Hats off, Jane - and Mike; taking the time and making the effort to help someone outside of their usual parameter of a weekly frugal food video. It speaks to the quality of your hearts.
Massive respect to the person who is struggling for reaching out. Too many people bury their head in the sand, say "oh, i'll do something about it next week / month", or regardless of thier situation, keep spending or take out credit to pay for things. Hopefully with Jane's suggestions things will start getting better for them.
Hi Jane, I got the job! Now I get payed monthly your advice will help me and my two boys. Things are always going to be very tight as l don’t make a lot but I’m grateful that I have a chance of supporting my family though our grief of my husband and their dad. He was always a very proud man hard working and self reliant, hopefully he would be proud of us. When struggling with day to day tasks I think of what he would do. I don’t like the quiet times and put your videos on for company thanks for your friendly voice. When having a bad day our go to tea is cheese toastie and tomatoe soup a idea that I got from you. My husband enjoyed them for his Sunday tea. 🥰
When I first got married, I didn't have a fridge, and the shops were a bus ride away. I didn't want to waste the little money we had on bus fares so my husband would come with me on a Saturday morning shopping. I would only buy a small amount of fresh food for fear of it going off. I bought everything in tins, even potatoes. Our diet was very limited, as was our money. I'm eighty now, so it didn't do me any harm. It's ok for people to say "well that's not a good diet", but like you said, Jane, "it's perfectly adequate."
I m slightly younger than you, and faced some of the same struggles . In a perfect world we would all have a fresh well balanced diet, but my priority has always been full tummies and meals everyone would eat and enjoy - so no wasted food. I’ve always found having various herbs and spices to liven things up helps, they cheap also and can buy one a week, garlic powder, onion powder, mixed herbs, paprika, salt and pepper are the main ones I think x
These are wonderful suggestions. Another idea I’d suggest is to boil a few eggs on a weekend when there’s a little more time, then combining an egg, a piece of fruit, and 2 ounces of cheese for breakfast or a light lunch.
You, Jane, are a great teacher! You have a way of breaking down concepts and explaining them that is so refreshing. Thank you. The first thing I would say to the person who contacted you or anyone who has reached out is CONGRATULATIONS for taking an action to improve your situation. The first step is usually the hardest.
I’m not going to knock any of your suggestions Jane, very sensible. My tip would be to buy the strongest cheddar then you don’t need to use as much 😊. Xx
I’m a single person household. I’m also away from home 11 hours a day with a long commute. don’t like to cook much these days. Sandwiches, canned soup, eggs cooked in the microwave. You can combine canned veggies and beans to make a decent soup. Toasted sandwiches in the air fryer. Whatever fresh fruit is cheapest (apples, banana)? Yogurt? One pot pasta - boil as much noodles/pasta as you need for one meal. Halfway through cooking time, add frozen veggies. I like green peas, but broccoli works, too. Or whatever else you like. When done, drain everything. Toss with oil, butter/margarine. Add salt/pepper or grated cheese. I also like to microwave a couple of potatoes. I eat with lots of butter and salt/pepper. Add whatever toppings you like.
One of our go to meals is a spicy chicken wrap. 3 chicken nuggets, shredded lettuce or red cabbage, wholemeal wrap, mayo and some hot sauce. Really cheap, really filling and I don’t think it’s unhealthy. We just add some oven chips
This is brilliant. I too live alone, and I'm exhausted all the time but from medical conditions. my most used appliance is my $10 personal size 2cup ricecooker. I can make almost anything in it from a frittata to cake. If they were going to save for one new kitchen appliance that is what i would pick. And i wrote down their shopping list to use in November so thank you so very much for your non-judgmental care for us solo exhausted people ❤❤❤
Have a rice cooker. Not to fond of white or brown rice. My twist is packaged flavoured rice I prepare in the skillet. Will help out with a first meal. The rest in the fridge. The next morning I will make white rice, when cool, mix it with the flavoured rice, portion and freeze off some. Flavoured rice is a bit too strong for my tastes. Also, I sometimes make 4-5 eggs in the rice cooker. This makes up great boiled eggs. I need to watch the time because after 20 minutes, my rice cooker does not shut off and switch automatically to the warm function. Sure would like to try making a cake in it.
@jennyeagan1840 Totally agree. Rice is absolutely not the only thing a rice cooker can do. Although my roommate in college was Korean so we ate alot of rice. I have seared meat, I have sautéed vegetables, I have baked, I have steamed (just get a metal strainer and suspend it over water in the ricemaker) and it definitely boils eggs. I think we could make a cookbook using a ricemaker and gift this young person a ricemaker with said "I survived college with only a ricemaker" cookbook.
After bills are paid, I live on £340 per month. I love your 'It's not perfect but it's perfectly adequate' message! You also liberated me from the 'I have to cook a proper meal each night.' scenario. I am opposite to your correspondant, I am a good cook but I have put a check on mysrlf and put less pressure on myself. A baked potato with tuna or beans or the remains of a curry sauce or spag bol on it is a perfectly adequate meal! After all, here in the UK, it is an option on most pub/ cafe menus!😂
A couple of slices of toast and peanut butter (if you like peanut butter and can eat it) makes a tasty, cheap, filling, and nutritious breakfast. It’s one of my go-to meals.
When I retired from being a teacher, the biggest shock was going from 2 paychecks to 1. Besides being much less money, it was terrifying to pay my fixed expenses and then see what was left for the rest of the month. Even though it's been several years, you had some great tips I had not thought of. I've sent this video to my email to watch again, with a pen and paper to take notes!!
I'm in the U.S. Retired and living on $1,200 a month. Share a home with 4 adults. My monthly food allowance/budget is $150-200 a month. Full kitchen with standard appliances. I'm thankful for that. Cooking is mandatory.
I love what you said about something maybe not being perfect, but it's perfectly adequate. That's great encouragement! It's possible to start right where you are and work your way up with what you have available. So often I find myself giving up on doing better when I can't do it perfectly - but better is definitely better than not at all!!!
When I was working full time and attending college, I made a lot of meals using a packet of boil in bag rice and pouring either a can/tin of heated chili , or canned beef stew or condensed soup such beef barley ( don’t add the water called for, just heat up the contents). Makes a quick meal when you are tired. Use the same technique with a baked potato instead of rice. I also keep a bag of frozen pre cooked chicken breasts or chicken tenders; just heat up in microwave or air fryer and add to a serving of bagged salad. Also I’m 60 and love chicken nuggets on occasion! No judgement here!
@@katworkstowander9853 Yes those bagged rices are so versatile. 2 bags of these and one tin of Lidl vegetable chilli does me 2 nights quick meals in the microwave for under £2. So handy to have in. 🤗
Loved this video, and especially how sensitive you are to different individuals' strengths/abilities when it comes to food and cooking. I am priviledged enough to have many kitchen conveniences and the ability to cook from scratch, so I make a very low food budget work. But it's important for us all to remember not everyone is able to cook from scratch all the time. I thought your ideas were genius and I am sure they will help more than just that follower you were helping. One of my easy go-to cheap meals when I don't feel like really cooking is I'll throw a potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes. In that time, I can heat up a can of beans on the stove and then I put the beans on the potato and eat whatever fresh fruit or veg I happen to have in the fridge that week. It's inexpensive, fills me up, and like your phrase "Perfectly Adequate". 💖
Whenever i see heavy whipping cream on clearance, i buy them all and make butter in the food processor! Half liter cream (very cold) will make almost half kilo of butter. I have a hard time finding unsalted butter here in Slovenia, so i make my own. For 3 euro, i make almost 2 kilo of butter! Wrap in small portions, place in freezer, and i have for a long time!
I think that was brilliant sensible advice for a time poor person starting out on shopping/eating/cooking frugally to save money. Over time they can learn how to cook and then batch cook and then cook from scratch and so on. We all started somewhere and it took us time to get there. Another great video Jane 🙂
First off...hats off to this person for being pro active and reaching out! It's hard to stretch the money..but it can be done. I'm always amazed that when I'm dreading making food that it takes way less time then what I'm expecting. Simple meals with left overs has gotten me through many days of meals. You don't have to be a chef to make healthy, filling meals. Try your best! You can do this!! You've taken the first step by reaching out to Jane! Keep going!!
