Tips and Quick Questions on “How To Start Being Old Style”

misskool · 22 July 2009 at 11:41PM

you can make a lot of coleslaw if you had bought a head of cabbage, 1kg of carrots and a couple of onions with a jar of mayonnaise. And stretch out some other meals with it.

Chicken fillets are always expensive (premium pricing) but best value is in buying a whole chicken. There are ways of making one chicken feed a family of 4 for a week of dinners! But basically you do a roast, then curry leftovers, stir fry what you can find, and then bones for stock to make soup!

I think it's amazing you've gone straight from m&s to basics stuff. Don't be too hard on yourself, little steps for changes and you'll be fine.

ps-if you have lots of time, you might it rewarding to grow some vegetables, especially expensive stuff like posh salads, they are easy to grow and don't need much space/care

good luck!

Olliebeak · 22 July 2009 at 11:45PM

sassie-lassie wrote: »

Hello All,........ List included the following:
3x cans chopped tomatoes (basics range)

Felix Cat food (6x cans)

2x Sainsbury individual cat food pouches

2 pints semi-skimmed milk

1x packet custard cream biscuits

1x big tub coleslaw

1x packet chicken fillets

2x packs bacon (BOGOF)

1x packet country soup mix

Fresh leeks, carrots and courgettes (basics)

8x pack Activia yoghurts

Is that enough, I wonder?? I've already spent another 70p on a jar of olives!!!

Hello sassie-lassie :wave:

Can I ask please, are the packs of bacon and chicken fillets frozen or fresh ones?

Would you consider changing the chicken breast fillets for chicken drumsticks/thighs/quarters in future? Would perhaps bring the costs down a bit. If you know how to divide up a chicken, you can buy a whole one and get lots of portions from it.

If they're fresh, I would divide them up into 'portion sizes', bag and freeze. That way nothing goes to waste or 'has' to be used up quickly.

Same with the leeks, carrots and courgettes - I would prep them and freeze in useable amounts - or even just each one in a large bag and take out exactly the amount you'll use for a meal.

You could also have a try at making your own soup - potato and leek; chicken and leek; carrot and coriander; spicy parsnip are all very easy. I'd never made any till the winter before last and quite surprised myself and OH. Got some Chicken and Broccoli Soup in my freezer made by using up some home-made chicken stock (from a chicken carcasse), a small head of broccoli (that had been in the fridge for over a week

), some chicken scraps (the last off the carcasse), onions, an extra chicken stock cube and some herbs. Start off by 'sweating' the veg in a little veg oil, then adding boiling water. Bring back to the boil, and simmer until cooked. Then blitz in a blender or with a 'whizzie-stick (hand-blender)' still as smooth as you like it

.

I buy the bags of 'basics/smartprice' onions (4lbs for around 85p), peel, chop and then freeze in a large sealable poly-bag - that way I've always got onions to hand that don't need much work.

Have you checked over what is already in your cupboards/freezer? Maybe you could consider using up things already in there - especially anything that's been around for a while. Get it used before it goes out of date

.

Good Luck, lassie - Ollie

oops - just noticed that misskool got in before me about the chicken lol

.

vatic · 23 July 2009 at 12:03AM

I know how you feel about drastic changes -- I've recently become unemployed and thought I would be able to get more temp work than I have. Good luck sassie-lassie!

I would try and buy more dry staples. Things like dried beans, lentilles, pearl barley, bulgur wheat, etc. They help pad out meals to help fill you up and are a lot cheaper than meat. Plus they add the added bonus of extra protein, fibre, and can count towards your five-a-day.

I know that our grocery bills have gone down considerably from that change. I even surprised my partner's mum, a real OS'er with my stretching of 500g of mince out to 6 different meals (including leftovers) using more veg and the dried goods mentioned above. They will be nice and easy to cook with your new slow cooker too

Also, with yoghurt, buying larger pots can often be more cost-effective and can take up less room in your fridge. Just invest in small plastic tupperware to put it into smaller portions if that's why you like the little pots. Or, when I'm lazy, I'll just use a tiny teaspoon to slow my yoghurt eating down

sassie-lassie · 23 July 2009 at 12:07AM

"are the packs of bacon and chicken fillets frozen or fresh ones?"

They are fresh ones, but the bacon was BOGOF.. I take the point about the chicken - you are quite right that I ought to buy a whole one and, ahem, deal with it. However, there are a couple of issues:
1. Don't laugh, but I am so squeamish that I've been known to don rubber gloves before handing a whole, raw bird
2. I've no idea about how to joint the thing - but perhaps now is the time for me to learn, if I can overcome 1. above...

My Country Soup mixture is soaking pending being made into some sort of soup with the chicken fillets and leeks tomorrow! If I make enough soup for say 4x generous helpings, do you think I'll need one or two breast fillets??

Olliebeak · 23 July 2009 at 12:21AM

sassie-lassie wrote: »

"are the packs of bacon and chicken fillets frozen or fresh ones?"

