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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to try and settle the 'which is cheaper, junk or cooked from scratch' debate once and for all

642 replies

IceBeing · 27/08/2013 13:05

I have seen both sides of this recently on MN and on the box.

So. submit your meal plans here.

  1. Choose junk or home cooked
  1. Give a shopping list plus price for a weeks worth of food for a family of 4, assuming no reliance on a 'store cupboard' and no meal sharing.
  1. Give an estimated weekly cooking time plus shopping time.
  1. indicate if your plan relies on a local aldi/lidl etc.

Lets sort this the JEFF out please.....

OP posts:
BoffinMum · 28/08/2013 23:11

MrsKoala, exactly. I have loads of neighbours with allotments and I donated some of my own land for a community guerrilla gardening patch so I get stuff for free, plus I can forage brilliantly well nearby, and I have a car, so that makes it easy to reduce costs. I am friendly with my butcher and get free ham bones and so on as well. All these things make a difference and I managed to do this in London too, but not everyone can. It's expensive being poor, as they say.

racingheart · 28/08/2013 23:13

Mrs Koala isn't that true of the junk food shops too? I don't live anywhere near an Iceland or FarmFoods. Most people have access to a supermarket, I based my prices on Sainsbury. I know Aldi and Tesco are a bit cheaper but there aren't any near by.

As for free food, which a lot of scratchers haven't included (I didn't either) I don't know any place in the UK that doesn't have free blackberries, elder flowers and nettles. They grow wild wherever there's a patch of untended land.

BoffinMum · 28/08/2013 23:15

On my blog I did a post about British restaurants in WW2 where people could get a square meal for the equivalent of £1 or £2 - I think we need them back tbh.

BoffinMum · 28/08/2013 23:21

Btw there's a good entry on British Restaurants in Wikipedia if anyone is interested.

MrsKoala · 28/08/2013 23:21

i meant use shops like iceland/sainsbury/asda/tesco, because i think they all deliver. So most people can access them. The problem with going to the reduced section/foraging/growing/scrounging etc is that it is unreliable. You can't count on it. So it you get to the shop and there is nothing reduced/cheap you can't say 'sorry kids, no food today'. Same as 'car boot sale' slow cookers. It is not something everybody can access and should not really be included in a serious strategy to combat poverty. We can't all live like that. So it's not really a valid economic policy.

IceBeing · 28/08/2013 23:24

racing that includes breakfast and lunch. toast and a variety of different curds/preserves for breakfast and varieties of sandwiches (which I listed) plus crisps and shortbread for lunch.

OP posts:
IceBeing · 28/08/2013 23:32

value bread is 47p per 800g...
value lemon curd is an amazing 22p (56 kcals per 1p - so if you only eat lemon curd then your weekly shop for a family of 4 costs £8.75)

urgh...on that note I am heading to bed.

OP posts:
racingheart · 28/08/2013 23:39

MrsKoala - you're right. It's not a proper strategy at all.

Ice - gah - I still haven't found your menu.
Goodnight.

dreamingbohemian · 29/08/2013 00:08

Scratchers. I like it Smile

Good luck with your shopping MrsKoala I hope it works out well. I hear so many people raving about Vancouver, nobody ever mentions the $9 pizza!

prettybird · 29/08/2013 08:17

Got a loaf of sliced organic wholemeal bread last night in Sainsbury's for 10p Shock. As it's for toast, who cares if it is "out of date"? HmmGrin

BoffinMum · 29/08/2013 09:26

Prettybird, also bread and butter pudding made with 2 eggs and half a pint of full fat milk, plus a bit of marg and sugar?

MadeOfStarDust · 29/08/2013 10:08

as a child of parents with no money, we used to have bread and butter pud for breakfast some days - it made 2 eggs and half a pint of milk, with half a stale loaf of cheap white bread (not much butter usually!) go round 6 of us.

whois · 29/08/2013 10:34

Right, here is a pretty balanced menu for 3 adults, around 2000 calories per day coming in at £50.95 or £1.82 per person per day for 3 meals a days. Cheap sausages and non-free range eggs but I?m coming from the point of view that money buys you the luxury of ethics and I?d rather eat meat 2x per week than not at all.

