Aibu to think I can live on less then 15 pound a week?

[Mosseywossey]

I have just worked out my budget and I only have about 25 pound a week spare. Ideally I want to put 10 pound of it away in case of emergencies and treats.
I am allergic to chemicals so need to cook most of my meals from fresh, but can I realistically live on spending 15 pound on food a week?
And if people have any cheap recipes idea or meal plans let me know. 😋

Is that with toiletries, sanitary stuff etc? Unless you eat a whole lot of pasta and sauce it's doubtful. I know some on here can make a couple of chicken breasts feed about 4 for a couple of days but I'm not one of them so someone more useful may be along soon!

Just cooking for you or others as well?

You are not allergic to chemicals whoever told you that certainly wasn't a qualified doctor. Everything has chemicals, even water.

Well surely it depends what that covers!?

What chemicals are you allergic to?

Do you mean you are allergic to additives?

What chemicals? all chemicals?

£25 is a more realistic budget- £15 is going to be a bit miserable IMHO.

I am allergic to chemicals so need to cook most of my meals from fresh

I'd be fascinated to see the validated allergy test that says that. Not York tests or any crap like that - a proper one from a proper GMC registered doctor that says "allergic to chemicals"

Spend 20, save 5

Jacket potato and beans
Pasta with tomato sauce x2
Lentil dhal and rice x2

These are cheap meals but boring after a while.

You may need to spend more in the beginning for things like spices, but you'd do worse than to read cookingonabootstrap.com/.

Keep an eye on what we call the "dead food" section of your local supermarket(s). Sad-looking veg, food at its expiry date, that kind of thing.

We're having frozen veg curry for dinner tonight. Bag of frozen veg, tin of tomatoes, curry spices, dinner!

No adults are 'allergic to all chemicals'. They would have died in childhood if they were. Do you mean artificial additives? Although I'm not sure someone would be allergic to all these.

Eggs are cheapish. Pulses, cheap fruit and veg like potatoes, canned tomatoes, carrots, apples, onions, rice, basic spices and Asian brands not Schwartz jars etc. Reduced counter. Toiletries and cleaning products kept very basic, used sparingly and from Wilkinsons/Home Bargains not supermarkets.

Doable but will get dull and be hard long term. Can you up your income or cut your other costs anywhere to squeeze out a few extra pounds? DO you have anything you can sell?

You can if you eat a vegan diet with plenty of carbs , stock up on lots of veg , pulses , pasta etc and base your meals around these , homemade soups are a good cheap lunch , vegetable chilli with homemade potato wedges is a nice filling dinner you will find lits of recipes online

There is a Facebook group - "feed yourself for £1 a day". I doubt you'll found much organic veg within your budget though, and you'll need it if you're "allergic to chemicals".

Cooking just for me. Toiletries will have to come out of my saved money unfortunately.
I am allegeric to sulphuric dioxide which is a preservative and also something called sorbate and sorbital (nor sure if that how you spell it)
Dietian told me to cook fresh to avoid them.

A dietitian told you this? Because they aren't remotely qualified to diagnose an allergy.

Lidle penne pasta is 20p a bag, and it's perfectly alright. In fact lidls for lots of things are very good.

I spend a lot of time waiting by the yellow sticker person in my local supermarket in the evenings

Currently trying to get another job but it's a struggle as I have to study as well. Nothing to sell that I don't desperately need, on the basics as well.

Is this permanent op?

What kind of facilities do you have? Freezer size? Oven?

Do you have a spice cupboard/dried herbs/stock that sort of thing?

Is the money situation likely to change in the future, if so I'd be tempted to hold off saving or just save a couple of pounds, lots of soups you can make fairly cheap, pea soup with some onions cooked down and some frozen peas and a veg stock cube all blended up is tasty and cheap, pasta and potato dishes. Frozen veg over fresh can be handy if you have a freezer, as you can get a big bag of frozen broccoli/spinach/peas etc it won't go off and slightly cheaper.

Sorry for the confusion.
I had lots of tests from a doctor who said that I was properly allergic to those artificial chemical due to the food diary I kept and I noticed I was ill when I ate anything containing them. Also there was no direct test to confirm this ( this was quite a while ago) so it was more a process of elimination. Which took years. Then sent me to a dietian to help me find ways to avoid them as apparel you a lot of people are allergic to sulphuric dioxide.

I think you could, but it would be a boring diet. Asides from your chemical allergy, it would be easy enough to stick up on pasta, potatoes, those 19p instant noodle packets from the supermarket etc, and the weekly cheap vegetable range at Lidl. You should follow "Feed your family for £20 a week" on Facebook for some ideas

It's called Sulphur Dioxide and it's not used in that many foods.

From what you've said you just need to avoid E220, E202 and E420. Look out for these numbers on the ingredients.

It certainly doesn't mean you need to cook everything from scratch although obviously that would generally be better for you.

The situation is defiantly for the next year at least if not longer.
I have a good supply of herbs and spices and try to keep a heavy stock. I have one draw in a fridge and a freeze. Shared house /:
I am try to negotiate another draw in the freezer to store soups then have been mentioned :).

You either mean sulphur dioxide, or sulphuric acid.
Not sulphuric dioxide.