Feeding the family on low wage or benefits ?

[Herr Tubthumper]

What gets me is a lot of these people can Smoke. What is it now £7 a packet you can get a lot of food for that.

I doubt they're paying £7 and smoking is an appetite surpressent as well. Maybe it's a cheaper and quicker option to eating?

 

[jevs]

Another good thing is to make use of your leftovers. I always mahe sure i do a bit extra on a sunday so i can have bubble n squeek on monday. Love it. I'll happily fry up the few new potatoes that we didn't eat the day before too.

 

[Neil]

All these people on benefits sat at home doing f*ck all, grow your own veg, it costs next to nothing to grow and I brew my own bitter,lager and cider that works out at only 40p a pint.
Problem is that some, not all but some people on benefits just get up halfway through the day watch Jeremy Kyle till 3pm and when the kids get home bung in the microwave a monosodiumglutimate burger from Iceland and let the kids drink Coke and play computer games all night.
Makes you wonder how much of the Child Benefit and Income support goes on fags and booze.
Plus where do they get the money for their mobiles

 

[beorhthelm]

What annoys me when I go food shopping is that it seems like the unhealthy shit is the cheap option and the nice, healthy options are quite expensive. I bloody love things like raspberries, grapes, blackberries etc but at £3 a go I feel like I'm being raped if I buy them.

why do you goto the shop that charges £3 not £2, why buy the nice packaged grapes and strawberries rather than the courser packaged ones? a grape is a grape. i know this situation because my missus insists on the nicer packaged rather than the tesco everday, at a 50% premium.

Although the cost of producing it is nothing like what we pay, it is still far cheaper making processed food than it is with fresh food.

please think about that. it simply isnt true. it may be cheaper to package processed food than hand picking and packaging fresh food, but processing = higher costs. we pay alot for nice even shapes and even weighted vacuum packed fruit and veg.

as for sausages that might be a counter example, id rather have one finest than two or three everyday grade, and certainly better for you with less fat.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Another good thing is to make use of your leftovers. I always mahe sure i do a bit extra on a sunday so i can have bubble n squeek on monday. Love it. I'll happily fry up the few new potatoes that we didn't eat the day before too.

Well put,money was 'short' in our house but thanks to my mum & dad prudance was taught. Kids today look at a carrott or parsnip and have no idea what to do with one.

 

[banjo]

Anothe1r good thing is to make use of your leftovers. I always mahe sure i do a bit extra on a sunday so i can have bubble n squeek on monday. Love it. I'll happily fry up the few new potatoes that we didn't eat the day before too.

Bubble n squeek mmmmmmm ! Haven't had this in ages.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

A single Mum was featured on local TV this week. She is seeking work, had a smart tidy home and a little boy who was a real credit to her. However after paying her bills she had only £17 left per month for food and admitted that she often went without so the little boy could eat. The feature seemed fair, did not demonise her for claiming her benefits and gave a very positive view of her efforts to improve her lot. The Mum said she had no luxuries except for broadband and satellite TV. I was very impressed by her dignity in the circumstances and hope something decent happens for her soon.

Inspite of the excellent advice on here it must be a heck of a challenge to survive on the equivalent of about 60p per day for food for two people. The only area in which I wondered she might economise is to sacrifice the satellite TV in favour of keeping broadband so she could at least look for job vacancies.

 

[macky]

Been in the situation myself and it is very easy to fall in to the trap where you by the £1 pizza because it is quick and easy. I used to only buy stuff that was on offer and could be frozen. Then I would buy basic ingredients in order to make meals. When I cooked I would cook in bulk since it was cheaper to buy a 2 large packets of mince for example then it was to buy 1 one day then another 1 another day. Make a huge pot of bolognese and split it in to 3. Freeze 2 lots for another day. Comes down to education and though some parents are not interested I am sure that a lot would love to be shown how to make their money go further. Sainsburys did some things a little while back where you could feed a family of 4, 3 meals a day for a week on a £40 budget. In the end they withdrew them since people complained that you needed things like herbs, spices etc that were not included in the £40. It is possible but you need to live on benefits and live fairly healthy. Yes you may not be able to have the best cuts of meat and not always be able to eat what you want, but it can be done.

