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Original poster

British families that go on these BBC save money shows can't be real

321 replies

Rufusgy · 12/09/2015 21:56

Eat well for less.

A mum sends three children to school with shop bought microwaved pancakes laced with nuttela everyday Hmm

They spend 5 mins explaining how to use a bit of left over chicken in a stir fry, basically just chop up eveything and stir fry it. As if stir fry and woks are some newfangled invention Hmm

They can't afford a house deposit and have zero savings, but won't even consider not buying a brand Hmm

Slicing chease is 'too much work" Hmm

Seriously is any British family actually like this? Who the fuck is stupid enough that they need a prime time BBC show to tell them proccessed food is expensive and its cheaper to make it yourself.

OP posts:
SacredHeart · 12/09/2015 22:01

I've met them, seriously there are people like that. I used to work with a woman who didn't have a great salary (neither did her husband) yet went daily to marks to buy ready meals for her, DH and DS - all "ping food" and open and serve, "ping" potatoes, "ping" burgers (complete with buns and dressing), those one meal pots of cereal and yoghurt.

Wanted a house and a car (hers was run into the ground) but has no money. It's sad but true, she couldn't boil water.

SaucyJack · 12/09/2015 22:01

I don't think cooking from scratch is cheaper.

SacredHeart · 12/09/2015 22:04

I would add the look on her face when she saw my beautiful homemade lunches and I said I feed DH and me; breakfast, lunch, dinner and treats on £30 a week

Original poster
Rufusgy · 12/09/2015 22:10

Of course cooking from scratch is cheaper!

If your comparing the same ingredients, procced stuff has fake cheese, fake tomato stuff etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rufusgy · 12/09/2015 22:11

I seriously haven't met anyone that stupid.

This mum might as well be sending the children off to school with shop bought chocolate cake everyday!

OP posts:
SaucyJack · 12/09/2015 22:16

Nup. It really isn't unless you like tasteless food or already have a cupboard full of herbs/oils/condiments/yadda yadda.

I cook because I enjoy it, basically. It doesn't save me a penny tho.

BerniceB · 12/09/2015 22:24

If you're buying m&s ready meals it can be cheaper though. It's three quid minimum for one of their ready meals. I can rustle up spaghetti bolognaise or shepherds pie for four for well under £12. (Even if quite often I can't be arsed to cook and would rather have toast.)

Philoslothy · 12/09/2015 22:25

" cooking from scratch is cheaper" is one of my favourite smug mantras.

fuzzpig · 12/09/2015 22:31

Ooh, another series of this. I watched the last one like this Hmm Confused it wasn't really 'eat well' so much as 'drop a brand'.

Arf at the new-fangled stir fry :o

SavoyCabbage · 12/09/2015 22:37

I thought the same thing when I watched it. They can't be real. How could it not cross their minds that it's cheaper to chop a carrot than it is to buy them ready prepared?

And buying the teddy 'ham' as it was the same size as the bread! How
Any do you have to be before you can't be arsed to fold over a bit of ham???

NotWorkingOut · 12/09/2015 22:37

DP was moaning earlier about how they were parading around like geniuses for saving them money, when actually it was really fucking simple and self explanatory. We watched last week's last night, so not sure what the new one's luke.

SavoyCabbage · 12/09/2015 22:37

*lazy not Any

BrianButterfield · 12/09/2015 22:39

I make a mean steak and ale pie. No way is it cheaper than buying one ready made though.

Kewcumber · 12/09/2015 22:41

Oh I loved that woman. DS and I chortled all the way through it. I thought she was very good natured but I did laugh out loud when she looked at the block of cheese and said something along the lines of "thats too much work".

I thought I was the laziest cook and mother in the universe - buy prechopped frozen onions and sometimes frozen jacket potatoes - but truly I offer up my crown of laziest parent to her in awe. I'm not worthy.

She throws stuff away 2 days BEFORE the sell by date too!

Fontella · 12/09/2015 22:42

I must admit I was a bit taken aback at the woman who found it 'hard work' slicing or grating a bit of bloody cheese. She was whinging and whining the whole time.

987flowers · 12/09/2015 22:42

I get really fed up with people saying cooking from scratch isn't cheaper as that's bollocks. An example- pulled pork joint £5 which has done three means plus sandwiches. 500g mince to make 2 meals for 4 plus an adult portion left over. Yes maybe you can cook crap for less but that's a whole lot cheaper than many ready meals

Kewcumber · 12/09/2015 22:43

"This ham isn't the same size as the bread" looked on puzzled and attempts to gingerly use knife to cut bits off...

I wept with laughter.

It convinced DS I'm not so bad after all.

Mind you I thought the healthy home made oven chips looked horrible.

BrianButterfield · 12/09/2015 22:44

You are allowed to be lazy though, in life. Nobody's going to give you a prize because you grate your cheese yourself. I like to cook but only for my own enjoyment. No point being a martyr - if you don't like to cook there's plenty of decent food out there.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 12/09/2015 22:45

I saw a bit of one of these. I agree it's bullshit. I mean, you buy super expensive muesli, you can buy slightly cheaper and save £300 per year.

No shit.

Pre sliced cheese is pricey.

No shit.

Kewcumber · 12/09/2015 22:46

£12 for spag bol for four?! What on earth do you put in it? I think mine must cost about £8. The only extras you need to make home made food tasty are garlic salt pepper and curry power, I manage without everything else.

You can get bought meals (aldi frozen) for example cheaper than home made but they're generally low in protein and lots of filler like sauce.

So sometimes it cheaper and sometimes its healthier.

I like a good "ping" meal once a week or so

nancy75 · 12/09/2015 22:47

I know a couple of people like this - most of the problem is they don't know how to cook. They wouldn't think that a chicken could do a roast and then make something else with the leftovers, making something like a pie would be totally beyond them.
There will be loads of kids growing up like this - if parents call a ready meal cooking then that is what the kids will do as adults too.
I think we need to bring basic cooking back in to schools - all kids should leave school knowing how to make 7 basic dinners

Cherryblossomsinspring · 12/09/2015 22:47

How does 500g of mince do 4 people for 2 meals? A meat serving is 200g i think. So you'd need 1600g of mince for 4 people to have two meals. Or do you mean if bulked out with Quorn or lentils? Did I read you wrong?

Kewcumber · 12/09/2015 22:48

I buy pre-grated basics mozzarella kep it in the freezer, pre-chopped frozen onions, don;t bake my own bread etc.

But really that particular woman was beyond lazy! Their diet was horrendous.

BabyGanoush · 12/09/2015 22:48

I have to go and watch this noe

Kewcumber · 12/09/2015 22:49

100g of mince (4 oz) is a perfectly reasonable portion. It used to be the norm, I suspect people might want more these days though.