Absolute cheapest meals!

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Try the own brand version. Chances are you might not even be able to tell the difference anyway.

Sir, you insult my tastebuds. I demand a duel!

I've tried and drank most cheap cola-ish type drinks over the years. Nothing like Pepsi Max.

Reply 41

pinkmeerkat

Original post by SirMasterKey

Try the own brand version. Chances are you might not even be able to tell the difference anyway.

With Pepsi/Coke own brand lines just cant even begin to compete on the same taste level. Very different tasting.

Reply 42

PinkyPurply

Original post by pinkmeerkat

With Pepsi/Coke own brand lines just cant even begin to compete on the same taste level. Very different tasting.

Mr Pop from morrisons is amazing though :biggrin:

Reply 43

Da CorrupteD KiD

I don't understand how anyone can call a meal without any meat/seafood a meal? (vegetarians excluded, understandably) If you do find yourself keen on something meaty go for a chicken stir fry. Sainsburys basics chicken breasts costs 5quid. That, with button mushrooms and some baby corn will cost you roughly 8quid. Serve with some rice (basics' rice is only 50p per kg) That is enough to feed three people, or two if they're very hungry.

Stir fries generally cost very little to make and are very tasty. Main ingredients: Ginger slices, minced garlic, oyster sauce, ketchup (optional), and lastly some cornstarch mixed in with cold water that you add at the end and simmer for just a minute to thicken the sauce and tenderise the meat). Season with salt and sugar. Simples

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 44

blubimnotafish

You coups cook a whole bunch of potatoes in one time (I guess that a larger sack is cheaper). The first 2 days you can it them cooked, the 3rd day you can bake a part of it and the 4th dat you mash the rest of it. Eat with meat and veggies that are on sale (:

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Reply 45

Rakas21

Beans on Toast
Egg on Toast
Jacket Potato and Beans
Noodles
Pasta
Soup

Key ingredients...

Noodles - £0.11 each (9 for £1)
Pasta - £0.49 each (2kg for £1)
Bread - £0.39 each (40 slices for £1)

Having spent less than £3 at this point you have a tonne of staples and so can spend the remaining £7 on stuff to jazz it up.

Or better still get the better brands reduced (i got 4 loaves of bread at 45p each).

Reply 46

Hulllawyer

Original post by Annie72

I've found those cheap freezer shops, ie Heron , have been almost a lifesaver when money has been really tight in the past.I could get loads of things for a fraction of what they cost in other supermarkets.Also Home bargains is brilliant for cheap foods and drinks.

Heron's alright, but Fultons is better.

Original post by Da CorrupteD KiD

That's over £3 per meal. How can you afford that for every meal? I aim for £1.

Original post by Rakas21

Morrisons Savers rules!

Do you find Morrisons saver noodles fill you up? they're not quite enough for a main meal for me. But at 1p, I can always afford to have another later.

Baked potatoes can be really cheap, and are not that expensive even if you use a tin of tuna with them. Bit of oil, bit of salt, 10 minutes in the microwave, or a bit less and finish in the oven to crisp up the skin.

Boil a small gammon joint (you can get them for £3 from places like Fultons), it will do 1-2 people a very nice dinner and then some more for sandwiches. Good if you're entertaining because it makes the kitchen smell wonderful, even if my vegetarian flatmate disagrees.

Cooking bacon, under a pound for a big pack, boil up a bit at a time, eat with whatever. Also base for a stir fry.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 47

lyrical_lie

I got amazing reduced cheese in morrisons the other day, a really nice bit from their deli counter for 39p down fromm £1something, I was so happy.

Reply 48

ddrrzzeerr

Original post by Fusion

This. I eat iceland ready meals most days, they are all good. Unlike other ready meals where I feel the need to eat two at a time, iceland's are a good size and sometimes I can't even finish them. I doubt you could make a meal cheaper yourself.

Reply 49

Rakas21

Original post by Hulllawyer

Heron's alright, but Fultons is better.

That's over £3 per meal. How can you afford that for every meal? I aim for £1.

Morrisons Savers rules!

Do you find Morrisons saver noodles fill you up? they're not quite enough for a main meal for me. But at 1p, I can always afford to have another later.

Baked potatoes can be really cheap, and are not that expensive even if you use a tin of tuna with them. Bit of oil, bit of salt, 10 minutes in the microwave, or a bit less and finish in the oven to crisp up the skin.

Boil a small gammon joint (you can get them for £3 from places like Fultons), it will do 1-2 people a very nice dinner and then some more for sandwiches. Good if you're entertaining because it makes the kitchen smell wonderful, even if my vegetarian flatmate disagrees.

Cooking bacon, under a pound for a big pack, boil up a bit at a time, eat with whatever. Also base for a stir fry.

