I love takeaway food, especially curries – the thought of the delicious tasting exotic delights that I can’t cook myself makes me dribble like Homer Simpson.
Even down to the fact that I can order it online, in the afternoon, and still have it delivered at a time I want later on that evening. The washing up is minimal, our tummies are full and the only negative is the hole in my wallet.
It used to be so easy for us to get a takeaway. Paying by card made it even easier as I didn’t see the money trickling away but, as we quickly found out, the cost of takeaway food adds up quicker than Usain Bolt running the 200 meters.
Now we’re trying to survive on an extremely tight budget, I know we can’t just have a takeaway when we feel like it but you know what, I don’t want to go without the occasional Chicken Jalfrezi with Bombay Aloo and maybe a side of Keema Naan. I don’t want to go without the Meat Feast Deluxe with stuffed crust and chicken strippers.
This is all well and good me saying that but what can I do about it? I certainly don’t want to jeopardise our budget and leave us skint again just to satisfy my takeaway urge. I’ve got to face facts that it’s out of our grasp and the only way I’m going get the food I want is to learn to cook better, properly and on a budget.
Saturday night will become our new “Fakeaway” night.
Starting from this Saturday we are going to prepare food, on a tight budget that you would normally get from the local takeaway.
Saturday is the perfect day as the family are more chilled out. We would of been able to spend some time relaxing together and we can have more time preparing food, rather than the mad rush that happens in the week.
The following rules will apply:
- The FakeAway will have to be a dish or dishes we could have normally ordered from a local takeaway.
- The FakeAway will have to cost no more than £5.00 total for a family of four.
- We will have to make the FakeAway from scratch (no cheating with a cheeky side from M&S).
- Skint Dad and Skint Mum will both have to help with the cooking (it’s only fair).
- Skint Dad can sit down after and let the others do all the washing up. ;-)
I actually think this is going to be a great idea. We will save a fortune, eat enjoyable food and hopefully increase our cookery skills at the same time.
So my friends, what do you think? Is it possible to do this? Are we biting off more poppadoms than we can chew?
Have a look at all the fakeaways we’ve made so far. Do you have recipe ideas that we could maybe try out? Remember the rules though!
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mwillis88 says
Hey mate, sounds like an absolutely awesome idea! You should absolutely follow this up with the actual Fakeaway though – it’ll be awesome to see what you come up with. :)
Melanie Clark says
Vegetarian options might be good because the chicken alone would cost a fiver or more! Unless u do the 3 packs for a tenner at sainsburys.that is 3 saturdays meat sorted.Try a chicken rogan josh which has a tomato based sauce (value tinned toms) 1 large onion but dont think you will get fresh corriander and your spices as well for under a fiver.Good luck
Betty says
You will if you grow your own x
lemonadebudget says
I don’t have any recipes for you, but there’s a book called ‘The Takeaway Secret’, which is supposed to be excellent at helping recreate takeaways – there’s a big thread about it on the MSE forums :)
siandy says
It will be expensive starting out as spices are dear. I’d go for pizza first(you can up size the mini pizzas on my blog or frugal queen has a recipe aswell)
Then i’d go for a curry with curry powder as it’s only £1 and has a mix of spices then every week get yourself a new spice rather than £5 just on spices in one go.
We bulk buy our chicken breasts they cost £19 for 24 and in a curry 1’s enough, as a roast dinner 2 is enough.There is 5 of us and we love our meat I hate supermarket chicken breasts there dry, full of water and shrink. IF i don’t have any of my bargain chicken i opt for a whole chicken instead, value ones are £2.50 is and more than enough meat for a curry for 4.
Anonymous says
This is an excellent idea !!!
Claire says
Another person who thinks that you’d enjoy The Takeaway Secret book. I have tried several of the recipes and they have all been lovely!