25 pounds a week for food for one?

[BlackStrayCat]

Just that really.

Soon I will be in this position. After everything paid, I will have 25 pounds a week for me and a cat. I do not drive so would have to get a home delivery once a month (it is an expensive service where I live so could only do it once)

I think it is doable, any one else do this or any tips?

I am thinking lots of lentils, frozen and fresh veg.
Rice, eggs, frozen fish, big bag of potatoes, apples etc.

also make sure you’re not buying things like single serve packet rice etc.

buy these things in the bigger bags and they go a lot further. Yes they take longer to prepare but it will save you a lot.

and make sure you’re going to Aldi or Lidl and have written a shopping list before hand and stick to it.

I'd say it can be done with a bit of planning. Always cook enough for at least 2 meals. Basic veg. Carrots, onions, cabbage, frozen peas. Plus all the ideas of previous posts. Lentils, chickpeas are a good source of protein. Look at the foreign foods section in the supermarket, they have cheap larger bags of rice etc. Try to put aside a couple of pounds a week so you can restock as and when. You can do it.

Theres lots of free apples being offered atm and you could go blackberry picking. Freeze them both to put in porridge. Sign up for Too good to go. A couple of ideas to keep costs down OP.

All exactly the advice I was looking for, also, more optomistic than I thought. But thankyou everyone for being honest either way.

It seems good I dont eat meat or sweet stuff.

I will try and build up an emergency couple of hundred pounds to hide away, jic.

I have a couple of things I can sell that will bring in about 200 pounds.

Thanks all! I need to live a peaceful couple of years anyway. I like a challenge!

When you find yourself really tight, you can’t go wrong with a loaf of bread in the freezer and a few tins of beans in the cupboard!

It depends how much the cat food is but otherwise I think £25 a week for one person is tight but doable.

As another person said it is £3.50 a day. I often try and make our meals for under £1 per head. It won't be particularly lavish but it is definitely able to be done by cutting out a lot of meat, predominantly buying frozen fruit and veg, using pulses etc.

Breakfast - porridge made with half milk/half water and some frozen fruit added. Or the own brand Weetabix is absolutely fine, we buy that a lot. The Tesco ones work out at 10p for two own brand wheat biscuits then with milk added that's breakfast for under 50p.

Lunch - peanut butter sandwich, or cheese and tomato sandwich, or egg on toast, or soup and a piece of fruit. Bananas, apples, pears, plums etc are usually the cheapest.

Dinners - the cheapest dinners I make are jacket potatoes with beans, marmite spaghetti (Nigella recipe) or any pasta with frozen veg and some sauce, pork chops with vegetables, egg fried rice with frozen peas and sweetcorn, daal using dried lentils and spices etc.

E.g. just checked at Tesco:

Bag of own brand penne pasta - 50p
Jar of pesto - £1
Tin of cannellini beans for protein - 50p
Frozen peas - 50p would be half a bag of the own brand frozen peas
Grated cheddar - 50p

That would be £3 but make four meals for dinners or lunches at 75p per portion.

I'm not saying it would be pleasant. I think snacks and treats would be rare but it is possible.

You have such a great attitude that I'm sure you'll do it and thrive - your kitty is lucky to have you!

For cat food if you can stock up monthly zooplus online are pretty good.

Don't know if this will give you any ideas but if you Google budget meal plans a lot come up. There is also a Facebook group - feed yourself for a pound a day but I've not taken much notice of it

https://savvybites.co.uk/category/25-meal-plans/

This is the one I was thinking of...
https://thriftylesley.com/thrifty-lesley-meal-plans/

Soup, as someone said. I have soup maker, and have soup once a day, the variety is endless I always put either a tin of butter beans in or chickpeas in and it thicken it and makes it more nutritious. It uses up all veg and you can also put frozen veg in if necessary. I make enough for 4 days keep in fridge and microwave when hungry.

Loitering in the thread as I'll be in the same position in the next couple of months. Good luck OP!

EDIT - I agree with pp, if you can hide the odd ten or twenty for the next few weeks it will help with the starter pack of bulk buying. Also hide some toilet rolls, wash powder and other more expensive items so you don't need to purchase them immediately.

I could probably do it for me-although it wouldn't be much fun. But catfood as well-not sure that's possible.

That's doable. I did it on £20 when dd was at uni. We only spend £50 for the two of us now.

I watched the Nadiya "Cook once, eat twice" programme on iPlayer last night and she had some good ideas too for using up leftovers or cooking a batch of food to make two separate meals.

E.g. she cooked a huge pan of spiced carrot soup (carrot, potato, stock, spices etc) which would be very cheap to make....with the vegetables grated to save time cooking on the hob. Then she used the soup as the basis of a curry with extra spices and some frozen fish. Tinned chickpeas etc would be even cheaper for a vegetarian curry.

