i need to do a weeks shopping for about £15, only food everything else sorted, what do i buy??

[lucysmam]

as i'm on a super-duper tight budget this week. stuff like beans, tinned toms and mince, tea bags etc (basic stuff really) have to be included as well, but i'd like to still be able to do something a bit interesting and exciting with the limited budget i have. also, i dont have a freezer at the mo so all needs to be either fresh, able to refrigerate for a week or cupboard type stuff.

thanks in advance for any suggestions xx

[muppetgirl]

I am strangley addicted to the reduced section too. I lurk when we go to the local shop when walking the dog and decide what we're having based on what they are reducing!

[lucysmam]

i think i'll pop up the street to tesco's later than i normally would then and have a look what they've got as there's never a lot when i'm there!

rhian, i'm thinkin thats the way to go, never been this bad before even though things are usually tight, i always have about £60 for a fortnight for everything inc loo rolls, wash powder if needed,nappies and generally enough to put a bit aside for bread and milk etc as we need them.

lol@muppetgirl lurking! it sounds like i'm the only one who doesn't lurk in the reduced section!!

slarty, someone suggested a ham hock the other day so think im going to try one of those from local market when i go to town

[lilolilmanchester]

a value-pizza with extra toppings - ham left over from your hock or keep back a bit of onion/ham/tuna/veg etc from other meals.

[lucysmam]

good idea!

you're all so much better at this money saving lark than me even though i already budget quite tightly for everything.

we should be able to still eat a varied diet for the next week and have something interesting to eat without breaking the bank iyswim

[filthymindedvixen]

tesco' 8p value noodles are great! All the crap is in the packet of seasoning, so if you ignore that, you can serve with hot dog saussie and mixed veg (whatever you have).

[stitch]

i bought some tesco value potatoes, and i think they have lasted better thant hte king edwards i usually buy. not sure about taste, as i boiled them, and made tuna potato fishcakes out of them

[lucysmam]

cheers filthy n stitch, i usually get a big bag of smartprice spuds n they're ok for most things, never made fish cakes and a couple of people have suggested them so will be experimenting making some of those & we eat lots of noodles but had never thought of buying the packets you 'add' the flavour to so will try them instead

[noonki]

Go to supermarket on sunday at 15.30 and wait while they mark it all down (you can be really friendly and ask them to make stuff down again, they alwys do it )

the week before last
organic beef joint for 95p (lasted two meals)
2 seared tuna stakes for £1.20 (fed four of us)
and so much 10p veg that we are sorted for a week

just don't buy more than you can eat if can't freeze it,

or stuff just coz it's cheap

Our Cheap meals:
Baked tatties and beans
pasta with tin of fish and chopped tomatoes
dhal and rice
porridge (desperate days)
pancakes with veg / lemon sugar
eggy bread and peas
omelette
sausage casserole
beans on toast
homemade bean burgers
shepards pie (mince always in discount section!)

good luck £15 is impressive even in our house - let us know how you get on

[lucysmam]

will they really mark stuff down again noonki??? ive never thought about trying that but as co-op only over road from me it may be the ideal time to try it. ive shopped for £15 a week before but in winter and when lo was bf so was quite easy as pack of 4 pies for 89p = 2 meals, 4 kievs for 89p = 2 meals, couple of tins beans n mince for spag bol & lasagne. but its a bit too hot for hot 'proper' dinners iyswim so was a bit stuck for what to get or do for us

[noonki]

They do around ten to four !

go for soups and bread in this weather -
or omellette (sp?)
rice dishes

think hot countries

[noonki]

Oh an d if you can next year try and plant lettuce and rocket etc seeds will be cheap later in year and will last-

it is so easy to grow and can do in pots

also spinach, courgettes etc...

[lucysmam]

cheers, was going to try planting this year but all back yards a bit of a state so left it but we are def going to give it a good go next year to try saving a bit of cash

[geordieminx]

consider buying a cheap chicken. Tesco were doing 2 for a fiver last week. You can have chicken dinner, then chicken curry with leg meat then boil the bones to make stock for soup?

[filthymindedvixen]

this is an oldie but a goodie - if you have any 'proper' market near you, go near end of trading day (3-4pm ) and they often give away bruised, tired veg/fruit. If you can cook it into sauces etc, will keep in fridge for several days.

[Collision]

did you know that Tesco dont charge for fresh yeast?

Just ask at the bread counter and they give it to you for free!

[zippitippitoes]

i didnt know that collision

[Collision]

ooh yes Zippi! I was so happy when I realised!

I get a big block every week and dont really need that much but DH makes bread and pizza with it.

[FrazzledFairyFay]

I'd buy:

pasta
tinned toms
basics potatos
baked beans
cheapest cheddar
a chicken
some cheap veg from the market
bread
noodles
eggs

For 7 dinners, I'd cook:

1. pasta with tomato, fried onion and herbs and cheese grated on top
   
2. jackets puds with beans (a few small basics potatos each is cheaper than uying the large 'baking' potatos)
   
3. roast chicken with roast potatos and veg
   
4. stir fried chicken, veg and noodles
   
5. homemade chicken and vegetable soup (you could add noodles) with bread and butter
   
6. scrambled egg on toast
   
7. 'pizza toasts' - reduce some of the tomato sauce, spread on toast, top with cheese and any other leftovers you have - eg ham, or chicken.

[lucysmam]

geordie, i already do that but after 4 weeks tis boring but ty anyways, has helped me out in the past loads to learn how to make my own stock

filthy i take lo to market with me n she is bored by about 1pm or i would do that

collision ive made note of that for future but nearest 'proper' tesco is a good drive away and can't get one this week

frazzled that's pretty much my list for the week apart from a couple of 'munchy' type treats for me and oh accounted for previously

[Margrethe]

Lucysmam, Flooded!?! How terrible. Our house flooded in a hurricane when I was a child. My parents had just divorced and the stress on my mother was tremendous. It was Florida and the heat was unbearable. My heart goes out to you. It does make me think of some low cost, typically Southern Gulf-coast specialties that you might try on a different week.

