AIBU to ask if you had £50 for a weekly food shop what would you buy?

[FuckingDiet]

This is not my situation and in no way a begging thread. Between now and the run up to Christmas we see a lot of these types of threads so I thought it would be a good idea to put all our advice in one place. That way if anybody is in need everything is in on place.

I will set a challenge of 3dc aged between 2-10 and 2 adults, your meal plan for the week, shopping list and where you would buy it from with a rough total. Lets see which one of us can come up with the best result.

Oh yes I got some fresh chicken, bacon and cheese filled pasta in Aldi last week think that was about 95p it was very tasty.

I am making spaghetti and tomato prawn sauce for tonight.

Fry up some onion and bit of garlic, chuck some frozen prawns in, black pepper, tabasco sauce and chopped tinned tomatoes. Cook into sauce, then add to spaghetti or pasta. Can make it without prawns if you are skint, but tastes boring without tabasco sauce.

Whilst I don't want to get into the mythical MN chicken that can fed a family of 4 for a week, I can get 8 meals for large adults from 400g of mince. Make bolognaise but ad a bit of flour before the wet ingredients go in and bulk up with grated carrot. We have it as bolognaise with spaghetti one day and then the left overs mixed through macaroni and with a little grated cheese on the top for day two. Chicken drumsticks and thighs are cheap and are great with a pit of spice added and baked in the oven. If you have no spices then a stock cub mixed with a little oil and water makes a tasty rub.serve with a pilaf or baked risotto.

A big bag of potatoes can be quite cheap, stay fresh for a few weeks if not used all at once and used in things like:

Spanish omelette
Baked potatoes
Roast dinner
Curry
Stew
Egg and chips
Sausage and mash
Soups - I do a Cullen skink, which is basically potatoes, leeks and smoked haddock or a Finnish style salmon and potato soup with dill.

Plus more. Ready made mash is an expensive luxury version to our hypothetical skint family.

Frozen berries and fish from Aldi also much cheaper than their fresh counterparts. Aldi also do relatively cheap small packets of fresh herbs and if you don't use all of them, they can be frozen if using in things like soup or curries. Not quite as good as fresh, but means that a packet can be used for more than one dish.

My cheap meals

Tuna pasta - if you use basics brand is very cheap.
Bag of pasta
Tin tuna
Tin chopped tomatoes
Tin sweet corn
Cheese sauce

Cook and mix all together.

Jacket potatoe, cheese. sausages and beans.

I also make spaghetti bolognaise with lots of chopped up carrots and mushrooms. Much healthier and cheaper.

Also Halloumi salad is a favourite in our house. Chop up lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Cook frozen edamame beans and add to salad. Slice halloumi and grill it, add to salad. Have salad dressing on table for those who want it, and but nice bread to have with salad. Very healthy and frozen edamame beans can be bought cheap, halloumi is cheap from LIDL. I never buy pre chopped lettuce/salad,much more expensive.

Shopping at Aldi but have done a tesco basket for pricing I have also made assumptions about the age of the children.

