Getting to know you........

Ali-OK

Hi everyone

A newbie to this fantastic site. Learnt and actioned lots of things already on my road to debt freedom.

A bit about me - 38 yrs old, I work full-time and am single Mum to 5 yr old son (he's poorly at the mo, so I'm at home today). I love cooking and hope to pick up some new recipes, along with hints and tips to making plenty of savings too.

Looking forward to chatting on the boards.

Ali

kazmac_3

Hi all, have just been reading through some of your messages and feel like I know you!

My name's Karen, am 35 and am mum to 1 17 and 15 year old....AKA Satan's Spawn at the moment lol :rotfl: I work as a Sister on a Psych ward which is very interesting and sometimes very sad. Does make you appreciate your own health a lot more...

A little tip I picked up from my MIL....if you can afford to do it, do your big shop once a month, concentrating on meat, poultry etc (bulk is a fair bit cheaper). Then set yourself some time aside and have a 'baking day' as my daughter calls it. I usually put a huge pan of mince stew on,make pan of bolognese using chopped tomatoes, oregano and mixed herbs, roast a couple of chickens ( save juice and make into stock), brown sausages etc.

*Then I freeze half of the mince stew (dumplings made on day of 'dishing up!')
*Make 2 x pastry cases...drain mince of some juices and put remaining filling into crust and freeze.
*layer a casserole dish with remaining mince and top with potatoes for a shepherd's pie.
*Using plastic lidded containers, pour juices into them and freeze for gravy when you serve the pies.
*Freeze bolognese sauce in serving containers

*Slice breasts from one chicken and use juices to make gravy..pour gravy over sliced breast and freeze (makes a great quick meal), and much better than shop bought, and cheaper lol!
*Strip rest of chicken and add jar of aldis/lidls korma or sweet and sour sauce (approx 60-70p) and freeze.

I usually have the other chicken as part of the roast dinner on the day of baking!! (Then use leftovers for chicken salad sandwiches for pack ups)

*Line a dish with the sausages (slighty browned), then make a yorkshire pudding batter and pour over, I usually get two dishes from 12 sausages) and freeze...the yorkshire pudding rises beautifully when cooked from frozen...lovely toad in the hole!

I realise this won't be for everyone but if you can spare the time once a month or so, it really does save time if you've had a rotten day at work and dont want the fuss of cooking from scratch! It also saves money over the month aswell.

Hope this is of help to someone....x

fannyadams

Hi, My name is Fanny Adams and I'm an MSE addict. <pause for applause to subside>
I am a part-time mum (coz I work full-time and pay someone to be me whilst I am at work - that's right isn't it, SAHMs?) to 2 DS (nearly 2 and nearly 6).
I work full time but I can't tell you what I do (OSA), but trust me it doesn't pay enough!
I am a practising wiccan pagan (3rd generation hedge-witch)- there I'm *out* now.
I love reading all the boards but especially OS and the freebies. I'm frequently on the Milton Keynes Thread.
I use a 'heinz 57' PC with a M$ operating system but use firefox as my browser (tabbed browsing - woo hoo) HWTHMBO works in computers (and trust me, that don't pay enough either!) so we have a few odd combinations of non matching equipment from stuff left over at his work.
Today I will mostly be .... finishing off the housework I started yesterday, finishing off the laundry that I started yesterday and visiting HWTHMBO's mum (I done mine yesterday). a Tesco shop, and a visit to the tip are also on the cards. I also have to pack for hospital on Tuesday. Real quality time for the kids, eh?

chaos5678

Healthcare assistant (used to be called care assistants!) around 48 hours a week for an agency, usually caring for terminally ill patients at home

Wife, but not for much longer I'm afraid!

Mother of 21 yr Son and 16 yr daughter

Keeper of horses, dogs, cats, ducks, hens, aviary birds

Owner of an old ice cream bike which I will take to shows in the summer to make extra money.

