If things get tougher?

monkey22_2

I'd like to be a mouse too please. SQUEAK, SQUEAK.

oliveoyl

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

The dog has a large bag of food (Wagg) which is 15kg and that cost us about £10 i think but he gets very ill during winter/cold weather and am happy to say he seems to be looking healthy still and maintaining weight nicely. The terrapins get a large tub of food which lasts them about 3 weeks but have some smaller tubs in store so they can have that the last week to keep them - jsut found out they can have a more natural diet too so things like cucumber etc so that may help too.

During colder weather you could add a small handful of cooked pasta to your dog's normal meal... extra calories for very little cost.

Another thing terrapins eat in their natural diet is worms... so get your wellies on!

FairyElephant_2

Primrose wrote: »

Fairyelephant - If you don't want people to have "seconds" for the meat course, you'll have to become all religious and say my granny's Grace before meals. (She had 8 children to feed). "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful, and please God don't let anybody ask for seconds, otherwise there will be nothing on the table to eat tomorrow. Amen". :rotfl: I defy any greedy guest to dare ask for "seconds" after that !

Thanks Primrose - I love it!!!

Don't think I will try it on the SK's though....it's taken me 6 years (they are now 13,15 & 17)to get them not to just take food from the fridge/cupboards without asking :eek: - apparantly this is the 'norm' in their mum's house (and TBH, DH says he recalls it was like that when he was a child at his mum's house - with 6 kids coming & going at all hours!).
My rules are different! I had to wait until DH & I bought a house together to implement them though - LOL! I was always brought up to ask - even now I wouldn't go in my Mum's house and put the kettle on without asking (not that she would ever say no!). SK's have finally got the hang of it now!

TBH (again) I am a bit flattered that they love my cooking so much - their mum rarely cooks 'proper meals' (DH reckons she was a dire cook anyhow!)and it's even more rare that they sit down together as a family - I always try to do a proper roast dinner with lots of fresh veg when they stay (they had no idea what Curly Kale was the other week - never even seen it before :eek: ), which we all sit down to eat together, and they have healthy teenage appetites! I found it's easier to get them to try new things if I put the serving dishes in the middle of the table and they help themselves.

DH & I didn't starve last nite you'll be pleased to know! I opened my 'emergency' tin of stewed steak and we had that with my 'emergency' packet of mashed potato flakes, and the leftover veg from Sunday.
Just gotto remember to restock the emergency shelf now!

sammy_kaye18

Hi All

Well I braved Tesco today and spent £37.31p and even got a 500g box of kellogs cornflakes for spending over £30 which i completely forgot about until the cashier pointed out my 'free' gift. Free gift my food i just had to spend £30 to get it!!!

Anyway - got home and put all my thigns away and MIL offered to take me to collect Benji (it was piddlign it down here) so we went back up hers afterwards to be met by her daughter. I said I'd done a fortnightly shop and only spent £37.31 and was really chuffed as i had no rubbish in it and then her daughter (my SIL) piped up that she had just done an Asda shop and spent £90 on bits and pieces:eek: and a tesco shop and spent £150!!:eek: So am not sure if i feel like an utter skint flint or if im really chuffed becasue she has two kids, hubby and a dog also but she cant cook a thing so i know its all ready meals or throw on a baking tray and be done with food whereas ours is made from scratch.

Will post my receipt later to see what you all think of it.

But for now am off to make shepherd potatos. Chuck some jacket spuds in the oven until almost cooked, Make up the shepherds pie mix (ie your mince,carrot,onion and use minimal gravy) then once thats done cooking, hollow out jacket spuds, fill with shepherds pie mix, mash up potato you removed and retop the jacket skins (now filled with shepherds pie - add cheese on top and bung under grill - wallah shepherds potatoes - serve with veggies.:D

Gigervamp

Thanks for the shepherds potatoes idea. I'll give that a try sometime

You SIL must be wasting sooo much money on her shopping!

Primrose

sammy- sounds like your SIL isn't shopping very wisely. It's amazing how quickly the shopping bills mount up when you buy ready prepared meals rather than cooking from scratch. Will try your shepherds potatoes next time I have some spag sauce left over. (Incidentally, if you have a microwave and kick-start the potatoes in that, it will reduce your oven cooking usage but I do think oven-cooked potatoes somehow taste nicer with their crispy skins!).

mardatha

My god. I have come back to a houseful of mice ! Yes the other forum is a tarot site, and as far as I know, the organiser just keeps a rota and asks the next mouse if they are ok to send a small packet to so--and-so. It isnt often tarot cards. ..we have crafty people who all added their tuppenceworth. The one thing I like is that people arent expected/encouraged to ASK. At all. Just from day to day chatting, it was sussed who was low or tired or struggling --so nothing at all like Freecycle.
I suppose its true OS really...I WANT DOESNT GET ! lol

kbarty

Really like the mouse idea and would like to be part of it if ok. Will look forward to hearing when it gets started.

Beki

I love that idea too, and would be more than happy to help out if needed I'd also like to be put forward as a mouse!

Thanks for the shepherds potaotes recipe! I don't eat mince, but i've just aquired a mincer so i can make my own so will be experimenting this weekend

elona

Have some turkey mince in the fridge which I will turn into home made burgers for tonight with home made potato wedges and cabbage.

Very pleased with myself the other day as I bought a huge turkey thigh for about £1.29, cooked it in the slow cooker till the meat fell off the bone , stripped the meat and cut it up and then used it in a "chicken "curry!

It worked out a lot cheaper than chicken breasts or even thighs and no one noticed!

sammy

How about making a lot of buns, Twinks hobnobs, pizza fingers etc for im to snack on. When I dish up a meal if I want to save some for another meal I plate it up and hide it in the microwave till I can hide it in the fridge.