...to doubt posters who say they feed a family of four on £50/week

[twofingerstoGideon]

I'm really broke myself, so I'd love to believe this is true, but that works out at £1.78 per person per day (£50 divided by 7 days divided by 4 people).

Some people go even further and say they 'run their household' on this amount, implying that they manage all bills, buy loo rolls, cleaning products, sometimes even nappies, etc., for fifty quid.

I'm really good at budgetting, freecycling, buying second hand etc., but I can't help feeling a bit about some of these claims. It's just a kind of one-downmanship, isn't it?

(Awaits flaming...)

When mine were at school, I used to make soup, stew or similar over night in the slow cooker and the kids would take that for lunch in food flasks. Or things like beans and hotdogs. Then they would just take some sort of bread, for mopping up juice and a biscuit or something. Much better than sandwiches, especially in the winter.

I really don't think I could feed my family of four on that I struggle to keep below hundred most weeks, however we do eat a fair bit of fruit, reay don't know how they can have a balanced diet on fifty. Well done them if they are.

Pickers wear big knickers.

Probably true. We are an overweight nation, a fair bit of our food bills can probably be chalked up to eating too much. (even if it's healthy)

Just discovered there is something else the children won't eat. Tinned fish of any sort.

My oven died yesterday so I decided to break open the, er, armageddon cupboard (MN thread a while back about how long your family could eat without shopping and using cash if there was some sort of meltdown). I installed armageddon stash immediately and glowed with survivor pride. But turns out that tuna or salmon cooked with pasta and tomatoes will not be fit for human consumption come the BIG crisis.

I have to assume now that my family will not survive. Even if everyone else has mince.

I shop for six and spend about £250 a week, but that includes absolutely everything, including all the wine required. If necessary, I could feed everyone on £60 but there would be lots of moaning. Especially from DH as there would be no wine. It is easy to do once, but month after month?? Yes, if you have to (and I have had to).

There was a time when (I remembered this suddenly when I saw the comment on about the first pages of thread) I would look wistfully at a whole leg of lamb at the supermarket and thought, that would be nice, but I can't afford it.

What on earth are you buying for £250?! there are 8 of us and I doubt I could spend that much if I tried! We have a weekly budget of £120 and I never ever spend that much.

£250!

Oh i'm back...... busy afternoon!

The wrap idea is fab....my middle ds is easiest to feed. Eldest and youngest are pains!!!
Im going to try a few new idea's when they go back to school.

I just find when there's no food in the house all i can think about is stuffing my face

I do only shop once a week so once food is gone then its gone! If they eat all the biscuits in one day then thats tough....just annoying as i don't ever get any

Dont buy biscuits, chocolate, cakes etc, but buy extra fruit. Buy something different to what you would normally buy, and perhaps punnets of small fruits like strawberries raspberries etc as they are "snacky". Then when you do feel the snack fairy calling you can have a bowl of mixed fruit instead (just dont buy cream to go with them!)

If the kids dont like it, as I said, they can buy their own biscuits!

This thread is another world from me.

We are ethical shoppers/eater and would rather eat dirt than value chicken/meat. The thought of the suffering of those poor animals! (and I'm not even veggie)

What interests me is the time cost. All this meal planning, shopping around bulk cooking takes time. Even if you only take min wage of £6.18ph what is the time cost of all this extra work?

How many hours a week are people spending on prep/cooking these economical meals?

Because if it takes 8 hours a week or more you aren't beinf as efficient as some one who gets paid for those 8 hours work and spends £100pwk.

Eh?!

How can I not be efficient if my time is my own and not paid for?! Are you suggesting that instead of spending 8 hours a week on food prep (which isnt much for 7 made-from-scratch evening meals a week) we all get 8 hours worth of paid work and buy more expensive ready meals or pre-prepared crap?

Quite apart from making no sense whatsoever, your post is patronizing and assumes a level of income that many on this thread can only dream of. Shopping ethically is your choice but it is expensive and not all of us have the money to make that choice.

Oh and your maths doesnt add up either.

Yep i know what you're saying bogeyface.... Its easier said than done tho

TBH, if you can afford £250 pw on food, have at it! It's weird to imagine, at the other end, but I'm sure it's tasty (and doesn't include mince )

What i could do with £250 a week ...but then my diet would be down pan!

Ethically speaking, value meat has a place.

I have used it myself. Chicken Korma is,er, a Chicken Korma.

Also, once one of DH's batchelor friends (I wonder why) fussy as anything, who stopped coming to dinner after we moved from Chelsea to South London, finally came over. He said he needed to leave at 9PM SHARP, because it was, er, over the river. Organic meat man, ate lots of almonds (always a giveaway), so I specially went and purchased a Value Chicken for his dinner - as he was making me cook it at for 6pm.

dont be daft, if your at home anyway then your not being paid for your time (nmw over 21 is 6.08 btw).

do you seriously belive that any chicken destined for the table (other than one you/a friend/family member have personally kept) has as much space as it needs to roam happy and free? if so you have brought into a compleate con carry on buying your happy chicken or happy eggs(by the way you may want to google that perticular company) as much as you want but do not sneer at people who either cant afford to or arnt stupid enough to fall for the utter tripe these companies spout by thinking they are being ethical.

meal planning shopping and cooking are perfectly normal household tasks.

£250 includes MIL, who has dementia. She will only eat M&S meals. So I shop for her also in that amount.

If she wants to eat Salmon Encroute, rocket and avocados all the time that is fine. I guess I spend £50 a week on her food.

If I were working the 8 hours spent prepping these meals, I would need to pay someone to look after three kids for that time. I work full time anyway.

valium

i used to have a husband who used to spout crap about what his time was worth, i used to think your not at work at the mo your sat on the sofa in your pants farting and scratching your balls your time is worth zip

Men are wonderful creatures

sock £6.08 was the 2011 rate or are you a time traveller?

£50/£6.18 = 8hours

I just dont think people should be 'holier than thou' whne they have the luxuary of time to spend on this and dont care about the ethics of where there food comes from

fwiw we couldnt afford to eat free range meat 3 times a week so we go without, I wouldnt see buying value tortured meat as an option

Not even an option for someone you don't like?

It is not a luxury of time but necessity that drives most of us margery

I care more about my children than I do about farm animals. All animals are murdered to be eaten anyway.

margery you seem to be assuming its a hobby for everyone.
Plenty of people meal plan and prep through necessity not because they worship at the feet of Kirsty Allsop.
Time/efficiency/minimum wage equations don't come into it.

I am gearing up to the post summer holiday reorganisation. Budgeting, planning and batch cooking.

I am doing it to save money. Any organic/free range meat in the reduced section will be leapt on with glee.

I am a vegetarian but no one else is. I used to buy all organic but once a small chicken topped a Tenner I couldn't do it anymore.