to feel like their friends and in the current hot weather the additional salt they gain from a packet of crisps will be more beneficial than normal. Perhaps 18 packs in a weeks shop is a little over the top (rregardless of whther the OP is on a budget). Reducing this to 6 packs would have been a less harsh suggestion.

Can't for the life of me think which one but one of the supermarket comparison sites has an "under 20p" section which usually has some great finds.

As fot the rest of it : Tesco Mediterranean Cous Cous 110g Each £0.55. Its just as quick to make your own - 500g bag of dried cous cous 63p, add a flavoured stock cube and a bit of diced onion and whatever else you can find to throw in it, left over veg, meat or pretty much anything (the Moroccans even add chocolate!).

Hardup_Hester · 29 July 2008 at 7:23AM

We eat very little fruit, hubby eats none at all & I eat a few strawberries from the garden & sometimes I buy a bag of satsumas or a couple of bananas. I try to make up or this with extra veg, it is usually cheaper and I also grow some veg in the garden.
Hester

MUMOF4_2 · 29 July 2008 at 9:51AM

Ok, lets defend myself against some of the critical comments. I listed what i had bought this week, the stuff i have bought this week, isnt just for this week. So for instance this week is my week to buy crisps, 18 packets of crisps to last 1 month. Once they have gone there is no more.2 bottles of cola, lemonade lasts us 2 weeks.
Question about fruit. I have a cupboard full of peaches, pears and pineapple, which i give to the children once a day with either their lunch or tea.they like it mixed in jelly also.
Vegetables. there are vegetables in every meal i am making this week, except for the cheats meal, fishcake and chips.
I cook for about 2 hours everyday, making casseroles, cakes, and desserts.
Yes I could make my own coucous cheaper, but sometimes, its nice to grab something out the cupboard, throw some water in it and voila its ready.
The 8p packets of noodles, they are for my 12 yr old son, who loves a packet for his supper.
I was really pleased with all my main meals this week.full of protein and vegetables.
I cheat with pitta breads, 1 packet of scones, and a couple packets of instant cake mix, so i have something to grab, when i am so shattered i cant be bothered to whip up a cake.My personal circumstance are probably very different than others, i know people have already mentioned oh god its the school holidays what am i going to do with the kids.Gosh how i used to love school holidays. I now have 2 children that have physical and mental illness to care for full time, that cant go to school, so i have to care for them 24 hours and day. I would do anything to have my healthy children back, and enjoy the 6 weeks summer holiday.
Im very proud of how we survive on our budget.

patentgirl · 29 July 2008 at 10:05AM

All I can say is well done MUMOF4 I find whatever you do people on here will always crictise and find some fault but your diet and budget sounds great to me, children do need some treats apart from fruit and veg my 3 24/21/15 are not brilliant at eating fruit and veg but are all healthy not one overweight all got good teeth,cant remember when they last went to doctors I am talking years here never suffer colds etc
You shouldnt feel you have to defend yourself well done!

studentgirl_2 · 29 July 2008 at 10:18AM

Mum of four please dont feel that you should defend your self in any way. I think that every one was just making suggestions. as only a skint mum with 2 boys its hard to feed them well alll of the time. I know that my 13 year old will eat a bigger dinner than his dad and then 2 hours later say 'im starvin' so good old noodles it is with a slice of bread. It may not be all that good for him but it will fill him up. so just chill your doing the best that you can.

im off out with the DS2 today to pick blackberrys free fruit:j :j with a cupple of bags and a bottle of squash we will be well happy. they go in the frezzer great and fab on the morning porrage.

Student girl xx

MUMOF4_2 · 29 July 2008 at 10:28AM

thankyou!
Im looking forward to picking blackberries with the kids, they love doing that every year, and we alsways manage to get free cooking apples from my parents tree to cook up with them.
We have done well for free potatoes this month also, and cucumbers, aand tomatoes, oh and a great big bowl of strawberries, thanks mother in law.
As you said, whats wrong with a big bowl of noodles, 2 hours after a nice tea, if it fills him up!

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£50 a week to feed family of 6, does anyone do it cheaper??

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