I Live on this ! Is it ok ?

four18

Every Thurs after the post office and bills are paid I am left with the guts of 30 euro. What I normally do is stock up on Pasta, Sauce, potatoes, cabbage,carrots a bit of mince for a treat with my dinner on sunday.
I also drink lots of milky sweet coffee and walk about 10 miles a week.
Monday, Wed Fri. Just pasta with sauce and maybe some buttered bread.
Rest of week potatoes cabbage carrots and maybe more bread to bulk it up.
I only eat once a day normally at 7pm ish. Dont eat breakfast or lunch during the day, just a few coffees.
Could I do something better on my budget ?
I dont ever feel like breakfast or lunch......just coffee !

Sid_Justice

what's your height and weight and gender (although it's obvious you're male)

four18

Live in a dingy flat, 48 16st 5.11 and very stressed. large frame very broad

Sid_Justice

how many potatoe do you eat at one sitting? am i right in saying you only eat meat once a week?

Davei141

four18 wrote: »

Every Thurs after the post office and bills are paid I am left with the guts of 30 euro. What I normally do is stock up on Pasta, Sauce, potatoes, cabbage,carrots a bit of mince for a treat with my dinner on sunday.
I also drink lots of milky sweet coffee and walk about 10 miles a week.
Monday, Wed Fri. Just pasta with sauce and maybe some buttered bread.
Rest of week potatoes cabbage carrots and maybe more bread to bulk it up.
I only eat once a day normally at 7pm ish. Dont eat breakfast or lunch during the day, just a few coffees.
Could I do something better on my budget ?
I dont ever feel like breakfast or lunch......just coffee !

Jesus man very low on fats or protein. Seeing as your on 30 quid for food a week go for most nutrition per cost of item, get some aldi porridge 39 cent! Avail of the super 6 with plenty of fruit and veg. Get cheap whole chickens on deals for about 3 euro for the guts of a few thousand calories, if you have a freezer stock up.

Buy that along with the foods you mentioned plus a few litres of milk and maybe some full fat cheese, mince is pretty cheap and full of calories so stock up on some more of that as well get some eggs they are pretty cheap. And finally snoop around the tesco isles with the reduced items and bag yourself some tasty cheap food.

salsagal

Hi Four18,

sorry to hear you're left with so little money! Fair bloomin play 2 ya for surviving on it so far!

I'd suggest you get some protein into you, via beans/pulses. You can buy a large bag of them dried (separate ones or mixed beans variety) and if you boil them up as per the instructions, they're way cheaper than the tinned versions.

If you're worried bout the electricity it takes to boil them for 1 hour cook extra quantities each time and freeze them for later use, so you're maximizing the products of your labours.

I think that way you'd be getting a better and more balanced diet than just pasta and a few veg.

If poss, I'd go with wholewheat pasta, better nutrient content. I dunno if it's pricier than regular pasta though? Also, it'll fill you for longer (as a complex carbohydrate) than regular white pasta.

Essentially you're surviving on a vegetarian (almost vegan diet, by the sounds of it). So perhaps a look online at some suggested menu plans would help in that regard? I'm vegan myself, and on the social, so I'm aware of the need to squeeze as much healthy food outta a small amount of money.

Maybe get down to your local library for some free nutrition/cookery/recipe books that might give you some ideas how to vary your diet while staying within your budget? You don't want to get so bored with your menu that you start spending money you don't have on something 'for the hell of it'.

Also, they say that making your own sauces is cheaper than store bought ones, (I'm not sure it's always the case) but if you have some freezer space, you could perhaps investigate making your own sauces and freezing left overs for left over use. If I cook 1 meal a week, make lots of it and freeze it, then over time I've got a few different frozen meals to chose from and in this way I get to vary my menu a bit.

Best of luck mate!