They are fresh ones, but the bacon was BOGOF.. I take the point about the chicken - you are quite right that I ought to buy a whole one and, ahem, deal with it. However, there are a couple of issues:
1. Don't laugh, but I am so squeamish that I've been known to don rubber gloves before handing a whole, raw bird
2. I've no idea about how to joint the thing - but perhaps now is the time for me to learn, if I can overcome 1. above...

My Country Soup mixture is soaking pending being made into some sort of soup with the chicken fillets and leeks tomorrow! If I make enough soup for say 4x generous helpings, do you think I'll need one or two breast fillets??

aaaaahhhhh pardon my misunderstanding

. I thought you meant a pack of 'Country Veg Soup Mix' as in Bachelors/Knorr, lol.

I wouldn't waste a chicken breast fillet on soup making - or maybe that's just me

- perhaps others would it this way. I've only ever made soup using left-over meat from the carcasse (or from a 'ham shank').

Maybe somebody else will be along shortly with an idea on that one

.

A couple of links that you might find useful:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=795257#post795257

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=202128

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=8736367#post8736367

That last one is the complete cookery collection thread - just scroll down through it and you'll find all kinds of stuff in there - including a whole section on chicken

.

Good Luck - Ollie - nitey nite

Don't worry about being squeamish. I used to work in a restaurant kitchen doing prep-work for my ex-OH who was the chef. One of my jobs was to flour, egg and crumb the plaice fillets. I used to wear rubber gloves to do it and would be running out of the kitchen to 'heave' every couple of minutes - I have a real bad 'fish phobia'. I finally got the ex to do them and I would take responsibility for keeping his grill plates clean every day by dipping them in baths of acid overnight and rinsing off the next morning - considered quite dangerous stuff

.

Penelope_Penguin · 23 July 2009 at 7:56AM

sassie-lassie wrote: »

I thought it would be a learning experience for me and anyone else who suddenly finds themselves in my position to document my adjustment in terms of developing oldstyle habits. Any tips and comments would be appreciated!!

Sorry to hear about your redundancy

We've set up a thread for people starting out Old Style, so I'll add this thread to that one. Post 1 has lots of useful threads for you to look at. You can join them, and ask specific questions if you like

Good luck, Penny. x

miss_independent · 23 July 2009 at 11:19AM

Wow this is my first ever post :j! Sassie Lassie you don't have to use the chicken breast to make your soup - you could use two strips (or even one) of your bacon. This is what my mum often does to use up a pack. Simply cut it it up into smaller strips with kitchen scissors and add to your soup. What we would do is fry it with your onions for a couple of minutes then add stock and water, your broth mix and some grated carrots. We call it Granny's soup as my Granny taught us how to make it. You can also make it with ham shank, the stock off boiled gammon or cheap on the bone cuts of lamb or of course chicken thighs or drumsticks. Good Luck!

Olliebeak · 23 July 2009 at 11:51PM

Our favourite family soup is made from the stock when cooking a ham shank :drool:.

I cook the shank overnight in the slowcooker and soak some soup/broth mix.

Next morning I remove the shank and get rid of the fatty skin. I put about half of the stock to one side (place in fridge when it's cooled down enough - usually goes to 'jelly').

The remaining stock stays in the slow cooker and I add the rinsed soup/broth mix, some herbs, some chopped onions, some sliced carrots, chopped swede, potatoes cut into smallish cubes, sliced leeks, sliced celery and just over half of the shank meat (cut into small cubes). This cooks for most of the day in the slow cooker and we call it 'Shank Stew'. Can add some dumplings to make it stretch further

. This usually results in some being left-over for the freezer as well.

Next night, I soak a box of dried peas overnight. The following morning, the remaining stock goes into the Slow Cooker, with some chopped onions, some more celery, the rinsed peas, herbs, black pepper and the remaining shank meat. This soup makes quite a lot and gives a few portions for the freezer.

If the shank is a particularly big one, there should be enough meat for a sandwich as well - cook's perks

.

randomer · 24 July 2009 at 10:13AM

I have ben unemployed for a year. It wasn't a well paid job but topped up husband's earnings and we scraped by.
We are really feeling the pinch now though.
What prompted a rethink of spending was 2 lots of bank charges for going over the overdraft.
I felt quite cheerful last month having ended up 2k O/D instead of 3k but now I feel a bit dejected . We are doing the food planning and list thing and that certainly is an improvement. Husband has a cash allowance so no more shop bought sandwiches and magazines.No unecessary spends and I've bought a few clothes in charity shops.
It just all feels a bit .....miserable somehow!

I suppose it's abig change in attitiude and will take time.
Well done all those who are on track!

Queen-Bee_2 · 24 July 2009 at 12:51PM

Dear Randomer - I'm in the same boat as you and Sassie Lassie, having recently lost my job as well. I'm finding it something of a challenge to completely change my lifestyle and spending habits, and develop thrifty habits. On top of having to negotiate the never-before sampled benefits system that is - £60 per week? I used to spend that on groceries alone! Oh dear. Bit of a steep learning curve!!!

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Tips and Quick Questions on “How To Start Being Old Style”

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free