Food ideas for a VERY tight budget

michaelablueeyes

Hi All Hoping For Some Ideas and advise really,

Me and my partner been working on our sums and are now forced to work on a REALLY REALLY tight budget.
My Partner works full time and i'm a stay at home mum i can not afford to work as i would'nt earn enough to cover the cost of childcare for three children. so we effectively only have one wage coming in.

We have bills as does everyone else and money 'left' after bills etc is the only money we have to feed and cloth five of us.

We already Try to cut corners here and there to make ends meet anyway
I was hoping some can give me healthy meal ideas that will feed the five us.... on a tight budget
bare in mind i really do not know how to cook from scratch not really only thing i do from scratch is salads etc even they are seeming to expensive for us atm. My partner dont like stews etc hes a shove it in the oven processed freak so we tend to buy from the frozen isle alot, I love salmon etc but can not afford fresh anymore.

So im asking for so quick, budget healthy meals
I can not go to farmers market as we dont drive have to rely on public transport also we hate eating same thing over so varity is key... maybe things i could cook and then freeze please bare in mind im trying to loose weight and im only ment to eat 1200 cal a day.

if anyone is willing to help i send my thanks in advance

Mr_Knight

Rice and potatoes for carbs. Butter for fats. Lean ground beef for protein. Bags of frozen mixed vegetables to keep the Green Police out of your hair. But you ARE going to have to learn some basic "cook from scratch" techniques. At least enough to boil potatoes and sautee ground beef. Don't worry about it - YouTube is your friend - cavemen could figure this out, you can do it, too!

Also, if your budget is tight, your food will get repetitive. That's just the way it is....

EDIT: Almost forgot - and of course, the simplest way to get the food budget down is to eat less.

michaelablueeyes

Thank You, I do Know 'basics' I do jacket potatoes i can cook a roast meal etc fresh mash etc so i know basics
the hardest thing is KNOWINg what to cook etc if that makes sense

JesterMFP

This is a handy link for budget supermarket shopping: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cheap-supermarket-shopping Near the bottom of the page, it tells you when different supermarkets discount their stuff if you're looking for bargains. The forums on MSE are quite good for money saving ideas generally.

I'd really recommend you learn to cook. It's really not hard to learn basic cooking, and you don't need any books - there is tons of stuff for free on the internet. Ok, so maybe not stews, but your partner may have to compromise a bit if you really need to cut back. Ready meals are definitely not the cheapest option. What about things like bolognese, shepherds/cottage pie etc? Things like that are easy to learn (just following simple recipes) and you can make them in bulk at the weekend and freeze them in portions, to be quickly heated up.

avskk

Lentils, cheap meats, frozen veggie assortments, bouillon cubes or powder, potatoes, eggs, cheap deli meats, bread, and salad fixings will take you a long way. With that you can do soups, stews, stir-fries for dinner; eggs, toast, and fried meat for breakfast; sandwiches and salad for lunches.

supplemama

Make most of your meals vegetarian and you will save lots of money (I was a vegetarian for 24 years, then meat eater for 3, now back to being vegetarian). Breakfast and lunch veggie meals. Dinner meals go meatless every other day.

Pasta (spaghetti, rotini, angel hair, vermicelli, etc.) is always good and very inexpensive. Pasta sauce is usually pretty cheap (like $1 a jar sometimes on sale) but even cheaper if you make it yourself. If you want to 'beef' it up add shredded cheese

Beans (black beans, pinto beans, red beans, navy beans, etc.) make very good, very versatile meals and very, very inexpensive if you buy them by the bag.

Meat substitutes include those made with soy, tempeh, seitan. Well tempeh is soy too, actually. Anyway you can buy these premade but they are expensive, so I used to make veggie burgers and such from scratch.

Meat meals, generally birds and seafood are fairly cheap, especially frozen.

All Recipes is a good site for recipes and ideas:
http://allrecipes.com/

cwolfman13

Focus on big casseroles, stews, soups, meat pies, etc. These things can be prepared relatively cheap and feed an army and can be frozen and re-heated later. Budget staples for my family when we were living really tight:

- homemade ragu (bolognese)...when ground beef is on sale we buy a lot and freeze
- hamburger soup
- Any number of casseroles/soups/stews using dried legumes/lentils/split peas, etc. I'm personally a big fan of Dahl and still make a big batch of it every weekend to eat throughout the week. I also make a batch of my "famous" charro beans to eat throughout the week...I enjoy them with a little red chile and tortillas.
- rice and past dishes

Also, frozen vs fresh veg...usually cheaper and often good sales...stock up. Also stock up on meats and poultry when you find stuff on sale. Just freeze for later.

seltzermint555

I hate to just echo all of the other ideas you have been given. But everyone has good advice for you!