There will be spices, oil, tea bags, flour, sugar, gravy, baking powder & biscuits left over. Also some pasta and rice.

This menu allows for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three puddings. You can have some squash to drink, also there are tea bags and sugar and 2 pints of milk available for tea / not otherwise allocated.

Obviously you do need basic cooking equipment but apart from the cake I?ve avoided using the oven to keep energy prices down. You can actually cook the cake in a microwave anyway so think that is allowable. You also need some knowledge of how to cook but the meals are easy and quick at 30 mins or less cooking and prep time.

You get enough protein, carbs, fibre and just about enough veg. Only one piece of fruit per day but 3 to 4 portions of veg a day. Next week, you wouldn?t need to buy all the staples so could buy some more fruit or veg, or stock up on more ?store cupboard? things to help liven up the meals.

I think this is a fairly good menu, low salt except in the tinned soup, and I would happily eat all these meals.

Breakfasts x 5
Porridge 50g
Milk 280g
1 tablespoon honey
CALORIES: 418

Breakfasts x 2
Buttered toast x 1
Eggs x 2
CALORIES: 362

Snack x 7
Banana
Calories: 166

Snack x 7
Biscuit
CALORIES: 80

Lunch x 2 Beans on toast
Buttered toast x 2
1 tin baked beans
CALORIES: 694

Lunch x 2 Soup and toast
Buttered toast x 2
1 tin tesco soup (one day veg and one day chicken suggested)

CALORIES: 484

Lunch x 2 Cheese sandwich
Buttered bread x 2
Cheddar x 2 slices
Lettuce (use 1/2 lettuce over all sandwiches)
CALORIES: 534

Lunch x 1 Sardines on toast
Buttered toast x 2
Sardines x 1 tin
CALORIES: 450

Dinners

  1. Sausage pasta

Pasta 400g
Tinned toms x 2
Carrots 400g diced
Onion x 2 diced
1 tablespoon oil for frying
Sausages x 8
Mixed Italian herbs
Black pepper
CALORIES: 708 (total 2831)

  1. Tuna pasta bake

Pasta 400g
Peas 320g
Tuna x 2 tins
Cheese 200g
Flour 50g
Butter 50g
Mixed Italian herbs
Black pepper
CALORIES: 887 (total 3549)

  1. Egg rice with beans

Rice 400g
Kidney beans x 2 tins
Onion x 1 diced
Peas 320g
Eggs x 10
Oil x 1 tablespoon for frying
Black pepper
Spice Mix
CALORIES: 851 (total 3405)

  1. Frittata with salad and beans

Eggs x 12
Potatoes x 500g
Chickpeas x 1 tin
Oil x 1 tablespoon
Carrots x 400g grated for salad (or cooked if prefer)
Green beans x 350g
Lettuce x ½
Mixed Italian herbs
Black pepper
CALORIES: 636 (total 2542)

  1. Rice with veggie chilli

Tinned toms x 2
Kidney beans x 2 tins
Onion x 1
Carrots diced x 400g
Lentils 1 cup dried + 2 cups water
Oil 1 tablespoon for frying
Black pepper
Spice Mix
CALORIES: 715 (2861 total)

  1. Sausages and cheesy mash

Saussages x 8
Potatoes x 1kg
Gravey from granuals
Grated cheese x 100g
Green beans x 400g
Dash of milk for mash
Pepper
CALORIES: 558 (total 2233)

  1. Daal and naan bread

Naan bread x 1 pack
Onion x 1 dieced
Lentils x 1 cup
Carrots x 400g dieced
Peas x 400g
Oil x 1 tablespoon
Spice mix
Rice x 400g
CALORIES: 785 (total 3143)

Puddings

  1. Pancakes with jam

Makes 8

Eggs x 2
Flour x 100g
Milk x 300ml
Jam 1x tablespoon per pancake (8 total)
CALORIES: 258