I'm a long time subscriber, I always appreciate your content but, gosh, how good you are on this specific format ! I would advise you to pursue this as a serie : adress someone's situation with a "how to". Lot's of very precious tips and a really nice respect I specifically appreciated. Well done !
Excellent ideas! And I appreciate how you kept it real. This persn can improve their diet when their finances improve. In the meantime your food plan is not just adequate, its brilliant!
What a wonderful video! I’m so glad that person reached out to you and Mike. This makes perfect sense as a “starting point” and it’s the first video like it that I’ve seen. I wish this person the best of success moving forward and I hope that they feel encouraged as they make progress! ❤
I totally feel for the person you have helped - I too struggle to cook from scratch when I get home. I suffer with insomnia, and this is compounded by the fatigue of perimenopause. I tend to boil a few days worth of pasta and keep it in the fridge and can make things more quickly when i get home. An omelette is a good quick option
I do the same thing except I switch up the carb. One week it's pasta, next week it's rice and another week it will be potatoes. SO many meal options for each one.
Personally I think you delivered this perfectly. While addressing the individual and bless you for helping them, you managed to deliver your content to be applicable to all.
I love your comment about meeting people where they are at. On paper I have many good things going for me, but when you add in my health problems it adds the complication that I come home and I’m lucky to get food in my face before my brain shuts off completely…then before I know it I have to be out to door for work. There’s never any leisure time. I have no evenings, ever. No knitting, no phoning a friend, no doing a jigsaw, bit of cleaning. Having a bath, getting stuff ready for the morning, doing exercise, putting on some washing sorting life admin, …..none of this is going to happen. It makes life incredibly difficult. And the resentment regarding all the energy going on work and none on me is unreal. Your compassion about just being adequate is very helpful. There’s a great RUclips channel called retro Claud, who has the phrase, ‘good. Better, best’ when talking about crafting with chronic illness that I’ve found very helpful. I think the same applies here with the food.
In 2010 we lost our home and business in the collapse of northern rock and the subsequent “credit crunch”. I found Janes blog as it was at time and followed all of the suggestions she makes here. It took years of this and we were able to buy a home again in 2017. My whole financial self was transformed by then and to this day I still meal plan, budget, cook from scratch and make own lunches etc. Just as she says here the more you do it, the easier it gets and actually becomes enjoyable. Good luck to the viewer that needed this support. ❤
what a great video. i find a lot of people think a meal has to be this elaborate something. that they have took cook constantly. they don't really think that it can just be something to fill bellies or just even one thing for your meal. i just look at people at say.. haven't you just had a sandwich? have you just had a piece of chicken? a hard boiled egg when you don't want to cook. just something to not be hungry? when i was little we ate the same thing every day of the week. saturday there was some difference but sunday was the day my mom cooked. we had something different every sunday. its ok to not do elaborate things. its ok to do elaborate things. thank you for helping this person! i love your heart and your willigness to help others. its one of the reasons i love your channel.
I like how you validate the many reasons one can find meals and grocery shopping a challenge. You're one of the first I've ever heard mention the cost of a freezer and other things. Well done for having heart.
Takes me back! Egg Fried Rice: scramble an egg, half pouch rice and frozen diced veg, soy sauce. Fish Cakes: tinned tuna, instant mash make into cakes and fry, serve with frozen veg. Another one I used to do is soup from reduced price veg - blitz with cream or milk or tinned pulses and have with bread
I bought a case of almond milk shelf stable for a month. I buy hot dogs, tuna, rice, beans, eggs. I can eat from my pantry for a month. I make egg salad. Rice with milk, cream of wheat, oatmeal.
This is a great video, full of sound advice. As a teacher, I have always gotten paid once a month and have plenty of experience making that paycheck stretch. I love your "It is perfectly adequate." We don't have to be perfect, as you said; we just have to be fed. Many of the commenters also have some good suggestions. I always enjoy when we can learn from each other. Blessings to you for helping this person, and blessings to them for the courage to reach out.
Decades ago when I was a graduate student, had a very small stipend, had never cooked for myself, had only a hot plate to cook on, and only one pot to cook in, I came up with this system: 1. Pick a carb: pasta, rice, potatoes - 1 cup in 2 cups water with a bouillon cube of choice. Cook and set aside. 2. Pick a can of beans: white, black, pinto, lentil, whatever! (I eat little meat, then or now, but if you feel the need for meat, add whatever you have). 3. Pick a can of vegetables ( if you have a refrigerator, frozen are better) 4. Add a can of diced tomatoes. 4. Pick an international flavor and add a teaspoon ( or more) of the following spices: Italian: mixed italian herbs (or just oregano), garlic powder, dried onion Mexican: chili powder, cumin, garlic Indian: curry powder, ginger Or look up your favorite ethnic food and see what spices they use. Combine all except the carb, simmer, and then serve it over or mix in the carb. Can be ready in less than 30 minutes, makes 4 good-sized portions which can be served with bread or salad or eaten as an all-in-one meal. Take leftovers for lunch or eat on a later day. Now that I can cook, I still eat this, but with mostly fresh ingredients. But for a beginner, the “pick a can” method is quick and easy.
Thanks for watching. The advice I gave was based on what the person would eat and could could as they have no cooking equipment such as knives, chopping board, peelers ect.
I really appreciate hearing realistic advice for someone who doesn't have a lot of time or ability/interest in cooking. Too often people in that situation are held in judgement or told to do things that simply won't work for them in the stage of life they're in. Thank you for a kind and humane respone!
Thank you Jane and Mike for this video that this does not ONLY apply to the scenario you mentioned but to some of us that have had to make adjustments by using my crockpot IF I know I will be unable to or not not have energy to cook something from scratch. IF I do not have canned ingredients to put something in a pot at the last minute. A crockpot is a great investment one can purchase or ask a wish item. I make sure I cook a vegetable soup after I clearing out my fridge before I have items replaced or donated by my neighbors, family or other means because I can always add protein if needed (optional, add vegetables after the meat is cooked to one’s consistency or by the safety guidelines!!! Please keep these types of videos coming. Note: I would love to donate funds to purchase a crockpot for your subscriptor!!!
Wonderful suggestions Jane! I started cooking meals for my elderly parents recently. Some things I've done to keep it inexpensive and easy are: buy a rotisserie chicken and dice up the meat for recipes. The chicken can be frozen flat to break off small amounts as you need it. You can get tortillas and grated cheese to make easy chicken quesadillas in less than 5 minutes. I usually cook up extras to freeze. Pop one into the microwave for a minute to heat it up again. It's great for when my teenage son is wanting to grab something to eat. Add a little of the diced chicken and some cabbage salad mix with cilantro in it, to a cup of instant ramen. It gives it a lovely fresh texture, and you won't feel like your eating cheap ramen. Make a huge batch of a dump and go soup. I did a cheesy potato corn chowder to use up some canned foods. 5 minutes of prep work, but lots of servings. If you feel up to it, make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce to freeze in quart or gallon sized ziplock containers. (If you need to, you can buy the veggies and Italian sausage already cooked.) For an easy meal, defrost and heat it in the microwave, or on the stove. Boil some noodles and dinner is done. Take any leftover pasta and sauce, put it in a baking pan, and add cheese for a new meal to bake in a day or two, or freeze it for another time. I made copycat Starbucks egg bites for my step-dad. With eggs, cottage cheese, diced veggies, and a splash of milk. Mix and pour into muffin molds or a baking pan and top with cheese and bake. I let them cool and popped them into a ziplock bag to freeze. He takes out one or 2 and microwaves it when he wants one. On a super busy night, I have used single serve frozen fried rice. Cook it, and add a scrambled egg, and/or the frozen diced chicken to the rice. The egg is done by the time the rice is out of the microwave. I also make breakfast burritos, or breakfast bowls out of breakfast leftovers. It's a quick grab and go. Or just buy them at the store.