I always have 2 packets of noodles, all the supermarkets are basically the same price (Tesco's are marginally the nicest).

Go to the market and you can get 10kg of potato's for £3.50 (more than 20 of them), 4 Tuna for £3 in Home Bargains.

Farmfoods not only sells healthier but cheaper for frozen.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 50

Da CorrupteD KiD

Original post by Hulllawyer

That's over £3 per meal. How can you afford that for every meal? I aim for £1.

Well I can't think of anything that is cheaper than that and has got fresh meat veg in it. I don't spend so much on Friday night drinks so maybe that makes up for it?

Reply 51

insignificant

How are you all not sick from eating such crap all the time?! Here are a few meals I make which are dead easy, cheap, and all ingredients priced are ASDA

stir fry
4 chicken breasts for £3.88
stir fry - £1.20
noodles - £1.20

= £1.57 per meal.

tuna salad jacket potato
4 jacket potatoes - 90p
2 tins of tuna - £2.50
1 onion - 30p
greek yoghurt - 50p
salad leaves - 75p

= 99p a meal

chicken pilaf
onion - 30p
4 chicken breasts - £3.88
curry paste - £1
rice - 40p
mixed frozen veg - £1
chicken stock (find a chicken oxo cube)

= £1.65 a meal

Bean and sausage hotpot
8 pork sausages - £1.50 (butchers selection at ASDA)
tomatoes - 75p
x2 tins of chopped tomatoes - 62p
x3 cans of butter beans - £2.04
broccoli - 75p

= £1.40 a meal

creamy ham and mushroom pasta bake
500g pasta - 90p
butter - (you should have some already)
mushrooms - 80p
spring onions - 50p
ham - £1.98
cheese - £1
milk - 49p
flour - 40p

£1.51 a meal

Reply 52

Zenzic

Buy passata from lidl ~27p (i think), much cheaper than pasta sauces and you can put things in them to spice them up, still cheaper

Reply 53

insignificant

lamb hotpot
800g shoulder of lamb - £5.60
flour - 40p
butter (you should already have)
onion 30p
carrots - 50p
potato - 69p
chicken stock (find an oxo cube)
broccoli 75p

£1.37 per person (serves 6)

Reply 54

Philippexxx

Reps to 'insignificant'. I completely agree.

Might come across arrogant, but how the hell do most of the people in this thread function? someone in the thread said 'buy a loaf of bread thats 50p and will feed you for a week'. Others are talking about eating beans on toast etc. I used to be a student myself but perhaps if you learnt how to feed yourself better, you would feel better (just maybe) Sounds to me like the average diet in this thread is absolutely dreadful and the majority of those on such diets must be skinny/fat or a mix of both.

You can eat properly and cost effectively. By in bulk. You can buy frozen meats, frozen chicken breasts (ok, theyre not the tastiest but theyre cost effective being cheaper than fresh chicken) and buy stuff like lean mince in large packs. From what Ive seen in this thread most of the people seem to be surviving on carbohyrdates alone. Remeber, protein is a vital part of your diet too. You can get protein from foods such as lentils, all kinds of beans, nuts, eggs etc. Most of these products aren't massively expensive. I would suggest to try and incorporate these foods into most meals rather than just trying to exist on toast and beans or super noodles :s-smilie:

Reply 55

Zenzic

Shop at chinese supermarkets for cheaper meats (Just as good as anywhere else tbh)

Reply 56

Sweet-Caroline

Chicken tikka - Rice (really cheap), a jar of tikka sauce is like 79c from Aldi (I'm in the Republic of Ireland) and a bitta chicken ( in Aldi there's some frozen cooked chicken pieces that you just defrost and fry a little bit). Makes four meals for about 2€, probably less in UK money :P

EDIT: Oh yeah, and there's packs of noodles for like 18p in Lidl, with a bit of bread or something that's a pretty good lunch :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 57

insignificant

pasta in a creamy butternut squash and sage sauce, with Parmesan cheese.
pasta - 90p
600g butternut squash - 54p
150ml single cream - 50p
1 onion 30p
sage leaves - 80p
parmesan £2
butter - (you should already have some)

£1.26 a meal

Reply 58

almasy

Original post by PinkyPurply

I was looking for meals that cost around 50p :rolleyes:

So you're looking for absolute cheapest to exist on, not cheap food that will actually be healthy (sweet potato, rice and lettuce for that)

Reply 59

callum9999

Original post by Sternumator

You usually can - and more nutritious as well! Especially the pasta based meals.

A lasagne that can last me for 6 meals for example usually costs me about £5 to make (admittedly I don't eat meat, but I can barely tell the difference between how I make it now and how I used to make it when I included mince - most of the flavour is in the vegetables/herbs etc. anyway).