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

hi there - i am a rejoiner to old style having slipped totally over the last 14 months or so.

would you like to be old style buddies to encourage each other?

right - i am off now to put baby down for a nap and to make some bread. Might make some biscuits too. See you later!

Or "The New Money-Saver's Diary"!

In common with many people, the last few months have given me reason to stop and look at my finances, the way I spend my money and the way I handle my debt. I've concentrated since January on paying off my considerable unsecured debts (>£13,000 on January 1st!) as well as trying to live more within my means.

As of the 1st of August, my income will be roughly halved and so the money saving has to really step up a gear! I've reduced my debts to around £6000 and made several changes to my spending. This website has clearly shown me that there are literally thousands of ways I can save the pennies, but where to start?

I've made the decision that the easiest way will be within my home. I own the flat and live alone so can change things as I please. I plan to change one thing in my home or the way I run my home every day and record what I do here - my changes may seem very basic to some, but I bet there will be many others like me who simply have to start somewhere!

I'm going to concentrate my efforts in one area every week. I figure there will easily be enough areas to last me well into the winter and beyond, so here goes! If anyone would like to comment, give me pointers along the way or join in the challenge I set myself... the more the merrier!

Happy Moneysaving!

CardiffM

Week One: The kitchen

Day One: Cooking in Bulk
Thanks to lollyfin for this idea!
I've got 750g mince in my slow cooker (Used twice before) with tomatoes, herbs, spices, oats, carrots, lentils. Freeze half; eat half in portions over the weekend of night shifts to come... Yummy!

Thanks Penny!

Well - it's day two.

Continuing the kitchen theme - I'm face with a kitchen with no saucepans (my housemate quite reasonably took them on moving out - they weren't mine in the first place!)

My mum advises me that the best / most economical way to cook my veg / pasta is in one of those steamers that has a big pot at the bottom (pasta / potatos go in here) and then the other veg go in layers I add on the top.

Is this true? It seems logical - one ring on the hob instead of two or even three. Is there a trick I'm missing? Tomorrow will be investment day.

My bolognaise / chilli / tomato-base concoction is deliiiicious - made it to ten portions (quite greedy, me).

Other new moneysaving today: It's time to replace the broken lightbulbs in the kitchen. After considerable thought (and quite a lot of maths) I've decided to invest in three LED GU10 lightbulbs. They cost a lot upfront but my maths tells me they will pay for themselves over the year. The lights in my kitchen are the ones I use most often.

The cheapest upfront option (oddly) would have been to take the lightfitting down and replace the 50w GU10 (x3) fitting with a standard bayonet x3 lightfitting (v cheap in B&Q today) with energy saving bulbs, but they take a little while to "warm up".

I'm off to work,

CardiffM x

cardiffmatch wrote: »

Continuing the kitchen theme - I'm face with a kitchen with no saucepans (my housemate quite reasonably took them on moving out - they weren't mine in the first place!)

My mum advises me that the best / most economical way to cook my veg / pasta is in one of those steamers that has a big pot at the bottom (pasta / potatos go in here) and then the other veg go in layers I add on the top.

Is this true? It seems logical - one ring on the hob instead of two or even three. Is there a trick I'm missing? Tomorrow will be investment day.

The flyladies will be most upset that you haven't dropped in to let them know you're back

Steamers are great, but you'll probably need another saucepan too in case you want, for example, to cook some pasta and heat up sauce at the same time. Also think about the size of steamer you need - I have a vast one that I only use when I have lots of visitors, as it's way too big for daily use (I finally gave in a couple of years ago and invested in a smaller one). However, the MOST economical way to cook veggies is in the microwave. It is, apparently, also the way that retains the most nutritional value, as you need less water and less escapes. If you're doing lots of batch cooking in the slow cooker, then microwaving is probably the way to go for all the reheating you'll be doing anyway.

Good luck with your plan... including finding the LED replacements for the GU10s, as they never seem to be in stock when I try to get them (hence several dead bulbs in the kitchen ). Newer baynonet fitting bulbs (the spiral ones) don't take as long to warm up as the old ones. They're not as cheap as the standard ones, but certainly not as expensive as the LEDs, however, given the way technology is developing, the compact fluorescents will probably be phased out eventually (due to issues including the use of mercury in their manufacture) and replaced with LED technology which seems to be where all the R&D investment is.

Hi CardiffMatch

I havn't bought washing powder or fabric conditioner for about 5 years now. I use vanish soap or Ace bleach on any bad stains (not very often) and use an eco ball in the wash. I also have about 6 'dobby balls' (bought in Aldi) in the machine that are also supposed to help get the washing clean. I can assure you my washing is perfectly clean. I bought my eco balls from one of the local green sites for £5 each but I see Lakeland do them for £7.99 each though they do not look exactly the same as mine. You do not need fabric conditioner with them. They have saved me a fortune.

There is only me at home now so no kids with really dirty washing.