I have £50 per week for food in February

[Lovelybitofsquirrel3]

After 2 big unexpected bills in a few days since getting paid, I have £60 a week for February for food for myself and 1 child, dog food and toiletries not included. I usually spend about £80-130 a week. I usually batch cook so that’s fine. Will eat a lot of things. The first week of the month I don’t need to buy anything as I’ve got enough in. I feel really overwhelmed.

For example

Creating a budget-friendly, nutritious, and tasty three-week meal plan for one adult and one child on £150 is absolutely doable! I’ll focus on simple, balanced meals using affordable ingredients that can be used across multiple dishes, reducing waste. Here’s the breakdown:

General Grocery List (These ingredients will be used throughout the meal plan)
• Proteins: Chicken thighs (6 pieces), minced beef (500g), eggs (12), tinned tuna (2 cans), chickpeas (2 cans), lentils (dried or tinned)
• Vegetables: Carrots, onions, garlic, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables
• Carbohydrates: Rice, pasta, bread, oats, tortillas, potatoes
• Dairy: Milk (2-3 pints), butter, cheese (cheddar), yogurt (big tub)
• Canned: Tinned tomatoes (2 cans), baked beans (2 cans)
• Condiments/Herbs: Olive oil, soy sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, dried herbs (oregano, basil), curry powder, chili powder
• Fruit: Apples, bananas, frozen berries
• Snacks/Desserts: Digestive biscuits, rice cakes
Week 1

Monday
• Breakfast: Porridge with sliced banana
• Lunch: Tuna sandwich (with bread, tuna, and a little mayo), carrot sticks
• Dinner: Chicken stir-fry with mixed vegetables and rice

Tuesday
• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on toast
• Lunch: Lentil soup with bread
• Dinner: Spaghetti with tomato sauce (tinned tomatoes, garlic, herbs) and grated cheese

Wednesday
• Breakfast: Yogurt with mixed berries
• Lunch: Leftover lentil soup
• Dinner: Baked chicken thighs, roasted potatoes, and broccoli

Thursday
• Breakfast: Oats with chopped apple
• Lunch: Cheese and tomato sandwich
• Dinner: Beef and vegetable stew (minced beef, carrots, potatoes, onion)

Friday
• Breakfast: Porridge with banana slices
• Lunch: Leftover beef and vegetable stew
• Dinner: Fish fingers (or homemade fish fillets) with peas and mashed potatoes

Saturday
• Breakfast: Toast with scrambled eggs
• Lunch: Vegetable stir-fry with rice
• Dinner: Chicken and vegetable curry with rice

Sunday
• Breakfast: Pancakes with fruit (using flour, eggs, and milk)
• Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich with carrot sticks
• Dinner: Chicken and potato tray bake with mixed vegetables
Week 2

Monday
• Breakfast: Oats with mixed berries
• Lunch: Tuna pasta salad (tuna, pasta, peas, a little mayo)
• Dinner: Chicken fajitas (chicken, tortillas, onions, peppers, and a little cheese)

Tuesday
• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on toast
• Lunch: Leftover chicken fajitas
• Dinner: Lentil and vegetable stew with bread

Wednesday
• Breakfast: Yogurt with fruit
• Lunch: Cheese sandwich and carrot sticks
• Dinner: Beef and potato casserole (minced beef, potatoes, onions, peas)

Thursday
• Breakfast: Porridge with banana
• Lunch: Tuna sandwich and an apple
• Dinner: Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with rice

Friday
• Breakfast: Oats with sliced banana
• Lunch: Leftover chicken stir-fry
• Dinner: Homemade vegetable soup with bread

Saturday
• Breakfast: Pancakes with fruit
• Lunch: Leftover vegetable soup
• Dinner: Beef chilli with rice (minced beef, tinned tomatoes, beans, chili powder)

Sunday
• Breakfast: Toast with scrambled eggs
• Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches with carrots
• Dinner: Roast chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli
Week 3

Monday
• Breakfast: Porridge with apple slices
• Lunch: Leftover roast chicken sandwich
• Dinner: Veggie pasta (pasta, tinned tomatoes, mixed vegetables, and cheese)

