![]() You won't be eating out a lot, but save your pennies and once every few months treat yourself to a set lunch at a good restaurant – £1.75 a week for three months gives you £21 – more than enough for a three-course lunch at Michelin-starred Arbutus. Soon you'll feel comfortable asking if they've any knuckles of ham or prosciutto for soups and stews, or beef bones, chicken carcasses and fish heads for stock which, more often than not, they'll let you have for free. ![]() Shop at butchers, delis and fishmongers regularly, even for small things, and be super friendly. I love all that stuff, but it really is the only way to go, and easy to find if you make a bit of effort.Įveryone says this, but it really is a top tip for frugal eaters. This means eating the obvious things such as beans, pulses and abundant veg, but also cheaper fish such as mackerel, pouting and flounder, and cuts of meat such as beef shin, pork cheeks and offal. Planning ahead should eliminate wastage, but if you have surplus veg you'll do a minestrone, and all fruits threatening to "go off" will be made into a compote or juiced. Mine is filled with leftovers, bread, stock, meat and fish. You may proudly claim to only have frozen peas in the freezer – that's not good enough. And if you plan properly, you'll know that you only need, say, 350g of shin of beef and six rashers of bacon, not whatever weight is pre-packed in the supermarket chiller. With them, there's not the same embarrassment as when buying one carrot in a little greengrocer. This is where supermarkets and their anonymity come in handy. It's also a good idea to shop daily instead of weekly, because, being human, you'll sometimes change your mind about what you fancy. Stop laughing: it's not just cost effective but helps you balance your diet. Being an anal-retentive, I have an Excel template for a week of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Impulsive spending isn't an option so plan your week's menu in advance, making shopping lists for your ingredients in their exact quantities. Once I've been stable for 12 months, I'll think about it seriously." In the meantime, he'll carry on blogging – not about eating as cheaply as you can – "there are so many people in a much worse state, with barely any money to spend on food" – but eating well on a budget. ![]() He's feeling positive, but a book is not his top priority. Now he's living in a council flat and fielding offers from literary agents. It gave me the validation and confidence that I'd lost. And I felt like that again, to a certain degree, when people responded to the blog so well. "But the community mental health team got me into a hostel and stopped me living on the street. "I assumed the end would be me drinking myself to death," he says, dryly. Then his marriage unravelled, his career burned out and his drinking became serious. After bills, Tony has £60 a week to spend, £40 of which goes on food, but 10 years ago he was earning £130,000 a year working in corporate communications and eating at London's best restaurants at least twice a week". The hugely popular blog the Skint Foodie chronicles how Tony balances his love of good food with living on benefits. As Tony says, "Depression strips you of any desire to nourish yourself, in any form." ![]() Large portions of last year were swallowed by debilitating depression: periods when his pristine flat would be "full of fried chicken and Findus crispy pancake boxes" for months on end. The Skint Foodie – or Tony, as he'd like to be known – revels in his "anal retentiveness" because it's a marker of his mental state. He shuffles around, realigning the fruit bowl a few times, organising things. In the kitchen, Le Creuset casseroles sit beside gleaming silver utensils and a big, floury bread paddle. Floor-to-ceiling stacks of alphabetised books occupy the Skint Foodie's living room.
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