Black-Saturn's Menu Planner

mummysaver

On the subject of value mince - sometimes it's worth checking out local farm shops if you have access/transport, as often their mince can be the same price as Mr T's cheapest. One of our local farms sells pork products, and they use the entire pig for the mince that they make (well the minceable parts anyway!) rather than selling off the more expensive parts as joints and just mincing the left overs, the mince is sold on its own, and made into burgers and sausages. So just a thought, if people can get to farm shops it can be worth checking out their prices.

Large sacks of potatoes - 25kg I think, or am I being silly, it's a huge sack size anyway - cost £5.00 at the farm shop near to us - they are organic and from the local agricultural college. I appreciate not everyone can find these shops near them, but it shows that looking at places other that supermarkets and local shops can make things a bit cheaper.

Becles, perhaps you can let me know about frozen mince - do you know what the difference is to the fresh stuff, as it is always cheaper?

Anyway, thanks again to BS for posting her recipes, I know that not everyone would want to eat the same way, but then not everyone wants to eat what my family eat!

Becles

I've never bought frozen mince packs before. I don't like them as when it's frozen, you can't really tell the quality of the meat, which put me off buying it.

If it's cheaper, I would assume it's got more fat in it, but that's just my thinking not true facts!

gettingitsorted

Hi All,

Im makingendsmeet's other half,nice to meet you all,

i used to be a big shopping spender until i was introduced to this life saving site :money:

My weekly shop on average was well over £80 +a week sometimes it got to over £100 i never planned meals and packed the trolly with things that i thought would be good(now know different) no fruit or veg either alot of treats such as biscuits of the chocolate types for the kids and OH (which i now class as luxuries).

After seeing light thanx to this site i have changed all our eating habbits gone are the days of cooking seperate meals for the children which i was doing on a regular basis as each would not want the same as the other claiming they didnt like it!

So here goes this is just a weeks menu i draw up a new one b4 i go shopping so that i only buy what i need for the week.

Monday was Jacket potatos with baked beans and salad
Tuesday was pasta with grated cheese and chopped ham garlic bread which is as cheep as chips if you make your own garlic butter.
Wednesday oven chips with whatever is in the freezer
Thursday beef casserole with veggies in a giant yorkshire pudding
Friday is whatever i can muster out of what food is left as i shop on a saturday

i dont make puddings as the kids like to have fruit which is fine

I have now got rid of the chocolate biscuits in the kids pack up by substituting them for homemake cakes and biscuits ,this not only saved me lots of money but the kids also love making them so its teaching them skills too.

mandy_moo_1

Dee_Moralised wrote:

How does someone qualify for free school dinners?

If you're on certain types of benefit ie income support, JSA etc, your kids get free school meals :T

Whoops!! Just read on and seen that loads of others have told you how, Dee!! Sorry

mummysaver

Becles wrote:

I've never bought frozen mince packs before. I don't like them as when it's frozen, you can't really tell the quality of the meat, which put me off buying it.

If it's cheaper, I would assume it's got more fat in it, but that's just my thinking not true facts!

My thinking too, but even the frozen steak mince and organic minces tend to be cheaper! Just wondered if you knew as you knew about the fresh stuff!

Personally mine prefer stuff from the farm shops, which works out the same as the value stuff, except I know what went into it! Children have even had a go at helping make it - a friend of theirs lives on one of the local farms that we buy from! I tend to judge by taste, but being vegetarian I come a bit unstuck with meat products! I just have to go on the family response and the look and smell!

Heth_2

My husband used to buy big bags of frozen mince before we were married, and I could definitely tell a difference between the frozen and fresh when cooking with it. The chilli made with the frozen stuff had a very weird texture.
Personally I would always buy fresh, but I don't buy mince very often anyway so when I do I'd rather get stuff I like.

ladygrey_2

surely it would be better to buy better quality mince and make it stretch further,
good mince has little fat to drain off and loads more taste, so you can use less in a recipe by bulking out with extra veg

ladygrey_2

black-saturn wrote:

All very well and good for you but if you just took 1 look at my children you would see that they are both fit and healthy and there is nothing at all the matter with them.

Thanks.

but it will be later in life that lack of adequate diet will cause health problems

gettingitsorted

I must admit i buy the value range and i drain the fat off after i dry fry it ,i suppose its what your used to really as thats all iv ever had so know no different .

[Deleted User]

Do you think we could have a discussion thread on `what makes a good diet`

I am sure that most people know but not everyone has access to fresh food. Some people genuinely don`t know and others just cannot afford it

35 years ago I was one of the founder members of a local suma wholefood cooperative. We bought in bulk and packed and divided the food. I know where I am coming from but I don`t think this is the right place to criticise, even by implication, someone who tries hard to feed her family within her budget