cheap family recipes
feed a family of 4 for less than £200 a month
Meal Plan One
A whole 31 day months meal plan for a family of four. Last repriced at Asda on 26th January 2024, you will need a total of £162.94 at the till over the month. Week 1 is £89.93, week 2 is £30.35, week 3 is £29.34 and week 4 is £13.32. There is no shopping for the remaining days of the month.
The food eaten over the month, if you follow the plan fully, comes to £162.94, making this a fantastic £1.31 pppd.
This nutrition article should also answer some of your questions about your family’s diet.
If you are following the meal plan fully, you will need to make a batch of 4 loaves, 10 times over the month. That’s a total of 40 loaves, which I know is a lot! But they are on the small side and there is lots to help you in the bread making post.
Make a batch whenever you need them, each family will vary on how much they use. It’s best to get ahead and store your bread, sliced and wrapped, in the freezer. Slices defrost very quickly, and they stay fresh when stored that way
Allow the loaves to cool and firm up, then slice, wrap and freeze, ready for when you need them. I’ve found bread slices best on the following day
| Monday Breakfast | |
| Lunch | |
| Dinner | |
Tuesday Breakfast | porridge |
Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwich |
Dinner | spanish omelette |
Wednesday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
Lunch | houmous sandwich |
Dinner | pasta carbonara |
| Thursday Breakfast | porridge |
Lunch | peanut and pumpkin seed butter sandwich |
Dinner | onion tart |
| Friday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwiches |
Dinner | risi e bisi |
| Saturday Breakfast | porridge |
Lunch | spicy pea soup |
Dinner | home made pizza |
Sunday Breakfast | pancakes |
Lunch | roast chicken dinner |
Dinner | potato & onion soup |
Snacks 2 batches of 4 loaves each time | homemade bread |
2 cakes of 16 pieces each | carrot cake |
1 batch of 17 scones  | savoury scones |
1 batch of 24 scones | raisin scones |
1 batch of 36 bites | savoury bites |
| Extras | |
1 jar, for 2 weeks | mayonnaise |
to last all month | lemon cordial |
| once you have made all your carrot cakes, use the saved carcasses to make this marmalade  | marmalade |
| Shopping List for Meal Plan 1, Week 1 | Jan 2024 Needed at the till |
|---|---|
| Fresh | |
| 900g Butternut Squash | £1.62 |
| 4kg Brown Onions | £3.96 |
| 5kg White Potatoes | £3.50 |
| 2kg Carrots | £0.78 |
| 10 Oranges | £5.00 |
| 1 x 4 pk Lemons | £1.00 |
| 2g x Bramley cooking apples 1.3 kg used freeze 400g | £4.40 |
| Meat, Fish & Poultry | |
| 1 x Smartprice Whole Medium Chicken (Approx 1.8Kg) | £4.49 |
| 1 x 500g Smartprice Smoked Cooking Bacon Pieces | £1.00 |
| Dairy | |
| 1 x Whole Fresh Milk 6 Pints (3.41L) | £2.15 |
| 1 x Cooks Value Medium Eggs (30) | £3.98 |
| 1 x Just Essentials Cheddar 825g | £4.47 |
| 1kg x Asda Extra Mature Cheddar 250g | £2.49 |
| 2 x 160g Grana Padano, freeze 40g | £5.00 |
| 2 x Lard (250g) | £1.00 |
| Tin, Jars & Cooking | |
| 1 x Vegetable Oil (5L) | £7.00 |
| 1 x Vegetable Oil (1L) | £1.85 |
| 1 x Colman’s Mustard Powder (57g) | £2.30 |
| 1 x Dijon mustard 185g | £0.67 |
| 1 x Coarse grain mustard 165g | £0.67 |
| 1 x Rajah Chilli Powder (100g) | £0.85 |
| 1 x Rajah Garam Masala (100g) | £1.00 |
| 2 x Rajah Garlic Powder (100g) | £2.00 |
| 4 x Smartprice Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Tomato Juice | £1.40 |
| 1 x Pudliszki Tomato Puree (200g) | £0.90 |
| 1 x Smartprice Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce | £0.27 |
| 1 x smart price malt vinegar | £0.35 |
| Packets & Cereals | |
| 1 x Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g) | £0.41 |
| 3 x Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) | £2.10 |
| 3 x Leo Dried Peas with Steeping Tablet (250g) | £2.55 |
| 1 x Long Grain Rice (1Kg) | £0.52 |
| 1 x Thomas Allinson Dried Active Yeast (125g) | £1.50 |
| 3 x Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) | £3.27 |
