Meals for a very tight budget...

[fatmags]

Thanks lots of useful advice.

 

[CharlieH88]

I havn't seen it for ages in my local Asda but their own smartprice dipping salsa is free. Its under 50p if I remember rightly and its lovely mixed into pasta!!

 

[lunameredith]

to save up, i try to go car boot sale to buy my meat, somtimes the prices are really interresting, the downside is that you have to buy quite a large quantity so spend more than you might want to at the minute.. i don't think the 3 for 10 £ offer in tesco is really good..

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

Green days can be done very well on a budget.
we are on a very small budget and have managed very well on sw--indeed got to target on it in 7 months--and eat a very wide and varied diet across all 3 plans.
we also look out for reduced things that we can freeze and use another time(i rarely pay above half price for meat or fish for example).
we also make sure we are aware of what cheapest,seasonal and on offer across all the shops.aldi's super 6 is often fantastic for being the basis of your fruit and vegetables for the week. at the moment for example morrisons has nets of clementines for 50p.....very good and very cheap.
dont settle into a routine of eating the same things all the time...if you are prepared to swap and change things a bit according to offers or things you've bought reduced etc you can really eat well and varied.
also planning can help as you can research cheaper recipies,stick to them and only shop for them.

were exactly the same we buy reduced to clear food alot fruit veg meat etc and reg pay half price or less for it and it keeps my menu interesting as i never know what im gonna get i always vary my hex too depending on whats on offer and always keep some pennies to one side just in case theres a reducing bonanza at supermarket and when there is im ready as i have a 2nd freezer

corned beef hash is cheap tasty and makes a massive pan for few syns, stews soups etc i love stew as you can just keep adding bits each day to bulk it back out

 

[Voiseyjr]

i have the same problem, i should've thought to buy a countdown when i had the money! ah well! though i can't claim JSA as i'm not able to formaly withdraw from my uni course yet

so seeing as i have been a student for a year (well two if you include my diploma course which i had to pay for everything with... with no money i dunno how i managed!) i've had to think of cheap ways... and in all honesty the cheapest has been baked beans on toast! i know its like wtf? but it is the cheapest meal!

before i do a shop i go onto mysupermarket and do my shop technically online just to see which shop (asda, sainsburys or tescos) is cheaper... then i will visit that shop myself... i don't trust online shopping as when i go myself i make sure the meat has the least looking amount of fat on etc etc... while online they'll just get any old thing

buy tinned or frozen veg... it keeps longer than fresh... though i do prefer fresh food! jacket potatoes are the best too! you can have almost ANYTHING with them! i mainly have tuna in spring water (free) with tinned sweetcorn only because its simple and not much cooking is needed hahaha!!!

i'd say go for the shops own brand... you could go for like their value brand but i go for the one slightly up from that one... mainly as i'm a picky eater and i like how food tastes... plus with stuff like baked beans i need to be careful with as i have a tomato allergy which the value stuff can make worse... yet the branded (like heinz) i'm fine with lol! could be the acid in them

always keep left overs! I generally keep leftovers in the fridge for one day, its quicker to heat back up and also i tend to find the taste is better in the fridge over the freezer (again could be me being picky!) then if ive not eaten it, i'll put it in the freezer and have it later! it makes so much sense to do that! though my sister tends to steal all of our left overs

ive been advised in group to have more omelettes as they're pence to make and in fairness an egg is an egg! though i don't like having caged hen eggs, they're not happy eggs lol (ok my wierd side is coming out!) all that will cost more than pence is what you have in it!

stir fry would probs be a cheap meal too, and if your like me, a lot will be made and so a lot can be kept as left overs thatd be at least one meals every day for the next week sorted

sorry if i've not helped much

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

ive just bought the curry cook book off amazon as i love curry and have all the spices (i tend to just wing it so it will be nice to try something different as all my curries taste the same lol)

i also buy reduced ginger n chillis and freeze

Ro1s1n

You can really use the same recipe for the chick pea curry.

I made one tonight with a tin of chick peas and some chicken style quorn. It was delicious.

I also added a Kallo stock cube. With the chick pea recipe you use a whole tin of tomatos. You just need to add enough liquid to stop it getting too thick.

Also I use a little grated fresh ginger (I keep this in the freezer), also a green chilli (keep in freezer too) - you can often snap these up reduced and they keep very well frozen.

I mince two cloves of garlic, grate the ginger and chop the chilli finely ( you could always use flakes anyway) - just make sure you wash your hands!!

I think when making curries it is important to use a little vegetable oil as it brings out the spice flavour. If you make a curry for 4 it only works out at 1.5 syns.

One spice mix I definitely recommend getting hold of. It is call panch phoran and it makes curries divine. I bought mine off ebay, but you can prob get in Asian supermarkets.

We ate it with basmati, which I do in a plastic microwave steamer. Perfect everytime. Just add a little salt and some cloves. Lovely.

Hope this all helps. It really is a case of testing as you go along. I love coriander (fresh) - again I keep frozen and just snip off, so I add a lot!