Tesco Lentilles Vertes 500G £1.15
Tesco Wholefoods Red Split Lentils 500G £1.15
Tesco Smoked Bacon Lardons 200G £1.75
Nightingale Farms Celery Each £0.55
Tesco Everyday Value Crunchy Peanut Butter 340G £0.70
Tesco Everyday Value Clear Honey 340G £0.99
Tesco Californian Seedless Raisins 500G £1.60
Tesco Pro Vitamin Conditioner 300Ml £0.75
Tesco Everyday Value Shampoo 1 Litre £0.50
Tesco Caring Shower Cream 500Ml £0.85
Tea Tree Handwash 500Ml £0.75
Tesco Freshmint Toothpaste 100Ml £0.50
Tesco Cooking Peppers 600G £1.15
Tesco Whole Cucumber Each £0.45
Tesco Brown Onions Loose 1kg £0.79
Tesco Medium Curry Powder 80G £1.00
Tesco Chickpeas In Water 400G £0.50
Tesco Everyday Value Garden Peas 900G £0.80
Tesco Table Salt 750G £0.35
Tesco Ground Ginger 38G £0.85
Tesco Garlic Powder 53G £0.70
Tesco Ground Cinnamon 40G £0.85
Tesco Crushed Chillies 28G £0.85
Tesco British Diced Turkey Thigh 380G £2.30
Batchelors Smash Instant Mashed Potato 280G £2.05
Tesco Tuna Chunks In Spring Water 4 X 160G £3.00
Tesco Everyday Value Mayonnaise 500Ml £0.40
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1Kg £0.45
Tesco Everyday Value Penne 500G x2 £0.60
Tesco Everyday Value Spaghetti 500G x2 £0.40
Tesco Extra Virgin Olive Oil 250Ml £1.30
Tesco Pure Sunflower Oil 1L £1.15
Tesco 80 Teabags 250G £1.10
Tesco Everyday Value 3 Way Cook Chips 1.5Kg £0.99
Tesco Meat Free Vegetarian Mince 454G £1.75
8 Quorn Sausages 336G £2.00
Tesco Everyday Value Mature Cheddar 450g £3.14
Tesco Everyday Value Value Eggs Mixed 15 Pack £1.25
Redmere Farms Cabbage £0.59
Redmere Farms Carrots 1Kg £0.45
Tesco Tomato Puree 200G £0.50
Tesco Everyday Value Chopped Tomatoes 400G x4 £1.24
Tesco British Salted Block Butter 250G £1.45
Tesco Everyday Value Plain Flour 1.5Kg £0.55
Semi Skimmed Longlife Uht Milk 1 Litre x 6 £2.94
Tesco Everyday Value Oats Porridge 1Kg £0.75

Total price £49.88

Breakfast, porridge all round, can be "pimped" in various ways to keep things interesting cinnamon/ginger/raisins/peanutbutter

Lunches
SAHP - Leftovers
WAFHP - Pasta salad
DC(10) - Pasta salad
DC(6) - free school lunches
DC (3) - leftovers with SAHP
Weekend lunches - vegetable soup

Dinners
M - Turkey stir fry with rice
T - Tuna pasta bake
W - Veggie sausages, chips, peas and carrots
T - Vegetable and chickpea curry with rice
F - Spaghetti with bacon lardons and cheese sauce
S - Veggie mince chilli bulked with lentils with rice
S - Veggie mince shepherds pie bulked with lentils

Drinks, tea or tap water 1 small glass of milk for the 3y/o a day

Snacks - slices of cucumber/celery, home made oat cakes/crackers & rasins

Oh and filled pasta from aldi. Not the fresh stiff but it's really cheap 89p a packet. And either your own or a jar sauce. It wouldn't be a meal I'd be looking forward to every nice but it's simple and cheap and not too bad nutrition wise

It's ok but not suuuuuuper cheap to feed 4 - 89p x 2 plus a tin of toms 31p = £2.09

Or you could get an entire pack 500g of plain pasta for 30p from Tesco plus a tin of tomatoes 31p and two tins of sardines 34px2 = £1.29 with more protein and calories (probably, I can't find the Aldi filled pasta nutrition online).

Doesn't boffin mum have a blog about thrifty housekeeping and have up a Tesco shop and meal plan for £50 to feed 4 people enough calories and some fruit and veg?

Wow hairspray that is one impressive list much better than my offending!

And I forgot when I started the thread universal free school meals is for the whole of ks1 so would be a big help. Don't know why I forgot really I have a dd in year 1.

okay, I've not completely costed this, just totted it up and allowed for a margin of error (and I don't shop at Aldi and Lidl). I've also assumed that the person has a few basics such as flour/stock cubes etc.

I'd do, For main mains I'd do, Spag bol and either pasta bake or chili made with leftovers, i'd buy a ham and that does another two meals with maybe some left for sandwiches. Ham on day one served with mash and veg and on day two with chips, egg and peas. I'd do Chicken drumsticks with rice and veg another night and maybe a curry made with some chicken thighs another. That's 6 and for day 7 a stir fry with a bag of cheap prawns and noodles. Or aybe just mcaroni cheese with peas depending on what you've done with the left over bolognaise sauce.