Davei141

He says he eats mince on sunday so i don't think its a vegan/vegetarian thing more a budget restraint.

four18

Hi Sid. Ok Give you as much info here as i can

Normally I buy good mince and always drain off any fat and usually have it with pasta and saoce and onions on friday and sat.
Sunday, Normally I buy a bag of baby spuds about 16 in the bag, size of golf balls, would get 2 days from them, so 8 ish per meal. Sometimes i buy lambs liver and would just fry that with onions and make a sambo or 2 from it, Always white bread.
My only liquid intake is the odd can of cider but I get thru about 10 nescafe instant coffees a day. I dont sleep well and smoke a lot too....DISASTER I know. Thats about it. Yes I am male and sometimes the arm I am not sleeping on goes dead. Thanks for any input. Oh and yes 1 meal per day. M

Bottle_of_Smoke

I'd get some milk. cheap enough and has lots of protein

four18

salsagal wrote: »

Hi Four18,

sorry to hear you're left with so little money! Fair bloomin play 2 ya for surviving on it so far!

I'd suggest you get some protein into you, via beans/pulses. You can buy a large bag of them dried (separate ones or mixed beans variety) and if you boil them up as per the instructions, they're way cheaper than the tinned versions.

If you're worried bout the electricity it takes to boil them for 1 hour cook extra quantities each time and freeze them for later use, so you're maximizing the products of your labours.

I think that way you'd be getting a better and more balanced diet than just pasta and a few veg.

If poss, I'd go with wholewheat pasta, better nutrient content. I dunno if it's pricier than regular pasta though? Also, it'll fill you for longer (as a complex carbohydrate) than regular white pasta.

Essentially you're surviving on a vegetarian (almost vegan diet, by the sounds of it). So perhaps a look online at some suggested menu plans would help in that regard? I'm vegan myself, and on the social, so I'm aware of the need to squeeze as much healthy food outta a small amount of money.

Maybe get down to your local library for some free nutrition/cookery/recipe books that might give you some ideas how to vary your diet while staying within your budget? You don't want to get so bored with your menu that you start spending money you don't have on something 'for the hell of it'.

Also, they say that making your own sauces is cheaper than store bought ones, (I'm not sure it's always the case) but if you have some freezer space, you could perhaps investigate making your own sauces and freezing left overs for left over use. If I cook 1 meal a week, make lots of it and freeze it, then over time I've got a few different frozen meals to chose from and in this way I get to vary my menu a bit.

Best of luck mate!

You put a lot of effort into that reply. Lots to take on board. Thank You.

ladypip

My god you must be starving!!!!

Your absolutely not getting enough food a day 1 meal for a sixteen stone man is not enough. Id suggest cutting out some of the coffees and smoking less as its destroying your appetite.

Is there a Lidl that you can get to? Everything there is cheaper than everywhere else. Im not saying stock up on cheap rubbish but they have great value meat, veg, pasta, rice, herbs and spices, milk eggs all of that.

You should try porridge in the mornings its so cheap, quick and filling.
Homemade veg soup is really easy to make and you could take it with you if your working.

Id also suggest you buy tinned tomatos and make your own pasta sauce for 45c a can it can do two meals for you and save you some money to get some fruit back in you life:D

If your lucky enough to have an Aldi and a Lidl nearby do your fruit and veg shopping in Aldi they have 69c offers every week on 5 different fruits and veg. so you'd be getting some variety and your fruit and veg would work out as 3.45 if you got all of the offers.

If you want some recipes pm me and ill send you some, Im feeding myself and my son on aout 50 euro a week s im a dab hand at it now:D

Davei141

four18 wrote: »

Hi Sid. Ok Give you as much info here as i can

Normally I buy good mince and always drain off any fat and usually have it with pasta and saoce and onions on friday and sat.
Sunday, Normally I buy a bag of baby spuds about 16 in the bag, size of golf balls, would get 2 days from them, so 8 ish per meal. Sometimes i buy lambs liver and would just fry that with onions and make a sambo or 2 from it, Always white bread.
My only liquid intake is the odd can of cider but I get thru about 10 nescafe instant coffees a day. I dont sleep well and smoke a lot too....DISASTER I know. Thats about it. Yes I am male and sometimes the arm I am not sleeping on goes dead. Thanks for any input. Oh and yes 1 meal per day. M

Try cutting down on the coffees the caffeine content of 10 coffees will make it very hard to sleep and leave you on edge. I would suggest cutting out the smokes as well but its pretty hard on a whim so just go with reducing the coffee at the start and start drinking some water.

