Sorry done lots, how do I pan our meals on a budget, meal ideas please.

I am rubbish at organising myself,  but money is tight atm and it would help us if I could cut down on our food spends.  We seem to go into Sainsburys/Asda every week and spend lots of money on unnecessary food.

we are bad for picking up the offers that we don't really need.  Shopping online- do you find this helps?  Or do you find what you save goes on the delivery charge?

Also,  what meals do you do that suit the whole family?  H works lates a few times a week so ideallly I'd like to make things he could reheat at work too.

And, Supermarkets own brand stuff- is this sometimes a false economy,  are some supermarkets better than others when it comes to their own products? 

Any ideas much appreciated thanks.

well I suppose my first suggestion if money is tight is to replace some meat and fish with lentils and pulses etc. they will fill you up but cost a lot less. rice is very expensive at the moment but pasta is cheap so pasta bakes just using tins of chopped tomatoes, some cheese on top etc, tin of tuna in it is a quick and easy one that won't be expensive, can do in bulk and then hubby can take some to work to reheat.

soups and stews I find are also good economically. frozen veg are just as healthy as fresh but easier to just use the amount you need.

things we do that everyone can have - jacket potatoes with ham/cheese/onion/beans and so on, spagetti bolognaise, chilli con carne, chicken pieces baked in the oven in chopped tomatoes with potatoes and cheese, stew, pasta bakes, veggie bakes, lasagne, veggie or meat.

own brand stuff, depends what it is.  we buy value tissues and kitchen roll, sponges etc but I personally would prefer not to buy their meat because I am doubtful about it. buy own brand biscuits and crisps - they do seem to save.

I find Asda's own Brands are a no no, but sainsburys basic we use all the time, they are far better. We even have their own brand (not the basic but thier own regulare brand) beans!!

I am rubbish at meal planning, but when things are tight I stock up on freezer things. For example, sainsbury do a frozen lasagne for 24p! they are really nice too!

Shopping online does help i think... yes you have to spend a few pounds for delivery but compared to "extras" that we my H gets tempted by when we're wandering round the supermarket, it still costs less.

Me and H both work shifts so i also have to do stuff that can be reheated at work... things like spag bol; shepherds pie; sausage, potato and pepper roast; meatballs and spaghetti, sausage and mash, "sunday dinner".... Also cold things like salads with tuna/chicken, sandwiches or things on toast.

Other meals in my "plan" are: chicken goujons, mexican chicken fajitas, baked potato pizzas, fish finger pie, homemade burgers, lamb roast, apple & apricot pork, fishcakes.

I've been meal planning for about a year now... i started doing it to get more variety and healthier meals. I got this book off Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Healthy-Balanced-Little-Kitchen/dp/1905862156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268995515&sr=8-1 which i have found a great help and is where i've got nearly all my recipes from. It's got loads of different sections for main meals, quick dinners, soups, cakes, puddings, "extras" such as bread, sauces etc... I really recommend it!

HTH x

online shopping i go for the cheap shopping slots and do tend to save.  I can be in on a wednesday to get these so it's not a problem.

as for meal planning i write out a weeks worth of meals before i start doing the online shop and work out the ingredients.  I make sure that i do replace rice/ pasta etc.  I also tend to find out which supermarket has the best deal on washing powder before i start.

I only buy white meat from the supermarkets I tend to use the butchers in the next village for the rest.

as anastasia says bulk one pot meals are good and eleanor will eat those too.

We also buy value tissues and own brands for some stuff.  I've found sainsbury's own brand is much better than asda own brand so I tend to sainsburys shop or tesco online as I can save by using their own brands.  Where as Asda can be expensive as i only buy the branded stuff.

Personally, I would be rubbish at food shopping along, but OH is a genius at keeping costs down and always finds cheaper alternatives to the things I have found.

We overcook dinners like pasta/shepherds pie/curry and have them for lunch the next day, so we don't have to buy anything whilst out/at work. That's probably my biggest tip.

Mince is cheap in Asda and you can make so many things with it - lasagne (sheets are next to nothing in any supermarket - home brand), shepherds pie, chilli etc.

Good luck!

Slow cookers are good for making shaper cuts fo meat melt in the mouth. We love casseroles, beef hotpot, spag bol, chilli con carne etc. Good for making double & freezing, or having leftovers next day.

Thanks so much everyone, this is making me want to put pen to paper and do some planning.