Hopeful starter of new business tending graves in West Wales in spare time to pay off debts.

Also looking for an outlet for Quail eggs fresh or pickled as mine lay such a lot.

Roam around MSE in spare time which is always in the wee small hours

outrageous_monkey

Hi and I'm Julie
I've posted a few times on MSE, mainly on the Boots Grabbit board, but once or twice on here. I love this board, and have learnt loads on how to save those pennies.
I'm married with 2 kids, 1 has aspergers syndrome, the other is just a 20 month old monster, lol. I love reading all your posts, but I'm still new to posting, so I never know if my 'advice' is any good or not.
keep up the good work :T :T :T

poppycracker

Hi I'm Ayjay and I live in Aberdeen. I found this site about two weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. I love the freebies and eBay board and have just started going into some of the others. I'm 29 and not looking forward to being 30!

I'm the manager of a private sheltered housing scheme for the elderly in Midstocket, been here 4 and a half months. Before that I was a checkout chick AND a breakfast waitress on the Isle of Lewis, before that a hotel receptionist, and before that a hostel assistant with the SYHA at Loch Ness. Before that I was at school in Portree on the Isle of Skye, and before that, a sprog in Mile End in the East End of London so you could say I've been around!!!

I live with my OH, a GOSG (Grumpy Old Scots Git) and a manic Border Collie. We're hoping to get married this year (if I don't kill him first) but first he needs to get a job (which is why I'm always here, trying to find ways to save/make money!). The collie just needs to calm down a bit!!!

Linda32

Hi,

Just been reading though a few pages and its very interesting, thanks all.

Well my name is Linda and I'm 34, not 32 as the name suggests. Thats the name I picked when I started using forums.
I work 27½ hrs a week as a secretary. OH is out of work at the moment having taken volentary redundancy from Caterpillar UK.

We've taken on board alot on here, especially OS with the redundancy situation, but when thats resolved we will continue.

For me my great hobby apart from MSE is gardening and I'm currently studying for the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture. It sounds impressive but is only the first rung of the ladder. These isn't now a level 1.

I would love to work in the garden industry sometime and hope this will help.

We took on an allotment last Autumn so are learning fast there too. Hopfully reducing the fruit and veg bill for this year.

skipkoo

Hi All

Another lurker here! Love OS, just wish I was better at it

44 (got to get that in before my birthday in the next few weeks ) married, mother of 2 boys, 26 and 15, both still at home, and work part time for an accountant.

OH is away with his job all week so weekends are either very busy doing things or very slow doing nothing....depending on the week we just had Have been receiving the MSE email for ages but just discovered the forums properly recently.

Skipkoo

DopeyDora_2

Hi,

Just noticed that this thread is here after finding this website a month or two ago.

I am newly 30 (eek!), & live with my partner is Wiltshire, no children or animals. I work in finance/payroll (so why am I so rubbish with my own money?!) & enjoy cooking, reading, keeping fit, foreign languages & travel.

Currently trying to clear my overdraft (final debt to clear) so that we can start saving & hopefully buy a little house in the next few years.

Dora x

JailhouseBabe

Hello all.
I'm 37, single mother (for the last 15 years) to the most wonderful 17 year old daughter. She's full time at college with a part-time job, and never asks me for a penny. Which is handy, as I've been unemployed since Sept 2004.
I've applied for approx 200 jobs in last 2 years, and had only 3 interviews (I've got a 1st class degree in computer science).

I've re-discovered MSE after 17 months with no internet access, now am back with a vengeance!
I usually spend more time on Freebies & comps, but now that I'm up to date with them, have decided to catch up with OS. In the spirit of OS, have borrowed a breadmaker (to see if it's worth me buying one), bought a bottle of Stardrops and half a dozen microfibre cloths.
Have looked at the shopping challenge & really did think I'd follow it this month. Maybe next month!

Hopefully I'll be doing more posting than lurking in this forum x