tight buget,need to feed family cheaply,any ideas?

[twisha]

hi all, im on benifits at the moment and i have a family of 6 that i need to feed on £70.00 a week.
no-one eats pasta or fish or stir fry and we dont eat many chips, i really am stuck for ideas how im gonna manage it.
thanks in advance

Baked Pots with beans?

Omelettes with different fillings?

Stews/casseroles that can be divided and frozen?

What do your family normally like to eat - we could suggest alternatives? I have saved a fortune by doing home made pizza instead of bought, for instance.

do you like lentils and beans?

soups are cheap and yum

give us a clue of what they do like

we have had this week
toad in the hole
fritatas
fish pie
chili con carne
shepards pie
corned beef hash

Shop at supermarket early Mon/Tue for good reduced bargains esp on meat.
Buy value products , loads of threads on here reccomending good ones.

hi & thanks,we dont hardly eat the same foods!
3 will eat baked beans,no one eats eggs,the only "forien" style food is 3 x spegg bol.
what we would normally eat is in a week:-
2 roast dinners,(all eat this)
1 shep pie & speg bol.(3 of each eat this)
1 sausage cassarole & chic curry.(4 & 2 eat)
1 bacon,saus,chips,beans,tom.(all eat this)
1 caul cheese,pots,bacon & meat pie,mash(2x4
1pork chops,mash,veg (all of us eat this)

puddings are normally, jellys,yoghurts, fruit

then theres the "normal" meals like breakfast,lunch, supper, we dont have snacks
but do eat alot of fruit.

Replace sweets with popcorn - a £2 bag will keep them munching for a month instead.You can pop it in a pan or popcornmaker but if you use the microwave make sure you have a lid on - they go off with a bit of a bang! Start with a small handfull to see how far it goes first - you will be amazed!
Use spray oil and get the DCs to experiment with flavours. Caster sugar and cinnamon, black pepper and paprika, garlic salt etc. You don't need much flavouring - just give the bag/box a good shake!

You need to cut back on meat and only have it about once or twice a week really. This is where most of your spending is.

If you buy a large chicken and roast it, plate it up so that people cant start picking at it and then you will have enough for a pie the next day. Bulk the roast up with lots and lots of vegetables and then everyone will have enough to eat.

This could be your week of food

Mon - Roast chicken and vegetables

Tues - Cauliflower Cheese and vegetables
(Cauliflower Cheese is the main part of this meal as there it is quite filling and you dont need all the other stuff you usually serve with it)

Wed - Chicken Pie and Gravy with vegetables
(made from the chicken from the roast)

Thur - Sausage and Mash and vegetables

Fri - HM vegetable soup - made with any leftover veg from the week

Sat - Spaghetti Bologanaise

Sun - Leftovers or a curry or something with lentils

You also need to train the family that you are on a budget and they are going to have to eat what is provided or do without as you are not a restaurant serving different meals for everyone!!

Cheesey potato - layer of spinach. layer of tinned chopped tomato, layer of cheesy mash (chopped onion or spring onion optional) topped with cheese.Pop in oven until crispy and brown. Extra healthy if topped with seeds, sunflower is my fav.

Adjust the proportions of the meal? Give them vast plates of mash and cabbage with a few tiny bits of bacon scattered over the top. Works for me.

Pasta with onions is great. Put good slosh of oil into pan and cook lots of chopped onions for long time over very low heat - add more oil as needed. This is trying to be caramelized onions but I've never looked up a recipe - you could look and see if there's a better one on google somewhere. Cook plenty of pasta and drain - stir onions into pasta, add scattering of frozen peas or any other veg you can scrape up.

Pad out a spag bog-type sauce with finely chopped celery and carrots (well zap them in the mixer) Cook them till soft first then add mince. It doubles the quantity and you can freeze leftovers. As you don't eat pasta, mash some spuds and make Shepherds Pie.

Someone kindly posted this link in chat yesterday, its a long but great thread on feeding your family uber-cheaply

Yes would definitely read notamummy's link. I did it yesterday and it is amazing and full of great tips

hi, thanks for all the ideas, will start to do some of them.