£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

https://wholesalemeatscoventry.co.uk/product/slimming-pack/

wont let me upload , but we use a wholesalers . I get the slimming pack , I didn’t realise it’s gone up to £50 but still loads cheaper than a supermarket x

I might be able to help in a small way - I got made redundant and had to cut my expensive Butternut Box dog food out of my budget completely, amongst other things.

I started bulk prepping and freezing my dog’s food and my monthly bill went down from £70 a month to £20 and I still do it now I’ve found another job as he is thriving on it. I’ve got a smallish dog so bigger dogs might be more costly to feed, but you’d still save a decent amount of money if your usual dog food is already costly.

I try and get all the meat and veg in the reduced section so it is usually cheaper than the £20 a month that factors in full-price food.

my shopping list is from Tesco and my dog is 10kg and gets 250g of food split over breakfast & dinner:

4 x 500g pork mince £10
1x frozen broccoli £1.10
2 x bags of carrots £1.40
2x bags of sweet potato £2.40
2x red peppers £1.40
1x tin of sweetcorn £0.60
1x tin of green lentils £0.50
1x bag of frozen peas £1
1x bag of spinach £1.20

i make it in 4 batches on a Sunday (2 in slow cooker and 2 in wok) and I freeze it in these large sectioned trays (think an ice cube tray each with 4x 250ml sections).

I know this method is still maybe more than you’re looking to pay, but it’s mega healthy and it’ll fill your dogs up longer than cheaper dried food which in my experience can sometimes cost more as you need to buy more of it to fill the dog up - and as a result I spend less on supplementary treats as my dog isn’t mooching around for food.

This is where it potentially gets a bit mad, because during this time, I ate the same food as the dog - exact same ingredients as above but I would add seasoning and spices. I would use a ‘cube’ of the food as a dinner with a baked potato, pasta, rice or in a wrap. Again, this takes time but I made the food for a whole month (albeit just for one adult and one dog) over the course of two days. This method left me and the dog full when I had no money coming in. It’s boring as hell cooking it and eating it and you’ll be in the kitchen for 2 full days, but for me, it was worth it.

Not saying this is the case for OP but so many trolleys I see in the supermarket are full of expensive crap - pre cooked pieces of chicken or meat, bumper packs of cans of fizzy drinks, sugary cereals for £4 a box, cereal bars, that kind of thing. ‘Snacking’ is ruining people’s budgets as well as their health.

£200 a week on food? Bloody hell

I am agog that you say you meal plan and still spend £200 a week. Something is not right here especially as you have two little ones who surely do not eat a lot?
I always say that as long as you have potatoes and eggs you will never starve.

Can you clarify whether you're in the UK or USA @AnxietyLevelMax so people don't waste time talking about Universal Credit and Aldi etc.

I noticed you have a mom and not a mum.

Are the people on this thread who keep saying about food banks taking the piss or just clueless

She uses £ in her title so presumably the UK.

Mom is used in the black country.

No enlightening suggestions but I feel for you.

food so expensive - the worst type of pasta that gives you a bad gut is over £1.

however with careful cooking (to ensure Al dente) you could do pasta with a plain tomato sauce: honestly I’d use 2x 35 pence ones of cheapest tomato tins. 3x garlic pieces. Swish out the tins with a tad of water: reduce slowly. Top it whatever cheese (cheddar if necessary) .

you can bulk out pasta with beans like chickpeas.

similarly if you have tins of soup bulk it out with rice shaped pasta (pastina).

but I do feel for you and your family.

Get a delivery from Asda or Iceland. Iceland in particular should have enough cheap stuff to fill up your husband if he really can’t eat for one.

Also if you get a delivery then you can’t be tempted with additional stuff that looks good in the supermarket.

There are a lot of places that do dog food delivery as well - you might be able to get money off your first one and then cancel after that. Could think about doing similar for Gousto / Hello Fresh - I’ve had some really cheap stuff from them after the deals.

What do you normally eat? For your DH eating like 2, I would bulk out meals with cheaper ingredients, ie, a pasta sauce or salad - add lentils and more vegetables to reduce meat.

Also, if you eat cereal for breakfast then swap to eggs. My DD works in hospitality and racks up about 20K steps each shift. She either has 2 scrambled eggs or a chunk of frittata made with lots of veg and some bacon/sausage. That keeps her going almost all day.

Husband needs to eat the same as you unless he has a very manual job.

Formula comes first. Then you live off beans/cheese on toast/jacket potatoes and porridge. Buy frozen fruit as that is way cheaper than fresh and is still very good for you and you can puree with yogurt or bake with porridge. Lunch is cheese sandwiches every day. Basically live vegetarian as you don't need meat and it's expensive. Snacks are cheap biscuits. Drinks are tea and water.

Also frozen veg and make big vats of soup. You can combine with potatoes and sweet potatoes and onions, none of which are expensive.

