January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

Bubbles05
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  • January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    Hi ladies,

    Due to a little overspending in December we now have a tight budget for grocery shopping this month.  Can you please inspire me with some cheap/tasty meal ideas (lunch and tea-time) for 2 adults, a 4 year old and 1 year old.  Also any other budgeting tips to see me through the month.

    Many thanks

    Bubbles05

    Bubbles05

     

  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    • mrshwl
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 19-Apr-2006
    • United Kingdom
    • Posts 2,896
    We do spag bol, but bulk out with value chopped tomato's. Cheese pasta sauce is quite cheap as well (flour, butter, milk and cheese) eggy bread, beans on toast, sausage and mash (tesco fresh sausages are normally only around £1 for 8. Fishcakes, just potato, some tinned fish (what ever on offer) home made breadcrumbs and some herbs. Home made pot chips and wedges. I find if I shop online with a list I spend less than going into store. Unless I am really strict with myself. Buying own brand nappies and wipes is also much cheaper. Hth.

    T - feb 08.

    C - feb 10.

  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    I have a food order coming from Asda this morning... I spend less money than if I go round the shop and get tempted by things we don't need.  Also they emailed me a free delivery code which I couldn't turn down!

    Am also on a budget due to xmas spend,  so have ordered stuff to chuck in the slow cooker- having a beef casserole (actually we don't often have beef but it wasn't too expensive)  chilli and jackets,  tuna pasta bake,  got some chicken which will probably also go into a casserole,  and some beef mince which I will also chuck in the slow cooker with some tinned toms, stock etc. 

    These meals will also make extra for E and some for H to take to work on lates.

    I basically ordered only what we needed plus lunch stuff- soup, ham etc, crisps, yoghurts,  fresh fruit and veg,  plus we have friends over for  buffet lunch tommorrow so got salads, potatoes etc.

    I spent £65,  these meals should last a couple of weeks but I will need to but extra fruit and veg next week. 

    I find the main thing that saves me money is to avoid going to the supermarket!  I have still bought us plenty of meat anf fresh food but have probably spent about £15 less than normal just buy not being tempted by offers/being swayed by yummy looking foods!

    Proud mummy to Elliott (March 08) and Oscar (Nov 11)

    mc Nov 2010

     

  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    Mealplan.

    I only buy what we need then. I check the cupboards first too for things left over and can usually make 3-4 meals from what I have in the cupboard/freezer. 

    I've also switched to the basic/value ranges, but I've swapped supermarkets from Tesco to Sainsbury's as oddly enough, they have a better basics quality basic range, and more choice too. Things like chopped toms, spaghetti in sauce etc etc are fab from the basic's range and make a meal much cheaper. 

    I probably spend about £130 a fortnight, but can eek this out another half a week, so on average I spend just over £50 a week of groceries (including cat food, and cleaning products).

    I'll echo Michy with the slow cooker. It's a godsend making cheap tasty meals, and it's nearly effortless. I make a big stew from £5 worth of stewing meat (you can buy cheaper when you're slow cooking), a stew pack - £1 - and some potatoes and stock. All in all, the meal costs £7ish, this will last 2 evening meals and a soup for lunchtime for 2 adults and 1 3 year old. Same goes for chilli's, spag bols, chicken casserole, sausage casserole. All are cheap and nice. 

    We don't have big lunches and M is more of a snacky eater, but we will have things like spag on toast (basis's tin 14p and 4 slices of bread for the 2 of us about 15p per person) I do a batch of pancakes, or eggy bread, or we'll just have some houmous with crudites. All healthy but low on cost. 

    Also, think about food wastage - I try and waste as little food as possible, if there are things that I am constantly throwing away then I'll stop buying them, or get smaller quantities. I found a fab recipe for banana bread that I'll make once a week because I always have a few over ripe bananas and that serves as a great snack with a cuppa, and I know I've not thrown my money away (I  know it's only pence really, but still...). 