Breakfasts would be porridge or toast with egg or jam

Lunches, beans on toast if home, sandwich with left over ham or cheese or any leftovers from other meals or a pot of soup made with extra frozen veg.

Shopping list:
Porridge - £1.50
Milk - £5
bread - £2
Spread £1
Jam - £1
mince £3
ham - £8
Drumsticks £2.50
thighs £2.50
frozen prawns - £2
cheese £2.50
eggs £2,50
Rice - 50p
pasta - £1.50
noodles £1
Beans/kidney beans - £1.50
Tuna - £1
tinned toms - £1
Frozen mash £1
Pots or chips - £1
Peas £1
Carrots = 50p
onions - 50p
brocolli 50p
frozen veg £1
Apples - £2
banans - £1
pears - £1,50

Thats £50 I think - if I've underestimated then could add in a big tub of yoghurt or some fruit juice etc.

I'm assuming this is meant for a one off rather than a way of life so if the latter then savings could be made (e.g. less meat) to add in all the extras that you'd need or want. If it's a one off then you don't need to worry too much about it being the most healthy or including any treats.

Having to cut back for a bit is obviously different from having a low budget and no expectation of its increasing, but many things are the same.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of beans on toast. For us, a cheap week is when we don't have meals with names. For example, having tacos at ours means wraps, tortilla chips, sour cream, etc each of which isn't too expensive but added together doubles the cost of the meal. A cheap meal is one which just is what it is and doesn't need a restaurant menu name, eg "chicken and" which means roast dinner leftovers fried together with new onions - some weeks it's half chicken, other weeks well at least it tastes of chicken. Or "sausages and bread and sweetcorn". Keep an eye on food groups, not Pinterest.

Eggs are brilliant, but my family won't eat them (one DC was allergic so we avoided for a long time).

Reducing waste is a big deal too, when budget is close. We found that going to the butcher for 250g of good mince was cheaper than splitting a 500g supermarket pack of lower quality.

Frozen broccoli is slightly softer than fresh but you only buy the florets and only use as much as you want each time. In Morrisons the broccoli is £1.22/kg frozen and £1.23/kg fresh anyway. Obviously this relies on having a decent freezer, which is less of a problem for "poor for now" than "always poor". Other good frozen vegetables are peppers, sliced carrots, peas obviously, sweetcorn and corn on the cob, mushrooms and cauliflower cheese (a £2 ish bag does a decent meal for 2 adults plus 3 children, if topped up with other vegetables). Frozen diced onions may seem extravagant but mean that you never waste an onion that's gone a bit soggy in the cupboard.

Spuds, mince and legumes in various guises for meals. Obviously the mince would be ears and arseholes but it's still protein.

I think the assorted veg for bulking out is best from a car boot / farmer's market when everyone is packing up. Meat bargains can be had too!

I'd delve into my savings and join a wholesaler (if it required membership).

I'd hang out at the supermarket for the reduced items.

Not exactly a meal plan but whilst there's a lot to be said for going shopping for specific items, there's at least the same benefit from being able to make meals from whatever deals you find.

I'd go to Lidl or sainsbury and buy
2 chickens for about £7 between them as they are (famously on MN ) the basis for several meals and small DC like them.
Frozen peas and beans or corn - £2
2 6-pint bottles of milk - £3
2 sliced wholemeal loaves - £2
2-3 Slabs of cheese £3
Minced beef £3
Porridge oats 50p
2 packs of pasta £1
Eggs £1
Butter £1
Jam £50p
Peanut Butter £1
Rice 50p
Tinned tomatoes 50p
Washing up liquid, clothes wash £5
Coffee £2
Tea £1
Cooking oil £1
Total £35

I'd go to a market or Lidl for fruit and veg, and pick up £10 worth of fresh stuff, so apples, bananas, pears or oranges, onions, peppers, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, potatoes, lettuce and cucumber

That's £45 for basics. I'd then spend £2 on treats, whatever was on offer, and the rest on dried herbs and spices or extra bread.