  1. Jam sponge

Makes 8 slices

125g butter
125g sugar
2 eggs
125g flour
1.5 tea spone baking powder
Jam x about 15 tablespoons
CALORIES: 330 per slice

SHOPPING LIST

Tesco Everyday Value Vegetable Soup 400G x 4 @ £0.24 = £0.96
Tesco Everyday Value Chicken Soup 400G x 4 @ £0.24 = £0.96
Tesco Everyday Value Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 420G x 8 @ £0.28 = £2.24
Tesco Everyday Value Sardines In Tomato Sauce 120G x 4 @ £0.34 = £1.36
Tesco Everyday Value Mild Cheddar Slices 240G x 1 @ £1.36 = £1.36
Tesco Everyday Value Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread 800G x 3 @ £0.47 = £1.41
Tesco Everyday Value Unsalted Butter 250G x 4 @ £0.98 = £3.92
Tesco Everyday Value Oats 1Kg x 1 @ £0.75 = £0.75
Tesco British Whole Milk 2.272L/4 Pints x 3 @ £1.39 = £4.17
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Weight Eggs X 30 x 1 @ £3 = £3
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G x 2 @ £0.29 = £0.58
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg x 1 @ £0.4 = £0.4
Tesco Everyday Value Small Potatoes 1Kg x 1 @ £0.69 = £0.69
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Herbs 30G x 1 @ £0.85 = £0.85
Tesco Everyday Value Ground Black Pepper 100G x 1 @ £1.19 = £1.19
Tesco Everyday Value Chopped Tomatoes 400G x 6 @ £0.34 = £2.04
Tesco Everyday Value Clear Honey 340G x 1 @ £0.99 = £0.99
"Tesco Bananas Loose
x 28 @ £0.12 = £3.36"
Tesco Pure Vegetable Oil 1L x 1 @ £1.5 = £1.5
Tesco Red Split Lentils 500G x 1 @ £1.09 = £1.09
Tesco Everyday Value 8 Pork Sausages 454G x 2 @ £0.59 = £1.18
Tesco Everyday Value Dark Red Kidney Beans 400G x 4 @ £0.21 = £0.84
Tesco Everyday Value Garden Peas 900G x 1 @ £0.89 = £0.89
Tesco Everyday Value Carrots 1.5Kg x 1 @ £0.59 = £0.59
Tesco Brown Onions Loose x 5 @ £0.25 = £1.25
Tesco Everyday Value Gravy Granules 200G x 1 @ £0.2 = £0.2
East End Chick Peas 400G x 1 @ £0.39 = £0.39
Tesco Everyday Value Mild White Cheese Small x 1 @ £2.66 = £2.66
Tesco Everyday Value Tuna Chunks In Brine 185G x 2 @ £0.9 = £1.8
Tesco Everyday Value Plain Flour 1.5Kg x 1 @ £0.45 = £0.45
Tesco Everyday Value Strawberry Jam 454G x 1 @ £0.29 = £0.29
Miscellaneous Granulated Sugar Packet 1Kg x 1 @ £0.99 = £0.99
Tesco Ground Mix Spice 37G (Cinnamon,Coriander Seed ,Nutmeg ,Clove ,Pimento ,Ginger) x 1 @ £1 = £1
Tesco Garlic/Coriander Naan 2 Pack 260G x 1 @ £0.99 = £0.99
Tesco Everyday Value Iceberg Lettuce x 1 @ £0.9 = £0.9
Tesco Sliced Green Beans 750G x 1 @ £0.79 = £0.79
Tesco Everyday Value Double Strength Orange Squash 750Ml x 1 @ £0.42 = £0.42
Tesco Everyday Value 80 Teabags 250G x 1 @ £0.27 = £0.27
Tesco Everyday Value Digestive Biscuits 400G x 1 @ £0.35 = £0.35
Tesco British Whole Milk 1.136L/2Pints x 1 @ £0.89 = £0.89
Tesco Baking Powder 170G x 1 @ £0.99 = £0.99
TOTAL = £50.95

BoffinMum · 29/08/2013 10:36

That's bloody ace, whois. Can I put that on my blog?? People would absolutely love that.

