To ask you how to make £30 last

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but this website has some good budget meal plans with corresponding shopping lists. The meals are to feed 4 so you could either follow the recipe so you’re cooking once but eating twice, or halve the quantities required: https://www.tamingtwins.com/budget-meal-plan-week-1/

Hang in there, tears&tiaras.
You're doing a grand job. My heart fills re: your recognition of your daughter's needs at this particular time of her life. Your judgement is sound. Ignore the "know betters".

No-one, so far, has mentioned tinned sardines, pilchards, mackerel, which are usually v cheap & are nourishing.

Combine with mashed potato, make into patties, fry both sides till golden brown.
Depending on budget & taste, you add: tomato paste; chopped onion; herbs; beaten egg, into the mix.
Create breadcrumbs from a) toasted stale bread if you have it, b) ryvita or similar rolled into crumbs with a rolling-pin. Or don't bother with that.

Have read THT but if its hasn't already been suggested, check out Beat The Budget on Instagram. She posts lots of cheap meal ideas:
Instagram

And pancakes one evening home made, get a lemon and some cream

@onwardsup4 indeed- it does mean a few days of beige and requires a decent sized freezer but hopefully may well help someone on this post who is a bit tight for cash- especially with kids as it's a lot of things children like

Aldi, you can get some oven chicken that’s flavoured for 2.99 even have it with some naan bread, sour cream and rice. Might even mean some aldi pizzas

Not judging, only trying to be helpfull! When I had some days of the month left after my budget ended, I went to my staple foods in the cupboard : always a few cans of sardines at the ready ...... nice on toast or with a bit of lettuce and tomato. Healthy too!

Really? My council pay me and all other employees on the 17th of the month. That's next Friday.

Hi, in the past I have been in a difficult financial situation due to suddenly losing my job when my employers firm collapsed so I have been in your situation.

The best advice I can give you to avoid this situation again is that going forward, work out a proper budget for all your outgoings, food, bills, and regular monthly expenses, but then allow for saving something each month for regular annual big items, eg car insurance, servicing etc (if you have one), holidays, birthdays, Christmas, an emergency fund and savings (however small that amount, it will build up).

if you have the money to pay big bills up front you avoid paying interest.
once you know how much you have to spare each month after that, what’s left is your disposable income, but you will have covered the basics and have money put aside to cover the expensive months.

I advised both my children to do this, and they have said it was the best advice they ever had.

If you’re on Facebook have a look at a page called fyf for £20

theyve actually just posted an “emergency” meal plan for a week that comes to £23 (although you’d have to change some stuff for dietary requirements

Thanks for making this post OP!

I am in a similar situation although have a slightly bigger budget but need to make it last another 2 weeks. There have been some really useful tips posted I will definitely be following.

I hope you manage to feed you both until payday! I too would prioritise your daughter’s outing.

Bag of spuds beans and eggs

Lidl have the Too good to waste boxes. They’re great for soup and veggie tray bakes etc https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/sustainability/food-waste/too-good-to-waste

Check out food waste apps and local food waste charities. You don’t need to be referred to use these. You can sign up immediately and start to get food that’s gone over its sell by date but not unfit for consumption. Are there any community fridges where you live? If there are find out when they receive deliveries.

Make vegetable soups and bulk out/thicken with lentils. I also use lentils in dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, vegetarian pasta bakes.

Vegetable stews, casseroles etc.

Buy couscous, quinoa instead of rice/pasta. It’ll last. Flavour it with herbs, spices etc.

Bulk cook meals and freeze.

Stewed fruit. Fruit crumbles. Banana bread with overripe bananas.

Reduced section in supermarkets. Find out when they start to reduce food items and frequent them at these times.

I pretty much feed my DC and myself from food waste apps, local food waste group and the reduced section in supermarkets nowadays.

Yea that's a good shout, I find Iceland not as good value as they used to be do do a whole shop certainly not but that's a good deal

@tearsandtiaras I just started listing a plan for you....but then scribbled it out. Go and look on instagram at two accs; BeattheBudget and CardiffMum, both make nutritious meals for the week very cheaply. £20/25 without loading you up on just carbs ❤️

Yes Iceland is very good at the moment

Here's the link to the Iceland offer I mentioned- we aren't talking gourmet but will keep you fed

www.iceland.co.uk/offers/frozen-offers/easy-teas

I wasn't sure, are you a FWH like me? I have over 200 different people requesting food from me at different times, most of them really glad as they're struggling to feed their families. My collections are very popular because all the food comes from Sainsbury's.

Make pancakes - people think they feel special but cheap as chips- useGF flour, add jam, cheese, squeeze an orange over etc -

Buy a cheap chicken, roast it - use it for 2 main meals with some cheap veg plus Yorkshire pudding ( again cheap) - although you might need to get eggs if you've made pancakes!!

Iceland have a 10 items for £10 if you live close enough at the moment, has everything on it from veg to Birds Eye fish fingers to pizza to aunt Bessie's Yorkshires -add in a loaf of bread and some cereal and milk and you could easily do it based on that - I walked past one today and noticed it in the window-that of course is presuming you have a freezer

@MobilityCat I meant the general "you", not YOU.

I have friends who are on the breadline but won't touch Olio because the food is at its sell by date 🤷‍♂️