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

Are you in a union Op? Some offer hardship payments if you are finding yourself in this position regularly.
www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/financial-assistance/

Bag of potatoes, cans of soup, pasta, eggs. Go to a food bank you can get food, and budgeting advice .

I would think tinned food is the answer tuna, chopped tomatoes, tinned fruit, soup, I would avoid meat as it’s pricy, buy frozen veg for dinners and frozen fruit for porridge.
breakfast porridge/toast
lunch soup/sandwiches
dunner batch cook tuna pasta/paneer curry/vegetable bake so you have enough for two nights of dinners.
definitely consider the community fridge option I have a friend that uses one.

@tearsandtiaras can you sell some stuff going forward as this is going to be an on going issue. How old is dd? Can you pick up an evening shift in the local pub or restaurant or similar? Or ad hoc remote admin shift on people per hour to supplement your income.

https://www.peopleperhour.com/services/business/administration-assistance

As a long term plan, changing jobs to a higher paid one is the way forward to get you out of this rut. I did a quick search for a bank support social worker, are there similar in your area?

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/social-interest-group/relief-bank-support-mentor-luton/1001059?tsId=6

Have you claimed universal credit?

For four days, I wouldn’t worry too much about super-healthy food. But have a look at frozen/tinned veg rather than fresh. Cheap veg and lentils make a really good, filling soup.

Yes just checked Iceland mix and match 10 items for a tenner.

Can you get any yellow sticker items?

Eggs for breakfast will be filling, I did a frittata for my DD when she moved home. I wasn’t used to making breakfast as she was away for 4 years. I sautéed veg and added 4 eggs, put it in the fridge and reheated in the mornings.

Those big packs of chicken thighs in Aldi for under £3 are my go to when I'm skint.

I'd do cheap curry sauce with rice and chicken one night.

Chicken mash and veg one night (( Aldi super 6 but tbh this time of year there's always loads of veg reduced ))

Chicken casserole with one of those sachets one night.

Then something like pasta and a cheap sauce. Spend the rest on a bag of porridge or whatever.

You'll be fine.

See if you have a community fridge near you.

Check entitledto.com to see if you can get some housing benefit

Potatoes, put all in whole in the oven with an x scored in. covered in salt and what ever oil you have.

Very cheap tins of tomato soup, cheap pasta and the 1kg of chicken wings they sell at supermarkets for £1.75.

Boil the chicken wings and extract as much meat as you can get. Put the bones and any limp veg you have back into the pan and boil further.

Also own brand beans, cheese and porridge. Plus any wonky veg aisle fruit you can see.

I don't have any advice for budgeting, just wanted to say that it is absolutely shameful that a professional has to spend so much money on rent (I'm assuming it's rental of a private property) that they are left scratching for cash to eat every month. Our country is utterly screwed without more affordable housing.

This is not an essential expense. With £30 to do you until Wednesday, I'd be telling your DD you simply can't afford for her to go out.

£30 will go a lot further on food when a third of it isn't being spent on a leisure activity.

Feed your family for £20 a week is good on FB. Lots of reasonably nutritious meal suggestions.

Is getting any financial support from your DD's father an option? You can't afford not to claim everything you/she are entitled to.

If Op is working 12 hours and her daughter is only 13 I can understand Op wanting her to have company so it’s more a childcare expense.

Not everyone has access to credit...

Does your council offer any subsidised veg box type services?

Loads of great advice OP which I can’t top, but wanted to say that you are doing all the right things, clearly have your head screwed on right and I’m proud of you. Sorry you are facing this - it shouldn’t be this tough.

Also, if things get more difficult, please reconsider the foodbank - you are exactly the person I hope my donation helps, even once or twice. My good friend runs the local bank and welcomes everyone - those turning up in posh cars (credit presumably), those walking there, households with two working adults and those with none.

where I live there’s a local food pantry, you can just take what you need. I’ve never gone, but have donated before.

OP has explained why DD is going out and it is part of essential childcare due to an inset day.

I don't think foodbanks are for people just a bit hard up until payday? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheese? A little cheese goes a long way. Tomatoes too. Do you have bread? Beans on cheese on toast is nice. Cheese and tomato omelettes. Porridge at breakfast time, it's good with fruit, even tinned fruit if you have some in the cupboard, or buy a couple of bananas in addition to the cheese and tomatoes. Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans. All of that is filling and wholesome.

Good luck!

So you've got basically 4 days of all meals to sort?

I would do:

A big vegetable chilli that will do a dinner and leftovers for a couple of lunches. Serve with your rice.
Jacket potato and beans for two meals
Omelette with your eggs - chuck the leftover veg from making the chilli in
Sausage and mash with frozen veg

Egg/beans on toast for a couple of lunches if you can afford gf bread

Porridge for breakfast

I agree with this. It's shameful that renting is so expensive, and affordable housing in short supply.

@KateDelRick they're absolutely for people experiencing hardship between paydays. In my opinion, they are especially for working people who can’t make everything stack in the crazy world we live in.

Who do you think they're for then?