The "I am feeling the pinch" thread...

[Anna Lee]

I don't have a slow cooker (I think I would be scared leaving it on all day and going out though tbh :o )

I have a slow cooker which does not need to use electricity, or any type of energy as a matter of fact. It works by having a special thermo lining in the outer pot where your inner pot goes into.

All I do is to bring everything to boil on my cooker in the inner pot and then take it off the heat and put in back into the outer pot where it will continue to cook. I can leave it in there cooking day and night, and do not have to worry about it at all as no electric is involved.

I bought mine from the Far East, but I think I saw something similiar in Lakelands Ltd.

 

[JoJoPearce]

My advise would be:

Buy frozen veg. It lasts longer as you use what you need and doesn't go mouldy.

Tinned Tuna, Tinned Ratatouille, soft cheese (philladelia), tinned toms, Herbs and spices as well as pasta, rice etc always have these thing in your store cupboard. Ratatouille, I always add to Spag Bol, Chilli Con Carne or just pasta to bulk it out.

A great quick meal I do and goes down well is:

Cook pasta in 1 saucepan.

In another pan, fry an onion, add a tin of tomatoes, add some herbs for flavour and ratatouille. Mix in some soft cheese and pour onto the pasta.

 

[hayls]

One tip I would give is to make a huge lot of one dish and freeze into portions using tubits, do this everytime you make a new dish so that when you or the kids are next peckish you can just defrost a meal rather than cooking from scratch all over again!

Try local butchers and suppliers for chickens and meat, I find it much cheaper than supermarket meat, you get larger portions aswell! Another place is farmers markets, only go to recommended ones though!

 

[Zingara]

Ok, you've got some good stuff on the spuds & rice stuff, but on money saving.....now thats where I'm the expert! If you wanna know how to really work the system, it needs planning....but you can do it, and save a fortune!

You see, in my family, I seem to have been awarded the new nickname of the 'voucher tart'! :lol:! I'd argue but its true! But the upside is it saves me a fortune, and I collect one in 'points' too!

You know those annoying magazines that pitch up through the post for the supermakret...sit down and cut all the vouchers out. There's probably a good £5 or £10 worth in there. Same with all the extra points coupons that you get for Tesco's or nectar or whatever! I even go on the Tesco's website, to download all the special offers, and then i menu plan, using those and my coupons and then make a good old fashioned shopping list....and here's the real key.....stick to it! And like already said, If there's a BOGOF on, I stick one in the freezer, (I'm quite sad, I also keep a spreadsheet of whats in my freezer, so I can plan) and i make sure I use it before it goes all freezer burnt and cacky looking.

Sounds faffy? Here's why I do it! Last shop at Tesco's was £72. Should have been £85 before money off in coupons and offers. And points collected - 960....that £9.60 worth of voucher back to me IF I spent them in store....or if I exchange them for clubcard deals (holidays, magazines, quite a lot of good everyday stuff can be paid for that way) they are worth £38.40! Thats from one shop! Adding the deals and savings together and taking them off the total, a £85 shop actually cost me £33.60 And we eat quite well....no blue and white striped stuff!

Its a bit of a PITA starting out doing this - but once your inot it...it's easy! and 'bout time we got something back in our pockets....these supermarkets make far too muich profit!

PS...I also use the Sainsbury's money off coupons in Tesco! Not a lot of people realise you can do that! They don't accept them all, but they do some of them. Usually the save £5 off a £50 shop kind!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

Our Tesco store is MINGIN ! and thats after they have just refurbed it lol...
But I could do the online shop !

I am normally (when i actually do go shopping) an asda...and farmfoods gal !

I tend to pop into poundland and home bargains a lot too..oooo and B&M..
although I am thinking of jibbing these shops, as I pop in for a nosey...and come out purse much lighter, and not a lot to show for it.
They have bargains yeah...But I tend to buy loads of sweets and biscuits etc...that REALLY shouldn't be in my basket.

I am wondering whether to stick to one shop for everything, more or less,...or shop around,
For instance shampoo and conditioner, I tend to grab the poundland bargains on these....but possibly spend an extra £5 on rubbish when I am in there...
I'll tell you what is annoying me...TOILET ROLLS I am SICK of paying over £2 for 4 ...litrally flushing money down the loo lol...
With all my allergies I am constantly nose blowing lmao..so I use a lot..

