Please or to access all these features

NOW CLOSED: Tell Sainsbury's your top tips for cooking on a budget - you could win £200 of Sainsbury's vouchers

3 replies

AnnMumsnet · 18/01/2011 11:31

Mumsnet have been asked by Sainsbury's to find out your top tips on cooking for your family on a budget. They have put together a basics range to help families who are looking to cut back on costs without compromising on quality and taste.

Sainsbury's want to know what are your tips for cooking good food for your family and watching the pennies.

Please post your tips below. Everyone who posts a tip on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will receive £200 of Sainsbury's vouchers.

Many thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

NancyMumsnet · 18/01/2011 13:06

Hi all,

I'm just going to copy and paste all the tips from the old thread here so you don't have to post them again! Smile

PrettyCandles

Don't we usually get offered a 'sweetener' (all-natural, of course) in exchange for our contributions to such things?

dreamingofsun

good idea prettycandle. when i'm broke we eat lots of eggs (please excuse the pun).... onlettes, pitza, poached, scrambled

arentfanny

UNfortunately out of all the supermarkets I can get to Sainsbury's is the most expensive so tend not to shop there.

TitsalinaBumSquash

We eat a lot of Eggs when we are skint, also Rice as it swells in the stomach and is filling and cheap, you can easily make it more interesting with herbs and spices.

I also make Soup when things are tight, a few cheap 'basic' veg and stock and voil'a a hot filling meal.

I check out reduced to clear food and mealp plan around it and serve pretty much everything with a plain geen salad or steamed 'basic' veg again to 'pad out' the meal.

HalfCaff

Haha yes, shop at Asda and LIDL!

BikeRunSki

Regardless of where I shop -

I freeze every leftover in little pots - amazing how quickly I have enough pasta and veg for another lunch!

All little bits of left over fruit go in tommorow's porridge.

Check out the "whoops" shelf.

Lentil stew is cheap and filling and tasty (how I make it anyway!).

Meal plan, then only buy what I need.

HalfCaff

Seriously, if you live MUCH nearer to Sainsburys than any other supermarket, as I do (only one I can bike to) then I have loads of tips.
Tinned tomatoes are really cheap- make your own sauces for pasta etc instead of buying readymades.
Only buy BOGOFS of things which won't GO-OFF!
Menu-plan and have cunning ways with leftovers.
Many ways with potatoes.
A whole chicken is much better value than chicken pieces.
Beans, pulses, homemade soups, British veg in season.

BlingLoving

To cut back on expensive foods like meat, use things like Chorizo or even bacon in pastas/risottos or to flavour simple dishes like roasted vegetables.

Good stews can be made using very little meat and using beans, lentils or chickpeas to bulk it up. Cheap cuts of meat - eg lamb shoulder - go a very long way as part of a stew or casserole made in this way. Similarly, things like spaghetti bolognaise can be made with a much higher ratio of tinned tomato to meat than most people use (we use 2 - 3 tins per 500g easily).

Similarly, if planning to eat sausages, use them in casseroles or pasta dishes, chopped up - you don't need as many per person as if you're serving them whole with potatoes.

Look for special offers on things you use a lot and freeze the extras. Eg mince.

Where possible, buy seasonal fruit and veg. It can be very reasonably priced in the cheaper ranges from supermarkets, or from your local farmers market.

Plan at least a few super cheap meals in a week - baked potato stuffed with tuna and cream cheese; roasted vegetables on pasta; lentil soup.

Use up leftovers as lunches for the following day or in new meals. Or freeze them to use elsewhere. eg I used some old leftover roasted butternut I had frozen in a risotto on the weekend.

taffetacat

BOGOF also good if you have freezer space.

Cans of things ( eg baked beans, sardines ) or eggs ( scrambled,poached ) on toast is good as a once a week or so bargain meal.

Pasta is great, with a rich sauce made by emptying a tin of chopped toms in a large sauceapn with 3 whole garlic cloves and a few glugs of olive oil. Simmer for 20 minutes to reduce, fish out garlic and then blitz for a smooth sauce. Keeps in the fridge for a week. Makes a brilliant base sauce for pasta ( add mushrooms, bacon, chilli etc as needed, or nothing ) you only need a little to toss pasta in and then top with grated cheese. Or also good as pizza sauce.

Make your own pizza using bread flour and fast yeast, with some olive oil, sugar and salt. Can also make your own dough balls with the dough.

AnnMumsnet · 19/01/2011 11:15

sorry dreamingofsun - thanks for updating it

AnnMumsnet · 25/01/2011 11:58

JarethTheGoblinKings name was pulled out of the hat as the lucky winner of £200 of Sainsbury vouchers. An email is on it's way to you!

Watch this thread for updates

Tap "Watch" to get all the latest updates

End of posts

There are no more MNHQ posts on this thread