Cheap meals!

Pheebs · 07-10-2008, 18:03

With the credit crunch here and prices zooming up left right and center and me not yet making a great deal of monies yet... can anyone recommend any cheap, tasty and healthy meals?!

I feel like giving up with food... every time I food shop I have my calculator out and by the time I'm through the veg section I'm already cringing at the cost!

And meat/fish/poultry! ZOMG! It's ridiculous.

At the moment for me it's quorn stirfry (which consists of mainly veg) and noodles or otherwise salad - sometimes with meat, other times with tuna, other times by itself!

I'm bored of stirfrys and salad!

Tickle my tastebuds people!

TinkerBell · 07-10-2008, 18:12

Look on the sainsbury's website for feed a family for a fiver! Some of those look lovely and shouldn't cost too much to do

iCraig · 07-10-2008, 18:15

I used to shop fresh, but I've switched to frozen veg for a lot of stuff. Brocolli, green beans etc. It's cheaper and I honestly can't tell the difference. I've also heard frozen is supposed to be healthier overall? Fresh is obviously healthy when it's fresh, but after a while it begins to decline. It's still ok to eat of course but it's no longer "peak" Frozen is frozen when it's at its fresh peak, so every time you cook a batch up, it's supposed to be the same as cooking it fresh.

Try downgrading from brand names to basic stuff. Some things (like toilet paper) is an obvious brand quality item. But kitchen roll for example? The flowery quilted stuff is like 30% dearer than the bog standard stuff. At the end of the day you're wiping crap off work surfaces with it? Does it need to be cushioned and have daisies on it?

Cereal is also a good one. The cheap alternatives often taste precisely the same as the big brand names, but they demand much less. For example, Frosted Flakes cost about 40% less than Frosties. Yet they taste identical! Once you've downgraded you'll wonder why you ever paid more for the same.

The best thing to do is experiment, see what you can "downgrade" and not notice the difference. In some instances, you may find out the cheaper version tastes better! It'll cut your supermarket bill significantly.

Haly · 07-10-2008, 18:32

We also buy mostly frozen veg

Although do often buy organic tomatoes and onions. Ooh and peppers, always buying peppers

Lately, quite a few supermarkets have been doing bags for £1 I've noticed so that's not so bad. Plus they can make quite an average meal lovely.

A lot of our supermarket buying tends to depend on what's on offer tbh, if something's particularly cheap while not scrimping on quality, we'll make a meal out of it.
For example, tonight we're doing spaghetti bolognaise with quorn, we bought the fresh spaghetti last week half price from Sainsburys for about 75p, used half of it last night and now the other half will make a nice meal too

Quorn was on special offer somewhere too when we bought it but lost track now of where

I could eat pasta all the time so usually make a cheese or tomato based sauce, then bung some veg in (lately it's been either frozen broccoli, mushrooms or peppers) and ta da, nice cheap tasty meal

Omelettes or Spanish Omelettes/Tortilla are handy too.

Trying to think of what else but we're still eating pretty oddly lately so not sure

When it comes back to me, I'll let you know

divine · 07-10-2008, 18:41

Toad in the hole.

Sausages. Batter. DONE.

TinkerBell · 07-10-2008, 18:47

Oooo Sausage and mash with onion gravy! Nom Nom!! I want it now!

Mondo · 07-10-2008, 19:11

Corned Beef Hash, £3 can get you enough ingredients to serve 4 people.

Kell_ee001 · 07-10-2008, 19:15

Frozen veg - saves a fortune, you won't waste as much and it's equally good for you.

Don't buy all top brands - as Craig says things like kitchen roll etc but also baked beans, shops own tinned fruit, standard cereals like corn flakes / weetabix etc. Also try some of the cheaper supermarkets if you can like Lidl etc.

Buy in bulk - if you can. This is especially good for meats etc that can be split into the portons you need and frozen. Also, if you can go "retail" rather than the supermarket. It'll often be fresher as well as cheaper, and then buying in bulk will be cheaper again.

As Jen said as well, supermarket offers that you can stock up on are also a great idea.

Pad out meals - with veg but also rice, pasta, potatoes etc. All cheap, one will always go with whatever you're eating as the main meal and very filling

And the pointers we all plan to do but never really do - plan your meals ahead so you know exactly what you want and don't waste money, don't go when you're hungry or you'll buy crap and write a shopping list!

Haly · 07-10-2008, 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kell_ee001

Buy in bulk - if you can. This is especially good for meats etc that can be split into the portons you need and frozen.

And the pointers we all plan to do but never really do - plan your meals ahead so you know exactly what you want and don't waste money, don't go when you're hungry or you'll buy crap and write a shopping list!

