How Easy is This in 2023? - Budget Challenge: One Pound*, One day, 3 Meals, No Foraging

[@AtomicShrimp]

Thanks for all the supportive comments! I'm not going to give up this series - having read a lot of suggestions and ideas, I think what might happen next is this: * - this is the plan going forward:* 1. Learn lessons from this one and try *exactly these rules and parameters* again. ie: get back on the horse, even if only to fall off again 2. Go shopping *without a budget, but with an objective to shop frugally* for 3 meals 1 day - still applying the same frugality, but without an absolute limit, then when the shopping is done, review the cost of that exercise, talk about alternatives etc. ie: try to discover the boundary between 'really difficult' and 'possible' 3. *Larger budget (but still tight), longer period;* only 3 episodes - each 1 day, 3 meals - will be published, but at the end of Episode 3, I must show a meal plan for using and rationing what's left for the remaining days. ie: do something a bit more useful and 'realistic'* *I still want to be cautious about the realism. My life is pretty easy compared to some folks, and I am determined not to become a person who just blurts out glib and ultimately demeaning and insulting 'advice' to people who are suffering genuine hardship. £10 for 10 days, except I won't necessarily turn this into 10 videos each with 3 meals in them - I'll maybe do that for 3 days, and at the end, discuss meal ideas and rationing of what's left. Or same idea with £7 for 7 days or whatever - but some longer period, with examples, and meal plans or sketches for the stuff that isn't shown in detail. Another possibility is to go shopping without a budget, but with an objective to shop frugally for X number of meals for Y number of days - still applying the same frugality, but without an absolute limit, then when the shopping is done, review the cost of that exercise, talk about alternatives etc.

[@Happy_Spatula]

😎

[@fatemahassan9933]

Please never stop this series. I love the creativity that goes into them. I honestly wouldn't mind if you started using pantry staples, or urban foraging. I love this series, great work!

[@forrestmcsweeney4280]

Why not try to replicate previous videos with an updated allowance? If you can even come close to approximating the same meals you would be demonstrating an individual consuner-level measure of inflation rather than a basket goods measure. The latter is always more theoretical, the former is less scientific but still useful as it is the basket goods applied to specific human needs.

[@Bilko-M1GSX]

I'm a bus driver. I have just arrived home after a particularly gruelling 12 hour shift. Many people come home and jump straight on to Netflix or Saturday night TV.. I however thoroughly look forward to the weekend and watching your content, please don't stop making them. Thanks again for another great video Mike. Bilko 👍

[@alvobagoly]

Maybe you could do a 3x3 days 9 pounds challenge, where you do 3 days in one go, store away the items you buy in bulk and continue the challenge with the next 3 days at a later time. That way it's less boring for you and you can also incorporate preservation techniques

[@Tommy_Pockets]

I hope you never stop doing these challenges shrimp

[@linaboutin5569]

Agreed!

[@flurpmcderp6807]

Amen

[@happyrose1924]

Absolutely!!

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

I see him as AI, he is built around a set of rules, the first one, and most important of them all is: Never stop making content. So be rest assured, stoppage is not an option.

[@necrolog3797]

​@@PandemoniumMeltDown I assume youre not a small boy?

[@gluffoful]

I like the idea of £7 for 7 days, which would allow things like bread/flour and bag of rice to be used throughout the week. It may be possible financially, but a challenge to combine a limited number of ingredients into all different meals.

[@via45]

Love this idea

[@shrewkit]

He's done smth like that before

[@MintiesPoopin]

I second this

[@DeanFWilson]

Good idea.

[@DG-iw3yw]

Buy seeds and grow food. If you dont have land then take back the community land and plant fruit bushes and trees that will produce nuts and seeds, one oak tree produces a stupendous amount of food and costs nothing to plant. If you want to complain about how you wont get any of those acorns, dont be selfish. Im just saying, we use all our land to farm afew cows when we could serously be eating well nationwide

[@Squishy-Fish]

Just increase the budget! £3 for one day, £5 for two days it doesn't matter. What we enjoy is watching your creativity and ability to create interesting meals from difficult/different circumstances. Food challenges where you overcome difficulties other than price would also be interesting eg. only a certain number of ingredients, long shelf- life foods only, etc..

[@Desperajoe]

Well spoken. I need to feast my eyes on Shrimp just trying to make a living on a few pence.

[@GigaDavy91]

Definitely 3£ a day or 4€ a day (About 3.5£) Would be perfect for a challenge like this, it is a very strict budget but allows for a bit of creativity

[@GigaDavy91]

Or even better would be 21£ a week, buying in bulk it's usually more convenient and more realistic

[@Desperajoe]

@@GigaDavy91 Yeah, whole, tiny numbers look great on the thumbnail, but inflation is still a thing, and it is high at these times. So I wouldn't mind his budget being more than one pound, lmao.

[@sals3379]

Agreed!

[@ABVW92]

I am not ashamed to say, I have had to live on budgets like this in the past, sometimes slightly higher, usually slightly lower, and it was always super difficult, I very regularly only ate once a day, and was always hungry. That being said, if I'd had videos like this to go off as a sort of guideline, I wouldve faired much better. Please dont give up on these challenges, as im sure there are people out there for which these videos are a great help.

[@falconlips5474]

Damn, sorry to hear this. I would always cook for someone who is struggling if only they let me know. I wonder how to get over the shame of admitting it though

[@Padraigp]

I'm on 65 a week before credit for my phone 30 quid. Before tobacco 20 quid before water cos the water here is aweful 6 quid. I'm borrowing left right and center doing work for family for a few quid here and there ... its not that bad I have a garden full of nettles for greens whenever I want them and rosehip for vitmin c off the hedges and blackberry jam I made artichokes I preserved so a fee bits for free ig et free tallow from the butcher for frying with. And free dog bones which often get boiled for a stew and picked before the dogs get them. I have been thinking of getting some chickens ive tried growing veg but I am useless at that as I don't have soil or a car to go collecting stuff to make soil compost. Sigh. It's funny because I have my grannies old war time shopping lists or after the war and my lists are like that now too..no avocados no sundrieid tomatoe paste ..just tea milk eggs flour butter that kind of thing.

[@ZoltanHercules]

@@Padraigpthen, without me being a dick here, when that contract ends, go sim only and stop smoking. More money at your disposal. I am however pleased to see the use of nettles and growing some of your own stuff. Wish you all the best with it.

[@michaeljackson8857]

I'd like to offer our spare food to other local people. We are on a budget but are lucky enough to be able to work for now. I always cook more than needed and think how we could be giving a meal to others who need it. Sadly I am worried in case I give someone food poisoning and then they could sue us. Anyway would love to be able to offer someone a Sunday roast once a week on the three Sundays I don't work. Also any other good meal. Always making soup. It's so cheap and veg scraps with real stock makes all the difference. How would i go about this. Always think about this when cooking for my lovely family.

[@Padraigp]

@michaeljackson8857 either stop making so much food and donate some money to charity or put the food in a container and go to the local homeless part of town and hand it out. Just don't ge taught and don't give anyone food poisoning. Nobody is likely to sue you anyway homeless people don't exactly have funds to get a lawyer. So long as food is not reheated and has reached temps that are standardised nobody is going to get sick cooked food needs to be eaten within 90 minutes of baking roasting whatever. Especially if it's frozen or reheated cooked frozen...and you could also find an elderly person maybe not a homeless person but just some nice neighbour to invite into your home. The nicest part about Sunday roast isn't the gravy it's the company you spend it with. Maybe ask around the neighbourhood if any nice old person lives alone and would come to supper on Sunday. You might find some at a church or feeding ducks in the park. Just don't poison anyone by following the basics and you will be fine.you would deserve to be sued if you give somone poisoning. That's justice.

[@StephenIC]

I think increasing the budget is clearly the best option for future challenges. I think we've all thought "wow, he can do that with £1, I wonder how he could eat with £3 for the day" or something like that. The specific number you are spending is not the interesting part. It's your creativity, resourcefulness and problem solving skills, and seeing what is possible for a low price. I love these videos, please don't abandon them :)

[@smitcher]

Yeah some of the £1 a day meals almost challenge what you'd end up paying £10+ in a "posh" restaurant - carrot and tomato consume with parsnip feathers... £3 a day would be luxury eating!!

