Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

nursemaggie · 1 March 2015 at 8:23PM

If you have a local market and you do not use it here is why you should.

Yesterday I went to market arrived at 4.10pm. We have an indoor and outdoor market, half the indoor market is food. The market closes at 5pm but the butchers tend to close around 4.30. as they have a lot of cleaning to do.

I spent £21 all together on meat. 2kg of chicken breast pieces £5, all shapes and sizes, checked for bones, cut off any fat and put in plastic bags in the freezer 250gm each 8 meals for two, 2kg marinated chicken breast bits and pieces again £5, 8 more meals in the freezer 1kg sausage three different flavours £5. 3 bags of 4 nice big fat sausages plus two extra the butcher gave me will do for DS when I have salmon fish cakes he does not like salmon. 1.7kg Gammon joint £3, roasted today rest for sandwiches through the week. 3 pks very lean bacon £3. This lot should last us about a month, bacon maybe longer. The veg about 2 weeks as nice and fresh from the market.

I could have only bought the chicken at the end of the day they are what you could call them misshapes they accumulate them through the day.

Along with other veg, I bought at less even than Ald!'s super six e.g. two huge bags sprouts for a £1, I bought two huge bags of ready chopped veg for soup or stews at 50p each and two punnets of raspberries for £1.

silvasava · 1 March 2015 at 8:32PM

Nursemaggie - brill bargains & a savvy you for going towards the end of the day. Don't have lovely markets like that in my area - Farmers Markets here are quite expensive for us so still Aldee for me - have found them to be good quality so far.

cheerfulness4 · 1 March 2015 at 9:25PM

Some lovely bargains there Maggie.

Just updated the first page with all the recipes. Yumm, I haven't made meringues and cream for ages so must give those a whirl.

Call the Midwives on and I'm chomping at the bit to get back to my knitting, (its finally going well!) so a quick post of spends.
March begins my new months budget of £123. Lets see if we can stay in budget a third month. I can't believe the stocks are lasting as well as they have but they must surely run out this month. We shall see.

DAY 1

Money Spent Today - £2.50 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £2.50 Vouchers Spent in Total - £0
Money left in purse - £0.50 - Float left- £13.04/£15
Jan non-foods left- £11.37/£15

Had a quick shop and spent £2.50 from the Groceries budget on pk Sausages @ £1, Malt Loaf @ £1 and pk 6 bakery baps @ 50p (on offer).
From the non- foods budget we spent £3.63 on pk 6 dbl length loo rolls @ £1.95 and meds/personal hygiene @ £1.68.
We also spent £1.96 from the Extras Budget on pk Toffee popcorn@ 66p, pk Cheese Balls @ 70p and pk cashews @ 60p.

kittym · 1 March 2015 at 9:47PM

Well done silvasava you will be out in the boat in no time and all of the hard work will have been worth it.

Super shopping nursemaggie, sadly our markets not up to very much. I get better quality in @ldi. However we do have a great butchers at very good prices.

Im going to have a go at the lemon barley water now the new budget is here. It sounds very refreshing. Can you use the barley after to go into HM soup? I know it sounds like a silly question just I didn't want to waste it.

Well Im off to have a cup of char. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your nite. xx

vhalla1478 · 1 March 2015 at 10:17PM

Hi again,

Yes, you can use the pearl barley in soups and stews, kittym; I just didn't mention it this time because someone had an unpleasant childhood memory because of it.

This is a super vegetarian recipe that I sometimes have for lunch; very moreish.

Gratin of Courgettes - 4 servings

900 grams courgettes , cut into rounds, salt and pepper, 4 tbsp. olive oil, 2 large onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 3 eggs plus an egg yolk, 75 grams cheese - cheddar or parmesan, grated, 3-4 tbsp. cooked long-grain brown or white rice.

Put courgettes in a colander, salt lightly and leave for 30 minutes to extract the juices. heat a tbsp. oil in afrying pan, add the onions and garlic and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from pan, add 2 tbsp. olive oil to pan and when hot add the courgettes. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened.

Break the eggs in a large bowl, add the extra egg yolk and beat with a fork. Add 50 grams grated cheese and the cooked rice and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the softened onions, garlic and courgettes. Oil a shallow gratin dish and tip in the vegetable mixture. Drizzle the remaining oil on top, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, then bake in the oven at 190 degrees/gas mark 4 for about half an hour or until solid enough to cut with a knife and lightly browned on top.

Well done on finishing the scraping, silvasava; I'm pleased you still have your costume!

Have a good evening, Folks.