Pork shoulder is just about the cheapest cut of meat you can buy. It is very tasty when cooked SLOWLY. If you have a slow cooker, put the shoulder in with a bottle of BBQ sauce and cook about 6 hours. It will be falling apart and you can eat it on white hamburger buns (this is pulled pork sandwiches.) Save even more money and make your own coleslaw to go with it. The traditional dressing that goes on the chopped cabbage and carrot is just mayonnaise with a dash of vinegar, celery salt and sugar. If you don't have a slow cooker and are an adventurous cook try making Latin American style Pork Pernil, here is the link to a good recipe:
www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/GARLIC-ROASTED-PORK-SHOULDER-239994

Another cheap, but tasty meat is chicken thighs. Use them anywhere you would use breasts. Get the thighs with bone and skin still on, dredge them in flour and place them in a heavy pan. Add roughly chopped, unpeeled potatoes and onions. Then sprinkle everything with salt and pepper plus whatever spices you have and like (I like garlic, oregano and cumin.) Cook the whole thing in the oven. The fat from the chicken skin will render out and make the potatoes taste divine.

If you are really broke, go for beans. Buy dried beans and soak them over night rather than buying canned beans and you will save even more money and they won't taste tinny. Black beans (turtle beans are typically Cuban) while red beans (kidney beans are typically Louisiana.) The black beans usually have bacon added and the red beans have sausage added when times are good. Both are served over rice. Make this in quantities because it keeps in the fridge for several days and warms up well in a microwave. Kids usually like it too. If you are interested, I can give you specific recipes for these.

Good luck

[lucysmam]

yeah margrethe, flooded twice in 4 weeks as of this morning so not having much luck!! luckily plumber and sparky done good job very quickly but the whole house needs new pipework which is going to mean massive upheaval for at least a week!

i'd appreciate any recipes for stuff that will keep for a while in fridge and isn't too costly at the minute. the chicken thighs sound tasty and the only beans ive ever cooked with are of the tinned baked bean variety but have been learning a lot since joining MN so am willing to give anything a go.

you sound like you know your way around a kitchen and money saving!! lots of useful suggestions have been made and noonki suggested thinking along the lines of hotter climates yesterday but my thinking cap only got me as far as a spanish omellete (sp?) kind of concoction for me and oh which is possibly not very adventurous!

[Margrethe]

Spanish omelette would be adventurous for me. I've never made one.

For Cuban Black Bean Soup, you buy a bag of black beans (sometime called Turtle Beans.) The night before you plan to make them you put them in a big heavy pot and cover them in water, maybe two or three times as much water as beans. The next morning the beans will have absorbed much of the water. Add more water again so that the beans are completely covered. To the beans and water add:
-half and onion (chop up the other half and set it aside.)
-half a bell pepper (chop up the other half and set it aside, I think red ones taste best.)
-a bay leaf, some cumin and some oregano.
-a clove or two of garlic
-some olive oil (or whatever oil you have.)
-If you have some fresh coriander add that, don't bother to chop it up.

Let the beans gently bubble for as many hours at it takes for them to soften, this could be 3 to 6 hours. Only add as much salt as you desire for flavour, once the beans have already gone soft (if you add the salt early on it makes the beans tough - I don't know why.)

Once the beans are soft, fry two to four chopped up rashers of streaky bacon in a small skillet with a little more olive oil (you can be generous, remember beans are completely fat free.) Then add the half a chopped onion and bell pepper that you have saved from before along with some minced garlic. You have just made a "sofrito."

Take the half an onion, pepper, bay leaf, and any corriander out of the pot of beans and throw them away. Add your sofrito to the pot.

Serve over plain white rice. It is traditional to garnish with chopped coriander and a dollop of sour cream.

Beans and rice heat up well in the microwave. The beans should keep in the fridge for about three days. BTW this is sometimes called Moros, short for Moros y Cristos. Meaning Moores and Christians in Spanish. I think they call it this because the beans are black (representing the Moores and the Rice is white representing the Christians.)

If you have a lot of this left over and are getting bored you can easily turn it into Gaillo Pinto (or painted rooster.) This is a dish my Costa Rican step mum makes a lot. You fry a few extra chopped onions and garlic in a skillet in some olive oil and then add in the rice and beans. The bean juice coats the rice and the whole concoction tastes divine. Served with a fried egg on top it is a reasonable dinner.

I hope I haven't made this all sound to complicated because it is not. Also, if you don't have every last ingredient, don't worry, you can leave out a spice/herb here or there or make substitutions and it will still be good.

[lucels9]

Cheesy lentil pie

fry off a chopped onion and a few diced carrots
add a handful of red lentils and a tin of baked beans, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins or so.
put in an oven dish and top with mashed potato (no need to peel potatoes) mixed with grated cheese and grill until golden.

[lucysmam]

doesn't sound too complicated and ive been spending more time in the kitchen experimenting since joining mn so am willing to try anything a couple of times and if, after that i simply don't get it i'll move on and try anything else.

do you have any other dishes which aren't too fussy or complicated?? i'm fascinated by the deatail in your posts, i've never really thought about what i was cooking in as much detail!!

where are you from? as your influences are obviously quite varied and are completely different to anything ive ever heard before (or should that be read??)

[orangeduck1]

oh boy im glad someone in same boat as me im a single parent of 3 and one on the way yep with the rise of childcare costs and gas prices soon i will be eatting nettles 4 tea,yep my monthly shopping comes to £80 luckly i dont have to pay nappies yep