How to live on 20 euro a week

eoins2345

Is it possible to live healthily on 20 a week in college?any helpful suggestion on cheap healthy meals?

schween

It's definitely possible. Just buy the basics like fruit, veg, small amount of meat, pasta etc. Avoid junk like pizzas that are expensive, wont fill you for long and have little nutritional value.

I spent less than €20 a week on food for most of last year and I never went hungry. It's amazing on how little you can live off if you have to.

not bakunin

cycle out to dunnes and avail of the amazing kilo of St. Bernards brand pasta for only 98cent.

quake before it's epic value.

Daragh101

eoins2345 wrote: »

Is it possible to live healthily on 20 a week in college?any helpful suggestion on cheap healthy meals?

what about going out (beer money)?:D

cson

It'd be tough in my opinion, but then I like to have 3 big meals a day. You're gonna have to get a taste for Spaghetti Bolognese but you could do it. I'm assuming you'll be home at weekends so what's needed is breakfast Mon-Fri, lunch Mon-Fri and Dinner Mon-Thurs.

Breakfast materials: 12 Eggs, Cornflakes, Orange Juice, Milk. €6

Lunch materials: Packet of Soup, Loaf bread, ham, cheese, butter. €6

Dinner materials: 2lb mince, bolognese, pasta, chicken fillets, curry. €8

Now obviously you're gonna be buying Tesco Value/St Bernard/Nice Price/Euroshopper/Aldi/Lidl products a lot but you get used to them and in some cases they are better than the branded equivilant. The Aldi Sweet & Sour sauce is a particular favourite of mine.

The main thing is to shop around for stuff you're going to be buying every week (cornflakes for example) and find the lowest price. One other major way to save money is to rob as much food as you can from home. Granted you'll probably annoy Mammy but point to the fact you're wasting away and she'll quickly relent.

I'm also assuming you have a budget made for going out etc? There are a number of ways to save on nights out. Get groups together for Taxi's and you'll save money that way, even ask outside clubs in town and try to share, I've done it a few times. Better yet hit the Lodge and walk, cut the taxi out altogether. As much as it pains me to say it, forego the garlic cheese chips in Superdine after, delicious at 2am but not so at 8am when you're trying to get up for a lecture and the chips have come alive in your stomach. Learn the ways of crouching tiger hidden naggin and down one before going out. My happy medium is 6 cans of Tubie and a naggin of Glens which gets me to what I like to call equilibrium. It means there's only a need to buy 1 overpriced drink in the club. Avoid buying drink in the nightclubs at all costs.

I think there might be a Pulse/An Focal article in this actually.

*dusts off quill*

You shall be hearing from me Ergo

Slugs

Very VERY easy to live off 20 in a week once you think shop smart. As someone has already said, you'll be buying from Aldi/Tesco/Lidl etc, so don't be expecting the very best quality, but surprisingly some of it is good.

In my opinion you needn't bother with drinks. Water will do just fine. Meat will be the most expensive part of your meals, so make sure you get value for money. Pasta and Rice you should pick up cheap, and look into ways to make your own sauces. I personally love making egg fried rice with chicken and sweet and sour sauce, all made with my own ingredients.

Also, try and get roommates to give you a hand, or people living on your floor to share stuff with you. some will be in the same position as you, and will either tell you where to go, or help you out But shure it's worth a try

Good luck

cson

Yeah I wouldn't persue the robbing/asking for food method. Lived with someone like that in 1st year and to say it was annoying was putting it mildly. I would however suggest that you all pool for stuff you'll be using a lot like milk and bread.