Tuesday
• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on toast
• Lunch: Leftover veggie pasta
• Dinner: Chicken curry with rice

Wednesday
• Breakfast: Yogurt with fruit
• Lunch: Tuna and sweetcorn sandwich
• Dinner: Beef and vegetable stir-fry with rice

Thursday
• Breakfast: Porridge with banana
• Lunch: Lentil soup with bread
• Dinner: Chicken stir-fry with mixed vegetables and noodles

Friday
• Breakfast: Oats with mixed berries
• Lunch: Leftover chicken stir-fry
• Dinner: Fish cakes with peas and mashed potatoes

Saturday
• Breakfast: Pancakes with fruit
• Lunch: Leftover fish cakes with carrots
• Dinner: Beef and potato curry with rice

Sunday
• Breakfast: Toast with scrambled eggs
• Lunch: Cheese sandwich and an apple
• Dinner: Roast chicken with vegetables (leftover from the previous roast)
Key Tips for Saving Money:
• Buy in Bulk: Rice, pasta, and oats are affordable in bulk.
• Frozen Veggies: Frozen peas and mixed vegetables are cheaper and last longer than fresh.
• Multipurpose Proteins: Chicken thighs, minced beef, and tinned tuna can be used in various ways (e.g., stir-fries, pasta, sandwiches, etc.).
• Batch Cooking: Make larger portions of stews, soups, and casseroles to eat for multiple meals (e.g., beef stew can last 2-3 meals).
• Snack Wisely: Keep snacks simple with fruit, yogurt, or rice cakes to avoid unnecessary extras.

This plan keeps meals varied, provides all the nutrients needed, and makes good use of leftovers. The total cost will depend on local prices, but this approach should help keep you within the £150 budget.

This is doable if you don't mind increasing your carb intake for a bit.

Toast, cheap jam (£0.39 for a pot of strawberry jam). Porridge, milk. Cheaper eggs.

Baked beans are 0.28p, cheapest fish fingers are £0.80 for 10.
Big bag of potatoes. Big bag of carrots (or loose ones).

Use the potatoes for chips, to mash through with carrots, or just boiled.

Pasta, rice.

Frozen vegetables. £1.20 for 1kg. Mix with rice and egg.

£3.20 for a block of cheese (400g). Mix pasta with some cheese and an egg for a quick meal.

Tinned tomatoes, £0.39. Or see if they sell any tomatoes that are about to go off - then make pasta sauces with the tomatoes and carrots.

Own brand tortilla crisps, £0.57 for a large bag. Use with the beans and cheese and tomato sauce.

Cheapest pizza is £0.58. For pizza night.

Snacks for the little one: Peanuts - monkey nuts. Cheap raisins.

Not sure what the dog eats!

Here’s a shopping list with estimated prices for the meal plan, based on common UK supermarket prices. The prices can vary depending on location and specific store, so these are approximate averages. I’ll aim to keep things as budget-friendly as possible while ensuring variety and nutrition.

Shopping List with Estimated Prices

Proteins
• Chicken thighs (6 pieces) – £4.00
• Minced beef (500g) – £3.00
• Eggs (12) – £1.50
• Tinned tuna (2 cans) – £1.50
• Chickpeas (2 cans) – £1.00
• Lentils (dried, 500g) – £1.00

Vegetables
• Carrots (1kg) – £0.60
• Onions (1kg) – £1.00
• Garlic (1 bulb) – £0.30
• Broccoli (1 head) – £1.00
• Spinach (fresh, 200g) – £1.50
• Potatoes (2.5kg) – £2.00
• Frozen peas (1kg) – £1.00
• Frozen mixed vegetables (1kg) – £1.00

Carbohydrates
• White rice (1kg) – £1.00
• Pasta (500g) – £0.50
• Bread (1 loaf) – £0.50
• Oats (1kg) – £1.00
• Tortillas (8-pack) – £1.00

