Budget urgent help please freaking out

[Nicebudget]

Ok so I've name changed for this

Just had a massive life change and the only thing that can give is our monthly shop budget. We were spending about £500 including nappies, toiletries, cleaning etc per month.

I need to cut that as far as possible. 2 adults 1 toddler. 1 adult full veggie 2nd adult flexible happy to eat mainly veggie as that's probably cheaper. Toddler not veggie eats well - basically eats everything we put in front of her.

I need budget help and ideas and meal ideas. I am open to all suggestions I'm sat here with a pen and paper ready for menu ideas and tips for shopping.

We both work full time so I can't commit to visiting lots of different supermarkets for the best deals but open to ideas. Thank you! I'm panicking.

One thing that will help cut costs is never to heat up your oven for just one thing. So, if you're having jacket potatoes, knock up a pasta bake that can be microwaved the following day, or casserole something.

If you have time, would you consider getting an allotment? You can grow your own fruit and veg for next to nothing and barter the excess.

A colleague of mine did this, initially because she was skint. She gives excess stuff to food banks and local charities, or brings stuff into work to give to the rest of us (every now and then we get her a supermarket voucher to spend on wine, or a garden centre voucher if we know she needs a new hoe or something). She has never been healthier and has lost a lot of weight because it's such good exercise.

Your little one might well enjoy it too, I remember the thrill of eating potatoes I had grown and dug up myself when I was a child.

I always use washing powder rather liquid or tabs, I find it washes better and lasts longer.
I'm in a softish water area so can get away with half the recommended amount so a big box of powder lasts me months even with the mega amounts of washing that 2 boys (1 who is toilet training) create.

Meal planning and cutting down waste is essential and really helps with reducing the weekly shop. The shopping bill is at least a third more the weeks I don't plan.

If you can't batch cook, make sure you look at portion sizes and you aren't making more than you need and throwing stuff away.

You can bulk buy your lentils chick peas and other pulses. (That works out a lot cheaper.) Than use them for stews casarole lasagne... and just add fresh veg or meat. You need to plan a bit as some need soaking overnight.

Pasta. Pasta. Pasta.
Pasta is cheap, sauces are relatively cheap and mostly always on offer.

Pasta bake is great quick cheap meal, plus can be refrigerated and used again the next day reheated. We always cook a big batch when I make it, have some for lunch and then take some to work too.

What made a huge difference to us was taking out our weekly budget in cash and only spending that each week. I keep the shopping money in a separate purse.

That's tip I used to give when coaching clients in budgetting. It really works. It was especially effective in stopping one couple blowing £7 on a taxi back from Tesco when they could get a bus for free ...

NOt RTFT so sorry if someone has already suggested this. Have a look at THrifty Lesley here - www.thriftylesley.com/ - lots of costed meal plans for a week with recipes and shopping lists etc

1. Do an inventory of what is in the cupboards/fridge/freezer already. Can you make my meals from that?

1. Stop shopping at the big supermarkets and start shopping at Lidl and aldi.

1. Meal plan obsessively and plan that around the main shop and top ups. You should aim for almost no top ups if you can.

The most basic one is try not to go to the shop more then once a week.

So don't pop to Asda for bread/milk and buy £50 bits that your didn't need or want. Use your small local shop yes per item might be more expensive but you have less to items to think you need.

Have a look for local veg box schemes. For £18 I get a huge box of really fresh fruit, salad and veg delivered. Then I cook round whatever's in the box using staples like lentils, beans etc. It reduces supermarket visits and the opportunity to overspend.

Also if you live anywhere near a proper Asian shop, you'll be able to buy spices, pulses and rice so much cheaper. Dried beans cost hardly anything and are much cheaper than tinned (although even the tinned ones are cheap in these shops).

You'll be able to easily halve your food bill.

I spend about half what you do with a DH and toddler.

Do an online shop so you don’t get tempted to buy random bits in the supermarket.

Buy frozen veg, Quorn, meat so you don’t need to worry about fresh stuff going off

Buy tinned tomotos and passata to make tomato based sauces.

Don’t buy Ella’s kitchen pouches, and other baby toddler food if you can avoid it as it is so expensive

Try to use up what you have in the cupboard.

I'd also recommend swapping wet wipes for washable ones. You can just cut up an old towel and dampen as needed. I know you said it's only £8 a month but that's almost £100 a year on something you throw away after using once. Also, I get that cloth nappies aren't for everyone but you can still save money using them part-time. If you bought 5 little lamb nappies for £25 (see nappy last website) and a wrap or two, say £15 each that's you covered for night nappies until however long you need them.

At the start of the month buy all the loo roll,toiletries and non perishables you will need.

We have uht milk do we can go 2 weeks between shops quite often.