To ask for your tips on a very lean month?!

[Wombatbum]

😩 v. cheap meals needed, any other tips to get through the month? I’ve got paid today but due to changing jobs and one thing and another I’ve got a shortfall of about £500 this month. Bonus points if you can make it fun 😂😩

Asda are doing a 7 meals for £20, that might be worth a look.
groceries.asda.com/aisle/just-essentials/just-essentials/all-this-all-in-under-20/1215686354495-1215686354496-1215686355171

Harvest the remaining winter veg that you planted a few months ago and eat it.

Soup, chilli, curries, dhal, sausage casserole. Buy the family packs of meat, split and freeze. Cheap fruit and veg, even though it's repetitive. Porridge is cheap. You are in the best position being able to buy for the month as most things are cheaper in larger amounts.

👀

Stop buying meat

Do you have any nectar points or similar you could use?

If you pay your council tax over 10 months, you don't pay in February, if this applies to you have you factored it in?

See if there's any offers to switch your bank account, you could get up to £200 for doing this. When I moved my spare account to Natwest, I got the money in a week or two.

Cheapest onions, carrots, potatoes and root veg you can find. Chop, stick on baking tray, drizzle with oil, season. Roast at 220 for 40 or so minutes. Add a little grated cheese and/or gravy. You can cook a load and the next day it’s nice cold for lunch, or if you have some eggs you can make a frittata.

Beans on toast, baked potatoes, frozen stuff from Iceland - so much cheaper than supermarkets. Rice, sardines/pilchards, lentils, curries with chickpeas and value tins of tomatoes. Cabbage, carrots, any "wonky" veg. Yellow stickered ready meals at the end of the day. Pancakes with whatever you've got.

Sorry meant to say, I’m vegetarian so we eat veggie anyway! We pay council tax over 12 months, will look at switching banks!

That sounds really yummy! Thanks

We had a trial from hello fresh. Had a link sent to each of us

Got 6 x meals for 4 with both links....free

If you are already vegetarian then just choose the cheapest fruit and veg per kilo and avoid expensive prepackaged foods. Onions, carrots, sweet potato, cauliflower, apples and bananas rather than baby leaf salad and blueberries. Cauliflower and chickpea coconut curry, red lentil dhal, bean chilli, and so on.

Baked potatoes (microwaved if can't afford oven) is out go-to cheapie meal. With bean or cheese depending on what we've got.

If its a short term thing, just think about filling bellies - longercterm needs much more planning.
Jacket spud with ANY filling
Sausages and cheese pie ( mashed potatoes, grated cheese mashed in, with cheese on top to crisp off.
Pack of mince, tin of lentils. With bits, can makes bolognaise to put with any pasta and chilli .
'Posh' sandwiches. Ciabattas ( or anything like that on offer), fishfingers, or breaded fish, whichever is cheaper, ketchup and salad bowl.
'Dirty fries' - oven cooked chips, with just about anything over the top!
Soup - cheapest and most nutrional of all. Make it more appealing with cheese on toast on the side

Anything that

Try Olio, it's been a godsend here. Always plenty of vegetarian food available too.

Sorry, was too thick to notice you're veggie🙄 Apologies

Cheap veggie curry;

One onion
Garlic
Curry powder
Tin of coconut milk
Tin of chickpeas.

Fry onion and garlic, add curry powder, add coconut milk and add chickpeas cook for 40 mins or so.

This will do 2-3 portions and works out at around 50p or less a portion.

Thanks guys!

no worries I can adapt lots of meaty ideas to veggie!

It’s just this month that things are short and we have a short holiday books for half term too that we can’t change! I have some money that I saved for spends but not as much as I would have liked. Hey ho! I’m going to try and challenge myself to spend as little as possible beforehand

I used to do similar with a cauliflower or sweet potato as well. With rice it really fills you up. You can now get creamed coconut blocks at Lidl that work out cheaper than the tins.

I'd say don't feel every meal has to be a 'meal'- I love just having Peanut butter toast. Or chopped banana and honey on toast. Or egg and dippy soldiers. I feel like I can happily eat cheaply for lots of meals from one loaf.

What have you got in your fridge/freezer/cupboard? If you can give us a list we can help you with some suggestions!

Red lentils .. Use it as pop to clear out the freezer.. Well out when your supermarket does best deals... Bulk bulk cook ..... And yes to root veg,. Tesco vouchers for a meal out

Pasta with grated cheese, or macaroni cheese - cheap and satisfying.

See what’s in your freezer, and meal plan around it.

Toad in the hole - all you need is a pack of (veggie ) sausages, eggs and store cupboard ingredients

Shop late at night - I picked a French stick for 28p twice in the last two weeks.

Have you used online shopping delivery services before? If not Ocado do £20 off your first food delivery if you spend £60, or Iceland offer £5-£7 off first orders depending on spend. There may be others available.