50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

fedupandskint

Woo hooo! Spinning cartwheels and back flips! Hope the premiere goes well for you ceridwen, I'll check out the other thread to see what it is about. What a great achievement to make a film.

BigMummaF

fedupandskint wrote: »

Home Bargains
* * * * * * * * * *
There were lots of low priced items but not that many things I would usually buy Wish we had anything like this close to us Our closest Farmfood/HB etc etc is around 200 MILES Why do people think because we live down here, we have loadsa munnie :mad: Our only 'budget' store is getting worse with it's prices...

Can anyone recommend a decent frugal washing up liquid, I usually use Fairy Original largest size from Mr T (you crazy fool!). Is there anything else as good and more frugal. I like long lasting bubbles.MrA green original one, more often than not 70pea but on 2-4-£1, or Wilkos green original.

Hope you don't mind my chopping your post FUAS--it was only for the WUL to begin with, but I see yooze lot getting so many good deals in the HB etc that sometime I could
Anyhoo--the WUL! I subscribe to the 'snealy ways to save pennies' thread on here somewhere, & as such have been usung approx 50:50 WUL to water, in an old liquid soap dispenser. Believe me! The wul is just as good as neat [we are in an extremely hard water area so never had that many bubbles anyway ] & it lasts sooooo much longer because it's in a kind of 'measured' dose IYKWIM? I know it would last twice as long because you've twice as much thru diluting it, but it lasts longer than that too. Give it a go on a weenie drop of F@iry to see how you'd like it, before jumping in with the whole bottle perhaps....*returns to reading thread under the bedcovers by torchlight..:shhh:*

In_Search_Of_Me

re the washing up liquid I have a dispenser from ikea so I get a measured dose which cuts down on how much you use...didnt think of watering it down but worth a ry..in terms of whats good, I often get the cheapie (but not value) stuff at mr t's or whatever is on offer! Wilkinsons good for stuff like that but did get some at HB yesterday that was cheap! Re bubbles I dont like them cos they stay on he plate and you then have to rinse more and therefore use more water...less is best for me and noones complained of manky plates yet!
Ohh well done on film Ceridwen! naughty girl re dance of 7 veils...dont think our weezl needs that (although good use for beautiful sari she has!) as I do believe our acetate monkey thinks shes rather yummy without any need for seduction and knows what a lucky fella he is...a geeky wife with gorgeousness too and she can cook!!!

fedupandskint

:DThanks everyone for your helpful comments. I will try diluting the Fairy left in the bottle (like I do when it is near to finishing). I 'll try a little drop first diluted and take it from there.

Can't believe I this never occurred to me! Especially when I cut open everything to get the last drops out!

Will be back later to post a couple of recipes, spinach and ricotta gnocchi and tomato sauce.I'm batch cooking away today while it is overcast outside! I don't think one of them will come in at the 50p or £1 a day ratio - spinach and ricotta gnocchi - I'm making it to use up the ricotta bought last week for some reason and the languishing in the freezer bag of chopped spinach and everything else I have in.

Plan cook tomato sauce for freezing
Strip chicken meat for pie
Make stock or freeze carcass for next time
Freeze already made stock
Make frugal veg soup for work and freeze
Make another as yet undecided soup for work and freeze
Write down Millies cookie recipe and onion bahji recipe -delish!

See you all later when the forum comes back on - have a super enjoyable day today! :j

Tightwadways

Coming out of lurkdom for a bit, and trying to catch up

I'm on a really tight budget this week of £10 for 4 of us. I need really filling stuff, as DS eats like there's no tomorrow, and still doesn't put weight on....I already have:

3 tubs of marg in
flour, muscavado sugar
eggs,
golden syrup...
plenty of pasta (thanks Asda !)
25kg bag of potatoes
small block of cheese
macaroni
tomatoe paste
2/3 cans of tuna
dried herbs/spices
rice (adults only like this)
dried chick peas
green split peas
soya beans
red lentils
barley
gravy granules and stock cubes


pickled beetroot
pickled onions
pickled red cabbage
frozen peas & frozen peppers (neither of which the children will eat as is <sigh>)

Have a fair few packets of custard and strawberry/chocolate whip...and an easter egg leftover:eek:
These are just some of my store cupboard....can't do a complete list as going to a wedding later....