Viv xx

Lynplatinum · 2 March 2015 at 2:21AM

Hiya All

Well Im back! I ve been working and then a friend of mine rang me from the pub and asked me to go out for a drink and I didnt get home until 2 am Sun morn - which has well and truely thrown all my body rhythms out - hence I am wide awake and typing on here at 1 am!! Friend needed a grumble - their workplace is treating them really badly I have suggested applying for other work but they like the actual work!! It is just the management! I hear so much of this these days - what happened to careing about your workers and realising that your business is built on them? Anyone here that can cheer me up with a good story? Rant over!

nursemaggie - us folk of reasonable hight need to stick together!!! LOL :-) when I said that to my 6ft tall son he said that then we might be able to reach the top shelf at last and I said 'no, that 's why we have tall servants' :rotfl: he wasnt pleased!!

Well done cheerfulness!:A I came in 28p under on last week - having bought some star drops and chocy (hangs head in shame) out of the last £2 that was in the purse.

Well, March is here - new challenge! NSD for 1st. Im gonna try to follow Cheerfulness' example and go for £10 per week (there is only me!!)
I was explaining to a friend (my walking companion one) that I had sweetcorn tuna and mayo sandwiches (lunch 1); sweetcorn fritters (lunch 2 + 4 for the freezer for another 2 lunches/brunches) and will have lunch 3 (same as lunch 1) at a total cost of approx £1.20.
This month I will a) keep on making it myself b) plan eats and therefore spends - unless a stunning SO comes my way. The plan is that this will also help with my attempts to loose some of my weight excess! Wish me luck folks!

GreyQueen · 2 March 2015 at 8:28AM

Lynplatimum, when my washer was broken in Jan and I had to wait 10 days for the replacement to be delivered, my immediate manager, a very busy woman with a family, offered to drive to my flat, collect my laundry, wash it at her home and bring it back. That's a diamond of a manager, isn't it? I didn't need to take her up on it but I was warmed to the cockles of my heart.

misstara · 2 March 2015 at 9:23AM

Morning ladies, I'm currently enjoying a YS croissant for breakfast plus some coffee that I got as a present - very yummy

After work today I plan to make soup and banana loaf using up all the past it veg and fruit. I also need to go to the supermarket to get a few bits, the fridge is very bare!

I brought home a couple of cooked chicken breasts from work which would have ended up in the bin otherwise so will need to incorporate them into my meal plan.

cheerfulness4 · 2 March 2015 at 10:03AM

I'm sat eating YS Bagels with coffee, misstara. All the sweeter when you know it was a bargain, isn't it?

Aren't we a frugal lot! Lyn, You must be queen of cheap lunches. Have you seen what some poor souls dish out at the checkout for a cardboard sarnie!!

In a rush this morning as off out to visit friends with DH this mornjng but will have a read up when he goes off to sleep this afters.

vhalla1478 · 2 March 2015 at 10:10AM

Good Morning, Everyone,

Signs of Spring are here; I've started waking earlier and the first thing I saw when I opened my living room curtains was a song thrush; I haven't seen one of them in months - my garden is normally populated with blue tits, wrens, robins and blackbirds. The sun is streaming through the window and promoting thoughts of spring cleaning - my windows most definitely need a thorough clean - I'll see how much it warms up later.

I'm wondering if I have the equivalent of body dysmorphia as far as food is concerned; I believe it was Cheerfulness who mentioned that she was surprised how long her food stocks are lasting - I most definitely have over-calculated how much I need, partly of course because I live in a remote location and was snowed in the very first morning after I moved in almost two years ago, and partly I think it's because my money is limited and I buy now just in case I can't afford it later. But I am pretty good at sticking to a shopping list, and will do so tomorrow when I go out but why do I feel I have to have three shampoos/three conditioners/three shower gels, hand cream et al, I do not know - the world won't fall about my ears if I don't have a supply in!

Anyway, enough of these musings, here is a nice recipe to use if you ever buy smoked salmon pieces/scraps that are sometimes available at delicatessens and supermarkets.

Fettucine with Smoked Salmon - serves 4

275 grams fettucine, salt and black pepper, tbsp. olive oil, 15 grams butter, small bunch of spring onions, finely chopped, 125-175 grams smoked salmon scraps, trimmed into neat shreds, small carton double cream, egg yolk, milk to dilute, small handful fresh herbs, such as basil, dill or parsley.

Cook the fettucine in plenty of boiling salted water for about 8 minutes or until just tender. Meanwhile heat the oiul and butter in a frying pan, add the spring onions and fry over a low heat until softened. Add the smoked salmon and turn rapidly to heat rather than cook. Beat the cream and egg yolk together and dilute to a runny consistency with a little milk. Add this to the salmon mixture, stir and season generously with black pepper and a little salt. Drain the pasta and tip into a warmed serving dish. Tip in the salmon mixture, plus the chopped herbs and fork vigorously to mix well. Serve and enjoy!

I've trousers to alter for my daughter-in-law today as well as cracking on with the rug; I'll be extremely happy when it's completed, but a few months down the line yet even though I'm doing it most days. I've also some unpicking to do on my first attempt at quilting an oven glove - too wobbly; I'll have to draw lines I think!

Have a great day, All

Viv xx

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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