Aibu to ask what you eat when you are broke?

[NCsobroke]

I don’t mean feed your family for £10, I mean dinners like baked potato and beans that cost a couple of quid. None of us are v picky and no dietary issues.

The kids mostly eat a v healthy balanced diet, lots of whole foods and tons of fruit and veg, maybe frozen pizza on a Saturday, don’t really have takeaways often etc. I hate the thought of them living off cheap freezer food not enough fruit snd veg.

Also needs to include lunches as we don’t qualify for FSM despite being on UC as husband works FT.

We are so broke. We usually receive universal credit which we live off as DH wages all go on bills and rent. We won’t receive any at all this month and can’t do anything about it.

2 adults, 2 children. £110 to last for the next 3 weeks (plus toiletries and cleaning stuff and petrol for DH 2 hour commute )

Check apps like olio which give away free food

I just popped into a Morrisons today at about 5 ISH( not my normal neck of woods) and they had the most amazing bargains. Big decent pizzas for 45p, puddings for 10p. Meat dishes and vegetables 10 and 20 p. Bought 2 bags full for£10. Do you have any ships near you. Find out what times they Mark down massively.

OP- I understand you are reluctant to use a food bank. In my city there are also a few schemes where you pay something like £1 to join and then about £3 a week for about £20 worth of food. It is to prevent food waste rather than filling gaps in the benefit system so open to all. Pot luck with what you get though! Same with school uniforn and clothes banks. It is open to all because the focus is on reducing waste.

Find the nearest food bank, salvation army, oxfam.

Pasta mixed with frozen mixed veg, tin tomatoes, baked beans, cheapest sausages chopped up in it/whatever cheap meat you can find. Pad it out with lentils, dried soup mix etc. I used to make a big pot and eat it over a few days. I also used to make it without the pasta in, freeze, then cook and add pasta when I defrosted it. I lived on pretty much this for a couple of years after building work went hideously over budget and my finances were a wreck.

Very cheap pasta sauce- literally put a pan of chopped tomatoes on the hob with salt, pepper, a teaspoon of butter (or you can use olive oil) and either garlic power or a clove of garlic. Simmer for 20 mins. It's basic, but passable. You can customise with literally anything you have on hand.

If you know when your local stores reduce food, that's always a good shout especially if you're close enough to go round them on foot. I used to get things like mince for 50p and be able to make extremely cheap chilli, bolognaise etc and freeze it.

Lentil soup - onion, carrots and orange lentils. Tasty and filling and cheap

Can you apply for the covid payment if he is off work due to covid? Is it the £500 isolation thing

Potato bake

Pasta bake

Eggs

Chilli/spag bol/biriyani - from frozen mince

Egg fried rice

Cauliflower cheese

www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme

From reading the criteria you might qualify due to universal credit and it causing financial hardship

Do you have abyone who does olio near you? Download the app a d have a look. It's stuff on its best before or just past but it's all free. It can be a life saver

A few key things:
Frozen vegetables (e.g. spinach and broccoli) and fruit (berries, peaches etc) are MUCH cheaper than fresh. Frozen fish is also good.

Tinned foods - use beans and pulses to bulk out chilli, bolognese, soups etc

So breakfast - beans on toast (supermarket own brand of both) / porridge with frozen fruit / nut butter / drizzle of honey if wished

lunch - omelettes, beans on toast (if not had for breakfast), jacket potato, homemade smoky beans on toast (fry and onion until soft, add garlic, paprika, chopped tomatoes and butterbeans, simmer and serve with coriander and cheese if wished) / jacket potato / lentil dal and flatbread / minestrone soup / pasta in homemade tomato sauce etc. Omelettes, scrambled eggs on toast, huevos rancheros, patatas bravas etc.

supper - plant based curries can be really affordable and go a long way - bulk out dishes with potatoes, frozen spinach and pulses. Pasta bakes (e.g. macaroni cheese, tuna, tomato etc), carbonara - lots of these ideas have been shared already. Risottos are also very cheap to make - as are rice dishes such as jollof and paella (I make it with chicken). You could also do kedgeree with frozen fish.