I wonder if I might be better spending maybe one week of the month bulk buying certain items...large pkt of loo rolls...washing powder, tea bags etc...
Our asda now does MASSIVE sizes of certain things ..

Does anybody else bulk buy essential items ..leaving the food shop..well for food shopping lol

 

[Cazbar]

Ok, you've got some good stuff on the spuds & rice stuff, but on money saving.....now thats where I'm the expert! If you wanna know how to really work the system, it needs planning....but you can do it, and save a fortune!

You see, in my family, I seem to have been awarded the new nickname of the 'voucher tart'! :lol:! I'd argue but its true! But the upside is it saves me a fortune, and I collect one in 'points' too!

You know those annoying magazines that pitch up through the post for the supermakret...sit down and cut all the vouchers out. There's probably a good £5 or £10 worth in there. Same with all the extra points coupons that you get for Tesco's or nectar or whatever! I even go on the Tesco's website, to download all the special offers, and then i menu plan, using those and my coupons and then make a good old fashioned shopping list....and here's the real key.....stick to it! And like already said, If there's a BOGOF on, I stick one in the freezer, (I'm quite sad, I also keep a spreadsheet of whats in my freezer, so I can plan) and i make sure I use it before it goes all freezer burnt and cacky looking.

Sounds faffy? Here's why I do it! Last shop at Tesco's was £72. Should have been £85 before money off in coupons and offers. And points collected - 960....that £9.60 worth of voucher back to me IF I spent them in store....or if I exchange them for clubcard deals (holidays, magazines, quite a lot of good everyday stuff can be paid for that way) they are worth £38.40! Thats from one shop! Adding the deals and savings together and taking them off the total, a £85 shop actually cost me £33.60 And we eat quite well....no blue and white striped stuff!

Its a bit of a PITA starting out doing this - but once your inot it...it's easy! and 'bout time we got something back in our pockets....these supermarkets make far too muich profit!

PS...I also use the Sainsbury's money off coupons in Tesco! Not a lot of people realise you can do that! They don't accept them all, but they do some of them. Usually the save £5 off a £50 shop kind!

This is a great tip - use coupons. Most Tesco's and Asda's take any coupons even if you don't buy the product.

Along with the moneysaving expert site another good one for finding out about bargains and some more info on coupons is :

PaidToShop - Powered by vBulletin

I'm trying to collect enough tesco clubcard points to pay for next years holiday ! It can be done !!!

Oooh another thing I just thought of - does anyone belong to Makro ?

As a business you can apply for a card and we normally go once every 2-3 months and stock up on loo rollls etc. Emma - I got 48 Charmin loo rolls for under ten pounds as they were on special offer last time.

 

[hippy-chick]

My tip is:

shop at Aldi instead of tesco
I get a full trolley for £70 which would cost £100 in tesco.

other tip:

have you got a home bargains?

I pop into there first, and I spent about £8 on a top brand box of cereal £1, a top brand pot of olives 70p, 3 x supernoodles 20p each, a huge jar of nescafe £1.99, top brand chocolates 79p, large tin of toblerone £1.99(for father's day).

Menu suggestions:
* Chilli and rice (I love vegi chili)
* Pasta ariabiatta (tomatoes, touch of chilli, onion, garlic, add a dollop of cream and grated cheese at the end to take away the spicy heat)
* Vegi lasagne (powdered white sauce from home bargains)
* Pizza
* Tortilla wraps (I fold them up and put them in my George Foreman for tuna melt, etc)
* Turkey meatballs (my speciality)
* Curry (jars from homebargains 89p)
* Vegi burgers and sausages (99p from Tesco)
* Desperate Dan tea (sausages sticking out of a mound of mash with gravy poured around the edges) could put a yorskhire pud in centre, fill with mash, stick sausages into mash and give them a small jug of gravy each to pour around the pud
* Sweet potatoes, peel slice into rounds and roast in oven, we call them monster tatoes
* Chicken broth (onion, leek, celery, carrot, potato, chicken, chicken stock cubes, splash of soy sauce)
* Cowboy tea (bacon, sausage and beans)
* Mince, yorkshire puds and mash

 

[Lynne Baker]

I notice that there are a lot of carbs in these menu ideas; any ideas for non carb versions?

 

[hippy-chick]

my son loves novelty teas hence the names, eg Desperate Dan, Cowboy tea, monster tatoes.

If you give them little jugs of sauce/gravy to pour themselves, they enjoy the novelty of that too.