Dairy
• Milk (2-3 pints) – £1.00
• Butter (250g) – £1.00
• Cheese (cheddar, 200g) – £2.00
• Yogurt (big tub, 500g) – £1.50

Canned Goods
• Tinned tomatoes (2 cans) – £1.00
• Baked beans (2 cans) – £1.00

Condiments & Herbs
• Olive oil (500ml) – £1.50
• Soy sauce (small bottle) – £0.50
• Tomato paste (small tube) – £0.50
• Salt – £0.30
• Pepper – £0.30
• Dried herbs (oregano, basil, etc.) – £1.00
• Curry powder – £0.50
• Chili powder – £0.50

Fruit
• Apples (6) – £1.50
• Bananas (6) – £1.00
• Frozen mixed berries (300g) – £1.50

Snacks/Desserts
• Digestive biscuits (pack) – £0.50
• Rice cakes (pack) – £0.70
Estimated Total: £31.80
Now, let’s multiply this for three weeks of shopping, assuming you need to restock on things like fresh fruit, bread, and milk. Some pantry items like oil, rice, pasta, and condiments should last longer than three weeks, but I’ll factor in replacements as needed.

Weekly Replenishables (Approximate Prices):
• Bread (1 loaf per week) – £0.50 x 3 = £1.50
• Milk (2-3 pints per week) – £1.00 x 3 = £3.00
• Fresh fruit (bananas, apples) – £1.50 x 3 = £4.50
• Fresh vegetables (spinach, carrots, onions, broccoli, etc.) – £5.00 x 3 = £15.00

Total for Three Weeks of Fresh Items: £24.00
Overall Total for Three Weeks (including pantry restocks):
• First Weekly Shop: £31.80
• Fresh & Weekly Replenishables: £24.00
• Total: £55.80

With the remaining budget of £94.20, you’ll have plenty of room for adjusting quantities, buying additional treats, or even replacing ingredients that run out. This budget also covers any variations in pricing at your local supermarket.
This plan keeps the cost low and maximizes value for each item. You’ll have enough for a balanced diet, and the key ingredients can be used flexibly in multiple dishes.

Are you able to go out to places like Poundland?
They have an app - poundland perks - which give you instant discount.

Radox shower gel is 85p a bottle (scanning the app) instead of £1. What they have on offer is normally there for quite a while and more get added. It’s worth getting the app and stocking up on shampoo, deodorant, cleaning products if that’s an option for you.

Frozen chicken thighs are good and reasonably cheap, get a bag of those and portion them out. You can do risotto, chicken and mash, soup tray bake with roasted veg etc. Much cheaper than breast and tastier.

If you need meal plans, there are lots on this page, aimed for those trying to manage food spending. The whole site is quite useful actually, and has lots of basic recipes and suggestions Meal plans link

Pot of soup, chilli, Sphag Bol .

aldi for example for frozen veg

I’d feel the same If it was me I’d be panicking too.

can you get a bag of chicken breast to make various meals . So frozen veg with chicken breast and rice. .
A veg curry ?
stuff you can freeze .

Have a look for a community pantry in your area, ours is great, we pay a small donation of £5 and get a massive bag of yellow sticker food but that is freezeable, still has a few days left for veg etc and we get to choose so no random tins of a veg you don’t eat

I think that's totally doable.
Beans on toast, jacket potatoes, big bag of apples - keep them in the fridge, pasta and homemade sauce with veg and tinned toms. Mackerel instead of salmon... eggs... frozen veg if you need to eeek out portions. No one is going to die if they have packet noodles once in a while! That's dinner for 65p... bell peppers are cheap...

I wouldn't worry it is plenty, we have 4 of us and I budget £300 a month and we eat really healthy, we do online so it really helps plan.

Jacket potatoes and beans one night a week.

Pasta pesto one night a week (a jar of pesto should last the two of you 2-3 meals)

Cheese on toast and soup

Fortunately there a few meal plans out there on the internet , if you tweak them a bit to suit your tastes it is doable . Might be a bit miserable but you won't starve , once you have formulated one to suit you ,you will feel a lot better and back in control.