It sounds like you are in the UK, I have no idea if Aldi there is anything like here in the US - but I do know they have UK locations. I find it to be an excellent place to purchase BASIC & inexpensive yet healthy food. In fact they even have frozen "wild caught salmon" which comes in 4 portions and is cheap, my husband and I eat it baked with a tiny bit of oil (usually sesame oil) to dress it, and it's fantastic with potatoes and a veggie.

EGGS, beans and rice go a long way.

"In season" fruits and vegetables can save you a LOT of money.

In my opinion, people really overhype cooking and baking to make it sound/seem much more difficult than it is. I've been baking since I was a small child and it's very simple when you just read and follow directions carefully. It doesn't get too difficult until you start introducing super fancy techniques and unusual ingredients...you could probably do some awesome scones, cookies, etc (healthier lighter versions if you like) with ease!! Pinterest is a great place to find ideas.

Anyway even with all of that baking, I didn't truly start cooking until my late 20's and it's not that hard. You can do it! Like others said, YouTube is a great resource.

I'm clueless about cooking for large families and have no idea about your children's habits (it's just my husband and I) but I do know about frugality! We keep a very tight rein on our grocery spending and I'm often shocked at how much others spend on weekly or monthly food shopping.

A few more ideas...to save money and because they're delicious. Breakfast for lunch or dinner. Morning isn't usually the best time for most of us to wanna cook a huge meal or bother with pancakes etc. But those foods can make a great meal anytime and tend to be quite cheap, especially if you go meatless. Also Mexican style meals. We regularly mix this up to do TVP tacos, nachos with imitation crabmeat, etc. You can make these cheaper and lighter by subbing black or pinto beans for beef if you want to, and going easy on the cheese and salsa (which are delicious but you usually can't tell a difference in 1 cup of cheese on a Mexican casserole versus the 2-3 cups the recipe calls for).

Good luck to you!! :-)

michaelablueeyes

Thank you everyone all good ideas i now just try to learn how to put all that together work out what works best for us.

Its crazy but im rather scared.

ponycyndi

I have 3 boys to feed, so I understand trying to make healthy, easy, inexpensive meals that every one will eat is a TALL order!

Our top favorites:

Spaghetti/pasta
(tomato based sauce, add in whatever cooked meats you like, sausages, turkey, chicken, ground beef, etc) go easy on the cheese for me, heavy on the veggies like mushrooms, zucchini. I steam those and serve on the side. The kids will eat garlic bread/rolls/biscuits along with.

Burritos
(same with whatever meat you have/is on sale) cheese for the kids, none for me. I usually cook an onion, add my meat, then season with cumin/garlic and add beans. Wrap in a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese for the kids, salsa for me.

Breakfast sandwiches
Fry or scramble some eggs. Put on toast, biscuits (leftover from dinner!) rolls, muffins, or burger buns. Add a piece of deli meat, leftover steak, slice of ham, bacon, etc (again, whatever is on hand) add some cheese if needed, a slice of tomato or avocado if you've got it. I have mine with some mild salsa (veggies!)

And of course, they will always eat mac n cheese, pizza and chicken nuggets, etc. Those days I can make myself a dinner salad.

michaelablueeyes

Some Nice ideas Thanks Pony'

mamma_nee

The best advice I can offer is ``build your meal around the sales of the week `` Also most super markets have a section of produce that is about to expire and sell for very cheap - I sometimes get a huge bag of string beans for just 1.00 !!! You just have to cook it all up and then freeze .

hilarymcm

Look for supermarkets and health food stores that have bulk foods. You can buy brown rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, and nuts for much cheaper than the packaged varieties. My local health food store has what I call the "scratch and dent" produce bin - it contains fruits and veggies that are starting to wrinkle or slightly bruised, but still good - look for smaller markets with these kinds of deals. Farmers markets often have good deals as well, and you're getting very fresh food! If you have a green thumb and a few pots, growing some of your own fruits/veggies/herbs can save a lot of money!

