Is it possible for this girl to be permanently OS?

Floss

Sublime wrote: »

Lots of vegetables and trimmings like batter puddings, will make your chicken go further. So portion up the chicken legs and slice the breast. Thats a roast dinner for day 1 sorted.

For Day 2, use all the leftover chicken in a stir fry, curry, casserole, pitta bread wraps, whatever. Make it go further with salad, rice, couscous, pasta, etc.

Day 3, use the chicken carcass to make a lovely stock, for some soup.

Done. :A

As a child, my mum used to make a family-sized chicken do 4 meals for 5 or 6 of us...we didn't go hungry (and never had Yorkshires with chicken, only with beef!)

Roast using 1 breast, 1 leg, part of thigh.
Cold with fried mash & veg using other leg, part of other breast & other part of thigh.
Curry / sweet & sour / pie with what was left chopped up.
Soup from stock with the scraps from the bones.

That's what is known as a "rubber chicken" because it stre-e-e-tches!

fedupandskint

Hi Jo! Nice to see you here Old Styleee!

I've made some big changes too to move away from ready meal expense and convienience. I pledged to myself not to buy any more. To help I made a list of everything in the freezer and cupboards to see what I could make meals out of and crossed it out when I used it. My achillies heel is buying things ontop of what is already in and then freezing it or ignoring the freezer and using it.

These things have helped

• Write a list during the week of what I have run out of and stick to it when I go to the supermarket
• Buy a whole chicken from the butcher and get him to joint it and use it for a curry would feed 4-6
• If roasting a chicken, use every last bit. Carcass. skin, bones and jelly for stock making - use stock for soups (v.easy, add what you like and season) or for a rissotto and can add any left over chicken in
• Measure out better how much meat is actually needed per person per meal, was giving 2 of us too much so at one stage a chicken only did us for 1 meal now I can get 4-6 meals out of it if I buy a biggish one (good ideas on the rubber chicken thread)
• started using dried beans and pulses
• spent time writing down recipes from here to help me OS
• Stocked up on offers I will use eg rice on offer at Asda and chopped toms.
• The storecupboard challenge thread is helpful if you have things and no idea what to make, others will gladly help

I am still trying to get my grocery expense down, each time I set a target for the monthly challenge I fail and find myself popping into Mr T/A/S for few things.

Lastly, you could try radishes, spring onions, cut and come again salad leaves in a couple of pots to see you through the summer. If you have an old placky ikea bag slice a few drainage holes in the bottom put some compost in and plant the seeds as per instructions on the back of the pack, you might be surprised how they do in one or 2 bags/pots.

HTH my dear x

little_miss_moneysaver_3

owens3116 wrote: »

after reading this im gonna give meal planning another go , im moving in a few weeks and could do with running the freezers down and saving some money

If i post what ive got in later can i have some help please ? x

ta x

I'd be happy to look at your ingredients. Might inspire me too. I'm still learning to be OS tho, bit of a beginner still. Loving the challenge

Bella79

ok heres my list , like i said i need to run all this down i dont wanna be moving loads of freezer stuff

1 pkt bacon
1 pkt chicken breasts
4 fishfingers
7 pork loin chops
1 pkt mushy peas
1 minted lamb roll
1 minted lamb chop
1 box potatoe waffles
6 pork sausages
1 large whole chicken
1 pork loin joint
1 pkt chicken legs ( really nit sure what to do with these)
1/2 bag ikea meatballs lol
12 pork sausages
frozen yorkie puds
1 pkt cauli
2 pkts lamb mince
2 pkts beef mince
1 pkt chicken wings

phew ! thats the lot so what stands out to me is a roast chicken dinner then leftovers made ito a pie or something

pasta and the ikea meatballs with tom sauce

struggle to use the lamb mince as i dont like shepards pie also not keen on bolognase and chilli what else can i do with it ?:rolleyes:

also struggle with chicken legs i usally cook em crispy and hubby will jst nibble on them but how can i make em into a meal ?

oh and the beef mince as well what should i do with all this blumin mince ?:rolleyes:

thankyou for any ideas


ps......... theres only me hubby and a lo 2yrs old and a very hungery weimaraner called tilly

jo1972

Oh gosh, only been gone a few hours and so many responses!!!

Firstly....

chivers1977 wrote: »

Before you go shopping STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!

Errm damn, too late :whistle:

And secondly.....

Gigervamp wrote: »

With regards to the chicken, it does sound like you need to control the portions a tad.

:o:o:o

I've not had time to read properly, but will be back in the morning after taking stock of what I've got (which is nowt much) and list it here.

I'm quite looking forward to being more frugal!

