Expensive

[Grannysqua]

Hello I want to know if anyone else finds diets expensive ? I’m on a budget so have to be inventive I can’t afford meat everyday or fish so make a lot of dishes with pasta veg or rice I do go to Aldi greengrocers and butchers but if your on a budget it’s not always easy does anyone else like me think food has got really expensive ? I can’t remember the last time I had lamb or beef way out of my price range any tips ? 🤨

[Hidden]

Hi

I am in the same situation i am on the sick and cant afford alot of things and i find dieting very expensive what i do is try to eat as healthy meals as i can i eat mince, chicken, fish soups etc but i use a smaller plate and have frozen fruit and veg hope this helps i also walk my dog twice or three times a day about 4 mile all in

angelbabe62

[Grannysqua in reply to Hidden]

yes I do buy frozen but if honest I prefer fresh I think I need to exercise I just find it boring 😬now if I had a drop slide in the garden woo hoo I would be climbing the stairs !!!! I will have to think of a fun exercise that I enjoy because I want to do it not because I have to but go you 4 miles that’s brilliant 😄

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

mos99

[Cooper27 Administrator]

I was on a very tight budget for a long time, and got by on about £12-15 a week for food. I'd sometimes go to the butcher and buy a butcher box for £20, and then spend about £10 in Lidl on veg to go with it.

I found shopping at Aldi/Lidl saved money

Buying frozen is often cheaper, including meat, so I would buy as much as I could frozen.

Bulk out things like mince with lentils.

I batch cook and eat the same meal 2-3 days in a row (also saves on energy costs).

Jack Monroe and Thrifty Lesley are websites that have some great thrifty recipes.

You don't need to eat meat every day to be fair, but I generally always bulked meat dishes out so I'd have a half portion most days.

[Grannysqua in reply to Cooper27]

Well done you certainly can budget 😀

[Hidden]

Hi Grannysqua , I feel for anyone who feels that food is too expensive for their budget. I think if you buy seasonal and fresh vegetables then you are onto a winner price wise and cook as many meals as possible from scratch would help a lot. Frozen veg are good value and you cook as much or as little as you need and you can bulk cook and freeze some portions for another day.

We are being encouraged to eat less red meat, so using lentils and quinoa and other pulses you can make some delicious meals that are healthier and at a fraction of the cost and then maybe you could afford a little treat now and again.

Here's a link to the BBC's budget dinners:

bbc.co.uk/food/collections/...

If you want to post photo's of any low cost meals then please do as it would be a great help to others and we have a Topic Budget meals.

Jerry 😊

[Grannysqua in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Jerry all good advice although I don’t have a massive freezer so can’t really bulk cook I do cook everything from scratch someone left lots of courgettes in a box outside their house to take so made a lovely pasta dish with onion garlic tomatoes the courgette paprika and basil unfortunately I’ve ate it so no pics 😋 I think I’m just having a general moan on food prices reducing portions would be good I admit it I like a lot on my plate 😀

[Grannysqua in reply to Hidden]

And am I fussy I don’t like quinoa 😫

[Gelfin in reply to Grannysqua]

That's because it's food for animals, not humans.

[alchemilla12 in reply to Gelfin]

well it's been used by humans for 3-4000 years so I think we can call it a food for humans

[Caz28]

I shop at Lidl, their veg are very reasonably priced and good quality. I find chicken and batch cooking very economical. A large chicken will make a dinner, a salad and a curry. One pack of mince will make several portions of either lasagne, chilli, bolognese, or cottage pie. I sometimes make a big pan of chunky veg soup for lunches. Eggs are also great, scrambled, omelettes, poached, hard boiled, so versatile and cheap. I always look for special offers every week too. x

[Grannysqua in reply to Caz28]

Hi can yes I shop at Lidl and wow you do get a lot out of the portions I do know I need to cut the portion sizes 😬

[Caz28 in reply to Grannysqua]

I tend to bulk the meat out with grated carrot, courgette, peppers, chopped celery, anything to make it go further really, makes it tasty too.