Thanks to you Jane and Mike I started an emergency fund and using sinking funds. I now have a months worth of money in my emergency fund and savings for things like car maintenance, vet bills, DIY, medical bills. I am on a low wage but did a little at a time consistently, automated as much as I could. It works. Also nice to see Mike!
To the viewer who wrote in to Jane: you can do a lot just with a microwave and your air fryer. Can of tomato soup in the microwave with a toasted cheese sandwich in air fryer. Microwave a packet of rice and pour a can of a chunky type soup over that. You would probably get two meals out of that. Here in the US, you can find pouches of cooked, diced chicken near the tuna. Use the chicken pouches to make chicken salad for sandwiches. A ham steak will also give you ham salad. I would suggest searching on the internet for microwave recipes. I do a lot with the microwave myself (single, long commute, don’t like to cook much). Hope this helps.
Great advice! I am too tired at night to make a big meal. I cook really simple stuff. Then I clean up, which is more work. I am too tired to make my own lunch at night. In the morning, I often grab 4 things to bring to work for lunch- a yogurt, a fresh apple, an instant oatmeal packet, and some peanuts in a little tupperware container. I have access to water, a mug, and a microwave at work, so I can make the oatmeal there. The beauty of this lunch is there is no clean-up. I just replenish the container of nuts when I get home. Sometimes I bring a can of soup and a large mug to work. At lunch, I open the can, put the soup in the mug, microwave the soup, and throw the can out at work. (I do need to wash the mug afterward, but it is still a pretty easy lunch). I only get 20 minutes for lunch, so everything needs to be quick and easy. I hope this helps. On really crazy days, when stopping for fast food is completely unavoidable, I choose the cheapest item that has protein. A cheeseburger or McChicken (no fries, no drink). A sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. (no coffee) A taco or bean burrito (again, no drink) A six inch sub sandwich with just cheese and vegetables. It would be better if I didn't stop for fast food at all, but if I do decide that it is necessary, I choose cheap items with protein.
When we were raising our family there was a period I switched to grocery shopping only once a month. For sure I had to be determined not to use up all the ‘best’ things early in the month, but it kept me from being in the grocery stores weekly or biweekly so it kept me from the impulse purchases that did my budget in. I was totally surprised to find it cut my grocery budget almost in half! 🇨🇦
Well done Jane! This has been an excellent and very informative video. Having always been fairly frugal, all my life, I have gone up a gear since the summer when I got a state pension. The money comes in four weekly, rather than monthly. Its taken 2 or 3 months to adjust to a way of working out my finances accordingly. And in December, I will get 2 payments,but I will have to be very careful to put it into a savings account until I need it. One just can never take one's eye off the ball!!!
Your advice is great. I wish I had followed it when I was younger in college with only a hot pot and as a young mother with little money. Anyway I do think it is wiser to spend on all the needs upfront to have less anxiety throughout the month then to spend too much without really knowing what you will really need to make it through the month because you are anxious about not making through the month. There is light at the end of the tunnel because now I am middle-aged and have a good size pantry, chest freezer, kitchen stuff, and skills. It took decades but with Jane's advice this person will have a head start.
Having easy to make food in the freezer is smart! Chicken nugget ,fries,raviolis are all quick and easy and saves from take away ( which usually isn’t that healthy either!)
I don't know if you guys have crockpots or slow cookers over they, but that is such a great way to have a meal ready when you get home from work. Then you can just warm it up for a couple more meals. I also used to do batch cooking on the weekend..saves a ton of effort during the week..
Such brilliant advice guys! When I lived on my own I over a few months built up an emergency end of month box. I used to restock it at the beginning of each month where need be. It had in it ( this is for a few years ago ) a £20 note, some tinned meals , a few toilet rolls. sachets of sugar / ketchup/ salt pepper / shampoo/ womens toiletries , some plasters and paracetamol, a few tea bags and uht milk, sewing kit, a chocolate bar. And you can sure bet I dipped in that box every month on the last few days. It just really helped me survive till pay day.
Really enjoyed that, thankyou 😊 My son budgeted just £20 a week for fresh food when he was at uni but i did send him with lots of supplies. Rice, pasta tins etc so he had a ready made pantry. He really impressed me with his cooking of basic meals ( lots of questions but thats how we learn !) His meals were quite repetitive but adequate .
I can relate to this person a lot! One thing I used to have often when I was out the house for 10hours a day would be 1/2 pouch of microwave rice, 100g steamed veg and either chicken strips made with 100% chicken breast or another form of protein and mix it all together with some sweet chilli sauce. It took maximum 10mins to do (microwave steamer for veg, bacon/nuggets or whatever meat in the air fryer)often convenience was a must to just have something
I think it was an excellent video and so nice of you of you to reach out to this person to give advice and help. People need to quit judging people who are in a hard place and reaching out for help. There but by the grace of God you may stand in their shoes one day and you will find adequate is a great thing
Excellent video! You have made some great suggestions that all of your viewers can use. You have taught me to use up what I have. Sometimes I am not in the mood to eat what I have but then motivation to not spend more money convinces me that I can eat what is perfectly adequate in my freezer or pantry. I talk myself of NOT going to the market all the time.
Hi Jane and Mike, great content. Even I am learning a number of things. Shout out to the person who asked for help, I think quite a number of us benefited from your advice. Would be nice to know how the person is getting on from time to time.
Same. Low income. Bills go out soon as money comes in. Savings go away also soon as my money comes in. No car so I do a months shop online. I include a couple of pizzas in lieu of a take away night. Instead of making one shepherds pie I make 4 and freeze them. Instead of making a lasagne I make a double size so the next night it’s quick to pop in microwave. Lots of small things add up to big savings. Then all I buy on a weekly basis for the second half of the month is bread milk and sometimes salad or fresh veg.
Great video, great advice. And a wonderful shopping list to start with. I think I will try your way and see how it goes. Really love this video. Good job…and thank you..
Oh what a great video Jane in Michael! This is absolutely what we needed to talk about: the budget of a person who does not like to cook, can’t cook, works a lot and is tired from transportation. Millions of people, whether or not they have been educated by their parents to frugality, are in this case. In our family, among our friends, we all know these people who need your advice. This video is great! Thank you!
Some great advice there Jane. I often slot in some of the meals you suggested which over the course of a month, does make a difference in keeping food costs down. 😃🤗
My tip is to buy oatmeal as it's healthy and inexpensive. I add half a banana, some nuts, peanut butter or whatever I'm in the mood for. 90 seconds in the microwave and breakfast is ready!
This was me just a few years ago! Something that helped me a lot was investing in a small cooler to serve as a lunch bucket. Into the bottom went a frozen container of soup or a frozen bag of cooked rice. On top of that, a yogurt, some fruit, tuna and crackers, or an egg salad sandwich. By the time I got home the frozen food was thawed and I could finish warming it up in the microwave. I am a pescatarian, so the frozen stuff never contained meat, fwiw. I just found your channel and am looking forward to watching more videos, thanks for sharing your expertise!
Great list. I would add a big bag of apples wash them all and they would be ready to go in a packed lunch. I used to make a week's worth of sandwiches on a Sunday and put 4 lots in the freezer. If you take them out in the morning they have defrosted by lunchtime. Also add a jar of jam. A slice of bread and jam when you get in from work will stop you craving a takeaway till you get round to cooking something.
I would consider adding a big bag of carrots, too. Eat them as a snack, peel them and then continue peeling ... right into your ramen bowl, add the noodles and flavours and water, voilà. You could add some pre-cut cabbage and have a pre-boiled egg! Makes the ramen a little bit more healthy and much more filling!
