Eat For £10 A Week Challenge - The Meals, The Results + What I Would Do Differently

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

What would you have done differently? Let me know ❤️

[@lifewithkymm]

No animal products. More veggies, dry beans vs canned and I would’ve added in some pasta or oats and soy milk. I think you did absolutely amazing tho! Great video!!

[@annwhite2346]

Bought more carrots and potatoes, possibly a bag of frozen mixed veg, and more beans because I don't eat meat. Maybe a packet of basic fish fingers or a tin of sardines for protein. Also fish paste is really cheap and ok on toast. I wouldn't buy tinned soup because I don't like it. This was great though. Love Morrisons chocolate digestives, I would have scoffed the whole packet in a day.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I definitely think I'll try oats next time! :)

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I definitely had to be restrained with the biscuits! :)

[@sandra127100]

More of the eggs for breakfast for sure.

[@clusterbungle]

Really interesting video! If you ever try this kind of thing again you could get whole milk instead of semi skimmed and water it down. It'll taste pretty much like semi but you get twice as much for the price! :)

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That's a great suggestion!

[@UKKazzie]

Hi Nicola. This was an interesting experiment! I’ve just found your channel and so wish KZbin and someone like you had been around 40 years ago when I started work! But in view of this experiment, I’ve been limiting myself to a food budget (in order to manage on my furlough salary) and have been shopping carefully. I buy whatever reduced veg, fruit, bread I can get on a Sunday before 4pm closing. A couple of onions make all the difference! Chicken drumsticks, tinned tomatoes, porridge oats too. I make a pot of soup with green veg and a veg casserole with root veg. A cheap tin of baked beans added to both help bulk it out. It’s good to have some store cupboard spices and some stock cubes for flavour, corn flour to help thicken. This is a fab channel, thank you for sharing your financial wisdom!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Sounds like you’re doing great! And yes, an onion would have been a great addition this week :)

[@tanndigedan2261]

You can water down the milk to make it stretch further x

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Great suggestion! :)

[@lynnoorman2144]

Hiya This is a challenge that I often set myself as I am trying to rebuild my savings after some unpredictable disasters ( which thanks to having savings i could fund). My reccomendations would be red lentils - about 60p - ( they can make dahl, fritters, and thicken a simple soup) + a bag of onions - about 35p - and a bag of flour - 45p - ( can make flatbreads to go with dhal; drop scones with eggs and a bit of baking powder; thickens sauces and soups). Making my own soup - tinned tomatoes, onions and bit of flour/ thickened the Italian way with beaten egg. Garlic would be good too 50p ( ish) for 3. Also try Lidil! A life saver for me as it is nearby. Morrisons are brilliant for their individual fruit and veg ( I live on my own) and yellow stickers tho! Loving the info and presentation on this channel!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Some great ideas there - thank you for sharing! :)

[@wendyworsley2131]

Well done, going to try some of your tips xx

[@karinalowenzahn6773]

Well done ! You could also make a sauce with peanutbutter . It's really good with chicken and vegetables. If you like, you could add canned peaches or pineapples too.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That's a great idea! Definitely one to consider next time :)

[@LittlePinkPiggy1]

This is such an inspirational video and shows what you can achieve on a very tight budget. I'm not sure I could have done it whilst having to cook separately for a family.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you! It was tough at times but the food wasn't bad :)

[@shaunaleessnackidies]

I bet the veggie soups would be even better w the chicken diced up and then the bread could be toasted to make croutons yum! Or the curry could be chicken, chickpeas, broccoli, and all the other veg and sauce. Keep up the great work, love this!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That's a great suggestion - thank you! :)

[@lolabear6788]

Good idea. Add some chopped up broccoli too or whatever else was left.

[@teeadvocate]

I appreciate you taking this on and your perspective. I am always surprised when people have leftover food. That's why cooking at home (versus takeaway) is so much more financially sound. Each week you'd have something left to build the pantry. p.s. I don't like toast w/only jam but put peanut butter on it and I'm sold. ;)

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Peanut butter on toast is one of my favourites! :) and yes, I was surprised at how much there was left after a week of eating.