Unfortunately my H is a real meat man, would turn his nose up and pulses and lentils  But we can cut back in other areas.  Thanks for all the meal ideas ! 

I think shopping online has saved us money. I do a lose meal plan for the week as well. Sainsburys delivery is free if you spend over £100 and have it delivered Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursdays. Once you add nappies (usually on offer) it's easy to get over the minimum spend. I try to do one big online shop per month and get anything additional during the week. I always shop with a list and stick to it and I take the pram not the car - saves me from buying too many things. I also found it easier to check offers online.

michy-lou:

Thanks so much everyone, this is making me want to put pen to paper and do some planning.

Unfortunately my H is a real meat man, would turn his nose up and pulses and lentils  But we can cut back in other areas.  Thanks for all the meal ideas ! 

so is my hubby but we have taken to buying the smallest packets of meat and then when you put it in a casserole or lasagne or something add something like lentils or beans to bulk it out and provide additional protein but with less meat.  he doesn't really notice so long as there is some meat in there and I don't draw his attention to it

Anastasia:

michy-lou:

 

Thanks so much everyone, this is making me want to put pen to paper and do some planning.

 

Unfortunately my H is a real meat man, would turn his nose up and pulses and lentils  But we can cut back in other areas.  Thanks for all the meal ideas ! 

 

 

so is my hubby but we have taken to buying the smallest packets of meat and then when you put it in a casserole or lasagne or something add something like lentils or beans to bulk it out and provide additional protein but with less meat.  he doesn't really notice so long as there is some meat in there and I don't draw his attention to it

 

Anastasia:

michy-lou:

 

Thanks so much everyone, this is making me want to put pen to paper and do some planning.

 

Unfortunately my H is a real meat man, would turn his nose up and pulses and lentils  But we can cut back in other areas.  Thanks for all the meal ideas ! 

 

 

so is my hubby but we have taken to buying the smallest packets of meat and then when you put it in a casserole or lasagne or something add something like lentils or beans to bulk it out and provide additional protein but with less meat.  he doesn't really notice so long as there is some meat in there and I don't draw his attention to it

 

Thats a good idea... if there was a small amount of meat in there he wouldn't think I was trying to poison him!

We use our slow cooker a lot as we can make things in bulk and freeze or use some the next day. As someone said, it also makes meat really tender and I am really fussy about meat otherwise. I did pork belly in mine yesterday and it was yummy!

We do find that even with delivery charges we always spend less when we shop online as I can check out all the offers in one place but dont go picking up things at random and I can get all the bits for a meal in one go rather than forgetting stuff when walking around and meaning I need to make little midweek trips.

I get a lot of recipe ideas from the internet too, sainsburys have a section for meals for a fiver and I adjust them sometimes to suit us but we've enjoyed getting different ideas from there. I use the BBC recipes a lot too and do things like stews and casseroles from there in my slow cooker.

Try to co-ordinate some recipes in the week to use similar/same ingrediants, eg sometimes we use a lot of chopped tomatoes so buy the pack of 4 tins which works out cheaper when they are in the cupboard for that week and the following one. Sometimes it seems you spend more one week to get all the basics in but we do this roughly once a month and then we use them throughout the other weeks.

I've only just started budgetting and meal planning and it seems to be working quite well so far. I only cook for me and T as H has weird eating habits and wouldn't eat the stuff I cook anyway.

We shop online and have them deliver fortnightly. The way I do it is to choose 5 evening meals and 5 lunches to cook during the forthcoming fortnight. I cook in the evening when T is in bed and do about 4 portions per meal then bung it in the freezer. We then have a selction of home-made ready meals to last us for that period and beyond. I found I used to buy random ingredients on the off-chance I would use them & ended up chucking most away, particularly vegetables and meal planning has helped me to stop doing that.

Some own brand stuff I find is fine - chopped tomatoes for example. A basic range tin is about 20p and I can't tell the difference. The only think I have brand loyalty over is Heinz ketchup so I just try to stock up when it's on offer.

If you choose an unpopular delivery slot, delivery can often work out very cheap or even free. I've found that Tesco seem to be the best round here. Sainsbury's are absolutely shocking and half of our order is usually missing - I don't know if that's a national thing or just our area. Watch out for the substitutes though - either choose your own or opt not to receive any, as I've found they send something that has the most tenuous link to the product you actually wanted!