I ❤ this video. You could have been talking about the kind of food that we eat. I’m not a very good cook and when I do cook from scratch and it turns out to be a disaster/disappointing or on occasion utterly disgusting I always get upset about the money and food that has been wasted. There is absolutely nothing wrong with frozen food (if you have the space in the freezer) it lasts for ages and you can use exactly the amount you need. It’s ok to have a bowl of porridge and a mug of tea for your breakfast everyday. It’s ok to have a bowl of soup (from a tin) with a slice of bread, maybe a sprinkle of cheese and an apple for your lunch. It’s ok to come home from school and have some toast and a mug of hot squash to see little bellies through til teatime. It’s ok to have frozen sausages, mashed spuds and frozen veggies for tea, followed by (if you’re lucky) some tinned fruit and tinned custard. I wish there were more ‘real’ budget friendly cooking shows, the type with proper easy, hearty, unfussy, unfancy family meals on a realistic budget. I want food that’s easy, quick to prepare, will fill the bellies of my family and not require us to sell a kidney to afford! Xxx
First off well done to the person reaching out to you. It can be really scary telling someone else whats going on in your life . Second congratulations Jane and Mike on a very informative , very helpful video. I don't think there will be a person watching this who doesn't take something from it. Thirdly I REALLLLY want some chicken nuggets NOW 😮😮
Thank you for these very helpful tips. I think all of us watching are a bit fearful of the future economy, so planning ahead using your advice makes So much sense. 💓
Love your perfectly adequate sratement. People do not realize how spoiled for choice they are today. Mum was a good cook and planned meals on a seasonal rotation from what was available in season and the garden. But beans on toast still made a regular appearance. Dessert was often a tin fruit with tinned milk or jam on leftover yorkshire. People have been seduced by all the fancy cooking shows and magazines to think they deserve 5 star dining every night.
Great advice Jane, very helpful not only to the person who contacted you but also to your other followers..you truly are a very caring person and they have certainly contacted the right personto help. 😊❤
I buy green onions (scallions) and multicoloured sweet peppers on payday. I chop them up and store them in freezer bags in the freezer, they don’t take up much room. I find a handful adds so much flavour and colour to omelets, soup, rice, ramen. It just tastes good and the prep is minimal.
Such a great video. I feel their pain working and being away from home 12 hours a day leaves you with little to no energy for anything else and having a small budget to feed yourself on top of that to fuel yourself is a very hard situation. Great ideas here for anyone a single person working or like me I am working opposite shifts than my spouse and have limited time in the evening doing homework, dinner, and sports with my children. Eating at home will always be better than eating out for both health and finances and I’m working to do better with that as well.
Good advice Jane. I can cook and have all the kitchen tools, but yes before retirement there were times I would come home starving and tired. Frozen mirepoix saved me. I would use it in soup, spaghetti sauce chilli,etc. Mirepoix, dried lentils, tinned tomatoes, water and seasonings make good soup. Throw it all in a pot no cooking skills required. That was often my supper with toast or crackers. I learned to prepare batches of food I liked on Sundays and Wednesdays (days off). None of us start out with many cooking skills, unless our mothers taught us. I was an avid cookbook reader when first on my own, now I google recipes based on ingredients in the fridge. There was definitely a time when frozen fish fingers were a weekly staple.
See, this is why I love your channel. You are never judgemental, always talk about how everyone’s situation is different and give good solid practical advice. You never shame people, are not polarizing and you have a good sense of humor. You deserve a million subscribers!
Brilliant video. It is a strange thing, that you will find a way to learn new ways, when you are ready. Pain has driven me to learn many new and better ways. I love the book, America's Cheapest Family, as a written form of the things you are teaching on this channel. Thanks for helping all who come with great ideas that really work.
Sometimes in the winter you just want a mug of soup. My go to is a vegetable stock cube with 2 tablespoons tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce. Makes 2 mugs and very cheap and satisfying.
Overnight oats is a cheap and tasty breakfast; no cooking required and can be made up in a jar/ box and put into the fridge the night before, then taken to work in the morning. Plenty of cheap recipes of it on internet, to be honest you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want with the ingredients you choose to use. Great thought provoking video, thank you.
Thank you Jane and Mike fantastic video and life saving advice, could I add another quick meal idea please I recently had to feed an elderly relative very quickly, I took 200g of mince fried it, mixed in a cheap shepherds pie packet mix a handful of frozen peas and topped up with boiling water, added salt and pepper simmered for 20 mins then with 2 packets of 2 minutes microwave rice, it’s all made 3 meals and was delicious went down a treat👍
I love love love this video Jane. It’s so easy to assume that everyone is starting from the same point as you be it skills, finances, support or even just energy. Meeting people where they are at without judgement or shaming is so important, life changing even.
If you like ground coffee a cafetière mug is worth buying. My husband takes his insulated cafetière mug, a vacuum flask of hot water, a recycled bottle for milk and a little jar of ground coffee to work every day. It’s nice that he can have good cups of fresh coffee. If someone has an oven you can buy packages of ready to bake rolls and baguettes that have a long shelf life. Not sure if they can be baked in an air fryer as I don’t have one. We have a tin of soup each and a toastie or sandwich every Saturday as my husband works Saturdays, we’re tired and it takes the stress off and we can relax a bit.
Beautiful advice jane...I too could use some of those....I am a frugal person live living that way...as a widow now very much more... Hopefully this person would learn by the grace of the Creator....bless you and the person as as well ....stay safe and happy always ❤
I am a single mom with a full time job, and I just started on my masters degree. Which means I have very little time to cook for me and my children, so this video helped me a lot, thank you!! 🤗🤗
Hats off, Jane - and Mike; taking the time and making the effort to help someone outside of their usual parameter of a weekly frugal food video. It speaks to the quality of your hearts.
@@LauraMacMillan-el2kc thanks Laura
Good idea for tinned chili or beef stew. Served over ramen noodles or rice it could last for 2 days.
Amazing video and awesome suggestions!! Great job Jane and Mike
Wow.. Im pleasantly suprised... The commenters are being nice! 😮😂❤ thanks Jane and Mike you helped me reel in my food budget.... Grocery buget.
Massive respect to the person who is struggling for reaching out. Too many people bury their head in the sand, say "oh, i'll do something about it next week / month", or regardless of thier situation, keep spending or take out credit to pay for things.
Hopefully with Jane's suggestions things will start getting better for them.
@@Helen-c1n thanks Helen
Hi Jane, I got the job! Now I get payed monthly your advice will help me and my two boys. Things are always going to be very tight as l don’t make a lot but I’m grateful that I have a chance of supporting my family though our grief of my husband and their dad. He was always a very proud man hard working and self reliant, hopefully he would be proud of us. When struggling with day to day tasks I think of what he would do. I don’t like the quiet times and put your videos on for company thanks for your friendly voice. When having a bad day our go to tea is cheese toastie and tomatoe soup a idea that I got from you. My husband enjoyed them for his Sunday tea. 🥰
I wish you all the best
It sounds like your doing brilliantly, and soup and sandwich for dinner is great xx
Thank you for your kind words 🥰
You’re doing brilliantly. Sending hugs 🤗 ❤x
❤❤❤ hugs and prayers! And yes, I believe your husband is proud of you ❤
When I first got married, I didn't have a fridge, and the shops were a bus ride away. I didn't want to waste the little money we had on bus fares so my husband would come with me on a Saturday morning shopping. I would only buy a small amount of fresh food for fear of it going off. I bought everything in tins, even potatoes. Our diet was very limited, as was our money. I'm eighty now, so it didn't do me any harm. It's ok for people to say "well that's not a good diet", but like you said, Jane, "it's perfectly adequate."
Thank you
I m slightly younger than you, and faced some of the same struggles . In a perfect world we would all have a fresh well balanced diet, but my priority has always been full tummies and meals everyone would eat and enjoy - so no wasted food. I’ve always found having various herbs and spices to liven things up helps, they cheap also and can buy one a week, garlic powder, onion powder, mixed herbs, paprika, salt and pepper are the main ones I think x
These are wonderful suggestions. Another idea I’d suggest is to boil a few eggs on a weekend when there’s a little more time, then combining an egg, a piece of fruit, and 2 ounces of cheese for breakfast or a light lunch.
@@MadScientistCrochet thanks for watching
In my opinion, this is one of the most important videos you've ever made.
Thanks for your reply
They are taking steps towards their goals. Thats what matters. Very kind of you to help them out with a solid plan!
@@thisbettieluvsflower thanks very much
You, Jane, are a great teacher! You have a way of breaking down concepts and explaining them that is so refreshing. Thank you. The first thing I would say to the person who contacted you or anyone who has reached out is CONGRATULATIONS for taking an action to improve your situation. The first step is usually the hardest.