We used to do all those when our lives were more organised

Kell_ee001 · 07-10-2008, 19:27

I'm good at the first bit but admit so not much with the second

07-10-2008, 18:03	#1
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	Cheap meals! With the credit crunch here and prices zooming up left right and center and me not yet making a great deal of monies yet... can anyone recommend any cheap, tasty and healthy meals?! I feel like giving up with food... every time I food shop I have my calculator out and by the time I'm through the veg section I'm already cringing at the cost! And meat/fish/poultry! ZOMG! It's ridiculous. At the moment for me it's quorn stirfry (which consists of mainly veg) and noodles or otherwise salad - sometimes with meat, other times with tuna, other times by itself! I'm bored of stirfrys and salad! Tickle my tastebuds people! __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

07-10-2008, 18:12	#2
TinkerBell Dirty Spammer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In the middle! Posts: 2,454	Look on the sainsbury's website for feed a family for a fiver! Some of those look lovely and shouldn't cost too much to do __________________

07-10-2008, 18:15	#3
iCraig iCustom User Title Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,250	I used to shop fresh, but I've switched to frozen veg for a lot of stuff. Brocolli, green beans etc. It's cheaper and I honestly can't tell the difference. I've also heard frozen is supposed to be healthier overall? Fresh is obviously healthy when it's fresh, but after a while it begins to decline. It's still ok to eat of course but it's no longer "peak" Frozen is frozen when it's at its fresh peak, so every time you cook a batch up, it's supposed to be the same as cooking it fresh. Try downgrading from brand names to basic stuff. Some things (like toilet paper) is an obvious brand quality item. But kitchen roll for example? The flowery quilted stuff is like 30% dearer than the bog standard stuff. At the end of the day you're wiping crap off work surfaces with it? Does it need to be cushioned and have daisies on it? Cereal is also a good one. The cheap alternatives often taste precisely the same as the big brand names, but they demand much less. For example, Frosted Flakes cost about 40% less than Frosties. Yet they taste identical! Once you've downgraded you'll wonder why you ever paid more for the same. The best thing to do is experiment, see what you can "downgrade" and not notice the difference. In some instances, you may find out the cheaper version tastes better! It'll cut your supermarket bill significantly. __________________

07-10-2008, 18:32	#4
Haly Do you want to hide in my box? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 14,941	We also buy mostly frozen veg Although do often buy organic tomatoes and onions. Ooh and peppers, always buying peppers Lately, quite a few supermarkets have been doing bags for £1 I've noticed so that's not so bad. Plus they can make quite an average meal lovely. A lot of our supermarket buying tends to depend on what's on offer tbh, if something's particularly cheap while not scrimping on quality, we'll make a meal out of it. For example, tonight we're doing spaghetti bolognaise with quorn, we bought the fresh spaghetti last week half price from Sainsburys for about 75p, used half of it last night and now the other half will make a nice meal too Quorn was on special offer somewhere too when we bought it but lost track now of where I could eat pasta all the time so usually make a cheese or tomato based sauce, then bung some veg in (lately it's been either frozen broccoli, mushrooms or peppers) and ta da, nice cheap tasty meal Omelettes or Spanish Omelettes/Tortilla are handy too. Trying to think of what else but we're still eating pretty oddly lately so not sure When it comes back to me, I'll let you know __________________ Halycopter Last edited by Haly; 07-10-2008 at 18:41.

07-10-2008, 18:41	#5
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	Toad in the hole. Sausages. Batter. DONE. __________________

07-10-2008, 18:47	#6
TinkerBell Dirty Spammer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In the middle! Posts: 2,454	Oooo Sausage and mash with onion gravy! Nom Nom!! I want it now! __________________

07-10-2008, 19:11	#7
Mondo Absinthe Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,174	Corned Beef Hash, £3 can get you enough ingredients to serve 4 people. __________________ My Website / MSN / Email / Flickr / Blog

07-10-2008, 19:15	#8
Kell_ee001 Wants Big Meat Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 6,478	Frozen veg - saves a fortune, you won't waste as much and it's equally good for you. Don't buy all top brands - as Craig says things like kitchen roll etc but also baked beans, shops own tinned fruit, standard cereals like corn flakes / weetabix etc. Also try some of the cheaper supermarkets if you can like Lidl etc. Buy in bulk - if you can. This is especially good for meats etc that can be split into the portons you need and frozen. Also, if you can go "retail" rather than the supermarket. It'll often be fresher as well as cheaper, and then buying in bulk will be cheaper again. As Jen said as well, supermarket offers that you can stock up on are also a great idea. Pad out meals - with veg but also rice, pasta, potatoes etc. All cheap, one will always go with whatever you're eating as the main meal and very filling And the pointers we all plan to do but never really do - plan your meals ahead so you know exactly what you want and don't waste money, don't go when you're hungry or you'll buy crap and write a shopping list! __________________

07-10-2008, 19:27	#10
Kell_ee001 Wants Big Meat Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 6,478	I'm good at the first bit but admit so not much with the second __________________

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