[@sarahallegra6239]

I agree! I’m not here to watch what he would spend with EXACTLY £1/day, just how he handles the challenge of the very limited budget. I’d happily watch £2-3/day or whatever other solution that’s come up with!

[@draykowolf2293]

I fully agree and with one simple change that he should definitely add the foraging back in as well because that's always fun to watch too. Educational and tasty.

[@Dippa666]

To be honest I'd be more interested in seeing a £10-£15 a week style budget challenge as it might be something I could apply myself for quick and easy savings

[@roseq3650]

If only increasing the budget was an option for some viewers

[@orriesmom5769]

Please PLEASE don't give up on this series! Maybe consider doing something like "4 days on £5" so that you could buy some staples like flour, rice and fat? I truly love these budget meal challenges; they are often the highlight of my week! PS And by all means, include foraging!

[@___echo___]

I think the issue is just that he would have to make 4 videos then (of course a summary of the other days could work too I guess), but that's a lot more commitment in terms of work, and the challenge in general EDIT: I just thought of how he could maybe do it in one video, add economy of scale for one day, you buy for 4 pounds and use only a 4th of the ingredients or something, or calculate it to be a pounds worth

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, when I did the £5 for 5 days, it was an absurd amount of work (the rough guide is one minute of screen time relates to at least an hour of work to record, edit, etc)

[@phightinphil25]

@@AtomicShrimp of course you could leave more footage in but then everybody would tune out or get bored and gain nothing out of all that work. Its a conundrum, but a typical part of the creator process. I feel inspiration is hugely important to people with limited budgets even if that isn't the point of the series.

[@tehs3raph1m]

@@AtomicShrimp if you want any help editing the footage, im happy to help if it means more videos to enjoy! im no expert, but i have the free time

[@FlyingForFunTrecanair]

@@AtomicShrimpI make engineering and history films; every minute of screen time takes several hours. Your films are very efficiently produced and enjoyable to watch.

[@billtone1]

Don't abandon the series!!! I've got to admit at being embarrassed, but these sorts of videos are a lifeline for me and my family at the present time 😢 For creativity on a budget, this is informative and helpful, and the children are helping in the kitchen, so they are away from the p.c. or their phone . Great upload.

[@sujalshetty5986]

Nothing to be embarrassed about.

[@Hanifa_A_YT]

Don't be embarrassed, these vids are interesting and a use to anyone

[@howamazing8817]

No need to be embarrassed! People care about what's in your heart not what's in your pockets

[@alphabetsoup6681]

Check out the channels for Great Depression Cooking (Clara reminds me of my gramma) and also Dollar Tree Dinners. COVID is “over” and people are still trying to afford food.

[@1BEASTFEAR]

😊 you gotta eat bro don’t be sorry for that.

[@megabeats23rse95]

a tip for the stock:if you simmer the bones first without the vegetables, you can let them go longer then add the veg without destroying as much of the nutrients and flavours from the vegetables

[@tech4pros1]

boil the bones to make a bone broth, then lob in the veg scraps for the last 20 mins.

[@EarnestWilliamsGeofferic]

Boiling them for ten years will not 'destroy the nutrients'. Oy vey.

[@Lewisking50]

@@EarnestWilliamsGeofferic Yes it will. Especially water soluable vitamins will be lost during longer boil times.

[@ruukinen]

@@Lewisking50 What do you mean "lost"? They are water soluble, so they should be in the water(broth).

[@BenRangel]

​​@@EarnestWilliamsGeoffericBoiling vegetables decreases vitamins C and B around half since they are water soluble. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium , magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70 percent.

[@GigaBoost]

As for the "now what" question - increase the budget. I think you've sort of done all there is to do for the supermicro budget challenge at this point. Let's go up a little bit, where we're making economical meals but with the option to actually have some meat or fish in there.

[@xxghost_sniperxx950]

Yes! Perhaps choosing between the best options for a 4 pound day, or I dare say a 7 pound day! Foraging is good too

[@drorhaz]

Maybe fishing will be the best for that series?

[@radicalcartoons2766]

He's got meat in this - those bones. Not everyone watching this is a carnivore, by the way.

[@GigaBoost]

@@radicalcartoons2766 of course not, but most are. He can't afford any higher end vegetables either with the budget, so it's not a matter of being vegan or not.

[@OllieSMH]

Although it’s more work I personally would prefer more days in these challenges, I think it’s a much more interesting idea to do like a week for £10 because it unlocks some bulk items like meat or potatoes that can not only leave you more full after eating but also present some opportunities for dishes that I could try and make at home with a twist if they turn out good :) Edit: I changed it to £10 because the comments below make sense to me. The extra money would go a long way to higher quality meats and carbs and also allow you to stay restricted with your spices and foraging without leaving you wanting more.

[@carneus]

inb4 365 pounds for a year challenge!

[@happywednesday6741]

Come on lets make it a £10 a week 😂

[@tjwparso]

@@happywednesday6741 Agreed, £10 for a week sounds like a reasonable challenge

[@a1white]

Was going to suggest similar. Would definitely be a worthwhile challenge and you’ll likely be able to make more varied and filling/ nutritionally balanced meals

[@erik19borgnia]

I agree with the "more days" sinces it allows more flexibility and variety. I disagree with a whole week, which is WAY too much work. 2 or 3 days is good enough. 4 if you stretch it too much. That same thing (too much work) was what Shrimp said in the 5 days one that will keep him from doing any other one that long.

[@MrLeekicker]

Please do not abandon the series...You're a very resourceful chap and I'm sure you can come up with something. Maybe allow yourself more foraging and cupboard ingredients to make it more interesting. Cheap items from the shops, flavour from fields and cupboards! Love you! X

[@temptemp4174]

No foraging. This is like a survival guide for students and people on benefits during the cost of living. And none of these groups are gonna go out foraging

[@MrLeekicker]

@@temptemp4174 You've completely missed the point...This is NOT a survival guide for students and people on benefits during the cost of living. It's a personal challenge to see what can be done when certain restrictions are implemented. Like he says, if you're trying to survive in a cost of living crisis, you'd be better off eating beans on toast all day.

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

@@temptemp4174 Maybe they should try it, but then again, there would be nothing left... I love thinking, it's fun!

[@Sean_Shaun_Shawn]

I'd also say add the foraging back in- it's the perfect time of year and something virtually everyone in the UK has access to. Alternatively maybe include a small selection of window plant pot herbs, like the infinite basil that's been in some other vids?

[@MsAnpassad]

@@temptemp4174 ´"students and people on benefits during the cost of living. And none of these groups are gonna go out foraging" Oh? I forage plenty, thank you very much.

[@gobboyboyrah]

The start of this video really made me go holy shit... like I remember my mum and I could get 5 instant noodles 20p each, it would have our lunch sorted for most of the week because we struggled growing up. Now as a student living alone I went into a tescos and quite literally was shocked to see one measly packet of instant noodles was a pound! It just feels like everything has absolutely skyrocketed. Even though we were poor, we could afford cheap meals and now my mum can't afford the gas or electricity anymore living by herself. Your videos are genuinely enlightening, fun and informative. I would love for you to keep going with it!

[@Kimbledotcom]

ASDA noodles are still 25p!!! 17/11/23 Greater Manchester.

[@michaeljackson8857]

Also make your own maybe. Really easy and with basics flours etc super cheap. Learn to cook it's so easy.

[@Katalila]

​@michaeljackson8857 that o ly works if you have the time, equipment and facilities to cook from scratch. Being a student with little money, they might not.

[@makeitmythic]

i hope you don't abandon the series because it's one of my favorites, but we think you should utilize foraging in your new area more (perhaps you were planning to wait until more things are flowering/fruiting) and maybe go for a longer period of time so you can take advantage of some economy of scale.

[@k8eekatt]

I know! No more apples at the Dr. Office!

[@mikekuppen6256]

I´m honestly good with him buying a larger amount and calculating only the price of what he uses as well. I´m aware that´s not a luxury everyone has but it´s also just a random challenge so the rules are what you make them.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

I’d really rather more of these than less, but I agree on the foraging.

