Meal Planning for One

[BoerWarKids]

Can anyone recommend one? I've tried Googling, I found ones that were either 5+ years old (don't take into account rise in food prices) or American (Would have to convert prices and measurements - I'm not anti-American ;))

I'd like to spend £15 a week on food, £20 max, will cut right down on meat and do everything from scratch, can it be done?

TIA

One what, a recipe book? Could you just divide recipes?

Sorry if that's not what you mean.

I think that's definitely a doable budget though-make double of everything and freeze the second portion so you've got 'ready' meals stocked up. Soup is quick, easy and goes far too.

I would bulk cook maybe one meal a week (if you can't afford to spend more the first week) and build up a store of frozen meals.

I think you will probably have to buy bigger packs of stuff and split and store (either cooked and frozen or storecupboard).

Make soup to use up leftover veg.

I think a lot of it will be down to how to feel about repetition in your meals. Can you eat the same thing several days in a row, maybe jazzed up in different ways but the same base recipe?

Kaloobear - sorry I wasn't very clear . You know the meal plans that have been devised to feed a family of four for £50, etc? Wondering if they exist for a singleton!

TheArmadillo - yes, I'm happy to eat same thing 2/3 days in a row.

I'd rather eat the same homemade, healthy meal all week, than alternate value sausages and burgers!

Oh sorry, that makes sense! I'm sure you could divide one designed for more? Or make a list of your favourite meals and then work out what works on consecutive nights in terms of cooking with leftovers? E.g. Spag Bol on Monday-make 4 portions. Eat one, freeze one, fridge two. On Tues have jacket potato with Bol sauce and on Weds have stuffed marrow with the same. Might get dull though?

I freeze portions into 1 adult ( x2 children's) using those foil trays with lids ( but you can use a regular dish if you have enough- jut means they go straight into oven fine)

Fish pie
Cottage pie
Bolgnaise ( cook fresh pasta as need)

I tend to make the above once a month- takes an hour or so. And generally have 6-8 portions frozen of each

Then easy meals like stir frys/ Spanish omelettes/ baked potatoes in between cooked as needed

I think you would be hard pushed to buy food for only £15 - £20 per week for one.

My mum by herself and spends £35 - £40 per week on food, and that's not buying anything but the basics.

I think it's possible. We spend £50-60 a week for two adults. That's all organic and includes wine ( Waitrose)

lots and lots of vegetable curry.

I think you could do it! Try starting with maybe a small roast chicken, take off the breasts and freeze for later or make into curry. Leftover chicken and veg the next day, with a big frozen yorkshire pudding. Make up a creamy chicken and veg soup, put half in a jug in the fridge, freeze the other half. Big portion of mince, do a bolognaise or a chilli, have with pasta/rice for one day, jacket potato next, again some left for the freezer probably. Burgers, meatballs and meatloaf freeze well too- I make up a big load of meatballs, do so many in tomato sauce with pasta, and so many in an onion gravy with mash and veg. Go nice in a sub roll too.

I think it will be easier if you set yourself a £40 budget a fortnight, rather than £20 a week- try a trip to Aldi once every 2 weeks, sort yourself out for meat, veg, cereals, tea, etc, and try and save a tenner for a top up shop the next weekend.

For what its worth, I spend roughly £30 a week for me and 1 DD, and a tenner of that is packed lunch stuff.

If possible, I would try and set aside a little money for buying freezable storage, etc at the start- those beakers for soup are great, and the plastic takeaway style tubs are better than the cardboard, I think.

I definitely second Breakout's suggestion of going to Aldi, £15-20 a week is very possible if you shop there.

Also, lots of lentils/rice/pasta/eggs.

Thanks for your posts, only just noticed this thread had been resurrected!

I did it last week, spent £18.45 :) a combination of shopping around at Lidl, Asda and Sainsbury's. I did have dried herbs, sauces, flour, rice, pasta, etc in already, and those stocks aren't likely to run down too quickly.

I'm teetotal and happy to eat meat infrequently so it's doable, I think. I'm also prepared to make everything from scratch.

I lurk on the MoneySavingExpert forums and there's a thread on how to survive on £7.00 a week. The suggestions are not particularly nutritious, this would be survival during a really tough week.

There's also feeding a family of 4 on £20 a week.