To think it’s actually hard to live off this for the rest of the month?!

You have added on the water but ignored the energy to heat the water.

Mine and most people I know heat their hot water from the taps by gas the dishwasher heats by electricity. Heating water with gas is cheaper.

In addition I plus many other people I know have knives, pots, pans, chopping boards, etc that aren't dishwasher safe, so have we have to wash some stuff by hand anyway. (For example I have a set of German pans that claimed to be dishwasher safe, they aren't because I ruined the smallest one by putting it in the dishwasher.)

So if I'm alone all day and cooking for myself it isn't cheaper or more efficient.

Oh and I don't wash up with a washing up bowl.

As an example, did a shop for 2 adults and 1 toddler for 5 days of meals including slightly more expensive items as they were on nectar offer ( wild salmon and wild tuna) and spent 30 quid….when trying to save money I go for the 1kg chicken breast from Sainsbury’s and use over the week…stir fries bulked up with lots of veg are healthier and budget friendly and just need a few base cupboard ingredients ( tomato paste, garlic , or Asian style so soy sauce sesame oil sugar)

I did rtft.

And she hasn't answered. As you point out yourself duck and kids ready meals don't explain the whole cost.

I don't get the "I can't cook because no one has shown me" nonsense either. You go on BBC good food. Pick easy rated recipes and follow the step by step instructions. As an adult, claiming you can't cook now because you weren't taught as an infant is ridiculous. If you can read, you can cook. OP needs to start acting like a grown up. Toddler ready meals, washing tablets, it's all the lazy version of everything.

Can’t believe all the ‘that’s loads’ of money comments when it clearly isn’t!

There’s lots of online websites with recipes and videos. Some pages have 30 min meals that are really 30 min to cook.
you would save a lot of money by not buying pre prepared.. also why pre prepped potatoes?? Also a waste. I have a toddler too and I feed him a plain version of what I’m making, so if I’m doing lemon butter chicken with pasta, his will be without sauce …

Hi, you don’t need to spend alot to have nice meals, but you have to learn to cook! Buy chicken thighs, usually comes in 1kg packs. Separate into two bags and freeze. When you cook take one bag out make a nice chicken curry or put on some marinade and put it in the oven/air fryer. Tons of recipes online, pick as per what suits you. Buy a big bag of rice, also a big bag of pasta and spaghetti. So you have carbs. Then buy some healthy veg depending on what you like. Buy from frozen section as this lasts longer. For example - I make rice, green beans, chicken curry for dinner. Last’s me two meals atleast if it is 1/2 kg chicken. So your meals are balanced and healthy. You are spending a lot on ultra processed food which is neither healthy or nutritious. It will make you overweight and also you will be out of pocket.

Er, RTFT. The OP has said what she (mostly) spent the £70 on, although even the duck breasts and £3 toddler ready meals that many of us went at didn't explain the whole cost, but I think the OP realises that she's been shopping like a millionaire when she presumably isn't so needs to do something about it.

You spend £70 on 3 days of food for you and a 2yo???

What on earth are you eating?

She can't cook.

She hasn't been taught basic cooking skills as a child/teen.

duplicate post in error.

You actually have to do a surprisingly little amount of washing up in the dishwasher for it to be more economical than doing it by hand, it wouldn't have to be anywhere near full.

A dishwasher load uses about the same amount of water as a single washing up bowl/half a sink full, so just think about how that would go if washing up by hand - it wouldn't do much before it was greasy and grotty and needed changing.

Plus if you actually cook, the amount of washing up produced by 1-2 people isn't massively less than it is for a family of 4 because you still have a cooking pot or two however many people you cook for.

But either way, the cost is a tiny insignificant fraction of a grocery bill and using the dishwasher would be a big help for the OP if she does cook, because then she wouldn't have to do the washing up by hand too.

Is all/most of your fruit and veg fresh? As fresh fruit and veg has really gone up in price in the last couple of years.

Also vegan alternatives so oat milk, soya milk, soya yoghurt, coconut yoghurt and cheeses cost more that the dairy based ones. Cows milk is sold as a loss leader.

Meal plan and do an online shop. When we were struggling I'd book a £1 delivery slot and plan out all meals for the week, the only thing we'd buy in between was bread and milk which made it easier to budget.

Duck breast and kids ready meals at £3 a pop is pricey! Not usually a huge fan of instagram, but there are plenty of feeding the family and toddler meal ideas which are quick to prepare and some accounts even do shopping lists to make it even more accessible.