| 2kg Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar | £2.15 |
| Asda chicken stock cubes (12) | £0.65 |
| 2 x 150g Pumpkin Seeds | £2.40 |
| 1 x Chick Peas (2kg) only 500g needed, but these are less than half the price of a 500g pk | £2.50 |
| 2 x 200g Smartprice Salted Peanuts | £1.08 |
| 1 x Ready Oats (750g) | £2.00 |
| 1 x Smartprice Porridge Oats (1Kg) | £0.90 |
| 1kg Smartprice Raisins | £2.35 |
| Frozen | |
| 1 x Smartprice Peas (907g) | £1.45 |
| Total | £89.93 |
| Monday Breakfast | porridge |
Monday Lunch  | houmous sandwich |
Monday Dinner | bacon onion pudding |
| Tuesday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Tuesday Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwiches |
Tuesday Dinner | chilli |
| Wednesday Breakfast | porridge |
| Wednesday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
Wednesday Dinner | pasta alfredo |
| Thursday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
Thursday Lunch  | peanut and pumpkin seed butter sandwich |
| Thursday Dinner | risi e bisi |
| Friday Breakfast | porridge |
| Friday Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwich |
Friday Dinner | cottage pie |
Saturday Breakfast | nut butter on toast |
Saturday Lunch  | green pea soup |
| Saturday Dinner | home made pizza |
| Sunday Breakfast | porridge |
Sunday Lunch | chicken & onion pie |
| Sunday Dinner | Spicy pea soup |
| Snacks 2 batches of 4 loaves each batch | homemade bread |
| one batch of 17 scones | savoury scones |
one batch of 24 biscuits | raisin biscuits |
| 2 cakes of 16 pieces each | carrot cake |
| one batch of 24 scones | raisin scones |
| one batch of 36 bites | savoury bites |
one batch of 24 scones | tomato scones |
| Shopping List for Meal Plan 1, Week 2 | Jan 2024 Needed at the till |
|---|---|
| Fresh | |
| 2kg onions | £1.98 |
| 1kg carrots | £0.39 |
| 5kg potatoes | £3.50 |
| Dairy | |
| 250g lard | £0.50 |
| 6 pints milk | £2.15 |
| Meat, Fish & Poultry | |
| 2x 500g Asda Smartprice British Beef Mince. Freeze 200g | £4.98 |
| 500g cooking bacon | £1.00 |
| Packets & Cereals | |
| 2 x 1.5kg strong white bread flour | £2.18 |
| 1 kg raisins | £2.35 |
| 1.5kg self raising flour | £0.70 |
| 750g ready oats | £2.00 |
| 4 x Leo dried peas, 250g per pack | £3.40 |
| 2 x 500g pasta shapes | £0.82 |
| 1kg rice | £0.52 |
| Tins, Jars & Cooking | |
| 6 x 400g tins plum tomatoes | £2.10 |
| 400g tin red kidney beans | £0.33 |
| Frozen | |
| 907g peas | £1.45 |
| Total | £30.35 |
Monday Breakfast  | peanut and pumpkin seed nut butter on toast |
| Monday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
| Monday Dinner | bacon onion pudding |
Tuesday Breakfast | porridge |
| Tuesday Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwiches |
| Tuesday Dinner | pasta alfredo |
| Wednesday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Wednesday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
Wednesday Dinner | bean curry |
| Thursday Breakfast | porridge |
| Thursday Lunch | apple curd on toast |
Thursday Dinner | pasta amatriciana |
| Friday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Friday Lunch | tangy bean pate sandwiches |
| Friday Dinner | chilli |
| Saturday Breakfast | porridge |
| Saturday Lunch | spicy pea soup |
| Saturday Dinner | home made pizza |
| Sunday Breakfast | peanut and pumpkin seed butter on toast |
| Sunday Lunch | roast chicken dinner |
Sunday Dinner | butternut squash risotto |
| Snacks 3 batches of 4 loaves each batch | homemade bread |
| one batch of 17 scones | savoury scones |
| one batch of 2 cakes, 16 pieces per cake | carrot cake |
one batch of 24 scones | raisin scones |
| one batch of 36 bites | savoury bites |
| one batch of 24 scones | tomato scones |
| Extras | |
| 1 jar, for 2 weeks | mayonnaise |
| Shopping List for Meal Plan 1, Week 3 | Jan 2024 Needed at the till |
|---|---|
| Fresh | |
| 2kg onions | £1.98 |
| 1kg carrots | £0.39 |
| 5kg potatoes | £3.50 |
| Dairy | |
