To think I could live on �20 - 25 per week?

[confusion77]

Is it realistic? If it were just me and the cat. The cat food costs 2.75 per fortnight for tins and 11 per month for biscuits approx. I could get cheaper biscuits for him i guess.

This would be for all food and stuff like shampoo shower gel, washing up liquid etc.

Not face creams make up or wine....

You can freeze bread and yet pop it straight into the toaster so there's a lot less wastage there.

Don't buy packs of fruit and veg. Work out how much you need for your recipie and buy that amount only.

Potatoes will last longer if you put an apple in with them or just keep them in the fridge.

I freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays and add a couple of cubes to curries.

Mashed banana for cooking - freeze in bags and use for muffins etc

Grated cheese - means you can buy a huge block and freeze into portions

I actually worked out the most economical chicken to buy as some of them release lots of water and fat - I did Tesco, Sainsbury and Aldi, cheapie and free range medium of each. The best was Aldi free range - £5 but releases very little water when cooked and you get the most meat by weight. Also the most tender. Yes, I need to get a life. Most economical way to cook it is to poach it whole and then strip it down. We then freeze in bags. This is mostly because we tend to pick at it too much if we roast it... As a rough guide, you get 700g ish of cooked meat from a 1.5kg chicken so about 8 portions.

The co-op are quite good at discounting their meat if you get the timing right too. I got 8 chicken thighs/drumsticks for £1.50 the other week.

I've heard good things about Waitrose for discounting stuff just before closing, but it's too far away to try it.

Yes to the Co-op - if you get the timing right you can get their sarnies and salads for about 10p. Great for lunch the next day.

I think it's definitely doable. We spend around £55 a week at Aldi for 2 adults and a toddler. It includes nappies, wipes and dog food which is bought in bulk once a month.

you cant live on that little money

you cant live on that little money

I think a few students would beg to differ...

wellwell and I thank you for that research! I noticed up thread someone was talking about an Aldi free range chicken at that price and it seemed too good to be true, but that is excellent news and I will now be making a trip there the next time I want a bird.

My nearest one is a drive away, so I haven't been since I moved here - but a good £6 fr chook would make it worth the drive!

I would beg to differ too. I can and I have. Still do on a tight month.

Yes waitrose do v good discounts. I live in a city with lots of express stores so get all sorts discounted.

Actually I don't think I've ever paid full price for bread or milk.

Some people can, for others it's inconceivable.
My SIL and I are at opposite ends of the financial scale, I get on with her very well indeed. But she looks around my kitchen, and the lack of gadgets and extras and dining sets and glasses for different drinks puzzles her as she can't imagine coping without all the items she sees as necessary.
We budget at £25 pp per week, supermarket shop. January and August/September have to come in at less than that, due to other expenses.

I did LBTL (effectively you have £5 to last you 5 days for food, so £1 a day). It wasn't joyous but definitely do-able. £25 a week would be more than fine for food and shampoo / cleaning stuff. £1 each on shower gel and shampoo. Some cheap cream cleaner and bleach, along with some sponges will cover you for cleaning. That leaves about £20 to buy food.

The biggest issue here is that you want to leave your husband. Get help from your family, if you were my sister or daughter, I'd give you food. But bottom line, £20-25 for food per week was do-able 15 years ago. Is is not now IMHO.

I reckon it's doable. What helps us out is the 3 for £10 thing at Sainsbobs - it includes things like whole chickens, stewing beef, fish mix for fish pie, salmon fillets etc. That would easily give one person the right amount of protein for the week for just a tenner.

Yes, do able. I live on £20/25 per week per person (me and dp) including shower stuff, cleaning supplies, loo roll and food. Expecting it to go up a tad when our baby arrives.

Tips

Factory warehouse/cheapy shop places. Great for cleaning stuff ( 2 for £1 washing up liquid, bleach and toilet cleaner in ours)

Lidl. 18p noodles. Not the most nutritious but handy to have in the cupboard for quick meals. You can add anything you like to them. Also 23p a can kidney beans, loads of uses, yummy and filling.