I support people in my job who live on that amount for the entire month for EVERYTHING. Granted that's the UC amount for a single person and you get more if you have a child, but it can be done.

Am I missing something? OP has £100 per week to spend doesn’t she? Surely that’s more than sufficient.

I agree it’s tight OP but doable. You do need to shift your thinking away from ready meals for the toddler though!

Download baby led weaning cookbook app. This has great food ideas for the whole family but suitable for babies and toddlers with step by step instructions and approx costs. I used this loads when the kids were little!

Make porridge as it’s cheap and filling- different toppings depending on what fruit needs eating. Honey or jam stirred in if not.

As others have said washing liquid or powder is much cheaper and better I think! Aldi/Lidl for food and B&M or home bargains for cleaning stuff etc.

I don’t agree with others who say it’s ‘loads’. It only takes DC to come home with a shoe broken or coat ripped which needs replacing to make a hole in your budget.

It's generally more economical to use a dishwasher, but if it is a full sized dishwasher and there are only one/two of you it isn't.

Dishwasher tablets are cheaper from the likes of Lidl and Aldi.

Its not loads but it's adequate. Can't see that you need to do a great deal of planning to manage on that.

Well you’re struggling because you’re spending too much on pre-prepared meals. Ready meals for a toddler arent great. We all needed to learn to cook at some point, start with a couple of recipes and build up.

Hi OP, this guide to healthy eating during pregnancy includes some fantastic, easy, and cheap recipes that are relevant to everyone. Page 48 onwards.

static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/62e127ee38473938e3f4b5ee/1658923006676/EW_Healthy+Pregnancy+-FOR+WEB+24+July+2022.pdf

What confuses me is how people get to adulthood and being a parent and thinking that not cooking at all and feeding a toddler on expensive ready meals is the default.

OP what did you eat as a child?
How come you didn't learn to cook as a teen both at home and school?
How long have you been away from home and have you always eaten ready meals and expensive cuts of meat?
How come you've only just realised that you've been shopping like a wealthy person on (presumably) a normal person's budget?
How do your friends, family, work colleagues etc shop and feed themselves? What do you see day to day?

So many questions. OP is there anyone you're close to that you can buddy up with and they can cook for you and you watch and then they come to yours and you cook for them while they give you pointers?

Wash up by hand. A squirt of washing up liquid much cheaper than dishwasher tablet. Less electricity too.
Batch cook foog. Buy some mince on yellow stcker day,nbulk out with beans and chape veg, add chilli or make into bolognaise. Divide into portions and freeze,
You canvdo this with homemade soup, etc. Get some end of say veg at market, orca 'stew-pack' from the supermarket, make soup. Freeze it

three meals for dd usually little dish but they are only 3 pounds each.

I despair for society sometimes. How can you complain about how much you spend on food and household items and then spend £3 a meal for a 2 year old!

At some point people need to take responsibility for themselves. You have a child to care for, you can’t just say I don’t know how to cook, I don’t know how to do it, I don’t know how to use a freezer.

Is toddler in nappies? Are you buying something like "growing up milk"? Are you spending loads on little fruit for your little one (strawberries, blueberries?)

Nappies- don't get pampers or huggies. Asda (little angels), aldis etc just as good. Potty train ASAP. Same for wipes. Bulk buy deals.
Batch cook.
Fruit- apples, satsumas, bananas
Growing up milk- over age 1, just need normal milk
Buying baby rice cakes or baby crisps or yoyos? Just ditch these, they dont fill kids up anyway. Buy things like raisins in big packs, not little boxes. Snacks =toast, cereal

Ok, OP, your problem is you don't know to cook. But don't worry, we've all been there.

I taught myself to cook with youtube and cooksbooks, so I know it can be done.
But baby steps.

Ii would be good if you taught yourself how to cook eggs, this Gordon Ramsay's recipe is the best and you'll be a pro in a day, pefrect for breakfast or easy lunch and dinner.
s

Next oatmeal, cheap and versatile. I have tried dozens of recipes before stumbling on this one. My favorite is porridge with honey and banana.

s

Those are first two lessons for you. Start with these and let me know how it goes, Have luck.

And the pot after porridge and eggs, put it under water as soon as you finish so it is easier to clean, Buy yourself Spontex Tough Scourers or something similar, you'll need to wash your pans easily.