     

  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    Thanks ladies - some great ideas and I do own a slow cooker (although not often used).  Have listed everything in the fridge/freezer and cupboards and about to put together a meal plan for the next few weeks.  I will also be doing shopping online to save some pennies as I am terrible at being tempted by 'offers' when in the supermarket.

    Bubbles05

    Bubbles05

     

  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    You can also be a bit crafty if you shop online!!

    When you go to the checkout.....open up another tab on your browser and search for discount vouchers or e-coupons for the shop...simply cut and paste until you find some that work....it does take ages...but as my good old nan used to say..."times costs you nothing!!".

    I usually either get extra clubcard points from doing this...free delivery...or sometimes up to £10 off my shop.   Some codes can only be used a certain number of times a day...so usually I try and order early in the morning...or just after midnight if I am up at a weekend etc. That way more of the vouchers work!!!

     

    Hope that helps xxx

    Mummy to Connagh Andrew    07/07/2010
  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    Corned beef hash is a fabby cheap meal:

    chop onion and fry, add some crushed garlic, tin of tomatoes (chopped up) some tomato puree if you have it.  Add tin of corned beef (chopped up) soem frozen peas, maybe some mushrooms, seasoning, dried herbs (whatever I have in the cupboard).  Serve with mashed potato - yummy and very cheap.

    Sausagemeat pasta is also very cheap and delicious:

    chop onion and fry, add crushed garlic and a pack of sausagemeat - fry until meat is browned and has all broken up.  You'll probably want to drain at this point as the meat releases a lot of fat.  Add tin of tomatoes (chopped) and a couple of large grated carrots.  Season, add some dried basil/oregano.  Serve tossed throgugh pasta with some grated cheese on top.

    Tuna pasta as above, but leave out the carrots, add tuna instead of sausagemeat, and pop in a can of sweetcorn.  You can also do a lovely tuna pasta sauce using a white/cheese sauce instead of a tomato one.  I make the cheese sauce (lots of black pepper and a smidge of nutmeg), add a tin of tuna, tin of sweetcorn, toss it through cooked pasta then pop into a casserole dish.  The put some cornflakes or branflakes into a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin till they are all broken up, mix in some grated cheese and sprinkle over the top of the dish before baking until topping is melted and crispy - is really yummy!

    I also agree with shopping online to stop yourself impulse buying.

    We also usually treat ourselves to a takeaway, but we buy one from the supermarket for about £6 ish, rather than spending £20-£30 at a takeaway.  Means we can treat ourselves, but its still saving a wad of money!  They freeze really well, so we tend to buy one and have it in the freezer, then if we want a takeay on a Friday evening, I get it out in the morning so it defrosts during the day and can be bunged in the oven in the evening.  They do say not to freeze the naan bread or bajis, but we freeze the whole lot and it always cooks lovely.

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  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    Should also add that all 3 meals above freeze well, so I make lots and freeze for another night.  Have to say though that I prefer to freeze the sauce and cook the pasta fresh as I find pasta a bit limp when its been defrosted and re-heated!

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  • Re: January on a budget - menu/shopping help please

    • fizl
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 20-Feb-2009
    • Posts 486

    Shepherds/cottage pie (good for hidiing lots of veg in if you need to)

    Chilli (as above)

    Pasta bake

    Soup - I like a good old leak and potato

    Buy whole chickens to roast rather than pieces, then you can get a meal with the chicken, leftovers to make a curry or casserole, and use the carcass to make chicken stock for soup etc (might be a big chicken in your case :) )

    Bake apple crumbles or cakes for freezable desserts

    Hot pot

    Jacket potatoes with cheese, beans, chilli, curry, spaghetti hoops, or anything else you fancy!

    corn beef hash is cheap and filling

    bubble and squeek from leftover veg

    Add pearl barley to casseroles (always love it in sausage casserole!).  A little goes a long way, and it bulks out the casserole as well

    Beef stew and dumplings

    Shaz

     

     

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