Dh and I did a month's food shopping today and spent ...

[Miaou]

£98.05

Beat that!!

Peegee that's fab! We are adding more bits to the site all the time and welcome new ideas. We'll keep posting on here too

Am just about to post a great Christmas cake recipe that's delish and not too rich as to put DC's off.

Hi All - Been to Lidl today - my favourite shop (for prices - not actually the best surroundings in the world)

Remembered to take my re usable plastic bags (otherwise u have to pay for carrier bags)

My bargains today were as follows:
All their fruit and veg is still half price so:

Four Sweet Potatoes £0.90
V Large Celeriac - £0.49 - both lovely mashed with potato
Kiwis - £0.08 each
Cherry vine toms - £0.59
Cherry Toms - £0.39
Chestnut mushrooms £0.39
Leeks £0.49

Then their meat/dinners
Steak Mince £1.45 for 400g or so
Frozen Tuna Steaks £1.65 for 2
Bratwurst sausages - £1.49
Fresh Steak Pie £1.39 (lots of meat )

for Sarnies:
Black forest Ham £1.39
Cheese Coleslaw (the best!) £0.95

Fresh Soup: all £0.79
Carrot and coriander
Tomato and basil
Leek and potato

My other favourites there are:
Bacon Pasta Salad - chilled £0.99
12 Toasting Waffles - £0.49

Ive also made the Miaou's bread today - havent tried it yet - but wondering if the recipe shouldnt have a bit in it about re kneading the dough after it doubles in size? I'll let u know my verdict tomorrow!

Cheap and quick pancakes - Breakfast - Snacks.
You can make mix the night before and keep in fridge.
I don't like fuss and I don't like them too eggy!
Makes 4 - 8 depending on how thin you cook them.

ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS!
6 desert spoons flour (plain will do)
1 medium egg
1/2 to 3/4 pint (semi or full, which ever you have)

HOW
Put flour into large plastic jug (easy to pour from later)
Add egg
Mix egg in slowly and evenly with a fork.
Add milk - bit at a time - whisk out lumps as you go.
Keep adding milk until it consistency of thin cream (you might not need all the milk).
Leave for at least 20 mins to thicken. Time to make a cup of tea!
Heat frying pan - add knob of butter (not oil)
When pan is medium hot add some pancake mix - flip/turn half way through.

Serve with honey, chocolate spread or sugar and lemon.
If you are lucky ice cream , if you do icecream it si best to fold in half like a sandwich - eat quickly !!!!

oh that wnet wrong
add a bout 5 ounces greens - cabbage/broccoli/kale
add a can choppped tomatoes and fry for about 2 mins until thick
add 1 liter stock/water/bouillion
bring to boil. simmer for 20 mins
add another handful chopped greens.
add either: handful dried small pasta OR can beans, eg canneloni (you can cook your own obviously)
serve with grated cheese and bread.

it's good, we have it often all the kids eat it
cook 10 mins longer

ok so that went totally wrong
minestrone soup:
use a big pan with lid
chop one onion and garlic
fry in tablespoon oil until soft not brown
add chopped up potato, carrot and leek (if you have the later)cook for a few minutes
add 5 oz chopped up grreens (eg cabbage/broccoli)
fry few mniutes
add 4 rashers chopped streaky bacon
fry few minutes
add 1 can chopped tomatoes. fry for 2 mins until thickend
add 1 liter stock/cube/water
bring to boil and then simmer 15 - 20 mins
season, add handful small pasta OR can beans eg canneloni
simmer 10 more mins
serve with grated cheese

you can cook in slo cooker but need to prefry all the bits and then leave it at 'simmer' point. I serve with homemade bread and then home made rice pudding for afters with a spoonful of jam.
Fab!

mrmiaou, thanks for the link - so impressed and inspired to reduce my budget even by half would SO help at the moment and that's even without xmas! Making cake tomorrow (had to buy ingredients out of stashed cash as couldn't do it on budget)

Thanks for this thread! Been reading it with interest, even more so now that DH and I have discovered that all our saving and budgeting to pay off the overdraft this year has been for nought (just a sudden flurry of expenses at the end of the year has put us back again) and we need to start from scratch.

