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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in thinking this very tight budget is doable for one week?

187 replies

Henrylj · 12/04/2022 10:02

Name changed cause my previous posts are imaybe identifying and it’s a bit embarrassing!
not a begging thread, I’m just looking for advice!

I had to switch from income support to universal credit, I did take out the advance but it was mostly taken up by the rent so had £300 left for the 5 weeks.
I messed up by forgetting that my phone bill comes out this week so I’ve ended up with £7 left for the week (until Tuesday) it’s the last week so I think do-able. We are at my parents for dinner on Sunday so don’t need anything for that day and they will get Easter eggs etc from family so won’t miss out on that

It’s just me and two primary aged dc(one very fussy so going with the things he would at least eat)

I have a few things in but not a lot

Bread
Jam
Porridge oats
Butter
Grated cheese
Pasta
Pasta sauce

I’m thinking if I buy

More bread 60p
Couple tins of beans £1
Couple tins of soup £1
Milk £1.20
Cheap biscuits 50p
Cheap apples £1
Frozen mixed veg £1

I could do them

Tuesday- Pasta and sauce/cheese with mixed veg
Wednesday- pasta and sauce/cheese again (with the leftover sauce) with mixed veg
Thursday- beans on toast
Friday- soup and bread
Saturday- super noodles with mixed veg mixed in
Sunday- at parents
Monday- beans on toast

Breakfast would be porridge and lunch jam sandwhiches, biscuits and apples for snacks

I know it isn’t healthy, but is it ok as a plan?
I will buy them all the fruit and veg in the world next week to make up for it from a health point of view!

OP posts:
whywhythough · 12/04/2022 12:53

@MorganKitten

A block of cheese rather than grated cheese will be cheaper. Also hunt for any yellow sticker items and check Poundland. I always find food staples in there.

OP has the cheese. She does not need to buy any cheese.

UnnecessaryFennel · 12/04/2022 12:56

You don't need biscuits. I would get some oats and make porridge using water OR a bag of cashews will go a long way for milk, cream

RTFT. A bag of fucking cashews? Give me strength.

LondonQueen · 12/04/2022 12:59

Does that include your food? If so that's fine for a week.

seekingasimplelife · 12/04/2022 13:01

@BiddyPop

The packs of 7p noodles from Lidl or Tesco (the "supernoodles" but in a packet, not a tub) could also be useful as a base for a meal if you need more pasta than you have.
I think the days of 7p noodles are long gone! Even a single tiny pack of Maggi noodles is 30p....
EmmaGrundyForPM · 12/04/2022 13:03

Children will not suffer from malnutrition if they live on beans on toast or bread and jam for a few days. Whatever you do, OP, please do NOT feel guilty or embarrassed.

TheKeatingFive · 12/04/2022 13:06

Children will not suffer from malnutrition if they live on beans on toast or bread and jam for a few days.

In fact, most would quite enjoy that. I know mine would.

Twitterwhooooo · 12/04/2022 13:06

And don't feel guilty or embarrassed about asking your parents for help, if that's an option.

I would be mortified if one of my children were struggling like this and they didn't ask me for help tbh.

TheNoonBell · 12/04/2022 13:08

This youtube channel is great for old cheap recipes and a lovely old lady who does the cooking.

www.youtube.com/c/GreatDepressionCooking

Next UC day, don't buy the snacks buy a good larder of long life foods, rice, dried beans, lentils, pasta etc. If you get them from the Indian or Chinese supermarkets you can get massive bags of stuff very cheap.

Pluvia · 12/04/2022 13:09

@CoastalWave

So how much for food per week? Easier to advise if we know the budget.

Basically you need potatoes, vegetables. Get stuff on yellow sticker when cheap and freeze. Cook lots and then freeze. Slow cooker (keep an eye open on free sites, they always pop up)

Ration everything - lock up the snacks/ Biscuits in Aldi are like £30p a pack (some cheaper) so you can have snacks for the kids, you just need to make sure they don't polish them off.

Read the Op's first post, then come back and ask a sensible question.
BarryKentPoet · 12/04/2022 13:12

She already has noodles listed in her meal plan. She already has the grated cheese. Why are people not reading what she has actually said in the very first post, it's all there!

OP, I've been there, it is hard but your plan sounds fine for a week. Make sure to look after yourself too.

Miguel Barclay does some great £1 meals, check out his Facebook page. He even has a recipe for using banana peel! Also, Atomic Shrimp does cheap meals too, see here . No use for this week really, but could be useful going forward. I use these recipes all the time to save some pennies!

ilovemydogandmrobama2 · 12/04/2022 13:17

There's an app, not sure if in your area called Olio, where perfectly good food is given away mostly by supermarkets.

