2008
The €50 Challenge: Is it possible?
Here’s the scenario: your personal recession is REALLY biting, you are broke, broke, broke, the kitchen shelves are looking bare and it’s a whole 7 days till the next paycheck lands.
After allowing for absolute essentials like petrol or fares, rent or mortgage and a couple of drinks on Friday night, you have just €50 and some small change left. Between two of you.
So, can you feed two people for a week for around €50? And I mean feed two people well - not on cheapo pizza and stodge.
Can it be done?
I’m not at all sure that it can, but I think that with Lidl’s help and perhaps a little judicious shopping elsewhere I can just about do it. And next week I’m giving it a go.
I’ve set some ground rules for myself. The meals must be varied and there must not be excessive effort or time involved - it must be practical for people who work and who don’t have all day to spend cooking. There has to be the odd treat. The food must taste nice and be vaguely nutritionally sound (I’m not going to actually count micrograms of vitamins).
I’ll do the main shopping on Saturday, post the my list here, and then from Sunday to the following Saturday I’ll post each day on how it’s going.
Care to join me?
PS I am completely stunned by the interest in this blog. I thought people would just think I was some kind of nutter. Thank you all for coming along, commenting and making me feel that this blogging lark might actually be fun!
Tags: €50 Challenge
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 am
That’s a brilliant idea, I can’t wait to see how you get on. I’ve recently added lidl to my list of shops to visit each week. Have noticed a decent reduction in the shopping.
Deborah has some great hints here http://frugalireland.com/2008/06/17/saving-on-groceries/ if you’re interested.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 am
Sounds like a great idea! Bit of pre-planning and it could defo be done. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 am
Thanks for the link Maz. I’m a bit humbled by Deborah’s €70-80 for a family of four on a regular basis. Don’t know if I could do that.
As it is the second person doing the eating in this challenge is markedly less enthusiastic than I am “Can’t you make it €60? Or €70?”
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
Love the blog I must say - am an Aldi fan myself but will be trying Lidl!
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
[...] First to a fluffy link refluffied which is the best thing to come out of Irish blogging in months! Lidl Treats is a new blog talking about the things you can buy in Lidl and what you can do with them! It’s very well designed, clearly written and has great pictures/graphics. I am not shy about my affection for Lidl and Aldi and my creativity with the items I purchase there and it’s great to see blogging used in this way to help convert the rest! Kate is putting it up to us today with a €50 a week for 2 shopping challenge! [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Great blog btw (though I still think you’re slightly bonkers).
Would be interested to hear if you pick up any decent wines in Lidl.
Lar, http://www.sourgrapes.ie
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
When we say the cupboard is bare, it usually has at least enough to keep you going for a week. I know I tried it and lasted 10 days. Mind you not having dairy eg Milk, butter I get away with fewer trips to the shops.
If things were that tight, Booze of any type would be the first no-no for me. Put that money into PROPER food. It is possible to have fun without the booze.
If you want to save money stay out of the shops. Really! I mean it, go only to buy the food you need and be hard. No biscuits or treats.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Great blog great idea well done will be back often.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:07 am
[...] you feed two people in a week for €50? I guarantee this is going to be a feature in a newspaper or as a piece in a radio show in the next [...]
July 24th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I’m look forward to the results of your experiment. Love the blog, it’s a great idea.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Great idea! Sainsburys feed the family for a fiver recipes might come in handy here: Link
July 24th, 2008 at 11:17 am
LidlTreats: Can two survive on €50 a week?…
Just read on LidlTreats.com that they are going to try and beat the recession by living on €50 a week for all their food shopping, in Lidl
Here’s the scenario: your personal recession is REALLY biting, you are broke, broke, broke, the kitchen shel…
July 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
You should review the Indian Ready Meals. I got used to them while being a Student in Manchester and the Chicken Korma is tops. Good portion size too compared to other brands.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Fantastic idea! Good luck with it. If it were Aldi I’d recommend Disco Biscuits as the treat…nyom!
July 25th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Keep in mind what you have in the line of staples, spices etc at home too - they can really make all the difference when planning frugal meals. And remember that spuds are cheap.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Well I think I *might* give it a try. I’ve to eat out on Saturday for dinner and brunch on Sunday, so I’m going to give it a go for Saturday - Friday excluding those dinners (would not be possible otherwise). I’ve been averaging 60 - 80 for two for the past month, so with 2 meals taken out, it should be doable, shouldn’t it? Great idea anyway
July 25th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I could totally do that, but I have two kids too! We usually work out about €80 a week for all four of us, but if it was just the two of us, no problem. Lots of baking, rice and pasta. Flour is cheap, cheap, cheap. I’d be focusing on pizza, stuffed breads and pasta. The lardons at Lidl are great and you can whip up a cheap and easy carbonara or amatriciana in no time. Would be playing around with the German meats too. Nom nom!