You are so welcome!
Massive Respect to you for helping this person, and to the person reaching out and asking for help.
I’m not going to knock any of your suggestions Jane, very sensible. My tip would be to buy the strongest cheddar then you don’t need to use as much 😊. Xx
Same with coffee. Buy the darkest roast and use less per pot.
@@lemonteapot1061 great tip
Was going to say the same about coffee!
I’m a single person household. I’m also away from home 11 hours a day with a long commute. don’t like to cook much these days. Sandwiches, canned soup, eggs cooked in the microwave. You can combine canned veggies and beans to make a decent soup. Toasted sandwiches in the air fryer. Whatever fresh fruit is cheapest (apples, banana)? Yogurt? One pot pasta - boil as much noodles/pasta as you need for one meal. Halfway through cooking time, add frozen veggies. I like green peas, but broccoli works, too. Or whatever else you like. When done, drain everything. Toss with oil, butter/margarine. Add salt/pepper or grated cheese. I also like to microwave a couple of potatoes. I eat with lots of butter and salt/pepper. Add whatever toppings you like.
One of our go to meals is a spicy chicken wrap. 3 chicken nuggets, shredded lettuce or red cabbage, wholemeal wrap, mayo and some hot sauce. Really cheap, really filling and I don’t think it’s unhealthy. We just add some oven chips
Sounds lovely
This is brilliant. I too live alone, and I'm exhausted all the time but from medical conditions. my most used appliance is my $10 personal size 2cup ricecooker. I can make almost anything in it from a frittata to cake. If they were going to save for one new kitchen appliance that is what i would pick. And i wrote down their shopping list to use in November so thank you so very much for your non-judgmental care for us solo exhausted people
❤❤❤
Thanks for sharing
Have a rice cooker. Not to fond of white or brown rice. My twist is packaged flavoured rice I prepare in the skillet. Will help out with a first meal. The rest in the fridge. The next morning I will make white rice, when cool, mix it with the flavoured rice, portion and freeze off some. Flavoured rice is a bit too strong for my tastes. Also, I sometimes make 4-5 eggs in the rice cooker. This makes up great boiled eggs. I need to watch the time because after 20 minutes, my rice cooker does not shut off and switch automatically to the warm function. Sure would like to try making a cake in it.
@jennyeagan1840 Totally agree. Rice is absolutely not the only thing a rice cooker can do. Although my roommate in college was Korean so we ate alot of rice. I have seared meat, I have sautéed vegetables, I have baked, I have steamed (just get a metal strainer and suspend it over water in the ricemaker) and it definitely boils eggs. I think we could make a cookbook using a ricemaker and gift this young person a ricemaker with said "I survived college with only a ricemaker" cookbook.
After bills are paid, I live on £340 per month. I love your 'It's not perfect but it's perfectly adequate' message! You also liberated me from the 'I have to cook a proper meal each night.' scenario. I am opposite to your correspondant, I am a good cook but I have put a check on mysrlf and put less pressure on myself. A baked potato with tuna or beans or the remains of a curry sauce or spag bol on it is a perfectly adequate meal! After all, here in the UK, it is an option on most pub/ cafe menus!😂
Beans, potatoes and a tiny bit of grated cheese was a weekly meal when we had kids at home, money had to perform miracles back then
@@lynnoorman2144 that's a good point. Comforting too
A couple of slices of toast and peanut butter (if you like peanut butter and can eat it) makes a tasty, cheap, filling, and nutritious breakfast. It’s one of my go-to meals.
I used to eat that when I was younger. The hot toast melts the peanut butter, so delicious.
Thanks for watching
I’m 71 and on a budget. I still eat and enjoy this, probably a couple of times a week in average.
@@LauraMacMillan-el2kc ❤ Good deal.
Toast+peanut butter + banana is actually more filling and can serve better someone who needs to go work outside of the home for the entire day
When I retired from being a teacher, the biggest shock was going from 2 paychecks to 1. Besides being much less money, it was terrifying to pay my fixed expenses and then see what was left for the rest of the month. Even though it's been several years, you had some great tips I had not thought of. I've sent this video to my email to watch again, with a pen and paper to take notes!!
Thanks for your reply
I'm in the U.S. Retired and living on $1,200 a month. Share a home with 4 adults.
My monthly food allowance/budget is $150-200 a month.
Full kitchen with standard appliances. I'm thankful for that.
Cooking is mandatory.
This is so helpful to anyone who is struggling on a tight budget; especially someone who may be just on their own for the first time.
Thank you
I hope this person updates you on how it's going for them after the first month. It's a miracle any of us are eating in this economy!
@@MelP-o9f thanks. I know how much they earn with two jobs and it's barely enough.
I love what you said about something maybe not being perfect, but it's perfectly adequate. That's great encouragement! It's possible to start right where you are and work your way up with what you have available. So often I find myself giving up on doing better when I can't do it perfectly - but better is definitely better than not at all!!!
Yes! Thank you!
When I was working full time and attending college, I made a lot of meals using a packet of boil in bag rice and pouring either a can/tin of heated chili , or canned beef stew or condensed soup such beef barley ( don’t add the water called for, just heat up the contents). Makes a quick meal when you are tired. Use the same technique with a baked potato instead of rice. I also keep a bag of frozen pre cooked chicken breasts or chicken tenders; just heat up in microwave or air fryer and add to a serving of bagged salad. Also I’m 60 and love chicken nuggets on occasion! No judgement here!
Nothing wrong with a nugget if you're skint and hungry
@@katworkstowander9853 Yes those bagged rices are so versatile. 2 bags of these and one tin of Lidl vegetable chilli does me 2 nights quick meals in the microwave for under £2. So handy to have in. 🤗
Loved this video, and especially how sensitive you are to different individuals' strengths/abilities when it comes to food and cooking. I am priviledged enough to have many kitchen conveniences and the ability to cook from scratch, so I make a very low food budget work. But it's important for us all to remember not everyone is able to cook from scratch all the time. I thought your ideas were genius and I am sure they will help more than just that follower you were helping. One of my easy go-to cheap meals when I don't feel like really cooking is I'll throw a potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes. In that time, I can heat up a can of beans on the stove and then I put the beans on the potato and eat whatever fresh fruit or veg I happen to have in the fridge that week. It's inexpensive, fills me up, and like your phrase "Perfectly Adequate". 💖
Thank you
Whenever i see heavy whipping cream on clearance, i buy them all and make butter in the food processor! Half liter cream (very cold) will make almost half kilo of butter. I have a hard time finding unsalted butter here in Slovenia, so i make my own. For 3 euro, i make almost 2 kilo of butter! Wrap in small portions, place in freezer, and i have for a long time!
Thanks for watching
I think that was brilliant sensible advice for a time poor person starting out on shopping/eating/cooking frugally to save money. Over time they can learn how to cook and then batch cook and then cook from scratch and so on. We all started somewhere and it took us time to get there. Another great video Jane 🙂
@@aliliveswellonless thanks Ali
First off...hats off to this person for being pro active and reaching out! It's hard to stretch the money..but it can be done. I'm always amazed that when I'm dreading making food that it takes way less time then what I'm expecting. Simple meals with left overs has gotten me through many days of meals. You don't have to be a chef to make healthy, filling meals. Try your best! You can do this!! You've taken the first step by reaching out to Jane! Keep going!!
Thanks for watching
I'm a long time subscriber, I always appreciate your content but, gosh, how good you are on this specific format ! I would advise you to pursue this as a serie : adress someone's situation with a "how to". Lot's of very precious tips and a really nice respect I specifically appreciated. Well done !
Noted!
Excellent ideas! And I appreciate how you kept it real. This persn can improve their diet when their finances improve. In the meantime your food plan is not just adequate, its brilliant!
Absolutely!!
