Frugal Food - Meal planning

As you have probably all worked out money has been very tight here for a while now and things are not looking much better this year. The cost of living just keeps going up and our income is resolutely stuck at the same level it has been for years (although my Forest Flower Designs business is slowly growing and I have some exciting plans to grow it further in 2014!)
I have been quite sporadic with meal planning over the years but this year I am pledging to take a much more committed approach to meal planning and shopping.

Proper meal planning can be beneficial in so many ways when you have a very small food budget.

• making a list and STICKING TO IT saves money
• stops last minute 'what shall we have for tea' panic
• Roo is getting older and has a far bigger appetite these days so healthy meals that fill his tummy are essential!
• reduces waste to an absolute minimum

I have to mention here that the Other Half is the ultimate fussy eater and has a very limited range of foods he likes that consists mainly of breakfast cereal, bread, cheese, beans, tomato soup, pizza, pasta, minced beef, potatoes and sausages. Over the years I have given up trying to change his eating habits - if he doesn't want to eat healthily then there is very little I can do about it. I do try and slip the odd bit of fruit and veg in where I can. He does like apple pie or crumble and I can add carrots, onions and peppers to a basic tomato pasta sauce - pureed, obviously. ( Honestly it's like feeding a baby! )

To be fair it could be worse, he could be one of those people who insists on meat and two veg and a proper pudding every day or a wannabe gourmet which would definitely be a challenge on the £5 a day for the three of us that I have to spend*

Luckily, for now at least, Roo follows me when it comes to food and is happy eating most things (although he IS getting fussier as he gets older and I do have to scold daddy for belittling broccoli when I am trying to get Roo to finish his dinner!

After checking through my cupboards and freezer to see what we actually have I made this simple meal plan for next week...

Monday

OH - Left over Turkey pie and mash from Sunday 

Us  -  Haddock and Corn Chowder

Tuesday

OH - Cheesy Beans on Toast

Us  -  Homemade mini veggie burgers with salad/coleslaw

Wednesday

OH - Cream of Tomato soup and fresh bread rolls and cheese

Us -  Homemade vegetable soup with fresh bread rolls and cheese

Thursday

OH - Sausage, chips and beans

Us  -  Meatballs in tomato & veg sauce with pasta

Friday

OH - Pizza

Us  -  Scramble eggs with tomatoes and spring onions on toast with beans if we're hungry!

Saturday

Is OH's birthday so we will be getting a takeaway - this is not in the budget and will probably cost us around£15 but it's not your birthday everyday...

I will be making a chocolate birthday cake and that IS included in my budget

Sunday

Shepherds pie with baked beans for OH and carrots and peas for us

Lunches are mainly cheese and pickle sarnies for OH; tuna/cheese/peanut butter sarnies, yoghurt and a homemade muffin or some dried fruit for Roo's school lunchbox (except on Fridays when he has school dinners coz it's always fish and chips and I KNOW he'll eat it!) and left overs from the day before for me (exciting huh?) 

Breakfasts are simple - cereal or porridge and toast with orange juice (one of those 5 a day!)

I have made a shopping list and am planning on shopping locally every couple of days (again to eliminate waste).  Sticking to the list is the most important part of this exercise and the part I shall probably find the most challenging but I will let you know how I get on next week!

Do you plan your meals every week? How easy do you find sticking to the plan?

If you don't meal plan already, would you like to? Why not join me giving it a go in 2014 and see if it changes your attitude to food and shopping? You might be surprised by how much money you save or how much better you are eating!

*and yes that does include other essentials like toilet roll, washing liquid etc. These have to be factored in when planning weekly shopping list.

The Bedroom Tax...

There has been a lot of talk recently - partly due to the general state of the economy and rising food and fuel costs and partly due to the Government introduction of the so-called Bedroom Tax - about how many people are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table.

Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland has even undertaken an experiment living on just £18 a week - which the amount she says some of constituents will have to manage on once the Bedroom Tax comes into force.  You can see her week of video diaries here .



Whilst I commend her for trying to raise awareness of the issue, I think it's pretty plain to see that she is NOT used to having to think so carefully about what she spends her money on! No, you can't have fresh coffee or quality steak or fish for dinner every night but then how many people can afford to that anyway?

This Bedroom Tax won't affect us - we are struggling to pay a mortgage and keep hold of our home and do not receive any kind of housing benefit. Our combined income is minimal so we do get Working and Child Tax credits to top us up but even so I have way less than £18 per head to feed my family each week (probably more like £13.50 a head). I think the same is true for many working families.Yes it's hard, but not THAT hard. With a bit of careful shopping and planning it is perfectly possible to eat a healthy and varied diet on a small budget. Cooking from fresh instead of relying on packets (and in the wake of the recent horse meat scandal that is an even better idea), using the freezer and learning to bake - it's amazing what you can do with flour, sugar, margarine and eggs - all help.

I know there are many people out there who already live frugal lives, who do their best to feed their families a healthy diet, who scrimp and save for little treats and who will be losing out once this 'tax' comes in. It IS unfair that families who have lived in their home for many years or even decades will feel that they are being forced to move out and leave behind their memories.

My grandparents, had they been alive today, would have been affected - they lived in their 3 bedroom council house for best part of 40 years, raised three kids and had grandkids to stay on a regular basis. But would they would be deemed to be under-occupying and forced to move to a one bed property - assuming one was available - or pay the difference out of their state pension? And here is the crux of the matter. It's all well and good telling people they can no longer live in their 3 bedroom terrace and have to down-size to make room for other needy families but are the smaller properties actually available? And if there aren't any properties available, how many people will struggle on until they default on their rent and lose their homes anyway?

Many people will be facing a stark choice - either learn to manage on next to nothing or find themselves on the street.

I would be interested to see how the Government will deal with the inevitable increase in those finding themselves without any bedrooms at all . . .



added - I have since found out that my grandparents would not have been asked to leave their house as those over 63 are exempted from the 'bedroom tax'. Which is something I suppose . . .