Also focus on your leftovers. Incorporate them into lunch the next day!!
Good luck!
July 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Deb, your weekly budget is a complete inspiration to me!! The problem for us though (which I didn’t really mention before but am throwing in now) is that we eat pretty low-carb - therefore pasta, bread, potato, rice and flour, and sugar for that matter, are largely either off the menu or eaten very, very sparingly. So that’s the really cheap stuff gone. We do eat wholemeal/seed breads (mostly homemade seed/nut breads without any flour at all, which is possible, but also expensive), occasional very small portions of basmati/brown rice and the odd new potato. But most of our meals have none of those things in them at all.
I have one child to feed, but have left him out of this as he eats a bit differently than us - he does have all the things we don’t!!
July 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
aldibob - Are you gonna eat from Aldi?? Now that WOULD be an interesting comparison!!
July 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Ooh that is tough Kate! I tend to go low carb every few months and it does get pricey. Hmmm… sweet potatoes are great… lots of salads?
Moussaka would be a good one too (use arrowroot for the bechamel?) and I think the aubergines are on sale right now - or maybe that’s Aldi?
Also ratatouille?
Their feta is decent… with some cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette maybe?
I love the chorizo and use it in omelettes or frittatas… also low carb.
Some ideas!
July 27th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This is a fantastic challenge!
Best of luck - will be following to see how you go
I’d probably go down a beany route for some of it - nicely cheap if you bulk buy dried ones and very filling.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Kate - yes I will be! The free dinners (somehow and fortunately!) have extended to tomorrow evening so I will be starting on Wednesday now. I have a few things in my cupboard but apart from what I have it will be attempting to do the €50 based largely on Aldi with a few essentials from either dunnes or tesco. Will I report back on how it goes for me also?
July 28th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Yes, please do! There isn’t an Aldi in Kilkenny, though there is one coming, so I am totally unfamiliar with their food but very interested in it.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
[...] themselves to see how well prepared they might be for tougher times. Lidl Treats has embarked on a €50 challenge, trying to feed two people on €50 a week, shopping only in Lidl. Now personally, I’d [...]
August 9th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I’m shopping in Lidl now for a few years and wondering why more people don’t. Having experienced their value, professionalism and courtesy, I buy very little elsewhere, the only exception being things I need that they don’t stock. In addition, if I need to voice a complaint, I find it’s dealt with thoroughly, competently and courteously. Other traders take note!!
August 15th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I have shopped at Lidl for quite some time, its great value, Supervalue are three times dearer, although recently I’ve noticed svalues prices coming down, (check out thier steaks!) However last time I was in the UK, out of curiosity I went to Lidl in Todmorden, Yorkshire, I bought twelve identical items I would buy in Kilkenny, even allowing for the sterling difference, Lidl Ireland were 30 - 40% more than Lidl UK. Should I hire a Transit van and organise shopping trips to the UK ?
August 16th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I removed some comments which were going off on a tangent and getting a bit personal, please keep it on topic.
August 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
[...] a few more spring up? or maybe I’ve just missed loads of them? I did come across a blog about eating well on €50 a week which was originally about shopping in lidl and it got quite a bit of publicity, was in the papers, [...]
October 19th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
My brother and I are studying abroad in Amsterdam for four and half months with an extremely tight budget. 50 euros a week for food (plus the occasional paper towels, hand soap, dish detergent, etc. that come up are included) is what we’re working with right now. I know this post is a few months old, but how did it work out for you? We find it to be pretty tough, but manageable if everything is budgeted right. Let me know if you have any advice
October 20th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Alec, it worked out very well - we ended up eating for less than 40 euro for the week. If you look though the pages about the challenge you should get a few ideas about what’s possible and some recipes that may be useful.
But it does, as you’ve found, take some effort. Assuming that unlike me you eat pasta/rice/potato, then you’re laughing, as these can be parleyed into meals so easily. Mince is another key to cheap eating and can be made very interesting. I’ll have a really good recipe up by tomorrow for an easy but extremely tasty and cheap mince dish. Good luck with it!
January 26th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
[...] I thrive on keeping expenses to a minimum I am solely an enthusiastic amateur. I have put Lidl Treats on my blog roll as it is good reading on how to shop wisely at Lidl. I will be on the lookout for [...]