Make faces out of food, or pile it up high (works for posh bistros).

for pudding:

fruit faces

cut fruit to make into a face, half a banana for the mouth, apple for eyes with grapes in the middle.

get an apple corer, peel apple, take centre core out, then cut apple into rings.

cut carrots into sticks and give them a dip

cut fruit into chunks and slices - kids will eat prepared fruits easier than just giving them it whole. to spice it up a bit, get some chocolate, add a few spoonfuls of milk, melt it in the microwave, pour into small shallow dishes (ramekin, egg cup or saucer) and call it fondue.
melt fudge chunks the same way.

for a treat, wait until meringues are on special offer (my co-op sell them off cheap all the time, think i must be the only one who buys them), squirty cream, grate some fudge or chocolate garnish with some fruit.

 

[hippy-chick]

I notice that there are a lot of carbs in these menu ideas; any ideas for non carb versions?

sorry Calla, too technical for me, i just dish it up and don't know whats carbs and whats not!!!

we eat a lot of potatoes, rice, pasta
also like cous cous (is that a carb?)

 

[Lynne Baker]

carbohydrates are anything that ends in "ose" = lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose.
Anything with sugar in it, including fruit!
Wheat, rice, potatoes, most grains etc - all have oodles of carbs in them. I don't eat carbs; it's the only way I can keep my weight under control!

 

[Anna Lee]

I notice that there are a lot of carbs in these menu ideas; any ideas for non carb versions?

Chinese stir fry vegetable. Its dead easy and cheap.

- Chop up all vegetables, onion, celery, peppers, beansprouts, etc...(whatever you fancy)
- Heat wok/pan with a little oil.
- Add a little minced garlic.
- add vegetables.
- add oyster sauce. ( can be found in most supermarket these days - check the chinese/asian shelves)

 

[hippy-chick]

carbohydrates are anything that ends in "ose" = lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose.
Anything with sugar in it, including fruit!
Wheat, rice, potatoes, most grains etc - all have oodles of carbs in them. I don't eat carbs; it's the only way I can keep my weight under control!

thats me buggered then!
I do get rice pasta sometimes and try not to eat too much wheat.

 

[Anna Lee]

carbohydrates are anything that ends in "ose" = lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose.
Anything with sugar in it, including fruit!
Wheat, rice, potatoes, most grains etc - all have oodles of carbs in them. I don't eat carbs; it's the only way I can keep my weight under control!

You should check up on some chinese recipes then because many are vegetable based. The only carbs I really eat is rice.

 

[hippy-chick]

packet of turkey mince
1 crustless (slightly stale) piece of bread
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 level tsp oregano
2 tsp parsely
1/4 tsp chilli
salt and pepper
good handful of cheese (I do half parmesan and half cheddar)
jar/carton of passatta OR chopped tomatoes
tomato puree

Method
Fry onion and garlic until soft, remove from pan.
Briefly whizz mince in food processor, add garlic and whizz
Make breadcrumbs with the slice of bread, mix in the herbs and chilli, add this and the cheese to the processor, season, whizz again.
Take small amounts of mixture, roll into balls.
Briefly fry meatballs to lightly brown on each side (approx 5-10 mins).
Add passatta or chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, the cooked onions and garlic, cover and either cook in oven for 45 minutes or simmer very gently on hob for 40 minutes.

the sauce should have thickened.
serve with pasta and sprinkle a little parmesan on top.

cost of meal for 4 £2.50ish

 

[angel fingers]

if you eat a lot of veg, you'll make a big saving buying them on a market instead of at the supermarket. great for those avoiding carbs.

you can buy ugly looking bacon from supermarkets in packs, they usually call it cooking bacon. it often only cost 70 or 80p for a big packet. its all uneven thicknesses and shapes, i cut it up and use it for bacon roll[fried onion and bacon rolled in suet pastry and baked in the oven] and its great for pasta sauces and as a pizza topping[i dry fry it first]

one of my fave rice recipes...my family calls it special rice
fry a finely chopped onion in a little butter.
add some grated or finely chopped carrot and celery a few frozen peas and sweetcorn.
add a little water and cook until veg is ready.
cook rice as normal and drain.
put 2 chicken stock cubes in a pan with about 3 or 4 tablespoons of water and dissolve them and bring to the boil.
mix together rice , stock and veg add a knob of butter and serve.
you can toss in some cooked tuna or bacon or chicken too if you want.