Dinners:

1. Roast chicken with roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots
2. Left over chicken in risotto/paella/savoury rice with onions, peas, mushrooms and sweetcorn
3. Pasta bolognese made with mince, onions, tomatoes, the rest of the mushrooms, peppers
4. Spanish omlettes with onion, peppers, potatoes, peas, cheese and herbs served with salad
5. Roast the second chicken and serve with a veg curry of peas, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes, and with rice.
6. Left over chicken would go in a big casserole with carrots, potatoes, onions served with peas and corn on the side.
7. Left over bolognese sauce on the second lot of pasta with cheese on top to make a pasta bake served with salad.

Toast and jam or peanut butter, banana milk shakes or porridge for breakfast, or egg and soldiers.

Cheese sandwiches, fruit and Poundland treats for lunch for anyone who didn't get school dinners.

It's really boring and bleak and monotonous. It's not the basics that cost a lot. It's the extra stuff you pick up without thinking. I bet someone else could do better though....

Thanks Diet I don't think £50 a week is too bad, I probably wouldn't use all the rice and pasta and oil or peas in one week so would be able to buy other things the next week, the 10y/o might get bored with pasta salad for lunch, i suppose you could always make a large omelette with some of the eggs and send them with slices of that.

I have also assumed that my imaginary 3y/o is dry at night and haven't factored in any washing powder etc.

As recently as 3 years ago we were living on 1 minimum wage and one student loan, so stretching things is something I am good at!

We're a family of two adults and a sixteen year old, so basically three adults. Our budget is £45 a week, sometimes we are slightly over or under. I don't meal plan. Tescos and Lidl are close to my work so I just pop in and bring back what I can carry that we either need or is cheap/on offer.

This last week I've bought:

Lidl

Reduced salmon £2.59, large cheddar £1.59, 8 yogurts £1.09, cake 49p, cauliflower 59p, pack peppers 99p, 2 little gem lettuces 49p, pack tomatoes 51p, 3 baking potates 42p, honey £1.29, pasta 45p, sunflower oil £1.05, fruit tea 79p

Tesco

Large milk £1, small milk 45p, reduced salmon fillets £3, chicken for sandwiches £2, pack 2 sausage rolls 60p, tub yogurt £1.10, veggie mince & 2 veggie lasagnes 3 for £4, 2 cans value b.beans 50p, tartare sauce 55p, 2 packs cereal on offer £4, pasta bake sauce 75p, thai sauce 90p, chilli flakes 85p, wine £4.36, value bleach 30p, value toilet rolls £1, value tortilla crisps 46p, breadsticks 75p, walkers crisps on offer x 2 £2, swiss roll cake £1, biscuits 99p, cereal bars x 2 £1.98, bananas £1, oranges £1.18, 2 onions 26p

Guessing I'm over this week but did buy non essential wine, slightly more expensive cereal, a couple of ready meals and jars sauce when I could have cooked my own, so still room for further cutbacks.

Every week my shop is different, this weekend Lidl have the museli we use on offer for 99p so will get 2/3 packs, the other week it was large bottles of fabric conditioner so I bought two. This week I'll probably buy some Tesco value white fish this week, packs of Tesco fish in breadcrumbs on offer 3 for £5 and top up on peas and frozen broccoli, some chicken fillets from Lidl £5. I often buy packs of fruit on offer, so see what I can find for 69p per pack and get three, some will keep for following week and I then top up with a few bananas/oranges. We out of potatoes so new potatoes and will look at whatever veg Lidl have on offer. Also, a large box of 15 eggs which usually lasts 2 weeks and 4 Lidl cans tuna for £2.65, we get through approx 2 a week for sandwiches, with a salad or in a tuna pasta bake. I regularly buy cans tomatoes in Lidl as cheap to make a homemade pasta sauce and just through in whatever we have, eg pepper, sweetcorn, tuna or top with cheese, or veggie bolognese sauce.

My tips would be:

More meals with either no meat or very little meat in. So your jacket and beans is one of these (beans on toast too) but also eggs are good for this: 12 eggs for about 1.60 will do scrambled eggs on toast or omelettes and toast. If you have a couple left over do pasta carbonara another day. A cheap pack of bacon can be worthwhile for using just a slice or two in a meal to add some meat flavour - works for the carbonara, and also for pasta and tomato sauce, which will be cheaper than bolognese.

