jad n rich

Bread seems to be the key. For such a tiny food bill, thats an amazingly large amount of bread. if you buy it all knock down price thats about 40 loaves of bread or nearly a loaf and a half a day, thats more bread than I buy to feed the in house football team.

As much as I admire these frugal shopping threads is that healthy :scared: The average woman only needs 3/4 serves of carbs a day, I'd hate to see the size of my pommie bum if I started on a loaf a day

jad n rich

I'm into this thread now right 2 people to feed on $55.00 a week.

Thats 21 meals (3 a day) bit skimpy I'd have passed out by now, but lets keep going anyway. So you end up with about $1.30 per person per meal :scared:

Recipie suggestions anyone.

kiwichild

I am with you on this.
Perhaps she makes a lot of blandish soups (bread be good for that), maybe the "groceries" is jam for the bread?

And what is $1.50 for fruit and vegetables? a couple of kiwifruit? a small mango? A decent sized red delicious apple? How many serves in that I wonder?

Sorry Simone, but I cannot see how 2 grown adults can live healthily and without hunger pangs on $55 a week food money between them.

kiwichild

Good idea! maybe Simone would be kind enough to link us to her menu planner and ingredients list for a month's eating plan

Well the shittiest baked beans on the market are SPC, so at 65c a tin, with a couple of slices of toast, I spose you could feed two a meal

Simone

Both of us.
Breakfast is two pieces of bread with cheese or peanut butter or the like. or cornflakes with milk
Lunch is about 3 pieces of bread with simple toppings(sometimes home brand tuna, or egg) Maybe once or twice a week we buy our lunch, this isn't included.
As I said, dinner is 5/6 times a week. Eating out is not included.

A big loaf of quality bread(helga's or that other similar one) costs me $2.50.(it's always on special at action)

Snacks are maybe one mueslibar each a day(always get the ones on special)
2 Litre of milk is about $2.40. Use about 2 litre a week.
So, no that's not 10 dollars.
We seldom eat desserts too(go through 1 litre of yoghurt a week, about $2.70)

Main meat we eat is chicken fillet, mince meat, and a bit of stirfry beef.
Other times we eat things like fish fingers or frosen fish fillet or no meat. Hardly ever buy fresh seafood, should though, but not used to eating eat/preparing it.

I drink only water at home these days, and a bit of milk. Pascal drinks a bit of orange juice, and maybe one cup of coffee a day(rest at work)

Anyway, bought tea/sugar/coffee/herbs/sauces all a while ago when we moved here, all goes very slowly. But I guess adding those replacement costs it will come to a bit more.

Ok, my shopping bill from a few days ago was $60, let's see what I got:
chicken stir fry 0.360 kg, $1 reduced, $4.46. This will be two meals.
Diced topside steak, 0.334 kg, $4.34 (special) 2 meals
Hamburger mince 0.658kg, $4.60 value buy (2 meals)
Mushrooms, 200 gr (one container, 2 meals) $2.98
Sliced cheese light, 210g(12 slices) $2.79
Hi lo milk, special $2.39
Vanilla yoghurt, special $2.89
hash browns(first time bought, special 750 gr) $2.59
veggie mix thai(freezer 500g) $3.10 (2 meals)
potato wedges(freezer, instead of eating out! 750g) $2.59
Raw sugar 1 kg, got 2 packs to stock up: 2.59 (will last me at least 6 months!)
Apple juice 2 lt, special, $2.09
Ah yes, I stocked up on 'muesli bars(the light ones, k-time etc) because lots were on special. $11.86 for 4 packs of 6 bars, will last me about 2 months I think.
Light and tasty cerial:620 g, $3.99 (special)
sour dough rolls 5 pk, reduced, $1.59
Big foccacia thing, reduced, $1.99
Total was $60

Yesterday got some apples and a zuchhini and a tomato and 12 freerange eggs from veggie shop: $7.00


See, this week I stocked up on meat and bars, another week I'll buy more veggies and pasta and curry sauces and rice and pasta.

My 220 month might have been on the lowside, but I don't think I'll ever spend more than 100 a week.
As I said, I've just started with this though, and will report back in a few months again

jad n rich

I respect simone for managing it (and her posts always balanced), for a university graduate the wages in perths seem appaling :scared: maybe that has something to do with it.