And look at the apps to see if there's food you can get for free or very cheaply. Sometimes you can get a posh ready meal for a low price as it's expiring that day and that will be a treat and a change from the boring beans on toast.

I actually think living frugally is quite easy if you don't buy meat or fresh fruit.

I agree with this OP, not meaning to sound harsh, I can understand your anxiety but he will understand too and want to help surely?

I’m not sure how you spend £200 on food/essentials per week for two adults a child a baby and a dog if you are being careful. So the first thing is careful budgeting to get that to around £100. What essentials will last the month (toothpaste, shampoo, soap?) can you buy cheaper/own brand options that can be under £1, such as shower gel and cheaper washing up liquid? Make sure you have staples like oil, herbs and seasoning. Then: Breakfast can be simple - a box or two of cereal own brand for £2 or less and milk should last the week, plus bread, marg and jam (£4). Lunches can be homemade or tinnned soups with cheese on toast everyday (£15/£20) and then a chicken casserole (£5) for dinner, then sausage and cabbage (£5), pasta and tomato sauce with garlic (£3.50), jacket potatoes and beans(£3h) tuna pasta (£4) ham, egg and chips. A roast chicken with roast potatoes m, carrots and peas on a Sunday (£15-16). Snacks you can buy a big pot of yoghurt and flavour with jam/honey, cheese and crackers, jam on toast. No it might not be delicious but it is far from impossible. Cutting out booze and switching from fresh juice to cordials. This is only temporary but you obviously cannot continue as you are. Loving very frugally for a couple of months should help you to save a little.

Yes, eggs! They are good as well although they are a bit pricey but if you buy a dozen a week they will do a few meals. Omelettes and eggy bread/French toast are good.

Thanks! I'll have to run some price comparisons on what I buy atm. That amount of meat probably wouldn't last us 2 weeks but if it's a lot cheaper then it would be worth it.

If you’re burning through savings you may need to face the fact that you can’t afford a long maternity leave and need to go back to work earlier than you planned. Or you could sell stuff on Vinted, DH could get a part time job in the evenings/weekend, or you could.

I too dont understand how your shopping bill is that big. We shop at Tesco, 3 adults and a 14 year old that is now bigger than me, both eat loads. £140 last week and I bough school t-shirts, a swimming cossie, socks, dog food, bleach, toilet roll, shower gel, face wash and shampoo in that. It also included some quick frozen crap for when the eldest is at work so he can make something quick and easy, fruit, salad and meat. Also 4 packs of chocolate bars as we are having some days out and its cheaper to buy multi packs than just a single bar while e are out. I think you need to re look at what you are buying

A couple of cheap chickens will help too, a lot of people miss the underside meat, I pick the carcass practically dry by the time I’m done and freeze handfuls in several small bags. They come in handy for soup or sandwiches mid week.

Can you take out of the £350 the money you need for fuel/dog food/formula and any extras like washing powder, then let us know what is left? Then we can make you a 3 week meal plan. I can feed 3 of us (2 adults and 1 child but they eat as much as an adult) for £50 per week if I have to. It means we have to have cereal (usually pick a decent granola) for our lunch or evening meal a couple of days but it’s doable

We keep our costs down by making the most of reduced food at the end of the day, so far this year we haven't paid more than half price for any meat or fish, we freeze on the day. The olio app is also worth checking if there's anyone nearby you collecting from supermarkets.

Will not pattonise you by saying 'economise' etc. Have you checked out if there are any local foodbanks? There is no shame in it. There are nurses/teachers etc on TV saying they are using because cannot make ends meet. Some allotments give away surplus food. Even for a few weeks to tide you over? Theres quite a few apps that offer cheap/free food. 'Too good to go', 'Olio' , 'Flashfood' etc.

Some local councils have schemes where you can apply for a cost of living payment. It depends if they have any funds left and takes a few weeks, but always worth asking.

DP and I survived on less than minimum wage each in one of the most expensive cities on the planet in our 20s, and we didn't starve. Except when we made shit decisions.

Mexican style veggie food is your friend. Beans and pulses, veggies (you can buy bags of frozen mixed peppers etc for cheaper than fresh), canned tomatoes, rice. You can make your own tortillas for practically free as long as you have some flour.

Baked potatoes, bacon and whatever veggies are on offer. Omlets. You can make a cheap curry with chickpeas, canned tomatoes and leftover veggies too.

£200 a week for a food shop? Ours is about £85, which even if you add your formula is only £90. That’s for me, DH (both sporty and train a lot), teen DS (also plays sport) and DD.

You can make massive cutbacks there. If you really need to cut back that much…a 3kg bag of pasta is £3.80 in Asda, you can get Asda sauce for £0.86, get 5 of those. That’s 5 meals for £8.10. If it’s that bad you need to make the effort and so does everyone in your house.