[@k8eekatt]

@@mikekuppen6256 👌

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

@@mikekuppen6256 I also thought bulk, but, being the best option doesn't make better content. I turned to recent history. After WW2, most of UK had chickens and rabbits in their backyard. Which is fine, just as long as they don't "[...] beat up all the cats in the neighbourhood" - post-WW1 survivor

[@egotrips4810]

As someone in America who's been subbed for a while, please don't abandon the series. These budget videos are what got me interested and although I haven't kept up with your channel till I got this video recommended, it reminded me why your channel is awesome. Living near a bunch of main store chains, I find it impossible to even live in a budget you impose on these challenges--along with rising prices, it's great to see you make these delicate dishes with just a pound or more

[@woshamboo]

I used to be homeless and I've watched all of your challenge videos and I don't for one second think this is a flex on poor people lol. It's really kind that you are thinking in an informed and sensitive way but honestly don't overthink it. Yes, they're brilliant ideas for people on a budget but it's your creativity and skills that people watch you for, which can be implemented no matter how much money you have. Please don't stop making these! Ever!

[@lottievixen]

having been homeless also I honestly feel the same way. more than anything it can potentially help people struggling financially. it's amazing to see what people can do without the added stress of homelessness but still thinking about cost.

[@happydillpickle]

Having experienced homelessness too, I remember the challenge of trying to cook for me and my kids in a microwave (no fridge) when we were in a temporary B&B (or as we called it, a B and no B, as breakfast certainly wasn't included!) We learned to cook pasta and rice and allsorts in a microwave shared between 20 people. It was difficult and I am so grateful for my stove today!

[@KrankuSama]

I'm glad he does mention that though, all to often people swallow the politicians lie about how systemic poverty is an individual problem and that the peasants should eat more gruel. You can eat cheaply but theres far more factors than just eating cheap when you're living in poverty. It's important to be real and avoid classism and I think Shrimp does a good job by stating up front that its for fun, not financial advice. At the very least it dissaudes some tory dipshits in the comments.

[@quantumhawk806]

It definitely is for entertainment, but I also get some ideas I can use to save that little bit extra I might need.

[@Si74l0rd]

​@@KrankuSamaYeah, when you're on a budget variety really is the spice of life! You want takeaway food not because you're too lazy to prepare food, but because it's different and usually has strong flavours. Living on a tight budget is often bland, and these videos give great flexibility while remaining both cheap and simple. The real pinch has come because fuel has also increased, so I think the mention of the trade off with the broth for more flavour was a good real world consideration. My hob costs me more per minute to use than the boiler does to heat the radiators these days. So I can't really justify using multiple burners, or long cooking times. Still worth investing in a slow cooker for things like stews and broths though, having hot food on demand later the same day is always nice.

[@GMxTekhe]

I think this actually really brings the situation we’re in into perspective - I’d genuinely love to see it repeated almost identically every few months :)

[@dannymck106]

I think I have a good idea for a challenge in the future, you have a £1 limit still, however you have it for multiple food groups. So you have £1 to spend on protein, £1 to spend on fruit, £1 to spend on carbs, and so on. You could stretch this challenge over a few days too. Perhaps half the budget if you want to do it for a day, or half the budget entirely, choice is up to you.

[@brandon9172]

Probably increase the budget for proteins though, otherwise you might run into the same issue.

[@caitlinwonder1]

This is a good idea

[@clare6896]

Good idea. If I was organised I would give it a try!

[@maimtubeTV]

this is a great idea!

[@edgarallennope]

Honestly, everytime I go to do my weekly shop I'm shocked at how much the same shop (roughly) is costing me each time. Everything is different each time I go. It starts to weigh on you, especially when my hours arent going up any time soon. Its why I especially appreciate seeing new ways of stretching the budget as far as it can go.

[@bassetts1899]

I feel incredulous every time I see my total. It always leaves me feeling like I must be doing something wrong to be spending so much on basics.

[@TheDarklingWolf]

Really is getting tragic, isn't it? Every time, I walk into the shop with the same money in my pocket and walk out with fewer groceries in my bag.

[@Jawst]

Sainsbury's have messed up slightly and are selling jars of Mexican sauce for just 5 pence online instead of £1.85! And they do send them!

[@CecilioSprayetti]

Its not even the price increase that is the primary problem, its that they are making you pay more for less. I would be fine with the prices increasing here and there if they didn't lower the amount they are giving

[@fimmywa]

@@CecilioSprayetti You are for the most part incorrect. Items by weight have increased in price just the same. Did you even watch the first half of the video? Cheap ramen noodles have doubled in cost for the same weight.

[@baryonyxyt3247]

Have you considered doing a challenge around one of the 'mystery' food packages that supermarkets like Morrisons and Aldi sell through food-saving apps? It normally includes a good mix of items (bread, vegetables, sometimes packaged/chilled items like ready meals or sausages etc) that would be past their sell-by date within a few days, or that the supermarket would normally throw away for some other reason, but that are still perfectly good to eat. "Too-good-to-go" is a good one (it's the one I use at least), and I've had a very good experience using it for restaurants etc in London, Portsmouth/Southampton, and a few other places, although I've not personally used it at a supermarket. The rule of thumb is that the food you purchase if worth about 3 times what you pay for it (about £3-4), but I've seen bags with easily over £20 of food in there. Equally, I once heard a rumour that someone once got a bag of only spring onions, but I've never seen any proof of it. I'd be REALLY curious to see you turn items from the box into proper meals (maybe in a similar challenge, or maybe not), or talk about how you'd plan meals out with it, or try to use all of it up, etc. Because it's a random (if balanced) selection I feel like there's a lot of potential there for all sorts of interesting videos in the same vein as your budget challenges. Limited, but in a different sort of way.

[@leahwilton785]

+

[@Emerald.She-Ra]

I bought one of the £1.50 fruit and veg boxes from Lidl, and it was.....interesting. The contents were: 2 bananas 1 pineapple 6 large potatoes 4 tangerines 2 apples 2 white cabbages 3 big tomatoes; and 25 radishes!🤣 I split the contents between my mum and myself. We just couldn't stop laughing at the radishes rolling around the box

[@CreamTheEverythingFixer]

Which restaurants in Portsmouth? Im curious.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

@@Emerald.She-Ra you can make a kind of mash out of the radishes. I know people that use them as a substitute for potatoes when they’re doing keto. Just a suggestion. I love radishes, so would just eat them with a little salt and be happy with it, but it’s actually really good as a mash. Like spicy mashed potatoes. I imagine you could do a bubble and squeak with them as well.

[@starbxi]

@@Emerald.She-Ra i work at lidl and i can confirm those boxes are made up of whatever we cant sell, like if a package breaks but the contents are still good. thats why u got the 25 radishes haha. People fight over those at my store :')

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Prices have gone up here in Germany as well. a pack of pasta used to be 49 cents, now 89 cents. 1 l milk was 88 cents, now 1.15€, a bag of brand chips was 1.39, now 1.79, the sausages I used to by were 2.89, now 3.89, and the list goes on. I think the series should continue. With increased prices us people living on a budget are even more dependent on cheap and filling options.

[@loli_cvnt5622]

Honestly, sausage that's 2.89 isn't great and the prices in meat should be rising for other reasons Eat less meat, buy less and better quality Also, we could only dream of UK prices before inflation too ngl

[@akaony]

Huh. Compared to that, Italy’s prices started to go up years ago, it’s been ages since I’ve had milk under 1 eur

[@rusti98]

In italy at the moment a liter of good milk 1.80 euro, 1kg of lasta 1.80 euro, 1 kg of rice 2.50, a kg of tomatoes 4 euros, a kg of salmon 25 euro a kg of potatoes 4 euro, a kg of carrots 2.50 euro, a kg of bread from bakery 6 euro. Italy's prices are getting crazy, you cant find items under 1 euro, canned ones are always 1.50 minimum, a kg of oranges 4 euros, same for lemons and so on, double the price on everything

[@monodimensionalbeing]

Such a shame. Community allotments need subsidised or the like! Best wishes

[@jawad9757]

​@@loli_cvnt5622sounds like bourgeois vegan bullshit to me

[@5avan10]

An alternative idea would be to introduce economy of scale, and try to make meals for 7 days on £10 or something similar. This would make it more practical to use bulk items, greater variety, and so forth. Of course it's also a greater commitment to spend an entire week rather than just one day on such a challenge. I hope you don't stop doing the series entirely, as I always enjoy these videos.