Did anyone see the page when you log in and all the forums come up, the one below the aussie one is canada, the heading one day last week was " come to canada and starve " I hope no naughty person now starts the Come to Australia and starve thread all hell will break out.

Simone

Right, above post should give you an idea about breakfast and lunch.

Dinner, what we eat often:
Potatoes, pea's& carrots, piece of meat or fishfingers
Pasta with chicken and mushrooms and zucchini.
Pasta with aubergine, canned tomotoe, olives, chilli, other herbs (no meat)
Curry: brown rice, curry sauce, chicken, veggies(mushrooms, zucchini, green beans)
Potatoes, salad(lettuce, tomatoe, etc), fish.

Soup and bread is maybe only once a month.

As I said, it's not 21 meals a week. Only 5 or 6 dinners a week.


Bread, I think we go through about 2 loaves a week(helga's). I eat 4 slices a day, Pascal 5 or 6.
In the weekend we have buns or scones or stuff, from the bake section in Action.

$1.50 for fruit and veggies is probably a zuchinni, and some green beans.

Don't eat much fruit at all to be honest, should though. And that would bring the price up a bit.
Still, eat plenty of veggies I reckon, and we're both healthy enough.

Simone

My job is not a university grad position.
But yes, my wage is appalling, but I'm doing something about that.


As I said, last months 220 was probably maybe a bit lower than usual because of having stocked up in month before. I keeping a good track of things from now on, and we'll see if it really is 220 normally.
I already spent more than 70 last week.

Simone

Am also 'TRYING to diet at the moment, so not buying any biscuits, chocolats etc. Still some for Pascal in cupboards from previous months.

Simone

Don't know how you came to that calculation.... It was for 4 weeks.
I buy bread for about 2.50 a loaf (helga's, wholemeal bread).
As mentioned in other posts, I eat about 4 slices a day, and Pascal 6. He doesn't snack much in between, and neither do I these days.


I know we eat quite normally/healthily. Except not enough fruit. And not much red meat. And our sandwiches for breakfast and lunch are quite 'boring'. This is the Dutch way I belive. Brown bread with cheese for me. Brown bread with peanut butter or something like polony for Pascal.

jad n rich

I think a lot of my problem is kids we go through about 3/4 litres of milk a day thats double your weekly allowance You said 380 grams of meat does two of you for two meals, my lot would devour 380 grams of meat each in a steak for eg. Yes I would definately say kids change things. If anyone wants to borrow three boys and a builder for a week feel free, Remember your weekly food allowance tho is 25 bucks a person

kiwichild

Will be interesting. Okay I rarely use homebrand food. So you would save some money there but I like what I like and some things I am not prepared to compromise on.

The $10 included a kilo of bananas. Sliced cheese while onvenient works out a lot more expensive in the long run. And while a block of cheese may cost, it's very versatile, lasts and can be used in lunches, home made pizzas, cheese sauce etc.

I paid $11 for 1.5 (5 large) chicken skinless breast fillets (reduced from $17)
A kilo of premium mince (lot less fatty than hamburger/regular but tastier than heartsmart), cost around $10 a kilo
I use extra virgin olive oil and also canola oil for cooking (depending on what I'm making)
I also buy nescafe gold or moccona freeze dried coffees (or similar) and I like dilmah tea and some of the others like lipton vanilla tea now and again

I dont buy muesli bars or fruit juice except occaisionally (prefer to spend the money on fresh fruit)

Instant coffee by the way is only good for a couple of months once opened then it goes funny.
Curries: try pataks or sharwoods curry pastes (they taste good and last a lot longer than curry sauces) OR get a selection of spices and make ur own ; ie tumeric, ground corriander, cumin, garam masala, fenugeek, fresh chili, garlic, ginger etc
Your mushroom purchase worked out as $15 a kilo; thats twice as much as if you bought them loose! grab a brown paper bag and weigh 200g of loose ones next time maybe

If you go to those little fruit n vege shops u can score stuff like pak choy for about $1 a bunch and for under $10 all up, can make yourself a nice stir fry for you both for a couple of nights. Noodles are good for it and all you need is a selection of fresh veg chopped, some oyster sauce, some ginger and chili, and ur away laughing .
Anyway, good luck and remember that your health and energy levels come first.

kiwichild

$27.50 to be precise

jad n rich

With that increase in the bidding any takers yet?

kiwichild

$100 a week for two is starting to look realistic to me