As regards the arm i would get the doc to have a look at it if you aint sleeping on it and it goes dead, doesn't sound right.

daenerysstormborn3

I feel so sorry for you man, it must be really hard. I know the advice is to give up coffee and smokes but as they are probably your only vice i can understand how hard that might be.

If you go to a wholesale place you might be able to get things in bulk even cheaper. Someone suggested whole chickens. You could have a look on youtube, look up some videos on how to take them apart properly so that the wings/legs/breasts are in tact and then freeze them for use as you go along.

four18

Right then, Tomorrow shopping day. In my fridge at the moment, Half litre of milk. Em Thats it. Have to top up my phone by 5euro so now my max food budget is now 25 euro. Live in the inner city of dublin so have access to moore st, aldi lidl dunnes tesco. Oh I have some cooking oil and salt and pepper. I am serious I went and checked, Hungry now but will survive, I can make a cup of tea too.
Would murder a slice of toast with real cheese and a drizzle of worster sce under the grill :pac:

Do me a list anyone and i will write it down, buy it and let you know on daily basis how i am getting on.

Dont even have coffee.... Kinda twitchin now !!

What I said up above is serious , dont even have any seasoning or stuff like that. Ps I was homeless for a while but getting it together......slowly !
Thanks. Mark. Ps I hack my internet from the library 2 door down. They used to switch it off at night, But dont now !!...........Jaysus the tings you do, just to survive !1

Mr Simpson

Hi Four18,

Have you tried contacting an agency like crosscare. They are based in the city centre at various locations and provide decent meals for about 3 euro. I have visited their centres as part of college work and have found them brilliant and the meals good. BTW their website is Crosscare
Good luck,
mmcn90

sillymoo

salsagal wrote: »

I'd suggest you get some protein into you, via beans/pulses. You can buy a large bag of them dried (separate ones or mixed beans variety) and if you boil them up as per the instructions, they're way cheaper than the tinned versions.

If you're worried bout the electricity it takes to boil them for 1 hour cook extra quantities each time and freeze them for later use, so you're maximizing the products of your labours.

Hi Salsagal, just wondering where you can get large bags of mixed beans on a budget? Also if you boil them and freeze them, can you just defrost them and not have to boil them again when you want to use them? Thanks

four18

mmcn90 wrote: »

Hi Four18,

Have you tried contacting an agency like crosscare. They are based in the city centre at various locations and provide decent meals for about 3 euro. I have visited their centres as part of college work and have found them brilliant and the meals good. BTW their website is Crosscare
Good luck,
mmcn90

Thanks, used to Go to Bro Lukes off church st a few days a week but should have gone this morning for my food parcel, would have sugar in my tea now ! Lay awake all nite and finally fell asleep at about 7, did not wake till 12,
At least I was warm and could have a shower and clean clothes, which is a million miles more than i could have hoped for a year ago.

There is still some nice people out there. Thank you.

daenerysstormborn3

Also, OP you could try buying those packets of bread mix (think odlums) all you do is add water, would probably last you 3 days, maybe a bit more. Think they're about 1.50 per pack.

You could also try making a stew, freeze the leftovers in little lunchboxes?

hollypink

OP, I'm no expert in diet/nutrition but I think there are some good suggestions here (it's a site for mums but I still think it's useful) http://www.magicmum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=182&t=177620 (Mods hope it's ok to post that?)

in particular this post:

Things I would have on my budget shopping list:

Pasta
Beans
Lentils
Frozen Veg
Porridge
Rice
Potatoes
Cheap cuts of meat (hock, shank, liver etc)
Onions
Garlic
Cheese
Eggs


Cheap dinners:

Casseroles, soups, stews, spag bol, beans on toast, curry (homemade), pizza (homemade), kedgeree, baked potatoes, omelettes, frittatas. Learn how to make your own bread, and grow your own veg - you will save quite a bit of money this way.

The fruit/veg offers in Lidl/Aldi are really great when you're on a budget so definitely check them out. And lentils/beans can really make a soup/stew filling and they're not expensive (and dry goods like beans and pulses last for ages).

Best of luck

metamorphosis

Sapsarrow did a whole thing a few months back about 50e for food for 2 people for a week to live on - savage ideas and i spend about 25-30e for myself a week. Saves me so much as a freelance poor overworking employee !