[@evanslat1783]

So the problem with that is that it takes a lot of time and effort for him to do that. Look over the 5 for 5 days videos and he explains why he would not want to do that again, even for just 5 days.

[@philrobbie1670]

hes done that, but you have to remember that living that way for a week is not that inspiring a proposition, great viewing for us, but you can imagine why Mr Shrimp is reluctant.

[@zacstarkey1369]

This sounds like the best rational evolution of this series with the inflation of the uk unfortunately

[@BeheadedKamikaze]

@@philrobbie1670 That's a fine point, but I think it's also worth exploring what restrictions need to be relaxed and by how much, to meet this challenge in a satisfactory way.

[@BeheadedKamikaze]

@@Brissles Citation needed.

[@juliannacrandall4448]

Honestly, I think these kinds of videos are more important than ever. We need more content that teaches thriftiness and mindfulness concerning food. And we need that content to change to be in step with the times and the reality that we're living in. Even if you have to increase the budget some, or make more allowances in pantry staples, I find this content not just entertaining but highly educational and valuable.

[@anfearaerach]

We don't need more content on "trying to not starve", we need system change. The content is nice, don't get me wrong, but this is putting a strain on everyone.

[@jimmythechimp2]

@@anfearaerach I think the big problem is time more than anything. Convenient food is quick and tasty but more expensive. You can make a carbonara with 2 eggs, a little parmesan, and some bacon lardons. It must be like £2 a portion there? But then again learning how to make it takes time and who wants to eat a messed up meal 3 or 4 times before you get it right. You could also make chicken soup for just over a pound a portion, but that'll take a couple hours to boil to get right. There is so much tasty food out there that you can eat cheaply. But unfortunately, we are all working ungodly hours, and have no time. And in the rare time we have off it would be nice to eat something as treat. I live in Asia and eating out is a regular thing, not a treat, I can have a big bowl of rice, beef, salad, and soup for £3.50.

[@Rosso87]

Please read the video description, this video is not meant to "teach" thriftiness or budgeting and not meant to be an example of how people can save by eating differently. These are in no way something you should be doing/eating every day. It's called a challenge for a reason

[@willm5032]

I think it's a two-fold thing, we're all guilty of being too snobby/wasteful with food, BUT the general conditions we live in the UK are absolutely getting beyond people's control within their own financial means. Budgeting can only get you so far after all!

[@MrLense]

For me as a 20-something out of Uni, I basically just never had to leave the shopping food like a student phase. Sad state of affairs we're in.

[@MajorSvenGaming]

My vote is option 3. Larger budget but a longer period. It's more realistic. I would suggest £3 for 3 days with a 10% contingency leeway if you find the perfect items. Don't stop the series they are my favorite and in reality finding some solutions gives me some hope during this cost of living crisis when everything is terrible in the UK right now. I would also encourage you to use every tool at your disposal. Take milk pots and sauce packets from the supermarket cafe and forage to your hearts content.

[@TheGirlWhoExists]

+

[@maroon-azure]

Also take any free shit you can get your hands on (preferably within walking distance)

[@capttuttle7422]

What is a milk pot?

[@AlissaSss23]

To take milk pots and sauce sachets from cafes means YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY there in the first place. Otherwise it's just stealing. So you'd go over the budget anyway

[@Tim99GT]

Whatever you do, do not stop doing the challenge. My wife and I really enjoy your creativity with the dishes, the shopping, all of it. One of our favorite series on KZbin we watch together.

[@goth.hagrid]

I'm currently going through redundancy and have been rewatching all of your budget and cooking videos as they bring me a lot of joy and comfort. Thank you.

[@rudimentaryganglia]

​@@SpudSaladGeneticallyaPotato I really hope so guys,it's pretty worrying how dire things have been looking

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

Of all my binges, Mike remains my favourite to this very day.

[@rudimentaryganglia]

@@SpudSaladGeneticallyaPotato 🙌

[@Iymarra]

Good luck finding something else. I know how hard redundancy can be so best wishes!

[@Usortert]

Similar situation here (waiting for a disability case to be finished. If it crashes and burn, I will be in very deep shit in the not-distant-future). This channel and BloosSelfReliance has become two of my main staples to watch for good ideas, very different styles and approaches, so for me they have ended up covering most of the bases.

[@JoshuaDay]

I think I can speak for everyone when I say thank you very much Mike for the effort you put in! Always a joy to see another episode in the budget series.

[@hdbordercollie]

yes!

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

Your comment is relatable.

[@russelllukenbill]

​@@PandemoniumMeltDown Certainly one of the comments of all time.

[@edtuckerartist]

You Weirdly Can

[@emmayoung22]

Never knew his name was Mike. Learn something new everyday.

[@justinbradshaw5416]

I feel like one of the most interesting directions of this challenge series to me is the re-use feature, where you are repeat using the same ingredients for multiple dishes in ways that make them feel distinct. You could preserve that without doing a money lock by doing like "3 ingredients for 3 days" where each day every meal must use the same 3 ingredients, prepped differently so the meals taste different? Or you could do the longer, multi-day challenges so you can buy in bulk and thus get more hearty meals out of it

[@ambsemlay]

i love this idea

[@jenevastorme]

I agree this is a great idea.

[@seargesoren9391]

I just realized I have more stuff in my kitchen drawers and I keep thinking I don't have enough food for a proper meal. Sobbering video, very enjoyable!

[@Niclouyat]

Me to

[@jelphick4686]

Please don't stop the series, we need the inspiration now more than ever before. I'd love to see a £20 for 7 days for 'a couple' (2 people). I feel that most of us are happy to have a 'regular' breakfast of toast or cereal but need help finding cheap but tasty meals for lunch & suppers. Appreciate that it's a huge amount of work & maybe Jenny wouldn't want to be involved? Best wishes

[@darthraider450]

Asda had a £20 for 7 days mealplan on their website recently

[@strotter583]

This series is a vital documentation of the rapid inflation the UK is facing. I would love to see a dedicated video comparing the price / rising pricing throughout your budget challenges so far Keep up the great content!

[@bradthunderpants3283]

I've always thought it crazy how much food atomic shrimp can get even with the euro being around equal to a dollar in value, you can get like 10x as much food as you could with a US dollar, like literally at the most budget of budget food stores in the US, you can't get a can of peas or beans for less than 1.50$, and can't get any vegetable really for less than 1$ a unit.

[@joshuadalton6063]

He did that at the start. The price was steady through all his earlier challenges from 2020 to 2022, its just this latest vid where the prices have gone up that much.

[@TheCatherineCC]

@@bradthunderpants3283 we are being completely fucked over in North America. Shameless gouging.

[@drorhaz]

Its the whole world my friend.. the prices goes up fast and the salary stay the same.

[@geekyboringfilms233]

£1 = €1.12, so it can’t be that bad.

[@patmacaleenan]

Your thoughtfulness towards those who have less, and your restraint in not admonishing them like 30p Lee is not lost on us. I think these are interesting videos, and I appreciate your candor when things are just bad.

[@georgeiii2998]

Well said.

[@AlissaSss23]

Who's 30p Lee?

[@georgeiii2998]

@@AlissaSss23 lee Anderson, Tory MP who said that you could cook a meal for just 30p (totally out of touch, "let them eat brioche" attitude).

[@Carlin2810]

My MP in Sutton in Ashfield or was untill I moved down the road into Ben "Jobless people should be given vasectomies" Bradley's constituency @@AlissaSss23

[@PiOfficial]

@@georgeiii2998who was proven right by this video? Yet you hate him because msm tells you to.

[@kingchuckfinley]

For the lunch soup I’d probably opt for the root half. I’m a chef, I absolutely love these videos. I comment multiple times every episode, but in the end you have a plan that makes a whole lot of sense. The bitter root of an onion can really turn a dish a little unappealing, so a soup that is going to be blending with other ingredients is a little more forgiving. I always love how you can make some true meals out of such shallow (I don’t think that’s quite the word to be honest) ingredients. Soup looks great!

