So how can I feed a family of five on £20 a week ?

[paddlinglikemad]

ok..have been put on very strict budget ( due to huge credit card bill!!) therefore after buying nappies and household stuff such as dog & cat food will have approx £20-£25 per week to feed all of us..including bbreakfast for all (weetabix me thinks) and lunch for DS2, DD and me and main meal for all ( ideally that can be split into 2 sittings as DH comes in too late to eat with kids..)
Thats me & DH, DS1 (5yrs) DD (2yrs) and DS2 (10months)...DH will only tolerate one meat free day a week ( but he may have to change!!) ..any ideas for main meals would be most welcome

he will have to change
If you dont have trhe money for meat then he can't have it

sorry that was no help at all...I'm hopeless at budgeting but really need to........so BUMP

i think you may be pushing it but it could be possible, but dh may have to have more meat free days.

porriage is cheaper than wheatabix

sandwiches for lunch.

jacket potatoes with cheese and beans for tea?

you may have to hunt out the value foods, shop more at markets, and shop late in the eveings when they are reducing foods.

casseroles/stews done in a slow cooker with cheaper meat can be quite tasty, fill it up on veggies.

pasta

jacket pots

stew

pasta, macaroni cheese is cheap and can be tarted up a bit with some veg added.

buy big blocks of cheese, works out cheaper sometimes than smaller blocks. see if it can be frozen (some cheeses can)

The way to go is definitely to cook from scratch if you can.

Try porridge with fruit for breakfast - warm and filling for cold mornings and very cheap.

Also I found a good way to make slightly meagre main meals go further is to have a pudding, cheap and easy ones are apple crumble or bread and butter pudding.
We are vegetarian and I do think its cheaper. But tinned tuna is cheap and versatile - tuna pasta bake (tomato sauce and whatever veggies you like), baked spuds with tuna and salad, etc etc.

Erm... your pets can also contribute by eating the cheapest dry food available. Therefore adding a few good pounds to your weekly family budget.

soups? Bacon and Lentil soup only uses about 4 rashers of bacon and 8ozs lentils and would make enough for all of you, probably with leftovers. One whole pack of bacon and 1lb pack lentils would make double so you could freeze half for later in the week? My dh loves it, is a very meaty, manly soup

Also I made a sausage stew the other day that dh loves, is very warming and filling:

8 sausages (you could put in less if you wanted)
2 tins tomatoes
kidney beans, haricot beans
onion, garlic, spices (nutmeg, cloves, thyme..um.. cayenne pepper) cook for 1.5hours.

If you have a load of tinned tomatoes you can use them to make a load of things.. bolognaise is meaty and cheap. Pasta and cheese sauce. Agree with porridge for breakfast and baked potatoes.. it´s going to be hard to get enough fresh fruit and veg on 20 quid though..

Vegetable stews made with root veg (cheap), pulses, kidney beans etc are very nutritious. If Dh not happy you could add tiny bit of ham or bacon towards end of cooking time.

YOu can make 101 meals out of mince and potatoes. And bulking out the mince with lentils makes it cheaper as well.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=4&threadid=378110#7697677

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=4&threadid=322859#6521772

couple of threads with cheap meal ideas.

Porridge for breakfast.

Homemade veg soup/jacket potatoes for lunch

Then meal bulked out with veg and pulses for tea.

No fruit juice/squash/snack foods.

Fruit is more expensive than veg.

please dont buy the cheap squash. its full of nasties. thats one thing i wont ever buy.

Tinned tuna is a pretty cheap source of protein - tuna pasta bake, tuna mayo sandwiches, tuna mayo jacket potatos. Tinned sweetcorn in with any of those works too.

Agree with Lady Victoria on the porridge - very cheap and very filling.

Home made soups?

Veggie chillis or curries, you can use whichever veg is cheapest - we had veggie chilli last night with onions, carrots and courgettes (and a tin of mixed pulses).

We have a small holding farm near us that selss veg at the weekend very cheaplyl Anything like that near you?

Cauliflower cheese, yum, serve with bread and butter.

also cheaper dog and cat food and maybe cheaper nappies (sorry I don't know the brand you buy but if it's pampers then own brand supermarket ones can do the job just as well and are cheaper)

Er, boot the dog and cat to other homes. Don't see how you can afford them, especially if they ever have medical bills.

A lot of good ideas already, I make bolognese/lasagne with turkey mince as it is much cheaper and healthier too. Bulk it out with carrots and whatever veg you fancy then you may get quite a bit of leftovers and could have the remainder in baked potatoes the next night.

Ommlette (spl? ) is cheap and you can add mushrooms onions etc

I would go for loads of soup as it is cheap and filling.

Also try stores like aldi/lidl for bread and other basics as they are really cheap.

Frozen veg can be just as good for you so look out for offers on this. (try farmfoods/iceland)

DH will just have to eat what he is given!

this is the definitive cheap living thread, imho.

Oh and Lidl is great for most stuff, not just basics!

I use Asda Smart price passata to make things like bolognaise, chilli and casseroles - get some cheap cuts of meat and casserole, really softens the meat up plus this will freeze as well so could make a big batch and divide up for quick and easy meals.
Jacket spuds are very filling - my dh loves asda smart price beans!

Thanks guys..think it is going to be very hard as DH thinks it can be done 'if I try harder ' then not too bothered about what he eats..as long as the kids get nutritious meals he can have whatever.. am feeling a lot of meat free days coming up !!

Am on the own brand nappies already and the dog is only costing us about £7 per month so can't complain really ..am thinking of trying to use the car less for school runs etc, maybe walking the 2.5 miles there & back
Am going to get a load of potatoes on payday and have them with everything, bought some cheap veggies yesterday and did a casserole with a bit of bacon in for DH..his face was a picture ..luckily the kids love 'Cheesy Bean Potates' it's just thinking of other stuff..
Is frozen mince in bags any good or is it nasty??

Not cheesy bean potatoes... VOLCANO POTATOES!
Also I try to buy stuff like ast, rice, tinned food in bulk whenever possible so that the basis for meals is always in. And reduced things that can be frozen, like milk/butter/mince or other meat.

Profyaffle...have just cut & pasted that thread and printed out..what an inspiration am going to give it a go...thanks

Glad it's useful, Miaou's great isn't she?

oh wow yes ...makes me feel silly for all the ££ have wasted in the past by buying ad hoc not planning etc ..will report back next week on how it went ( am not a great cook)