[@charlottehammond5966]

Love the video! You could have used long life cupboard milk maybe because it's bigger and would have stretched more for the tea and maybe some value oats! X

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you! And yes, I should have got oats in this one.

[@lolabear6788]

Loved hearing you describe how the week went. I didn’t think about the gas for the stove… I have noticed that cooking at home uses a lot more water.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you ☺️

[@anniegetyrgun8741]

Really enjoyed this video but I would def prioritised fruit n veg over jam, and biscuits. One pepper, an onion , and an orange for instance. Far better than sweet stuff with no nutrition. I think the peanut butter is a great idea as it’s filling, a little sweet too, so feels like a treat and the donuts, bonus! I’d prob only buy treats at very knock down prices

[@ajhardy894]

You can freeze bread and take slices out each time rather than keep it in the fridge. Also if you time it correctly you can get a 1kg fruit and veg box for £1.50, it is almost like Morrisons Wonky stuff but there is nothing wrong with it. If you can work out the rest of the meal plan in your budget maybe this would help.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

There's some great tips there - thank you for sharing! I haven't seen any of the fruit + veg boxes for £1.50 - must keep a look out for those.

[@ajhardy894]

@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I meant to put that the fruit and veg boxes are in Lidl, hopefully there is one near you

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I see! I don’t often go to Lidl but I might try and pop in :)

[@lolabear6788]

I would def have gotten a second milk. Gotta have milk!! Maybe instead of jelly.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That might have been a good thing to do, in hindsight!

[@kimannharper3222]

Hi Nicola, just subbed too you. Just a little tip on your milk,I noticed you use semi skimmed, this is what I do, buy a pint of whole milk, put half in another bottle, fill the 2 bottles up with water, now you have 2 pints of semi skimmed for the price of one. X

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thanks for subscribing! And that's a great tip :)

[@carliem9494]

Wow! First one of these I’ve watched which voiced the privilege you had of not factoring in the energy used to cook or having a safe place (with utensils) to cook. Blown away and subscribed. Very well done. On a more practical level for the next challenge, I would also recommend big bags of frozen veg/fruit to bulk out meals and up veg/fruit intake, as well as a big bag of oats - which you could have as porridge, grind for flour (thickener/bread/biscuits - with a bit of fruit to sweeten and eggs to bind), liquidise for milk .... Look forward to the next instalment

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you for such a kind comment! And yes, I am lucky enough to have a safe place with the gas supplied to be able to cook without having to worry about factoring that into the £10. And thank you for the suggestion - I think I will get oats next time as - like you say - they can be used for multiple purposes. I hope to do another one of these videos soon :)

[@deborahhw8030]

Amazing! And you had a few staples left over for the next week if you were doing this for real. That would give you more choices for the next shop, perhaps to help the herbs and spices stock. Well done you x

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you! :)

[@clairechristy4023]

I remember watching this video- how was it 3 years ago ?? Do you reckon you could do this again ??❤😊

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Ooh, I wonder how much £10 would get me now! I might add it to my list of videos to film; thank you for the suggestion.

[@clairechristy4023]

Probably not much at all these days. Would be great to see the comparison . Hope the house move has gone well x❤

[@FindingFinancialFreedom]

Some great budget meal ideas! Food can become so expensive when eating out or not planning ahead for the week!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Absolutely! It was an interesting week :)

[@rexyzvent5864]

Great that you had quite a bit left over. And interesting point about the gas usage, something not brought up by a lot of people who do these vids

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I think it's an important note to factor in, definitely.

[@alwayslearning9272]

I actually liked the look of your meals as I like more simple comfort food so that all looked nice to me. :) I probably might have put jam with the peanut butter for some of the days, and I was thinking with some of the things you had left over you could have made a broccoli frittata or quiche. Well done though, to get any fresh veg included is a bonus, that one head of broccoli would have taken a third of your budget alone here in Australia!! Several fruit and veg items like that are really expensive right now!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Gosh, that would be a lot for broccoli! Is it really that expensive? Food is fairly cheap here, by the looks of it :)

[@kathrynboniface3455]

I am glad you talked about the cost of cooking. This is often ignored in frugal challenges.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It needs to be taken into consideration, definitely. Thanks for watching :)

[@BeFree-BeFrugal]

It’s amazing how cheaply we can make meals

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It really is! :)

[@PlanningandFinances]

This must have been so hard with the rest of the family eating normal. Amazing it does show it can be done and if it was done for 4 weeks you could build some staples. Like you wouldn't need rice or maybe eggs.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That's true! It was tough when I was making different meals for everyone else.