Hmmm... I think it could be doable if living very very frugally and had time and energy to cook a lot from scratch, possibly without the cat food though. Does your cat eat dried or wet?

I think I'd go with just frozen or tinned fruit and veg, no salad etc. Not much variety but at least no wastage. I'd maybe get some dried fruit like raisins.

On my monthly shopping list I'd have oats, rice, pasta, dried lentils, beans and pulses, tinned tomatoes, frozen veg and fruit, bread making flour (there are no knead recipes and you can make pizza dough, wraps etc), baked beans, baking potatoes, tins of fish like tuna and sardines, curry powder, chilli powder, big bag of onions, garlic, eggs, block of cheese, peanut butter, sunflower oil, block of coconut cream to add to curries. I'd then use a slow cooker to make a batch of lentil soup, dahl, chickpea curry, chickpea tagging or bean chilli each week and eat that several times with rice/baked potato along with other dinners of omelette, tuna pasta, homemade pizza. All with some frozen veg on the side. Breakfast of porridge with frozen fruit mixed in, bread and peanut butter.

I live alone and budget £40 a week for food and items like TP, shower gel. It doesn’t include pet food which I buy separately. I buy baking potatoes, cheese, Greek yogurt, dried and canned or jarred pulses, fresh spinach, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit and have one large meal a day with a second meal of fruit and yogurt.

A slow cooker for soaking and cooking dried beans is a big help. Once or twice a year I buy a bag or two of masa to make corn tortillas which are endlessly versatile and very easy to prepare. Just add water!

Will you be living near a supermarket? DH saves a lot by going near closing time, and freezing as necessary

Olio and too good 2 go apps and local community food parcels (no referral or specific requirements needed).

I should add my weekly budget is for the minimum order from ocado or Waitrose, I would certainly spend less if I were to go to Aldi or Lidl or a street market.

Beans on toast, soups, super 6 at Aldi for fruit/veg, jackets, chickpeas etc.

What food is your cat on? Could you slowly transition onto something a bit cheaper/add biscuits in if not already doing so? I know they don’t eat loads but might free up a bit.

It’s totally doable op, it’s not forever! You just need to meal plan.

Frozen veg is often cheaper. If you have any outdoor space, you can also consider growing a few bits. Strawberries and raspberries are easy to grow in most conditions. If you are more rural, look around for feral apple trees and blackberry bushes. Pea shoots and herbs from seeds can be grown on a window sill for pennies. Not saying it will make a huge difference, but will add a little variety.

Could you get evening or weekend work in a catering environment? You often get a free meal during your shift and the extra money would help.

Can you get a delivery from a supermarket you haven’t used before for the new customer deal?

I think filling your cupboards is a great way to start I think and some good ideas on here.

Do you know someone with a Costco card who could take you shopping - I know things like cheese is cheap there and you can portion and freeze.

Very do-able with out compromising too much on taste/flavour. Some ideas:

Cheap protein sources:
Lentils (1kg - £2)
Eggs
Tofu
Fish - if you eat fish, then tinned fish can be a cheap and tasty meal - sardines on toast, a Bolognese type sauce made with tinned sardines is great
Cheese

Cheap Carbs:
Rice
Spuds
Pasta
Cous Cous
Noodles

Cheap veg (with good vitamin content - no point spending money on "empty" veg like cucumber, lettuce, etc):
Carrots
Cabbage
Frozen peppers
Frozen spinach

You would need a supply of stock ingredients - curry powder, mixed herbs, salt, pepper, soy sauce, garlic power, oil, chilli powder, bag of frozen ginger/garlic cubes

Meal ideas:

1. Frittata - Dice up a block of feta and split into 4 portions. Freeze 3 and with the other make a 3 egg, spinach and feta frittata/omelette. Server with a homemade slaw. Cost per portion less than £1.50
2. Daal - mug of lentils, boiled with curry power and garlic powder. Add veg near the end (spinach, peppers, peas). Serve with rice. Cost per portion about £1
3. Tofu chow mien. Dice up a pack of tofu and split into 3 portions. Freeze 2 and with the other stir fry with peppers, onions, cabbage and a cube of garlic/ginger, Add soy. Add in cooked noodles. Cost per portion about £1.20
4. Egg curry (bulk cook a curry sauce and freeze portions if you have space)
5. Eggs, chips (or sautéed potatoes) and beans
6. Pitta bread pizzas - top pita with tomato puree (loosened with water and add herbs/garlic powder). Top with cheese and veggies.
7. Chick pea tagine

Just to be clear, are you looking to do just one online shop per month with no top ups for fresh stuff? It's possible but may become repetitive and I would really miss fresh fruit and veg. Do you have a big freezer?