[@go-away-5555]

Prices are increasing everywhere and it sucks. I think a budget increase is fine for the series. I love these budget challenges and it's always surprising how much cheaper food is across the pond. I just did the math to convert the price of onions I brought today from $/lb to £/kg, and it was £2.74/kg :(

[@jimmythechimp2]

I'm in Japan where eating out is cheap but supermarkets aren't that cheap. I was looking at UK prices and was laughing at how cheap things are. 1 bell pepper can cost £2 here, mushrooms are like 3 times the price of the UK too.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

Depends on where you are in the states. Curious where you are, if you don’t mind. I, for one, have been trying to find creative ways to garden with limited space. We are working to convert the dining room into a growing area - the table will remain, but we are putting shelves around the parameter, creating a mushroom fruiting chamber (martha tent) in an extra bedroom that we are turning into an expanded pantry (where we are also working to get more bulk items), and finding little spots in the yard to try to convert into a growing area. I am building some grow towers. Figure if we can’t expand out, we will build up. Trying to get the neighbors interested in doing victory gardens. The small patch of grass we have is for the dogs, but we can expand it a little and hope to get chickens for eggs and for fun - I love birds and chickens are fun birds, especially certain breeds.

[@haresmahmood]

That's ridiculous I can't imagine that

[@Jay_Johnson]

I don't know much about where in the US you are but the UK has a very different climate to the US in general and as such has lots of root vegetables whereas things like sweetcorn are probably way more expensive. Also people in America are just richer on average so that drives up prices. It also highly depends on where you are shopping. At lidl (cheap supermarket) 1kg of onions are 59p but at Waitrose (rich people supermarket) they are £1.05. Tesco are pretty average.

[@legitbuzhuh]

Lmao

[@The3Storms]

I don’t want the series to stop but I also want you to be happy. I think you’re great at offering and enjoying variety and being honest about your results. You’re a resource to people in a pinch and a witness to what’s happening in Britain for us to compare from elsewhere. Perhaps if you allow yourself a budget starch as well as a £ across three meals? I think it’s how many of us stretch out meals anyways-potato, pasta, rice or bread. Or a day or two cooking from the equivalent of the local food bank box?

[@trollofthedungeon9196]

I'm not a fan of the food bank box idea, simply because that box is for those who need it, rather than a youtuber doing it for a video. I would be more ok with it if maybe he saw what was in it and bought those exact foods?

[@PurpleyBlue]

@@trollofthedungeon9196 "I would be more ok with it if maybe he saw what was in it and bought those exact foods?" I think that was what was meant by 'equivalent' of a food bank box.

[@The3Storms]

@@trollofthedungeon9196 that’s why I said equivalent

[@werisekk3]

@@trollofthedungeon9196 I think that's precisely what the original commenter meant. I'd love if he just went in, asked what a person could possibly expect to find in one of those boxes, then buy those precise items and show what you can do with them.

[@Kitsunelanie]

With regards to the future of this series, it'd be interesting to see you try this at different price points too. $3 or even $5 seems like cheating in terms of it being a challenge, but I think it would be interesting to see how *you* would spend that extra money, with the underlying theme of seeing just how far you could stretch it. Showcasing the variety of what you can pull off with that would be neat.

[@klarname_online9356]

Interesting Kind of an efficiency curve; how much money will bring a large improvement into the coocking, and at which point in kind of saturates

[@DrKrapulax]

A higher budget could come with more restrictions, for example no canned goods, and 4 meals a day instead of 3.

[@capitalb5889]

$3 won't help with shopping in the UK 😁

[@katarzynalaskowska4740]

Yeah, and then maybe he could make 3 meals but for 2 days since he would be able to buy something "bigger" or "more expensive". I agree with you

[@klarname_online9356]

@@capitalb5889 well the only good thing about brexit is that you can now better compare prices, as roughly $=£=€ (± a bit, which is less than inflation according to the shrimp inflation index)

[@claralouise6433]

I think lentils are a good idea for anyone on a budget. A bag of dried lentils is extremely cheap, nutritious and versatile. Lentil curry, lentil stew, chilli, soup, bolognese… the list goes on. They’re a really good source of protein too! I cook mine in a slow cooker, which again, saves on cost. Dry couscous is another good option too.

[@acex222]

yeh, but they taste absolutely rank.

[@khalifab4339]

I love lentils but my guts don't.

[@sarahroberts7374]

​@@khalifab4339fr.. the bloating isn't fair 😢 especially as a vegan they're a really good food source for me but I can't have them in large quantities on the regular

[@DG-iw3yw]

Until that becomes popular and they decide to put the price up on that too... Nobody gets a bite without bleeding

[@JisforJenius]

​@@acex222disagree. I love meat but lentils are delicious.

[@gemmacox5529]

I love watching these! How about doing £3 for two days or something similar to that? I’d also really love to see you add foraging, because it feels like it could really help some people stretch their budgets.

[@capitalb5889]

Not much to forage in February, sadly. But I love your proposal - you could probably cook some better food with £3, like some potatoes.

[@UR_HR]

I really like these vids, I really enjoy the creativity. I think in reality most people will have some basics in their cupboards, I don't think it would be unrealistic to allow yourself some flour and some oil. Another idea (although I appreciate a lot more work) would be to work with a small weekly budget, and maybe cooking some dishes with enough quantity to cover off 2 meals to reduce the load.

[@leymons1236]

I super agree with this idea

[@snorlaxjen]

Would you be able to figure out what a food bank gives for an average week for a single adult and make a weeks worth of meals based on they would give you ? That would be interesting to watch

[@nigelkennedy2557]

this is an amazing idea

[@rainbowkitten8990]

Good idea!!!

[@smultanius]

Suggestion: Allocate 20% of the budget to pro rata items from the pantry, restricted to one staple starch and one cooking fat. That will give you a lot more room to get creative when using the other 80% of the budget, while keeping to the original spirit of the challenge. The food challenges have always been one of my favorite parts of the channel. Please don't retire them!

[@ohitsolly677]

from someone who practically raised herself, thank you so much for making your videos educational, easy to follow and overall really comforting! it means a lot to everyone like me ❤

[@bassetts1899]

Your experience with the parsnip reminded me of one of my biggest gripes with food shopping right now. Food quality has gone so noticeably downhill. The most obvious example from my own shopping basket is Asda garlic bulbs. They've switched to importing them from China, and these bulbs are far less flavourful than the garlic I'm used to. So I end up using double the amount of garlic to get the same taste in a meal. It's sad.

[@russelllukenbill]

You would save money if you stopped putting bread on your cat's head.

[@Tsnafu]

Assuming you've got a sunny patch of garden - buy a head of good quality organic garlic, stick it in the back of the fridge for a week to chill then break it apart and plant it. That's how I started growing my own garlic years ago. Each year I save the best looking couple of heads and save them for planting the following year. I haven't bought garlic for years.

[@cesariojpn]

If you search for videos on China Food, you'll get videos on how Chinese Food Makers have been adulterated foods to make things look better and appealing.

[@brandon9172]

@@Tsnafu And if you don't want to wait for them to mature you can always harvest the garlic greens as well (it'll slow their growth ofc).

[@elisahamilton73]

​@@Tsnafu I'm going to try this plus a few tomato plants too.

[@nunocspinto]

This principle is great. Your cooking gives people great ideas, and I get that it's the point of the series. It's getting harder and that's an added challenge. Maybe trying to understand the cost of living in some circunstances and adapt to those could be a good way for the series. PS: the lighting in your new kitchen is getting better!

[@Aleksbc]

Love what you do Mike - would not have enjoyed the meals tho’. We know stuff is going up, but the 37% was a shocker. Don’t stop the budget challenges!

