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Can anybody help with a food budget for this month please

4 replies

Presstheresetbutton · 04/04/2017 18:35

Particularly tight month, food is usually bought as and when, no batch cooking or even thinking in advance really. Lots of little trips to Budgens or Tesco Blush

Once bills and everything are paid I have £80 each week until the end of the month for food, nappies and miscellaneous. That's for 1 adult, 4 children (1 is a toddler) and a cat. Children only eat an evening meal here 5 nights a week. I'm happy to snack on those nights so its really only 5 evening meals, well 4.5 because of the toddler.

I've gone through the cupboards and freezer and I have frozen veg and a frozen mojito Hmm in the freezer. In the cupboard I have a fair amount of pasta, 4 tins of soup, 1 jar of lasagne white sauce, a ton of flour, 1 tin of baked beans, a jar of sweet and sour sauce, 2 cartons of passata and a pack of ready to wok noodles. Also 6 eggs, 2 garlic bread, a pack of fresh gnocci, a pack of spinach, and a pack of bacon. That's the lot. Expect for spices, salt, oil etc etc.

So any ideas? Kids are relatively easy to please except for lentils, fish and vegetable soup. They like meat with their meals but they can put up with some meals without meat. Have lots of shops around, big Tesco, aldi, lidl and a farmshop (but that's quite expensive). No markets.

Any help appreciated!!

OP posts:
JonesyAndTheSalad · 05/04/2017 00:22

Eighty pounds is plenty. It's more than many have. In fact there's no need for you to "snack" instead of eat a meal in the evening. How much do you usually spend if this is not enough in your mind?

Get mince...big pack. Split it and freeze on half. Make bolognaise and bulk it out with some lentils or extra carrots or sweet potato.

Past is less than a pound a packet. That's two meals.

One chicken...roast it and have with vegetables, then make soup with the carcass. Add potatoes or pasta to the soup along with a lot of veg and some chicken stock. Serve it with bread and cheese.

Other cheap meals include mild curry which you can make with no meat and serve with rice.

Stir fry, stew etc.

pipsqueak25 · 14/04/2017 16:16

try to cut out the 'little trips' for top ups, you will always spend more than you need to, tescos never seems to be the cheapest out of the main supermarket imo, i love lidl and aldi.

RupertsMum2 · 14/04/2017 22:08
  1. Tesco have 2.5kg bags of potatoes for 49p this week so (buy two) we had baked potato with a bit of grated cheese and salad tonight. Everyone agreed that it was a great meal. My boys like the Tesco value rice pudding for dessert @ 20p a tin.
  1. Pasta bake is also a good cheap meal. B&M have a sauce for 59p which was fine. Serve with frozen veg.
  1. Chop the left over potatoes into wedges and bake in the oven sprinkled with a bit of oil. Serve with fries egg and beans.
  1. Roast a chicken, potatoes, frozen veg.
  1. Use leftover chicken in the sweet and sour sauce and serve with rice
  1. Sausages, Mash and veg.
  1. Homemade pizza, garlic bread, cherry toms & cucumber sticks.

Tub of value ice cream, value tinned fruit and custard.

And you will have plenty change from your £80.

Nessie71 · 22/04/2017 07:21

I have just got a app on my phone called my supermarket you can put in your shopping list and you can see how much each suppermarket are going to cost you.

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