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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

£40 for food for 13 days

85 replies

Gakatsbsk · 10/06/2022 17:12

Hello

due to unexpected extreme expenses this month I will be living on a tight budget until pay day.

after accounting for all other expenses I will have £40 for food. If I bought nothing I could have enough food in my house for 5 days. I have lots of protein powders and meal replacement type things lying about too.

I do not eat meat or fish, I don’t use any milk or anything like that and I have enough margarine to last. I have all the basics like oils and seasonings.

Has anyone any tips for getting some nutrients in over the next few days. I have a limited appetite anyway due to medication and am 2 stone overweight so don’t need huge meals. I don’t have a blender but have all other standard appliances.

this is just for me, I have no dependents.

OP posts:
Vikinga · 11/06/2022 00:41

Potatoes, carrots, onions, chickpeas, beans, red split lentils, frozen spinac, spices, pitta bread, tahini, garlic, lemon, tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, courgettes. With those ingredients you can make Dahl, chickpea/bean and spinach soup, vegetable soup, curries, hummus and pitta bread and you can add any other veg you like - aubergine etc

OperationRinka · 11/06/2022 00:43

Perennial MN top tip if you find yourself temporarily strapped for cash is to see whether you've got any points you can use on Nectar or Boots Advantage cards. Boots sells milk I think, which is probably the most efficient way to turn points into nutrition, but there are other options.

Cheesepleeze · 11/06/2022 00:43

And how about Gousto or Hello Fresh? Their food is healthy, fresh and delicious, and with the sign up offers it only costs about £1.25 a portion. You could even ask around to see if anybody has a free box going.

resuwen · 11/06/2022 01:06

Lentil Dahl and rice is one of the cheapest meals there is, filling, delicious and nutritious.

Cashewwws · 11/06/2022 01:54

Not sure why people are saying it’s ‘loads’ of money for a single person. It’s not…especially with food prices right now but it is doable and you will be fine! I have been in similar positions and made it work :)

I would try and get to Lidl or Aldi for a start. It’ll be much cheaper than any other supermarkets.

My suggestion would be-

breakfast
porridge with banana
own brand natural yogurt with banana/apple

lunch
own brand baked beans with jacket sweet potato or wholemeal bread.

or

homemade soup with made from sweet potato, roasted pepper and veggie stock and onion with a pitta bread.

or

eggs on toast

dinner
pesto pasta with peas

or

roasted veg (frozen) with dried herbs/garlic with wholegrain rice/pasta

or

Simple veggie stew (carrots/leeks/potato/lentils etc).

snacks/treats
biscuits 50p
popcorn - large bag £1

Hope that helps x

Hawkins001 · 11/06/2022 03:30

ChickensandCows · 10/06/2022 21:54

The most bizarre suggestion I've ever read. A multi vit doesn't make up for eating chips everyday and not eating any fruit or veg. And buying fruit and veg Is cheaper than buying bags of chips everyday.

It was more of a survival basic budget than a practical one, the multivitamins tablet, is due to more concentrated vitamins, based on that vitamins naturally from veg ect can be lower levels with variances in cooking, etc,
A large bag of chips at local chippy is £2.80
Factor some eggs, bread at home ect £5 over a couple of days, would soon get you through the needed period, and besides how would the veg you recommend be as filling for that price vs the chips ?

RustyShackleford3 · 11/06/2022 04:10

£40 is plenty for one person for 13 days. I'm going to guess that you're used to spending a lot of money on food? (No judgement from me btw - if I have a comfortable amount in the bank then I will happily spend a small fortune on food. It's one of life's great pleasures)

Jacket potatoes topped with almost anything. Look out for things that are reduced or on offer. Things I tend to go for is left over chili or curry, tinned tuna and mayo,cheese chives and mayo, baked beans. Pair it with some salad if you're feeling fancy.

Egg fried rice. I use frozen veg or stuff from DH's veggie garden. It really is best with sesame oil, which I know can be expensive, so this would probably only work if you already happen to have sesame oil in.

Cheese on toast slathered in Worcester sauce/ketchup/ hot sauce etc for the days when you can't be arsed and you want something quick and comforting.

