How we approached cooking on a budget (Cooking on a Budget!)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Cooking on a Budget!
Date:	22/02/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: save money

Disadvantages: takes time

Here's how we approached cooking on a budget: we halved our shopping bill by planning and writing out a cheap menu for the month. We found we were spending so much more on food than we needed to as we didn't have any sort of plan for what we were doing with it. Below is the menu we came up with.

The basic principles were that I would have beans on toast for lunch every day, and we would rotate 10 cheap evening meals 3 times a month. Our shopping bill went from £300 a month to £125 a month, a huge saving!

One of the major principles was to use every part of an ingredient wisely. For example, if a packet of lasagne sheets has ten sheets, and you use 5 per lasagne, plan two lasagnes that month for no extra 'sheet' purchase needed.

BREAKFAST:
wheat bisks £1.69 for 48 (2 weeks)
bread 38p a loaf (1 week)
jam 33p jar (1 month)
milk for cereal - 2 a week - 38p each
whole milk for noah 39p each 568ml, 2 a week
margerine 20p

breakfasts per month: £11.50 TOTAL

LUNCH:
beans x 30 tins 17p a tin £5.10
bread x 6 loaves 38p a loaf £2.28
pickle x 1 30p

bread x 6 £2.28
tuna 27p x 8 tins two weeks £2.16
egg sandwich two weeks(£2.15 for 12 eggs) £2.40
salad cream 60p
sauce 60p

LUNCHES PER MONTH: £16 TOTAL

EVENING MEALS:
meal 1: lasagna - lasagna sheets (2 packs =50p), tinned tomatoes (45p for 3 tins), mince (£1.69 a pack should do 3) , milk (39p each, ordered 3 to cover meal below too), cheese (2.78 a kilo would last a month), butter, flour (31p a month).

Meal 2: egg au gratin - potatoes (£5.28 buys 3 bags for whole month's meals of potatoes), 5 eggs, milk, cheese, butter, flour, tomato.

Meal 3: Chicken pasta - chicken breast (£8 per month), pasta (£1.54 for 2 bags), tinned tomatoes (3 tins at 45p for 3)

Meal 4: chicken with rice - rice 75p for one, chicken soup 90p for the month)

Meal 5: baked potatoes, beans, pickle,

Meal 6: baked potatoes, tuna, salad cream,

Meal 7: carbonara - spaghetti (3 packs for 90p a month) 2 eggs, cheap bacon (86p each, 3 needed), onion 88p for 3

Meal 8: slimmers chips, fishfingers (£1.28 a month), beans

Meal 9: spaghetti bolognase - tinned tomatoes (45p for 3 tins), mince, (£1.69 a bag, need 2 for this) spaghetti,

Meal 10: Vegetable and chicken pasta - pasta, tinned tomatoes (45p for 3 tins), onions, mushrooms 50p

extras:
toothpaste 50p
deodorant 1.50
bin bags 74p
washing powder £3 a month
conditioner £1.42
soap 20p
razors 27p
shampoo & conditioner
dishwasher tablets £1.78
toilet rolls £8
bleach £1 for 2
antibacterial 60p
washing up liquid 60p
tea
coffee 80p
sugar 40p
milk 1 a week for brews

fruit and salad weekly
Apples x 40
Bananas x 20
Yoghurts x 20
Lettuce x 8
Tomatoes x 25 £2.58 the month
Cucumber x 4


By planning a detailed monthly shopping list, we were able to save a fortune!

Summary: do it!