[@AtomicShrimp]

The 37% is just my crude average across this rather unusual selection of items. I think if we did a completely fair test, and if the averages were compartmentalised into things like 'meat' and 'fresh veg' etc, we'd see even more scary numbers

[@ukaszduda1398]

Definitely don't abandon the series, those budget cooking videos are really inspiring and fun to watch. Increasing the budget won't destroy the purpose of the challenge

[@yasminreyes957]

Hehe please don't give up...Yes I can afford to have decent meal...But with these days with uncertainty wars here and there...I will remember what you have done...For me it's very helpful... Grateful of your videos❤

[@sunilpatel2883]

It's really interesting (and scary) to see the rising prices laid out so plainly and clearly. I love these budget challenges, and would be sad to see the end of the series! I would be for increasing the budget until you hit that sweet spot of difficult but not impossible (but I suppose refinding that sweet spot is hard!).

[@SuperDolly64]

Please don'tgive up-it would be interesting maybe to do a £5/week challenge - or even see if it would be possible. With bulk buying/meal planning as an aspect. These videos are educational! My hubby and I fell on hard times (my profligacy to blame hahahah) and we survived and actually got fat on £10/week for two of us, we had porridge and honey for breakfast, a proper lunch every day and a decent evening meal with dessert every day. But that was over 25 years ago and would be considerably harder now. People need to know it is possible to create interesting nutritional meals even if you're restricted. Thanks for posting this. On that note I'm off out to fetch the fish and chips-it is Friday after all. Much love x😉

[@Taversham]

Just for comparison, £10 in 1998 is about £24 today.

[@xander1052]

@@Taversham yeah £24 is a lot closer to what I spend per week, not including alcohol consumption which itself is quite low for myself.

[@azurehanyo]

I always look forward to this series. Since you asked, I think increasing the budget would be prudent given the cost of food now compared to a year ago. Perhaps a £2 challenge?

[@rik80280]

I love the ones that you add foraging in, and I’d also love ones with a bit of gardening, maybe just the amount one could do on a balcony. Or visiting a friend’s garden. I know I always have veg to spare in my garden (even if you just take cauliflower leaves and carrot tops or other things most gardeners don’t bother with).

[@AliciaB.]

Please don't stop making these culinary challenges ! They're massively entertaining and I love the creativity they induce. One thing you could do is change the nature of the restriction to something other than budget. It doesn't have to be 'sensible', it could be for instance preparing a meal in which _everything_ is orange, or pink, or what have you (without food colouring). Or a meal whose ingredients have to begin with each letter of the alphabet. (Taskmaster fans will know)

[@littlehorn0063]

These seem like awful challenge ideas, to be honest. The budget is the only restriction I'd really expect from this author, and for a good reason - you need to somehow get by in the world with steadily increasing prices, and such videos greatly help with providong techniques and tips on how to use ingredients you have.

[@Wow-Internet-User]

I really liked the dice directed dining because the problem is not the cost, but figuring out how to use the given ingredients in a creative way, like a puzzle. But definitely don’t abandon this series, it was fun and enjoyable. Keep up the good work Shrimp!

[@psychedelikchameleon]

Same!

[@swfgoesketo6853]

Don’t quit; I love these challenges! I miss foraging, and I think you can add some additional pantry staples. What if you did a basic budget pantry challenge (build a basic pantry for £5-10 or so) and then allowed those staples in your future challenges? That would allow more flexibility and also serve as a valuable resource for viewers who are trying to build meals around whatever happens to be available and in budget.

[@redacted7058]

I like the idea of a basic pantry challenge that carries over through other videos!

[@lvmln7843]

Such a great idea!

[@stevenbobbybills]

I agree wholeheartedly.

[@fishingfourme]

Watching the news I was amazed the young people at an age of 16-17 years had not been schooled in the basics of cooking until they were about to be released from care. What are we doing for these young people, have they not had any basic schooling in looking after themselves. You should set up a business or someone should and pass your talents. I am gob smacked. WELL DONE YOU! Please keep it coming. Bob Oxford.

[@janicemeaders1453]

Use to have shop & home e

[@repairmanjack78]

These budget challenges are probably my favorite content that you produce. My suggestion is to increase the budget as you did here, and allow yourself wild and urban foraging as well (which is another topic that you do that I quite enjoy). Whatever you do, I will continue to watch

[@AlissaSss23]

Same!!!

[@TheIndy4000]

We love the budget challenges! Allowing yourself a fat outside of the budget would maybe make things easier or give you more options. Also interested in seeing a challenge allowing (some or any amount of) store cupboard ingredients, with the idea of using up what you already have and supplementing it with a limited budget shop. Finally, though I recognise this probably increases the work exponentially, increasing the budget but covering more days would open up more options (as I think we've seen in some of your previous videos). Ultimately, though, if the way to keep the series alive is to increase the budget, we're ON BOARD. Calibrating the limitations is part of the balancing act of 'interest generated from difficulty' versus 'interest generated from possibility/novelty', but the limitations' intensity has changed from external circumstances, meaning the challenge has veered further towards one of those poles without any input from you

[@Paremo_]

Or simulate a multi-day challenge by splitting up larger packages, so long as the amount of stuff actually used fits within the original budget and the total cost of purchase stays below some multiple of that budget.

[@samcresp5440]

I love these challenge videos. They don’t come off as ignorant or trying to exploit people who are impoverished, there’s genuine creativity and tips for flavour building and attempts at meals with unconventional bases and a really good thorough knowledge basis highlighted with interesting information; like price differences. I love these videos and I don’t want to see the end of them anytime soon. I know it’s difficult to film more meals for bigger budgets, or to rely more heavily on foraging since it’s very seasonal, but regardless, I’m guarantee I’ll watch everything!

[@MarketaSusilova]

What may be useful for your upcoming food challenges (I love them and they help my family so much) is two ingredient dough with yoghurt and self rising flour. I make bagels with that dough and cinamon rolls. Thank you for your budget videos, they really help me to kick my creativity with food I have at home and save money that way. ❤

[@DaniilHomyak]

I think it would be interesting to see either a £2 budget increase or £1.37 w/ foraging. I’m a sucker for foraging myself, thus really enjoy people from other parts of the world using their surrounding nature gifts in the food they cook!

[@Android-bd8ft]

This is exactly what i think.Also maybe count whatever is in your garden.

[@RyuakiraX]

Wish foraging was an option in my country. Long winters end up with nothing edible being both accessible and not eaten up by animals.

[@Android-bd8ft]

@@RyuakiraX doesnt mean its not there. It means the animals beat you to it. Many things that ppl forage also get eaten by rabbits,Snails ,Deer ect. Stingy nettel is one of the ones they usually leave alone, for example.

[@RyuakiraX]

@@Android-bd8ft Well, there's about a meter of snow on top of all supposedly existing plants. Nettles won't be growing for a month or two yet.

[@kelseyf2619]

These are my absolute favorite videos. The set dollar amount isnt what matters the most, its your creativity to do such interesting and unexpected things with so little. It’s really valuable at this time and if $1 is too little, increase the amount, as we all have unfortunately had to do.

[@Chenty91]

*£1

[@lmeuwriise5728]

This is my favourite series by far. Perhaps £2.74 for a weekend would be easier, or £2.74 for two people for one day. Or instead of price being the limiting factor, you could set yourself other parameters like the type of food you use (Tinned only, bought only from certain stores etc) for a day and try to make 3 meals using that. Could make for an interesting but achievable challenge

[@Butlinsgvn6]

Please don't give up on the series - I absolutely love these videos! It's so encouraging to see how resourceful you can be within a tiny budget

[@aremamarang]

Failure is interesting, I don't think these challenges have to succeed to be entertaining to watch. However, you could just increase your budget, I think most people agree on that. The fun of the series is seeing what you can manage to make with a limited amount of ingredients.

[@gw8165]

Please do not give up on this series, i would love to see a £2 a day or £3 a day as that is now less than the cost of a standard meal deal, proving that you can spend less across three meals, comparative to just 3 items for a bog standard lunch. would love to see what you come up with. but please keep this going : )

[@Audrey-el8qj]

I love these challenges! I have no issue with making needed changes like adjusting the budget or doing more foraging. The whole series is about creative problem solving, so this is just one more!