BoffinMum · 29/08/2013 10:37

Another way of using stale bread is making apple puree with free apples (lots around at the moment) and cutting the bread into cubes and frying them in a bit of margarine or butter, with a sprinkle of sugar, and then scattering the bread cubes on top of the puree.

MsCatShoes · 29/08/2013 10:53

Very late into the thread but would just like to thank whois for that awesome list and everyone else who has not only offered tips but recipes too.

I can only offer one thing I did as a student (and still do when money is low) to liven up/make more filling chopped-tomato-pasta sauce. To a big saucepan I added a teaspoon of sugar (removes the sharpness) and a generous spoonful of yoghurt to bulk it up.

Also does MN have a 'check out this supermarket food offer' forum/chat?

Chunderella · 29/08/2013 10:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

shrinkingnora · 29/08/2013 11:04

Whois - that is so similar to the one I started that I am giving up! I would add crumble to the puddings because it is immensely filling and can be made with seasonal fruit or a mixture of apples and tinned peaches. The topping works out very cheaply.

whois · 29/08/2013 11:11

Can I put that on my blog??

Sure although you might want to add simple instructions to the meals too?

Cake - follow this method

curlew · 29/08/2013 11:14

Junk. No question.

You can feed q family from Iceland for very little.

Sad but true.

curlew · 29/08/2013 11:17

Don't know whether anyone has mentioned this, but it also costs money to save money.

Going to different shops, slow cooking cheap things, buying in bulk- all of these are not options for people on very low budgets.

And (sad but true) most children will eat junk. If you are poor, you can't risk spending money on stuff they might not eat.

whois · 29/08/2013 11:17

Didn't mean to post so soon.

*I've just noticed an error on the potatoes - thought I had 1.5kg but I only have 1kg

You can now only have 200g in the fritata so add 1 extra tin of chickpeas at additional cost of £0.39*

whois · 29/08/2013 11:38

Sausage pasta
Fry onion in oil, add carrots & chopped up sausages. Fry until sausages browned. Add tomatoes, herbs and spices & simmer for approx 15 mins.
Meanwhile boil the pasta according to instructions.
Drain pasta, mix with sausage sauce and serve. [you do have 100g of cheese available if you want to grate some over]

Tuna pasta bake
Basically cook according to this recipe:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9649/tuna-pasta-bake

Egg rice with beans
Cook rice & drain. When rice nearly ready cook the frozen peas.
Fry the onion, add 2 teaspoons spice mix & black pepper. Start to scramble the eggs in there. Add the rice, peas and beans. Mix through and season with pepper and serve.

Frittata with salad and beans
Cube the potatoes and par boil them. Drain.
Meanwhile whisk the eggs, add pepper and herbs.
Add potatoes and chickpeas to a frying pan, tip in the egg mix and stir. Cook over a low heat, finish off under grill or use two plates to flip the frittata over and finish top side in the pan.
Grate carrot while the frittata is cooking and shred lettuce for salad.
Cook frozen beans when frittata is nearly done.

Rice with veggie chilli
Fry the onion for a few mins then add the carrot and fry some more.

Tip in tinned toms, 1 cup red lentils and 400ml boiling water (can use one of the tins to measure, it is one tins worth of water).
Add black pepper and herbs.
Bring to boil then simmer for 20 mins.
Meanwhile cook rice.
Add beans to sauce after 10 mins.

Sausages and cheesy mash
Cube your potatoes, boil them until done. I leave on the skin to save time and extra nutrients.
Meanwhile fry the sausages or grill if preferred.
Make gravy up according to instructions.
When potatoes and sausages are nearly done, cook the frozen beans according to instructions.
Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with the grated cheese, dash of milk and black pepper.