Some_Watery_Tart

I know how this goes. I was a single mom for years. Now my husband and I have 5 kids to feed. Grocery budgets are tough and require planning. But you can do it!

Eggs, potatoes, rice, and beans--stock up. These are your staples. Eggs and beans are your protein; rice and potatoes are your filler. Watch for sales on frozen fruits and veggies and stock up when prices are low. Stock up on pasta and pasta sauces when you can. Also, you can freeze most cheeses--I do it all the time when it's on sale. I usually shred it and freeze it in large bags.

"Stir fry"--ramen noodles with scrambled eggs and mixed veggies. Just heat and drain the veggies, scramble the eggs, prepare the ramen, and mix it all up. (This isn't considered "healthy" by the clean eating crowd, but it packs good nutrition for the price. Just watch the sodium!)

Bean burritos. You can add rice to mix it up, serve with salsa.

Oatmeal is a very cheap and filling breakfast. So are eggs and toast.

Learn to make cornbread. It's pretty inexpensive and is a nice change of pace. I pour cornbread batter on top of taco filling (meat, corn, beans, etc) and bake. Taco casserole.

Check the meat clearance bin at the grocery store. There are usually good deals to be found there.

Go low sodium where you can afford to. Inexpensive foods (especially canned goods) can have a lot of sodium.

Get on Pinterest.com and search recipes with the ingredients you have on hand. Or search "cheap meals". Don't be afraid to try new recipes all the time! Get creative! You'll get better with practice. We all started somewhere.

BaoCat

Take a look at budgetbytes.com. Should give some good recipe ideas, and it shows the cost per dish and serving.

Might be some useful nuggets in there for you besides the 'build your meal around the sales of the week' that someone else said.

And when all else fails - big ol' pots of meat pasta sauce (by scratch, use whatever meat is cheap --- cook it long and slow enough and it'll be fine), cheap pasta, and whatever veggies are cheapest. Mom use to make pasta sauce in an 8 qt pot when we were kids... and we'd be eating it all week, dumped over whatever noodle of the day it was.

Big bags o taters, big bags of carrots. Both last a long time and have MANY uses. Beans. Lentils. Rice.

Whatever freezer veggie is cheapest.

If you've got a discount market near by (we have 'grocery outlet bargain markets' around here) frequent it. You never know what you're going to get, but sometimes the deals are REALLY good. I like to scrounge through their frozen section especially. Have gotten a few really good deals on frozen meats and veggies.

ridiculous59

My mother always said if you can read, you can cook so don't be intimidated! And check out vegetarian websites for recipes.

I went through the same thing....three kids, not worth going out to work and paying for daycare, so we lived on one salary. I remember a neighbour saying to me "Wow, you must eat a lot of ground beef". I replied "Nope, can't afford it. But we eat a lot of lentils!". And eggs. And cheese. And peanut butter. And pasta. And porridge. Look around for food that you can get for free too. I picked buckets of blackberries because they were on the side of the fields at the schools for free. I also found hazelnut trees that I could pick (great source of protein). Can you barter for things? The town we were living in during that time had a bartering network. For example, if someone has been fishing and had a freezer full of salmon they'd trade some fish for a couple of afternoons of childminding. And don't look down your nose at what our grandmothers called "winter vegetables". Those are the brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and turnip that are CHEAP in the store this time of year You don't NEED lettuce in January. You don't NEED fresh tomatoes in January.

Its not easy eating well on a budget. In fact, you'll spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen. But involve the kids. Have them help you knead bread or make granola. Anyone can open a bag of potato chips (crisps) but Its way more fun to pop a bowl of popcorn to share while reading a book to them. You'll gain confidence as you go along. Don't be afraid to try new foods but don't get sucked into trendy foods. Our grandparents managed without quinoa and protein bars, and so can your family. At the end of the day, you'll actually be eating healthier because you'll have ingredients in the cupboard, instead of processed foods.

My kids have since said to me that they didn't realize we were poor when they were younger, however I like to think of it as being frugal, not poor LOL Hope this helps a bit. If nothing else, at least you know that other people have gone through the same thing and managed to feed their families healthy foods.

Savyna

Can you get snap/food stamps? Maybe that could help in addition to what you have left over. For food ideas I agree with others about vegetables and lentils. Potatoes for carbs, avocados for fats, and fruits for fiber and whatnot. Good luck.

deltagirl0920

Good ideas! Thanks!

jen_mv

You will save a lot of money by learning to cook from scratch. Curries tend to be cheap (spices aside). I often make them with various mixes of vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, onions, etc.), potatoes, split red lentils, and sometimes tofu.