PeakOutput

if you buy your meat for the month and freeze it you can get a months worth of meat from flahvins(i think its called) for 25euro

they have other deals aswell but thats the best one imo you should be able to get everything else you need for the 55euro you have left a month

lasair

Defo make dished like lasagne that you can break into portions and freeze....you can make bolognase mix and this freezes well too.. Freeze bread so it doesn go off and just take out what ya need..
dont snub the tesco brand pre packaged ham its a god send at .65 cent a pack and deof lasts more than the week...
rice is another great option cos you can cook alot of dishes with rice....
remeber to buy veg of some sort like frozen mix veg from tesco is like 85 cent and lasts the week you can add it to anythin or fry it for a stir fry....

ninty9er

Salad spuds in Aldi - 79c - 4 dinners
Mince in Aldi - €2.99 - 4 burgers
Pasta (lots of it) Aldi - €2 - lasts a while
2 dozen eggs - €4 makes lunch omletes, scrambled egg breakfast and a boiled egg for variety
Milk - €3 for the week
Bread - not entirely necessary €1
Veg - €3

Someone emailed me when it was asked last time. I must dig out details for An Focal and put ye on to Aoife.

I think the different ends of the scale would be good too.

Living on €20, living on €30, living on €50, living on €100

di2772

And Dont forget you can steal the little Ketchup, mayo, sugar and salt saches, and toilet rolls from McDonalds etc.

Oh, the memories

Colpriz

join the oil for food programme!

...no seriously.. learn how to cook, get some family to stock you up on herbs & spices or grow your own herbs. you can add amazing flavour to your meals this way if they're getting a bit samey..

amacachi

Get to know someone working in Tesco. Most of them with large "butcher" counters slash the price of their meat sometime between 4-6 on a Saturday. I'm talking massive savings. A tenner would give me enough meat for two weeks, and I'm a fat bastard. Get it put aside, pick it up, bung in it the freezer, happy days.

Daragh101

di2772 wrote: »

And Dont forget you can steal the little Ketchup, mayo, sugar and salt saches, and toilet rolls from McDonalds etc.

Oh, the memories

you wont be doing that anymore with all the money your making in the markets!..lol:D

cson

Expertly pointed out there Ninty - Aldi have 6 fruit/veg items on offer every month iirc. We were picking up 2kg bags of spuds for 79c last year. Currently in the midst of my how to eat cheap at college 101

ergonomics

The butcher in the Parkway also does a student deal for €10 which, when frozen, can last over a week. You generally get 4 burgers, 4 chicken burger, 2 chicken breasts and mince.

di2772

Daragh101 wrote: »

you wont be doing that anymore with all the money your making in the markets!..lol:D

They were the best days of my life
I actually got caught once stealing toilet paper from somewhere. Had to make a run for it with toilet paper trailing me.

Daragh101

di2772 wrote: »

They were the best days of my life
I actually got caught once stealing toilet paper from somewhere. Had to make a run for it with toilet paper trailing me.

haha.. i will be going to college next year, cant wait:D

fullback4glin

Man I love college

mike.colour

haha this thread is the best. thanks for the laughs!

Bob the Seducer

di2772 wrote: »

They were the best days of my life
I actually got caught once stealing toilet paper from somewhere. Had to make a run for it with toilet paper trailing me.

Not saying I condone it (ahem...) but a guy I knew a few years ago took to going "shopping" for toilet rolls in the college with an empty rucksack and a screwdriver...

cson

Toilet Roll is fecking expensive, if you can procure it without it costing you I say go for it.

smashling84

theres a great website called beyondbakedbeans.com thats aimed at students trying to eat cheaply but healthly. its got loads of recipes and tips on how to cut your food bills.

i find the cheapest meal is a roast chicken, you can get them in aldi now for €3.19 and it'll give you meat for at least four dinners, roast chicken, fajitas, risotto, chicken pie or stirfry. if you check out lidl and aldi's fruit and veg offers and you can have a huge meal for a euro or two a day and still have leftovers for lunch. risoto and fahitas and leftover pie are great for lunch the bext day. if you but wraps instead of tortillas they are usually cheaper and bigger and taste the same. once they are open wrap them tightly in clingfilm and put them in the fridge they should last for a few weeks.

if you can try and get your parents or family members to stock you up on basics like rice, pasta noodles and some herbs and spices, mixed herbs and a tin of good curry powder, chinese five spices and ground ginger will last you for ever and let you make lovely dinners. on the website i mentioned above theres a list of items that are good basics but you chop and change these to suit yourself.

ni ni

smashling84!!!
Thank god you mentioned that website! All i've eaten for the past 3 weeks is fried rice ! it's all i know how to make!

