Each potato, piece of pasta, smear of margarine, in fact every item of food which passes my family’s lips will be calculated and I will be keeping a very beady eye on the shopping receipts. Over to you Anneliese…. I also buy my spices in bulk and freeze or vacuum seal them. When shopping, I no longer notice the branded tins of baked beans or chopped tomatoes and my hand automatically reaches for the cheaper value option instead. We are not going hungry and are eating well, but I find myself hankering for the little extras I usually take for granted. All Rights Reserved. We have had some weird meals, but for the most part they turn out well. Obviously soup wasn’t enough to keep us going until dinnertime so it was served with some of my homemade bread. Food & wellbeing – How We Live Well On A £50 ($65) A Week Food Budget (Family of 4) The food budget is one area that most people find difficult to challenge for savings. What about feeding a family of 10. I love all these tips. … I think for me the stocking up and eating at home/cooking from scratch are what save me the most. At the weekend we went into town to compare prices at several £1 and 99p stores. And I must say I was rather star struck to get to talk to Jack Monroe and to hear her great hints and tips. Yes, it can be done, and you don’t have to extreme coupon! We had lots of carrots in stock this week and I was keen to use them up so I decided to make a big batch of carrot soup. Love these tips!! Wraps (8 pack) 89p. Learn how your comment data is processed. It is definitely worth trying to grow a few vegetables and fruit if there is space in your garden. PIN IT HERE TO SAVE IT! My youngest, Oliver, loves it on toast, while the rest of us enjoy it in wraps with grated carrot, or as a dip with pitta bread and vegetable sticks. Once you get those two things down, eating on a … Jul 12, 2012 The poor state of the economy leaves little room in most families' budgets for dining out. Failure of the week: First, the boys and I were invited to a friend’s house for a play date; lunch would be made for us. The baked bean pie was followed by a tin of peaches. There are still no complaints at dinnertime. I love, love, love these tips! 30 Items You Can Make at Home to Save Money, 30 Frugal Meal Ideas for When You’re Broke. No waste and will save a little money. … A great list of tips, Missy! Custom design by. Week 1 meals. Thankfully we are eating nutritious, homemade meals every day and no ready meals or jars of sauce have passed our lips. My elder son, Isaac, has never been keen on sandwiches but adores pitta breads filled with cucumber and a little mayonnaise and he tucks into his lunch without any fuss – hurrah! Get the recipe: Hummus and carrot wraps = 24p each. Buy in bulk. Neil suggested homemade pizzas. I try to keep it simple, but will try new things every couple of weeks so it doesn't get too boring. That's what the average family of four spends. I am sure I could easily live on £10 a week if required. Vacuum seal all my chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits etc in jars. Eating out is hard to resist for me too! This meant we have enough money to buy some hummus for next week. There was also no money to buy bread so I made my own this week. The following recipes are part of my first $10 Food Day series. But the past year or so I've been doing so much better in that department. Homemade pizza. A few years ago we started sharing our extra veggies. *Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Now we only have four left to last for two weeks. It worked out perfectly – Isaac helped me and there was plenty of pizza to go round so no one starved, as I had originally feared. Carrot soup and homemade bread = 50p for 4 servings. Whichever way we choose, most of us feel our heart sink when we see the grand total and begrudgingly reach into our wallet. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. A family of four on that amount would be heaven. I admit that I’ve become guilty of just shoving food into our shopping trolley without always searching the shelves for a cheaper alternative. I enjoyed venting my frustrations as I kneaded the dough. Previously I would add as much as a recipe stated but now I add it to taste. I just wish we could have a little more variety! Your email address will not be published. Our supermarket shop was very small this week – just a few essentials, like milk and bread. Jessie, I highly recommend giving it a try too! Sounds like you could teach us all a lesson in this. Etc. Of course, that amount can be less with a thrifty plan -- $149.80, on average, for families with children between 6 and 11. Shopping at Walmart for an extreme budget grocery haul. As for snack time, the boys are still happily tucking into malt loaf. I love doing this because I don't spend any money and it makes me get creative with what I have. For 30 days I will be scrutinising every single price label, my calculator will be dusted off and put to daily use. How to feed your family on the cheap with my tips on how I feed my family of 5 for less than $65 per week, and supplying you a … At first I wasn’t sure if we should go as I was unable to contribute, but I realised that I couldn’t stop my children from having fun and seeing their little friends. Yes butter does freeze well, I stock up when it is on sale, the same with milk. Chocolate cereal cakes = 38p total This third week also proved to be a social week. My budget it £80 for the month levelling out as £20 per week. Of course, this isn’t a grocery plan for every week of your life, but when times get tight, isn’t it nice to know you can grab a $20, head to the store, and still cook up delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners without breaking the bank?! It’s possible to feed a family of four on just $20 a week, and I’m going to show you how. And in terms of the food shop I will be doing one bulk shop at the beginning of the challenge and smaller shops over the 4 weeks. However I pushed the boat out and made some Yorkshire puddings, which felt like a real luxury! The one thing I will never buy again was the sunflower oil spread; it was horrible. Sadly, we got away from eating frugally for a while when I became disabled. I don’t think it would be good parenting to feed my children gruel for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I will be hunting out the cheapest but also the most nutritious recipes I can find. Yes, the challenge is just about possible, most things are, if you really set your mind to it or you are without choice BUT is it an enjoyable experience? One of our local stores here in Oregon just had butter @ 2.50 lb. You can google ‘feed your family for $50’ and you’ll get all manner of menus that include things like; garden salad with bacon or apricot chicken or even a bacon and egg pie. Once I get home and unpack the food, I can’t believe how much money was spent and how little food we have to show for it. Thank you for posting, Hi Melinda! She just loves a challenge. Thrifty trick of the week: Would you be able to worry about added sugar? It's taken me some time to really get back in the kitchen but I'm in the process of figuring out how to work with my disability instead of against it. Will Christmas markets go ahead this year? Required fields are marked *. See Anneliese’s first food shop receipt here and this week’s grand total.