When it comes to a budget breakfast, it can be hard to get variety into your menu. Sure, it’s easy to live on cereal for a week, but repeating the same breakfast every day can get boring, and may not be as nutritious as it could be. Because starting your day right is important, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can shake up your morning food-fix without breaking the bank. So without further ado, here’s your weekly family budget breakfast menu – for £5 or less:
The list
First, the hard bit: planning what you need to buy, and sticking to it. You’ll be surprised at what bargains you can find when you do your research. Nip into your local supermarket half an hour before they close and you’ll find stacks of bread for 10p a loaf! Grab a couple to keep you stocked up and store them in the freezer. Our budget breakfast list is based on a few core ingredients that you can use in lots of different ways. These quantities will feed a family of four for a week, with some ingredients lasting much longer. We’ve concentrated on peanut butter to give your breakfast a base of protein and heart-healthy fats, and bananas, a known source of many valuable nutrients. You can customise each of these recipes to your taste, or mix them with items already in your food cupboard. Not a fan of peanut butter? Substitute it with some store-brand chocolate spread or jam for an even sweeter treat!
1KG Porridge Oats – £0.75
800g loaf of bread x 2 – £0.20
500g Plain Flour – £0.40
700g Peanut Butter – £2.30
15 pack of Free range eggs – £2.00
8 Bananas – £0.96
4 pints milk – £1.09
Total – £7.70
Monday – Banana butter on toast
Credit: Shutterstock / Yaroslav Melnik
Starting a new week can be a tiring feat for almost anyone, so it’s important to start with a treat. Toast some of your bargain bread and spread a layer of peanut butter on top. Then, layer it up with thinly sliced banana. If you get the balance just right, half a banana will cover 2 slices perfectly. This blend of sweet and savoury is the perfect kick start for the week.
Ingredients
2 bananas – £0.24
8 slices of toast – £0.04
Peanut Butter (32g per person) – £0.42
Total: £0.70
Weekly running total: £0.70
Tuesday – Porridge
Credit: Shutterstock/ Maria Borodulina
Porridge is a great budget breakfast to keep you full for the whole morning. Porridge oats are rich in antioxidants and nutrients as well as a soluble fibre called beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is linked with reducing cholesterol and associated with making you feel fuller for longer. Take 160g of porridge oats and heat with 600ml milk in a saucepan until blended. If the kids aren’t a fan, a dash of syrup or honey from the cupboard will help it go down. None to hand? Remind them of the treat that’s due tomorrow and they’ll soon be finishing their bowls.
Ingredients
Porridge oats 160g – £0.12
Milk 600ml – £0.28
Total: £0.40
Weekly running total: £1.10
Wednesday – Budget breakfast pancakes
If you can make it to hump day, you deserve a treat, and you can’t go wrong with a batch of pancakes. They’re cheap to make, too! Before toppings, a batch of 8 pancakes will cost around 56p. Whisk together some milk, eggs and plain flour, then ladle the mixture into a hot pan. Once they’re golden brown, plate them up, spread peanut butter to taste and throw in some chopped bananas. Why not entice the kids into getting creative with any spare toppings you can find lying around the kitchen.
Ingredients
2 eggs – £0.26
Plain flour 200g – £0.16
Milk 300ml – £0.14
2 bananas – £0.24
Peanut Butter (16g per person) – £0.21
Total: £1.01
Weekly running total: £2.11
Related: How to make classic crepes for less than 10p per serving
Thursday – Smoothie
A smoothie is the perfect meal to fit around a tighter schedule, or to give you a few extra much needed minutes in bed! For each portion, blend 150ml milk, a banana and 20 grams of porridge oats. A helpful tip is to blend the porridge oats first, giving a finer oat, before adding the other ingredients. These can be taken on the go, downed in emergencies or slowly sipped while you’re getting everyone ready.
Ingredients
Milk 600ml – £0.28
Porridge oats 80g – £0.06
4 bananas – £0.48
Total: £0.82
Weekly running total: £2.93
Friday – Scrambled Egg on Toast
Credit: Shutterstock/ Nitr
Friday is final hurdle before the weekend and it’s time for an all-time breakfast classic. Whisk 5 eggs with a dash of milk, season with salt and add to a pan. Top tip: patience is the key to good scrambled eggs. Stirring continuously on a low heat for longer will help make the perfect batch. Add a sprinkle of pepper to finish. Nothing beats a warm, protein-packed meal to kick off the final day of your working week.
Ingredients
5 eggs – £0.65
Milk 90ml – £0.04
8 slices of toast – £0.04
Total: £0.74
Weekly running total: £3.67
Weekend breakfasts
Now you’ve got 5 budget breakfast recipes to play with, you can pick your favourites for the weekend. Another round of porridge and scrambled egg on toast would bring your total weekly breakfast spend to £4.81, and you’d still have leftover ingredients for next week.
There are many more ways you can get your weekly family breakfast menu for £5 or less, too. Go shopping at the right time and you can pick up fruit snack-packs reduced to as little as 2p! Freeze these for a cheap flavour swap in your morning smoothies or mix them in your porridge. Why not get creative? If you’re prepared to get thrifty then the possibilities really are endless.
What are your bargain breakfast tips for getting your weekly family breakfast menu for £5 or less?
