£350 till end of the month. family of 4 + dog

[AnxietyLevelMax]

How do we survive? Needs to include formula for the baby. Other ds is almost 5 yrs old. Fuel to be included. We are sorted for this week and have few lunches in the freezer for the next week, but otherwise have to manage within the budget and just dont know how! Each grocery shopping is about £200 for a week with careful planning, we just cant afford it

How old is your baby OP? Formula is bloody expensive. I felt immediately richer after weaning both mine off it. We spend around £200 a week as well and DH also eats a lot as he has a physical job but we are able to get organic eggs, milk and decent chicken and fish for that. You’re going to have to go veggie/meat light I think. So spaghetti bolognaise, half mince, half lentils and a ton of veg to fill the pot right up. Have a word with your DH about portion sizes and that meat is restricted but he can eat unlimited carbs and veg at mealtimes. Lentils and beans are your friends here. They really bulk out normal meals but if you can give us your usual meal plan we can help make some more tailored suggestions.

Where are you shopping? You should easily be able to do decent food shop with formula and dog food for £150. What meals are you doing and you'll have to tell your DH to eat less

If you're at the end of maternity leave, can you do some KIT days to get extra pay? Appreciate you may not get it until next payday but it could still help.
Also you mention your mum, can she lend you money?

Sort your cupboards and meal plan around using up as much as possible from freezers and fridge and cupboards.

It doesn't hurt to have cheap beans on toast or mac n cheese for a couple of meals at lunch time etc.

Bulk out main meals so you can save portions for lunch - extra veg in shepherds pies or lasagne/bolognaise etc.

Shop at cheaper supermarkets, think about click and collect so you are not tempted by stuff in store.

Morrisons do a good bag of veg on too good to go type thing

Lidl and Aldi do things like lidl super six each week. Check on line before you go.

Petrol try and combine trips/minimise the driving

Put the luxury stuff back - sweets, choc, crisps etc - not needed. I used to make a few small buns when daughter was that age - they were happy to help and ice so its activity and food, could do same with pizza.

Pasta dishes are good value and volume. Eggs are a superfood so omlettes etc get a tray of 15 mixed sizes rather than large or med- mixed are cheaper as they don't have to sort them.

Make your own chicken nuggets/goujons

You could buy a butchers pack of meat.

If you purchased a monthly pack for £150 you’d get so much meat.

You are not that switched on financially if you spend £200 a week on food though.

I think you need to start bulk buying. Also consider a food bank for your formula

Formula is really expensive so I sympathise. It might be worth talking to your health visitor to see if any help is available.
I do a lot of shopping on short-dated websites - approved foods, low price foods, b&m, best before it’s gone or in person there’s shops like home bargains, heron and b&m. If you’re in certain professions or in receipt of certain benefits there’s also the Company Shop. You have to be canny as they have certain loss leaders but it can be useful for things like snacks and dog food.
Morrisons also frequently do things like huge bags of apples for cheap. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a local greengrocer follow their Facebook, particularly on Saturday ours tends to go cheap to offload food before the weekend.

I will try to catch up with replies later

Of course she cant use a food bank these are for people who are struggling 🙄

I don't think it's allowed to do offers on formula so give up on that.

Any Packet of mince recipe but packed out with tins of lentils and a tub of passata to double up and then freeze the second batch.

I'm wondering what you do buy it would be easier to suggest ways to save or get more for your money.

Research food banks in your area?

Look on face book market place for dog food - often people giving away near by.

do you use a boots card? Boots sell formula so if you have any money on there to purchase. Otherwise own brand formula in supermarkets is very cheap and due to regulations on what has to be in formula is just as good.

No preprepared food including cook in sauce microwave rice and packs of seasonings.
A tray of chicken thighs costs very little and can be used in lots of dishes.
Ham hock,boiled with lentils,carrots and onions is good and filling with meat for sandwiches the next day.
Cooking bacon is less than £2 a kilo and can be added to pasta dishes or just grilled.
A half sack of spuds goes a long way,don't buy little packs of veg like onions,they work out more expensive.
Basic range tinned baked beans,tomatoes, pulses, sweetcorn, a fraction of the price of branded stuff.
Cheepo bread is fine toasted as is basic margarine .
As mentioned before frozen veg is your friend, peppers are fine in a sauce or casserole, Peas, green beans ,are especially cheap in farmfoods.
Heron food sells some massively marked down stuff like cheese, cereal and so on.
Cheap coffee is vile but it still does the job when you need a pick up.
I would contact your health visitor and ask for a referral to a food bank for your babies formula as well as essential items like basic toiletries and cleaning products.
Also worth a mention are the many surplus food schemes that operate in the uk. They're not means tested but stop good food going into landfill.