Also, shop at LIDL / ALDI if you can - their prices are much cheaper. If you go to Sainsburys / Tesco / ASDA, learn when they reduce their stock - you can get amazing bargains and it will help ring the changes with foods you might not otherwise be able to afford.

Otherwise, eat well for less is a good source of inspiration too.

I really hope this helps!

Tomato soup is cheap, tasty and goes down well in our house. Making your own bread is also cheap, though is best done when the oven has already been running. Spaghetti Carbonara is cheap and easy to make with ham. A chilli can be stretched with carrot and mushrooms.

Buy items you can do lots of different meals with. Mince, potatoes, eggs, pasta. My go to meals are chilli, pasta bakes, casseroles, hearty soups, fritatas, homemade pizzas. Try getting cheaper cuts of meat like chicken legs, pork belly back bacon, chuck beef and slow cook them. Check out recipe tin on Instagram that lady has some wonderful ideas all made from scratch.

Carrots and onions as the main ingredient in sauces with chopped tomatoes (value)

Use less meat. Look up how much protein you actually need and reduce to this amount.

Curry: carrots onions chopped tomatoes and a curry powder from the world food aisle. Add cauliflower or peas and chick peas or value red kidney beans (good for using up slightly tired veg ) serve with brown rice or potatoes

Rice peas chopped tomatoes sweetcorn and can tuna(salt and pepper to taste.

Stews with carrots and onions. Add tinned beans or chicken.

I can recommend getting chicken legs from Morrisons. Cook the whole lot (use less fuel) with roast carrots and roasted onions cut in quarters and some potato. Have one chicken leg each and save the rest to add to other meals.

I know it is a running joke on MN but a roast chicken can be used to flavour lots of meals if you use it in sauces stews etc rather than have all of it in a roast dinner. When you are short of cash you make these things last because you bloody we'll have to. The chicken legs are cheaper per kilo though.

If you have a lidl near you, they do boxes of veg that are on or near sell by date really cheap. You could then make veg chilli

Fry up 1 onion and 2/3 garlic cloves, add 1 teaspoon chilli powder and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Chuck in two tins of chopped tomatoes and a variety of chunkily chopped veg (carrots, squash, Courgettes, Peppers) and a drained tin of butter beans /chick peas /red kidney beans. Simmer for about 25 mins, then season to taste. Serve with white rice or cous cous and grated Chedder.

Also dal and rice

We used to have value wheat biscs with milk and value sultanas for breakfast.

Baked beans on wholemeal toast is a complete meal. Aldi value beans were the best tasting.

Gradually make squash more diluted.

You can buy a bag of chickpea/gram flour for about £1 in the world food aisles of most supermarket. You can use this to make really delicious pancakes called pudla (batter of just flour, water so no need to use up eggs or milk) add some chilli flakes, ginger, spring onions, leftover veg. Anything really. They're so tasty. High in protein too so very filling. Just google pudla recipes.

OP if you’re in London PM me I’ve got plenty of spare food.

Basic red lentil dal

Fry 1 onion and 3 cloves of garlic with
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder

Add a pint of hot water and 1 cup of red lentils and 1 veg stock cube. You can also add pretty much any veg too, like carrots, aubergine, chopped tomatoes, peas, runner beans.

simmer until lentils are soft. Add more water if necessary. Season to taste and add fresh Coriander before serving if you have any around. You can serve with rice or bread

mixed beans not baked beans ones like kidney beans you can get cheap tins of them mix with some mint sauce and tuna yummy
make up some cheap instant mash in a dish put baked beans pile mash on and sprinkle with cheese
cheap crumpets with slices of tomato and sprinkle of cheese makes easy pizzas

Red lentils are the quickest to cook.

I used to be able to feed the kids on less than £2 per person per day. This is going to be more difficult due to price rises. I could have cut back further with some effort.

Driving:. Empty car of anything not needed. Drive slower on motorways, 60mph or tuck in behind a lorry doing 50

Drive like you have a bucket of water on the seat. Smooth acceleration and deceleration.

Make sure your tyre pressure is ok.

Community fridge or community pantry. Some you pay, ours you don’t. They aren’t just for people on low incomes, they are for any one at all to use as they are simply distributing food which would otherwise be thrown away.