 

[JMcK]

Hi Loobieluck,

I made the following yummy tomato soup which has 4 servings and is free on all plans:

400g carton of sainsbury's basic chopped tomato (33p)
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped white onion
1 clove Garlic
1 litre stock made with 1 veg stock cube
Fry light
Black pepper to taste

Method:

Fry onions, carrot and garlic in fry light for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat then add the chopped tomatoes, stock and black pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 mins. Then all you do is blend and it becomes lovely and thick.

Ps I nicked this recipe from the soup recipe thread on here and adapted it so it's not all my idea but it really is yummy. I'll pop by again if I think of anything else.

Aisha xx

Sounds yummy, I will give it a go!

 

[starburst85]

Just leaving a wee comment so i can subscribe to this!!

 

[Browsie]

Hi We use a chicken for 3 meals. Roast the chicken and use the breasts fir a sunday lunch with whatever fresh / frozen /tinned veg you want. Then strip the legs and wings and make a chicken and veg pasta dish with a value tin of toms (sainsburys value ones are no different to the own store ones but almost half the price) some garlic and herbs then my OH boils the carcas and make a chicken stock. Add any left over beg from the sunday lunch / pasta dish and you've got a filling and tasty soup!

We also use up any left over bolognese for a cannelonni it goes much further as you dont need as much to fill the tubes.

 

[JMcK]

Hi We use a chicken for 3 meals. Roast the chicken and use the breasts fir a sunday lunch with whatever fresh / frozen /tinned veg you want. Then strip the legs and wings and make a chicken and veg pasta dish with a value tin of toms (sainsburys value ones are no different to the own store ones but almost half the price) some garlic and herbs then my OH boils the carcas and make a chicken stock. Add any left over beg from the sunday lunch / pasta dish and you've got a filling and tasty soup!

We also use up any left over bolognese for a cannelonni it goes much further as you dont need as much to fill the tubes.

The bolognaise/cannelonni thing is a good idea, haves you having to make a whole batch of cannelonni filling as I invariably make too much!

 

[harrismom]

Hi Lou
this is a real budget soup .........1 tin baked beans, 1 tin tomatoes and loads of seasoning. Blitz together until smooth; really filling and about £1. Free on green or extra easy. You can use lentils instead of baked beans
Sharon

 

[Jo*]

Chick pea curry is a great cheap meal, I buy 4 tins for a £1 in Asian shops and sometimes the Co Op. One tin easily makes 4 portions.

 

[dawnstarr06]

I find Farmfoods are great for frozen veg. Lots of the bags are £1, and some are on 3 for £2. They also do a bag of stir fry vegetables, again as others had said, Aldi's super 6, and reduced sections in supermarkets. I also love baked bean lasagne, and as a lot of the time I am cooking for myself alone, I cook meals that can be frozen, and freeze leftovers in individual portions, so nothing is wasted. I often make a veggie curry in the slow cooker and you can add lentils as well to bulk it out

 

[emmathebakewelltart]

tonight im having a prawn curry, really easy with very little cost. i use frozen prawns , a chopped onion, chopped garlic, a tin of toms a stock cube and lots of spices and some curry powder. served with rice. x

 

[mandydave]

Hi doby im new could you pls tell me were the thread is... For cheap meals

 

[pandapanda]

Morrisons are doing an offer on pork shoulder at the moment - its a real pain to get the visible fat off but if you do this you can make the BBQ pulled pork on their website and it tastes fantastic, is cheap (even without the discount) and you can just shove it in the oven or a slow cooker and leave it for ages.BBQ pulled pork - Recipes - Slimming World
It does last for a lot of meals if you want - you can use it up for days.

For lunches I find using lots of frozen veg with some salad leaves and some low fat ham works really well. If you cook veg like broccolli and carrots, any cheap veg, the night before, let it cool, mix it with salad leaves and then cheap meat, cheese etc as your healthy extras/budget etc allows, it does actually fill you up and is no syns and mostly mega healthy. I've lost a lot of lb this way!

 

[Kate6485]

So glad I found this thread! Loads of helpful ideas especially for around this time of year. Can't wait to try some x

 

[Pinknails2012]

Me too i been writing down a few of the recipes hehe
my fav thing at the mo, when i need to go shopping and have hardly anything is boil some rice with some stock i use beef or chicken, add mushrooms and onions, chilli powder/ curry powder and paprika or garlic

then once rice is near enough done i mix beans with it, and whatever you have laying around, some ham or chicken, corned beef is lovely and it makes it thick and soupy with a little kick from the chilli, could even mix a few dairylea triangles thro it makes it bit creamy,

it is kind of similar to the mushy pea curry tho, just something to have when the cuboards are a bit bare lol, i do need a few easy recipes tho so this thread is great

 

[Poshbird75]

I think I may join this thread, if that's okay. I'm loving the sound of the Tomato soup and am going to try it tonight xx

 

[Jupiterdrops85]

Hey, just thought I'd let you know tesco currently have a deal on chicken breasts, a pack of 4 costs 3 quid. I've got them grilling as we speak as a stand by free snack!