7eleven · 12/04/2022 13:19

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

UniBallEye · 12/04/2022 13:20

OP I have nothing practical to add, but just wanted to say you're doing great and I totally understand you needing to make sure your fussy eater gets fed and that is the absolute most important thing.

And you.. please don't neglect yourself, if you get ill who will look after your children.

I assume you can't ask the children's father to help out given the situation?

I really hope your family rally round and send you home with enough leftovers / cupboard supplies to help lighted the load. I appreciate they might be struggling themselves but hopefully they can help for the few days that's in it.

Good luck OP

Thedogshow · 12/04/2022 13:20

Haven’t read the thread but Aldi basics pasta is 22p a bag or 18p for pack of dried spaghetti. You could get tinned tomatoes, lentils and a small extra block of cheese (much cheaper than grated) and make a couple of decent meals, esp with some frozen veg.
Good luck

neveradullmoment99 · 12/04/2022 13:25

@Autumn42

I’d scrap the soup, biscuits and apples and buy some cheap veg, potatoes, chickpeas/lentils. Soup and bread isn’t enough for meal unless the soup fortified with lentils/beans/meat. You could buy some onions, lentils, rice, carrots and potatoes for the price of the bag of apples, soup and biscuits
Its for one week. She could put some pasta in the soup to bulk it up.
mamabr · 12/04/2022 13:30

If you call your local council they will put you in the right direction for a food bank!
I've had to use one before and there's no shame

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 12/04/2022 13:36

Sounds fine to me for a week, I also have fussy eaters (asd spd) and most of the things mentioned here my dc wouldn't eat, especially the eggs which would be a great meal with beans on toast but neither eat eggs and one won't eat beans or bread either.

Mine do love making pizza from wraps with Tom ketchup and cheese though

chaos76 · 12/04/2022 13:40

Have a look at the app 'too good to go' its where hotels restaurants and shops sell bundles of food at the end of the day or in the morning for hotels that do breakfast for very cheap worth a look or try out.

Also if the bread does start to go stale use it to make bread and butter pudding or french toast

frozen veg is a good buy as is frozen fruit

but do not go without yourself is this is going to happen please use the food bank

wakingupinthesamecity · 12/04/2022 13:42

Why should children (and indeed adults) have to live like this though because of government policy ie the five week wait??

Hankunamatata · 12/04/2022 13:46

Iv found chucking butter or oil into meals is a cheap way of adding calories.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 12/04/2022 13:49

Please tell your parents how short you are this week, they will know how tight things are and would hate to see you short
I have 3 sons and have bought them a shop near their paydays as rents have increased

Blondeshavemorefun · 12/04/2022 13:49

If you are on fb hopefully you are on a local town page

I often see posts like yours saying struggling fir food

Many posters will mention where their local church is that does food parcels

sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 12/04/2022 14:08

Almost tearing my hair out at some of the posters on here who haven't bothered to absorb the OP which has ALL of the information we need!

OP, it's perfectly doable. No, it won't be fun, and you will have to watch every spoonful, but you sound pretty organised and practical. Ridiculous tip, but turning the ends of your loaves into croutons will help bulk out the soup a bit more. Also I know that milk&more used to run as a credit a/c, so you'd pay a month after you'd had your delivery from them - the 25kg sack of potatoes I had delivered once was an absolute lifesaver in a cashflow crisis. If you set up an a/c today, you might be able to get a few essentials in to tide you over.

You know your kids better than we do, but do you think they'd go for homemade vegetable soup with a £1 veg pack? That could be at least two meals for all three of you. Or my own personal 'things can get no lower than this' moment of serving up potato soup. It was literally potatoes, water, and a stock cube because that was all we had in the house.
I really feel for you, I've been through the UC switch & it's horrendous. My local council had a dedicated support worker to help people through it & she arranged for a basics hamper to be delivered to me without me asking. I want to cry every time I think of the two little parcels they included for the DCs. Might it be worth seeing if there's a similar project near you?

TheKeatingFive · 12/04/2022 14:12

Potato soup is actually yummy and very filling

7eleven · 12/04/2022 14:15

Sad that a genuine offer, from one mum to another, completely unsolicited, was deemed to break guidelines and deleted. I have read them and can’t see that they do.

When I think of the codswallop that is posted daily on here, I’m a bit gobsmacked. If someone reported it, boo hiss to you.

Best of luck to you OP