We 'only' spent £65, but did get 3 dinners and lots of lunches for the whole week for me and the kids :o:o:o

I'll be better tomorrow.........I promise :A





I'll get me coat :whistle:

mooomin

owens3116 wrote: »

ok heres my list , like i said i need to run all this down i dont wanna be moving loads of freezer stuff

1 pkt bacon Nom nom bacon sarnies on lazy weekend day!
1 pkt chicken breasts
4 fishfingers
7 pork loin chops Do you have slow cooker? If so, I may have a recipe!
1 pkt mushy peas
1 minted lamb roll
1 minted lamb chop
1 box potatoe waffles Fish fingers, waffles and mushy peas.
6 pork sausages Sausage casserole
1 large whole chicken Roast, then sandwiches/pie and finally soup
1 pork loin joint Roast then sweet and sour pork next day?
1 pkt chicken legs ( really nit sure what to do with these) See below for recipe
1/2 bag ikea meatballs lol
12 pork sausages
frozen yorkie puds
1 pkt cauli
2 pkts lamb mince Bolognaise, chilli, shepherds pie, mince and tatties
2 pkts beef mince As above
1 pkt chicken wings

phew ! thats the lot so what stands out to me is a roast chicken dinner then leftovers made ito a pie or something

pasta and the ikea meatballs with tom sauce

struggle to use the lamb mince as i dont like shepards pie also not keen on bolognase and chilli what else can i do with it ?:rolleyes:

also struggle with chicken legs i usally cook em crispy and hubby will jst nibble on them but how can i make em into a meal ?

oh and the beef mince as well what should i do with all this blumin mince ?:rolleyes:

thankyou for any ideas


ps......... theres only me hubby and a lo 2yrs old and a very hungery weimaraner called tilly

Try this with the chicken legs:

Lazy ladies casserole!

Chicken legs x however many you have
1 x onion
3 x peppers (I usually use three different coloured ones)
1-2 tins of condensed tomato soup

Quickly fry onion and peppers for a couple of minutes. Place in the bottom of a good sized casserole pot with a lid. Fry chicken legs for a few minutes each side until brown. Put on top of the veg in the dish. Pour over soup and pop in the over at 180 for about an hour.

HTH!

seabright

If meal planning sounds daunting & time consuming, try this website: www.savingdinner.com. I've subscribed (v.cheap - you'll soon save the money back) for several years. Each week you get a weeks menus plus a ready made shopping list, so it's easy to cross off what you already have and just but the extra bits.

Also, online shopping is cheaper for me (once I've got my shopping list sorted) as I don't buy all the extra bits. It easily saves me the delivery charge. Put up a whiteboard/blackboard in your kitchen, and as soon as something starts running low, add it to the list.

Got a birthday coming up? Ask for a breadmaker and/or a slow cooker.

kazmeister

Hi again Jo, just another angle on it here

Without wanting to pry, do you find it a problem funding your shopping or is it a struggle. The reason I ask is, if its a struggle then it does make it easier because you know the excess money can be put to a better use ie paying off debt. If not then if you usually spend £100 per week take that out of the bank and put £40 into a savings pot or account and take the £60 in cash when you go shopping. You have to mentally add up what you are spending as you go along and cannot go mad because it would be embarrasing at the till. The £40 a week would then soon build up into a nice little nest egg for treats, or Christmas spending and once you start to see this little pot growing or the debt diminishing it does become addictive.


Just a couple more things to add to my previous post too - I now usually cook 2 joints on a Sunday. I havent gone mad but its actually cheaper to roast a whole chicken and use the meat for sandwiches than it is to buy prepacked rubbish. So like yesterday it was pork and chicken, half of the pork was used as roast yesterday, both can be used as cold meats for sandwiches, we have sweet n sour pork planned, chicken tikka and any leftover chicken will added to a pan of fried peppers and onions with fajita spice to have chicken wraps. I cook gammon hams up to (only use tesco value ones) which we use for sandwiches, to have as a cold meat with chips n beans, make pea and ham risotto or a spaghetti carbonara.

I guess what I'm trying to say is a roast is never just a roast.

Take a look at this site too - which is free http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/save_time_and_money/two_week_menu

Glamazon

owens3116 wrote: »

ok heres my list , like i said i need to run all this down i dont wanna be moving loads of freezer stuff

1 pkt bacon fry up!!!!
1 pkt chicken breasts
4 fishfingers
7 pork loin chops
1 pkt mushy peas
1 minted lamb roll
1 minted lamb chop
1 box potatoe waffles
6 pork sausages
1 large whole chicken (roast dinner)
1 pork loin joint (slow cooker - sweet and sour pork)
1 pkt chicken legs ( really nit sure what to do with these)
1/2 bag ikea meatballs lol
12 pork sausages (i made a sausage casserole yesterday which is now split into portions and frozen)
frozen yorkie puds (roast dinner)
1 pkt cauli (cauliflower cheese with roast dinner)
2 pkts lamb mince (shepards pie or cottage pie)
2 pkts beef mince (batch cook!!! Do a huge bolganese, split in half and make chilli with half)
1 pkt chicken wings (spicy chicken wings)

phew ! Thats the lot so what stands out to me is a roast chicken dinner then leftovers made ito a pie or something

pasta and the ikea meatballs with tom sauce

struggle to use the lamb mince as i dont like shepards pie also not keen on bolognase and chilli what else can i do with it ?:rolleyes:

Also struggle with chicken legs i usally cook em crispy and hubby will jst nibble on them but how can i make em into a meal ?

Oh and the beef mince as well what should i do with all this blumin mince ?:rolleyes:

Thankyou for any ideas


ps......... Theres only me hubby and a lo 2yrs old and a very hungery weimaraner called tilly :d

just a few ideas

jollymummy

Hi Jo
Thanks for starting this thread there is some very good advice that I'm taking note of too. We've been on a big economy drive for a while now and I find if I shop online I spend MUCH less, just top up with lovely fruit and veg from local greengrocers. I also meal plan every week and do a full cupboard and freezer check before I do my online order. After reaing several threads, I really must get myself a slow cooker and put a Remoska on my Christmas list - oooo the glamour!!!
x