I would make split peas, lentils, rice, beans, and frozen/canned vegetables your staples. If you need to save time while cooking, cook large batches of food; for example, make a huge batch of rice or dry beans/lentils/beans or a soup (if you don't use canned) on your day off or whenever you have time.

Most of these foods are pretty simple. You cut things up, you fry some onions, you add some water and the rest of the ingredients, and you simmer it. If you really need to, you could probably buy some ramen and add some frozen vegetables and some sort of protein-rich food to make a stir-fry.

You may be able to find cheap seasonings at dollar stores. I recommend bouillon, curry powder, chili powder, thyme/poultry seasoning, and garlic powder if you don't have them already.

fruttibiscotti

Butter
Frozen vegetables
Canned tuna
Eggs
Ground meat
Bacon
Buy whole chicken, and chop it up yourself, use bones to make chicken stock
Cabbage
Canned tomatoes

With the above ingredients, there are countless cheap and healthy meals you can make.

michaelablueeyes

thank you, i'm looking up recipes as i type up but decided i'l try a stew today.

but all thes bean sugestions etc have fried my head a little

princess_tallulah

Not sure if you've seen this already, but agirlcalledjack.com is a great blog, picked up by The Guardian from a woman feeding her child with meals usually under £1. She has some great recipes, and an inspiring story:
http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/page/1/

mariah_papaya

Learn how to cook! There is lots of recipes on the internet (I love allrecipes.com). As far as budgeting, I am trying something new right now which is making a WORLD of difference. We used to go to the grocery store and just buy whatever looked yummy, without really planning .We'd end up throwing out tons of food that had gone bad before we could eat it. Now, we sit down on Sunday and make a plan for the week. Plan every meal. Search for recipes online. If one of those "meals" is fishsticks, no biggie, at least it's planned. Then make a list and shop it, wash and prep and chop up veggies for the week and put them in the fridge. Sounds like a lot of extra work, but it's actually not. That extra half hour of planning on Sunday will save HOURS of meandering in the grocery store and wondering what to buy, not to mention that feeling when you come home from work and are exhausted and open the fridge and find you have nothing suitable to cook for dinner. If it's planned out and stuck on the fridge and everything you need is there, it's easy. Oh yeah, and this week I spent ONE QUARTER of what I normally spend on groceries! Less trips to the store equals less impulsive purchases - which apparently add up to a lot. Good luck!

vjohn04

Ask the meat department manager when they mark down their meats. My grocery store does it on Friday right around 5 PM, and they also do the produce around the same time for the packaged produce. Rewrap produce is usually something I pick up on Saturday mornings since someone actually has to rewrap it.

I try to time my visits around then...

I usually end up with tons of filet mignon, the MBA Smart Chicken, and nice pork chops for a fraction of the retail cost.

I'm a couponer too.... I spend a lot of time before my shopping trips clipping coupons and matching them up to the sales, and I've got a small stockpile and stock up on stuff when there's a really good deal ---- and over time it definitely pays off.

BigAlNyc

The basics will help you along, rice, dry beans, pasta, basic sauces, meats., vegtables frozen or fresh

There are apps available to do price comparisons on items based on price/size to make good purchasing decisions

rice in larger packages (price / unit is lower)

Dry beans can be soaked overnight then cooked with spices

Pasta comes in all different size/shapes (variety)

Basic pasta sauces in jars or cans (cheaper)

Meats - tougher meats (cheaper) just need more cooking time to make the softer - in many cases they also taste better when seasoned well

Veg - Look for sales on frozen and look up what fresh vegtables are in season by month in your area - they generally have a better price.

Dairy - look for sales on cheeses and stock up an extra package or 3, dry milk powder can be made the day before so the sugar crystals dissolve completey

If your markets are like ours, it's best to buy in the 3rd/4th week of the month - there are more sales as they will tailor normal/higher prices to when people get retirement benefits and lower their prices as people run out of funds toward the end of the month.

Make a list of all the groccery stores that are on your routes on public transport, look for circulars/advertisements or see if they have an online circular so you can make your shopping list based on price and routes.