Just thought I'd add our standby, cheap, quick and easy favourite:

CURRIED BAKED BEANS
1 large onion
1 tin baked beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
0.25 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground corriander
0.5 tsp salt

? Roughly chop onion and fry in hot oil until speckled brown.
? Add spices and salt and stir.
? Add tomatoes and beans, stir and heat through. Doesn't really need cooking.

...Basically you can get a pan of rice going and in the time it's cooked you could have made this 'sauce'.
You can of course vary the spices, add extra veg (red pepper etc)

v late to thread - been reading and will add a reasonably cheap recipe I loved as a child
My Welsh mum always cooked this - 5 minute potatoes it's called

8 white potatoes - thinly sliced
8 rashers of bacon
5 ml/½ pint of vegetable or chicken stock
1 onion finely chopped
salt
black pepper
METHOD
In a deep frying pan, fry the bacon until lightly browned and then put to the side. Put the stock, onions, and potatoes in a pan and simmer until the potatoes are cooked (more than 5 minutes). Then place the bacon rashers on the potatoes to reheat.

Although my mum just used to layer it all up and add some water and simmer it slowly to cook it through.

Hi, am loving this thread, it has really motivated me to cut down on my food bill.

I managed to do a weekly shop for £44 in asda the other day which is half of my usual spend.

Will go to lidl tomorrow for nappys and wipes, really recommend them, just as good as pampers etc.

I will have a look for some cheap recepies to post,have one for mixed bean goulash that my kids love.

Thanks Miaou and MrMiaou for the inspiration!

oooh lovely, so glad to see this is still going!!

Am suffering from vile morning sickness atm so I just can't bear to talk about/read about food - but keep posting here and on our website and I shall be back into the swing of it very soon

How are you feeling Miaou? I am missing updates to this thread.

Try this one:Adjust the portion sizes according to taste/servings.

Potatoes:Cut in half. Microwave until edible.Place in ovenproof dish.

Make up a cheese sauce,homemade or packet.
Add chopped green and red peppers. Season.

Pour sauce over potatoes.Add grated cheese if desired.

Place in oven for about 15 minutes. Gas 5 soz dont know electric equiv.

Serve on its own or with anything you like!
Reasonably cheap and filling.

Can we resurrect this thread? As today is the day everyone is supposed to be abandoning their NY resolutions or something, it should inspire anyone who is a) trying to cook more from scratch or b) budget.
I read it before Christmas, resolved to do both and we now have pizza, bread and naan bread from scratch, curry from scratch with all the spices and everything (there are no decent takeaways in Germany!) and I haven't thrown any food out in weeks. [halo emoticon!]
Hope you're ok, the Miaous.

good idea..

didn't see it the first time round....gad when I think of the money I spend in the blasted supermarket.

Can't get to their website though...can anyone?

yeah i saved this one for when i have to tighten the purse string so the more ideas the better

Oi, you lot. Look at this thread - it's ace

gonna bring it around again so it's on my list!

I bet you put out a tiny bag when it comes to bin day.

is miaous living for less website not working anymore??

It doesn't seem to be, angel

God, I just read this and am so

Our food budget is £500/month and I am always complaining that everything is so expensive and struggle to keep to the budget.

I feel thoroughly ashamed and resolve not to buy any more biscuits and treats and to make them all instead. Also, we get through so much bread - I am going to dig out the bread machine.
I have been an absolute slacker.

Just seen this linked to another thread. This is fantastic and I have just made may own bread and cookies

Mr and Mrs Miaou Thanks so much you really got me rethinking on what I buy and half of it s crap.

My food budget is 200 pounds a month [sorry symbols not working on keyboard] and I have to be very strict but kee to it in fact most weeks xcan do it for 40 but lots of filling things with veg and meat is often cheaper joints like thighs etc