Really cheap meals and snacks

[Redundancyhell]

I'm going through redundancy and need to keep budgets to a minimum until I find another job. Can anyone recommend really cheap meals and snacks.

I'm hoping to stick to around £3 per day for food which will be challenging but I'm happy to not have too much meat and don't need too many snacks or treats each week. It's just me so if I have to occasionally be a bit hungry then I'll survive.

So far I'm thinking:
Homemade veg soup
Plain omelates
Beans on toast
Things from my freezer
Pasta and tuna/tomato veg pasta
Porridge

Ideas very welcome. I'm struggling to think of much, including for snacks. I bought an apple today and it cost 50p which seems nuts for 1 apple but I couldn't afford the £2.30 for 6 and I know I need some fruit to stay healthy 😓

I don't have much in my cupboards but do have a bit of pasta, some tins of kidney beans, oil, herbs, some tins of tuna, sugar, porridge oats and gravy.

Also can be tricky if veggie as can have meat in...some things can be frozen though e.g. supermarket bags.

Also of course checking for reduced items usually around 5pm in supermarkets can be a good source

I just wanted to pop on and say that it's going ok. Last week I spent around £30 on groceries but bought some bits that would last a while e.g. flour, oats, cereal and this week £17 so it's been manageable. Thanks for all the suggestions. In some ways it might be the kick up the backside to not waste food or to eat too much rubbish.

Porridge as a breakfast

Longlife milk often costs less than fresh.

Alter your schedule and have your meals earlier. This may reduce your need for snacks.

Protein will fill you up.

Weigh / measure your food into portions to make it last longer. Refrigerate for a later meal if necessary.

@Redundancyhell I once had a very very shit period between losing a business and getting some money in I was due and it was a real kick up for me to remember how to get by ok with not much- we didn't starve and I did simpler things I hadn't done for years - omelettes, beans on toast, tomatoes on toast with a sprinkling of cheese, mushrooms on toast mixed with a bit of Philadelphia and parsley, pancakes with melted cheese and tomato and rolled, jacket potatoes with fillings- lentil shepherds pie etc

You need to go to aldi and look at what fruit amd veg they have on offer each week as that will help bring costs down. I would do something like this as a plan for 1 week:
Breakfasts: porridge with fruit on the side, eggs and toast, homemade pancakes.
Lunch: beans on toast, bread, tuna sandwich, sausage sandwich (frozen sausages are really cheap), omelette
Dinner: pasta bake, something on toast, veg rice, roast chicken with potatoes and veg, left over chicken curry, jacket potatoes, frozen fish with rice and veg etc

Snacks: bake some scones, crisps, cheese and crackers, homemade flapjack.

You'd be best buying some store cupboard stuff and other items like loo roll, porridge oats, tea bags etc each month and then buying weekly using a weekly budget. Online supermarkets are great for planning a shop. Also look at ship like Herons as you can get some really cheap one offs from there

Buy a £4 chicken (Aldi) then roast it, strip off the meat and use for:

Chicken pasta or bake with cheese sauce

Chicken mayo sandwiches

Chicken mix in mayo and a dash of curry powder or spice for jacket potato filling

Add veg/spices to chicken for wraps/fajitas

Chicken, onion, garlic and curry powder, tin toms/stock for curry add lentils to bulk out to get a few portions

Boil bones and veg peelings make soup add in chopped dry spagetti to bulk out

Make pastry from store cupboard ingredients and make a pie

Egg fried rice, with a bit of chopped onion and maybe frozen peas/sweetcorn.
You need to cook the rice* in advance - it needs to be cold.
*obviously basic supermarket packet rice, not microwave sachets, which are many times more expensive.
Given that the rice is already cooked, this is super quick to put together, too - I’ve often made it for Gdcs when I know they’re going to be ‘starving’!

Dal is cheap and nutritious. You can get a 1.75 kg bag of yellow dal in Asda for around £3.50. A few blocks of frozen spinach, and/or some cauliflower are v good additions. You do need stock cubes too, though.