How can I spend £50pw on food?

[jugodenaranja]

not a begging thread! I’ve had over £100 worth of expenses not budgeted for and now literally can’t spend more than £50 per week on food for the rest of November. Toilet rolls and toiletries can be bought separate. It’s just me and DD so should be possible but usually spend £65-70 + extra for toiletries, I buy dog food separate as well. I could put it on a credit card but not sure I want to get into debt.

£50 per week for two people is above average. I don't see the problem at all it's a very normal budget if anything it's a little high.

In my online basket I currently have 400g of diced beef for £4.50 to go in a stew. What can I have in it instead that isn’t £4.50?
Mince is cheaper per 100g and stretches further without the problem of a bowl of food where you can count three cubes of meat amongst too much carrot.

DH and I spend £50 a week shopping at Lidl including toiletries and nappies/wipes for baby. We have 3 meals a day at home, we manage fine. Usually buy a medium chicken, 500g mince and 2 filets of salmon/prawns and this lasts us for evening meals. Porridge/cereal for breakfast. Beans/eggs on toast or tuna sandwich at lunch. We bulk out our evening meals with lentils, beans and lots of veg.

Where did you get the average from? Is it up to date?

Reduce meat. Buy on discount or yellow sticker.

If you really want to eat meat learn how to bone out a chicken, I can get 6+ portions from an on date chicken, meat goes in the freezer in individual portions, the carcass goes in an big saucepan for stock. Tid bits go in a chicken and sausage stew with carrots, onions and any other cheap veg, throw in some barley, and the stock serve with mash (in a bowl).

The Easter holiday I spent working in a chicken packing plant was pretty shit but I've probably saved more over the years than earned.

Frugalfitmom on YouTube has some great emergency budget meal plans. She's American so you might have to adjust some ingredients (haricot or kidney beans instead of pinto beans for example).
Cheapest protein is usually beans/lentils/chickpeas then chicken or pork - beef is usually more expensive per kilo. Although it can work well in a stew with lots of vegetables as you don't need as much.
Homemade soup is a great way to fill you up and get veg and fibre in - have it as a starter then you'll need a smaller amount of protein and carbs for main course.

At ASDA they do two for £8, one of the things are these big 600g packs of mixed beef and pork mince. 1.2kg of mince could easily do a lot of meals, especially if you bulk it out with kidney beans or something else. The also do shepards pie mix and Bolognaise mix in this deal which could do two of you for two meals, just need to add potato/pasta as the veg is already chopped in the mix.

I’d also look if there any Community supermarkets near you where you can get a shop for £5.

In your case, and because it’s Winter, I’d be going heavy on carbs.

Toast or Porridge and jam for breakfast.
Soup and sandwiches
Pizza, Pitta bread
Pasta
Rice dishes
Potatoes
Make your own scones and griddle bread (self raising flour and water/yoghurt with bicarbonate of soda).
Then get eggs, cheese, sausages and bacon, pork is cheaper than chicken or beef, dried pulses, tinned tomatoes, onions, carrots, vegetable oil to add to the above. Frozen Veg like carrots, spinach, peas and sweet corn. An apple or two each a day. Milk and some cheap multivitamin pills to make sure you’re not running yourselves into the ground.
Don’t forget a few cheap sweet things like jam, custard cream biscuits or own brand chocolate, that way you’ll feel the hardship less.

Empty your cupboards like a PP said, and reach out to friends and family! You’ll probably get a Sunday lunch or help with your shopping. £50/7 is £7 a day, for two people that is cutting it very fine. Putting a shop on your cc as a last resort isn’t the end of the world (done it myself to the power of £££ on several occasions) but don’t make a habit of it…

Red lentils are £2.50 a kilo for 73g of protein, so 3.4p a gram, 5% beef mince £3.50 per 500g for 104g of protein, so 3.4p a gram. Are people buying beans and lentils in bulk for them to work out cheaper? I'm not seeing a difference.

Oh, Tesco has the info on cooked weight of lentils, that's what's wrong!

Basics chicken for a fiver - might be £4.50.