Local green grocer for fruit and veg. Works out cheaper usually, particularly for in season/locally grown. For exotic fruit supermarket is cheaper. Best thing is you can just buy one carrot, two apples etc. So no waste.

Local butcher for meat. 2 huge chicken breasts for £2.50 at ours and I use one per meal for two people so you could use half for one - four meals! I chop it up small and add to noodles/stir fry/casserole etc. And we don't notice there's only one between two (and dp has a big appetite) quality meat doesn't shrink when cooked.
Half a pound of mince beef does both of us in chilli and costs £1.60 at butchers.

Meal plan and budget and it's very do able

Xxx

But I do think that £20/25 per person when it's 2 people is very different to £20/25 for one person. The old saying 2 can live as cheaply as 1 etc!

I think you should stock up on cleaning products before making the break. Maybe also stock up your food cupboards with stuff to add flavour - soy sauce and stock cubes and dried herbs etc.

Might not be entirely ethical, but needs must.

It's very doable.

Aldi/Lidl for shopping for basics and household stuff. Markets, if you have one, for fresh veg and meat.

Get a slow cooker! There are cheap ones for about £15. Cheap to run and fantastic for producing large amounts of soup/stew/chilli etc etc without effort. The smells when you walk in from work will offset any 'poor' ingredient issues and cheaper cuts of meat will tenderise beautifully.

I manage two adults and a four year old on about £30 a week for food, and we're not eating boring, plain pasta every night or jacket potato and beans.

For example, it was Katsu curry last night (I made the coating for the chicken pieces and the sauce from scratch. Served with rice, it cost about £1 per person). It's chilli tonight, chicken provencal tomorrow and probably soup on Wednesday, to use up all the bits of veg etc I have left lying around before payday. I used half the mince packet in the chilli tonight earlier in the week to make sheppy pie.

The trick is seasoning and lots of tinned and frozen beans and veg and pulses. The dreaded Iceland do a roasting veg mix that has baby onions in it - just lovely in soups and stews and it lasts for ages!!

Pancakes can also be your friend. We don't use them much here except once a year, but... Get a cheap mix, make the pancakes, put grated cheese, chicken, veg, whatever in the middle, roll them, put them in a baking dish, cover with more cheese and bake. Lovely, and filling, and quick. A decent alternative to potatoes and pasta as a carb base, as well.

When things have been really tight, I can bring a fortnight's shopping in for three under £40, but that's not something I'd want to do regularly, as it wouldn't be healthy. £25 a week for one person should be perfectly doable.

The trick is to have fun with it, be creative, try new things. Challenge yourself!

Yes, I agree about building up a good stock of herbs, spices, oils, vinegars and cleaning products - that will help you to have tasty meals.

Well, I mean, don't eat the cleaning products.

purpleroxy that's just a saying. It's not really true.

Yes, I could, and did in my early 20's when I had just graduated.

Money was very very tight and didn't get much better after I found a graduate job in fact.

I'm not saying it was a very exciting (and perhaps in hindsight always that healthy) diet, but I survived and didn't starve.

Some brilliant ideas here thank you.

I already shop at Aldo mostly anyemway, and yes to the 5 free range chicken. The 3 for 10 from tescos just do not compare in size or flavour.

I have just been to aldi for a few bits.

Bananas 8 - 68p
Apples 8 - 1.89
S/skim milk 6 pints - 1.42
Ham 99
Beans 4 tins 1.15
Cereal bars 6 - 1.39

I realise that this is by no means a weeks shop but its certainly encouraging. Enough fruit for a week, and cereal bars. Ham for lunches, milk for a month at the rate i use it.

I planned a bettr shop but didn't have a quid for the trolley so just got essentials.

I'm going to start straight away i think!