Saving money on food

narabanekeater

Hello
is it please possible to have a link to the food planner please?
I cannot find it

Yorkielass

Hi - OH is still a student and I've only recenly finished my degree etc so I know where you're coming from on this. We're trying to be really good and make as many things from stratch as possible, using tinned tomatoes and adding garlic, oregano etc is great for making pasta sauces, pizza toppings etc and is so quick to do.

Is there no way at all you can go to the supermarket rather than doing internet shopping. I used to spend 45 minutes on a bus to get to the supermarket but it was worth it because you get better choice, can pick the dates on meat etc and you can use coupons to save money. I used to go once a fortnight and found it was fine.

madfrenchgirl

and bring your big rugsack with you: that is what I used to do when i was a student! It would last me enough for 2 weeks, so I guess if you bring OH with you she can carry another rucksack and here you go: sorted for 2 weeks!

Food planner here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=88723&highlight=food+planner

ag359

Thanks for all that guys.

Freezing meals is undoubtedly a good idea. However, I'm a bit of a novice - if I freeze a meal, can I cook it from frozen, or do I defrost it in the fridge first or what? As you can tell, I'm not long moved out from home, hence the general incompetence! Also does it matter if you're using stuff that came orignally from frozen, because I thought you weren't supposed to refreeze food that had been bought frozen.

In response to Yorkielass, no the supermarket is really inaccessible from where I am. There is a co-op nearby, which is more expensive, although we do buy odd bits and pieces from there. The nearest supermarket is a sainsburys which is a twenty-five minute walk, and obviously there's a limit to what you can carry back that distance.

madfrenchgirl

Ag, is there a bus around?

Also, you can defrost a chicken, cook it in sauce or whatever, freeze the whole and defrost it fine! The only situation where you are playing with fire is refreezing the chicken without cooking it.

Also, frozen meals can be kept either in a freezing bag, or, if it is sauce based, in a pastic box. Poundhsops like poundland, cutprice, etc have some in the likes of 5-10 for a pound. You can defrost them in the microwave or pop them in the pan on a light heat to make them melt...

moggins

Have you thought about buying enough for a fortnight and getting a taxi home? You'd probably still save money because you don't have to keep nipping to the C0-op?

squeaky

narabanekeater wrote:

Hello
is it please possible to have a link to the food planner please?
I cannot find it

The food planner is at the bottom of the page in the link.

http://www.squeaky.demon.co.uk/spreadsheets/spreadsheet.html

Sorry madfrenchgirl - I was bit alte seeing your post

Yorkielass

ag359 wrote:

In response to Yorkielass, no the supermarket is really inaccessible from where I am. There is a co-op nearby, which is more expensive, although we do buy odd bits and pieces from there. The nearest supermarket is a sainsburys which is a twenty-five minute walk, and obviously there's a limit to what you can carry back that distance.

To me a 25 minute walk is nothing - I used to walk to Sainsburys when I was a first year and that was about half an hour each way. As madfrenchgirl says rucksacks are the key, and bags for life!! In my second year we often got a taxi to the supermarket and shared the cost - only a pound or so each each way, or I'd get a bus to tescos as I prefer it, was a 45 minute bus journey but used to do it every other Saturday morning (we had a tiny freezer between 5 of us so I never really used to bother with any frozen and had a cooler bag for fresh stuff). Have had a car for a while now so no transport to the supermarket issues, still takes 20 minutes to drive to Tescos if the traffic is average, took nearer 50 the other day.

Suppose everyone has their own preferences etc to walking/travelling etc - I would just always rather choose my own meat, veg etc at tescos rather than have stuff delivered - have seen the way some of the staff that pick the stuff at my tescos just chuck any old pack of meat in the trolley :rolleyes:

skintchick

I shop at Tesco, and do all my lunches and dinners for £15 a week.

Ref freezing things - the rule is that if you defrost something, then cook it you can refreeze it without harm.

The Value range is great - although avoid the rice as it goes all gloopy and strange even if you rinse it, and I can;t be doing with wiping gloop off my cooker.

I buy Value everything else though, and I know oyu said you can;t go into a store, but really you shoudl try cos then you get to decide exactly what you want which really helps with keeping costs down.

On pasta sauces, once you've made your own you won;t want to buy those nasty pre-made ones in the jars. Just simmer chopped toms (I buy whole value plum toms for about 19p and then chop them up myself. Pour the sauce off into your pan, then cho the toms in the tin), garlic, black pepper together on a low heat for 20 mins to thicken, then use alone or add meat/veg. You can also serve with cous cous or rice instead of pasta which is nice for a change.

Honestly, real cooking is much nicer, and you can get value frozen ready-meals for those days when you get in late and can't be bothered!

ag359

OK, well I've bought some frozen chicken thighs from the supermarket, so I'm planning to do them in a kind of casserole-style thing tomorrow.

Can I just put the chicken in raw once I defrost it, or does it have to be part-cooked first? And what about potatoes and veg - do they go in at the same time? I also have chicken stock and various bits and pieces. However, I pretty much don't know what I'm doing, so any advice is much appreciated!