Daal and naan bread
Fry the diced onion for a few mins, then add diced carrot.
Add 3 tea spoons of the spice mix and fry for another min.
Add 1 cup lentils and 4 cups water. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.

Meanwhile cook rice according to instructions. S
tir in the frozen peas into the daal after 15 mins.
Heat up naan bread and serve.

Pancakes with jam
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3374/perfect-pancakes

Jam sponge
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/victoriaspongewithst_90309
Or to microwave, add in a few tablespoons of milk into the batter to make it more moist than normal. Microwave on high for 4 mins, check to see if cooked (put knife into top, if it comes out clean it is cooked) and with take out and cool or cook in 1 min or 30 sec intervals until cooked.

whois · 29/08/2013 11:39

Updated cost for the extra tin of chick peas is £51.34 or £1.83 per person per day.

stressedHEmum · 29/08/2013 11:51

Here is another meal plan based around beans. it doesn't come in any cheaper than my last one, upthread. Total cost in Tesco today £37.69. It includes things like oil, spices, butter, sugar, teabags, 12 pints of milk, salt, pepper. Basically, it assumes an empty cupboard. At the end of the week, there will be left over oil, sugar, tea, spices, stock cbes, barley and probably some other stuff. Because there's no baking in this one, I have added in a packet of biscuits, a packet of value fairy cakes, rice pudding and 4 choc mousses.

The only things the oven is needed for are the wedges and the jacket potatoes, everything else is cooked on top of the cooker in ordinary saucepans.

Tesco Everyday Value 12 Fairy Cakes £0.60
Tesco Everyday Value Sliced White Bread 800G x 4 £1.88
Tesco Everyday Value 12 White Rolls £0.40
Tesco Everyday Value Custard Cream Biscuits 400G £0.35
Dunns River Coconut Milk 400Ml £0.99
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Fruit Jam 454G £0.29
Tesco Everyday Value Mayonnaise 500Ml £0.40
Tesco Everyday Value Passata 500G £0.29
Tesco Everyday Value Chopped Tomato With Herbs 400G £0.45
Tesco Everyday Value Garlic Granules 130G £0.85
Tesco Evaporated Milk 410G £0.57
Tesco Everyday Value Mild Chilli Powder 95G £0.85
Tesco Everyday Value Dark Red Kidney Beans 400G £0.21
Tesco Pearl Barley 500G £0.55
Tesco Wholefood Pinto Beans 500G £1.09
Tesco Red Split Lentils 500G £1.09
Tesco Wholefoods Black Eye Beans 500G £1.09
Miscellaneous Granulated Sugar Packet 1Kg £0.99
Saxa Black Pepper 25G £0.60
Tesco Table Salt 750G £0.29
Tesco Medium Curry Powder 80G£1.00
Tesco Pure Vegetable Oil 1L £1.25
Tesco Everyday Value Crunchy Peanut Butter 340G x 2 £1.24
Tesco Everyday Value Oats 1Kg £0.75
Tesco Everyday Value Vegetable Stock Cubes 100G 10Pk £0.20
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg £0.40
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G x 2 £0.58
Tesco Everyday Value Chocolate Mousse 4X62.5 £0.18
Tesco Everyday Value Apples Min 4 Pack £0.90
Tesco White Cabbage Each £1.12
Tesco Everyday Value Eggs Minimum Weight Box Of 10 £1.30
Tesco Lemons Each £0.28
Tesco Sunflower Spread 500G £0.75
Tesco British Mature White Cheddar 450G x 2 £5.00
Tesco British Whole Milk 2.272L/4 Pints x 3 £3.00
Tesco Everyday Value Tomatoes 500G £0.88
Tesco Everyday Value White Potatoes 2.5Kg £1.18
Tesco Everyday Value Onions 1Kg x 2 £1.26
Tesco Carrots Loose x 8 £0.72
Tesco Everyday Value Orange Juice 1 Litre x 2 £1.30
Tesco Everyday Value 80 Teabags 250G £0.27
Tesco Everyday Value Rice Pudding 400G x 2 £0.30
Breakfasts:
porridge, milk, sugar x 4
peanut butter toast (2 slices) x 2
eggs and toast (2 slices) x 1
fruit juice three mornings