Might see i i can runmble it up for you soon (or Sap might be nice enough to give ya the details haha!)

elbee

OP, I was just on Lidl's website and they have 2 whole chickens for six quid this week, and they have half price mince this weekend (Sat 5th Sun 6th Feb), 380g for 1.79. Hope that helps you up the protein content of your diet, well done for managing so well and seeking advice.

pinkypinky

Hi OP,

I think you're great to be concerned about eating properly when you have other worries. Lots of people have suggested foods and other help, so I thought I'd give you a cheap easy recipe made from scratch. It's a basic Italian tomato pasta. These quantities make 2 small dinners for me but you could add more pasta and rashers to make a larger quantity. It'll keep in the fridge for a few days.

100g dried short pasta (penne/fusili)
5 small rashers (with fat cut off, if you want) chopped up into strips
1 tsp olive oil
Tin of tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1 chopped onion
Italian herbs of any variety fresh or dried (fresh basil, dried rosemary and oregano are a good mix)
Optional: half tsp chilli flakes (you can buy these and the herbs in jars very cheaply in Lidl/Aldi)
Black pepper and salt to taste

Heat the oil in a deep pan/wok on a medium heat. Add the chopped rashers and onion and cook through until soft. (about 5 mins)
Pour in the tomatoes and mix well. Add in the sugar, herbs/chilli flakes and black pepper and leave to simmer then turn the heat down to reduce the sauce.

Cook pasta to packet instructions. Drain when ready and add to pan. Mix thoroughly and serve with optional cheese.

Good luck!

Sid_Justice

hi four18

thanks for replying. lots of good advice on this thread. forgive me for the intrusion but i'm still trying to get a picture of your lifestyle. Do you mind me asking if you're working at the moment? As you said you were previously homeless but now have a flat to live in. Like i'm just wondering what you're doing during the day. the people i know who managed to survive on one massive meal a day and a load of coffee are people who are busy busy busy.

as a previous poster has commented on, for a 16 stone man you seem to eat very little. do you frequently check your weight or are you guessing (no offence!).

do you not eat eggs? Aren't trays of battery hen eggs one of the cheapest (and best) forms of protein.

dos30

four18 wrote: »

Right then, Tomorrow shopping day. In my fridge at the moment, Half litre of milk. Em Thats it. Have to top up my phone by 5euro so now my max food budget is now 25 euro. Live in the inner city of dublin so have access to moore st, aldi lidl dunnes tesco. Oh I have some cooking oil and salt and pepper. I am serious I went and checked, Hungry now but will survive, I can make a cup of tea too.
Would murder a slice of toast with real cheese and a drizzle of worster sce under the grill :pac:

Do me a list anyone and i will write it down, buy it and let you know on daily basis how i am getting on.

Dont even have coffee.... Kinda twitchin now !!

What I said up above is serious , dont even have any seasoning or stuff like that. Ps I was homeless for a while but getting it together......slowly !
Thanks. Mark. Ps I hack my internet from the library 2 door down. They used to switch it off at night, But dont now !!...........Jaysus the tings you do, just to survive !1

It sounds like you have it tough OP. Baby spuds aren't great value for money, maybe you should consider getting larger 5KG bags. They'd last you a long time.
There are also a few allotments around Dublin where you could grow your own veg, it'd be a reason to get up in the mornings and out of the dingy flat aswell.
It seems a waste putting €5 credit into your phone when you can barely afford 1 decent meal a day, but I'm sure you have good reason for needing it. PM sent

four18

Hey its me back again ocs 30 / Sent u a pm. My fridge is bursting ! Jaysus. I just went to moore st first, got 5kg spuds, bag of carrots, sprouts, onions, garlic and 3 mixed peppers... 7euro ! Oh and 2 couliflowers as well

Next stop Lidl
Got Pasta 2 milk 2 ltrs 2 sauce 2 frozen sausages 15 2 em bread 55c a pop got 4. Plain giant pizzas 2, will decorate them myself only 179 a pop. and Thaaraa ! Monster jar of coffee 400 oz or something. 14.20 euro all in.
Thats 21 euro ish all in and The place is stuffed with food, I am so happy.
Ps blew a fiver on tobacco and just managed to buy a weeks internet too, 7.99 !.
I am now so broke but, I have a smoke, a full larder and internet till next Thurs !!. Ps, Saw a giant 3 litre of cider in lidl for 4.99. That was included in my msgs.
Thank you all for your input, I have opened the fridge 3 times just to have a look !!