 

[Blue Rose]

Some good money saving ideas were discussed not so long ago.

http://www.salongeek.com/chit-chat/71239-money-saving-tips-house.html

 

[mercedes69]

Get someone else to do your shopping for you!!!

Sounds a bit daft....but I do my mums shopping for her...( she has trouble walking )
The wonders of technology eh? I live in Spain and yet can do my mums shopping at Sainsbury's etc...

She gives me her list....and I go online and shop for her.
I don't deviate from the list....you still get the special offers...and the cost of the delivery charges is far outweighed by the fact that she doesn't use her petrol going to the store...and she doesn't get swayed by getting stuff she doesn't need.

Emma mentioned her family seem to be hungry between meals...and I guess you need to look at more slow release 'carbs' to keep those hunger pangs at bay....porridge is great for that....
Switching from potatoes to sweet potatoes or squashes like butternut squash.... they are more slow release carbs.

A meal I like that doesn't involve meat but gives you all your necessary requirements and keeps you full is...

Sliced potatoes, sliced sweet potatoes, sliced butternut squash or swede and sliced onion....bunged in an ovenproof dish/baking tin etc.... pour over some oil...cover with tin foil and bung in an oven....leave until everything starts to soften....
then uncover....drain off the oil....put back in a high temp oven and keep turning as the top layer starts to brown.
Takes a while to cook but that just leaves more time to geek...

When potatoes nearly cooked slice some mushrooms....and fry lightly adding some chopped garlic and curry powder ( or chilli powder ). I add a tiny drop of water sometimes to stop it congealing and going too dry...
when softened add the baked beans to the pan and heat through....

You have a tasty meal...doesn't cost much...but has vegatables carbs and protein ( baked beans contain everything!!! ).

It doesn't apply so much to everyone...but I would buy a newspaper here at a cost of 2€ per day....!!!! They never have the supplements either...and it is dearer still on a Sunday....so over 14€ a week it was costing.
For a while now I have been reading my newspaper on-line ( The Sun lol ) which saves 56€ a month Scary when you think about it.... even at 50p a day it can mount up....if you have a baby it could pay for a couple of packs of nappies....a pack of beer!!! a flight to Ireland with Ryanair....:lol: You get my drift....

Bulk buying is cost effective....but do you not find you just use more? I bought a huge barrel like bottle of Ariel liquid. It was really cheap when you compared it litre for litre with a smaller bottle...but I find I just use lots more of it.... I am much more economical with my things if I think I haven't got much of it !!!! I am the same with my huge bottle of fairy liquid....:|

 

[princessaurora]

i always try and pay for things with cheque! NOT MANY PEOPLE DO THIS ANYMORE, the benefit is that you have a record of exactly what is gouing out and you cqn plan properly, it gets abit complicated with all the DDs though and if your forced to use your chipa and pin but if not its great coz it also gioves u a couple opf days lag time!

 

[Rach]

As someone else mentioned join Freecycle in your local area - it is a Yahoo Group and people post things they no longer want.
We just got a bike off there and i rode to work this morning, saving me 15 minutes! Also found some really good cycle routes last night round our local area, so will be cycling more now.

Potatoes - potato wedges - just peel, cut into wedge type shapes (dont worry im not very good at these either), can par boil if you want but i just chuck them in a pyrex dish with enough olive oil to coat them so they dont stick (or any oil) and some seasoning, any type really, can get BBQ, chicken, cajun, just get some jars or packets from asda. Will take about 40-45 mins if not par boiled.

Rice - i use the frozen rice now, in the wok or frying pan, a little oil, soy sauce, peas, a little chopped garlic from a jar, left over chicken (or any meat), break an egg and stir round so you have small bits of scrambled egg, mushrooms - basically whatever you fancy.

Apple/Rhubarb crumble is easy to make - i can send you a recipe if you like - we grow rhubarb in our garden so we make loads of it and it can be frozen cooked.

Fairy cakes are really quick to make, just make up some plain icing for the tops and kids can decorate with sprinkles etc, i make these on a sunday, then we have enough to take a few to work each day for lunch.
I have a quick, throw everything in the bowl recipe if you want it. Instead of butter, i use stork, utterly butterly anything like that will work - i think stork is the cheapest.

I buy Easy Cook magazine, there are loads of quick recipes in there, i keep all the recipes i like in a folder so if you want a selection i can photo copy and send to you.

Go to the library and get out cookery books or any books to read!