What a wonderful video! I’m so glad that person reached out to you and Mike. This makes perfect sense as a “starting point” and it’s the first video like it that I’ve seen. I wish this person the best of success moving forward and I hope that they feel encouraged as they make progress! ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
I totally feel for the person you have helped - I too struggle to cook from scratch when I get home. I suffer with insomnia, and this is compounded by the fatigue of perimenopause. I tend to boil a few days worth of pasta and keep it in the fridge and can make things more quickly when i get home. An omelette is a good quick option
Great tip
I do the same thing except I switch up the carb. One week it's pasta, next week it's rice and another week it will be potatoes. SO many meal options for each one.
Personally I think you delivered this perfectly. While addressing the individual and bless you for helping them, you managed to deliver your content to be applicable to all.
@@Vinnie16920 thanks for your feedback
Jane, it is very kind of you to help this person and anyone needing this. Great advice! I love your "It's not perfect but it is perfectly adequate."
@@nodramaplease4153 thanks for your reply
Fab video - Jane your teaching skills and compassion really shone through in this video.
Thank you
I love your comment about meeting people where they are at. On paper I have many good things going for me, but when you add in my health problems it adds the complication that I come home and I’m lucky to get food in my face before my brain shuts off completely…then before I know it I have to be out to door for work. There’s never any leisure time. I have no evenings, ever. No knitting, no phoning a friend, no doing a jigsaw, bit of cleaning. Having a bath, getting stuff ready for the morning, doing exercise, putting on some washing sorting life admin, …..none of this is going to happen. It makes life incredibly difficult. And the resentment regarding all the energy going on work and none on me is unreal. Your compassion about just being adequate is very helpful. There’s a great RUclips channel called retro Claud, who has the phrase, ‘good. Better, best’ when talking about crafting with chronic illness that I’ve found very helpful. I think the same applies here with the food.
@@dees3179 do you have to drop off at a laundry service?
In 2010 we lost our home and business in the collapse of northern rock and the subsequent “credit crunch”. I found Janes blog as it was at time and followed all of the suggestions she makes here. It took years of this and we were able to buy a home again in 2017. My whole financial self was transformed by then and to this day I still meal plan, budget, cook from scratch and make own lunches etc. Just as she says here the more you do it, the easier it gets and actually becomes enjoyable. Good luck to the viewer that needed this support. ❤
I'm so glad things worked out for you and thank you so much for watching
what a great video. i find a lot of people think a meal has to be this elaborate something. that they have took cook constantly. they don't really think that it can just be something to fill bellies or just even one thing for your meal. i just look at people at say.. haven't you just had a sandwich? have you just had a piece of chicken? a hard boiled egg when you don't want to cook. just something to not be hungry? when i was little we ate the same thing every day of the week. saturday there was some difference but sunday was the day my mom cooked. we had something different every sunday. its ok to not do elaborate things. its ok to do elaborate things. thank you for helping this person! i love your heart and your willigness to help others. its one of the reasons i love your channel.
@@michiemca that's great!😃
I like how you validate the many reasons one can find meals and grocery shopping a challenge. You're one of the first I've ever heard mention the cost of a freezer and other things. Well done for having heart.
Takes me back! Egg Fried Rice: scramble an egg, half pouch rice and frozen diced veg, soy sauce. Fish Cakes: tinned tuna, instant mash make into cakes and fry, serve with frozen veg. Another one I used to do is soup from reduced price veg - blitz with cream or milk or tinned pulses and have with bread
I bought a case of almond milk shelf stable for a month. I buy hot dogs, tuna, rice, beans, eggs. I can eat from my pantry for a month. I make egg salad. Rice with milk, cream of wheat, oatmeal.
This is a great video, full of sound advice. As a teacher, I have always gotten paid once a month and have plenty of experience making that paycheck stretch. I love your "It is perfectly adequate." We don't have to be perfect, as you said; we just have to be fed. Many of the commenters also have some good suggestions. I always enjoy when we can learn from each other. Blessings to you for helping this person, and blessings to them for the courage to reach out.
@@francesmoseley3316 thank you
Decades ago when I was a graduate student, had a very small stipend, had never cooked for myself, had only a hot plate to cook on, and only one pot to cook in, I came up with this system:
1. Pick a carb: pasta, rice, potatoes - 1 cup in 2 cups water with a bouillon cube of choice. Cook and set aside.
2. Pick a can of beans: white, black, pinto, lentil, whatever! (I eat little meat, then or now, but if you feel the need for meat, add whatever you have).
3. Pick a can of vegetables ( if you have a refrigerator, frozen are better)
4. Add a can of diced tomatoes.
4. Pick an international flavor and add a teaspoon ( or more) of the following spices:
Italian: mixed italian herbs (or just oregano), garlic powder, dried onion
Mexican: chili powder, cumin, garlic
Indian: curry powder, ginger
Or look up your favorite ethnic food and see what spices they use.
Combine all except the carb, simmer, and then serve it over or mix in the carb.
Can be ready in less than 30 minutes, makes 4 good-sized portions which can be served with bread or salad or eaten as an all-in-one meal. Take leftovers for lunch or eat on a later day.
Now that I can cook, I still eat this, but with mostly fresh ingredients. But for a beginner, the “pick a can” method is quick and easy.
Thanks for watching. The advice I gave was based on what the person would eat and could could as they have no cooking equipment such as knives, chopping board, peelers ect.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance. a I know. Just thought this might help someone else. All that is needed is a hot plate, a big pot, a can opener, and a spoon!
Excellent!
I make homemade soup or stew every week using this method. 9-10 portions that I’ll freeze in containers for the week. Cheap, healthy, tasty.
Excellent idea! Great way to do it.
I really appreciate hearing realistic advice for someone who doesn't have a lot of time or ability/interest in cooking. Too often people in that situation are held in judgement or told to do things that simply won't work for them in the stage of life they're in. Thank you for a kind and humane respone!
Cooking is not a legal obligation
All of your suggestions are good and nothing anyone should complain about. With the meals you listed no one goes to bed hungry.
Thank you Jane and Mike for this video that this does not ONLY apply to the scenario you mentioned but to some of us that have had to make adjustments by using my crockpot IF I know I will be unable to or not not have energy to cook something from scratch. IF I do not have canned ingredients to put something in a pot at the last minute.
A crockpot is a great investment one can purchase or ask a wish item.
I make sure I cook a vegetable soup after I clearing out my fridge before I have items replaced or donated by my neighbors, family or other means because I can always add protein if needed (optional, add vegetables after the meat is cooked to one’s consistency or by the safety guidelines!!!
Please keep these types of videos coming.
Note: I would love to donate funds to purchase a crockpot for your subscriptor!!!
Thanks for watching
Wonderful suggestions Jane!
I started cooking meals for my elderly parents recently. Some things I've done to keep it inexpensive and easy are: buy a rotisserie chicken and dice up the meat for recipes. The chicken can be frozen flat to break off small amounts as you need it.
You can get tortillas and grated cheese to make easy chicken quesadillas in less than 5 minutes. I usually cook up extras to freeze. Pop one into the microwave for a minute to heat it up again. It's great for when my teenage son is wanting to grab something to eat.
Add a little of the diced chicken and some cabbage salad mix with cilantro in it, to a cup of instant ramen. It gives it a lovely fresh texture, and you won't feel like your eating cheap ramen.
Make a huge batch of a dump and go soup. I did a cheesy potato corn chowder to use up some canned foods. 5 minutes of prep work, but lots of servings.
If you feel up to it, make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce to freeze in quart or gallon sized ziplock containers. (If you need to, you can buy the veggies and Italian sausage already cooked.) For an easy meal, defrost and heat it in the microwave, or on the stove. Boil some noodles and dinner is done. Take any leftover pasta and sauce, put it in a baking pan, and add cheese for a new meal to bake in a day or two, or freeze it for another time.
I made copycat Starbucks egg bites for my step-dad. With eggs, cottage cheese, diced veggies, and a splash of milk. Mix and pour into muffin molds or a baking pan and top with cheese and bake. I let them cool and popped them into a ziplock bag to freeze. He takes out one or 2 and microwaves it when he wants one.
On a super busy night, I have used single serve frozen fried rice. Cook it, and add a scrambled egg, and/or the frozen diced chicken to the rice. The egg is done by the time the rice is out of the microwave.
