Surviving a week on £30...

[LadyOfWaffle]

Dunno how but there is only £90 in the bank, £15 has to stay in for the internet bill, at least £40 needs to be put aside for four days of petrol for DH to get to work , which leaves £30 I can withdraw (cannot take out £5s). First of all it sounded ok, but wrote a list with nappies - £4, wipes - £5, then £1.30 for 4 pints, for 7 days is £9.10... which is leaving about £10 for food! Wipes are non neg., cheaper ones rip poor DSs bum to shreds, obviously I will have to drink less milk but how do I do 7 days (DH, me and DS) for £30? Thanks sooo much if you can suggest anything!

Flour butter and milk

Can your dh start giving someone a lift to work for fuel money? if not this week, maybe in the future?

Visit the food shop briefly for large thing of milk, 10 tins of tomatoes, 1 sack potatoes, value apples, frozen peas, bicarb of soda, cream of tartar and plain flour - total should be under £15.

Breakfast on porridge, with icing sugar if necessary and slices of apple (1 apple between you all - grate it if necessary but slices are nicer).

Soups for lunch.

1. Mince, mushrooms and 2 tins toms - make it quite wet - layer with lasagne sheets to make non-cheese 'lasagne'.

1. Cheese selection with beetroot and couscous.

1. Sausages in bacon with lots of mash and frozen peas.

1. Ham with soda bread (much easier to make than real bread - put 1lb flour, 1tsp salt, 1tsp bicarb and 1tsp cream of tartar into basin, rub in 1oz fat, mix in about 1/2 pt milk until spongy, shape into roundish shape on baking ray, bake for 30 - 40 mins at around erm 175 degrees?

1. Meatballs in tom sauce with spaghetti.

freezer stuff for the other meals

and pat yourself on the back for making it through

I only ever buy the value toms! no different IME.

White sauce - cook flour and butter in a pan until it forms a roux then slowly add milk - it'll look like it's going lumpy but then it'll come together. This is the uber-thread on money saving too.

I'd use jam in porridge rather than icing sugar!

oh hey you have apples and potatoes - i was allowing £4 for those! you prob only need £10!

nb cook plenty of sliced onions very slowly for a long time in a bit of oil (keep topping up if necessary) and eat with pasta - absolutely delicious and cheaper than chips

Don't buy sauces

1. they are vile
2. homemade costs nowt - pennies - and you prob have the stuff

white sauce
melt a knob of butter
mix in a tablespoon of flour, stir it around in the pan for a bit to cook the flour
gradually add milk, stirring continuously until you like the consistency

tomato sauce
chop up an onion, finely, garlic if got it
cook till transparent in a dash of oil [pref olive]
add tin of tomatos, sprinkle of oregano if got
i usually add a 1/2 teaspoon sugar or dash balsamic vinegar if got it
bring to simmer and cvok until nice and thick

value toms are fine

Sorry, lots of posts - catching up! I don't have a blender, I cannot cook very well, by which I mean I do not know how to cook alot yet - shall look up some of these though and learn!

my tip for white sauce is warm up the milk in the mircowave a bit before you add it to the roux it makes it much quicker, it will go really thick at first but keep adding the milk and it will be fine.

A few tins of value beans and have jacket potatoe with beans!

OP - have only skim read so sorry if has already been said, but could you try a shop at Lidl or Aldi. Especially at Lidl I always end up spending less than expected and the quality of most things is fine imo. Eg Rice, Pasta, fruit, veg, cans. They even do some branded items such as Kelloggs, Heinz.

O I love soda bread! Obv. don't need a tin for that.

menu plan for the week now in minute detail ensure you use all the stuff about to go out of date etc I'm sure it can be done as you do have quite a bit of stuff already in.

i think you don't need to shop at all, just milk and you'll be fine with what you have.

Asda is doing 2L of milk for 97p at the moment.

Why £5 on wipes?

I'd buy some bread, fruit and veg from the market and then improvise.

Can I just say that I didn't go shopping yesterday when I needed to and still managed to rustle up a meal. I am quite a hoarder though, I stockpile a few jars and cans for such occasions. Lloyd Grossman tomato & wild mushroom sauce (with extra mushrooms mind, there were only about 2 segments in there to start off with) was actually v nice. Didn't tell DH it was a last minute panic.

Or is it Loyd?

Lloyd!

Ah, thank you! I worry about such things (thought he may have had an odd spelling) and was just off to check the recycling basket.

OOps I was right!

Not that it matters at all though and is off thread - sorry OP!

I always snigger at his gross man sauces. Juvenile.

there are some good websites that give loads of great ideas for meals when you put in all the ingredients you have in your kitchen. from what you have listed, i dont think you will need to buy much food, the other posts are great suggestions especially the bulking out thing. im in that situation at the minute and was writing shopping list last night but after reading this i shall go and see what i already have and see if i can make do for another week. will need milk though. fleece wipes are great aswell, once you have them, you never need to buy them again and theyre better for environment. good luck

LOL! I was sure he was a Lloyd!

Inspired by this thread I have raided the cupboards and madde a mexican stew chicken thing God help us!Tinned tomatos value beans garlic chilli kidney beans and chicken a few herbs and it tastes ok although dh will be home at 7 so that will be the test!The 6 month old freezer lurking garlic bread might take the focus off the mush?