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Original poster

Eating well on a budget

45 replies

jimmychoos · 11/05/2004 11:24

Inspired by Nutcracker's thread on finances I wondered whether I could pick your brains. We spend an awful lot on food and have tried to cut it down but it's really hard! We plan menus etc but I think we often cook things with expensive ingredients. So am looking for inspiration....any ideas?

OP posts:
Nutcracker · 11/05/2004 11:32

Good idea JC. I would love to know too

serenequeen · 11/05/2004 11:40

some fantastic ideas here

Toothache · 11/05/2004 11:41

JC - That really depends on what you eat! If you have expensive tastes then you can't really budget for that unless you can get discount for bulk.

Are you looking for cheaper versions of the things you buy already? Or a whole new choice??

We save a lot on grocery shopping by buying in bulk and also taking advantage of all the special offers, BOGOF's instore.

But if you want to finest foods... you generally will be paying over the odds for them.

We save on vegetables by getting them delivered from an Organic farm. They give us loads and they also throw in different sorts of veg so we're forced to try new things.... like celeriac and broad beans (things I never buy). It costs £10 oer fortnight and I usually have to throw some potatoes out as we can't keep up!

goosey · 11/05/2004 11:43

We wanted to go away on holiday once, but couldn't afford it, so I bought a big sack of spuds, a tray of eggs, bread, baked beans, milk, butter, cheese, onions, tinned fish and cabbage, and we lived on meals created solely from those ingredients for a month. They seemed to produce quite a variety of meals and a reasonably balanced diet for a fraction of our usual food bill.

skerriesmum · 11/05/2004 11:52

Do you like beans? They are cheap, tasty, healthy and a great way to fill out a big stew! Or homemade soup, we have soup and bread for dinner one night a week. Freeze chicken carcasses; when you have two or three, boil 'em up for a couple hours, removing any foamy gunk, take bones out, skim fat off, and you have lovely stock, then cook some veg in it and puree. When I cook a roast or a chicken I can get three meals out of it plus a soup (well, there are only two of us and one child.) Eat more vegetarian dinners, tofu is OK if you marinade it in soy sauce, cut into cubes and stir fry (great finger food for todders!) Omelettes? Potato bakes? Cheap fish like mackerel is yummy if done in tomato or soy sauce (strong fish needs strong seasoning.) Macaroni cheese with tinned tuna or salmon added. Fried rice. Make your own pancakes at the weekend. Just a few ideas off the top of my head, more from anyone?

Toothache · 11/05/2004 11:54

Goosey - That sounds really nutritious! Most of my meals are either potato, pasta or cheese based. So if I added Pasta to your list then I'd be sorted!

Jimmychoos - We go through ALOT of cheese. We tried Tesco Value Full Flavourd Cheddar our of curiousity and it was lovely! We now buy that in a huge lump that lasts us 2 or 3 wks. That compensates for the specialist cheeses we like and can't buy cheap.

That's the secret I suppose. Save on the basics like bread, pasta, cheese etc.... then you can splash out on the good stuff.

Sonnet · 11/05/2004 12:12

Goosey - that sounds like a fab idea - I bet you had a great holiday too...

I am v. interested in what you cooked though - I am quite a good cook ie nearlly always cook from scratch - but my mind goes blank when faced with the list of products.
I need a "spend nothing" week next week so could very well be using your advice!!

noddy5 · 11/05/2004 12:16

We started this kind of menu planning and budgetting about 2 months ago and have found asda a godsend.We eat loads of rice,roasted veg,fish and I freeze any reduced special offers.It means we have to eat what is cheap that week but is full of variety.After years of m&s ready meals and luxury deli stuff we are saving about £200 every month!We eat loads of tuna and baked potatoes and still have our one meal out or a takeaway every month.Start by cutting out ready made stuff,and try supermarket own brands they are better than they used to be!

Sonnet · 11/05/2004 12:18

Goosey - that sounds like a fab idea - I bet you had a great holiday too...

I am v. interested in what you cooked though - I am quite a good cook ie nearlly always cook from scratch - but my mind goes blank when faced with the list of products.
I need a "spend nothing" week next week so could very well be using your advice!!

Soulfly · 11/05/2004 12:25

What happens if your kids are really picky, eg, they won't eat chicken, cassaroles, roast dinners, they don't eat pasta, only eat mash,won't eat veg, occasionally peas if i push them. They just eat fish fingers, nuggets smiley faces etc etc. How do you get kids to eat that sort of stuff??

Soulfly · 11/05/2004 12:26

Cause i would love to cook things like that, but its not worth it cause kids won't eat it.

goosey · 11/05/2004 12:29

Here you go ?.
The galloping goose?s budget gourmet ?

  1. Baked potatoes and butter
  2. Baked potatoes and cheese
  3. Baked potatoes and cheese and beans
  4. Baked potatoes and cheese and onion
  5. Baked potatoes and tuna
  6. Baked potatoes and mashed hard boiled eggs
  7. Bubble and squeak with cabbage, mash and onion with baked beans
  8. Plain omelette
  9. Cheese omelette
  10. Cheese and onion omelette
  11. Spanish omelette (with potatoes!)
  12. Sardines on toast
  13. Egg on toast
  14. Beans on toast
  15. Cheese on toast
  16. Beans and cheese on toast
  17. Cheese and onion on toast
  18. Bread dipped in egg and fried
  19. Egg and chips
  20. Cheesy chips
  21. Cabbage, onion and potato soup
  22. homemade fishcakes with mashed potato, tuna and onion
  23. layered potato, onion and cheese covered in milk and egg mixture and baked in the oven
  24. Layered potato, onion and cabbage covered in milk and egg mixture and baked in oven au gratin!