I also make breakfast burritos, or breakfast bowls out of breakfast leftovers. It's a quick grab and go. Or just buy them at the store.
Thanks to you Jane and Mike I started an emergency fund and using sinking funds. I now have a months worth of money in my emergency fund and savings for things like car maintenance, vet bills, DIY, medical bills. I am on a low wage but did a little at a time consistently, automated as much as I could. It works. Also nice to see Mike!
To the viewer who wrote in to Jane: you can do a lot just with a microwave and your air fryer. Can of tomato soup in the microwave with a toasted cheese sandwich in air fryer. Microwave a packet of rice and pour a can of a chunky type soup over that. You would probably get two meals out of that. Here in the US, you can find pouches of cooked, diced chicken near the tuna. Use the chicken pouches to make chicken salad for sandwiches. A ham steak will also give you ham salad. I would suggest searching on the internet for microwave recipes. I do a lot with the microwave myself (single, long commute, don’t like to cook much). Hope this helps.
Great advice! I am too tired at night to make a big meal. I cook really simple stuff. Then I clean up, which is more work. I am too tired to make my own lunch at night. In the morning, I often grab 4 things to bring to work for lunch- a yogurt, a fresh apple, an instant oatmeal packet, and some peanuts in a little tupperware container. I have access to water, a mug, and a microwave at work, so I can make the oatmeal there. The beauty of this lunch is there is no clean-up. I just replenish the container of nuts when I get home. Sometimes I bring a can of soup and a large mug to work. At lunch, I open the can, put the soup in the mug, microwave the soup, and throw the can out at work. (I do need to wash the mug afterward, but it is still a pretty easy lunch). I only get 20 minutes for lunch, so everything needs to be quick and easy. I hope this helps. On really crazy days, when stopping for fast food is completely unavoidable, I choose the cheapest item that has protein. A cheeseburger or McChicken (no fries, no drink). A sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. (no coffee) A taco or bean burrito (again, no drink) A six inch sub sandwich with just cheese and vegetables. It would be better if I didn't stop for fast food at all, but if I do decide that it is necessary, I choose cheap items with protein.
Great ideas
When we were raising our family there was a period I switched to grocery shopping only once a month. For sure I had to be determined not to use up all the ‘best’ things early in the month, but it kept me from being in the grocery stores weekly or biweekly so it kept me from the impulse purchases that did my budget in. I was totally surprised to find it cut my grocery budget almost in half! 🇨🇦
Thanks
Well done Jane! This has been an excellent and very informative video. Having always been fairly frugal, all my life, I have gone up a gear since the summer when I got a state pension. The money comes in four weekly, rather than monthly. Its taken 2 or 3 months to adjust to a way of working out my finances accordingly. And in December, I will get 2 payments,but I will have to be very careful to put it into a savings account until I need it. One just can never take one's eye off the ball!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Your advice is great. I wish I had followed it when I was younger in college with only a hot pot and as a young mother with little money. Anyway I do think it is wiser to spend on all the needs upfront to have less anxiety throughout the month then to spend too much without really knowing what you will really need to make it through the month because you are anxious about not making through the month. There is light at the end of the tunnel because now I am middle-aged and have a good size pantry, chest freezer, kitchen stuff, and skills. It took decades but with Jane's advice this person will have a head start.
@@RedLentilYellowLentil-g8y thanks for your feedback
Having easy to make food in the freezer is smart! Chicken nugget ,fries,raviolis are all quick and easy and saves from take away ( which usually isn’t that healthy either!)
I don't know if you guys have crockpots or slow cookers over they, but that is such a great way to have a meal ready when you get home from work. Then you can just warm it up for a couple more meals. I also used to do batch cooking on the weekend..saves a ton of effort during the week..
Such brilliant advice guys! When I lived on my own I over a few months built up an emergency end of month box. I used to restock it at the beginning of each month where need be. It had in it ( this is for a few years ago ) a £20 note, some tinned meals , a few toilet rolls. sachets of sugar / ketchup/ salt pepper / shampoo/ womens toiletries , some plasters and paracetamol, a few tea bags and uht milk, sewing kit, a chocolate bar. And you can sure bet I dipped in that box every month on the last few days. It just really helped me survive till pay day.
That's a great idea.
Really enjoyed that, thankyou 😊 My son budgeted just £20 a week for fresh food when he was at uni but i did send him with lots of supplies. Rice, pasta tins etc so he had a ready made pantry. He really impressed me with his cooking of basic meals ( lots of questions but thats how we learn !) His meals were quite repetitive but adequate .
Sound advice... no matter what circumstances a person finds themselves planning is key and this is a great plan for this lady. ❤
Jane, thank you so much for meeting this person where they are. So many people don’t!
I can relate to this person a lot! One thing I used to have often when I was out the house for 10hours a day would be 1/2 pouch of microwave rice, 100g steamed veg and either chicken strips made with 100% chicken breast or another form of protein and mix it all together with some sweet chilli sauce. It took maximum 10mins to do (microwave steamer for veg, bacon/nuggets or whatever meat in the air fryer)often convenience was a must to just have something
@@SimplySoloUK thanks for your reply
Yes! I also highly recommend this. Used to do this a lot when I worked outside of the home for the entire day
" not perfect but perfectly adequate" is a wonderful phrase! It can describe so much including me! Haha! ❤ This was a great video!
One of your best videos ever. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
So very rational! No judgement and no drama.
Oh I love Brits❤
I think it was an excellent video and so nice of you of you to reach out to this person to give advice and help. People need to quit judging people who are in a hard place and reaching out for help. There but by the grace of God you may stand in their shoes one day and you will find adequate is a great thing
Thanks for your reply
Jane you did great on your detailed explanation of how to manage a tight budget, under personal circumstances.
@@elizaC3024 thank you
Excellent video! You have made some great suggestions that all of your viewers can use. You have taught me to use up what I have. Sometimes I am not in the mood to eat what I have but then motivation to not spend more money convinces me that I can eat what is perfectly adequate in my freezer or pantry. I talk myself of NOT going to the market all the time.
Thanks for watching
Hi Jane and Mike, great content. Even I am learning a number of things. Shout out to the person who asked for help, I think quite a number of us benefited from your advice. Would be nice to know how the person is getting on from time to time.
Thanks for watching
Same. Low income. Bills go out soon as money comes in. Savings go away also soon as my money comes in. No car so I do a months shop online. I include a couple of pizzas in lieu of a take away night. Instead of making one shepherds pie I make 4 and freeze them. Instead of making a lasagne I make a double size so the next night it’s quick to pop in microwave. Lots of small things add up to big savings. Then all I buy on a weekly basis for the second half of the month is bread milk and sometimes salad or fresh veg.
Great job
Great ideas. So wonderful that you helped them. I wish I would have had someone like you to help me when I was young and starting out.
Thanks for watching
Great video, great advice. And a wonderful shopping list to start with. I think I will try your way and see how it goes. Really love this video. Good job…and thank you..
Thanks for your reply
Excellent advice. Not just for the person in need but for so many others. I hope lots of followers will share it to their Facebook pages.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh what a great video Jane in Michael! This is absolutely what we needed to talk about: the budget of a person who does not like to cook, can’t cook, works a lot and is tired from transportation. Millions of people, whether or not they have been educated by their parents to frugality, are in this case. In our family, among our friends, we all know these people who need your advice.
This video is great! Thank you!
Thanks for your feedback 😀
Some great advice there Jane. I often slot in some of the meals you suggested which over the course of a month, does make a difference in keeping food costs down. 😃🤗
@@sheila1013 thanks Shelia
My tip is to buy oatmeal as it's healthy and inexpensive. I add half a banana, some nuts, peanut butter or whatever I'm in the mood for. 90 seconds in the microwave and breakfast is ready!
This was me just a few years ago! Something that helped me a lot was investing in a small cooler to serve as a lunch bucket. Into the bottom went a frozen container of soup or a frozen bag of cooked rice. On top of that, a yogurt, some fruit, tuna and crackers, or an egg salad sandwich. By the time I got home the frozen food was thawed and I could finish warming it up in the microwave. I am a pescatarian, so the frozen stuff never contained meat, fwiw. I just found your channel and am looking forward to watching more videos, thanks for sharing your expertise!