[@PlanningandFinances]

@nicolafrugalcottage ???

[@lolabear6788]

Seems like everyone in the US cheats and uses butter, oil, salt, pepper and whatever seasons they have on hand. It makes such a huge diff. You can get butter and oil for about $6 to last for a couple weeks.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It would have made a huge difference! Added so much more taste with those additions.

[@mahazmedia1102]

WOW Amazing Sharing Dear Keep it up

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thanks!

[@Emma.E.Emerson]

Great job...and if a person had to do for the next week, they could incorporate what they already have, and have extra money for spices, etc..

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Absolutely! And build on what they have week after week :)

[@filawless]

Try putting some peanut butter through the curry sauce to give it something a bit nicer

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

A great suggestion! :)

[@exprezza1648]

The American have 'peanut butter & jelly' so you put the jam on top of the peanut butter.... it is yummy

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I need to try this!

[@peteryates3947]

This is definitely one of the better challenges I’ve seen. I think you’ve inspired me to have a go. Probably focussing on getting 5 a day and visiting different supermarkets to make money go further. I’d be interested to see the impact on weight loss too!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you! I didn't track weight last time but when I do it again I shall do :)

[@lindseybellamy6374]

I really enjoyed this video it would be interesting to see how you would get on in other stores on this challenge and how it differs. I also like how you mentioned the cost of the cooking. Perhaps maybe using a slow cooker to make a big batch of soup or a cheap veg stew? That would probably be cheaper than using an oven. Or a microwave to steam veg that kind of thing

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I think if I do it again I’ll definitely use my slow cooker :)

[@TJ-cg8mq]

...Happy New Year! !! - will you be doing this challenge again anytime soon...??!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

And to you! I might do - any suggestions for which place to try next?

[@pamgardiner2912]

You did really well. The peanut butter was a good buy. It’s hard to get fruit and veg on a limited budget unless you can get them reduced. I don’t eat meat or fish so would have bought cheese and eggs. How is your little boy now?

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you - it was tough at times. And he's fine, apart from a cold! Still self-isolating for another week as per the guidelines but hopefully everything will be ok :)

[@amysteele9778]

Great challenge

[@connorHum3]

If you do this again maybe think about frozen vegetables? You can get a kilo of mixed or certain veg for Less than £1 which is better than fresh prices :) I live alone and have a few bags to get my nutrients!

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That’s a good point - I didn’t even think of that! Definitely an option next time :)

[@sneha2169]

Toast, coffee. Scrambled egg on Toast. Rice, vegetables. Veg soup. Banana. Rice pudding. Peanut butter sandwich. Banana sandwich. Chickpea salad. Veg curry with rice. Mushroom omelette. Chicken drumsticks. Jacket potato.

[@RachelinNorthernIreland]

You were so disciplined Nicola well done you for doing this and it was a really useful watch to motivate budget shopping..

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thank you :)

[@sandradent65]

You should try shopping at Lidl one week, their prices are cheap but the stuff is good quality. All there biscuits and jams are cheap but they are really nice. You can get 180 tea bags for 1 pound and they are really good. You could also freeze your bread in slices to keep better. Also if you'd bought a cheap bag of potatoes you could have had egg and chips or some mash instead of rice. Otherwise I think you did really well, I couldn't have done it as I am a fussy eater and I don't like a lot of things. I wish I wasn't, anyway well done to you

[@cathycalrow2729]

Yes. Like school dinners rice.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

What do you mean?

[@tummymummy0867]

Sadly looking online Morrisons has cut a lot to the savers that you bought , no peanut butter, no rice, no vegetable soup,. It would be interesting to see how much it would cost just two months later...

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

The savers things are still there when I go into Morrisons so I wonder if it’s just online that they’ve disappeared?

[@rickybarlow5257]

Great job with the meals! 😊

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Thanks!