[@MrChris10088]

I always rather enjoy watching these budget challenges. They are very creative and you can tell a lot of thought is put into them. I think increasing the budget is necessary and perhaps more foraging too. I'd personally love to see a challenge purely based on foraging if possible? Either way, thanks for all the hard work you put into your videos, they're very educational and relaxing to watch 😊

[@AlissaSss23]

He did have a challenge based on foraging only, he released the video last year I think. It's called "How hard is it to survive on foraged foods only?" Or something similar

[@Bamboori]

I think for future episodes it might be interesting to have a choice (or randomly chosen) of "leftover" ingredients, much like the bones you used this time. This could be stale bread, what's left in a bag of flour or similar. I do remember you being very creative with just flour (remembering the saitan for example), and i don't think that well has dried up yet. As for the creative aspect, i also really enjoy the random ingredients challenges. In short, I think whichever direction you choose to take this in, I'm along for the ride.

[@Lisawhatshersname]

I think leftover ingredients are a great idea. Seconded!

[@kerim.peardon5551]

This is a good idea. A lot of young people, especially, don't know what to do with leftovers. I've seen several people say that when they were growing up poor, their mother saved every bite of uneaten food from dinner in the fridge, plus her prep trimmings. At the end of the week, she would turn the trimmings into stock and all the leftover food went into it, plus anything in the fridge that needed to be used up. So not one bite of food was ever wasted. They had this leftover soup for dinner on Sunday nights and it never tasted the same way twice, so they never got tired of it. She would also season it different ways, depending on the ingredients and any residual flavor they might have.

[@happybunny1329]

Yes, when I saw those nice pieces of cucumber lying in the waste container below the banana skin, I thought, why can't we have them!? :)

[@--SD--]

This is probably my favourite series of yours, very interesting. As to the question at the end, I would suggest increasing the budget because I think that's attainable for most people (there will always be exceptions) - If you increased it to a quid per meal I think that would make a HUGE difference to what you could get on that budget. Just my thoughts, all the best.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

or even 50p

[@rosebrown7002]

@@TheFrugalMombot that's more in line with what I was thinking too. 50p per meal is more realistic for the challenge of a budget

[@WiThErZ666]

Please don't abandon these challenges. I find your creativity really inspiring. I would maybe increase the budget slightly. Maybe £1.50, and allow foraging and anything you may have growing in the garden. To make it a little more challenging, either restrict to none or only one reduced item during the shopping trip. Again, please don't drop this series. There's very few KZbin creators who do anything like this. These videos are always a very entertaining watch. Edit: Just read your comment. Your plan is good. Definitely not boring and will keep the series alive and moving with the times. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[@Yamezzzz]

I think that upping the budget to £2 retains all the meaning behind the original series but is adapted to 2023. That small increase in budget would allow a lot more creativity and variety too. It can also be summarised with a single £2 coin for the thumbnail. Unfortunately the budget is what changes. We all know £1 is basically impossible now.

[@Speedkam]

I think £1 per meal per day is totally doable despite price rises. I soend somethin similar. You just need to buy some stuff at wholesalers and prep a lot of food yourself.

[@Yamezzzz]

@@Speedkam That's even more money. Assuming 3 meals, that's £3 a day. And buying in bulk defeats the purpose of the video, because you need to spend more money. It's what you can buy with only £1

[@VanillaLoaf]

I think the series should continue for sure. I guess you could either keep doing like you did here and adjust the budget for inflation, or do something along the lines of your ingredient randomiser idea you had. Maybe add one random item per meal so that you don't die of malnutrition/boredom.

[@kathleenfleming7519]

Never abandon this budget series! I think increasing the budget would help, food in grocery stores are through the roof! In America, we can't buy loose vegetables, so I always enjoy that you can buy a loose onion or carrot for a few pence, instead of a few pounds. I love these budget meals, so please make more of them!!

[@grelca]

i’m really curious where you live because i have lived in three different states and vacationed in plenty of others and have never been to a grocery store that didn’t have loose produce 👀👀 sure there are pre-bagged options for staples like potatoes and onions, but i can also buy one potato or one onion and often do, the only things i can think of i’ve never seen available loose is like… berries and grapes and green onions (they’re always bundled lol) i get amazed at the prices of produce he buys. i’ve never seen such cheap produce in the states, much less any of the other items either. even when i do shop the reduced items!

[@DualKeys]

The grocery stores where I live in Louisiana have several types of vegetables you can buy loose. You can buy onions, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers without packaging, but carrots are only sold in bags weighing at least a pound, and I've never seen mushrooms sold loose. Also, the company that sells fresh garlic to the store I shop at most frequently has decided to start wrapping each head of garlic with a band of plastic so it can have a bar code. This means the garlic can't breathe, and every time I've bought that garlic, at least half of it has been rotten. What was wrong with the little stickers?

[@kathleenfleming7519]

@@grelca I live in Massachusetts.

[@grelca]

oh yeah could for sure add mushrooms to the list of things i’ve never seen loose too.. i can definitely get loose carrots (i bought two from a store in my neighborhood just a few days ago lol) but wouldn’t say they’re available that way at every store. guess there’s just a lot of variation depending on where you live and where you shop :)

[@dudesame2207]

These budget challenges have opened my eyes to so many more cheaper options in the store. This and the foraging videos are some of my most favorite series i've ever come across. I am a big fan of "adjusted for inflation" in these videos, and I also could see that as an interesting concept, using a budget of someone from the 60s or something like that sounds super interesting!

[@joystick8384]

I have no idea how this appeared in my recommendations, but I ended up watching the whole thing. Incredibly impressed that you pulled together three reasonable meals for less then half of the price of one Pret sandwich. Keep it going, mate! I think 2 pounds per day is a reasonable increase, given the circumstances. Good man 👍

[@d.awdreygore]

I love it when you post on a Friday evening, it gets the weekend off to a relaxing start and I always learn something.

[@winterwhite110507]

Adding to the budget doesn't make this challenge less interesting, but is merely a realistic adjustment that we all make through time. I enjoyed seeing how you created three different meals, though I do think that allowing yourself cooking oil would have been much more efficient than using mayonnaise, and, I think, also more cost-effective (though I understand that is not necessarily the purpose). Discontinuing this series merely because a single unit of currency for the budget is not usable anymore seems whimsical; please do continue on!

[@e2linuxos]

It's not realistic though to bump up the budget as our wages (mine anyway), haven't increased at all in the last 2 years. Not only has food costs increased dramatically but everything else has as well. The realistic thing to do would be to cut the food budget, as for many the available money for food is much less.

[@raraavis7782]

@@e2linuxos Yes, but as he has said countless of times by now...these videos aren't meant as a survival guide for poor people. If they inspire people on a tight budget to be more creative with their cooking - great. But the point of the videos is to create a 'hard, but not too hard' challenge for himself and a fun video for the viewers. It doesn't work, if the budget is so small and the resulting food so boring and unsatisfying, that the videos aren't fun to make or watch anymore. Not saying, that was the case here, but it's where he feels this is heading. And yeah...if you have to stick to such a tight budget for more then a day, you would shop differently anyway (as he also pointed out). No one in their right mind would spend 2/3 of the budget on some veggies, if this was about survival. You'd focus on getting calories from starch and fat and a reasonable amount of protein, if possible. Healthy food comes second, when your budget is that small. Well, unless you would want to also this as an opportunity to loose weight, obviously.

[@FinleyGomez]

Really hope you don't stop doing these, as a single person who is living on a budget due to rent and bills, these videos fill me with large amounts of inspiration of how I can make the most simple ingredients go further!

[@yves5435]

I'm really enjoying your series. It reminds me some year ago at university, I decided to see how little you could spend over a year for an experiment. Living in the south food Prices per city were (2018) inflated compared to stores in the North of England. I realised you could have 3 meals on £2 (Spring & Summer), £1 (Autumn ) & £3-4 in (Winter). During the spring and summer, I'd join farm & allotment co-ops and dig for potatoes, Autumn you could forage mostly so the cost would go down, I went fishing on the Cherwell to subsidise my meals. I tried brewing Honey wine, with little expense, this can be achieved and enjoyed in Winter. But Winter without planning can be difficult. Collecting food an storing it in the freezer or potting items is a good Idea. I rarely ate meat unless it was gifted or caught, as the price of meat tended to fluctuate massively in supermarkets, so i didn't buy it. I really like your series, have you thought about comparing the challenge in other parts of the UK? Most expensive to Least expensive Areas. In my opinion you can eat better and on a cheaper budget in Scotland than in England.

