I have no money, how am I going to feed the kids next week?

[coventgarden]

The kids are getting very fussy and are constantly eating. much more than normal. I ran out of money last week and have no idea what we will eat next week. The kids are driving me mad with the waste and now dc1 has just come in with ketchup on his face saying My face is bleeding, my face is bleeding. dc3 has just fallen and bust his lip so blood everywhere so I am sure he thinks he is funny, but with dc3 hurt, the food wastage and no money, I am not finding it funny.

Go on covent.....

I can't always tell if the kids are genuinely hungry or not, especially after tea, and wonder if I am not feeding them the right foods to keep going.

Go on with stupid question

but supermarkets tend to reduce at specific time. Find out what time. I know the worker who does the reducing, so around that time, ask, 'anything worth hanging around for?' You can get very lucky.

I think you need to be honest with them. Explain thY money is very short at the moment and so they need to lower their food expectations.

They don't eat a lot of crap. I bake so they do get sugar in that. Their weight is fine, ds1 and dd are pretty thin.

Porridge is a brilliant idea to keep them full until lunchtime...if they'll eat it - you could try adding spoons of honey/jam/marmalade/whatever you do have in the cupboard.

I always find mind live on practically nothing then eat loads for a couple of weeks.

Omelettes are really healthy and you can hide veggies in them.

Boiled eggs and toast is a cheap but hearty lunch.

Soup is fab and maybe if you experiment a a bit you will find something the dc's really like.

Spag Bol and Chilli arent too expensive to make and you bulk them out with lentils to make them last a couple of days.

Carbs tend to make people feel full. Rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, beans and pulses.

Do you have milk delivered from the milkman?

www.milkandmore.co.uk/OA_HTML/ibeCZzpHome.jsp?minisite=10040&site=&respid=22372

There have been times when I've been broke and needed food, they don't debit the account until the 22nd so I've had food and paid for it later, which has really helped.

Actually they love porridge and usually want it with raisins and sometimes honey. they have been spoilt lately with crunchy nut cornflakes "for you, mummy" but then eaten by them, and cheerios.

We used to have the milk man come but he was very rude when he came for the money one week and I found him threatening so I cancelled him.

porridge is better, it fills them up for longer. Do you have potatoes? Jacket potatoes are good fillemupers.

Set it up again, the money is paid by direct debit so you never have to see him. They deliver a variety of food, it's more expensive then the supermarket but if you are low in funds it really helps.

I love shopping for reduced food. I like to allow one or two meals a week for 'whatever' dinners, depending on what is reduced.

Last time, I bought 6 pizza's reduced to 60p. I was a bit annoyed they stopped that swizz were if it is 2 for 2:50 you would end up getting two for like 30p or something ridiculous, but even so, they were good pizza's, straight in the oven along with 2 packs of decent sausages at 50p for 6 and a tub of coleslaw for jackets that evening.

Also...I just put an 'old' amplifier of DHs on ebay that has been lurking around forever collecting dust, thought i might get £50 for it in 10 days, but also did Buy It Now as a chancer for £125. It sold for £125 within 24 hours, money in paypal, will be in my bank a/c by monday. Is there anything lying around you could do that with? maybe not that much but a few quid here and there as buy it now, it could be in your account on tues/wed, then the shoe money won't have to go so far, or you could put the shoe money back with it.

if you've got the oven on, cover the bottom of a deep baking dish with rice, cover with boiling water, with about an extra two inches of water on top and bake the rice. for some reason it seems much more fillingm this way

if you have a chicken stock cube, crumble it into the water before adding to the rice

How long have you got until payday? Do you have the basics?
Pasta
Bread

I read that as 'see if I can sell the kids' I was like that is a bit drastic !

in hour before supermarket close they reduce price.10p bread,cheaper food

make a big pot of dinner bulk out with tinned tomato

There's a web site where they sell off loads of food that's past it's best before date and they are really cheap!(cans/pasta/dry produce)
www.approvedfood.co.uk

I always have tinned beans with sausages in as the Dc's will always eat them along with scrambled eggs. Tesco own brand 35p will feed the two of them plus a 3 caged egg scramble. I just have whatever...

I think I will have to be less fussy about them always eating certain brands too. I have gone down a level already but will consider going further.

I have to go now. Just found some underpants with number 2 in, and they are not the little ones pants .