To think it’s actually hard to live off this for the rest of the month?!

[munnyya]

I have 350 to last me and dd (2) until 29th of august. This is for food and household essentials like washing tablets, dishwater tablets, shampoo etc only. I think this is incredibly difficult to do? Am I going wrong somewhere? I can’t understand how this is meant to last us until then.

So that sounds as if you are buying readymeals rather than ingredients to cook with. That's a very expensive way to eat! I had to look up Little Dish - again, that's a really expensive way to feed a 2 year old. A bag of pasta and cheese sauce made from butter / flour / milk / cheese could feed them for a fraction of that.

How are your cooking skills? I can remember mine being not so hot when my DS was that age, I think I believed anything I bought rather than made was somehow 'better' for him. But I learned. I bought Annabel Karmel's book (currently 99p on Ebay), found a few recipes he liked (cheesy pasta, cheesy pasta with broccoli, cheesy pasta with bacon - you get the idea) and never looked back. I think you just need to have confidence in yourself (something I was sorely lacking).

Have a browse at this Sainsburys link for ideas to get you started too.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/scrapbooks/feed-your-family-for-a-fiver

She can cut down that electric bill even more if she sticks to candle light and she can cut out detergent altogether if she washes all their clothes by hand with a bar of soap. Who does she think she is using these modern conveniences on a tight budget? 🙄

get your dd involved maybe so you’ve got an activity as well as food such as making pizza (easy to buy pizza bases or even use pitta breads)
top with cheap but healthy toppings. Chop up
some basic fruit - apples oranges bananas etc
cut right back on juice

I spend about that much, but my only nearby supermarket is Waitrose, I buy ice cream and avocados and other expensive items and I get snacks and drinks for dc. It's difficult budgeting in summer when we're outdoors all day as there are cafes everywhere. Fares cost a lot, too.

If I were just with a toddler going to the park, I could manage on £50-£60 a week. Pasta, ratatouille, eggs, muesli, home made ice lollies for toddler in hot weather, bananas, apples, carrots, cucumber, cheese sandwiches. Take a flask of coffee/tea and some juice or water out with you.

I just don't manage it because I'm tired and it's stressful budgeting if there's a lot going on. I agree with pp that an online Tesco or similar shop might be cheapest.

Nasty judgemental people.i can manage on f.. all a week so you can too and its your fault if you can't..Nappies or things for kids and food for picky kids can be a nightmare.Cut the poster some slack.

You are wasting money and while it's nice to buy something prepared you can put in the oven occasionally it's neither healthy or budget friendly to do it all of the time.
You have said that budgeting is making you feel stressed every month so now is the time to start cooking from scratch. You will have much better control over your finances and it's really not that hard, we've all had to do it.
I use the bbc food recipes, there's loads of different ones and you can search for quick/easy meals.

It's like anything you have to learn.

If you can read you can cook.

There's loads of easy sauce recipes online or look for a budget cookbook for ideas.

£3 for a toddler meal! That’s where you’re going wrong! Your toddler should only cost £10 or so to feed for a week not for 3 dinners! You don’t have to be an amazing cook to make nutritious meals for a lot less than you’re spending! And if time is an issue simple meals don’t take long. Just a wee bit of planning so you have the right ingredients in. Loads of ideas on this thread & good links too! Good luck op ! It’s shit being skint but you can definitely save money and then you’ll have cash for a treat now and then or to save for a rainy day / bigger treat !

I couldn't agree more.

duck breasts or chicken in a sauce, some veg, prepped potatoes of some sort

Yeah so these are expensive prepared foods, as are the toddler ready meals. You can't afford those? You'll need to cook properly.

Buy:
1kg Pasta
4 tins Chopped tomatoes
A bag of red lentils
A bag of oats
6 pints whole milk
Eggs
Peanut butter
Frozen berries
Frozen mince
Chipolata sausages
Chicken thighs or drumsticks
Rice (long grain)
A sachet of curry seasoning
Bread
Basic yoghurts
Apples
Bananas
Broccoli
Bag Spinach
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Frozen peas
Bacon
Pudding rice
Baked beans
Plain flour
Bicarbonate
500 sugar
Block butter.
Veg stock
Block of cheese
Mushrooms
2 Tins of chickpeas
2 tins tuna
Box of teabags

Make:
Porridge for breakfast with frozen berrues or grated apple/chopped banana

Meals - make 4 portions each time & freeze two for a 2 week menu

Chicken & Bacon risotto (use pudding rice. Cheaper). With one piece of chicken, hakf pack bacon,half pack mushrooms, peas, onion. Bulk out with a few lentils to maje it go further, cook in the stock.