smashling84

theres a few other websites that are aimed at eating cheaply but healthly. cheapeats.ie has loads of tips and recipes and it tells you of the offers on in the supermarket so you can plan easily.

the frugal cook is great for recipes on using leftovers or cheaper cuts of meat as well as tips on how to shop better.

oh yeah and it usually works out cheaper to but things in bulk like meat. if you making things like shepherds pie add loads of veg and it will go way further and be healthier. i also invested in lots of tupperware, freezer bags etc. and just froze stuff so id always have loads in the freezer, although we only had an icebox at the yop of the fridge but you's be amazed how much you can get in there when you're clever about packing and remove all packaging

EddyC15

It's always been said that two can eat for the same price as one. If you're living with someone you make dinner one day for the two of ye, then the other makes dinner. That's what we do and I can comfortably live off about 20 euro a week.

annemarie09

I am living in a house with others and we each have our day for cooking. It turns out fairly cheap when we bulk buy from Aldi and or Dunnes all the while looking out for marked down foodstuff. We share for dinners only because otherwise we all eat different portions for breakfast and lunch, whereas with dinners we eat the same amount.

not bakunin

I give my friend unlimited freedom to sleep on the couch whenever he wants in return for toilet paper! its working out wonderfully....

jimoc

If you're looking for cheap chickens, the butcher at the bottom corner of the cornmarket car park does 2 chickens for a fiver.

Plenty of meat on them to feed 2 people.

Bag o' spuds from the Aldi, back o veg, and your laughin.

Qualitymark

Maybe we could all post some good cheap recipes, and cheap deals, here to help annemarie09?

I bought some basmatti rice in Superquinn for €6 for 1k this week (that would be €30 for 5k), then saw basmatti rice in my local Asian shop for €15.50 for 5k.

Asian shops are also cheap for lentils and beans, and for spices of course.

Here's a good cheap recipe for a hearty winter stew. If you can't find cheap white wine, use cider.

Put on your basmatti rice and about 1 cup to 2 cups water. (Wash it well first in several changes of clear water, rubbing the rice between your fingers to get the starch released; when the water is fairly clear, then put the rice on to boil. Bring it to the boil and then turn it to a simmer. It's ready when the water is absorbed and the rice soft and fluffy. Now mix in a little salt.

Soak a handful of brown lentils for 20 minutes or so (or put them to soak in the morning to absorb lots of water and swell up nicely).

Peel and roughly chop two onions and three cloves of garlic, and three carrots, and put them on to fry in good cooking oil. (Olive oil from Aldi or Lidl is nicest; you can also use sunflower oil.) Add some thyme and a couple of bay leaves. (nb, take the bay leaves out when you're serving this up - they're not good for your innards at all)

Add some chopped-up cheap lamb with the fat cut away and discarded. Add the lentils. Add a tin of tomatoes. Mix all these while you boil a kettle for stock. Add about a cup of stock (chicken is nice, as is vegetable stock).

Cover and leave to cook for about an hour, then add a good slosh of white or red wine or cider and cook for another 15 minutes or so.

Serve over the basmatti rice; it's good to have a salad on the side too.

For a good salad, buy cheap lettuce like iceberg, wash it and drain it, whirl it in a dishcloth to get the remaining wet out, chop it and add lots of parsley and a rub of garlic. Make a vinaigrette by mixing about a tablespoon of wine vinegar and a half-teaspoon of salt with a half-cup of olive oil in a jar and shaking like crazy. Put it on the lettuce only just before eating.

(Herbs will add to everything you eat. You can buy a cheap little bay plant and put it in a big pot or in the ground outside and use the leaves, and plant some parsley plants in a couple of windowboxes. Parsley has folic acid up the wazoo, and is very, very good for you.)

DJCR

So easy............... I have actually worked out you need at least 12 Euro per week for food !!!

2euro frozen food bin in Dunnes Stores - Bag of wedges 75cent - Dunnes beans etc etc etc ........ and it better because their Irish.

Actually ts better cause everyting tastes great when your starving !!

By yeah - lived off €12 - 6 Cans of Bav for 7.50 to wash all the food down!!!

Suppose it comes down to priortities