1 x roast for two
1 x curry or pasta bake or with beans, onion and tinned tomatoes
2/3 days of sandwiches
Boil the carcass for stock as a base for carrot and coriander or tomato soup.

Other tasty sarnie fillings (imo), egg, tuna, cheese.

£4.50 on Mince for spag bol should make 6 dinners.

Egg, chips and beans, another cheap dinner.

Fish pie with cheap fish such as pollack, again 1 quantity should do 6 dinners.

Have you got a freezer op?

Does anyone who feeds themselves and child / teenager for £50 or less have a meal plan? I have been trying to cut my food bill, swapping brands, using yellow sticker foods and freezing them. I think we must eat too much food either portions or quantity.

I haven’t needed one but a food bank for staples is a good idea. Areas where there are food pantry’s, even better.

£50 is our normal spend for 2 adults. We plan everything, no waste, lots of veg. First I’d “shop” your cupboards and fridge and freezer. We often do a whole week of meals this way.

I spend £50 per week for 4 adults. Totally doable

Sorry but what? Would you mind sharing how this is possible

I would keep the 400g beef. Just bulk out what you make with it. Ie add more veg, side mash to casserole. Then the casserole part will do two days instead

no point in experimenting in loads of things you don’t normally eat.

swap fruit if you buy lots of fresh berries to something more seasonal and frozen berries. Homemade pancakes with warm frozen berries and blob Greek yoghurt are lovely. Can have as weekend breakfast or after light dinner of toastie or soup

50 a week 4 adults

12.50 a week per adult

Or less than £2 a day per person is very good assuming no allotment and a healthy diet and not getting extra food from anywhere else

400g of beef can easily last 4 meals for 2 with some beans or lentils and lots of ( frozen usually cheapest ) veg

-Red split lentils, onion and carrot stew instead
-Try meat or fish paste in sandwiches, grated carrot with it for a bit of bulk and flavour.

You want to look for recipes that come from cold poor areas. Fry onions in some oil or butter very slowly for a long time and have that on mash or a jacket potato, pouring the fat on as well. If able, get a couple of rashers of bacon from the deli counter rather than a whole packet, and chop up half a rasher to fry until crisp and sprinkle on with the onion.

Try potatoes boulangère- lots of recipes, but basically slice up potatoes with skin on, slice onions, layer them alternately on a casserole dish, pour stock from a cube in until it's about half full, then bake. Grate a bit of cheese on top for flavour.

I can vouch for the Spiced carrot and lentil soup on the BBC good food website, it's really delicious.

Yellow stickers and olio.
Depending where you are, Company Shop is a blessing

I think it should be fairly affordable.

Toast ie cereal for breakfast

soup/omelette/jacket potatoes etc for lunches

pasta/rice/veggies/pizza for dinner

I spend £50 a week for DH and I and that includes meat from field and flower and organic veg and milk from Abel and cole, plus a few cupboard staples and eggs/cheese etc from Asda. We do tend to bulk things out though so I prefer bolognese 50/50 beef and lentils for extra nutrients, which happens to be cheaper. Lentil Dahl is also a good staple and we’ve been enjoying butternut squash Mac and cheese which can also be done cheaply. I meal plan quite strictly as this covers 3 meals a day and there’s no waste but it’s plenty for us and I imagine we could do it cheaper if we didn’t eat organic. Cut out processed snacks like crisps and chocolates if you buy a lot of these as these really add up.

Do you have a community pantry nearby?

Easily done if you go to Lidl/ Iceland/Farmfoods

I spend £50-60 (sometimes less) a week every week. This includes toiletries and cleaning products etc. This is my meal plan for this week,

Evening Meals
Roast Chicken dinner
Chicken stir fry and noodles
Bean and sweet potato chilli and rice
Sausage casserole and Mash
Bolognese pasta bake
Cottage pie
Left overs day!

Lunches
Soup (made from chicken carcass stock)
Beans on toast
Sandwiches - Tuna, egg, cheese
Noodles with boiled egg
Pasta

Breakfast
Eggs
Toast
Shreddies
Porridge

Snacks
Apples
Bananas
Yogurt and tinned fruit
'Twinks hobnobs'