Yer a great lot !!

El_Dangeroso

Flipping hell, well done man, some serious euro-stretching there!

bobobear

Another thing to know is that Tesco (and other supermarkets too) mark things waaaaaaay down at around 8pm. If you're in the city centre there's a Tesco in Phibsboro that's open til 10 Mon-Sat. Or Jervis til 9 on Thursday.

I can usually head over to Tesco at 8ish and get loads of things marked down to 10c. Pack of blueberries (were 5 euro, reduced to 10c), bag of bananas (1.50ish reduced to 10c), asparagus (€3 down to 10c) and two melons (1.99 each down to .48). That's €13.50 of fruit/veg for 78 cents.

Some days are better than others of course. Sometimes I go in and they've nothing, other days it's madness. In my area there are a lot of people in on this secret so there are whole families there buying baskets and baskets of bananas.

In my experience they have to get rid of stuff way before it actually goes off so usually it's fine for a couple of days - definitely the bananas anyway.

They do this with meat, fish, all sorts of stuff but I don't trust it. One time I bought salmon that was due to go off in two days but when I opened the packet it smelled terrible and I had to throw it out.

Now I only go for stuff that I can see hasn't gone off.

Anyway - hope this helps. A little bit of fruit in your diet can really help!

Tar.Aldarion

four18 wrote: »

Hey its me back again ocs 30 / Sent u a pm. My fridge is bursting ! Jaysus. I just went to moore st first, got 5kg spuds, bag of carrots, sprouts, onions, garlic and 3 mixed peppers... 7euro ! Oh and 2 couliflowers as well

Next stop Lidl
Got Pasta 2 milk 2 ltrs 2 sauce 2 frozen sausages 15 2 em bread 55c a pop got 4. Plain giant pizzas 2, will decorate them myself only 179 a pop. and Thaaraa ! Monster jar of coffee 400 oz or something. 14.20 euro all in.
Thats 21 euro ish all in and The place is stuffed with food, I am so happy.
Ps blew a fiver on tobacco and just managed to buy a weeks internet too, 7.99 !.
I am now so broke but, I have a smoke, a full larder and internet till next Thurs !!. Ps, Saw a giant 3 litre of cider in lidl for 4.99. That was included in my msgs.
Thank you all for your input, I have opened the fridge 3 times just to have a look !!

Yer a great lot !!

Doing great there!

Definitely a good idea to go to a few supermarkets and see the deals in each, every week.

rubadub

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Also, OP you could try buying those packets of bread mix (think odlums) all you do is add water, would probably last you 3 days, maybe a bit more. Think they're about 1.50 per pack

It is usually cheaper to buy own brand bread. e.g. tesco value bread is 85c, also saves on electricity.

bobobear wrote: »

Another thing to know is that Tesco (and other supermarkets too) mark things waaaaaaay down at around 8pm.

Indeed, in mine it is about 7pm, tescos had whole roast chickens for €4, and sold them off at €2 each around 7, You could stock up and chill or freeze them (if freezing I would strip all the meat off and freeze in a bag -I take the bags from the butchers counter).

They regularly have full size baguettes for 20cent at the end of the day, they usually sell off all baked bread on that day. Also many own brand products are ridiculously cheap, red kidney beans are 29cent in tesco for 400g. If you get a tesco clubcard you can sign up online and check all the current special offers before you head out, load of stuff is half price and "buy one get one free" etc.

Somethings are permanently very cheap, like value peanuts and value porridge oats, so even if normal brands are half price these are usually cheaper.

And check the bargain alerts forum here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=346

lidl have some great deals on saturdays, this weekend they have 380g of organic mince for 1.79 and half price cheddar
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.Half_Price_Weekend.Half_Price_Weekend

You mentioned the library, the ilac library should have free internet, if you have a laptop you can bring it in and connect to their wireless (this is fully allowed!), they also will have the days papers so it can help pass time.