My favorite thing I used to make (just because the kids loved it and it was quick) was to take a french stick, slice it down the middle, tomato puree, grated cheese, few sliced mushrooms and cut up bits of value ham. Took 10 mins to make and cook, cost about a £1 to make and was great for a lunch with a little salad on the side.

Not being funny or picking holes but the value ham was probably as bad orworse than the pound pizza

 

[Neil]

problem is these days that kids wont eat anything without sugar or salt and never touch veg and fruit

 

[El Presidente]

I think the secret to it is to get people cooking (as mentioned about jamie Oliver) Im lucky that i tought myself to cook and i do most things from scratch, my wife would burn salad !!!!

I have to make sure that we have something different every day on the table....and it can't be expensive. pasta and rice with various sauces, cous-cous is good and cheap too. I love spag bols, cottage pies, casseroles...lots of one pot stuff and will happily make my own barbeque, curry and sweet and sour sauces.

Same with puddings...loads of blackberries for crumbles and pastry is so easy to make. jellies and angel delight are cheap too.

Just needs a bit of thinking

I think we need a separate thread on Angel Delight!

 

[macky]

I have the oerfect solution sens the kids out scumping You wil have alll the apples and pears you can eat
and all that garden hopping will keep them as fit as fiddles

 

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

problem is these days that kids wont eat anything without sugar or salt and never touch veg and fruit

Yes they will.. They will eat what you bring them up on, feed them healthy food from a young age and they will have no problems eating fresh food.

 

[El Presidente]

problem is these days that kids wont eat anything without sugar or salt and never touch veg and fruit

Wow, NSC has seen some sweeping generalisations over the years but I think you have snatched the crown!

 

[jevs]

I think we need a separate thread on Angel Delight!

Just mixing some up as we speak to go in me trifle (instead of custard) :-D

 

[ifuhatepalacestandup]

I think we need a separate thread on Angel Delight!

been done

The ultimate Angel Delight poll

 

[Chicken Runner61]

A single Mum was featured on local TV this week. She is seeking work, had a smart tidy home and a little boy who was a real credit to her. However after paying her bills she had only £17 left per month for food and admitted that she often went without so the little boy could eat. The feature seemed fair, did not demonise her for claiming her benefits and gave a very positive view of her efforts to improve her lot. The Mum said she had no luxuries except for broadband and satellite TV. I was very impressed by her dignity in the circumstances and hope something decent happens for her soon.

Inspite of the excellent advice on here it must be a heck of a challenge to survive on the equivalent of about 60p per day for food for two people. The only area in which I wondered she might economise is to sacrifice the satellite TV in favour of keeping broadband so she could at least look for job vacancies.

That sounds like the one I heard on the radio, it didn't sound right to me, Non working Single parents in rented accommodation normally have enough for food so long as their other costs are budgeted for I reckon she was living in a house/area that was expensive and possibly running a car, we also were't told about any debts she had. Anyone with a car, gym membership, mobile phone & broadband is not living in poverty

 

[Return of the Rev]

LET THEM EAT CAKE

 

[Lady Gull]

Yes they will.. They will eat what you bring them up on, feed them healthy food from a young age and they will have no problems eating fresh food.

Absolutely spot on

 

[chez]

I've noticed that some families fill their trollies with smart price or value food but always seem to go for branded alcohol and won't go near the cheap stuff - Priorities?

I think thats fair enough though. I can't tell the difference between heinz baked beans and smart pice ones but the difference between say a can of Carling and a can of smart price lager is massive.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

That sounds like the one I heard on the radio, it didn't sound right to me, Non working Single parents in rented accommodation normally have enough for food so long as their other costs are budgeted for I reckon she was living in a house/area that was expensive and possibly running a car, we also were't told about any debts she had. Anyone with a car, gym membership, mobile phone & broadband is not living in poverty

No evidence of her having a car, gym membership (what does that say about other peoples priorities?) but definitely a fist full of household bills and final demands and very much looked her home was social housing in the Hull area (the feature was on BBC 'Look North'). Not much food in the cupboard and £17 per month left for food. Looked a pretty genuine case to me.