| 500g lard | £1.00 |
| Meat, Fish & Poultry | |
| 500g beef mince | £2.49 |
| Packets & Cereals | |
| 3 x 1.5kg strong white bread flour | £3.27 |
| 2.5kg raisins | £3.60 |
| 750g ready oats | £2.00 |
| 1 x 250g Leo dried peas | £0.85 |
| 1kg pasta shapes | £0.41 |
| 1kg rice | £0.52 |
| 125g dried yeast | £1.50 |
| 1kg porridge oats | £0.90 |
| 2 x 200g salted peanuts | £1.08 |
| Tins, Jars & Cooking | |
| 7 x 400g plum tomatoes | £2.45 |
| 2 x 400g red kidney beans | £0.66 |
| 142g tomato puree | £0.75 |
| 2 x 420g baked beans | £.54 |
| Frozen | |
| 907g peas | £1.45 |
| Total | £25.56 |
Monday Breakfast  | porridge |
| Monday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
| Monday Dinner | risi e bisi |
| Tuesday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Tuesday Lunch | peanut and pumpkin seed nut butter sandwich |
Tuesday Dinner | veggie burgers |
| Wednesday Breakfast | porridge |
| Wednesday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
| Wednesday Dinner | pasta carbonara |
| Thursday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
Thursday Lunch  | lunchtime pateCan't stand liver? See the post for an alternative |
| Thursday Dinner | spanish omelette |
| Friday Breakfast | porridge |
| Friday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
| Friday Dinner | bean curry |
| Saturday Breakfast | breakfast pancakes |
| Lunch | potato and onion soup |
| Saturday Dinner | onion tart |
| Sunday Breakfast | porridge |
| Sunday Lunch | spicy pea soup |
| Sunday Dinner | chicken & onion pie |
Snacks 3 batches of 4 loaves | homemade bread |
| 1 batch of 2 cakes - 16 pieces per cake | carrot cake |
| 1 batch of 24 scones | tomato scones |
| 1 batch of 24 scones | raisin scones |
| one batch of 17 scones | savoury scones |
| one batch of 36 bites | savoury bites |
| one batch of 24 biscuits | raisin biscuits |
| Shopping List for Meal Plan 1, Week Four | Jan 2024 Needed at the till |
|---|---|
| Fresh | |
| 2kg onion | £1.98 |
| 1kg carrots | £0.39 |
| 4 lemons | £1.00 |
| Dairy | |
| 500g lard | £1.00 |
| Meat, Fish & Poultry | |
| 500g pigs liver | £1.44 |
| Packets & Cereals | |
| 2 x 1.5kg bread flour | £2.18 |
| 2 x 750g ready oats | £1.50 |
| 1kg rice | £0.52 |
| Tins, Jars & Cooking | |
| 4 x 400g cans red kidney beans | £1.32 |
| 2 x 400g baked beans | £0.54 |
| Frozen | |
| 907g peas | £1.45 |
| Total | £13.32 |
| Monday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Monday Lunch | lunchtime pate sandwich Can't stand liver? See the post for an alternative |
| Monday Dinner | veggie burgers |
| Tuesday Breakfast | porridge |
| Tuesday Lunch | houmous sandwich |
| Tuesday Dinner | cottage pie |
| Wednesday Breakfast | apple curd on toast |
| Wednesday Lunch | lunchtime pate |
| Wednesday Dinner | cottage pie |
| Thursday Breakfast | porridge |
| Thursday Lunch | apple curd on toast |
| Thursday Dinner | pasta amatriciana |
No shopping required this week, the remaining items to the end of the month were bought last week.
Why Not Try....?
Green Pea Soup
cheap family recipes feed a family of 4 for (just over) £100 a monthGreen Pea SoupChange the peas to other veg, or a mixture, whatever you have Why Not Try....?Before putting together our meal planners we surveyed over 600 people to ask when faced...
Fruity Scones
cheap family recipes feed a family of 4 for (just over) £100 a monthFruity Scones There is 15p per person, per day, allocated in the given budget for the month for fruit. This isn't much and you will need to shop carefully if you want to stick with...
Fruity Pancakes
cheap family recipesfeed a family of 4 for (just over) £100 a monthFruity Pancakes Why Not Try....?Before putting together our meal planners we surveyed over 600 people to ask when faced with a tighter budget, which things they...
Take care of your family and your budget
Before putting together our meal planners we surveyed over 600 people to ask when faced with a tighter budget, which things they would struggle to give up.