Frittata. Put almost anything in them. Frozen veg, onion, potato, deli stuff, cheese etc. Almost anything works so it's good for using stuff up.

Sour dough starter. Flour is cheap as hell so you really have nothing to lose by giving this one a go. If it works then you can make bread, pizza etc and eat very well. The downside to this one is it will require planning and time. Making bread and pizza bases can be intimidating if you haven't tried it before so I suppose it depends on how much you like cooking/baking.

Porridge oats for breakfast. Use whatever you have to hand to spice it up - fruit, nuts, jam etc. If you run out of milk you can make it just with water. Some people don't like it this way but I find if I add fruit to it the taste is perfectly fine and it's still very filling.

FirstFormAtMalloryTowers · 11/06/2022 05:14

My son made a big batch of chipatis this week. it cost pennies.

You could make them and even freeze them and serve with eggs, beans or veg.

We made the East African variety.

Ragwort · 11/06/2022 05:29

As others have suggested there are plenty of 'cheap' meals based around jacket potatoes, pulses, rice, vegetables etc.

But check if there is a 'Food share' facility near you, even our very small town has a 'free food' (not a Food Bank - that is separate) facility where you can pick up free food, surplus donated from local supermarkets ever single day. It's fantastic and open to anyone, you can give a small donation if you wish but there's no obligation to.

BorisJohnsonsvomitbucket · 11/06/2022 05:36

Couscous. A small bag is about 85p, and you can get loads of portions out of it. Soak it in vegetable stock. Add margarine or butter and mix. Add some cooked frozen peppers, spices, whatever you fancy. Very cheap.

FishfingerFlinger · 11/06/2022 05:38

Spending £2.80 on a bag of chips is a completely daft way of eating on a budget unless you’re in a situation where you have no cooking facilities or something.

£2.80 is a pretty generous budget for one healthy meal for one person.

Sortilege · 11/06/2022 05:41

I’d start by making a passive pot of dhal. Freeze some of that in portions and keep some in the fridge. Then a simple vegetable soup. Ditto. Porridge oats and powdered milk, and spend whatever is left on some fruit. It might get a bit repetitive but you should have a big enough quantity of food to get through and you can break it up with what is already in the house.

sashh · 11/06/2022 05:56

Do you have a slow cooker?

One of those 'casserole' packs from the supermarket, peel everything put it in the slow cooker with a veg stock cube and boiling water.

After 2-3 hours either blend it (I know you said no blender but do you have a stick blender?) or put through a metal sieve and you have a soup that will last 2-3 days, if you have a freezer freeze in portions.

Jacket potatoes, but cook more than you need and make gnocchi the following day.

Things on toast, beans, cheese, bacon, combination of all of them.

Hummus made with tinned chick peas. Save the liquid from the tin, whip it like egg whites and bake in the oven or put in a frying pan to make an aquafaba omelet.

k1233 · 11/06/2022 06:29

I don't eat beans and pulses, so a lot of suggestions above wouldn't work for me. Some super easy ones that have got me through in the past:

Pumpkin soup - cook up a pumpkin with chicken stock, onion, garlic (optional). Chuck in blender, eat with bread.

Eggs and toast - boiled, scrambled, fried
French toast
Pasta - make white sauce and cheese for macaroni and cheese.
Potato in oven. Other veges cooked in oven.

2L of milk, one bag of pasta, carton of eggs, cheese, pumpkin, some potatoes and a loaf or two of bread.

SunflowerGardens · 11/06/2022 07:08

Cheesepleeze · 11/06/2022 00:43

And how about Gousto or Hello Fresh? Their food is healthy, fresh and delicious, and with the sign up offers it only costs about £1.25 a portion. You could even ask around to see if anybody has a free box going.

I can offer you a free box OP if you need one. You get 3 meals with 2 portions so that would be 6 meals for you. You have to remember to cancel the subscription as soon as you've place your order though!

MrsLargeEmbodied · 11/06/2022 07:17

i wonder what you normally buy if you are assign for help? as a single non meat eater you should not need to spend a lot on food

ChuckMater · 11/06/2022 07:24

This isn't a tight budget for one person. You don't eat meat. So veg, either frozen or fresh. Potatoes, tins of beans and pulses.

