I was in this position for a long time. OH lost his job in the nuclear industry after privatisation and it took 2 years for him to get another one. Even when he did, he was earning (and still is) about 1/4 of his old wages. So, I had to take very firm control of the things that I could, like food. If you look on the thread about how much to spend on shopping for a family of five, there are a couple of my old meal planners on it. I was spending about £50 a week for the 7 of us, then. It might give you an idea of how to cut back a bit.
I'm not very good at feeding small numbers but you can easily feed all of you with one tin of tuna by makinh 1/2pint of white sauce with onion in it and mixing in a tin of tuna and about 1/4 of a packet of cooked, frozen mixed veg. Serve it with rice or mash. I make this with more veg and a pint of sauce for 6 people. You could do that and keep half in the fridge for the next day.
Other cheap, easy meals that would feed 3 are:
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice
1 tin chopped toms
1 1/2 cups boiling water
salt and pepper
little bit grated cheese
Fry the onion in a little oil until soft. Add rice and stir about. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for about 12minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Season to taste and scatter a little grated cheese over the top.
bread omelette
1 slice bread, broken into little pieces
4 tblspn milk
4 eggs
2 or 3oz grated cheese
salt and pepper
Soak bread in milk for 10 minutes or so. Beat in eggs, stir in cheese and season. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and pour in the egg mixture, Cook over a medium heat until almost set and then stick under the grill to brown the top. Cut into wedges and serve hot with veg or cold in a sandwich with salad.
potato bake
1 large onion, chopped
3 baking potatoes, thinly sliced
3 rashers of bacon, cut into matchsticks
3/4 pint white sauce
salt and pepper
Layer the things in a casserole dish starting and ending with potatoes. Season well after each cycle. Pour the sauce over the top and bake at about 180 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Take the lid off for the last 30 minutes or so to brown the top.
Tomato mince
1lb mince
1 onion, chopped
1tspn garlic
1 tin condensed tomato soup
1 tin chopped toms
1 small tin tom puree
peas
pasta or rice
grated cheese (optional)
brown the mince with the onion. Drain of the fat. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Stri in the soup, tomatoes and puree. Cook for about 1/2 an hour. You can eat this as is or you can make it feed 6 easily by mixing in 1/2 a pack of cooked pasta or 3 cups cooked rice and some frozen peas or cooked mixed veg. Pour it into a lasagna dish, scatter some grated cheese over the top and bake at 180 for about 20 minutes until it is bubbly.
mushroom mince
1lb mince
1 onion
1 oxo cube
1tspn garlic
2tspns paprik1 tin condensed mushroom soup
splash milk
1 tin sliced mushrooms
1 small carton sour cream or natural yoghurt.
brown the mince with the onion and drain off fat. Add the oxo cube, garlic and paprika and stir about. Add the soup, milk and mushrooms. Cook for about 30 minutes, Stir in the sour cream or yoghurt. This will serve 6 if mixed with pasta.
creamy mince
just cook 1lb of mince with onions, carrots, an oxo cube and some garlic if you like. Then mix it into 1 pint of white sauce. heat through until all the flavours blend and serve with mash or toast.
spicy kidney beans
soak 1lb of dried kidney beans over night. Drain, rinse and put in a big, deep pan with enough clean water to cover by about 1 inch. add a splash of oil (to control foaming), 1 large chopped onion, 2tspns garlic and 2tspns black pepper. bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes. reduce heat a bit and simmer for about 90minutes. Add a tin of tomatoes and a couple of tblspns of tex mex seasoning and simmer for another 90minutes or so until the beans are soft. Don't add salt. By the time the beans are cooked the liquid should have reduced and be kind of saucy. Serve with rice and/or cornbread with chopped onions and tomatoes, grated cheese, sour cream if you have them or not if you don't. My kids prefer them without toppings to be honest.
Split pea soup
1 bag split peas
1 onion, chopped
2 carrits, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1tspn turmeric
1tspn garlic
1tspn ginger
1 or 2 tspns curry powder
3 litres ham or veg stock
Chuck everything in a big pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for a couple of hours. The next day, the leftovers will have thickened up and you will be able to eat them with rice or naan bread as a dhal. Nice with fresh chopped onion and tomato scattered on top.
cheaper split pea soup
1 bag split peas
3litres ham stock
1 or 2 onions
black pepper
Put it all in a big pan and simmer for a coulpe of hours until peas have turned to mush. Season to taste and eat with bread. next day the leftovers can be spread on toast and heated under the grill, they are like pease pudding.
easy quiche
1 small carton natural cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped and softened in oil
a couple of chopped toms or a handful of olives, chopped
a shortcrust pastry pie case, fully baked
a little grated cheddar
Beat the eggs into the cottage cheese. Stir in the onion and tomatoes or olives. Pour into the pie case. Scatter the grated cheese on top. Bake at 180 for about 30 minutes until set and golden.
barley soup
1 large onion, chopped
1lb or more carrots, grated (i use about 1 1/2 -2lbs)
couple of good handfuls barley
3 litres stock, any kind
pepper
parsley if you have it.
Add everything to a big pan and simmer for a couple of hours until barley is soft and everything is cooked and soupy.
Hope these help. I'm sorry that you are having to go through this. I know how hard it is. Hopefully things will pick up soon.