[@karenmendes5867]

You could add some rice to that canned soup to bulk it up. Fantastic video

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Good point - I will try that next time :)

[@pandabossanna]

omg the doughnuts!!!!

[@pandabossanna]

also I would have totally done peanut butter and jam on toast :D my fave

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I know! Best bargain of the week right there ☺️

[@nesadcruz7840]

I would skip the tinned food. Get some cheap veg like cabbage, carrots, frozen veg, tomatoes. Make your own veg soup, use your cooked chicken bones to make broth. You can make fried rice with eggs and veg too. Fried eggs and potatoes with salt and pepper make a filling breakfast or lunch. The curry would have been better If you used a good curry powder, cheaper too.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Some great suggestions! :)

[@lolabear6788]

I can eat eggs every day for breakfast. Or boiled as a snack. I would also use up the jelly with PB for sandwiches and 2! Pieces of bread w lunch. You must have lost weight that week.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I did - not intentionally though.

[@karenmendes5867]

To make milk stretch just as a little water to it.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Yes! Great tip :)

[@rpeducation7998]

Do Aldi. If you wait until after lockdown, I'll join you on the same week! Fantastic job this week x

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Ooh I like that - deal! And thanks :) the only thing that stresses me out about shopping at Aldi is the checkout..!

[@rpeducation7998]

Nicola at The Frugal Cottage oh me too. I now only go at 9.30pm so it's quieter. I think you'd get plenty more for £10 at @Aldi

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That’s a good tip - it’s the speed of processing stuff that gets me! It would be interesting to see the different results. Definitely up for this :)

[@chitpaul]

Did it all taste ok or would you change anything.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I didn't particularly like the curry as the sauce wasn't great. But most of it was totally fine :)

[@evieaddy9580]

Check the spice and sauces in the cupboard and use them with what you buy. You don't need to include them in the budget.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That's very true! And over time you would build up a good store cupboard to use :)

[@cherrysnow4923]

Where I'm from carrots are the cheapest vegetables you can get

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

They are cheap here too :)

[@robwalsh3082]

Very interesting indeed. You really did give it a good go. I think we are naturally wired to get bored of repetitive foods in order to derive a wide range of nutrients. However for some unknown reason this phenomenon does not seem to apply to McDonald’s in my case. 😋 🍔 The one thing I love more in life than dividends 😊

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

That’s the same in my case too 🙈🤣

[@salsabila786]

Could have had peanut butter and jam with toast to change some breakfast up. Aldi or Lidl would provide similar/better value with option for fresh veg. Also Aldi brands are much better than saver brands that most supermarkets have

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

I find that Morrisons have similar pricing to Aldi and Lidl :)

[@salsabila786]

@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I should have worded better, I meant better food for same/similar value to supermarket saver brands. There are many Aldi brands that have won taste tests against the big brands, so I'd think they'd beat the saver brands in taste tests convincingly.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

Oh, I see what you mean! Yes, supermarket brands often win out in these things. They're definitely better value :)

[@cathycalrow2729]

It's a pity that eating fruit and vegetables is so expensive. I volunteer at our local foodbank and I know the poor miss out on basic nutrition.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It is so evident when doing things like this that it’s nutrition that has to go.

[@tigermiep]

um, that would not fill me. :) I would be angry and irritable within an hour on A PIECE OF TOAST.

[@bletheringfool]

I'm presuming it is only you that is doing the challenge. So your husband nicking your donuts very underhanded! The git. I would have boiled up the chicken bones and make a small stock that could have been used for a sauce

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It was just me! And good idea re: the stock.

[@bletheringfool]

@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage great video though and well done for getting through it

[@dreadmother]

Boring meals lacking in imagination. You could have made more use of dried beans and pasta. A whole chicken, portioned up with the carcass used to make stock for soup would have been a better buy than drumsticks. Oats made with water would have done for breakfast. I would have lost the will to live on this boring unimaginative diet. Sorry.

[@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage]

It's a good job you didn't have to eat it then! Oats made with water doesn't sound particularly nice.

[@dreadmother]

@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage Oats made with water are much much better than dry toast spread with jam that is so cheap it is essentially coloured sugar. If you miss it made with milk then make oat milk to use with it. You missed the point of frugal cooking entirely by making food that was not appealing, at all, to eat.