Lunch:

Pasta with caramelised onions and a little grated cheese
egg mayo sandwiches
peanut butter and apple sandwiches
cheese and tomato rolls
lentil soup and bread
jacket potatoes, coleslaw and cheese
rice salad

Dinners:
mediterranean beans and rice
white bean alfredo pasta
lentil and potato curry
lentil soup, bread, rice pudding and jam
bean burgers. wedges. shredded cabbage, carrot and apple salad
bean chilli and rice
barley risotto, choc mousse

snacks:
toast and peanut butter
bread and jam
custard creams
fairy cakes

Drinks:
tea, milk

Recipes

Pasta with onions:
chop 1kg of onions and fry gently in oil and marg until soft. add salt, pepper and a spoonful of sugar. Cook a bag of pasta. Stir onions through hot pasta and serve with a little grated cheese sprinkled on top.

Rice salad:
cook 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water till liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Cover and put in fridge until cold. Chop an onion, a couple of tomatoes and a couple of carrots, shred about 1/4 of the cabbage. Mix veg into cold rice and stir though some mayonnaise. Squeeze in the juice of half the lemon, season well.

Mediterranean beans and rice:
Soak the black eyed peas overnight. Drain, put in a large pan with a splash of oil and enough water to cover to the depth of about 1 inch. bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours until tender. Drain. Reserve 2 cups of the beans for the alfredo sauce.

Chop and fry an onion until soft. Add the tomatoes with herbs and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Grate in the zest of the lemon and squeeze in the juice of half the lemon. season with salt and pepper. Stir in beans and heat through. Serve over rice (1 1/2cups cooked in 3 cups water.) top with a little grated cheese if you like.

White bean alfredo pasta

This . Substitute grated cheddar for the parmesan.

Lentil and potato curry:
Cut about 2lbs of potatoes into bite sized chunks. Chop and fry a couple of onions in some oil until soft. Add a spoonful of curry powder and cook for a minute or two. Add potatoes, half the bag of lentils, the coconut milk and a tin full of water. Mix well, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat for about 1/2 an hour until potatoes are cooked and lentils are very soft.

Lentil soup:
other half of the lentils, couple of chopped onions, 4 chopped carrots, veg stock, salt and pepper. Simmer until done.

Bean Burgers:

Prepare the pinto beans in the same way that you did the white beans. Separate out 3 cups of beans. Make breadcrumbs from a couple of end slices of bread.

Chop and fry and onion until soft. Mash the beans in a bowl. Add fried onion, breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, some garlic powder, some chilli powder, salt, pepper. Mix well, Make 8 burgers and fry on either side until crisp and browned. Serve with HM wedges - cut 4 potatoes into wedges, toss in a little oil, season and roast at 180 for about 25-30mins- and a salad made from a couple of shredded carrots, 1/4 of the cabbage, shredded and an apple, chopped into little bits. Mix this with a little mayo and season.

Bean chilli:

Fry a chopped onion until soft. Add a little garlic powder and chilli powder to taste. Add the tin of tomatoes, the drained tin of kidney beans and the rest of the pinto beans. Simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Serve over 1 1/2 cups of rice cooked in 3 cups of water.

Barley risotto:

Fry a couple of chopped onions until done. Add a spoonful of garlic powder. Stir in half the bag of barley and stir until coated with oil. Add About 5 cups of veg stock, bit at a time - the way you do with risotto rice - stirring all the time. When the risotto is done, stir through a spoonful of butter and a handful of grated cheese. Cover and leave to sit for a few minutes. Check seasoning.

Coleslaw:

Grated the remaining carrots. Shred the last 1/2 of the cabbage and finely chop an onion. Mix together well with some mayo. Season well. Use to fill the jacket potatoes, top with cheese.

Don't know how to do a calorie breakdown, but it's quite balanced, I think, over the course of the week.