[Zest]

Hi Grannysqua

I will look forward to reading this post through later, as I am interested to see the ideas - I am always looking out for budgeting ideas - and personally I like to shop around and get the best value for my money - and I look out for reduced price items whenever I can.

I can see there are lots of tips here, and I hope that you find some helpful things and enjoy your meals this week.

Zest

[Grannysqua in reply to Zest]

Thanks zest I am grateful for all the help that’s why I love this site 😀

[Want2BHappy3]

I find them expensive and a waste of time. No one can sustain a diet, a body wants what it wants. I had lost 75lbs at one time, it was hard, I worked out alot and ate better, but it was hard to sustain the routine, I was a single mother of 3 at the time, going through a tough divorce. And the older you get the harder it is, your metabolism slows down.

[Praveen55 Star in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Want2BHappy3

Consider LCHF dietary approach.

[Want2BHappy3 in reply to Praveen55]

What is LCHF?

[Praveen55 Star in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Follow the link below:

healthline.com/nutrition/lc...

dietdoctor.com

[Praveen55 Star in reply to Praveen55]

Also my reply to Grannysqua.

[CrimsonMama]

For me personally I think I am saving money as I eat smaller portions than I used to. A box of four (garlic chicken breasts or whatever) I used to have two with a big portion of chips and beans. Now I only have one with a calorie counted portion of chips. However where I save I do spend more in other areas .. Instead of a value tin of beans for like 20p I have to spend 70p on a lower sugar can. And I'll invest a bit more on lower calorie sweet treats.

BUT again... I used to get take always at least once a week at £15 a time. Now I rarely have a take away so that's a minimum of £60 saving a month.

However its a bit different with the kids meals as they obviously are not dieting and eat more as they are growing! And yes food prices are definitely up! We tend to eat frozen meats in the week and fresh for weekends.

[Grannysqua in reply to CrimsonMama]

Yes as I just said to caz smaller portions are the key hurry up stomach and shrink 🤪

[Nugger]

In this day & age I am totally amazed that there’s people living on 12 pound a week for food! I was a miner at cortonwood colliery in 84 & lived on 15 quid a week for 3 of us, in the 12 month strike & that was bad enough, you can definitely get by on very little if need be but Lordy Lordy 12 quid a week, wow!

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Nugger]

I should date my post - I used to get by on £12 a week 4 years ago! Prices have gone up a touch, and while I could probably pull it off for about £15 at today's prices, my OH now has coeliac disease, and gluten free foods would drive that price right up!

[Nugger in reply to Cooper27]

I actually live in Florida where prices are loads higher than uk, cheapest loaf of bread in our Walmart’s is $3 & bell peppers are $3 for a pack of 3, used to be $4

Meat & esp chicken is real cheap

Even oranges are expensive!

[Grannysqua in reply to Nugger]

Wow you can get bread for 50 p here 3 dollars that’s expensive 🤪

[Nugger in reply to Grannysqua]

Beef is cheap but Lamb which the super Walmart’s don’t sell but Publix do, but 40 miles away, is $17.00 for 4

UK Aldi 3.29

Publix is really expensive,you can pay $8 for yogurt & the place is packed!

[Grannysqua in reply to Nugger]

Wow I won’t be going there then don’t know the last time I had beef or lamb when I was growing up this was cheap chicken was the expensive thing and I will never forget the day dad left the oven open and the cat ran off with it ooops 😬

[Gelfin]

Jerry writes: "We are being encouraged to eat less red meat" - And that's exactly why we should eat more red meat.

Grannysqua, don't forget about meat that has been reduced in price!