Please don't use a food bank :(, there are much much needier people out there.

As someone that’s had to use foodbanks in the past I find it really uncomfortable people suggesting that someone with this much money left should be using one. Op you just need to cut your cloth, honestly. You are in no way in a precarious position here.

Shopping daily for yellow sticker offers on protein is good advice IMO. Especially if DH needs large portions.
It’s usually meat that drives up your shopping budget, so making a bean variation of a well known meat dish is a good idea. I’ve made “marry me” butter beans or chickpea curry with no complaints.
Cut out fizzy drinks and especially alcohol.

Ask your mum cap in hand if she can give you more freezer meals until maternity leave is over. She’s obviously happy to help so tell her that her grandchild’s formula is a struggle to pay for (so silly that it can’t be price reduced). Most GParents would jump at the chance to be of practical use. What about the other side?

Get everything out of your cleaning cupboards and bathroom cabinets. You’ll probably find products to use up for the next few months.

Hello Fresh gives great deals to new customers (like £4 per portion) and you CAN pause it at any time. Not sure about other meal boxes. Too Good to Go app?

Local churches offer toddler and parent groups or Summer activities where you can meet helpful people and the children do free activities. They’re often connected to food banks etc.

Also how much would your fuel be to get to supermarket, as if you are flexable on delivery time can usually get it fairly cheap.

Fresh meat is out of OP’s budget right now. There are plenty of cheap protein sources - baked beans, eggs, peanut butter etc.

Out of interest, what's in that box? We spend loads more than £40 pm on meat but we are big meat eaters and would have it most meals.

Your partner could take on a second job.

You can but 2Kg of chicken thighs in Tesco for £5-50, and they are big.

Traybake with loads of potatoes, carrots, onions - 4 meals.

Rice and dahl. Put some frozen spinach in the dahl if you have it.

Lidl for jars of things, veg.

Lidl had packs of thin pork steaks - pork sizzlers, I think they called them - at a very cheap price.

What's with the boiling of the veg? Why do you specify boiling instead of steaming?

Three cheap chicken meals. Buy 2 x 1kg packs of chicken thighs (skin and bone on).

Day 1 - roast one pack of the chicken, and have a roast dinner with stuffing (the cheapest - bulky and filling), roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli. 3 thighs for DH, 2 for you and 1 for toddler.

Day 2 - roast 2nd pack, and strip every last shred of meat off the bones. Divide it in two. Use half to make chicken noodle stir-fry with a 2/3 of a large stir-fry veg packet. Make stock with the bones, or freeze them until you have more.

Day 3 - using remaining chicken. Cook a load of rice and cool it. Make chicken fried rice with the rest of the stir-fry veg packet and a couple of eggs.

Other cheap meal options:

Buy a packet of Aldi cheap frankfurters (fridge) for aroubd £1.20, and make a pasta sauce with an onion, garlic, tinned toms, slice up the sausages and put them in. Serve with pasta. You can also add mushrooms and smoked paprika if you have it.

Do the same with cheap bacon.

Make chilli/bolognese go further by adding oats to bulk it out.

Three bean chilli is a protein rich cheap option. Buy three tins of any beans in the supermarket. I tend to use chickpeas, red kidney beans and butter beans. Fry a chopped onion until golden, add a diced red pepper (frozen also fine), garlic, two tins of tomatoes, chilli powder (or make your own blend), and the beans and simmer. Serve with rice for bulk.

We’re a family of 4 with a cat and spend the same amount on food shopping but we buy FAGE greek yoghurt, salmon, lamb mince and so much soft fruit and berries with the food you’re describing I have no idea how you are spending as much.

If I had to cut down to £100 a week then the kids would be pissed off but it would be doable, especially for a short period of time.

Just out of my own habit I guess! It's just examples of what my family eat.

I know food has gone up, but that does seem really high. I also have a 6'6" husband and 2 children. Plus 2 of our family are coeliac so their foods are more than double - think £3 for a loaf of gluten free bread or cornflakes, £3 fir a box if cakes etc. We would spend about £100 to £120 a week on average.

As others have said, maybe share a copy of your usual weeks meals, or a copy of one of your recent shopping receipts and people may be able to help