...veg wise the children are picky, so anything that can be concealed is great...they don't like plain mashed potatoes or jacket potatoes normally :rolleyes: so ideas on how to use the spuds would be good.....

If anyone could offer any ideas/recipes on how to keep within my budget that would be really helpful....the only thing I can see is tuna fishcakes....but then I'll also need to do work sandwiches for other half (he won't eat spreads I make)...
I also have a soya milk maker, tofu maker and am using a combi microwave/slow cooker/remoska.

cuddlymarm

Hi

Will the kids eat bubble and squeek (mashed spuds and cabbage mixed together and then either fried or done in oven)
Also maybe pancakes with the golden syrup on as a filler upper (not to bad if you don't have them very often)
Pasta and cheese sauce
Pasta and tomato sauce
Potato wedgies with fried egg (maybe ketchup to dip the wedgies in)

I hope this is a start for you
I'm sure there will be lots of ideas along soon
Cuddles:rotfl:

fedupandskint

Little update trying to be frugal - hoping I am succeeding :j

[STRIKE] Plan cook tomato sauce for freezing
Strip chicken meat for pie
Make stock or freeze carcass for next time
Freeze already made stock
Make frugal veg soup for work and freeze[/STRIKE]
Make another as yet undecided soup for work and freeze
Write down Millies cookie recipe and onion bahji recipe -delish!

Well lots of cooking done all afternoon which is good! A chickpea curry made from frugal uk website, tomato sauce made veg soup with country broth mix in, chicken pie sauce made ready for pastry popping on for friends visit for tea. Waiting for frozen spinach to defrost which is taking ages!

Rich Tomato Sauce
2 or 4 cans plum tomatoes (I used chopped today)
3 or 6 cloves of garlic
2 or 4 tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a wide and shallow pan and fry the garlic gently so it does not burn
Add the tomatoes, if using plum brak them up with a wooden spoon
Bring to boil then simmer quite hard. Check and stir every so often so that mixture does not catch on bottom of pan.
When mixture thickens nicely it is ready.

Extracted from Meat by Hugh F-W

I went for 4 cans today

Costs
4xtins chopped toms £1.50
6 cloves garlic £0.06
4 tbsp Olive Oil £0.15

Total £1.71

4 portions of 500ml made serving 2 = £0.43 per portion
Or 8 portions at = 21p per portion

Chickpea curry
Veg oil £0.20
1 onion chopped £0.08
3 cloves garlic £0.03
1 apple £0.26
1 pepper £0.22
2-3 tbsp curry powder £0.10
1 tin chickpeas £0.60
1 tin chopped toms £0.37
2 tbsp coconut £0.05
salt and pepper ???

Total £1.91

3 500ml portions at 54p per portion. May serve 2? then will be 6 portions at 27p a portion.

Will serve with the infamous onion bahjis (never thought I'd make these!) and HM chapatis and rice if needed.

Also may add some peas as forgot them today!

Mega cheap veg broth made for work with 1 potato, 3 carrots (free), a bay leaf from the garden, water and 100g of country broth mix. Haven't costed it yet as not portioned up yet.