@virginiarevering4983 thanks for commenting
Awe, that’s so nice of you to help the person that needed advice with their finances ❤🙏🏽
You're welcome
Great list. I would add a big bag of apples wash them all and they would be ready to go in a packed lunch. I used to make a week's worth of sandwiches on a Sunday and put 4 lots in the freezer. If you take them out in the morning they have defrosted by lunchtime. Also add a jar of jam. A slice of bread and jam when you get in from work will stop you craving a takeaway till you get round to cooking something.
Thanks for watching
Good idea to have a slice of bread and jam after work
I would consider adding a big bag of carrots, too. Eat them as a snack, peel them and then continue peeling ... right into your ramen bowl, add the noodles and flavours and water, voilà. You could add some pre-cut cabbage and have a pre-boiled egg!
Makes the ramen a little bit more healthy and much more filling!
Really like this sensible approach. Especially the way you describe it as Not Perfect, but Perfectly Adequate
@@Vicki-t7s thank you
I ❤ this video. You could have been talking about the kind of food that we eat. I’m not a very good cook and when I do cook from scratch and it turns out to be a disaster/disappointing or on occasion utterly disgusting I always get upset about the money and food that has been wasted. There is absolutely nothing wrong with frozen food (if you have the space in the freezer) it lasts for ages and you can use exactly the amount you need.
It’s ok to have a bowl of porridge and a mug of tea for your breakfast everyday. It’s ok to have a bowl of soup (from a tin) with a slice of bread, maybe a sprinkle of cheese and an apple for your lunch. It’s ok to come home from school and have some toast and a mug of hot squash to see little bellies through til teatime. It’s ok to have frozen sausages, mashed spuds and frozen veggies for tea, followed by (if you’re lucky) some tinned fruit and tinned custard.
I wish there were more ‘real’ budget friendly cooking shows, the type with proper easy, hearty, unfussy, unfancy family meals on a realistic budget. I want food that’s easy, quick to prepare, will fill the bellies of my family and not require us to sell a kidney to afford! Xxx
@gemmamiller8896 thank you for your feedback
First off well done to the person reaching out to you. It can be really scary telling someone else whats going on in your life . Second congratulations Jane and Mike on a very informative , very helpful video. I don't think there will be a person watching this who doesn't take something from it.
Thirdly I REALLLLY want some chicken nuggets NOW 😮😮
Thanks Lynn
Great video, perfectly adequate would be frozen burritos for lunches, or good ol PB &Js. Hats off for asking for help🎉
@@Chellascommoncents thanks for watching. P.s Brits don't eat burritos
I find it so hard to do a monthly shop due to space, but it's such a good idea. I am goung to try and do it fortnightly. Thanks jane
Great practical, common sense video!
Thank you for these very helpful tips. I think all of us watching are a bit fearful of the future economy, so planning ahead using your advice makes So much sense. 💓
Glad it was helpful!
Love your perfectly adequate sratement. People do not realize how spoiled for choice they are today. Mum was a good cook and planned meals on a seasonal rotation from what was available in season and the garden. But beans on toast still made a regular appearance. Dessert was often a tin fruit with tinned milk or jam on leftover yorkshire. People have been seduced by all the fancy cooking shows and magazines to think they deserve 5 star dining every night.
Well said
Great advice Jane, very helpful not only to the person who contacted you but also to your other followers..you truly are a very caring person and they have certainly contacted the right personto help. 😊❤
Thank you
I buy green onions (scallions) and multicoloured sweet peppers on payday. I chop them up and store them in freezer bags in the freezer, they don’t take up much room. I find a handful adds so much flavour and colour to omelets, soup, rice, ramen. It just tastes good and the prep is minimal.
Such a great video. I feel their pain working and being away from home 12 hours a day leaves you with little to no energy for anything else and having a small budget to feed yourself on top of that to fuel yourself is a very hard situation. Great ideas here for anyone a single person working or like me I am working opposite shifts than my spouse and have limited time in the evening doing homework, dinner, and sports with my children. Eating at home will always be better than eating out for both health and finances and I’m working to do better with that as well.
Thanks so much
Good advice Jane. I can cook and have all the kitchen tools, but yes before retirement there were times I would come home starving and tired. Frozen mirepoix saved me. I would use it in soup, spaghetti sauce chilli,etc. Mirepoix, dried lentils, tinned tomatoes, water and seasonings make good soup. Throw it all in a pot no cooking skills required. That was often my supper with toast or crackers. I learned to prepare batches of food I liked on Sundays and Wednesdays (days off). None of us start out with many cooking skills, unless our mothers taught us. I was an avid cookbook reader when first on my own, now I google recipes based on ingredients in the fridge. There was definitely a time when frozen fish fingers were a weekly staple.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you Jane and Mike, such good, sensible, and solid advice. Brilliant for anyone struggling with a limited budget, and short on time..... xx
I’m a senior citizen in Ireland of very limited means, and I’m totally going to take all your advice on board ! Thank you !
@@marianraftery happy to help
For dinner tonight, I just had a baked potato topped with salsa and some steamed broccoli. Delicious!
Sounds great!
See, this is why I love your channel. You are never judgemental, always talk about how everyone’s situation is different and give good solid practical advice. You never shame people, are not polarizing and you have a good sense of humor. You deserve a million subscribers!
Thank you
Good job with this. Being sensitive to each person's situation. Knowing all the 'tricks" isn't always going to fix the person's individual situation.
Brilliant video. It is a strange thing, that you will find a way to learn new ways, when you are ready. Pain has driven me to learn many new and better ways. I love the book, America's Cheapest Family, as a written form of the things you are teaching on this channel. Thanks for helping all who come with great ideas that really work.
Great advice. Your hair is stunning. 😊
Thanks
Sometimes in the winter you just want a mug of soup. My go to is a vegetable stock cube with 2 tablespoons tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce. Makes 2 mugs and very cheap and satisfying.
That's very helpful
Overnight oats is a cheap and tasty breakfast; no cooking required and can be made up in a jar/ box and put into the fridge the night before, then taken to work in the morning. Plenty of cheap recipes of it on internet, to be honest you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want with the ingredients you choose to use. Great thought provoking video, thank you.
Thanks. I made the list based on what the viewer would eat on repeat.
Atomic Shrimp is a good UK cooking channel on you tube for very thrifty budgets... He does have some garden sourced foods for exotics...
Thank you Jane and Mike fantastic video and life saving advice, could I add another quick meal idea please I recently had to feed an elderly relative very quickly, I took 200g of mince fried it, mixed in a cheap shepherds pie packet mix a handful of frozen peas and topped up with boiling water, added salt and pepper simmered for 20 mins then with 2 packets of 2 minutes microwave rice, it’s all made 3 meals and was delicious went down a treat👍
@@bevsnee6571 thanks for watching
I love love love this video Jane. It’s so easy to assume that everyone is starting from the same point as you be it skills, finances, support or even just energy. Meeting people where they are at without judgement or shaming is so important, life changing even.
If you like ground coffee a cafetière mug is worth buying. My husband takes his insulated cafetière mug, a vacuum flask of hot water, a recycled bottle for milk and a little jar of ground coffee to work every day. It’s nice that he can have good cups of fresh coffee.
If someone has an oven you can buy packages of ready to bake rolls and baguettes that have a long shelf life. Not sure if they can be baked in an air fryer as I don’t have one. We have a tin of soup each and a toastie or sandwich every Saturday as my husband works Saturdays, we’re tired and it takes the stress off and we can relax a bit.
Beautiful advice jane...I too could use some of those....I am a frugal person live living that way...as a widow now very much more...
Hopefully this person would learn by the grace of the Creator....bless you and the person as as well ....stay safe and happy always ❤
@@sheridankuruppu4670 Thank you for your feedback
I am a single mom with a full time job, and I just started on my masters degree. Which means I have very little time to cook for me and my children, so this video helped me a lot, thank you!! 🤗🤗
@@karolingombos2670 you're welcome