Spag bol - mince,chopped tomatoes, grated carrot, pasta. Bulk out with a few lentils, add a bit of the veg stock & a dash of milk into the sauce.

Chicken curry - chicken, carrot, onion, chickpeas, tin of chopped tomatoes, sachet of seasoning, spinach. Long grain rice. Chuck in a teaspoon of the peanut butter and a bit if the milk for a nice sauce

Cheese/Bacon/mushroom omelette with broccoli on the side. Slice in some potatoes like a spamish omelette.

Lentil & bacon soup

Sausage & mash with remaining broccoli, few peas and carrots.

Tomato veg/pasta (add any spare bacon/sausage/chicken).

Use cheese/eggs/spare bacon/peanut butter/tuna for sandwiches with bread. At fruit/yoghurt for lunches.

Flour/sugar/butter/any eggs left = simple cakes, biscuits
Milk & pudding rice & sugar - rice pudding
Flour/sugar/butter & spare apples/berries (go pick blackberries they are free!) = crumble

Oats/sugar/butter/apples/peanut butter - look for flapjack recipes online

I have to be honest. The advice here would not do me any good. I’m not saying it’s not good advice, but if you’re not coming from a place of meal planning and cooking regularly it’s hard to know where to start.

Here’s a list of some good looking recipes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/1_dinners

But more importantly there is a link to pantry items that looks pretty versatile.

Start small… pick one or two things to add to the weekly menu and buy less of the prepared stuff to offset the cost. Frozen veggies are your friend because you can scale what you prepare.

Also shop in Aldi/Lidl, it's a lot cheaper.

International pony.

You can make sauce for chicken with cream or creme fresh, and some fried garlic and herbs. Or just cook tinned tomatoes on a pan with added garlic powder, olive oil and dried herbs. use frozen spinach in the sauces too, it doesn't really need much cooking.
Ready meals are so pricey, and you don't need to peel potatoes.

How are you run off your feet? I'd love to just microwave something everyday so please don't think I'm judging but you have to learn to cook because you can't afford to keep buying what you're buying. Do you plan for toddler to have ready meals her whole life?

Find a recipe (tesco spaghetti bolognaise - easy and tasty) and literally do what it says. If you have no clue how to chop an onion youtube it. Double the quantity and you'll have 8 adult portions you can freeze. If you follow a recipe properly you can't go wrong. Please try and let us know how you get on!

Do you need new shampoo, laundry detergent etc. every month? But yeah that should be quite easily doable if it's just for food and those essentials. If you also needed to run a car and pay for any bills or fun stuff, then it would be a challenge.

Sometimes the sauces/toppings are more basic than you think.
perhaps air fry or roast a couple of chicken breasts - top with a squeeze of lemon and black pepper. Or olive oil and Chinese 5 spice in a jar.
pouch of rice to serve
we did a lot of chopped pepper, cucumber etc instead of cooked veggies

Don't be ridiculous. I merely mentioned dishwasher tablets. If she can't make her budget work, these are non-essential. Don't try your "straw man" arguments with me, love.

I don’t know what I would put stuff in to freeze? What container? And how long would it last?

I really sympathise with you on this - people can be so judgemental if you're an adult who doesn't cook but I've just managed to have a relatively balanced diet without it by buying these kind of semi prepped ingredients. And I can imagine if times got tough I would struggle to completely readjust.

Could you try making just one or two recipes this week? I'm probably not the best placed to advise on what or how (hopefully others will chip in on this). A traybake recipe might be most similar to how you currently eat and an easy adjustment https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/traybake-dinner-recipes

Look up simple step by step recipe videos online and follow them

You can stick to basics like pasta with grated cheese, boiled or scrambled eggs, cheese sandwiches, beans or cheese on toast, salads, chopped fruit, yoghurts, rice (microwave ones if you have a microwave). No need to try to learn stressful cooking with a toddler underfoot!

Oh and when you're a bit better off buy a slow cooker (£15 ish) you can throw in chicken, veg, stock and it will cook itself

Other stuff you can make with shopping list above:

Add cooking oil

Yorkshire puddings - flour,egg, milk
Pancakes- flour egg milk, berries etc
Veg soup with any leftovers
Cottage pie instead of bolognese using mince, mushrooms, carrot,onion, potato, milk butter, bit of stock. Cheesy mash if you like it.
Veggie curry instead of chicken- chick peas, lentils, peas, potato, carrot, onions

When I went through a period of having no money, I bought a cheap jar of curry sauce and cooked some rice. I'd get a spicy jar as I could just pour it over the rice with no meat etc in it. It was surprisingly nice and very filling.The sauce is £1 from Tesco and it lasted me a couple of days, so I'd feed myself for two nights for about £1.20. It's surprising what you can do if you have to!