Pudding rice is about £1 a bag but will make several lovely big rice puddings baked with milk and sugar. Recipes online, dead easy, add cinnamon if you have it in the cupboard. Nice filling winter pudding on a budget.

Did someone really suggest planting a fruit tree? (Face palm)

Yes, buttery, that's how you need to think. Meat as a flavouring not the main component of a meal and also what to do with leftovers if you only use half a pack.

You can often get twin packs of bacon cubes quite cheaply in supermarkets. In your example you could use one in the carbonara and the other in a tomato and mushroom pasta sauce.

All supermarket, or ideally, basic/value brands
2 loaves of wholemeal bread.
A couple of packs of bread rolls
2 packs of spaghetti
1 bag of rice
4 tins of baked beans
4 tins of tomatoes
1 bag of orange lentils
3 onions
I head of broccoli
1 pound of carrots
Bag of potatoes
1 bag of frozen peas
1 bag of frozen spinach
1 bag of frozen veg of choice
Bag of apples/pears
Bunch of bananas
2 bags of mini oranges
12 yoghurts
Stock cubes
Big block of cheese
Dozen free range eggs
Porridge oats/wheetabix
Sultanas
Jar of marmalade
Tub of speadable butter
Jar of coffee or teabags
1 bottle of squash
2×4 pints of milk
2 boxes of fish fingers
2 tins of mackerel
1 chicken
1 pack of stuffing mix
Gravy granules
1 pack of mincebeef
Pack of sausages
I pack of ham
Cream cheese
Cooking oil
Think it comes in at about £48, based on prices where I shop,so couple of pounds left over for things like salt, vinegar, curry powder, etc
Meals -
Breakfasts - cereal/porridge with sultanas or toast and marmalade
Lunches - roll with ham, cream cheese, leftover chicken. Yoghurt, piece of fruit. Beans on toast, scrambled egg, cheese on toast, mackerel on toast
Dinners -
Roast chicken, stuffing, veg and gravy
Spaghetti bolognaise / lentil bolognaise
Fish fingers, wedges, peas
Ham or cheese omelette, veg, wedges or homemade oven chips
Spinach dahl, rice
Baked bean curry
Sausages / wedges / Baked beans.

Just realised that I have not used the eggs, so they could go for breakfast if people are jaded with porridge or lunch for the toddler and SAHP if they prefer/there are no leftovers from the night before.

BesIdes the time factor re gardening there is the outlay. Many elderly folk or out of touch people advocate gardening for saving money but don't take into account:
1 few families have gardens/adequate gardens
2 gardening implements cost money
3 seeds and plants cost
4 results are not reliable -- eg there may be carrot blight and other disease, pests such as slugs and snails and aphids which require insecticides etc to control
5 if the ground has not been used for veg growing before it will probably need enriching and composts and such like are expensive unless you've had the foresight to make your own .
6 it all takes a great deal of time. Ok, it may be enjoyable for some but not if you are pressed for time.
If one is fortunate and gets a good crop of, say, tomatoes, then it will coincide with tomatoes being incredibly cheap in the supermarket.
Gardening for most is a hobby which needs investment and not for the cash strapped desperate to feed their families.
Sermon ended -- so tired of "why don't you grow your own" being paraded forth!

Something to have in the cupboard to make chicken meals more appetising is soy sauce and honey. You need only a small quantity mixed together add a little water if too thick then brush over chicken pieces or dip them in the marinade, before baking or grilling. A sprinkling of sesame seeds is great if you have them.

Oops I forgot toiletries/cleaning stuff. For a family of 5 I would budget for - 1 large bottle of laundry liquid, 1 large bottle of washing up liquid, 2 bottles of shower gel, 1 bottle of shampoo, 1-2 bottles of conditioner, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 1 bottle of bleach, 12-16 toilet rolls, over the month. Obviously all families vary here. Personally, I find Aldis best for this kind of thing.
This extra expenditure could be covered by not having to buy things like cooking oil every week, also special offers and reductions, just a bit of juggling really.
The OP didn't mention baby things like nappies and wipes, so presumably they're not included.