[Grannysqua in reply to Gelfin]

Yes I’m always on 5he lookout for bargains I was in Morrisons the other day though they only reduced stuff by 30 p hardly worth it 🤨

[Praveen55 Star]

Grannysqua

Consider LCHF dietary approach to lose weight in a healthy way. This diet requires elimination/drastic reduction of GPS. GPS: Grains, Potatoes and Sugar. Follow the link below for further information:

healthline.com/nutrition/lc...

dietdoctor.com

Below are the selection of some of the fresh meats from Tesco which seem to be inexpensive and compatible with LCHF dietary approach:

1. Chicken thighs: £1.66/kg

2. Chicken drumsticks: £1.66/kg

3. Pork belly slices: £3.98/kg

4. Pork Shoulder steak: 3.75/kg

5. Pork chops: £3.79kg

6. Cooking Bacon : £1.44/kg

7. Lamb chops: 5.69/kg ( frozen)

8. Lamb Shoulder joint: £5.62/kg

9. Beef Mince: £3/kg 20% fat, £5/kg 15% fat.

10. Beef round steak £8/kg from meat counter. Good for slow cooking.

11. Eggs

12. Fresh/Canned fatty fish e.g. Sardine, Mackerel, Herring

In general, you will not need any additional cooking oil because fatty cuts of meats are used in LCHF dietary approach.

Apart from above add some non-starchy vegetables in your meal.

[Grannysqua in reply to Praveen55]

Hi I’ve just come off LCHF as on a budget found I was eating the not so good meats and if I’m honest I just don’t want to live without a sandwich here and there or a spud 😀 it is great for weight loss and the fact you don’t feel hungry but for me I can’t stick to it 😊

[andyswarbs]

The cheapest foods on the planet are whole foods like rice, beans, pulses. They can be bought in bulk to bring the price down even further. Assuming you don't cover them in oils they are incredibly nutritious, filling and societies that live on these staples are often thin and never have issues like heart disease.

Ps that's why they are called staples.

[Celerysalt in reply to andyswarbs]

I was so glad to hear this approach endorsed yet again on the news this morning: bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi.... I know that the UN did an 'international year of legumes' or some such last year, but it is just commonplace and common sense to so many cultures to eat more rice and pulses, less meat, dairy, unnecessary fats etc. And it's a healthy, environmentally-sound and cost-effective approach, too.

[Grannysqua in reply to andyswarbs]

Yes I do have rice in fact I made some tonight with onions courgette and peas few seasonings and voila delicious 😋

[andyswarbs in reply to Grannysqua]

If you are interested in this approach, why not check out people like SpudFit on youtube who eat just potatoes. In the UK potatoes have traditionally been the cheapest vegetable and I find it intriguing that people, like SpudFit can thrive on one of our most satiating plants. Don't get me wrong I would not advise just eating potatoes but there is a lot to learn from the humble potato, a vegetable that has been incorrectly demonised for making people fat.

[Grannysqua in reply to andyswarbs]

Ooh I love potatoes and they are so easy to grow your own just got a garden so getting a veg patch ready 😄 ate my first tomatoes this morn yum 😀

[Grannysqua in reply to andyswarbs]

Spudfit I will give that a look had never heard of it 😀

[Grannysqua in reply to andyswarbs]

Hi yes it’s funny I have cooked with green lentils once tbh I don’t really know what to do with them ? And do you have to soak them or they are like bullets ? I’m off to google 😄

[Wulugu]

budget tips

I find tinned sardines are very tasty and very cheep , on toast , in spaghetti , in fish cakes straight from can and you have the choice of tomato sauce , oil or spring water . Pilchards are even better great on Pizza and very cheap.

[Grannysqua in reply to Wulugu]

Yes I don’t mind pilchards I have to say I’ve not thought of cooking with it just normally eat it out tin or on toast any recipes? 😀

[Wulugu in reply to Grannysqua]

I finely slice cabbage and steam with fennel seeds . in a bowl I breakup a can of pilchards / sardines with fork including the bones , add I tbs olive oil and maybe chilli flakes Dish cabbage onto plate or a bowl and top with pilchard sauce . very cheap , low carbs and tasty . could use courgetti or bean pasta or wheat pasta , feed 1-2.

[Grannysqua in reply to Wulugu]

Thanks for recipe sounds great 😀