[@AmiFriendsStudio]

Please don't give up on foraging. That was the most interesting to me. Your budget challenges were unique because of the foraging aspect. Thank you!

[@chrbs296]

I definitely want this series to continue. I especially like it when you include foraging and "free" items like sauce packets. Love that you make it challenging and leverage your creativity to come up with some stuff that I definitely want to try. Or maybe do it for a few days with lump sum that equates to the 1.37 a day. Whatever you do, I know it will be fabulous!

[@Ratsinacoat]

These budget challenges are one of my absolut favorit things to watch when they are from you. I love how they're a little bit different every time because I can watch them again and again and not get tired of them. Please continue to make up new challangers with different restrictions that inspire you to be creative.

[@ksbordersjville]

I'm amazed by your ingenuity...the possibilities are limitless ....thank you.

[@011y89]

This is with out a doubt my absolute favourite series of yours. The ingenuity shown in making do and getting on is fantastic and whilst in a vacuum shows just how versatile you need to be to work with tiny budgets .

[@kathi1987]

Raise the budget a smidge and allow foraging and please never stop this series.. in fact please never stop all of your series’ ☺️

[@ztoical]

I am always impressed with how creatively you use ingredients. I sit and stare at food in my kitchen now and think what would Atomic Shrimp do with this! Have you consider doing a blind box challenge? Like ready steady cook style (if you remember that show)

[@W0R537Y0U]

I agree with the idea of 1 week on 10 Euro. The possibilities with bulk purchases would be great to see. I would also love to see a "(x) Euro kitchen and (y) meals" where you build your entire kitchen setup, from pots and pans to the bowls you eat out of (excluding only things bolted into the walls / included with the house), and also taking into account potential service costs, such as electricity or gas. It'd be interesting to see how much a thrift store / scrap yard kitchen set would cost in comparison to the edible food costs.

[@IAmMike2K]

Please don't abandon the series, your budget challenge from 3 years ago was the first video the KZbin algorithm God's graced my screen with and I've been here watching every video of yours ever since. Your channel is about 75% of the reason I have KZbin Premium even!

[@RichardNosworthy]

These types of videos are my favourite of the ones you do! So please do continue. This was great because the difficulty was interesting in itself. I wonder if a £5-6 three day challenge would open up more options while still being stretching enough? I feel that the budget for this one is sadly now so low that it limits creativity a lot so no baking, pastry, dumplings or desserts. Keep up the great work and thanks for your videos.

[@frenchiestfry9045]

Never been more excited for a video, been thinking about this for a while. Can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with Mr Shrimp.

[@Voshchronos]

Man, I love this series so much, please don't stop! And from what I've seen in the comments you're actually helping quite a whole of people that are struggling, which is really noble if you ask me.

[@aaronwilliamson8235]

FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY SHRIMP, PLEASE DO NOT STOP THE SERIES. This series gave me a new lease of life when I first found it, I was in a dark deep depression and in a wild fever dream one night I heard a voice from above call me and tell me to search for Atomic Shrimp on youtube - and that was the day that everything changed. These food budget challenges help me find peace and tranquillity when battling my greater demons with only snakeskin on. I need these videos as much as I need the air that I breathe in my lungs after hitting 2's off Sarah Forbes. Please do not stop these videos, increase the budget if you need to, m'lord. I heard that in the local tesco you can get some coolson coleslaw for cheap.

[@MjFanOfHeaven]

these challenges are for some reason the most relaxing and calming content for me. i’d be sad if you stopped making them! make it 2 pounds maybe? also it would be interesting to see you buy the same things from an earlier challenge and see how much they cost today -then maybe try cooking something different than the last time!

[@kdolo1887]

I love that you go into these stores when you do these challenges with the push cart. Very optimistic, thinking you might be able to fill it!

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

Camera in the other hand 😄

[@stoicvibesonly]

Love watching these videos. Especially the creativity. Also as a Canadian those grocery prices blow my mind. A tub of yogurt on sale here would still be $6

[@jhonbus]

Not watched the whole video yet so you might well mention it, but I've noticed that it's the cheapest things that have gone up by the most, which is very concerning for people on the lowest incomes. I've had to be very careful how much I spend over the last year or so, so this has been affecting me quite a lot. Hearing that inflation is meant to be a shocking "ten percent" per year is bad, but a lot of the stuff I've been buying (own brand products especially) has gone up by FIFTY percent in that time.

[@MagralhoPT]

Yeah... I feel you. Its getting very hard to go by.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

and wages haven’t gone up accordingly. I’m still seeing big bonuses at the top though. Typical. A lot of this feels very manufactured and I’m not one easily into conspiracies.

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

@@TheFrugalMombot Try obviouspiracies

[@SilverDragonJay]

@@TheFrugalMombot technically, something being a conspiracy doesn't mean that its far fetched. The term often gets conflated with only the most ridiculous conspiracies like that nasa is hiding the shape of the earth or the illuminati controls the world, but there are actual, verifiable, real life conspiracies. A conspiracy is really just a group of people getting together to conspire something, it doesn't even necessarily have to be a big group of people who are in on it. In fact, you could argue that things like price fixing (a thing that business owners do) is also a conspiracy (against the consumers.)

[@peskaondra]

I personally think that increasing the budget wouldn't necessarily lower the difficulty and it would result in new recipes (not just variations on what we've already seen). It would add space for creativity because you no longer would be bound by such a strict and somewhat arbitrary limit. What I'm trying to say is that restricting your budget does make things interesting and forces you to improvise but there's only so much you can do with £1. I love the content and would love to see more of it so I hope you can figure something out

[@colepdx187]

Yes, food has gotten expensive. I used to shop sales and spent about $30/week to eat. Now, the good sales have disappeared and I now spend more like $100/week to eat the same things. The next step after [they] have made food expensive is to make it scarce. Good luck everyone.

[@kerim.peardon5551]

That's why I'm advocating for him to do a combo challenge where he grows veg in pots and then his food challenge is to eat only what he grows or forages for himself. We'll all need a garden out on the balcony or patio to supplemental our rations in the not-too-distant future.

[@temptemp4174]

Who are (((they)))

[@Hysteria_Costumes]

KZbin just recommended this video some days ago and I'm very glad about it. Since then I'm almost kind of binge watching your content. I just love those kind of challenges and I'm very glad you didn't abandon the series😊Looking forward to more videos of that kind of content.

[@tonywest5956]

A budget challenge is even more relevant now than ever before, if the budget has to change then that's a reflection on the world now. Whatever you decide to do your videos are always a highlight and prove a positive note in my day, thank you Mr shrimp

[@christianking6567]

I love these challenge videos. I think allowing foraging helps without making it too easy. You’re still limited to what you can happen to find, but it helps open more possibilities.

[@pwakadoodle7323]

Literally just dropped onto your channel to go through some of your older budget challenges. Made up there's a new one. Please never stop.

[@pwakadoodle7323]

Having watched, I say get more creative in the planning, actively thinking of what meals you can create while you shop, I'm sure you already do this but would be great to hear your thoughts as you go. I think swapping the yoghurt for the stew mix was the downfall this time. Stee mix would be good for a several day challenge but limits flavours and possible dishes too much on one day. Yoghurt can be a breakfast on its own, maybe with a drizzle of honey as your sauce for the day, can be used to make a flatbread, a raita dip. The sardines were cheap and plenty oily, a hole which the mayo tried to fill, (inspired btw) plus protein. Another thought, Maybe next challenge, go in with a budget - £1, 1.39 whatever you think - but only allow yourself to go for reduced items. Really spurs creativity. Most places throw a load of reduced stuff on in the evening, and sometimes more on specific evenings, like if they restock on a thursday night for the friday shop before weekend, so milk and meat and bread are all reduced massively on thursday evening. if you know the times for different supermarkets, you could plan the places you have to hit up. That got me and some mates through uni without going hungry. Loves the series shrimp, inspires me to be a little more creative with the kitchen budget. Please don't send it to room 101.