Budget doesn't have to mean bad

If you've read my previous post, you'll know I've gone from having everything, to having nothing. Part of this process was learning to budget, from food shopping to clothes, as I could no longer afford to buy what I wanted. Although I work 3 part time jobs over 7 days a week, after rent and bills, I have approximately £200 a month "disposable" income for food and luxuries.  

I really just want to dispel the myth that eating on a budget equals junk food/ready meals. I hate to hear, "But healthy food is soooo expensive!" Is it? Really?

I rarely feed convenience foods, always do one meal a day from scratch. If my son has a school dinner (2-3 days a week) then maybe we'll have a snacky kind of tea, but it's very rare we have frozen pizza etc. I'm not trying to sound smug here; I have a kid that suffers, behaviour-wise, if he eats too much junk and I don't like dealing with the aftermath!

I've learned to shop at Aldi and Lidl for my main shops, with top ups at the local shop for bread and milk. This week, for example, my shopping bill was £35.76 which will, pretty much, feed me and my 7 year old son, plus the dog, for a week.

I buy lots of eggs, potatoes (jackets, mash, homemade oven chips), pasta, rice, mince (makes cottage pie, spaghetti bolognese etc), a fresh chicken (will do a roast dinner, plus a curry and sandwiches/salad the next day, and a soup or stew later in the week), gammon joint (gammon and chips, soup and salad etc), fresh fruit and veg for snacks and accompaniments to meals, pitta breads, passatta, cheese etc to make homemade pizzas, cereals for breakfasts and suppers, bread, cooked meat, fish and frozen veg as a standby.

This week so far, we have eaten:

Monday

Breakfast: cereal, banana, orange juice.

Lunch: DS took packed lunch of ham sandwiches, yoghurt, apple, raisins, cheese and crackers, orange juice carton. I had egg salad followed by strawberries and yoghurt.

Tea: roast chicken, new potatoes, carrots, broccoli, Yorkshire puddings, gravy.

Tuesday

Breakfast: cereal, banana, orange juice.

Lunch: DS had school dinner. I had jacket potato, cold chicken and homemade coleslaw.

Tea: homemade pizza, made with pitta bread, passatta, ham, chicken and pineapple served with cucumber and carrot batons and a side of coleslaw and a pasta salad. 

Wednesday

Breakfast: scrambled egg on toast, raisins, orange juice.

Lunch: DS had packed lunch of cheese sandwiches, yoghurt, apple, banana, raisins, coleslaw, orange juice carton. I had beans on toast, homemade banana milkshake and a cup of tea.

Tea: homemade chicken curry (leftovers from Monday), boiled rice, toasted pitta breads stuffed with garlic and cheese.

Thursday

Breakfast: cereal, banana, orange juice.

Lunch: DS had packed lunch of tuna and cucumber sandwiches, cheese and biscuits, apple, raisins, yoghurt, orange juice carton. I had jacket potato with tuna and cheese, served with salad.

Tea: slow cooked gammon joint with fried egg, homemade oven chips, carrots and pineapple rings.

Tomorrow

Breakfast: porridge with puréed apple, orange juice.

Lunch: DS is having school dinner. I have planned pitta breads with leftover gammon and pineapple, melted cheese, and a homemade banana milkshake.

Tea: homemade soup with gammon, tomatoes, onions, carrots, served with crusty bread and salad.

Weekends I don't really count as much as I work full time and DS eats at his dads or my dads. I take a packed lunch every day; something like cold pasta salad, or egg salad sandwiches. Saturday, I will have jacket potato or omelette for tea, Sunday we have a roast at my dads house when I finish work.

Dog food wise, I don't feed her rubbish; she has food that costs £35 a sack but it lasts her 3 months so about £3 a week on average. Treats wise she gets our scraps.

I don't routinely buy "treats"; I'm dieting so don't buy crisps, biscuits etc as standard. 2 or 3 times a week, DS is allowed to choose chocolate, sweets or an ice cream from the shop on the way home from school. We always have fruit and yoghurts in the fridge as pudding, plus I make a couple of jellies a week to serve with a block of ice cream.

I don't feel we are missing out food wise. We eat well, plenty of fruit and veg, and no convenience foods. 

Clothes are generally bought from George, Primark or eBay. Furniture is from eBay or gumtree. Just bought an armchair that perfectly matches the settee for £10 off eBay! I have a sewing machine so I alter and make a lot of our clothes as well, meaning this years jeans can be next years shorts! I get a huge sense of achievement knowing I have got a a bargain, or rehomed a preloved item. 

My point is that living on a budget is doable. We eat well, we don't feel deprived, we are healthy and happy! A budget does not have to mean budget ready meals and junk food; you can do it!