To feed my family on £1 per person per day

[Dramatic]

I've heard about celebs doing this and finding it almost impossible but really it's not that hard, I spend £25 a week (or less) on me and 3 kids. Am I a cheapskate or do other people spend this much? I shop at Aldi if that makes a difference. Maybe I'm depriving my kids by spending £1 a day on them. How much do you spend per person per day? Surely it's not that unreasonable to think £1 a day is plenty to feed yourself, why are people making such a fuss about it?

[jacks365]

10 fruit in each bag is only 30 in total which means 7.5 pieces per person per week or just 1 a day, the rest of the veg probably equals 1/2 a portion a day you are way under for fruit and veg very little dairy for calcium and little protein. It isn't a healthy diet.

[Dramatic]

My families meals are much healthier than a lot of people I know and is certainly healthier than what I grew up on.

[RiverTam]

good Lord, DD and DH get through 8 pints of milk every 3-4 days.

I hate to say this but at a guess you and your children may be at risk of being malrourished.

Can you give a menu plan for a week, I'm really struggling to visualise their meals.

[GiveTwoSheets]

op have you not asked if your entitle to help from food bank especially with you having little ones?

I honestly don't know how you are doing it my 3yr old is like a human dustbin at the moment in fruit alone today he's had banana, strawberries, grapes, apple, kiwi

[Busymumto3dc]

How old are the dc!

[SaucyJack]

Another one who doesn't get what the point of this thread is. Fair play to you for trying to feed your family as well as you can for as little as possible while you try to sort your debts out, but noone would or should choose to live like that. Jam sandwiches and half a yoghurt each are not exactly ideal meals for growing children.

I could cut my shopping bill by a fair whack, but I don't want to tbh. I enjoy cooking and like buying new and exciting things to try out from the Chinese supermarket round the corner.I also like to eat a variety of veg and fruit- not just the same two or three cheapest things in the shop.

[WireCat]

OP, post a shopping list and the meals you'd make.

Today I tried to make a food order for feeding 5 of us on £1 a day. So £35 per week. Virtually impossible to keep it up week after week.

[Dramatic]

Sorry they are 6, 3 and almost 2. The older two get fruit at school/nursery (as I assume all children do) and milk also. They are not malnourished!

[iK8]

Frankly my weekly wine budget alone is more than that

What do you eat?

[MrsKoala]

10 pieces of fruit each is less than 1.5 each a day. One onion split between 4 and some frozen veg would probably add up to 1 portion if you were lucky. I doubt you are getting close to 4 portions each. And the dc don't sound like they are having enough dairy at all with such a small amount of milk/yogurt and no cheese. Processed ham and cheap jam is not great either.

[redandchecker]

My families meals are much healthier than a lot of people I know and is certainly healthier than what I grew up on.

That may be true, my DPs family lived off of tinned spaghetti bolognaise and takeaways because his DM didn't know how to cook.

Very unhealthy, however it doesn't mean that your DCs diets are healthy.

It's good to see you are doing what best you can on a very limited budget, and getting some fresh ingredients in.

But honestly, jam sandwiches, regularly, (daily?), on cheap bread and cheap jam? It's full of crap.

I'd get down to your local food bank and get some advice from your HV about getting your DC trying out new foods if they are fussy and only eat jam sandwiches.

[Busymumto3dc]

Is your little one getting full fat milk?

[iK8]

Just seen what you're eating. Doesn't look very healthy really.

[SaucyJack]

iK8 no idea what you look like, but you sound utterly fabulous

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

But if the children are eating for free at school, then you aren't feeding everyone for £1 a day, are you?

[MrsKoala]

From the NHS website 'Children between the ages of one and three need to have around 350mg of calcium a day. About 300ml of milk (just over half a pint) would provide this.'

So 4 pints a week would only just cover your 2 yo requirements.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

Here's a menu plan and shopping list for you all.

Go to asda (I'd go to aldi but I'd need to spend about £5 on the bus; I can walk to Asda). And you don't seem to get lentils in aldi according to mysupermarket.

Buy:

4kg carrots (2 x £1.18 = £2.36)
2 swedes (2 x 79p = £1.58)
4kg onions (£1.67)
2 bags of apples (2 x 90p = £1.80)
2 bags kids bananas (2 x £1 = £2)
3 loafs of the cheapest bread (3 x 45p = £1.35)
2kg red lentils (£3.50)
Packet stock cubes (40p)
3kg porridge oats (3 x 75p = £2.25)
12 pints milk (2 x £1.48 = £2.96)
100g garam masala (60p)
500g margarine (£1)
1kg sugar (88p)
240 tea bags (£3.00)

Total: £25.35

With this you can feast on the following (but good luck carrying it home from Asda first):

Breakfasts: porridge (cooked in water; you can add a bit of milk and sugar at the end if you must).

Lunch and dinner: lentil soup. For a special treat you can chuck in some garam masala and call it dhal. Serve with cheap bread and marg.

Snacks: 1 apple or banana daily (kids only).

Drinks: milk, water or tea (you can have some milk and sugar in it if you want)

So you get 5 a day. Well, the kids do. You get 4. It's just the same 5 a day every bloody day. Forever.

If you want to save some money, you can cut back on extravagances like sugar, garam masala, bread, marg, stock cubes and even tea. Plain porridge cooked in water followed by lentil soup twice a day washed down with tap water for the rest of your life. At least the kids get a piece of fruit a day to look forward to.

You can save money the next week, as you can make shit loads of lentil soup with those ingredients.

What's not to like?

[iK8]

Like this Saucy

[Dramatic]

I don't mean she only eats jam sandwiches, she eats fruit and will try most meals I cook (although won't eat much). Is it really not that healthy? What kind of things should I be doing for dinner then? They have one proper home cooked meal a day, weetabix (which is healthy) they have fruit and veg, what else exactly should they be eating?

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

Calcium, protein, carbs that aren't white and processed (so white pasta, rice and bread aren't great for every meal).

Could you do a meal plan for the week to show what you are cooking?

[Dramatic]

But I don't need things like tea bags and sugar. I also buy margerine once every few weeks, lasts ages. Definitely wouldn't go through 500g a week!

[jacks365]

More protein, more vegetables, more calcium rich foods.and get some fish on the menu for the omega oils.

[Dramatic]

I actually didn't know about the calcium requirements but I think I would struggle to get that much milk into them.

[Catsize]

Little fishies. Or big fishies. Just some fishies. On little dishies. Only when the boat comes in, mind you...

[Bloodyteenagers]

Can you not work with the debts to reduce them further to pay an absolute minimal? Ok will take longer, but will have more money.
Give up the luxuries. Sorry, if this was me, and I had the option of net of feeding my children something nutritious their well being wins each and every time.

It might appear healthy to you, but in reality no. They need vitamins from an assortment of different foods. They need protein. They need calcium. They need iron. A healthy diet needs oily fish for the omega 3. They need fibre.

Problems from a poor diet can take time to materialise.