Cooking on a budget?

Question

I've just lost my job and the budgets are tight for groceries, can anyone suggest a menu for a low cost but nutritious and filling meals suitable for children?

Answer 1

If you're now a single parent on income support you cannot afford fruit and veg. Tesco's and Asda (Farmstores) do own budget brand frozen peas, sweetcorn, broccoli, carrots and thats its.
Your budget will stretch to the absolute basics and no more. Buy own brand cheese, bread, flour and eggs and those are your main ingrediants. Flavour with smoked bacon, herbs and spices, onion, mustard and salad cream.
Own brand pasta, tuna, tinned toms and tomato paste will make hot and cold meals.
There's tinned sardines at about 20p. Mash them with a little salad cream and tomato paste and sprinkle with grated cheese as a change from cheese on toast.
Smoked bacon omelettes are good.
Home made burgers made from budget mince mashed with a little minced onion, mustard, herbs and worcester sauce.
Spag Bol made from budget mince.
Farm Stores fish fingers are 17p a packet.

Answer 2

pasta is always a good bet, but try making your own chicken nuggets, you just need chicken and ritz crackers, or bread crumbs. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season, and go to a local farmers market for them...grocery stores charge way more. Also a whole chicken, baked or roasted...this will make a great dinner, lunch the next day (sandwiches) and then you can use the rest of the meat/carcass for soup the third day. Also try a web search of "cooking on a budget", I bet you'll find lot's of info....Good luck, with the food and getting a new job. Hang in there, better days are on the horizon

Answer 3

Hi cannot go wrong with pasta.Fry a couple of diced onions, put in a can of Tomatoes (only cost 13p from certain supermarkets), 3 teaspoons of mixed herbs. Bring to boil stir into a large pan of freshhly boiled and drained pasta. Total cost 1kg pasta, 45p, Toms 13p, Onions 10p. feed a lot of people that and no additives.
Or
1lb mince, fried with 3 onions, 3 cloves of Garlic. Using a large pan 3 pints of water poured in when meat and onions start to colour. 2 Stock cubes a couple of diced carrots, 3 potatoes diced. any other veg you like. gently simmer till veg tender.
Very tasty and nutrional. Total cost £1.60 tops.

Answer 4

Besides what Charleymac said -- have rice, beans, and pasta on hand. They are inexpensive, go along way for the money, store long & easily, and help fill the belly.

Buy store brand sodas -- they are usually 50 - 65 cents per 2 litre bottle compared to 1.25 & up of name brands.

Make your own bread if you can. If you have a bread machine, it's easy. It may be worth it to buy one (new or at a thrift shop). Bread might cost you 60 - 75 cents per loaf. The best price I've seen on jars of yeast is at Wal-Mart.

If you can plant any vegetables outside still -- do it.

Change the light bulbs, where you can, to lower wattage -- to save $$ on electric and reappropriate the funds for food.

Peanut Butter is still a fairly good buy -- kids love it.

Look for coupons online, as well as in newspapers. Check manufacturer's site -- usually their name, plus a " .com" will get you there. Here are a few:

www. LandoLakes.com
www.Kraftfoods.com
www.Pillsbury.com
www.BettyCrocker.com
www.UncleBens.com
www.generalmills.com


Do a search on About.com for ways to save money. Here's (just) one site:

http://financialplan.about.com/od/savingmoney/index.htm?terms=saving+money%2C+cutting+expenses

Boxed mashed potatoes ["Hungry Jack" has the best natural flavor] store easily & go along way; as do pancake mixes. (The "Just add water" types may save money & are good. Serve with store brand syrups.]

Answer 5

Pasta. Tin of tomatoes to which you add whatever you fancy - onions, tuna or just herbs. This will give them energy and be filling.
As a supper it has the benefit of being sleep inducing, apparently.

Make sure they drink milk or give them a multivitamin.

Sorry about your job, hon. Look on it as an opportunity to go and do something else.

Answer 6

Lots and lots of fruit and veg (buys whats in season - more likely to be locally produced and cheaper). Buy the generic brands of pasta etc. Grow your own herbs at home. Tinned food (choose ones with no added salt or sugar) are handy, tinned oily fish are cheap and especially healthy.

Answer 7

Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans always goes down well with my kids or you could add tuna. Pasta with homemade sauce (tinned tomatoes, veggies, herbs). Or you could add mince to make spaghetti bolognaise. Excellent tip for me Galaxy girl - will try that myself!

Answer 8

make a list of your seven days food. Perhaps on
monday - a soup with rolls,
tuesday - chicken with veg and potatoes
wednesday - a chicken curry and rice
thursday - pasta and tomatos with sausage friday - sausage casserole
saturday - pasta bake with saute potatoes
sunday - traditional sunday roast

Answer 9

pasta , potatoes,mince, sausages, eggs can be made into in-expensive meals and very filling for eg . tuna bake, omelette, spaghetti bolognaise, scrambled eggs on toast , susages and veg,ect. good luck in getting another job have been there myself

Answer 10

fruits and vegetables and milk shop aound and use coupons whenever you can dont do fast food it seems to be cheap but it adds up also try like big lots and dollar general stores they have good brands but cheap hope you find a new job soon