£20 a week is fine for one person

Matchingcollarandcuffs · 11/06/2022 07:28

Blimey, I've less than that for a family of 5!

If you do the gousto box you could get three portions out of each meal so that's £17 for 12 meals leaving plenty for other meals

coodawoodashooda · 11/06/2022 07:40

Make sure you get in some treats.

BarbaraofSeville · 11/06/2022 07:50

As others have said, this should be easily achievable, although the OP hasn't said whether or not she eats eggs, but it would be enormously helpful if she does as they're an excellent basis for cheap healthy meals that are quick and easy to cook.

Bananas and carrots are probably the cheapest fruit and veg and good for snacks or adding to porridge (also very cheap)

Add a basic lettuce and cucumber and you have salad that will last a few days as an accompaniment to baked potatoes, omelettes, pasta etc. I also add grated carrot and thinly sliced red onions soaked in white wine vinegar and have that as the salad that goes with falafels and pittas, or any sort of meat/meat alternatives like burgers or fritters that have been suggested.

You might be able to stretch to some basic spices if you don't already have them, either own brand jars or the Asian branded packs are all under a pound, so cumin, coriander, chilli and curry powder, paprika and garam masala will cost under a fiver so might be manageable and allow you to make a huge variety of different dishes very cheaply, eg dhal, chilli.

Also big packs of frozen garlic and ginger from larger branches of Asda or Tesco usually for about a pound each last absolutely ages and work out very cheap.

But yes, it's also a good question about what you normally eat if you see this as a problem you need help with, say you don't eat much, and don't eat meat or fish, plus do have some food in the house already (not sure how you're counting the 5 days food, 13 days until pay day and when that is - is it 13 days after the 5 days, or 13 days till pay day and you only need to buy food for 8 days, because you already have 5 days covered?)

I would be careful with Gousto, it's ludicrously expensive unless you get an offer, especially for vegan/ovo vegan food because, as this thread has demonstrated, the ingredients cost very little. Plus you have to cancel or else they'll send you a box at full price.

Lykia · 11/06/2022 07:50

Download the Olio app for free food. There are Olio helpers who rescue sell by date food from supermarkets and give it away free on a daily basis. It's normally bread/veg/salad.

Over the weekend I had a store cupboard clear out and put a load of food on Olio. It was all well within the sell by date just food that I knew I wasn't going to eat again.

liveforsummer · 11/06/2022 07:56

A large bag of chips at local chippy is £2.80
Factor some eggs, bread at home ect £5 over a couple of days, would soon get you through the needed period

But £2.80 would buy enough value frozen chips or potatoes to let the entire time period op needs food. You could easily make a balanced filling meal for a couple of days on that. Bizarre A jacket potato with cheese and beans and a bit of side salad can be done for about 50p.

LemonDrizzles · 11/06/2022 08:03

Do you have time? Dried pulses (lentils, beans) are way cheaper than tinned. International and some off licenses have them. Get some onions and garlic and make stews, curries and sauces.

Same goes for big packs of rice.

Also, there are apps like olio where local stores are encouraged to put on food.... Get some ripe tomatoes there, chop, separate and freeze. Could be cheaper than tinned tomato

AlwaysLatte · 11/06/2022 08:12

Tuna pasta bake. Mmmmm
Op doesn't eat fish!

Lots of dried lentils and yellow split peas for curries, soups etc. coconut milk. curry pastes which will do several meals. Frozen spinach etc from Iceland or other cheap shop. Go to a market if you live near a town for cheap vegetables and fruit, and make some into smoothies for breakfast as well.

TaffyandTeenyTaffy · 11/06/2022 08:18

Loads of great suggestions here.and perfectly doable.

Do you have a local charity/food cooperative type place. We have one that does fresh food bags for £5?
Otherwise I'd go for a bag of frozen mixed veg and cook about a third/half at a time and keep in the fridge ready to warm up a portion with your main meal.

Toast meals are good cheese/mushrooms/egg/beans/maybe avocado if on offer!

Lentil or chick pea dhal or curry with rice.

Protein will keep you fuller for longer and maybe you could do a fast days each week so only one or two meals. Lots of health benefits for this