The addition of some value tins of plum tomatoes is also allowed. Makes a nice change from the side order of baked beans.

littlemissbossy · 11/05/2004 12:44

I have also recently really cut down on food shopping - but still buy plenty and spend nearly half of what I was previously. My tips are

  1. go shopping on your own (if poss), take the kids and you'll spend more, buy things on impulse
  2. always have a list plus an idea of your weekly menu
  3. look at the offers available in the supermarket but ONLY buy them if you need them, can plan them into your menu or use one, save one for another week/put in the freezer, etc. This includes luxuries/toiletries, only buy what you need and get cheaper brand if poss
  4. avoid the cd/video/household/clothes aisles plus magazine aisle - if you want to read, join the library I'm going to print goosey's list off now
Sonnet · 11/05/2004 12:48

Thank - you galloping goosey - will try that now - well not all of them but over the next week.....

Helsbels · 11/05/2004 12:57

my friend swears by internet shopping in that you are not tempted to extras when you are shopping. We are in the same boat of liking expensive ingredients, also, I like a 'proper' dinner i.e. something with pasta, rice, potatoes etc and don't feel like I've eaten if I have something on toast (always have sandwiches for lunch tho' so perhaps a bit fed up of bread!)I find some good saver meals are things like pasta with tinned toms and tuna (or bacon), onion and sweetcorn Or peppers and mixed herbs.Liver and onions (not at the mo' tho being pg ) and good old fashioned basics like shepherds pie. I bulk out the meat by buying a small box of expensive mince and then adding loads of mushrooms. Campbells condensed meditteranean tomato soup makes a great pasta sauce base and only costs 50p a can. I have saved money on my supermarket shop by buying things like toilet rolls, wash powder, shower gel etc from Wilkos rather than the supermarket - HTH

hmb · 12/05/2004 06:41

Great list Goosey.

Can I add one which is wonderful with baked spuds.

Mash a drained tin of tuna with a tin of drained red kidney beans. Add a crushed garlic clove and about 2-4 oz of strong chedder. Bake in the oven for about 20 mins, yummy and very cheap!

futurity · 12/05/2004 07:57

Looked at the thread that serenequeen posted and lots of reference to Lidl. Is it really cheaper than Tescos does anyone know..I get value range toilet roll/kitchen towel..is it cheaper? And how about food..is the quality ok?

JanZ · 12/05/2004 11:40

I've started to use Lidl and it really has cut my food budget. To be honest, the range is limited, so I go to Lidl on the way to Safeway (they're only few hundred metres apart), get what I can there and then finish off my shop at Safeway.

The sort of things a get from Lidl are cheese (a big slab of Emmentalle for a silly price), E.V. olive oil, tomatoes, bacon, jam, mini-juices for ds, vegetables, cheap crisps for ds... They're also good for some luxury items, like 70% Chocolate (good for baking!), or Jaffa cake subisituites that are better than Jaffa cakes!

I'm still quite snobby about some things, like Kellogs Cornflakes (for dh) and I need Safeway for more specific items, eg almonds, spices, little fromage frais for ds.

I've also found that doing a menu for the following week and then making the list has really reduced my weekly spend.

I was even able to "splash out" on a BBQ at Lidle last week - a whole £10!

twogorgeousboys · 12/05/2004 11:51

I use Lidl and Aldi too for same things as Janz.

futurity · 12/05/2004 11:59

My nearest Lidl is about a 20 minute drive away so wasn't sure if it was worth doing the car journey to get stuff if it wasn't that much cheaper in the long run.

slug · 12/05/2004 12:00

Invest in some really good basic cookbooks. I don't mean the Jamie Oliver types, but ones with basic recipies and variations (actually Nigel Slater is good for this) As a kiwi girl the Edmonds cookbook was issued at birth and I find it invaluable for such fillers as scones and quiches.

frogs · 12/05/2004 12:57

Lidl is absolutely worth it. Most of the stuff is very good quality, apart from some of the breakfast cereals (avoid the range called 'Flakers' like the plague).

You can feed a family of four for about £40 a week in Lidl if you plan carefully, tho' I confess we don't usually buy their fruit and veg. as we get a weekly organic delivery.

Particularly worth while are: sausages, mince (both better than Sainsbury's or Tesco's), fruit juice, muesli, cheese, olive oil, yoghurt, ketchup. Also their cleaning products, non-bio detergent, disposable nappies, wipes, kids shampoo... Most things, really.

Lidl looks really rough, and is populated by pretty rough people, too, but you're not taking the decor home with you, so don't be put off.

frogs · 12/05/2004 12:59

Soulfly -- I get the kids to eat the stuff I cook 'cos they know they'll go hungry otherwise. Also I go absolutely beserk if anyone criticises my cooking.

Janstar · 12/05/2004 13:02

Totally agree with frogs about Lidl. It looks like the sort of place that markets second-rate produce...NOT SO!

As well as what frogs said, their deli stuff is excellent, their wines, also frozen food and canned fish.

And wonderful cheap choc biscuits!

Nutcracker · 12/05/2004 13:04

We used to live right by a Lidl and it was a god send. We'd have starved without it i'm sure.

Haven't a clue why i don't go now, other than that it is quite far away.
Dp loves it too so i may take a trip there soon.

I decided to go to local fruit and veg shop today instead of co-op and i was amazed at how much i didn't spend. Will definatly be doing that again.

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