Weezl, you doing the calculations has made me have a think about how much the meals cost. Pleased with todays results

Also made a pie base mix for my friends visit this week comprising of 1/2 a chicken breast left over (from the chicken I got for the Dine in for £10 from M+S yesterday which cost £6.19), a potato, a couple of carrots, chopped up green beans from the freezer, a glass of white wine from the freezer, 100ml of double cream, a bit of thyme and a mushroom. Think that's it! It tastes nice and is in the freezer now until Thurs when a pastry top goes on :j

Gardening tomorrow as the sun as just come out now tonight, lets hope it is here again

twinkle_star_2

fedupandskint wrote: »

Of course I can, here we go. I have 'borrowed' this from a very indulgent person indeed. Funny how it ended up on here

Butterbean soup

250g dried butter beans
125g pearl barley (give or take this amount depending how much you have I used 90g)
2 parsnips
3 carrots
1 onion
parsley (if you have it in the fridge, garden or want to buy it)
bayleaf (again if you have one fresh or dried)
500g potatoes
2-2.5L chicken stock (either HM or cube)
1tbsp caster sugar

Soak the beans and barley overnight. After this remove the butterbean from the outer skins.

Chop all the vegetables and parsley finely. Put everything in a large pan. Bring to the boil and reduce heat and simmer for 2hrs. Stir every now or then if it looks like it's sticking

It can get a bit thick so you might need to add more water/stock to thin out slightly.

Season to taste

I am popping out of a very long career of lurking on the thread to tell you that I made this soup last night and it was blimmin' gorgeous! I did remove the butterbean skins and it really didn't take that long and was quite amusing as a few managed to ping across the room when i was a little overenthusiastic with the squeezing. :rolleyes:
I think it would be a really different soup if you didn't remove the skins - still nice but more of a broth with chunky bits rather than what it is. And what it is, is the ultimate comfort food. It's really creamy and delicious. Reminded me of chicken soup which is fairly impressive considering that I used vegetable stock. Anyway, I heartily recommend it and thanks fedupandskint. :T

In_Search_Of_Me

oo hello twinkle star...another Cardiffian! Are you a librarian?! I have a lovely on near me and visited the new one in town but a v selfish woman has taken all the beading books out so was not a happy bunny! anyhoooo just wanted to say welcome and thanks for coming out of lurkdom!
Ceridwen how did the film go...did you wear a tiara? Can confirm that Ferg still very cute..even if he did puke on me!!!

ceridwen

Hi ISOM

Re the film - errr.....a few (or rather a lot) of technical hitches. I wasnt muttering charitable thoughts I'm afraid - as us online viewers were sitting there in front of our respective screens in various countries across the world whilst there was adjustment after adjustment made - so 'twas 2 hours of watching the computer screen of the guy trying to send this out online/clips of the film as he thought he got it going/comments and chatting amongst ourselves coming up at the bottom of the screen - as everyone went "Screen gone black/heard a bit of sound/heard you typing...left a bit...right a bit....what country are you all in? I'm in Australia...well I'm in Japan" and so forth.......

Ben gave up for the time being in the end and headed for the tequila - and the consensus of opinion from the commenters was for it to be put online on YouTube - so hopefully soon 'twill be visible there. Difficulties of trying to run events in the Real World and online at the same time:cool:.

The Transition Movement Conference in London this weekend is also in the Real World on t'one hand and blog posts and podcasts coming up online on the other hand. We have our own intermittent radio Station - Transition Radio - which I've not yet tried. Well - you cant say we aint trying to use every media possible to communicate.....

Never been involved in summat thats trying to run on 2 levels before now - everything has been either in the Real World on the one hand or online on the other hand. Well - you could say its an experience.....of a distinctly learning variety....:cool:

...and now back to my own personal Real World move in that direction...the garden....that garden.....I think I've got room just about for another foodgrowing plant or three. I can safely say I have never witnessed anyone else determinedly filling virtually every square inch of a tiny little backyard like I've got with all the foodgrowing I possibly can. Theres a couple of online blogs I've discovered about people trying to grow a bit of food on balconies - I think I probably will manage more than them. I'm taking the view of throwing money at it at the moment - whilst I know I have it - as a long-term investment to save me the absolute max. possible of money later on (you DO NOT want to know JUST how much money I've thrown at it in my series of experiments for maximum space utilisation!).