To ask you how to make £30 last

[tearsandtiaras]

I have £30 to last until Wednesday
Im ok for petrol for work
My DD needs £8-10 on Monday
I have £22 to make meals from tomorrow - Tuesday night and one packed lunch Wednesday

Please help. I have porridge, brown rice , eggs, and a little bit of pasta

Sorry if this doesn't seem relevant , but could you sell something you don't need or use on Facebook market place for collection ? Give yourself some cash flow?

Have a look at Feed Your Family for £20. They are on Facebook and IG.

5 breakfasts - porridge or toast or French toast
8 lunches - soup or sandwiches or beans on toast
4 dinners - baked potatoes and beans, chicken roast or mash, sausage and mash.

Leftovers for meals It is a bit repetitive but tasty. This could be I'm my meal plan

Plum tomatoes 40p
1KG chicken thighs £3.40
Veg stock cubes £1
Loose carrots 25p. (x2)
Loose onions 25p (X2)
Yellow split peas £1.20
Pork sausages x 8 £1.80
Farmhouse mixed vegetable frozen £1.50
Broccoli frozen £1.10
Wholemeal bread 50p
Baked beans 30p x 2
All rounder potatoes 2.5kg £1.35
About £14 from Tesco or Aldi.

I plan on making a vegetable and split pea soup tomorrow for a few days and the freezer. Fry onions the a carrot and a few potatoes. When soft add split peas, stock and water and simmer on the stove for a while. I sometimes blend it, I mostly like the vegetables chunky. If I have ham I put that in too.

Buy basic veg (carrots, onions, anything else that's cheap) - I generally use a bag of frozen mix that's £1.50 for 500g, no idea if that's cheaper).
red lentils and a can of tomatoes, makes about ten portions of really filling lentil soup.

About £4 - and you'll have loads of lentils left for another batch.

Also frozen pizzas £1 for the teen not healthy but cheap

https://approvedfood.co.uk/

That site maybe useful to you. Hope you're okay OP

I don't have a credit card or any access to credit. Could borrow from a friend but too embarrassed.

I couldn't ask for a raise as I work for the council and too embarrassed Im a children's social worker. Unfortunately my rent is too high for my salary so its like this every month. A couple of days I have eaten free food at the office to tide me over.

The too good to go was morrisons. Pretty good for £3.30 Im glad I went to get it

What's bin your Olio bag OP?

This might come as a bit of a shock...... but not everyone has a credit card

Where do you live

Hit the frozen aisle in Lidl. Frozen veg and chicken and then a stock pot, make a big stew or two that will go with rice. Frozen fruit for your porridge, if you simmer it with a splash of water it's a very easy and healthy homemade jam that will keep in the fridge.
Are there any food banks locally?

same here not worth the debt

Lidl sells gluten free pasta and it's actually really nice and not madly expensive (about £1 a box iirc)

I can't re quote- someone said" you can't afford for her to go on the trip'

Why? Who says? She is being taken somewhere on a Inset day by another parent whilst I work full time in a different borough on child protection visits. I would prefer that she was supervised in the 12 hours I will be away from home rather than alone all day on a screen with little food ! Shes a young teen for her age

Shopping list for gluten free diet (used Morrisons but prices are likely similar or a little cheaper at Lidl).

4pt Milk £1.45
Pack frozen juicing fruit £2
Gluten free flour £1.95
1Kg natural yoghurt £2
1Kg brown onions £0.99
1Kg frozen veg £1.19
Chicken Stock cubes £1.20
1 pack mushrooms £1.19
Garlic £0.45
Gluten free bread £1.90
Savers margarine spread £1.71
400g mature cheddar £2.69
Own label mayonnaise £0.95
Potatoes £0.79

Total 🟰 £21.61

Breakfasts / snacks:
Hot porridge, overnight oats or yoghurt with berries
Toast and margarine spread

Lunch ideas:
Vegetable soup (onion, garlic, frozen veg, stock cubes)
Egg mayo sandwiches

Dinner ideas:
Mushroom stroganoff (melt tablespoon of margarine, fry chopped onion, 1 clove garlic and 1/2 mushrooms; add crumbled stock cube, 1 tablespoon flour, yoghurt to make a sauce, salt & pepper). Serve with rice.

Mac n veg cheese (melt 1 table spoon margarine, fry 1 chopped onion, add 1 tablespoon flour and mix, gradually add 1/2 pint milk, stirring constantly, grated cheese, cooked pasta, thawed frozen veg)

Pancakes with garlic mushrooms. Mix 115g flour with 250ml milk and 1 egg. Fry 1 onion, 1/2 pack mushrooms chopped, in margarine.

Jacket potatoes with margarine and cheese, with steamed frozen veg. Basic to finish, but will keep you both going, and it’s pay day tomorrow🌷

London

Thank you 👍👍👍 this is very helpful!

Thank you I just used this advice

You’ve also got ingredients to make a bit of garlic bread there 🍞

Potato for mash/ jackets and wedges. Buy a cheap chicken roast then make stock and with rice noodles. Make broth/soup
Carrots/swede/parsnips/onion are cheap . Chopped tomatoes/onions with eggs(Shakshuka). Lentil curry with boiled eggs (Delia has a excellent recipe)

She should be able to manage on the money she has, the first port of call should not be ‘put it on the credit card’, this how people get into debt, you need to live within your means,
With a bit of thought she should have enough to last her till wednesday

I have been using Olio for two years I can get the basics every day and a few days a week some ready meals, puddings, etc and my fridge freezer is always filled with free food collected locally.

I don't need any funds thanks. I could jeopardise my job so please don't offer any if anyone did I would report them

I am just looking for help budgeting which people have kindly been doing

This is amazing! A lot of posters haven't realised how quickly the requirement to be gluten free reduces choice and pushes up the price. Most of the suggested 'cheap' meals are really expensive as gf options.

I already work 50 plus hours a week, and earn a good wage. Its just my rent and bills are sky high i am on the breadline. And Im a sole earner with no £ or involvement from DD's father.

They are good tips 👍

Get yourself to Aldi
veg for a pot of soup
basic frozen pizza.
tinned potatoes, shove in the air fryer are lovely
cheap bread
pasta

or Iceland.
I think you can get 10 items for a tenner.

Been there myself.