OP for toiletries, I cut the end of a toothpaste tube and there was enough left for 10 days after I couldn’t squeeze any out. DD2 does the same with toiletries in squeezey tubes.

For cleaning, hot soapy water will work for a lot of things. For glass and mirrors I use a clean dry towel, spray water, either plain or with washing up liquid, for stubborn or greasy marks.

What do you have in already your freezer/cupboards?

I suggest eggs for breakfast, much more filling than cereals. To save time maybe bath cook something like frittata, any veggies and add ham/bacon if you want. My DD is working in a restaurant, so on her feet all day. We’re short of food, I made a frittata with peppers and bacon, grated cheese. With 4 eggs that will do her 3 breakfasts, with toast too. Usually she has 3 eggs, but this week 🤦‍♀️

Also, yoghurt/milk buy full fat options. Use vegetables to bulk out meals. Recently I’ve discovered, from a scientist, that eating vegetables first, or preferably before a meal, it avoids glucose spikes and drops and so you feel full longer. She goes by the name Glucose Goddess, on instagram and YouTube.

Part of me thinks this is a troll as £60 a week for 2 people isn't hard at all. On the off chance it isn't:
BF - Toast, eggs, porridge, milk (£7-8) for the week depending on quality
Lunch - Homemade soup/sandwiches £10-15 budget
Dinner - make a chilli - cost £5 and will do 2 nights served with rice or wedges
Jpotatoes- with beans/cheese/tuna £3 a meal
Shred 1kg chicken (£6.50) and use for stir fry, chicken pie, wraps, pasta bake.

Money left for sides, snacks, noodles, pasta.

I would switch to Lidl/Aldi as well if you havent already as you do get more bang for your buck. a few lunch type evening meals are fine like beans on toast, sandwiches, soup and bread, omlettes etc.

For main meals try and always make it make two or three meals, you can freeze cooked meat so strip the chicken and bag up for meaty noodle soup, rissotto, pies etc. Rather than crisps or sweet yoghurts and other similar type snacks try and do something else that maybe is a bit more filling so veg sticks and humous or soft cheese, apple and peanut butter or cheese etc

Please include some green veg

This would come under "side". Cabbage and peas for example are very affordable and go a long way for 2 people.

veg can include frozen spinach - goes in chilli , and a cabbage and carrots grated into a slaw for the jackets

Go to Aldi or Lidl and do a food shop of essentials for the month.
Eg
3 packs of pasta
4 tins of tomatoes
A bag of rice
Tea
Coffee
Sugar
Flour
Oil
Seasoning
Cereal
Frozen food
Any toiletries and essential household products

What's leftover, divide by 3 and then you have an amount to spend on eggs, meat, dairy, fruit and veg.
Plan your meals and it should be manageable.

wow really. how have you come to that assumption? should she feed the dog shit.....so it can literally shit everywhere? You do know a dog is family? and im sure the OP isnt feeding the dog over the kid?

for toiletries like shampoo - half the amount you use and lather up before applying - it will go further. Just use inexpensive no scent versions for a few weeks. Make a point of finishing up things hanging around so from gifts and that. when you have the oven on for things like baked potatoes put some mini cakes in for snacks and lunches for school etc - with no icing they are usually OK in a lunch box (madeleines work well but need a specific pan etc) I also used to make my own flapjacks when we didn't have much cash. I would budget 10 er below what you have said so you have a small amount spare just in case, and if necessary will keep you going at the end of the month.

Rice goes along way and with veg and a bit of meat stirred in or some egg is a nice filling meal. And a good old fashioned porridge brekkie with an egg and toast to follow goes a long way to keeping appetite in check

Do a meal plan. And total up the shop. I rechon you will be fine with some planning. Also can order some bulky stuff on amazon. Big bag of rice and pasta for example.

Try Thrifty Lesley meal plans, all meals planned recipes and costed. Fantastic

That's manageable, I've just done a week's shop for just under £40 in Aldi and thought it would come in at twice that much because I got drawn in by the delicious things in the aisle of crap.

Vegetables and rice are the cheapest foods in the supermarket I reckon prioritise those.