Ideas for cheap snacks for kids over the holidays.

[Binforky]

Hi all I am really struggling this holiday. We are a family of 4 me and three children. We are on a very tight budget of no more than £50 a week and I'm finding my oldest is coming round with friends and eating everything which I just cant afford. So is there any ideas for things I can have for them all to snack on and not leave us with nothing after 2 days?

In all honesty I'd have a snack-free house. Unless you get some uber-cheap basic biscuits and offer them with milk...

it sounds shit.

How old is your eldest ? Have you explained the situation to them?

She knows the situation shes 15. We don't have snacks either they just eat through all the bread pasta and cheese (if we have any)

She needs to stop eating things bought for family meals

This sounds really hard. My kids would snack all day but I’m trying hard to limit to just two snacks, one mid morning and one mid afternoon. I’d ditch them all together if I could. If it’s a different time then the answers no, wait until next mealtime.

Cheap snacks are:
Big packet raisins (rather than little packs)
Basic biscuits
Make fairy cakes
Bananas
Crackers and cheese (again just cut from a big block of cheddar not snack type cheese)
Carrot sticks (cut yourself)
Cucumber
Bread and butter, or small sandwiches maybe jam or marmite
Popcorn (made yourself but own brands aren’t too pricy)
Don’t feel bad about this. You’re not a cafe!

Where do you shop? Lidl and Aldi both do packs of 6 crumpets for about 35p. Bit of butter and it’s a reasonably filling snack for not too much money.
Bananas.
Apples.

Either toast or make a big batch of flapjacks, cheap to make and filling

Cross posted, if she’s older just explain the situation to her?My advice was more for little kids!

X posted, have seen your update.
Cheese is expensive... but if she’s hungry pasta is a good filler.

Toast? If you’re anywhere near a Waitrose (wait.. i’m serious) then they sell their fresh bread off really cheaply last thing. Decent bread. Then the next day she could fill up on toast if she’s hungry.

Or this is more effort but a homemade veg and lentil soup is tasty, cheap and filling.

Popcorn from seeds, pasta with a basic sauce. She’s old enough to understand imo.

You need to tell her you cant afford to feed them all that is dinner food they are wolfing down once that stops then you can think about snacks i would ban friends from the house.

I make shortbread (it’s only flour, sugar and butter so cheap as chips) and soupdragon’s flapjack recipe from on here with the condensed milk. I double both recipes and it makes enough snacks for the whole family for a good few days. The flapjack is very filling as well. I also make fairy cakes with water icing (butter is expensive to buy lots of) or rice crispy cakes with melted chocolate. Jam tarts with homemade shortcrust pastry are also very cheap to make and you can make loads in one go.

Cheap but filling things that my eldest two like and can help themselves to are crumpets, toast, smart price pizzas for 99p, pasta with butter /pesto / cheese, smart price fromage frais are about 80p for 10, bananas, popcorn seeds to pop at home.

The holidays are tough for us on a budget too

If you want to try the popcorn idea, I bought a silicon type collapsing popcorn popper bowl on Amazon and I absolutely love it. Takes up very little space for storage. Pops a huge bowl of popcorn in 3 minutes in the microwave. Healthy too as you need little or no fat. I just put a tablespoon of butter in it, then some organic popcorn.

Pop the lid down on top. The lid lifts as the popcorn pops.

The kids could easily make it themselves and buying the popcorn in bulk is cheap.

I don't use salt on it. I like to sprinkle nutritional yeast (Braggs makes it) on top for that umami kick. Yummy.

Buy really cheap bread and some butter and jam, for toast or sandwiches. Instant noodles are about 20p per pack in Aldi or Lidl (own brand ones), carrots are really cheap, a big bag of potatoes so they can make jacket potatoes with baked beans. Don't replace the cheese if she eats that. It is quite expensive. Maybe some cheap biscuits and some squash and a massive bottle of sparkling water (again about 20p) so she feels like she's having a treat. Teenagers just eat and it's what they do to be hospitable to each other so you can't really say no snacks at all.
Be clear with her what she can eat with her friends and what she can't.

Biscuits Can be as cheap as 25p so I would stock up on those, put them on a plate when she has people round so they eat those instead of rummaging.
Supermarket own crisps
Raisins (we refill boxes)
Apples
Toast
Crumpets
I batch cook pancakes then freeze
Bread sticks
Homemade houmous
Homemade cakes

No one needs snacks. It's habit and mostly unhealthy unless it's stuff like fruit and raw veg (which no doubt the average teenager won't choose)
Tell her you are going for a healthy holiday. 3 meals a day . No need for anything in between...

Bag of value porridge oats, value flour, cheapest dried fruit and sugar - oat cakes, will make trays of it. You can add things to it obviously but this is pretty basic and cheap. Jack monroe has excellent recipes for pennies

Sorry forgot margarine

Another thought is get her to make focaccia - 3 cups bread flour, 1 pkt yeast (7g), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp olive oil. Can also be used as a pizza base

Popcorn you can just make in a lidded saucepan; you don’t need any special equipment.

Value tortillas are cheap for nachos, maybe £1 for a big tray.
Value cream crackers also cheap, with value soft cheese.
Biscuits are literally pennies.

Can you have a healthy baking day? Then those could be used for snacking.
Flapjack
Breakfast muffins
Protein cookies/flapjack
Etc

We make cheese and marmite twists. Bread mix or a basic bread dough and stretch it out into a sheet. Cover with a very thin layer of marmite and a thin sprinkle of grated cheese.

Fold in half and slice into thin strips then twist before putting on a lined baking sheet and baking until cooked through. I usually brush with a little milk before cooking.

We also make pitta bread pizzas with a little tomato purée and some grated cheese then under the grill. Can also be topped with any thing you like before cooking.

Muffins halved & toasted with cheese are delicious & I think about 50p for 6 so you would get 12 mini snacks.

Pizza baguettes!

Buy own brand part baked baguettes cut in half. Cover with Tom puree and a shred of cheese. Make them in advance (whilst oven is on and cooking tea for example) then but in half, in the fridge for next day.