Supermarkets and wholesalers donate short dated or slightly over dated but still fine fresh food - lots of bread, fruit and veg in ours, and you take whatever you like.

In some areas people with allotments donate their excess and swap it for dented tins of soup etc.

It really is just food which would otherwise be thrown away so please do see if there’s something like that near you.

There is zero shame in visiting a foodbank - you don’t have to have exhausted all your savings before you get there. And you can always donate food yourself yourself once things are a bit less stretched. If it helps to think of it as a food loan, then why not? Things won’t always be this tough, and one day you’ll be able to help fill their shelves ready for the next person who needs it. Ours also has links to various organisations which can help with money management, checking you really are getting everything you’re entitled to, that sort of thing. No obligation to take them up on it, just an extra service they can offer. Job centre or school can refer you.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to sort yourself for fruit without spending a penny - blackberries, apples, plums, etc. growing beside footpaths and in hedgerows, or ask on your local community Facebook page and you may be inundated (with apples and marrows mostly but they’re filling snd tasty at least).

And the other suggestion is that whatever you cook, serve it up yourself. If you’ve planned enough for two meals, take the second meal out of the pot before you put it on the table. Then it won’t accidentally get eaten. No one will starve if they don’t get seconds, and if you can get some knock down bread then there’s plenty of toast as a filler for anyone who needs it.

Milk puddings made with half milk, half water are a good cheap filler for the end of the meal. Rice pudding, chocolate cornflour pudding, semolina, that sort of thing.

Pancakes again made half milk half water, with stewed apples for sweet or a cheese sauce for savoury. Yorkshire puddings too - if you can make large individual ones then put a little mince sliced meat into each one with plenty of gravy. All the flavour but mostly cheap carb.

Well done on finding things to sell. Not easy. If you have a mortgage, would they let you take a holiday or do a temporary part payment? I know that’s just pushing the problem further down the line. But sometimes just getting through this week is the priority.

@Wroxie

I would be genuinely angry if I found out one of my children was this close to the bone and didn't ask me for help - especially if there were grandchildren involved! I would seriously reconsider asking your in-laws for help if they can remotely afford it. If they are nasty about it then at least you know what kind of people they really are, which is useful information.

Hey OP, Every recipe or idea I would have posted has already been. I've reposted Wroxie, not that I would be cross, but I would be really sad if I thought any of my children couldn't ask for help.

Completely understand that family dynamics can be difficult. Also well done with DH's job! Moving from benefits seems to be as hard as it can be.
It used to taper off, but think that has changed.

Also I donate to food banks every week and don't judge anyone. If you accessing a food bank this month means that you can have a tiny saving amount for emergencies then fair enough.

If you don't access them and have to use your emergency fund, what happens next time?

Just wanted to say good luck and that there are community resources, your situation is exactly what they are there for.

our go to favourite was dhal & rice with 3 fishfingers for us & 2 for the dc with - slice onions very finely add a dash of mint sauce (if you have a couple of toms or a bit of cucumber chop & add this is also nice with any rice dish) & tom sauce
egg mayonnaise (or use salad cream it is cheaper) for sandwiches it goes further - you can add a little curry powder to give extra zing.
peanut butter goes a long way although it is a bit expensive value brands are fine
don't get the cheapest naked beans though they tend to be watery i prefer the next range up - they tend to have more beans! I have used baked beans instead of kidney beans in chilly -= an advantage is they have tomato sauce & finely chop carrots into it & a single capsicum (or half ) finely chopped & half lb of mince
coleslaw you can use a light green cabbage rather than a white one with grated carrots & if you cant afford mayonnaise use salad cream (if you have some sultanas add them) this can add to a meal or a side for sandwiches
pancakes - using flour & milk to extend eggs & you can use sliced banana (a dash of cinnamon is nice) or tinned fruit or any jam or spread you have -alternatively you can make them savoury with a bit of cheese & pickle for a change
Tuna can be made into fish pie I use to add capsicum (the other half!!) tine of sweet corn onion & a can of beans & herbs than cover with mash than serve with - you guessed it! carrots or coleslaw
You can throw together a ploughmans from cheap cheese pickle (or any pickled onions if you have them) slice a tom (half each) & ... coleslaw!
omelettes