Make a basic list or meal plan for 10 days, and rotate on that, it will prevent food fatigue.

carolina822

I ran across this website today while looking for a chicken and dumplings recipe (which is about to go in the crockpot momentarily - yum!)

http://www.budgetbytes.com/

She breaks the recipes down into a cost-per-serving and spells everything out in detail so you can learn some of the basic from-scratch techniques as you go. I'm looking forward to trying her stuff!

tempehforever

Here are some of my favorite cheap/healthy meals:

Cabbage is, in my opinion, the #1 budget-friendly vegetable. It is insanely cheap (if you buy it by the head, not pre-shredded), full of vitamin C, lasts forever in the fridge, tastes great when cooked (really!) and is very filling. I make an easy/cheap fried rice with scrambled eggs, shredded cabbage, carrots (also cheap if you get regular, not baby, ones!), and rice--just season with some soy sauce and sriracha.

Lentils. A few scoops of dried lentils makes a surprisingly GIANT quantity of soup that is easy to portion and freeze. I make a soup with lentils, vegetable bouillon cubes (cheaper than broth), canned tomatoes, carrots, and some kind of cooking green (spinach can be cheap if you buy bunched regular spinach instead of bagged baby spinach).

Sandwiches. Not matter what kind of a bad rap bread gets, honestly, it is cheap and filling, and you can get whole wheat for extra health benefits. Egg sandwiches are my lifeline when I'm on a budget and cleaning out the fridge. Canned tuna and sardines (try them--they sound scary but are delicious and a good source of omega-3s!) are also cheap and make for filling sandwiches. Seriously, sardines + avocado on toast = the most filling sandwich on earth, plus it is cheap and full of healthy fats.

BigAlNyc

Here are some of my favorite cheap/healthy meals:

Cabbage is, in my opinion, the #1 budget-friendly vegetable. It is insanely cheap (if you buy it by the head, not pre-shredded), full of vitamin C, lasts forever in the fridge, tastes great when cooked (really!) and is very filling. I make an easy/cheap fried rice with scrambled eggs, shredded cabbage, carrots (also cheap if you get regular, not baby, ones!), and rice--just season with some soy sauce and sriracha.

Lentils. A few scoops of dried lentils makes a surprisingly GIANT quantity of soup that is easy to portion and freeze. I make a soup with lentils, vegetable bouillon cubes (cheaper than broth), canned tomatoes, carrots, and some kind of cooking green (spinach can be cheap if you buy bunched regular spinach instead of bagged baby spinach).

Sandwiches. Not matter what kind of a bad rap bread gets, honestly, it is cheap and filling, and you can get whole wheat for extra health benefits. Egg sandwiches are my lifeline when I'm on a budget and cleaning out the fridge. Canned tuna and sardines (try them--they sound scary but are delicious and a good source of omega-3s!) are also cheap and make for filling sandwiches. Seriously, sardines + avocado on toast = the most filling sandwich on earth, plus it is cheap and full of healthy fats.

I like a red cabbage, I shred it and place it in a pot with a little water and two tablespoons of apple cider vinigar, and when it wilts down, I add a can of whole berry cranberry sauce. Sweet, tasty and filling. A medium size head will give about 12 servings.

Letils are great, I use a product called "better than bullion (low sodium)" glass jar, it is better than the cubes and has a better price per serving.

Try to find multi-grain breads, they are more filling that the air filled sponge white/wheat breads.

mjterp

BUMP for ideas when I get home.

Also, check out The Tightwad Gazette from your library! GREAT ideas, pick and choose what can work for you from that source. Might free up some extra for your food budget!

BurninTheCouch

Quiche is amazing and cheap!!!
Cabbage rolls ae cheap and tasty.
Soups are easy with left overs.
A simple spaghetti sauce or chilli made from the veggies on the 'reduction' rack at the local grocery store.
The reduction racks are easy on the budget. Many of the fruits and veggies are perfectly fine and are there because new produce has arrived in store. Don't be afrait to stock up and freeze some for later use.

maryjay52

i love to cook and add veggies , herbs ect.. i buy red bell peppers when they are on sale and i freeze them. same thing with tomatos . i also found a bulk store to buy boneless skinless chicken breast where i have to buy a 40lb box but its at 1.39lb . I am fortunate to have a freezer so I take advantage of that . buy frozen vegetables . they are more nutritious than canned and you can just take what you need out of the bag and put the remainder back in the freezer. i also cook ahead of time and put portions in the freezer so it saves time for me