Cheapest meals

Keeki
Keeki Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
edited September 2022 in Money and bills
I have a budget of about £20-£30 a month for food. What are the cheapest meals you eat?

Comments

  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Online Community Member Posts: 17,405 Championing
    - If you can batch cook, making several meals at the same time, this would help, e.g. roast dinners, casseroles, etc.
    - It would depend on what you like, but some vegetarian options would also be cheaper, & some can be bulked out with beans & pulses which cost little or pasta.
    - Make your own soup.
    Some ideas here:
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    I would second the batch cooking idea will also save on energy 

    Things like pasta bake with either tuna or ham with tinned tomatoes and few herbs and veg 

    Rice dishes as well for bulk up meals 

    Toasted sandwiches or beans on toast 

    Be careful where you shop Nd buy own brand items 


  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,471 Championing
    Oats tend to be cheap, and they're also filling :) You can put different things in there to bulk it out as well, like leftover fruit, broken bits of chocolate, jam, and so on. 
  • Bamboo
    Bamboo Online Community Member Posts: 20 Connected
    It will be very difficult now prices are higher. In 2019 I used a meal plan of £1 a day I found online but with all the increases it costs a bit more now. It won't win any awards for variation of balanced but it gets your protein and calories in. 
    Would you like me to share it?

    Bulk cooking is all well and good but for your budget that's not even £1 a day for 3 meals, that's really going to be very tough. 
  • SueHeath
    SueHeath Online Community Member Posts: 12,388 Championing
    This is some thing that i worry about, now money is getting tighter.
    I was a cook feeding vulnerable young people, for many years. I know a lot about vitamins/minerals/proteins/carbs etc to help keep your body fuelled and working right.
    I am really worried that people will not be able to feed themselves or their family's the proper type of foods, which may/will cause other health issues down the line.

  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,471 Championing
    I'd be interested in seeing it @bamboo :) 
  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 63,129 Championing
    Pasta is good, so many different ways of cooking it, eggs, pulses, tins because they last longer. 
    Shopping use cheaper shops, look for deals and reduced stickers especially on meats. Ice land are good too with big bags of frozen veg at a good price.
  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,922 Championing
    Such a useful thread! Thanks everyone. I agree that pasta is a good one. If anyone has any other things they would like to share with us please feel free to do so  :)
  • Tephy
    Tephy Online Community Member Posts: 13 Contributor
    Being diabetic I need to monitor my carb intake. I have been really surprised by the number of people who are diabetic that only look for sugar content. Carbs turn into sugar in the body, it has taken quite a while to sort out what I can and can't eat I also have to factor in what affects my other conditions.

Categories