I know its been done a million times but...

[signet2012]

I still can not get my shopping down the values you all seem too!

I meal plan but stuck with same meals... a few things Im not sure how to make without jars and such. Can anyone recommend me a simple, quick and cheap pasta bake recipe? I like most things as does DP.

We have an aldi, asda, lidel, netto, tesco, morrisons, pound stretcher, home bargains, local butchers, local veg shop all close by so I have plenty of choice but seem to do all my shopping at asda and local butchers/veg shop.

I think we over eat as we are both fat, I am also 6 months preg going on mat leave and partner is self employed money is tight...

Also have about 5k worth of credit card debt and overdraft.

Can anyone point me in some sensible direction please!

I have recently decided that those jars are just foul. They all taste of sugar. So, bumping in order to help me too. I am often agog at the amounts people spend. On one thread, the woman said they spent about £50 for four of them and I was amazed.

Signet, you may want to look at some of the suggestions coming up on this thread.

I would recommend avoiding shopping at Tesco's. My own preference is Aldi, Morrisons, local butchers and Asian supermarkets.

You will be better off buying meat at the butchers as you can then get the exact portion sizes you need.

For meat, it is meant to be 100g / portion and fish, it is meant to be 150g. The chicken fillets I buy at my butcher's are about 200g and I serve one when feeding two people.

It is fairly easy and much healthier to make your own sauces, whether it is for pasta, curries, etc.

Just thinking... if either you or your DP are particularly active, the portion sizes for meat/fish I highlighted in my earlier post may not be enough but otherwise I would recommend that you try and aim for that.

thanks very much!

I think I tend to over feed, he is a big lad. I was slim before I met him, over the years my portion sizes have increased to nearly the size of his! There is a good foot difference in our height and he is about 5 stone heavier than me so it was always going to happen that I'd sneak up!

I agree regarding the jars, I cook most things from scratch but pasta bakes for example I just think hassle free for a pound a jar but then I KNOW I could knock something up just as tasty for much much less.

I popped in Aldi earlier for a nose and it all looks fine - are there any jems people have found? Or things that I should stay clear from?

Aldi is great. The fruit and veg are good and very cheap, compared to the other supermarkets. I have been occasionally disappointed with some onions that got mouldy quickly.

I do not buy my meat from there as I go to the butcher for it, but I think from the feedback I have read, it is fine. I do buy the Italian pancetta to use in quiche though.

I like their plain yoghurts, their butter, their orange juice. I have tried most things and hardly ever been disappointed. Their cleaning products are great (washing up liquid, bleach, washing powder) and much much cheaper than the other supermarkets.

With regard to portions, you definitely need to be careful about yours as I have found out that your own portion size creeps up when you live with a big eater.

I would recommend that you should aim to buy decent fresh produce and reduce your consumption of processed food/ready meals. That should bring your bills down and make you a bit healthier. Good luck!

Forgot to say! The cheese at Aldi is very nice too, and so is the wine if you want an occasional treat!

Pasta bake:
Cook pasta (a largish handful each) in water with a stock cube crumbled in.
Make a basic white sauce:
A knife-full of butter/marg melted in a pan, add plain flour until it forms a shiny ball of dough. Add about 1pint of milk slowly, mixing all the time to avoid lumps.
When the pasta is done, pour it with the stock into a baking dish and put 2 tins of basic tomatoes on top. Mix it well, press it down and pour on the white sauce (don't mix it in). Grate a small amount of cheese on top and bake 200c for 30 mins.
HTH

Pasta bake round here is just basic tomato sauce (onion, garlic, herbs, tinned toms) very quickly fry onions/garlic and add tomatoes and herbs. Takes ten mins. Then add cooked pasta and any cooked veg/whatever you like, top with a little cheese, put in oven.

Cost for the sauce is about 50p I guess, but I use quite pricey tomatoes so that could be a lot less.

Meal plan like crazy, so you never have leftover veg, and batch cook things like spag bol, mince, stew etc so you can freeze some.

Buy a big chicken and do:

Sunday - roast
Monday - chicken and pasta salad - you can do a healthy version or a mayonnaise-based one. We had a fab version of this the other night: Shredded legs from the roast chicken, steamed broccoli, pasta, mustard and mayo sauce, all mixed up. It was gorgeous.
Tuesday or put in freezer - chicken soup with the carcass and any remaining bits of meat, veg, noodles, pearl barley etc.

For a £6 chicken, that's £1 a person per meal for the meat, plus a bit extra for veg, pasta etc.

Alternate meat and veg nights: meat is really expensive.

Bulk out spag bol or chilli with loads of veg so it is mostly veg and sauce.

Make packed lunches. DH probably spends about £15 a week on shop-bought butties, which is over £60 a month. The same for home-made would be, ooh, about £20 or so maximum (bread at £1.35 a loaf, cheese or ham filling, bit of lettuce). Grr.