Feeding a family on a budget (Cooking on a Budget!)

Member Name: pencoedcharlie

Product:	Cooking on a Budget!
Date:	04/10/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: What I learned from experience

Disadvantages: May not suit you

I have spent several years when my children were very young cooking on a very limited budget,trying not to compromise on nutrition. Some of the things I did which seemed ok:

1. Use your vouchers, samples , and enter competitions if you have time. If you spot a moneyback offer spend the small ammount of time it takes to post off the label,/ till receipt as instructed.

2.Pick up bargains as you go, there are many to be had, try Aldi, Liddles, even Wilkinsons, a few items at a time. If for example you pass a 24 hour Asdas during the late evening they may be practically giving away bread for silly prices, get a few loaves for the freezer. If buying slightly out of date crisps for example, peel off the reduced label, so nobody notices, and refuses to eat them don't go for out of date perishable items though, you don't want them down with food poisoning!

3. Try to eat food in season, for example pineapples can be had very cheap at some times of the year, delicious.

4. Lose the kids somewhere when shopping, unless too young to ask for treats.

5. Get smaller portions than you originally planned, for example a chicken costing £4.50 will surely seem to feed the family as well as a £5 bird. You can make the bulk of the meal up by extra healthy veg, or stuffing.

6.You could decide to alternate meals based on beans or pulses with more traditional fayre. Look on ebay for The Bean Book by vegetarian writer Rose Elliot.This gives a wealth of recipes based on beans and lentils. For example if feeling very poor you could mix up some red lentils with mashed potato and onion,, top it with grated cheese, and serve with tinned tomato.

7.Make tasty casseroles with less meat. Cut up a couple of breasts of chicken,or a piece of pork for example, add veg, and its all you need.If using chicken I would coat with seasoned flour , put into a frying pan with a little olive oil, fry quickly to partially cook, not allowing it to burn, then add it to a casserole dish containing any veg you have, cut up,pour in 2 oxo cubes dissoved in water , a dash of Worcester Sauce, and some herbs and put it into the oven for at least an hour and a half (the longer the better,) Serve it with mashed potatoes, brocolli for example, or instead some nice bread.

8. You could have pasta for dinner. All you need is dried pasta, some tuna , peas, and a jar of pasta sauce.Cook the pasta with the peas, drain, stir in a jar of pasta sauce and the tuna and serve it. Simple as! Add grated cheese or parmesan to the top of the dish.

9.Sometimes perhaps you could spend a bit more.Stir fried chicken with rice is tasty quick and easy, get some chicken portions, wrap in foil, and pre cook them in foil in the oven, slice them up,Soften some chopped up onion in oil in a frying pan, add the chicken, lots of soy sauce, and a veg or two of your choice eg pre cooked green beans and some sliced red peppers, serve with rice.

10. You could make a big bowl of savoury rice, cook the rice, allow to cool,add cooked chopped chicken and bacon, chopped veg cooked in 2 stock cubes and water(pour over the rice),add some rice seasoning,sweetcorn or peas, serve it cool with salad,and French bread, ideal if you are feeding several family members who arrive home in the evening at different times, they can help themselves.

I hope a little of this may have been of some help. Ofcourse some of it is a bit obvious,but it just comes from my very real experience of feeding a family on very little money.

Summary: I hope its useful