£116 a week-is it doable?

[Itsthemostrubbishtimeoftheyear]

Really want to get the last part of a loan paid off. Have worked out it can be done if we live on £116 a week for January & February,
That has to cover food for two adults, toddler & a dog, lunches for Dh for work, small amount of petrol and wood for the fire.
Is it doable?

I think you have to go old style to cut down so
Apples, carrots, bananas, onions, cabbage etc as cheap veg, apple crumble for puddings or rice pudding
Frozen fruit is decent in yoghurt or porridge
Oats, potatoes, rice for carbs
Wonky fruit and veg

The wonky carrots are mega cheap, you can roast them, mash them, grate them. Versatile

If that makes sense?!
I mean I love avocado toast and nice salads etc but if I want to feel full and cut costs, I go back to porridge, stews, sausage and mash, stuff like that

*He’d do that, phone, sorry

If he has access to a microwave, then a hearty soup plus bread and butter is a good option. I make a lentil one that is just onions, carrots, celery, garlic (optional) red lentils, and stock. Or leek and potatoes (fry leeks in a little oil or butter, chuck in your diced potatoes and stock, boil and blend). Or he could take a jacket potato to microwave and a tin of beans. Or leftover dinner of course.

The way we deal with this, btw, is that I budget a certain amount for work lunches ‘out’ each from joint finances and if he chooses to go over his budget (sit-down restaurant lunches) then he pays from his own allowance.

Sounds doable. Pulses are your friend for DH lunches, add them in bulk to a soup, very filling.

Can DH pick up any overtime, or can you do a babysitting shift or two a week to bump up the income a little? Anything you can sell on EBay or Facebook?

Do you pay your water and sewerage bill over 10 months (if you're on rates rather than a meter)? If so February and March are usually the months you don't pay. Same with council tax.

Well if he wants to clear the debt he just needs to tighten his belt for a few weeks, most people don't buy lunch out everyday!

Maybe your dh can take his lunch from home 3 days and buy something 2 days?
What does he eat at 10am?

@Itsthemostrubbishtimeoftheyear

Dh buys lunch out at work, do I just do a load of sandwiches for him each day? (He eats a LOT) what would be cheap to take to work?

No. He's a grown up and can make his own sandwiches. Definitely make them at home though ad buying lunch out will seriously dent your budget.

Ask your DH how he wants to contribute — cutting down on lunches, selling a possession etc.
Can you use foodsharing and maybe get wood on freecycle?

Basically, it’s totally doable if both adults are on board, but if they’re not it’s pointless planning…

@JurgensCakeBabyJesus I know!

Yeah actually it is up to DH not you to work out what he can eat for lunch without spending so much money! Is he on board with this budget couple of months?

But yes.. to quote a mumsnet cliché.. “you don’t (just) have a debt problem, you have a dh problem!”

I think sandwich lunches can be cheap and still varied - get some different types of bread (wraps, bagels, rolls) and few different fillings. I agree about cooking your own gammon. Add a cupasoup if he doesn't want to microwave real soup!

Can you save by not burning wood or is it your only heat source?

@Whatiswrongwithmyknee I’m at home with toddler at the moment, not against making a few butties or putting leftovers in a box, plus it ensures he doesn’t *Forget and go to the restaurant/cafe

At 10, he’ll go for coffee, pastry etc

We’re not in U.K., I converted the money, but is basically around €140 for us a week and much more normal to eat at a cafe than bring your own lunch, which doesn’t help

@oatmilk4breakfast Need the wood, one small electric heater in the bedroom. We live in a hot place during summer, but no central heating plus thick walls and tile floors means a cold house

Have to agree that I can't understand why he would be happy with you cutting back and trying to pay off debt, whilst he was treating himself to lunch out every day.

I mean £101 pw to feed 2 adults a toddler and a dog, even taking off what you need for wood (sorry, I have no idea what wood costs), but 1/2 that would be more than adequate so still plenty.

It makes no sense. To me, lunch out is a treat, that I do occasionally now we are at a stage in life where we have 'spare' spending money. It is not something I'd consider doing if we were in debt. It is completely unrealistic expectation.

If he goes for a pastry then Aldi (I think) do chocolate chip brioches he could take which are incredible addictive
If he goes to pret then a subscription for 5 drinks is £20pm which is probably a giant saving (I don't have one nearby so check price!)

Maybe aim for February and March? I don’t know about where you are but my 2 months off over those months on council tax and water rate are a nice saving.

Yes, totally doable but I think it's coming through loud and clear that one of the biggest and easiest savings here are your husband's lunches. I could say, go veggie most of the week/batch cook/hit the supermarket at reduced hour etc, which of course, does save money but my husband is a (not overweight, god knows how) bottomless pit when it comes to food. A few years ago, he was like your husband: sandwich and everything else from the deli/work canteen/restaurant lunch. Then he worked out for himself that his lunches alone were costing at least £250 a month. Fast forward and (for example) it's big pasta salads from home, homemade soups and bread, cheese, crackers, and various (four pieces of!) tray bakes (that I make). I've costed it. His lunch bill is between £6-10 a week now.

Definitely doable. I spend less than that on food and lunches for 3 adults including a hungry teen. We do eat a lot of lentils and veg because we like them. We eat very little meat, maybe chicken once a week. I make a lot of Asian food which relies on cheap ingredients: onions, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, herbs. I also make fajitas, stirfries, and rice dishes which are cheap and healthy.

Adults on Universal Credit get £60 - £75 a week per person for EVERYTHING.

Food
Gas and Electric
Some Council Tax
Internet
Clothing
Travel
Toiletries
Cleaning stuff
Anything else required, if anything breaks, furniture, household stuff