Cheapest ever meals

[meandyoujustustwo]

Hi guys,
I'm looking to get ideas from yourselves. I'll be getting made redundant come end of December and I'm looking for ways to save money and barely spend until I'm back in employement. It's only myself and my little girl but I'm looking for cheap ways of eating...like so cheap! I'm talking toast & beans etc. Can anyone give me ideas? I'm also trying to keep the heating off and cuddle up with hot water bottles and blankets. Keeping off all switches and trying to do things for free , park trips etc. Can anyone help me with money saving tips. Thanks so much in advance!

Money saving expert website is v detailed - start with the money makeover then go on to the old style board on their forum.
Food-wise, I like serving bolognese with jacket potatoes as you use a fraction of the Bol as you would if serving with pasta. Would get at least 8 servings rather than 4 from a recipe. Buying rice and pasta in bulk is also a good idea.

Veg soup / stew is cheap, easy & nutritious. You could bulk it out with bread - some shops still sell bread v cheaply at the end of the day. You could get a few loaves / rolls & freeze them.

Jack Monroe website ,...

People rate the A Girl Called Jack stuff but personally I don't think it works out THAT cheap for the amount of calories in each meal.

Things like lentil soup work out mega cheap, but it is a bit 'samey' eating them meal after meal but you can freeze if you have a freexer.

Lardons
Soup lentil mix
Frozen veg stew mix
[[http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=264545711&sc_cmp=ppc--sh--msh--bt--px_%7c_shopping_gsc_%7c_all_products_+brand--&gclid=CjwKEAiAvs7CBRC24rao6bGCoiASJABaCt5DGriLT6V61mRD-PIBKfQ6gJybFx_NIT8WYFrmhKKLIxoC3AXw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds2x chicken stock cubes]]
Water

=£3.65 for a shit load of soup

Or a vegetable pasta bake

Med veg
Pasta
half a pack of cheese

£3.55 for a shit load of pasta bake

Can bulk out for extra calories with garlic bread for another £30p

Sausages and mash with gravy and frozen peas

Use frozen veg to bulk out pasta and rice dishes

Mixed rice - biiiiiiiig bag of rice to be used over the next few weeks. Eggs boiled and chopped up. Cheap sausages cooked and chopped up (make extra when you cook the sausages and mash for energy efficient cooking).

Also passata and tinned tomatoes are v cheap and can be used for casarole ,pasta sauces , curry sauces

Frozen pizza = £1 from iceland for just under 900 calories

Breakfast you can do porridge with milk and sugar quite cheaply.
Lunches I woudl do toast with value beans, sardines, that kind of thing.

You need a bit of protein in most meals or you'll be hungry, so anything that is only veg and carbs needs something else.

Cheap sources of protein:
Eggs
Basic cheddar
Beans and other pulses

Look out for reduced-price meat at the end of the day in the supermarkets. If you cook it that evening it will keep for a day or two even though the 'use by' will be the same day. It sounds barmy to suggest M&S when you're on a budget but I've seen packs of two chicken breasts or two pork chops for 50p in the evening.

I really like Jack Monroe's recipes. I make her carrot cumin and kidney bean burgers regularly, nothing to do with being cheap, just yummy!

You could try the "One pound meal" instagram page. Or look for student recipes.

I think one difficulty you may have is you are only cooking for 2. The more you cook for the cheaper it tends to be. Look to keep waste to a minimum so buy loose veg instead of multipacks if it's something you won't use up. Frozen veg can also be helpful. I often buy the bags of frozen roasted Mediterranean veg and frozen butternut squash chunks. These are great and really versatile, perfect for chucking in pasta bakes or frittatas or for topping puff pastry for a quick tart. (Buy a frozen roll and just cut of enough to make one tart). Also batch cooking and freezing may help.
Other cheap dishes Any pasta dish, macoroni cheese, pasta arabiata, veg lasagne, pasta with garlic mushrooms. Veg curries, toad in the hole, home made pizzas, sweet potato falafel with pitta, mixed bean chilli (serve with rice, jackets or turn into quasidilla.

Buy full fat milk.

Makes everything takes better and there's more fat so it fills you up.

Snacks : peanut butter on toast, hard boiled eggs, homemade cake /flapjack, veg sticks.

Put lentil and grated veg in everything,, adds bulk.

Cook filling foods I. E. Lots of protein and fat. Cheese omelette and a slice of toast and peanut butter for breakfast for example. Homemade lentil veg soup and cheese and onion scones for dinner etc.

I think this website is really inspiring - there are meal plans so you can feed one person for one week for £7. She makes is easy to feed just two people. I haven't tried doing it but I look at it when I need to cut down on our spending.

www.thriftylesley.com/

Dahl. I can feed a family of 6 two meals of Dahl with rice and yogurt. Costs a total of £3 per meal, so 50p a person.